The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 101: Eastern Palace Quarrel
Finally, Li Yifu punched the student in the chin and kicked him in the abdomen. He shouted, "I will remember your ridicule today. I will remember it for the rest of my life."

Although he was covered in wounds, he stood straight, like a winner looking at his opponent who was lying on the ground and unable to get up.

"Kill him!"

I don't know who shouted, and several young men from noble families surrounded Li Yi's mansion.

Pei Xingjian stopped.

Seeing this, the servant beside him hurriedly said, "Young Master, don't meddle in other people's business."

Pei Xingjian's expression turned grim, and he said, "They bullied others today, and they will bully us in the future."

After saying that, Pei Xingjian strode forward, kicked away a man who rushed towards Li Yifu, and shouted angrily: "Don't be so presumptuous in front of the Suzaku Gate!"

"Who are you!"

The other party shouted.

Pei Xingjian clasped his fists and said, "Hedong Pei Xingjian!"

Seeing that someone was protecting Li Yifu, everyone left in embarrassment.

Li Yifu leaned against the wall and spat out a mouthful of blood foam, saying, "Thank you very much."

Pei Xingjian watched those people leave and said, "Let's find a doctor to treat your injuries."

"No need." Li Yifu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and waved his sleeves, saying, "It's nothing."

Watching this man leave, Pei Xingjian remained silent.

The servant whispered, "Young Master, this man, Li Yifu, has been recommended by General Li Daliang and could have been an official, but he still wants to enter the government through the imperial examination."

Seeing that the other party rejected his kindness and walked away alone, Pei Xingjian sighed.

The servant said again: "Young Master, this person was born in a humble family, but he insisted on competing in the imperial examination. During the imperial examination, he had already made enemies with the children of these noble families."

Pei Xingjian whispered: "Now they will look at Li Yifu based on his family background, and they will look at me the same way."

"Even so, young master shouldn't get too close to Li Yifu. I have known people for many years, and this man is definitely not a good person."

Pei Xingjian sighed, "Forget it. I'll just wait for the imperial examination results to be announced. If I fail, I'll go back to my hometown and farm. If I pass, at most I'll just be a clerk and live out my life."

"Young Master, you think this way. I am happy for the General."

Pei Xingjian sighed again and walked back to Hongwenguan.

When April in Guanzhong ended and May finally arrived, a rain came to Chang'an, which had been sunny for more than half a month.

The Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace is still under house arrest. The half-month period has not yet arrived, and His Majesty has no intention of lifting the ban early.

Li Chengqian poured some ink into a thin hollow bamboo tube with a wooden stopper at the bottom.

Once the cork is soaked with ink, it can be used for writing.

But the ink kept seeping in, and soon the whole cork began to drip ink.

Li Chengqian stroked his temple while looking at his failed product, feeling discouraged. The wooden material was simply not suitable. It was not that it could not produce ink, but that it was too permeable.

I want to find a suitable range, but I have no reference or comparison.

But the idea is correct, the most important thing is the permeability of the pen tip.

Do we really have to use coal stone to make hard pens?
How can you make money with a product that everyone can learn at a glance?

Technical breakthroughs are painful.

"I can't even make a fountain pen now!..."

When Ning'er and Li Lizhi passed by the bedroom, they heard His Royal Highness the Crown Prince scolding the Saint again.

Li Lizhi sighed with her hands in her pockets, "It's good for the emperor to scold me like this. It will be very uncomfortable if I keep it in my heart."

Ning Er whispered, "Don't worry, Princess. I have already given instructions to everyone. The news that the Crown Prince cursed the Saint will not be spread."

"Sister Ning, take care of me."

"It should."

The Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace is losing his temper, perhaps it is a tacit understanding between father and son, and the current emperor is also losing his temper.

Inside Ganlu Palace, a memorial was thrown out, and Li Shimin angrily said, "What's going on? Why haven't the salaries for the Hexi Corridor been paid out yet?"

Chu Suiliang bowed and said, "I am raising money for your Majesty's Taiye Lake Garden."

"Where's the money!"

"Your Majesty..." Chu Suiliang hesitated, and then said, "I will give it to the Ministry of Personnel first."

"What about the taxes on the trade?"

"Your Majesty, it has not been delivered to Chang'an yet. It will probably take June to reach Chang'an..."

"June?" Li Shimin stroked the rhythm of his breathing and said, "June is already summer!"

Chu Suiliang hurriedly said, "I have already made arrangements. Your Majesty, please wait for another half a month."

Li Shimin slammed the table and said, "Wait another half month? I can wait, but the soldiers in the Hexi Corridor cannot!"

Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji stood aside in silence.

The eunuch stood aside, looking at his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose, with his hands hanging down. At the beginning, Your Majesty was very considerate and said that he would give Chu Suiliang some time.

It was Your Majesty who comforted Chu Suiliang at the beginning, and it is still Your Majesty who scolds Chu Suiliang now.

Chu Suiliang hurriedly said, "Your Majesty! Please lift the Crown Prince's house arrest."

"Prince, Prince!" Li Shimin took two steps back and forth, pointed at him and said, "Besides Prince, what else can you say?"

"I am really not good at this."

Li Shimin was so angry that veins on his forehead bulged. He took two steps to Chu Suiliang and was about to scold him again, but then he shook his head and walked back, turning his back to him and said, "I gave you half a month!"

Chu Suiliang choked up with grievance and said, "If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince could lift the house arrest soon, I wouldn't have to..."

"You mean I was wrong!"

Chu Suiliang hurriedly bowed his head and said, "I have absolutely no such intention."

Fang Xuanling advised: "Your Majesty, why not send the money for the Hexi Corridor first? I am willing to raise the money."

Li Shimin nodded and said, "If the money and salaries in the Hexi Corridor cannot be delivered today, I will send you, Chu Suiliang, to the Hexi Corridor and let those soldiers punish you by military law!"

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty obeys your command!"

Fang Xuanling and Chu Suiliang left Ganlu Palace in shame.

Li Shimin was so angry that he slammed the table so hard that the tea bowls on the table jumped up and then fell down.

Inside Ganlu Palace, His Majesty's breathing was heavy.

Changsun Wuji said: "Your Majesty."

Li Shimin almost forgot that there were still people in Ganlu Hall, so he sat down and said with a bitter smile: "In the past, no matter how difficult it was to allocate money and grain in the court, it was never as difficult as this."

Zhang Sun Wuji said: "Chu Suiliang did not know the priorities, that's why he acted like this, in fact, the matter is not a big deal."

Li Shimin closed his eyes and said, "I know."

"Your Majesty was angry because Chu Suiliang mentioned the prince."

"Assistant, what do you think of my son?"

"Your Highness the Crown Prince has strengths in academics, but weaknesses in dealing with people."

……

In the Eastern Palace, Li Chengqian was eating iced cucumber and playing chess with his grandfather, feeling quite relaxed.

The manufacturing of fountain pens can only be done in a different way. It is impossible to manufacture them just by scolding saints. Li Yuan carefully moved a pawn and whispered, "Tell me, how nice it would be to have the leisure time to play chess with me."

"Grandpa is right. Your grandson shouldn't get involved in trivial matters in the court."

"How did the matter in the court become a mess?"

Hearing this, Li Chengqian noticed that there were two figures blocking the sunlight originally shining on the chessboard. He frowned and looked sideways, and saw that his father and uncle had been standing aside at some point.

Li Shimin said with a straight face: "I want to ask you, how come the court affairs become a mess in your mouth?"

Li Chengqian smiled awkwardly and said, "Father, why are you here?"

"You are under house arrest, so I can't come to see my children?"

"My brothers and sisters are all in the East Palace, next door." Li Chengqian still looked at the chessboard and said, "Father, please do as you please."

Seeing his son's cold attitude, Li Shimin's breathing became heavier.

Zhang Sun Wuji took the emperor two steps away and whispered, "Your Majesty, please don't get angry, especially in front of him."

Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "He relies on his grandfather's protection to speak to me like this!"

Zhang Sun Wuji whispered, "In fact, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is young, so it is reasonable for him to feel some resentment after being confined for half a month. If it were Your Majesty and I back then, wouldn't we have felt resentment?"

Li Shimin walked back to his son and asked in a deep voice, "How have you been reflecting on yourself recently?"

Li Chengqian looked at the chessboard and said, "Very good."

"Good?"

"No need to attend the morning court, nor be tortured by the many complicated matters in the court." Li Chengqian suddenly thought and said, "Oh, and I am planning to make a pen that can be used for writing."

"Haha, you have plenty of free time."

"Then I have to thank my father."

Li Shimin asked sternly, "Don't you have any regrets in your heart?"

"some."

"is it?"

"I think I should have done it myself."

Li Shimin took a deep breath, his nostrils widened a little, and said: "Assistant, look at him..."

Changsun Wuji quickly winked at his majesty, signaling him to calm down.

Li Chengqian jumped his horse forward and said, "Grandpa, I'm a general."

Li Yuan looked at the chessboard and said helplessly, "I am in checkmate again."

In fact, as long as the prince stands up and admits his mistake to His Majesty, the matter can be resolved, the prince's house arrest can end, His Majesty can rest assured, and everyone in the court will breathe a sigh of relief.

Moreover, Chu Suiliang could hardly hold on any longer. It was said that he was so exhausted by the accounts that he could not eat or sleep well all day long, as if all his energy had been drained from him.

If this continues, he will definitely fall ill.

Changsun Wuji, who was caught between the emperor and his son, was also exhausted. Neither the father nor the son was easy to deal with.

Your Majesty is difficult to deal with, and this prince is even more difficult to deal with.

Like father, like son.

None of the three generations of the Li Tang family is a simple person.

Li Shimin continued: "Okay! You like house arrest, right? Without my order, you will..."

"Your Majesty!" Changsun Wuji interrupted hastily, pulling His Majesty aside and persuading him, "Your Majesty, there are many matters in the court waiting for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to arrange."

Li Shimin glanced at his son who was drinking tea calmly and said slowly, "Fuji, you are right. I almost fell for his trick. It's really a bargain for him to let him continue to be under house arrest."

Changsun Wuji stroked his chest and finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that he had saved the Li Tang country once again.

Li Zhi walked over cautiously, picked up a peach beside him, and sat aside to eat it. He felt that the atmosphere was not right, so he ate without saying a word.

Li Shimin said: "Cheng Qian! Admit your mistake today, and I will pretend that nothing happened."

Li Chengqian asked, "Why, now that Chu Suiliang has created such a huge mess, you still want me to clean it up?"

Li Shimin stared with wide eyes, stretched his neck, gnashed his teeth and said, "You are still unwilling?"

"Didn't the emperor make the decision on his own in the beginning? Now you want me to admit my fault. Why doesn't the emperor admit his fault?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Shimin's neck turned red, and he pointed at him and said angrily: "What did you say! Say it again!"

"I told you! What's wrong?" Li Chengqian stood up and slammed the table, saying, "Chu Suiliang messed up the accounts like this, doesn't your father have any responsibility at all?"

"you!"

Seeing that the people were about to rush forward, Changsun Wuji quickly held up the emperor's arms and said, "Your Majesty! Don't do it!"

Li Zhi also quickly hugged his brother's legs and said, "Brother! Please stay calm!"

Li Chengqian said, "It's been a long time since we finally figured out how to increase revenue and reduce expenditure in the imperial court. How can it be easy for me? You, the emperor, can easily say something like that and make me, the crown prince, happy to do it? Is that reasonable?"

Li Shimin struggled to rush forward and angrily said, "You caused this trouble yourself, and you blame me!"

Zhang Sun Wuji grabbed the emperor's arm and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

Li Zhi was still holding his brother's leg, and Li Shen also came to help, holding his brother's other leg, fearing that the father and son would start fighting in the East Palace.

Li Shimin was so angry that he kicked over the table.

Li Daoyan came over immediately upon seeing this, clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince, do you need protection?"

"Get out!" Li Shimin shouted.

"Yes!" Li Daoyan retreated hurriedly again. In fact, he didn't know what to do at this time. On one side was His Majesty, and on the other side was the Crown Prince, which made it very difficult.

The veins on Li Shimin's forehead jumped again and again, and he said with heavy breathing: "Starting from today, the house arrest will be lifted. Starting tomorrow, you will attend court and handle the government affairs and grain allocation."

Li Chengqian stood firm again and said, "Okay, from now on, your son's opinion will be the main one in matters of money and grain."

Li Shimin waved his sleeves heavily and walked out of the East Palace quickly.

Changsun Wuji almost felt like the sky was falling and his heart was beating violently, so he walked out of the East Palace.

Li Daoyan organized his imperial guards and lined up the troops, then left the Eastern Palace.

The Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace was imprisoned for half a month, and it finally ended.

Li Chengqian looked down at his two younger brothers and said, "It's okay, let go."

Li Zhi and Li Shen wiped the sweat from their foreheads. "Fortunately, my sister knew that my brother and father would definitely quarrel, so she asked my brother to wait on the side."

In the quiet Lizheng Hall, a palace maid came in panic and said, "Queen, something bad has happened."

Empress Changsun stopped sewing and asked, "What's wrong?"

"The East Palace..." The maid pointed in the direction of the East Palace and said, "The Crown Prince and His Majesty are arguing in the East Palace."

"Did you take action?"

"No...no."

Empress Changsun whispered, "Is Your Majesty still in the East Palace?"

"He said he was going back to Ganlu Palace."

"It's good that you didn't do anything. Send some heat-removing herbal soup to your majesty and say it's for cooling off the heat." After giving the order, Empress Chang Sun instructed: "Send a bowl to the Crown Prince of the East Palace as well and say it's for calming the nerves and helping him sleep."

"Here."

After the palace maid left, Empress Changsun put the mended clothes aside. Her husband and son finally started quarreling. It was all within her expectations. Although she was not surprised, she felt very distressed. What should this family do in the future?

(End of this chapter)