Chapter 2: I Want to Grow Up Strong and Healthy

After returning to his chambers, Li Shen did not go to bed immediately. In this era, there were no forms of entertainment, so people tended to sleep early. Even after a year of time travel, Li Shen had yet to fully adapt. He summoned his maidservants to help him change and wash up. As a prince, even one who was not highly favored, he still had attendants dedicated to his care.

He had three maidservants: the first named Lan Yuer, twenty years old, brought into the palace by his mother when she entered—essentially one of their own. Lan Yuer had been assigned to look after Li Shen since his birth, though her true purpose was to keep an eye on him. The palace intrigues were ruthless and bloody; no one hesitated to harm the innocent in pursuit of power.

Madness had driven many princes, hidden away without seeing daylight for days on end, to desperate acts for a position. The other two maids, Dongmei and Chunxiang, were about ten years old and took care of Li Shen’s daily needs. Girls in ancient times matured early, and after some training, they were perfectly capable of tending to a child of six or seven.

Li Shen also had a young attendant named Shitou, also ten years old, an orphan who had followed him into the palace. Clever and lively, Shitou’s job was to accompany him in reading. Essentially, he was a playmate, since princes and princesses in the palace seldom mingled unless they were full siblings.

After washing up, Li Shen instructed Shitou, “Light another candle and place it on the desk—it’s too dark.” Shitou hurried to obey. Li Shen then knelt by the desk as Dongmei came forward to grind ink. Picking up a brush, Li Shen fell into deep thought.

Lately, he had been pondering the path his future should take: to go to his feudal domain or stay in Chang’an. To live the life he desired, the most fundamental necessity was wealth. Wealth was the pillar that supported a good life. With only his modest stipend, he could barely maintain a middle-class standard. Thus, staying in Chang’an was the better choice.

Just like in later times where cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen offered more opportunities than small counties, Li Shen’s knowledge and experience from the future gave him an edge.

The concept of leisure for a prince like him was no simple matter. Many wealthy people in later times never truly achieved it. Leisure did not mean doing nothing—that would be idleness, or worse, uselessness. Li Shen believed true leisure meant financial freedom, the ability to buy whatever you wished, and freedom from constraints, doing whatever you desired.

Therefore, Li Shen’s current priorities were twofold: first, to make money; second, to find a way to catch Emperor Taizong’s attention and remain in Chang’an.

To earn money, he spent his spare time recording things he remembered from his previous life, such as methods for making everyday items he had seen on apps like Kuaishou and Douyin.

He jotted down designs or instructions for simple, convenient products that appeared in the future. Though not all were accurate, having a general direction meant that with enough manpower and resources, they could be produced.

Of course, what he knew were only some basic, commonly used items from the future. Even if you understood how an atomic bomb worked, given the manpower and materials of this era, it would be impossible to create one. And even in the future, you wouldn’t find detailed instructions on making such weapons on short video platforms. Hence, Li Shen focused on everyday items that were easy to manufacture.

“Your Highness, what are you drawing today?” Shitou asked curiously, standing nearby. Li Shen had been frequently recording things lately, and Shitou often inquired about his drawings. Li Shen always replied playfully with “My treasure.”

“Shitou, what do you want most?” Li Shen paused, unable to think of anything else to record. He looked up and asked the boy.

“Your Highness, I just hope never to go hungry and to eat my fill every day,” Shitou replied. As an orphan who had entered the palace to become a eunuch, he simply wanted enough food.

Li Shen smiled and then turned to ask Dongmei, “What about you, Dongmei?”

She thought seriously and answered, “Your Highness, I only wish for you to be healthy so I may serve you for a long time.”

“Oh! You’re quite the eloquent one. Hearing that makes me happy; I’ve taken good care of you. Yes, health is indeed the most important,” Li Shen said, looking at Dongmei.

As he spoke, Li Shen felt his legs grow numb and stood up to stretch. Suddenly, an idea struck him. He went to the bookshelf and retrieved a square iron box from the lowest shelf. It was locked with a large padlock, which he opened with a key. Inside lay a thick stack of papers covered with writing and drawings—his records from recent days.

After searching through them, he found a particular blueprint. Smiling to himself, he thought, “Dongmei was right. Health is very important. I must grow strong and healthy, without any lingering illness.”

The blueprint he held wasn’t anything complex—just a chair and stool from the future. Li Shen rarely knelt before, so he didn’t notice any discomfort. But since attending the Imperial Academy and kneeling all day, he was starting to suffer. He was still growing, and if this continued, his legs might become twisted, affecting his appearance, much like Xiao Rizi. Dongmei’s words reminded him of this.

He examined the drawing, which depicted a large executive desk and chair. Drawn from his memories of the future, the desk was three meters long, 1.2 meters wide, and ten centimeters thick. The chair was 0.8 meters wide with a 1.6-meter-high backrest, moderately curved, with the back and armrests carved with dragons and phoenixes—though Li Shen neither knew nor dared to carve such designs himself. The whole set looked very elegant and imposing.

In the future, even an ordinary set like that would cost thousands of yuan. Li Shen dreamed of making one from Hainan Huanghuali wood, though he wasn’t sure if any had been presented as tribute yet.

After some thought, Li Shen picked up his brush to sketch a simpler office desk and chair for his residence, convenient for reading and writing, as well as other uses.

His bookshelf held many books: the Four Books and Five Classics, the Spring and Autumn Annals, the Classic of Filial Piety, Ming Calculation, as well as medical texts, miscellanies, and even unofficial histories and legends.

Most of these books were gathered by members of the Wei clan outside the palace at his mother’s request and brought inside. He had collected such a variety to have an excuse should he suddenly come up with some new idea.

Before long, Li Shen finished several drawings and examined them carefully, satisfied with the results. He planned to produce them the next day to see how they turned out. But then he realized he neither knew woodworking nor had the materials.

“Yuer, do you know where in the palace they do woodworking?” Li Shen asked Lan Yuer, who had been in the palace a long time and likely knew.

“Your Highness, the Workshop Department is responsible for making furniture for the concubines of the harem,” Lan Yuer answered without hesitation. Having spent many years in the palace, she was familiar with these matters.

“Very well, then tomorrow I’ll go to the Workshop Department and have them make it to see how it looks,” Li Shen said. For his own health and growth, it needed to be done quickly.

“Your Highness, it’s late. You should rest early. Consort Wei mentioned you would visit the garden tomorrow. It wouldn’t be good to oversleep,” Lan Yuer reminded him earnestly, as she was assigned by Consort Wei to look after Li Shen and took her duties seriously.

“Ah, very well. Then I shall go to bed,” Li Shen said resignedly. With no entertainment, darkness meant sleep, so he resigned himself to counting sheep.

Lan Yuer and the others left Li Shen’s room, but Dongmei waited until he was in bed and the candle was extinguished before leaving, as she was on night duty. Palace rules dictated that even when nobles slept, someone must keep watch, ready to attend to them at any moment.

Li Shen lay quietly on his bed, counting sheep as he awaited the arrival of the new day.