Chapter 5: The Duck Egg King

What the imperial court is like—or rather, what bureaucrats are like—if others don't know, Zhao Yuankai certainly does!

If anyone were to ask him to invest money into a project that hadn't even taken shape, he would have only three words in response: "Throw them out!"

In this world, those who truly get things done must, at the very least, invest their own capital and time from the start. Once you actually produce something good with broad benefits, the next step depends on how strong your backing is and how clever your methods are. Otherwise, from the lowliest clerk to the great aristocratic families, and everyone in the bureaucratic middle, everyone would be itching to get a piece of the action.

That is why, even if an artisan creates something remarkable, they tend to hide it in this era, not daring to show it to the world, utilizing it only in secret.

This meant that if anyone asked him to sink money into some vague technology, he would surely give them a slap across the face. Investing here would be better spent in the southern courtyards of Pingkang Ward, finding a charming young lady for a night of pleasure—at least that would leave one with pleasant memories.

Zhao Yuankai looked at Li Tai. Oh! He is one of the Emperor's favorite legitimate sons; well, that’s different. Everything is for the sake of fighting the locusts!

"I understand your meaning, Prince of Yue, but can this artificial egg incubation really work? Or how long would the research take?" Zhao Yuankai asked.

To be fair, Zhao Yuankai was someone with genuine capability. So, despite Li Tai casually mentioning artificial incubation, he knew that realizing this technology would be no easy feat.

"Just keep trying with different people until it works!" Li Tai looked at Zhao Yuankai frankly. "Find me a group of artisans skilled in creating 'ground fires' to help me build incubation tools. Then, acquire a large quantity of duck eggs and prepare fuel. Firewood is hard to regulate for temperature, so charcoal is best. How many days will it take for you to have all this prepared?"

"The artisans and charcoal can be requisitioned from the Directorate for Palace Buildings. The Court of Agriculture often deals with them for farm tools, so that shouldn't be difficult. As for the duck eggs, I will have to ask the Bureau of Pasture Management. If they don't have them, I will purchase them from the commoners. However, with the locust plague causing such widespread panic, I fear they won't be easy to collect all at once!" Zhao Yuankai said with some hesitation.

Li Tai couldn't help but roll his eyes at this fellow. You’ve already switched sides; why are you acting difficult now? Taking a deep breath, Li Tai patiently said:

"I appreciate your hard work, Vice Minister Zhao. With the locust plague raging, fighting the infestation is the top priority for the Court of Agriculture in my father's eyes. You and I are different from Minister Dou; we both believe there is no 'Locust God,' and that resisting the plague ultimately falls upon people. If we work together—I shall handle the planning and direction, and you the implementation—only by exhausting our abilities can we solve this disaster! Of course, I understand the hardships of fighting a natural disaster. If I fail, I likely won't have another opportunity to practice agriculture and share the burden for my father before I come of age. In that case, I wish you a prosperous future."

Hearing Li Tai speak this way, Zhao Yuankai immediately realized that Li Tai had a way out, but did he? Why had he switched sides without hesitation when Li Tai appeared? Wasn't it because he was being pushed into a corner by Dou Jing at the Court of Agriculture? Why was he grasping at this opportunity with Li Tai? Was it for Li Tai? No! It was for his own official position as Vice Minister of the Court of Agriculture!

"This official understands! I will have everything ready in two days—no, tomorrow!" Zhao Yuankai gritted his teeth.

What motivates a bureaucrat most? Naturally, it is their own official position. Zhao Yuankai had figured it out: he had to produce results. Not to gain merit, but to ensure he could maintain his footing within the Court of Agriculture. If Dou Jing failed to stop the locusts but he succeeded, that would be an indisputable achievement.

Seeing Zhao Yuankai finally full of motivation, Li Tai breathed a sigh of relief. In this day and age, he would love to use those with noble character and unparalleled talent, but those people didn't think much of him. Zhao Yuankai... he would have to make do.

***

Li Tai said to Bai He, "Bai He, take 160 taels of gold from the treasury and give it to Vice Minister Zhao as initial funding!"

"It doesn't need that much, it doesn't need that much!" Zhao Yuankai waved his hands hurriedly upon hearing this.

"Take it," Li Tai said. "Vice Minister Zhao, we are in the same boat; solving this locust plague is the right path. Since we want to solve this, I can't let you pay for it out of your own pocket. With this money, your work will go much more smoothly!"

Li Tai had waited until now to produce the money so that Zhao Yuankai would first understand the gravity of the situation. Otherwise, if he had given the money first, Zhao might have embezzled a hundred taels, and if the research failed, Li Tai would have been doomed.

Zhao Yuankai bowed repeatedly. With this money, his work would certainly be much easier. He tucked the box of gold into his robes and galloped toward the Bureau of Pasture Management. Why delay? If he dragged his feet, he would lose his official rank. At this moment, Zhao Yuankai was full of energy.

"Your Highness is too generous, giving such a large sum all at once. Usually, you wouldn't be so extravagant. This gold is what you've painstakingly saved up over the years!" Bai He said, wrinkling her nose as she watched Zhao Yuankai ride away.

"Why didn't you say so sooner! My heart aches! Should I go get it back?" Li Tai clutched his chest, looking pained.

"Can we get it back?" Bai He’s eyes lit up.

"I fear not," Li Tai shook his head. "Take the matters that Vice Minister Zhao and I discussed and summarize them. List them as an outline, preferably on a single sheet of paper, using A, B, C, and D to categorize the items. Make three copies. Keep one for me, one for Vice Minister Zhao, and leave one at the Court of Agriculture for the record. Do you understand?"

Bai He had been angry that Li Tai was teasing her, but upon hearing this, she nodded.

"Should the 160 taels of gold be written down?" she asked.

"Of course it must!" Li Tai said seriously. "If it isn't, how will the imperial court know I’ve made such a sacrifice? And besides, it's a loan!"

Bai He chuckled and began to take up her brush, recording everything one by one. Honestly, using one’s own money for public affairs was taboo in the feudal era. But since this money was being used to research incubation technology rather than buy hearts, it was at most a gray area. Ultimately, his father was Li Shimin; as long as he didn't touch military power, his father's tolerance should be quite high.

Even if he did touch military power, he couldn't possibly seize it from Li Shimin. The Tang Dynasty used the *Fubing* system, where those who went to war were at least wealthy farmers, and the majority were commoners from Longxi and the capital region. The most headache-inducing part was that the *Fubing* from these regions had all fought for Li Shimin and won every battle, meaning the majority of meritorious officers had been promoted by him, forming a military-merit clique.

The Xuanwu Gate Incident was, in essence, Li Yuan thinking he could do whatever he wanted as Emperor, treating Li Shimin's military-merit clique like NPCs, thinking he could dismantle them through political maneuvering. But the reality was that whenever Li Shimin wished, Li Yuan would realize with despair that even his personal guards were Li Shimin's men. There was no helping it; any military system fears encountering an invincible bug. Just as the military-merit system met Bai Qi, who maxed out his achievements in one battle, the Tang *Fubing* system met Li Shimin. Every soldier knew that following Li Shimin meant victory, and almost every officer was promoted by his hand.

With such a formidable father, Li Tai extinguished any thoughts of seizing power by force—not that he didn't want to, but he truly couldn't.

"Everything that needs to be arranged is arranged. No matter what, I must wait for the artificial incubation technology to be developed!" Li Tai narrowed his eyes.

Naturally, the choice of different paths by Li Tai and Dou Jing soon erupted into a court debate. Because the energetic Zhao Yuankai had finalized the personnel, venues, and materials by the next day. The process was a bit rough—he threw money where money was needed and favors where favors were required. Such high efficiency naturally brought negative consequences; his grand spending was almost immediately reported by the censors, who were always quick to sniff out trouble.

The censors immediately discovered that the gold came from the eight-year-old Prince of Yue, and they swarmed like sharks smelling blood. Even if they knew the Prince was only eight and likely wasn't forming a clique, the matter of the 160 taels was a problem for Li Tai if it couldn't be explained clearly.

Fortunately, Li Tai had left a record at the Court of Agriculture regarding the use of the gold, specifically stating it was a loan, so the matter was dropped. This made it clear to everyone that Li Tai and Dou Jing had different strategies for fighting the locusts. Most of the court sided with Dou Jing; after all, the theory of "Heaven-Human Correlation" was deeply rooted. But at least they stopped pestering Li Tai, turning their attention to Zhao Yuankai instead. After all, Li Tai only provided the money; Zhao Yuankai was the one spending it. If Zhao had embezzled it, they would impeach him without hesitation. As for what kind of man Zhao Yuankai was, everyone who served with him knew his hands weren't clean.

But in reality, Zhao Yuankai had no intention of touching the money; he just wanted to keep his official robes. At this moment, Li Tai had gathered Zhao Yuankai's artisans and was working hard to overcome the incubation technology. As for the turmoil in the court, Li Tai believed that as long as the main goal of fighting the locusts remained, the winds of the court wouldn't blow toward him.

"These censors are truly something; they can twist anything! Qingque is only eight; what bad intentions could he have? He just wants to fight the locusts wholeheartedly. If there hadn't been that backup file in the Court of Agriculture, he really would have been unable to explain himself!" With the impeachment storm passed, Empress Zhangsun sat on her bed, angry!

Li Shimin felt helpless. Usually, it was he who was angered by the remonstrance of his officials; this time, it was the Empress's turn. Qingque was hiding at the duck farm researching incubation while the Empress was here getting angry, needing him to soothe her.

"Shall I order the censors to be reprimanded and have their salaries docked to vent your and Qingque's anger?" Li Shimin asked.

"No, Sage!" Empress Zhangsun shook her head quickly. "It is the duty of the censors to report what they hear; how can we dock their salaries over such a small matter? Spoiling Li Tai is one thing, but if we cut off the path of remonstrance, we will ruin greater things!"

"Guanyin, rest easy. I see Qingque's efforts. It is not convenient for me to intervene now, but once this matter is over, I will certainly reward him handsomely!" Li Shimin promised.

"Ouch!" the Empress cried out gently.

"What is it?" Li Shimin asked with concern.

"The little one kicked me; I fear it's another mischievous boy!" she said.

"Chengqian is benevolent and wise, and Qingque is dedicated to agriculture. A mischievous boy is fine, too; he can inherit my skills in galloping across the battlefield! Let me listen!" Li Shimin hugged her gently, pressing his ear to her belly, looking somewhat affectionate.

Li Tai did not know his parents were discussing him, as his mind was entirely focused on the artificial incubation technology. Zhao Yuankai had dug up the best artisans of the era. The "ground fire" was the predecessor to the heated brick bed (*kang*). In ancient China, ground fires for heating already existed, though they were less refined than the *kang*.

Under Li Tai's orders, the artisans used a mixture of mud and straw to build incubation vats in the shape of stoves. They placed iron pots inside, coated them inside and out with mud, smoothed the surface to avoid uneven heating, and opened a fire door at the bottom. Afterward, they prepared baskets for turning the eggs, cotton harvested from their own fields, straw mats for insulation, wooden frames to hold the eggs in the center of the vats, and reeds, mats, and batting for the secondary incubation stage. Finally, they prepared the fuel, primarily charcoal.

All in all, once these preparations were complete, Li Tai began the experiments with patience. He had provided the conditions and the direction; the rest was just a matter of constantly pouring in capital and trying. The only consolation was that this wasn't like gambling on new semiconductor materials; it was just controlling temperature. This was a road that was bound to succeed, so he could unshakeably keep pouring money in to buy eggs, charcoal, and equipment. The only thing he lacked was time.

Li Tai's requirements weren't high; as long as he could develop this technology a month before the locust plague arrived in July or August, it would be in time. Even so, the 160 taels of gold began to vanish at a visible rate as the experiments began. The eggs coming out of the vats were either raw or cooked. In an era without thermometers, finding the precise temperature for egg incubation required constant trial, error, and luck!

All Li Tai could do was let these top-tier artisans use their hands to feel the temperature of the vats and judge it. Then, they would record the charcoal consumption for each batch, adding and subtracting, failing over and over!

As time flew by without results, Li Tai soon gained a new title: The Duck Egg King.