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Li Jiancheng shook his head and extended his hand to Feng Li, saying, "General Feng, you are being too polite. However, this spear tip is too small; you should return it to me for now. I will have them forge a long spear entirely made of this Patterned Steel for you later. How does that sound?"
Feng Li, the commander of the Eastern Palace Guards, had to return the spear tip to Li Jiancheng and replied happily, "Then I shall thank His Highness!"
"No need for thanks!" Li Jiancheng said as he took out a hundred taels silver note to reward the blacksmiths and instructed them to forge a new weapon for Ma Qiang using Patterned Steel.
Niu Fu, naturally envious, tentatively asked, "Your Highness, could I also…"
"Then make it two!" Li Jiancheng instructed the blacksmiths.
As they were all on the same side, they deserved good equipment.
Seeing that it was getting late, Li Jiancheng decided to leave with a few people. Before departing, he intended to instruct the blacksmiths to keep the matter of Patterned Steel confidential but thought better of it and refrained from saying anything. Doing so might draw unnecessary attention. It would be best for Hua Ying to privately inform them instead; as a prince, there was no need for him to publicly address such matters.
Upon returning to the Eastern Palace, Li Jiancheng called Hua Ying into his study and asked him to privately remind the blacksmiths about keeping the Patterned Steel matter secret.
The next day, Li Jiancheng did not visit the Blacksmith Shop again. After several tiring days, he needed some rest. He had spent most of his time in the workshop trying to create some entertaining items for the Eastern Palace. What games were suitable for winter? Ah, yes—shuttlecock kicking and cuju.
Cuju was similar to modern football but required some skill in handmade production. However, making a shuttlecock was quite simple. Just take a copper coin and attach a few chicken feathers, and it was done.
Once the shuttlecocks were ready, he had to teach everyone how to kick them. This was also quite easy, especially for the palace maids; they learned quickly. Kick the Shuttlecock was a game that girls generally enjoyed and excelled at.
Concubine Lu Lingling was also very interested in Kick the Shuttlecock; she learned quickly and soon surpassed Li Jiancheng's skill level. Consort Li Zheng Guanyin could not participate due to her pregnancy, even though she was interested in the game.
Li Jiancheng himself was not particularly skilled at Kick the Shuttlecock either. In modern society, this game was on the verge of being obsolete.
Everyone found it unsurprising that Li Jiancheng had come up with shuttlecocks; they didn’t even ask how he thought of it this time. Because if they did ask, Li Jiancheng would surely say it was taught by an Old Taoist in a Dream.
After teaching everyone how to kick shuttlecocks, Li Jiancheng went back to the workshop and crafted a set of Mahjong tiles. However, he did not plan to let anyone in the Eastern Palace play with such frivolous items just yet. Who should play with them? It would be best if people from Prince Qin's mansion played; if they became distracted by such games, they would lose their motivation to encourage Li Shimin in vying for the throne.
Of course, this idea wasn’t very realistic. Li Jiancheng disguised himself and took Ma Qiang with him to Prince Qi's Residence instead. Yes, since Prince Qin's mansion wouldn’t work out, he decided to start with Prince Qi's Residence.
When Li Yuanji saw Li Jiancheng’s appearance, he looked quite puzzled. "Elder brother, what are you up to?"
Li Jiancheng pulled out the Mahjong tiles and said, "Fourth brother, I came here today to have some fun; that's why I'm dressed casually."
"What is that?" Li Yuanji stared at what Li Jiancheng held in his hand, completely unrecognizing it.
"This is called Mahjong, and it's a lot of fun. I'm here to give you a set and teach you how to play," Li Jiancheng replied.
"Oh, brother, I have to go out later!" Li Yuanji seemed uninterested.
"That's fine, I'll teach you how to play first. Once you learn, you can play whenever you have time," Li Jiancheng understood that since Li Yuanji had never played before, it was normal for him to be disinterested. His attitude might change once he knew how to play.
"Alright! How do we play?" Although Li Yuanji wasn't particularly interested, his curiosity was piqued.
"Fourth Brother, this game requires four players. You just need to call one more person. With me and Ma Qiang, we’ll have four players. Let's play in your study!"
"Okay!"
Li Yuanji agreed and called over a guard. The four of them made their way to the study.
There was a table with four chairs, and they all took their seats. Li Jiancheng set up the Mahjong tiles on the table and began teaching them how to play.
Oh, this is actually quite interesting! After learning the game, Li Yuanji found himself intrigued.
Before long, dusk had fallen.
Although Li Yuanji had developed an interest in Mahjong, he remembered that he had more important matters to attend to that evening. He turned to Li Jiancheng and said, "Brother, I’m done playing for now. I have something important to do tonight."
"What is it? Is it that important?" Li Jiancheng asked curiously.
Li Yuanji hesitated about whether to share this information but suddenly brightened up. "I'm going to Qunfang Garden for a poetry gathering tonight. Brother, would you like to join me? Your outfit is perfect for it!"
Qunfang Garden? What kind of place is that? Li Jiancheng paused for a moment but quickly realized it must be one of the brothels of the Tang Dynasty!
Thinking about this, Li Jiancheng didn't care what Li Yuanji's intentions were for going there and shook his head directly. "Fourth Brother, we are both princes; it's not appropriate for us to go to such places."
Li Yuanji replied earnestly, "Brother, precisely because we are princes, we need to understand the people's sentiments. It's not good to stay cooped up in the palace all the time; only by visiting such places can we truly grasp the hardships of the common folk!"
Wow! Today’s Fourth Brother has some depth; he actually said something so insightful about understanding the people's sentiments. I can't believe it!
However, the phrase about understanding the people's sentiments reminded Li Jiancheng that visiting such places could indeed provide further insight into the early conditions of the Tang Dynasty, which might help him with his governance after he ascended the throne! He nodded and said, "You make a valid point, Fourth Brother. I'll accompany you to gain some insight into the people's sentiments and also enjoy the talents of our Tang Dynasty's poets!"
There are plenty of poets in Tang Dynasty, but they shouldn't be appearing at this time!
"That's right," Li Yuanji nodded repeatedly.
Then Li Yuanji changed his attire slightly to look like a scholar. Attending a poetry gathering should indeed be befitting of a scholar. This way, at least unfamiliar people wouldn't recognize him immediately.
Li Yuanji only brought one guard with him, disguised as a servant boy, and set off with Li Jiancheng. Li Jiancheng's guard Ma Qiang also dressed somewhat like a servant boy, which worked out perfectly.
"Ah! Young Master Zhang! What brings you here today? It's been a while since we last saw you; our girls have been missing you terribly. Tonight will you be calling for Lan Xiang or Yu Yue?"
As they arrived at the entrance of Qunfang Garden, they were warmly welcomed by the madam.
What’s going on? Is Fourth Brother a regular here?
Isn’t Consort Qi quite beautiful? Why does Li Yuanji keep coming back? At least he knows he’s a prince and doesn’t reveal his true identity, only saying his surname is Zhang.
Li Yuanji shot a glare at the madam and waved his hand grandly. “One or two isn’t enough! At least bring four girls for me!”
“Ah?” The madam was momentarily taken aback. Seeing that there were exactly four of them, she quickly responded with a beaming smile, “Alright, no problem! I’ll call for four girls right away…”
“Four girls are just for me, and for this friend as well—bring him four too!” Li Yuanji interrupted the madam, pointing at Li Jiancheng.
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