The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 11 Charts
In the seventh year of Zhenguan, in January, the court was still not in session and the officials were still on vacation, but the city of Chang'an was more lively and many envoys came.

For example, the Xueyantuo envoys, the Turkic envoys, the Tuyuhun envoys, and the Tubo envoys can be classified as Xueyantuo people, Turkic people, Uighur people, and people from the Western Regions.

As the New Year's Day approaches, envoys from various countries come to meet the Khan.

Li Chengqian was listening to Li Lizhi talking about the time when envoys from various countries came to the court. In her words, she described how majestic his father was in front of the envoys from various countries.

Soon, she thought of the porridge she was cooking. This was the first time that her younger brothers and sisters thought of making lunch for their brother.

Because there are many rules in the Eastern Palace, you have to eat three meals a day and wash your hands before eating. This includes eating on time, not talking while eating, not being distracted, and all kinds of rules.

The reason why the younger brothers and sisters thought of making breakfast for their elder brother was that they had nothing to do. If they were asked to do their homework, none of them could write well.

But when I think of the expression on Li Lizhi's face when she spoke, she seemed to be a cheerful and lively girl, but she had something on her mind in her eyes.

Ning Er came hurriedly with a cloth bag in her hand. She came to the table of His Highness and placed the bag on the table, saying, "Your Highness, the Imperial Medical Bureau does have dried tea leaves."

Li Chengqian picked up one of the tea leaves and smelled it. The yellowish-brown tea leaves no longer had any tea fragrance and even had a musty smell.

"Sister Ning'er."

"Ok?"

Li Chengqian asked in a low voice: "It seems that Li Zhi is worried."

In fact, regardless of the envoys outside and the lively events in Chang'an City, Li Chengqian was more concerned about his younger brothers and sisters in front of him.

After hearing what the Crown Prince said, Ning'er looked at Princess Changle's still frail back and replied in a low voice, "In fact, your majesty and the Queen have been preparing for Princess Changle's marriage since last year. If I'm not mistaken, she will probably be married this year."

Li Chengqian leaned over to listen, frowned and asked, "Marry Chang Sun Chong?"

Ning Er nodded heavily and whispered, "This matter has probably been settled. There was a lot of discussion about it last autumn. Besides, Princess Changle originally thought that she could help Your Majesty with his worries. Although she was not happy about this matter, she never mentioned refusing it."

Li Chengqian said solemnly: "She is only twelve years old."

"Alas..." Ning'er whispered, "It's not a bad thing for a daughter to get married off early."

Seeing her younger brothers and sisters making a mess of rice and flour again, Li Lizhi smiled helplessly and patiently taught them how to knead the dough with a gentle smile.

Give all your love and care at this moment to your younger brothers and sisters, and teach them as much as you can so that they can grow up sensible.

Li Chengqian retracted his gaze and whispered, "What if she doesn't marry?"

"Ok?"

Li Chengqian was speechless for a moment and let out a long sigh.

My younger brother and sister had a terrible dinner because they cooked it themselves.

After dinner, Li Lizhi's still tender cheeks were turned red by the cold wind, and she sat in front of the hall washing dishes.

Li Chengqian walked aside and said, "Just leave these matters to Xiaofu."

Li Lizhi looked back at Xiaofu, who was playing with his younger brother and sister, smiled helplessly, wiped her hands and said, "I'm done."

The dishes and chopsticks were neatly placed on the cupboard, and I saw her about to leave.

Li Chengqian suddenly said, "Lizhi, my brother wants to ask you something."

"My sister is here." Li Lizhi looked back with a bright smile on her face again.

“What is your dream?”

"Dream? Are you talking about your wish?" Li Lizhi put her hands behind her back, a playful smile on her face, and whispered, "May my father and mother be healthy, and may the Tang Dynasty be prosperous, victorious, and last forever."

The Tang Dynasty lasted only a little over two hundred years, or to be more precise, two hundred and eighty years, less than three hundred years.

Li Chengqian whispered, "What do you mean by eternal existence? In the turbulent times of the Tang Dynasty, there will always be someone who stands up to save the day, but this person is not the emperor."

Li Lizhi was puzzled and asked, "Why did my brother say that?"

"Nothing, just some sighs." Li Chengqian sat down on the steps in front of the East Palace, looking at the dark night sky.

Li Lizhi sat beside her brother, looking up at the night sky without saying a word.

The brother and sister sat in silence for a long time.

Ning'er stood not far away, trying her best not to hear the conversation between His Highness and Princess Changle. They were the most sensible brother and sister in the palace.

Li Chengqian supported his chin with one hand, his still childish face was gloomy and not suitable for his age. He said slowly: "You are going to get married this year?"

"Well, to be honest with you, it will be this year."

Li Chengqian asked: "Have you never thought about yourself?"

Li Lizhi narrowed her eyes and smiled, "What about my brother? Have you ever thought about yourself?"

Her whole world is in the palace, and she doesn't even know what she will face after leaving the palace.

This is only a twelve-year-old child.

She knew nothing; her younger brothers and sisters and this palace were everything to her.

Li Chengqian suddenly smiled, a little weakly, and said, "Do you want to get married?"

Li Lizhi shook her head slowly.

"That's good. Brother Huang will find a way for you."

After saying this, Li Chengqian walked back into the hall.

Li Lizhi turned around to look at her brother's back. In fact, the figure didn't look that tall.

She was still sitting on the steps, her hands on her knees, looking up at the dark night sky, until her brothers and sisters in the hall called her, then she stood up and walked into the hall.

Late at night, the palace returned to silence. Ning'er and Xiaofu came to the East Palace carrying a heavy box.

"Your Highness, this is a record of children born in the past two years."

Ning'er placed the box in front of His Highness. She didn't understand what the prince wanted these for.

Li Chengqian picked up a file. The East Palace could only be illuminated by oil lamps. It was very difficult for ancient people to read at night, and reading under dim light was the most tiring.

In ancient times, giving birth put women on the brink of life and death.

The risk of premature death remains high, and is related to the mother's age.

Even more barbaric Uighurs and Turks would use more bizarre methods to ensure the smooth birth of their children.

Many children were born in Chang'an in the past two years, and quite a few were recorded in the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Ning'er sat quietly aside, helping His Royal Highness the Crown Prince take notes.

Xiaofu had fallen asleep on the table.

Li Chengqian picked up a pen and wrote down the age column, and then wrote down various situations.

In fact, making a chart is very simple. Just record the various results and survival rates, and then classify and fill them into the chart.

Li Chengqian was busy with this boring work until dawn.

Ning Er still held the file in his hand, and he didn't know when he fell asleep. When the morning light appeared in the sky, Ning Er woke up. He looked around and saw that His Highness was still writing down the things with a pen.

Ning Er quickly shook her head, looked at the pile of files and said, "Your Highness, there is still half a box of files here."

Li Chengqian quickly said: "No need, these cases are enough."

"Yeah." Ning'er lowered her head in shame. His Highness could still be busy all night, but she fell asleep.

Looking at Xiaofu next to her, her saliva was all over the table, and she was still sleeping soundly.

Ning'er tapped lightly on her desk.

Xiaofu finally woke up, wiped the saliva from his mouth, and said, "What time is it... Oh, it's dawn."

Still a little dazed, until she set her eyes on His Highness, she woke up hastily and hurriedly sorted out the files.

Li Chengqian put down the pen in his hand and looked at the chart he drew. He used the year and age as conditions. From the data listed, it can be seen that as the mother's age gets younger, the risk of premature death and miscarriage also increases.

Li Chengqian even drew a line graph to illustrate this high-risk trend.

But this alone is not enough. The charts were drawn, but there was no one knowledgeable enough in Tang Dynasty medicine to explain the reasons behind them.

Just putting these two charts in front of my father is not convincing enough.

Li Chengqian thought of the Imperial Medical Bureau again and asked, "Ning'er, are all the doctors from the Imperial Medical Bureau still here?"

Ning Er replied, "Only Mr. Zhen Quan is here."

Li Chengqian stood up upon hearing this. He had been sitting cross-legged for so long that his legs felt numb when he stood up. He made two copies of the chart and left the other one in the East Palace.

Li Chengqian gritted his teeth, stretched his legs, took his charts, and asked Ning'er and Xiaofu to carry a box of files, and hurriedly left the East Palace.

Li Zhi woke up early. He walked from the back hall to the front hall. The front hall was empty at the moment. He scratched his head and said, "Huh? Where's my brother? Why isn't Sister Ning'er here either?"

Li Chengqian led Ning'er and Xiaofu out of Chengtian Gate, and in front of them was the huge imperial city. It was the holiday season, and it was still early, so there were no pedestrians to be seen.

From the Zongrenfu, passing the Honglu Temple, and then to the side of the Qintianjian, you will reach the Imperial Medical Bureau.

A box containing many files was placed at the entrance of the Imperial Medical Bureau. Li Chengqian waited back and forth but saw no one, so he simply sat on the box.

Another half hour passed, and no one from the Imperial Medical Bureau came, but a Taoist priest came.

Li Chengqian stared at the Taoist priest in thin robe for a long time.

The other party wanted to leave several times, but looked over again and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Finally, under the prince's aggressive gaze, the Taoist priest stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Your Highness! I am Li Chunfeng."

Li Chunfeng, who has just turned thirty, now has the appearance of an immortal.

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "So it's you, Taoist Li. I've heard of you for a long time."

There were not many famous Taoists in ancient times, and Li Chunfeng was one of them.

Li Chunfeng still had a smile on his face and asked, "Why are you here, Your Highness? Are you feeling unwell?"

Li Chengqian said loudly: "Someone wants to harm my brothers and sisters."

"Ah?" Li Chunfeng was surprised and asked with a frown, "May I ask who is so bold?"

Li Chengqian said loudly again: "I don't know."

"Ah?" Li Chunfeng was surprised again. The corner of his mouth twitched. He organized his words and said, "Your Highness, why do you say that?"

At this point, Li Chengqian took out a chart and said, "Master, please take a look. I made a chart when I was free. From the chart, it can be seen that the younger the woman is, the higher the risk of childbirth. There are even many cases where both mother and child cannot be saved, or the mother cannot be saved."

It was the first time that Li Chunfeng saw this kind of chart. At first glance, it was indeed clear.

"Now, someone actually wants to marry off my twelve-year-old sister early. Isn't this cruel and murderous?"

Li Chunfeng's face froze when he heard this. He exhaled in the cold air and whispered, "This picture is really amazing."

"I have nothing to do in the East Palace."

"Your Highness is really amazing when you have nothing to do."

This kind of square chart did not exist in the Tang Dynasty. It would be a great thing if this clear record could be used in the court.

Li Chunfeng came back to his senses and figured it out after a little thought. The twelve-year-old sister the prince was talking about was Princess Changle, so he realized that this matter was serious.

I quickly put away the chart. This matter cannot be publicized on the spot in such a high-profile manner.

He forced a smile and invited, "Your Highness, would you please come with me to visit the Imperial Observatory?"

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "I will stay here and wait for the doctors from the Imperial Medical Bureau to come. I will ask them everything in front of them."

Li Chunfeng bowed again and advised: "I am willing to help Your Highness."

Li Chengqian said with a straight face: "Shouldn't we ask the doctor about this?"

"Your Highness is still young, so please explain some things in detail."

Li Chengqian took the chart and said, "I'll trust you for now, and go to the Imperial Observatory."

Leading His Highness towards the Imperial Observatory, Li Chunfeng was still muttering in his heart that the Crown Prince was too arrogant at such a young age and did not know the seriousness of the matter.

What kind of day is today? Why am I so unhappy? I really shouldn’t have gone out.

After finally inviting His Highness into the Imperial Observatory, Li Chunfeng finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that he had saved the Tang Dynasty once.

Li Chengqian looked around the Imperial Observatory. It was not very big, and there were many formation diagrams hanging on the wall.

An old man was sitting cross-legged in the center of the Imperial Observatory.

Li Chengqian asked again: "Who is this?"

Li Chunfeng made a hushing gesture, and then asked His Highness to sit down. The sleeves of his Taoist robe were very long, but in front of the Crown Prince, his hands were too awkward to put, so he simply placed them on his knees and whispered, "Your Highness, do you not want Princess Changle to get married?"

Li Chengqian nodded.

Li Chunfeng added: "So His Highness took out this picture."

Li Chengqian still nodded.

"Your Highness, this cannot be done this way."

"Does Taoist Master Li have any advice for me?"

Li Chunfeng waved his hand and said, "I can't say I can give you any advice, but the court and the public have been talking about Princess Changle's marriage since last year. Your Highness wants Princess Changle not to get married at this time, but you can't just sit in front of the Imperial Medical Bureau and shout that someone is trying to murder Your Highness. Besides..."

"Oh?" Li Chengqian frowned and asked, "Does the Taoist think I did something wrong?"

"Alas!" Li Chunfeng sighed heavily and said, "I am a Taoist priest."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Well, this is obvious."

"In fact, to be a good Taoist priest, it is very important to read people's faces."

(End of this chapter)