The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 109 Pointing
Because roses have a strong fragrance, even if they are solidified in soap, your body will still have the fragrance of roses after washing.

This kind of soap is a great attraction to the Turks, the people of the Western Regions, and even the Tibetans.

Because the environment they live in needs fragrance.

This is also the reason why Du He controls the amount of soap.

Du He's caravan will continue to grow. In the beginning, he just turned the money in his hands into labor assets. Now he needs to invest costs into the caravan. Now he needs to get to know more businessmen, or businessmen from the Western Regions. These caravans are like people holding lanterns, and the trade routes they have explored will become a new map.

This map will mark which Western Regions people are richer and which Turkic people have more war horses.

If business was used as a strategy, this dynasty would be able to infiltrate the countries outside the Great Wall like a sieve.

Ning'er bit off the thread. She was very satisfied with her result. "Your Highness, the book bag is done."

Li Chengqian took the book bag, which was more like a shoulder bag in later generations, and could hold many books. "If my younger brothers and sisters saw this book bag, they would definitely want one each."

The outer cover of the book bag is made of leather, which feels very thick. The opening of the bag is strung with a rope, and the opening will close as long as you pull it hard.

His Highness looked at the bag with satisfaction, and Ning'er also had a smile on her face.

"According to your Highness's instructions, I have also sewn many side pockets."

"Well, both sizes are good." Li Chengqian put his water cup into the side pocket, which just fit it.

After putting away the documents in front of him, Li Chengqian closed his eyes and lay down on the chair to rest.

He didn't wake up until the evening. He put stacks of papers into his school bag and walked out of the East Palace carrying the bag.

Walking out of the East Palace and West Pond Courtyard, the place seems much more desolate.

He walked along the path covered with weeds, which was a dilapidated area in the palace. He thought about saving some more money to build the imperial palace, and then saving another 100,000 strings of cash to build the city of Chang'an.

By repairing the dilapidated markets in Chang'an City, the population of Chang'an can be increased.

The more people live in Chang'an City, the more active the economic activities in Chang'an City will be, and with a larger population, there will be more labor force.

Only with sufficient labor force can Chang'an become richer.

Places with people can be more prosperous. If people leave, the labor force will also leave, and all that is left is depression.

Now that the emperor lives in Chang'an, people will stay in Chang'an City, and large-scale construction will only take place where there are people.

But if everyone leaves, everything will be meaningless.

Ning'er followed behind His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, following his footsteps as he walked along this desolate path.

After walking out of the East Palace from the Treasury, crossing the Jinshui Bridge, you will reach the Xuanwu Gate. The Taiye Pond is formed by this small river flowing into the palace.

Li Chengqian walked out of Xuanwu Gate and greeted General Yuchi who was guarding there with a smile.

Yuchi Gong smiled and said, "Your Highness, are you here to visit His Majesty?"

"Yes, I don't know if my father is happy living here. I still need to visit my younger brothers and sisters."

"Your Majesty often says this is also a great place to escape the summer heat."

Li Chengqian followed the general and walked along the Taiye Lake.

"Brother Emperor!"

I heard their voices before I saw them. When I heard the loud voices of my younger brothers and sisters, Li Chengqian shook his head in discouragement.

Li Zhi and Princess Gaoyang were rowing a boat in Taiye Lake, and there were eunuchs waiting on the boat.

Li Chengqian said: "Be careful."

Li Zhi paddled hard a few times to get the boat closer to his brother. He raised his hand and asked, "What's in the bag that your brother is carrying?"

Li Chengqian lifted the book bag on his shoulder and said, "Of course it's a good thing."

Hearing this, Li Zhi let the boat land, walked quickly to the shore, and asked, "What good stuff?"

"You will know when you meet the Emperor."

When they arrived in front of the villa, the waterwheel had been reinstalled. Li Chengqian looked down at the joint and it was obvious that it was repaired by craftsmen from the palace.

Even if my younger brothers and sisters dismantled it, my father, who doted on them, would ask craftsmen to repair it.

Li Zhi lowered his head and smiled awkwardly.

Li Chengqian did not speak, but walked into the villa.

Empress Changsun was sitting in the shade by the wall, reading a book. Little Sizi was sleeping on a chair beside her, and a palace maid was fanning her.

"Cheng Qian." Empress Changsun said with a smile, "How are you doing in the East Palace these days?"

Li Chengqian put down the book bag on his shoulder and said, "Very good."

As soon as the book bag was put down, Li Zhi hurried forward to untie the rope, open the bag and see what was inside.

Li Chengqian sat down next to his mother and looked at Li Zhi. When he saw the thick stack of test papers in the school bag, his face immediately fell.

As if he had seen something particularly scary, he ran away quickly.

Li Chengqian took the cold tea handed to him by the palace maid and drank it slowly.

The Queen first glanced at Ning'er who was standing quietly beside her, and whispered, "If there are any difficult decisions in the court, you must ask your teacher, or you can ask your father."

Li Chengqian frowned and said, "My uncle said the same thing today."

"Your father is still asleep. He will probably wake up in half an hour."

Li Chengqian looked around the small courtyard. It was quite spacious when it was first built, but now with a lot of furniture placed here, it seemed a bit crowded.

After listening to the words of the queen mother, he replied: "I am here today only to deliver the examination papers to my younger brothers and sisters. I will talk to the queen mother for a while and then I will leave."

Empress Changsun picked up a scroll from the side and said, "This is the first volume of the Comprehensive Geography compiled by Qingque. He had someone send it to your Majesty and he praised it highly after reading it."

Li Chengqian took the scroll, opened it and took a closer look. It was an account of the landscape of Guanzhong, as well as a brief description of the water and soil in the upper reaches of the Yellow River.

The content is very long and cannot be finished in a short time.

Li Chengqian quickly flipped through a few pages and said, "It still seems a little incomplete."

Empress Changsun observed her son and found that he indeed looked better than before. She put her hand on her son's shoulder, which seemed stronger.

Satisfied with Cheng Qian's changes, he whispered, "I heard you're still practicing archery?"

Li Chengqian nodded slightly, "Father is an excellent archer. Although I am a mediocre talent, I cannot let our family's most proud archery skill fall into obscurity."

"Grandpa also said that the sons of our Li family should be strong."

"Cheng Qian, you have changed a lot in the past two years."

Li Chengqian said: "When I was practicing in the past, I was often too tired to lift my hands or feet, but I could overcome it by gritting my teeth."

Empress Changsun whispered, "You have a strong character, which is good, but you should also learn more from others about how to behave in society. This is different from your archery training."

"So, mother is still worried that I won't be able to find a good wife in the future."

Empress Changsun covered her mouth and chuckled, saying, "How could my child not find a good wife? Your mother and your father will definitely find the most suitable candidate for you." "Thank you very much, mother."

Li Chengqian finished the herbal tea in his cup and said softly, "I will go back first."

As soon as he stood up, he heard voices coming from inside the house.

"Why? You don't want to see me?"

Seeing that his father was wearing loose clothes, Li Chengqian took the test paper out of his book bag and said, "I don't want to disturb your rest."

Li Shimin put his hands behind his back and said in a deep voice: "I have read Qingque's Comprehensive Geography, it is very well written."

Li Chengqian put the first volume of Comprehensive Geography into his book bag and said, "There are still some aspects that need to be improved. It is not detailed enough."

"How much more detailed can you ask for?"

"The description of the water and soil is not complete. What did the people of Guanzhong plant and what was the harvest? None of these are written."

"It is said that the Crown Prince of the East Palace is strict with himself, and he is also strict with his younger brother."

Li Chengqian put on his book bag again and said, "Why not change the name of the Comprehensive Geography to Geography?"

Li Shimin stroked his beard and asked, "Geography?"

"Since we want to write a classic that will be passed down through the ages, we must strive for perfection and never be perfunctory."

The father and son spoke a few words in a heavier tone. Little Sizi opened her eyes and sat up from the chair, still a little dazed, checking her surroundings. Then she climbed into her mother's arms, looked at the arguing father and son, and grinned.

Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "I heard that you used all the taxes from the trade on the four counties in the Hexi Corridor."

Li Chengqian said: "That's right."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Li Chengqian put his hands behind his back and said, "Since the emperor has entrusted the expenses of the court to me, then I will naturally advocate for this matter. It was agreed upon when the house arrest was lifted. Everything will be based on my opinion."

Li Shimin snorted coldly: "No one has ever dared to speak to me like this before."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Does Father have a better solution?"

Li Shimin looked away and said, "Since the money from the trade is earned by you, you can spend it. I will not stop you."

"Thank you for your understanding, Father."

Empress Changsun held her daughter in her arms and fed her water. The child's bright eyes were always looking at the father and son in front of the door.

The conversation was just a speculative one, and the father and son had a feeling that they had different ideas and could not work together.

Yuchi Gong stood aside and dared not utter a word. Although the current crown prince is young, he is not simple at all and now holds a very important position in the court.

After all, there are not many people who can beat Li Yuanchang up and still continue to hold power and still have the trust of His Majesty.

"My son, I'm leaving now."

"Wait a minute." Li Shimin said again: "Recently, the royal family has been saying a lot about you."

Li Chengqian said, "Really? Do you want me to beat them up again? Don't worry, father, we won't be caught this time."

"I didn't ask you to beat anyone up."

"What does Father mean?"

"Go away. If I talk to you for a few more words, my teeth will ache."

Li Chengqian lifted the book bag on his shoulder and said, "I'll take my leave."

When his son walked away, Li Shimin pointed at his back and said, "Look at this bastard boy."

Yuchi Gong advised: "Your Majesty, in fact, the generals in the army all praised the construction of the four counties of the Hexi Corridor by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Shimin asked, "Do you also approve of this?"

Yuchi Gong said quickly: "It is because of your majesty's wisdom that you let His Royal Highness the Crown Prince manage the expenses of the court."

Li Shimin waved his sleeves and said, "When Li Yifu gets into trouble in the Hexi Corridor, you will see if the Crown Prince dares to act so arrogantly in front of me."

In the eyes of all the civil and military officials in the court, the current emperor is wise and the current crown prince is virtuous.

A wise emperor and a virtuous prince made the entire Tang Dynasty's civil and military officials feel that the Tang Dynasty would surely be prosperous within a hundred years.

Everyone has aspirations, but for the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, the road to poverty alleviation and prosperity in the Tang Dynasty is difficult, at least there has been no improvement at all.

Except for Jingyang, the vast majority of people in Guanzhong were still living in extreme poverty.

If land distribution is a symbol of the per capita wealth of the Tang Dynasty, it is too thin and cannot withstand natural disasters.

The availability of food is one thing, but sufficient material resources and productivity can overcome natural disasters.

That will make the prince feel more at ease.

After three days of annotation, Li Chengqian made many annotations to the first volume of Li Tai's Comprehensive Geography, most of which were places that needed supplementation.

At the Prince of Wei's residence, Li Tai saw the first volume of Comprehensive Geography that was originally given to his father. He didn't know why it ended up in the hands of the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, nor did he know why his royal brother made so many annotations.

Li Tai flipped through the pages marked in red, and every time he looked at them for a second, he found them eye-catching.

Dozens of editors from literary museums stood there, not daring to say a word.

Finally, Li Tai couldn't bear it anymore. He threw the book heavily on the ground and shouted angrily: "Someone come!"

The servant stepped forward quickly and asked, "What do you want, Your Highness the King of Wei?"

Li Tai was so angry that he was shaking. He gritted his teeth and said, "Arrange some people to go to the East Palace today to ask what the emperor meant!"

Wang Gui advised: "Your Highness, Prince of Wei, you must not do this."

Li Tai closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths and said, "Teacher, he, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, did not participate in the compilation of the Comprehensive Geography. Now that we have finally achieved results, he is still giving us instructions. If he has the ability, he should be in charge of the compilation. What right does he have?"

Wang Gui said: "The Crown Prince is your elder brother. Since it is your elder brother's order, your Highness should not contradict him."

Li Tai whispered, "Teacher, he also wants to change the name of Kuo Di Zhi to Geography from now on."

Wang Gui stroked his beard and said, "This is not a bad idea."

Li Tai was so angry that air came out of his nose and his face turned red. He kicked over the table in front of him and said, "He also said that I will definitely envy your achievements in the future? What an achievement! You, the Crown Prince of the East Palace, just said a few words, and I, the King of Wei, am going to accept it with pleasure?"

Li Tai was so angry that he picked up the tea bowl beside him and threw it on the ground.

It scared a group of literary editors so much that they trembled.

Li Tai was so angry that he paced back and forth, angrily saying: "The Literature Institute is compiling the Comprehensive Geography, and the Crown Prince of the East Palace wants to interfere!"

Wang Gui picked up the first volume of Comprehensive Geography on the ground, looked at the marked locations on each page, and said slowly: "Your Highness the Crown Prince has read the entire volume of Comprehensive Geography of the King of Wei."

Li Tai said: "So what!"

"Since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been able to read it patiently, it is enough to show how much the Crown Prince values ​​this book. If His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei wants to confront the Eastern Palace now, I will not stop him."

(End of this chapter)