Chapter 8

With a joyful heart, Li Kuan entered the realm of dreams. Even in his sleep, the corners of his mouth curled up, and this was the best sleep he had since he had traveled through time, even though it had only been three days. However, for him, accepting that he had become someone else and was now living a life on a different path made these three short days feel like three lifetimes. The unfamiliarity and distrust of his surroundings had left him mentally and physically exhausted. Added to his physical weakness and the threat of death, a heavy stone had been pressing on his heart, unable to be lifted. Now, finally seeing a glimmer of hope, how could he not be happy?

The next morning, Li Kuan did not wait for the maid to wake him up; he got up early. Putting on clothes was still a bit clumsy for him—why were these ancient clothes so difficult to wear!

He stood in the courtyard, assuming the stance of the Three-Body Form, his breathing and rhythm steady as he faced the first rays of sunlight that had crossed the city walls.

The morning breeze lifted the hem of his robe, and his hair bun became disheveled, fluttering in the wind. Perhaps because of his pleasant mood, Li Kuan had a deeper understanding of Xinyi Quan (Mind-Intent Fist) that morning. He felt light and as if he were merging with the wind.

"Li Zhi greets Second Brother!" A soft voice sounded behind him, and Li Kuan came back to his senses from his meditation on the boxing technique.

Turning around, he saw the little girl looking at him timidly. Li Kuan's lips curled up slightly. The little girl was very thin, her small hands gently twisting together at her abdomen. Her small face was filled with a mix of anticipation and shyness, her large, bright eyes staring at Li Kuan.

"Second Brother, you looked like you were about to fly just now. Are you a god?" the little girl asked timidly.

"It's Li Zhi! Second Brother was just practicing boxing, not a god!" Li Kuan looked at the curious little girl. This was Li Er and Changsun's eldest daughter, who would later become Princess Chang Le—Li Li Zhi. But now, she was just a little girl, suffering from a chronic illness since childhood, making her one of the weakest among Li Er's children, only slightly better than Li Kuan. She was always frail and weak.

"Why did you come to find Second Brother so early, Li Zhi?" Li Kuan walked forward and gently took Li Li Zhi's small hand. Her hand was thin, not plump like other children's, with fine blue veins faintly visible.

"Mother asked Li Zhi to find Second Brother and bring you to the hall to see her." Li Li Zhi held Li Kuan's index finger tightly, as if only this gave her the courage to complete the task her mother had given her.

"Then, will Li Zhi take Second Brother there?" Li Kuan extended his other hand and gently patted Li Li Zhi's head.

"Um!" Li Li Zhi seemed to enjoy Li Kuan's affection, her big eyes narrowing to slits, and her small head gently bumping him.

For some reason, Li Kuan felt a surge of joy when he saw this half-sibling. In fact, this was partly because his memory was incomplete. Otherwise, he would remember that among all his siblings, he and Li Li Zhi had the best relationship. Both of them were weak from a young age, so they couldn't move around freely like the other siblings. Li Kuan only started attending school in the past two years, and he went to school with Li Tai, who was two years younger. As for Li Li Zhi, she rarely left the Qin王府 (Qin Mansion).

So, in the past few years, the two of them had been in similar situations, and Changsun had intentionally let them play together. This made Li Li Zhi the closest to Li Kuan among all the siblings.

Li Kuan held Li Li Zhi's hand, and the two siblings' shadows stretched long in the morning sunlight.

"Li Zhi, have you had breakfast yet?" Li Kuan asked, holding his sister's hand.

"Second Brother, it's too early! It's not even the hour of Chen yet!" Li Li Zhi's voice was soft, like a clear stream flowing over rocks.

Uh, Li Kuan had forgotten that it was the Tang Dynasty, where people only ate two meals a day. Although some ate three meals, the Qin Mansion, under the frugal management of Changsun, would not be so extravagant. Although Li Kuan had deep resentment, he could only grumble in his heart.

The two of them chatted as they walked and soon arrived at the main hall of the Qin Mansion. This was the most solemn place in the mansion, aside from Li Er's study. All the large and small affairs of the mansion were arranged here, making it the nerve center of the mansion, where Changsun controlled everything.

"Mother, Li Zhi has brought Second Brother!" Li Li Zhi let go of Li Kuan's hand as soon as they entered the hall and bowed to Changsun.

"Is that so! Li Zhi is very capable!" Changsun was strict with her son but lenient with her daughter. She smiled brightly and praised the obedient little girl.

"Of course! Li Zhi loves helping Mother!" The little girl was very happy to hear her mother's praise, her large eyes narrowing like a kitten's, and a bright smile appeared on her pale face.

"Then, Li Zhi, can you go play by yourself for a while? Mother has something to discuss with Second Brother!" Changsun spoke gently to the little girl.

"Um! Li Zhi is the most obedient! Mother and Second Brother can talk, Li Zhi won't eavesdrop, Li Zhi will play by herself!" The little girl obediently left.

"Mother!" Li Kuan bowed.

"Sit down!" Changsun gestured for Li Kuan to sit at a table below her.

"Thank you, Mother." Li Kuan sat down as instructed, but he would have preferred not to. Kneeling and sitting for a few minutes made his legs numb, and sitting for a long time was a form of torture.

"I called you here to inform you of the responsibilities you will be in charge of. You will manage the monthly supplies and other miscellaneous affairs for all the young people in the Qin Mansion. I originally intended to have Cheng Qian take over these tasks, but you suddenly appeared." Changsun said calmly.

"I hope Mother will guide me. If I make any mistakes, I hope Mother will be lenient." Li Kuan dared not say anything else. After all, this was not an ordinary person. After Li Er, the vast empire was managed efficiently by Empress Changsun, and even after her death in the ninth year of the Zhenguan era, Li Er did not remarry for twenty years, showing her status in his heart and her skillful management.

"Without further ado, the monthly allowances for the children and the purchase of herbs to improve your and Li Zhi's health will be your responsibility. Start with these two tasks, and we'll discuss others once you are more familiar." Changsun did not delegate all the power at once but started Li Kuan with some minor tasks.

"I understand, Mother." Li Kuan bowed in agreement.

"Here are the detailed accounts. Take a look, and ask if you have any questions!" Changsun picked up an account book from the table and handed it to Li Kuan.

"I understand, Mother!" Li Kuan took the account book with both hands and started to read. Although it was in traditional characters, he could understand it with some guessing. As for the accounts, for someone who had received a modern education, managing a few strings of coins per person per month was not difficult.

However, when Li Kuan flipped to the back, he noticed something odd: "Mother, why are the monthly allowances for the children different? Shouldn't they be the same?"

"These are calculated based on individual expenses. You must know that the entire Tang Dynasty is short of money. The aristocratic families hoard all the money, and the amount of money in circulation is decreasing. Even though your father is the Prince of Qin, the mansion has to be frugal with its monthly expenses. The younger princes who do not have urgent needs receive less." Changsun's tone was full of helplessness. Even as the Prince of Qin, having to cut the children's allowances showed how dire the financial situation was.

"I see!" Li Kuan said no more and continued reading.

The last part of the account book was about the herbs purchased for the mansion's princes and princesses, not just for Li Kuan and Li Li Zhi, but also for Li Cheng Qian and Li Ke. These two were already at the age of practicing martial arts and needed herbal baths to lay a solid foundation.

Li Kuan was extremely excited, as this was the critical moment. He read more carefully.

Gradually, his face turned pale, and he seemed very puzzled and disappointed: "How can this be? Why are they not here?" Li Kuan muttered to himself.

"Second Brother, what is not here?" Changsun, who was close to Li Kuan, heard his muttering.

"Mother, I'm just curious. Why are there no ginseng and notoginseng in these herbs?" Li Kuan asked quickly.

"Ginseng and notoginseng? What are these herbs?" Changsun looked puzzled and asked.

"Mother, have you never heard of them?" Li Kuan's heart sank. Could it be that these herbs were not known in this era? What could he do? Without the best qi-supplementing ginseng and the best blood-supplementing notoginseng, did he have any hope?

Li Kuan had been so excited the previous day because he wanted to use his position to obtain some ginseng and notoginseng to strengthen his body and avoid an early death. He never expected that these two herbs were not known in the early Tang Dynasty. This was like cutting off his path to survival!

"What are these herbs used for? Why haven't I heard of them?" Changsun asked, suspecting that this might be part of Li Kuan's secret and wanting to probe further.

"Mother, these two herbs are great tonics. Ginseng is the best for qi, and notoginseng is the best for blood." Li Kuan knew that his survival depended on this, so he answered quickly.

"Then, where did you learn about them, Second Brother?" Changsun continued to probe.

"Um..." Li Kuan was at a loss for words. If he said he read it in a book, where was the book? If he said someone told him, where was the person? Could he say he dreamed about it? How could Changsun believe that?

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