The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 118 No shortage of troublemakers
Dongyang was stunned on the spot, muttering: "But... my brother..."

Li Lizhi comforted him, "Dongyang, your good intentions are clear to me, so I didn't say it out loud. No matter what you say, I already know what you are thinking."

Dongyang's cheeks were red all the way to her ears. She covered her face and said, "Sister, I know I was wrong."

"It's okay, it's okay." Li Lizhi advised: "The conflict between father and brother cannot be explained in a few words, unless..."

She looked outside the villa, observing her father's back and whispered, "Unless my father abdicates."

Hearing this, Dongyang became even more confused and said, "Sister shouldn't act on her own. She should listen to her sister's advice."

Li Lizhi handed her a loquat and said, "Eat it. Don't worry, my brother will just pretend that this incident never happened and won't take it to heart. My brother has bigger things in his mind."

"Ah."

Dongyang sat aside with a look of loss on his face.

Li Lizhi looked at her younger sister and couldn't help laughing. In fact, Dongyang was a younger sister who matured early and was very intelligent.

She just had little experience and wanted to do better for this family by putting herself in other people's shoes.

The emperor is doing this for the good of his younger brothers and sisters, so he doesn't say it out loud.

But as an elder sister, I cannot just make my younger sister feel good about herself. We are children of the royal family, and the people and things we will face in the future will be very complicated.

In addition to learning skills, they also need to understand principles that ordinary children do not understand.

Soon, Dongyang sat aside and entered the state of solving the problem.

Li Lizhi looked at the factorization problem in front of her and suddenly smiled. She discovered a secret. Her brother the emperor had actually left a trap in the question. If she didn't check it once, she would get the answer wrong.

After returning to the East Palace, Li Chengqian sat in the hall peeling loquats with a frown on his face.

When Ning'er and Xiaofu saw the Crown Prince's appearance, they retreated outside the palace.

Xiaofu whispered, "Sister Ning, His Highness is always unhappy after meeting His Majesty."

Ning Er said, "That's because His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is worried about state affairs."

Xiaofu said, "Well, Your Highness has too many things to worry about."

"Yes." Ning Er smiled and said, "Let's take a rest. If we don't take a nap, His Highness will scold us again."

"Here."

It is very cool next to the Chongren Hall in the Eastern Palace. Most of the palace maids take a nap here. However, unlike the Chongwen Hall, the Chongren Hall seems very deserted.

The hall was empty. After wiping the floor clean, you could lie down and rest. You could feel the coolness coming from the ground.

Inside the hall, Li Chengqian ate the two loquats in his hand, wondering if I knew Lu Dongzan very well.

Speaking of which, this is the first time that my father has asked me, his son, for help.

He stood up and took a scroll from the bookshelf beside him. When he opened the scroll, there was a map.

Li Chengqian stood barefoot, spread the map on the ground, looked at the locations of Tubo and Khotan, and finally looked to the north of Khotan and his eyes fell on the location of Xizhou.

Xizhou is located at the throat of the Silk Road and is also a key route to Persia. If the Tibetans take over Khotan, will they attack Xizhou?
The Silk Road was cut off from then on.

Is this possible?
Who gave Lu Dongzan such courage?
Is it because the Tang Dynasty destroyed Tuyuhun?

Li Chengqian frowned and observed, walking back and forth barefoot, and said in annoyance: "Lu Dongzan! You have evil ambitions!"

Sitting down again, Li Chengqian began to write a letter. In addition to greeting Lu Dongzan and inviting him to Chang'an next year to get drunk together, he also warned him.

He also had to write a letter to General Niu Jinda, who was wandering around the border between Tubo and the Tang Dynasty with his troops to warn Tubo.

After writing two letters during his lunch break, Li Chengqian hurriedly left the Eastern Palace.

There were not many people in the imperial city on a hot summer day. Most people left early after finishing their day's work. As you walked along, you could see only a few officials from the Ministry of War, Ministry of Rites, and Ministry of Personnel sitting here.

There were not many people in the Secretariat, only my uncle and Cen Wenben were here.

Li Chengqian walked in with two letters and asked, "Are there any Tibetan envoys in Chang'an?"

Cen Wenben replied: "There are two Tibetan envoys in Sifang Pavilion."

Li Chengqian whispered, "My father told me that the Tibetans and Khotan had started a war, and asked me to write a letter to persuade Lu Dongzan to withdraw his troops, considering... my friendship with Lu Dongzan."

Hearing this, Changsun Wuji asked, "What kind of person do you think Lu Dongzan is?"

"An ambitious person."

"What will Lu Dongzan gain by conquering Khotan?"

Li Chengqian thought about it again and said slowly: "Treasures, camels? For Xizhou?"

Changsun Wuji took out a document, placed it on the table, and motioned for him to open it.

Li Chengqian took the document and looked at it with a frown.

Zhang Sun Wuji said: "Since five years ago, in order to quell the civil unrest, the population of Tubo has almost dwindled. Although they have conquered the Yangtong tribes, with Tubo's current strength, it is not certain that they can penetrate deep into the Western Regions."

"Since His Highness has written the letter, let's send it out. At least don't let Lu Dongzan think that the Tang Dynasty will sit idly by."

Li Chengqian asked in confusion: "What happens next?"

Zhang Sun Wuji said: "I will help His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to settle the matter from now on."

Cen Wenben left in a hurry, holding a letter to General Niu Jinda and another letter to the Prime Minister of Tubo.

Li Chengqian put his hands in his pockets and said, "This Tubo is really causing trouble."

Changsun Wuji chuckled and said, "Haha, there is never a shortage of people who cause trouble in this world."

The present age is not as gentle as later ages, and there are so many concerns.

Lu Dongzan wanted to show the muscle of Tubo to the Tang Dynasty, so when the Tang Dynasty attacked Tuyuhun, they just sat on the sidelines and watched.

When the Tang Dynasty was building the Hexi Corridor, Tubo attacked Khotan.

Just as my uncle said, there is never a shortage of people who cause trouble in this world.

The present Tang Dynasty is still a barbaric era.

Most of those who adhere to the covenant of peace and enjoy it with peace of mind are perfectionists.

But in reality, people's hearts are changing and the environment is changing accordingly.

Therefore, there is never any peace of mind. There are still differences in strength between countries. This is the reality.

Li Chengqian looked through the documents submitted by various departments today. The counties in Guanzhong have already started the summer harvest. In a few days, taxes from each county will be collected and the government granaries in each county will be filled.

Being able to see the summer harvest proceed smoothly undoubtedly gave the court reassurance.

When I looked up again, I found that my uncle had left without me noticing.

Li Chengqian tidied up the Secretariat with a dull look on his face and closed the heavy door of the Secretariat. His work for the day was considered over.

The prince's job can be said to be leisurely, but sometimes it can also be said to be busy.

Li Chengqian stopped an official.

The official was standing outside the household department. He bowed and said, "Greetings, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Only then did he realize that the other person was Xu Yushi, the top scorer in this imperial examination.

Li Chengqian asked, "Are you on duty?" Xu Yushi replied respectfully, "I have just entered the court as an official, and I would like to look after the Ministry of Revenue for a while longer."

Li Chengqian ordered: "Go to Jingzhao Prefecture and tell the prefect to bring some brome to the palace and place it in front of Chengtian Gate, and have someone deliver it in."

"Yes." After hearing the words, Master Xu Yue quickly walked out of the Suzaku Gate.

While waiting for the barley to be delivered, Li Chengqian was sitting at the gate of the East Palace.

Li Daozon came personally carrying a bag of oats, put it down steadily and wiped the sweat off his face.

Li Chengqian handed him a bowl of cold water and said, "Uncle, you don't have to come in person."

"If the East Palace wants something, I should go there myself."

"Thank you, uncle." Li Chengqian opened the cloth bag and looked at some bromeliad carefully. Bromeliad, also known as oats, has the effect of lowering cholesterol and nourishing the heart, spleen and stomach.

There's nothing better than cooking oatmeal for grandpa.

Li Chengqian looked at the oats carefully. The oats here were not as plump as those in later generations. Instead, they looked very rough and probably did not taste very good.

Li Daozong took out a stack of documents from his bosom and said, "This is the report on this year's summer harvest submitted by various counties. It has not been sent to the Ministry of Revenue yet, so I am giving it to Your Highness first."

Li Chengqian nodded and took the stack of documents, then asked, "Is Xu Jingzong okay?"

"He's doing fine. He seldom stays in Jingzhao Prefecture recently. He has been traveling around the counties with Guo Luotuo."

Xu Jingzong is a capable man.

A person who is both capable and willing to take risks is also a good subordinate who can both take the blame and do dirty work.

Li Chengqian never thought of using his subordinates as chess pieces to manipulate them, because they were all living people.

They are not pawns, they have feelings and selfish desires.

Similarly, Xu Jingzong also had selfish motives. Even though he kept saying that he would go through fire and water for the Crown Prince, before doing so, he must have thought about himself first.

Li Daozong added: "Don't worry, Your Highness. Xu Jingzong has no complaints."

"I had no choice but to fine him one year's salary. With Du He here, he doesn't have to worry about food, clothing, housing and transportation. Thank you, uncle, for taking care of him."

"It should."

"I haven't seen Uncle Hejian and General Li Ji recently. What have they been doing?"

Li Dao Zong replied: "I heard from my family that they were going to Tongguan. Didn't His Highness approve the construction of the Tongguan Pass?"

"So that's it."

"Yes, now all the affairs of the royal family are arranged by Master Chongyi."

Thinking about it, Li Chongyi is still a Shaoqing of Zongzheng Temple, and the family of Hejian Prince Li Xiaogong is people that my father trusts very much.

Also, because the emperor's uncle Hejian was a man with outstanding military achievements among the royal family generals at that time, his family was in charge of all the matters of the royal family, so my father's cousins ​​were naturally convinced.

Li Daozong said: "I will take my leave first."

"Take care, uncle. Come to the East Palace to eat noodles another day."

"must."

After bidding farewell to his uncle, Li Chengqian called out to the East Palace, "Xiao Fu!"

"Coming!"

There was a loud response from inside the hall.

The girl ran over quickly and asked, "Your Highness, are you hungry?"

Li Chengqian put down the oats in his hand and said, "Let's cook these oats into porridge so that my grandfather can eat more."

Xiaofu nodded and carried a bag of wheat back to the East Palace.

At night, Li Chengqian ate rough oatmeal porridge and flipped through memorials from various counties, all of which were about summer harvest matters.

In the present Tang Dynasty, the situation of land annexation in Guanzhong is not too serious.

Therefore, the tax revenue in Guanzhong was abundant.

Seeing that the prince had finished his oatmeal porridge, Ning'er handed the bowl and chopsticks to the palace maid waiting outside the hall, and then she poured a bowl of tea for the prince.

Drinking a bowl of tea after meals is the Prince's daily habit.

Li Chengqian naturally took the tea bowl on the table and slowly poured the hot tea into his mouth.

Ning'er opened the window behind His Highness, letting the night breeze blow in, making the palace much cooler.

"Recently, there are rumors in the palace that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince likes carpentry skills."

Li Chengqian flipped through the documents and asked, "Is someone spreading rumors about me again?"

Ning Er replied, "Of course they like to discuss your Highness's every word and action."

Li Chengqian explained: "At the beginning, I just wanted to build a villa for my father, and use the wood there to make some stationery and tools that I would need in the future. I didn't think of anything else."

"The craftsmen from the Ministry of Revenue said that Your Highness has superb craftsmanship. When they first said this, they also said that they were willing to pass on their lifelong craftsmanship to Your Highness."

"There should be more and more craftsmen in the Tang Dynasty, but I have enough to learn." Li Chengqian tapped the document beside him with his fingers.

Ning'er nodded with satisfaction.

Li Chengqian put down the document in his hand, rubbed his brows and relaxed his eyes, saying: "I want to be an emperor. I am almost exhausted from learning how to govern the country, and I also have to help my father solve the troubles in the Western Regions. How can I have the energy to learn carpentry skills?"

"The craftsmen were just telling others that they had spoken with His Royal Highness and worked with him. They were praising His Royal Highness and showing off their fortunes. Your Highness need not take it to heart."

By the Taiye Lake, a bright moon is reflected in the lake.

As the night deepened, the children went to bed and Li Shimin enjoyed this moment of peace.

Li Yuan ate the oatmeal porridge sent by the Eastern Palace and said, "This porridge tastes good after it cools down."

Li Shimin scooped up a spoonful of porridge and put it into his mouth, tasting it carefully.

"Li Daliang also sent another secret report last night. Because Li Yifu recruited many Tuyuhun people to build city gates in the Hexi Corridor and gave them generous rewards and treatment, these people can even settle down in the Hexi Corridor in the future." Li Yuan whispered, "Originally, idle Tuyuhun people were prone to rebellion. Now they are all working, which greatly reduces the burden of border defense. These words... Erlang, you didn't tell Cheng Qian."

Li Shimin lay on the recliner, looking at the moonlit night sky, and said, "He understands, I don't need to tell him."

Li Yuan sat upright, his hands on his knees, and said in frustration, "When did you two become like this, father and son?"

After taking a look at his father beside him, Li Shimin turned over, waved the round fan in his hand, and did not answer.

Li Yuan added: "Cheng Qian is a capable child, but you are always worried about him."

Li Shimin closed his eyes and whispered back: "If he is not capable, he will be controlled by powerful officials. If he does not behave well, people will talk about him. If he cannot control his subordinates well, he will get into trouble. Xu Jingzong is a lesson for us."

Li Yuan sighed, "You always think that he should do better, he should do this and that..."

Empress Changsun and Li Lizhi, who was holding a lantern, came over and interrupted the conversation between the father and son.

Li Lizhi said, "Grandpa, don't eat this porridge if it gets cold."

Li Yuan said: "The weather is very hot, I just want to eat something cold."

"You can't eat too much, Grandpa is not in good health. Eat less cold food. Dr. Sun has instructed you to do so." Li Lizhi stubbornly took the remaining half bowl of oatmeal porridge and said, "My granddaughter will heat it up for Grandpa before he eats it."

(End of this chapter)