Outside the Taiji Hall, the tree shadows were dancing in the breeze.
After Li Jingyun woke up, the first thing that came to her mind was how she had fallen asleep.
Her father had said that he wanted her to learn how to get along with these grand councilors. And she was supposed to show up herself when the location of the library was to be decided tomorrow.
There would be even more people then, including a prominent merchant.
Had she just slept through this last learning opportunity? What could she do now?
Li Jingyun was worrying as she stared at the canopy above her head when an unfamiliar young eunuch came in and said, "Just now, His Highness the Crown Prince asked this servant to convey a message to Your Highness the Princess. Since the Princess has been tired these days, she can just go to sleep if she feels sleepy. His Highness will show up himself tomorrow."
"I knew it! Big brother is the best to me!" Hearing this, Li Jingyun happily threw all her worries to the back of her mind and fell asleep again.
At this moment, in a grand mansion in the Yongle Ward of Chang'an City, a young and handsome man held an invitation card and examined it over and over again before putting it back in place contentedly.
Pei Mingli was so excited that he felt he wouldn't be able to sleep until he met the little princess the next afternoon.
He was from the Pei Clan of Hedong, a once - prominent noble family. However, the family had declined by his generation. He had managed to become a well - known merchant in Chang'an City and even the whole Tang Dynasty through his careful planning and calculation.
Now, the little princess had personally sent him an invitation to the Taiji Hall in the imperial city.
Presumably, the memorial he had spent a great deal of money on had worked, and the little princess was interested in his proposal and wanted to discuss it in detail.
"Seventh Master, the tea has been changed three times. You haven't drunk a single cup. They've all gone cold, and you've been staring at this invitation. Can you see flowers in it?"
A young girl came over with a new cup of tea. As she picked up the still - full cold tea, she couldn't help but ask.
"You don't understand, He Niang. You don't know what this invitation means to me. It means that your husband will be able to enter the imperial city and meet the princess. This little princess is the most beloved daughter of His Majesty. Her future is boundless." Pei Mingli picked up the teacup and took a big sip, saying contentedly.
He Niang sighed helplessly. "Master, take a closer look. The little princess has not only invited you but also other officials in Chang'an City, all those above the fifth rank."
Her husband had started his business by collecting waste. Although he was extremely wealthy, he was not highly respected.
"Really? According to the little princess's personality, won't I be sitting with these grand councilors? Excellent! Excellent!"
Pei Mingli drained the cup of tea and threw his head back laughing.
Since ancient times, scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants were ranked in a hierarchy, with merchants at the bottom. At first, he had dreamed of becoming an official like his ancestors, but unfortunately, fate had not favored him, and he had ended up as a merchant.
Who would have thought that, thanks to the little princess, he would have the chance to sit with the high - ranking officials in the court!
This would fulfill one of his long - held wishes.
Seeing Pei Mingli laughing heartily, He Niang poured him another cup of tea and said softly, "Drink slowly, Master. No one is going to snatch it from you. If the little princess really orders the library to be built in the Yongle Ward, there will surely be many scholars lining up to thank you."
"If that's the case, my name, Pei Mingli, will surely go down in history along with the construction of the library." Pei Mingli's eyes sparkled as he said this.
He had thought that being well - off for life was the best he could achieve. The thought of leaving a name in history had never crossed his mind. Now, this opportunity was right in front of him!
How could he let it slip away easily?
"Everyone talks about the princess, but we all know that the princess is just a figurehead. She did put forward the ambitious plan of building a library for scholars all over the world to read for free, but the one who really makes the decision must be His Majesty. Such a big matter, how could His Majesty not show up?" What He Niang said was also what the people in Chang'an City thought.
Pei Mingli smiled nonchalantly. "That's even better. Not only will I meet the princess, but I'll also have the chance to meet His Majesty."
"Exactly! Exactly!" He Niang smiled. "I'm quite curious about this little princess. I've heard that she's only five years old. Some of the things she said are probably things that many scholars wouldn't dare to think about in their whole lives."
"The princess is of royal blood. Naturally, she has His Majesty and the whole royal family behind her. How could her vision be the same as those pedantic scholars?" Pei Mingli waved his hand and told He Niang to go and get his clothes.
The moment he received this invitation, he had already decided what to wear when he met Li Jingyun.
This time, he would surely do his best. If he could outshine those officials, he would be standing up for all the merchants in the world.
He Niang came back with the clothes and measured them against Pei Mingli's body. Then she said, "Master, what if the little princess chooses someone else, like Duke of Qi, Chang Sun Wuji? He's the little princess's own uncle, and the little princess's eldest sister has married into the Chang Sun family."
"What does it matter whether it's me or not? As long as I go, people will be talking about what I said to those officials and how the little princess treated me. Just having my name mentioned together with theirs, I've already won." Pei Mingli leaned back on the couch, looking extremely relaxed.
He had a good attitude and was very smart. He knew that for a thing like this, one should just do one's best, and success or failure was up to fate.
"Yes."
He Niang didn't ask any more questions.
This was the Pei Mingli she was familiar with.
Meanwhile, in a restaurant in Chang'an City, a young man had drunk too much. His face was flushed, and he shouted at the top of his lungs, "The little princess will summon Pei Mingli and all the officials tomorrow to decide where the library will be built! It must be in our Yongle Ward!"
This was the attitude of most people. They might not be scholars themselves, but they would be very happy if they could create more convenient conditions for future generations to study.
"Hahaha, then I'll take your word for it!" The restaurant owner wanted to come over and help the man down, for fear that this drunkard would say something inappropriate and bring trouble to their restaurant.
But unexpectedly, another man below chimed in, "It's Pei Mingli who will be meeting the little princess on behalf of our Yongle Ward, right? He's just a merchant. How can he compete with so many high - ranking officials?"
"Why not? The little princess is kind - hearted. Even my wife knows her good reputation. She won't look down on Pei Mingli just because he's a merchant! What if he offers enough money and, with his eloquence, out - argues the others? It's not impossible!"
The drunk man immediately got excited. He shook off the restaurant owner's hand and aggressively wanted to argue with the other man.
Everyone burst into laughter.
They all thought this man was really drunk. How could he be so sure that the little princess would take a fancy to Pei Mingli, a man who had made his fortune from collecting waste?
However, after this kind of publicity, the news that Pei Mingli would be sitting with many officials to meet the little princess spread among the markets. Although people didn't think Pei Mingli would win the bid for the library location, they did recognize his wealth.
Another drunk man stood up. "I heard that two vice - ministers from the Cui Clan of Boling in our ward are going to contribute several thousand taels of silver to build a library for us!"
Immediately, someone below echoed, "I didn't expect these high - ranking officials to be so considerate of us and willing to spend so much money for our sake!"
"Exactly! This is no small amount! Truly noble!"
Although people still had doubts in their hearts. Would this library really be built? Wouldn't all this heated competition end up with nothing?
A day and a night passed quietly. The common people were talking about this matter non - stop, making it highly - publicized.
Li Jingyun, who was at the center of this whirlwind, had just finished her meal and was on her way to the Taiji Hall to meet the officials.