The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 113 Team Composition
The rain was falling lightly, and it was ambiguous whether the emperor would give Taiye Lake as a reward.

After all, rewarding real power and real objects is always better than a Taiye Lake.

Taiye Lake is right there and it can't run away.

Li Chengqian folded his hands and said, "My uncle is right. As long as I ask my father for it, he will definitely give it to me."

Zhang Sun Wuji glanced at his eldest nephew and said, "I understand that Your Highness will never ask this question."

Li Chengqian smiled helplessly.

The feeling of being caught between the emperor’s father and son... is very uncomfortable.

Changsun Wuji looked at the gloomy sky and felt that the rain was very melancholy.

When the rain subsided a little, Changsun Wuji walked out of the eaves, turned around and wanted to say something, but he didn't say it. He hesitated and left quickly.

Li Chengqian closed the heavy door of the Secretariat, walked into the rain holding a bamboo umbrella, listened to the sound of raindrops falling on the umbrella, and walked towards Chengtian Gate step by step.

It rained for two days in a row in the scorching summer in Guanzhong, making the originally stuffy Guanzhong suddenly cool. When the wind blew, it even felt cool.

When he was free, Li Chengqian sat alone in front of the gate of the East Palace, drinking tea and watching the rain, looking at the map in his hand, which was left over from the Sui Dynasty. His eyes were looking at the Tianshan Mountains, which were in the shape of a straight line.

In fact, the Tianshan Mountains are actually a very large mountain range.

Li Chengqian's gaze fell on a winding river in the Tianshan Mountains. This was the Ili River that his father had mentioned.

I put the map down and closed my eyes, recalling how the Ili River Valley looked on maps of later generations.

The Ili River Valley is a very magical place in the Tianshan Mountains. It can only be said that it is a magical creation of nature. The Ili River Valley is like a pocket in the Tianshan Mountains, forming a river valley.

It also created the Sailimu Lake which has been famous for thousands of years.

The reason why my father mentioned this geographical location is because it is very important in the Tianshan Mountains. If we can capture the Ili River Valley, it will be like sweeping across the Tianshan Mountains.

As for the emperors, since the Han Dynasty, all the emperors who had an ambitious goal wanted to sweep across the Tianshan Mountains and unify the Western Regions.

Looking at what is happening now, Jingyang has finally grown grapes.

If grapes belonged to only Jingyang family, then only Jingyang and Donggong would become rich.

If more grapes were planted in the counties of Guanzhong, the Tang Dynasty would become rich.

Just as my uncle said, the small profits in front of us are nothing. The prince must do big things and make the entire dynasty rich. That is the big thing.

Only when Guanzhong becomes rich can the core of the Tang Dynasty become even richer.

Li Chengqian drank his tea, frowned and said nothing.

Ning'er took the kettle from the clay stove beside her and added hot water to His Highness's tea bowl.

"What kind of staff do you think a team that can get things done should have?"

Hearing this, Ning Er asked in confusion: "Why does Your Highness ask this?"

Li Chengqian whispered: "I need a far-sighted eagle, a tiger that can guard the mountain, a fierce jackal, and a donkey that can work?"

Ning Er stood aside and whispered, "So what does Your Highness have in his hand?"

Li Chengqian sighed: "I still have nothing now."

As they were talking in front of the East Palace gate, a eunuch came hurriedly, his clothes wet.

"Your Highness, Prime Minister Fang invites you to go to the Secretariat."

"Didn't you say everything was fine after the court today?"

"I don't know either. Your Highness, please go ahead." The old eunuch bowed and said, regardless of the fact that his body was soaking wet from the rain.

Li Chengqian stood up and gave Ning'er a look, asking her to keep an eye on the Eastern Palace.

Following the eunuch all the way to the gate of the Secretariat, I found that there were quite a few officials there. Some were sitting, and some were standing.

It is still raining, and this rain will most likely affect this year's summer harvest.

When the weather is very hot, I really hope that the rain can last longer. When it is time to harvest grain in Guanzhong, I hope the sky will clear up and not affect this year's summer harvest.

Li Chengqian walked into the Secretariat, which was very quiet.

When the Crown Prince sat down beside Prime Minister Fang, Zhang Xingcheng, the Imperial Censor in the Palace, said, "The issue of trade should be decided by the Secretariat, which will send officials to conduct trade with envoys from various countries."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ma Zhou slapped the table and said, "This matter also requires the involvement of the Censorate."

Cen Wenben looked unhappy and asked, "Does the Censorate still not trust the Secretariat?"

Ma Zhou said in a clear voice: "How can we feel at ease if the Censorate is not involved in such an important matter?"

"Wait a minute." Li Daozon on the side interrupted the conversation and said slowly: "The goods from the counties in Guanzhong are all shipped from the counties. Jingzhao Prefecture manages the twelve counties in Chang'an, so why can't it participate?"

Wei Zheng stroked his beard and asked, "May I ask the prefect of Jingzhao, are the twelve counties of Chang'an under control?"

As the saying goes, one should deal with things based on facts. When his ability was doubted, Li Dao Zong could no longer bear it. He threw the file in his hand heavily to the ground, stood up, pointed at Wei Zheng and said, "Old man, what do you mean?"

Xu Jingzong quickly stopped him and said, "Prefect, don't be angry."

Wei Zheng also stood up and said, "No matter what, the Censorate must be involved in this matter."

The Minister of War, Hou Junji, simply stood up and said loudly, "Don't argue anymore. The Ministry of War will take care of this matter."

Everyone was arguing because it was about the purse of the court. No one in the three provinces and six ministries in the court would submit to anyone else.

Li Chengqian looked at Xu Jingzong, and then at a strange face among the people present. He was Xu Yushi, the top-ranked Jinshi in this year's imperial examination.

Li Dao Zong was so angry that he kicked over the table and shouted, "Without Jingzhao Prefecture, no one can run this trade."

Cen Wenben said: "This is not just a matter for Jingzhao Prefecture."

After saying this, everyone slammed the table and threw the files.

Li Chengqian watched numbly as several parties fought each other. A file almost hit Fang Xiang, but he still had no intention of stopping.

Wei Zheng and the emperor's uncle had already started fighting.

Cen Wenben also had a dispute with the staff of the Ministry of War.

The Secretariat was in chaos.

Li Chengqian had no choice but to pull his uncle and teacher aside, watching as he could not get out of the Secretariat for a while.

The Tang Dynasty's court was as vibrant as ever.

Seeing the worried expressions of his teacher and uncle, Li Chengqian put his hands in his pockets and said, "That's good. Let's have a quarrel and argue. It's something new."

Chang Sun Wuji said bitterly: "Something new?"

Fang Xuanling beckoned a clerk and ordered, "Go and invite the Jinwu Guards."

"Here."

The petty official stumbled away in a panic as he passed through a chaotic fight among a group of people.

Li Chengqian stood with his hands in his pockets, watching Xu Jingzong often use dirty tricks, kicking people and helping Li Daozon block punches.

When it comes to making a name for himself, Xu Jingzong would never lose to anyone. After two years of hard work in Jingyang, he achieved the feat of growing grapes and returned to the court, standing in the position that belonged to him legitimately and openly.

In addition to Xu Jingzong, everyone else present was also working very hard. In the eighth year of the Zhenguan Dynasty, it seemed that everyone was doing something meaningful.

Soon, there were dense footsteps outside the door, and Yuchi Gong led the Jinwu Guards into the Secretariat, and everyone finally stopped fighting.

Yuchi Gong took two or three steps forward and asked, "Your Highness, Prime Minister Fang, is the Duke of Zhao injured?"

Zhang Sun Wuji waved his hand and said, "The old man, the prince, and Prime Minister Fang are all unharmed. Thank you for your help."

Fang Xuanling ordered: "Send the injured to the Imperial Medical Bureau, and the rest of the people dispersed."

"Yes." Yuchi Gong turned to face the crowd again and ordered his Jinwu Guards to drive everyone out of the Secretariat.

General Yuchi's way of solving this problem was very direct. There was no persuasion or unnecessary words. He just gave an order and drove the people out. The chaos here was quelled on the spot.

Sometimes there is no need for extra language.

Li Chengqian walked out of the Secretariat and saw Li Daozong and Xu Jingzong standing outside the door. "Old Xu, shouldn't you be in Weinan with Guo Luotuo?"

Xu Jingzong quickly explained, "Brother Guo is good at farming, but I am not, so he will stay in Weinan to help Pei Xingjian, and I will come back to help the King of Jiangxia."

Li Dao Zong said: "I am sorry to have made you laugh, Your Highness."

Li Chengqian looked back and saw that his uncle and teacher had also left. He stood there and sighed, "The rain these past two days must have troubled them."

Xu Jingzong nodded and said, "It's about the summer harvest in Guanzhong. I'm afraid the grain in the fields will get soaked and spoil."

After all, Guanzhong's agricultural strength is still weak and cannot withstand the wind and rain.

Li Chengqian said, "After the court session tomorrow, I will go out and take a look."

"Here."

The next day, the rain finally stopped. Looking up, the dark clouds in the sky were much lighter. After the morning court session, Li Chengqian planned to go to Weinan County for a visit.

It has been raining these days and I haven’t done any morning exercises. My limbs feel rusty.

Sitting in the carriage, Li Chengqian moved his arms uncomfortably.

This time, he was escorted by officers and soldiers from Jingzhao Prefecture. No one knew what General Li Ji was going to do. It seemed that he was very busy these days.

If a general is too busy, it is most likely related to the emperor's orders.

Ning'er rode his horse beside the prince's carriage. He was wearing men's clothes, with a sword on his waist. He pulled the reins and let the horse go at a leisurely pace.

After leaving Chang'an City, I felt the surroundings became more humid.

After the rain stopped, the temperature became a little humid. The entire Guanzhong area was humid at this time, and it was also the time when food was most likely to spoil.

The carriage was driving on the official road to Weinan. Li Chengqian simply lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked at the crops in the fields along the way.

The main crops in Guanzhong were still millet and wheat. For example, wheat is now planted in Jingyang.

The carriage stopped at a village, and Li Dao Zong walked over quickly and said, "Your Highness, we have arrived in Weinan."

Li Chengqian nodded and got off the cart. His eyes fell on a village with smoke rising from chimneys. When he saw soldiers stopped on the official road, a large group of children ran back home.

There are large fields of wheat in Weinan County, but now the mud in the fields is wet, and some fields even have water accumulation.

Pei Xingjian and Guo Luotuo came hurriedly.

"Greetings, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." Guo Luotuo bowed first.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince." Pei Xingjian also bowed and saluted. His gaze lingered on the Crown Prince for a long time.

Pei Xingjian bowed respectfully. There were many rumors about the prince in Chang'an and Guanzhong, and he had heard many of them, especially the rumor that the prince was a loner.

Li Chengqian said with a smile, "Mr. Guo Si, there is no need for you to be so polite, County Magistrate Pei."

Pei Xingjian then stood aside.

Li Chengqian was also observing Pei Shouyue, who was about the same age as him, with some soft beard on his chin and wearing an ill-fitting official robe.

It may also be due to his age, but Pei Xingjian now looks quite handsome and has a scholarly air.

Xu Jingzong said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince has always been personally involved in everything, and he is concerned about the farming and agricultural affairs in the counties of Guanzhong, so he came to take a look now."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Old Xu is exaggerating. I am just worried that the heavy rain these days will lead to a poor harvest, so I came to see it in person."

"But what Old Xu said is also true. I have always been like this." Li Chengqian walked along the edge of the field with his hands in his pockets and continued, "Some things can only be assured after seeing them with your own eyes. Old Xu and the emperor's uncle are both people I trust. If they were not assured about the situation in Guanzhong, I would not have come to see it."

As he was speaking, the sun had already broken through the dark clouds. Some sunlight passed through the gaps in the clouds and fell on the Guanzhong land.

Li Chengqian looked at the wheat that was about to mature and asked, "What do you think of this wheat, Mr. Guo Si?"

Guo Luotuo replied: "If it continues to rain, we will have to harvest the grain early, which is better than leaving the fields soaked in water. Fortunately, the sun is out, and once the fields are dry, we can harvest the grain in another half month."

Li Chengqian asked: "Is this half month particularly critical?"

Guo Luotuo said: "That's right."

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not distance himself from Guo Luotuo because of his appearance. Instead, he asked for his opinion, which made Xu Jingzong and Li Daozon very appreciative of His Royal Highness's style.

Li Chengqian continued, "Marquis Pei."

Pei Xingjian said, "I am here."

“Where are the green onions planted?”

Pei Xingjian led the way and said, "Your Highness, this way please."

The crowd walked through a wheat field and came to a high ground not far away. This was originally a dry plateau but has now been reclaimed into a vegetable field.

In addition to growing vegetables, there are also large areas of young green onions growing here.

It was almost noon, and Li Daozon asked people to prepare food.

Li Chengqian said, "I went out and brought lunch with me."

Ning'er raised the food box in her hand to signal.

Li Chengqian explained: "I am used to bringing my own food, so you don't have to prepare any special food."

Li Dao Zong smiled with emotion and said, "I was worrying too much."

Everyone stopped at the vegetable field, and Ning'er brought out the food she brought from the East Palace, "Your Highness, the food is cold."

Li Chengqian took the bowl and chopsticks and said, "It's okay, just deal with it."

After saying that, he started eating. A bowl of millet rice and a dish of stewed meat with pickled mustard greens was the prince's lunch today. Everyone also brought their own dry food.

Li Chengqian gave two large meat buns to Pei Xingjian and Guo Luotuo, saying, "These are stuffed with mutton and green onions."

Guo Luotuo took a bite of the meat bun, chewed it and said, "This is the best food I have ever eaten."

Pei Xingjian chewed the meat bun and nodded continuously.

While eating, Li Chengqian asked, "Marquis Pei passed the imperial examination this year and seemed to have written a particularly strange essay?"

Pei Xingjian ate the bun in his hand in two or three bites and replied, "I found an article in the Hongwenguan, and I was quite inspired by it."

(End of this chapter)