The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 125 Another article by the prince

The collective sense of honor has greatly enhanced the ability of collective cooperation. Instead of each department working alone, the three provinces and six departments are tied together, and everyone works hard in the same direction.

This era is still very ordinary, and we are all ordinary people.

Internally it is collective action, externally it is struggle.

If we really want to know what the logic is in this ordinary world, it really comes down to the fact that the honor and strength of a team often outweighs that of an individual.

The united will of all people far outweighs individual bravery.

"After today's morning court session is over, please have each department draft its regulations and submit them to the Secretariat. Someone will deliver paper and soap to you in the evening. You can pick them up in front of the Suzaku Gate."

Li Chengqian turned to his father again and said, "Father, do you have anything else to tell me?"

Li Shimin suppressed the corners of his mouth that were about to rise, carefully examined his son, and said in a clear voice: "If there is nothing else, please report again. I will adjourn the court."

Inside the Taiji Hall, the ministers shouted, "We respectfully send off Your Majesty."

After taking two steps, Li Shimin stopped, looked deeply at his son who was standing in front of the ministers, and said in a deep voice: "Prince, come to Ganlu Hall to discuss matters."

Li Chengqian said loudly: "Yes."

After the morning court session ended, the ministers walked out of the Taiji Hall in groups of three or four. Li Chengqian stood there for a long time, and when he saw that most people had left, he walked out of the Taiji Hall alone.

Duke Zheng Wei Zheng walked out of Chengtian Gate with steady steps and said, "It seems that Duke Zhao is very happy today."

Chang Sun Wuji walked calmly and said, "Really?"

Wei Zheng put his hands behind his back, walked without stopping, and said, "You laughed for a long time during the morning court session."

Chang Sun Wuji was surprised and asked: "Did the old man laugh?"

"Ah."

Wei Zheng nodded.

Changsun Wuji stroked his beard and frowned, remaining silent.

Wei Zheng looked at the Supervisory Censor Ma Zhou and the Palace Attendant Censor Zhang Xingcheng, the two men walking together and talking in low voices, and said, "His Highness said that after the morning court session, each department should draft regulations."

Zhang Sun Wuji said, "Thank you, Lord Zheng."

Wei Zheng shook his head and said, "It is still too extravagant for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to give soap to his ministers."

For Jingyang, there is as much soap as you want, so this is actually nothing.

Changsun Wuji also walked towards the Secretariat. His uncle would most likely know what happened in the Taiji Hall today. He would definitely be very proud.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince followed his old man's advice and did not focus his mind on Jingyang alone. The Crown Prince had always been thinking about the country.

Although this prince still has many shortcomings, for example, he is very withdrawn in the eyes of his peers, has no friends, and is not good at making friends, or this prince always likes to be clean and tidy, almost to the point of being harsh.

Or perhaps it could be said that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has always emphasized order, which requires all civil and military officials in the court to dress neatly when facing the Crown Prince.

If your hair crown is crooked, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will stare at it for a long time without saying a word.

That aggressive look made the court officials very nervous.

Outside the Suzaku Gate, Li Tai hurriedly walked to Suzaku Street and trotted back to his mansion.

The servants in the palace were curious about the nervous look on Prince Wei's face, and saw that His Royal Highness Prince Wei kept wiping his sweat.

Wang Gui picked up his pen and wrote notes for the Comprehensive Geography, and asked, "Did Your Highness the Prince of Wei encounter any frightening incident?"

"Yeah." Li Tai nodded slowly, but kept shaking his head.

Seeing this, Wang Gui picked up his pen and asked, "What's going on?"

Li Tai calmed his breath and said, "My royal brother...he was in Taiji Hall today, giving orders to the ministers in front of our father."

Wang Gui's eyes fell on the scroll again, and he said calmly, "Did your majesty say anything?"

Li Tai took a gulp of cold water and exhaled heavily, "Father didn't say anything."

"That proves that His Royal Highness did nothing wrong."

"But this is in front of the Emperor after all."

After Wang Gui finished writing one annotation, he picked up his pen, put the book aside with his other hand, waited for the ink to dry, and then picked up another one to continue writing annotations.

Li Tai added: "My brother is too..."

Wang Gui asked, "Do you know how the Crown Prince evaluated His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei?"

"What does my brother think?"

"Yes." Wang Gui patiently advised, "Some people said that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei had great literary talent. I also learned that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei compiled the Comprehensive Geography. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince often said that my brother had such achievements and such talent. I am very proud of him."

"Then at this moment..." Wang Gui smiled and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is able to help Your Majesty with government affairs and has the support of the ministers. Your Highness the Prince of Wei should also be proud of your brother, the Crown Prince. Don't panic, and don't doubt yourself."

Li Tai calmed down and remembered what his royal brother had said. I will definitely envy your achievements in the future.

Now, Li Tai was very confused. Sitting in his own mansion, he didn't know what to do at the moment. His mind was full of the scene of his royal brother commanding the ministers in front of his father. He would probably never forget it in his life.

Wang Gui placed a scroll in front of the King of Wei and said, "This is the first volume of my annotations. Please review it, Your Highness."

Li Tai glanced at the teacher with white hair and beard, and said quickly: "Disciple will take a look."

Wang Gui nodded with satisfaction.

Inside the palace, Li Chengqian walked to the front of Ganlu Palace with his hands in his pockets.

"Come in."

I heard my father's words before I even opened my mouth.

Li Chengqian sighed secretly and walked into the hall.

Li Shimin just sat down and took a sip of tea and said, "You must be hungry."

"A little hungry."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw his mother leading a few palace maids and bringing food.

"The East Palace has already prepared the food. Knowing that His Majesty will summon you today, he asked the East Palace to prepare it in advance."

The palace maid carefully placed the dishes and chopsticks in front of the Crown Prince.

Only then did Li Chengqian sit down, pick up his bowl and chopsticks and eat his meal.

Li Shimin was already very hungry. He was eating a piece of cake, looking up slightly and chewing hard.

Noticing that there was a bowl of wine next to his father's bowl, Li Chengqian frowned and looked at it without saying a word for a long time.

The hall was very quiet, and the father and son ate their meal in silence.

Empress Changsun accompanied her with a smile and said, "I know that Li Zhi likes to eat zongzi, so I sent some over today."

"Well, my brother and sister haven't eaten zonggao for a long time."

As they were talking, they saw a little girl running towards them. She had a chubby face and ran to her mother's feet. She grabbed the hem of her mother's skirt and stared at the big brother in front of her with curiosity.

Empress Chang Sun said, "Have you forgotten? This is your brother."

Little Sizi said in a baby voice: "Royal brother."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Sizi has grown so big."

"The kid is growing taller every day."

Seeing her sister coming to her table, she reached out and grabbed a piece of meat and put it into her mouth.

Li Chengqian observed her, put his arm around her and asked, "How old are you?" Little Sizi stretched out three fingers, still chewing meat hard in her mouth.

Li Chengqian embraced this sister. She was breathing heavily and her heart was beating even more vigorously. It seemed that there was a strong vitality in this sister's body.

"My brother wants to eat. Come to my mother's place."

Little Sizi ran quickly into her mother's arms with her short legs which were still somewhat out of control. Her mother wiped her little daughter's mouth with a towel.

Li Chengqian finished a piece of cake and a bowl of millet rice.

Li Shimin also burped and took a sip of wine.

"Father, you should drink less alcohol and more tea on weekdays."

"Why? You think it's bad for me to drink?"

"not good for health."

"My health is under the supervision of the Imperial Medical Bureau."

Empress Changsun sighed and looked worriedly at her little daughter who was still ignorant and didn't remember anything. They had been having a peaceful meal, but a few words from the father and son made the atmosphere worse.

"Your father often led troops to fight in the past. In the summer, when he took off his armor, his neck and chest were reddened by the heavy armor. At that time, he couldn't breathe without a sip of wine."

Listening to his mother's words, Li Chengqian said, "If that was the case back then, then Father should take better care of his health now."

Li Shimin snorted coldly: "Do I have to be like your grandfather?"

Li Chengqian asked back: "Is there anything wrong with it?"

"you……"

I originally wanted to offer some advice or two between the father and son. Cheng Qian, as the son, should say less, and Your Majesty, as the father, should also say less.

But between father and son, after only three words, it was like a fire was ignited.

Li Shimin took another sip of wine and asked, "I heard about Lu Dongzan's matter. Why didn't you report it to me?"

Li Chengqian said, "It was the Emperor who asked me to write a letter to ask them to withdraw their troops. Now that the situation has come to this, I have also let the Tang Dynasty have enough reason and favor. Didn't the Emperor consider what would happen next when he asked me to write the letter?"

Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "As the crown prince, you should be careful about your words and actions."

"I am very careful about my words and actions."

"You don't need to write poetry anymore."

"What does this have to do with poetry?"

Although the father and son were still sitting there quietly, they became increasingly angry after a few words.

Seeing His Majesty's breathing rising and falling, his face turned slightly red.

Empress Changsun said again, "Alright, let the court officials handle the affairs of the court. You two should talk more about family matters while you are having a meal."

The father and son lowered their heads again and sat in silence.

Little Sizi whispered in his mother's arms: "Mother, I want to sleep."

Empress Changsun looked at the father and son again, then left in frustration, holding Xiao Sizi.

The queen quickly left with a group of palace maids, leaving only His Majesty, the Crown Prince, and two eunuchs in Ganlu Palace.

Li Shimin picked up an article, which was beautifully named as the Practice Report of the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.

"Tell me, what does cultural warfare in this practice report mean?"

Noticing his son's assuming look, Li Shimin continued, "Tell me about your strategy."

Li Chengqian said, "I told Li Baiyao at the beginning that we should let the envoys from all countries learn the Guanzhong dialect and the Central Plains characters. However, in the past year, although the Honglu Temple and the Ministry of Rites have done so, there has been little effect. This is why I am very distressed."

"Then?"

Li Chengqian added: "Therefore, I require that people from the Western Regions who carry documents for trade must also learn Guanzhong dialect. Let's not talk about Prince Gaochang, he already knows Guanzhong dialect fluently. If he wants to trade, he must learn Guanzhong characters and Guanzhong dialect. With this requirement, people who want to participate in the trade will naturally take the initiative to learn it, and it will become a must-learn skill in the exchanges with the Tang Dynasty."

"I heard that you still want to sweep across the Western Regions?"

"I have never said that. Building the Hexi Corridor and growing grapes have nothing to do with sweeping across the Western Regions."

"Hehehe..." Li Shimin smiled faintly.

"Okay." Li Chengqian said with his hands in his pockets, "It seems that this misunderstanding cannot be explained away. Even my father doesn't believe my explanation."

"Father, please rest assured. If anyone asks me about this in the future, I will explain it clearly. If anyone still doesn't believe me, I will post a notice in front of Chengtian Gate, saying that the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace has no intention of sweeping across the Western Regions."

Li Shimin asked, "You have been in charge of the government's expenses for more than a year, and this is all you have written?"

"I am a slow-witted son. It took me two years to accomplish this." Li Chengqian stood up and said, "Father, it is getting late. I cannot take a nap today. I have to rush to the Secretariat to do some work."

"Did I delay your lunch break?"

"My son, I have absolutely no intention of doing this."

Li Shimin breathed heavily and said in a deep voice, "State affairs are important."

Li Chengqian bowed and said, "I'll take my leave."

After His Royal Highness the Crown Prince left Ganlu Palace, the palace was very quiet.

The two eunuchs could hear His Majesty's breathing and stood there trembling in fear.

After a long silence, Li Shimin suddenly slammed the table and said, "You bastard! You said you didn't want to sweep across the Western Regions. Why did he build the Hexi Corridor and grow grapes? And you said it wasn't me who delayed his lunch break!"

The two eunuchs were frightened by His Majesty's sudden slamming of the table. They knelt on the ground and trembled, saying, "Your Majesty, calm down."

Trying his best to suppress his anger, Li Shimin said, "Call the Minister of Works Yan Liben."

"Here."

Half an hour later, Yan Liben walked into the Ganlu Palace with hurried but hesitant steps.

Li Shimin still held his son's practical report in his hand and read it over and over again, especially the discussion on uniting court officials and advocating strengthening the collective coordination and execution capabilities of various departments in the court.

These are the key points in the past governance of the country that have not been made clear, and no one has ever talked about them.

Yan Liben had been standing in the hall with his body hunched over for a long time. His Majesty did not say a word, but kept looking at a piece of paper.

I didn't dare to make any noise to disturb him, so I had to continue standing there.

The East Palace hasn't sent any articles for a long time. Now it is clear that Your Majesty likes this article very much.

It would be better if the Crown Prince and Your Majesty could live in harmony.

Li Shimin put down the article in his hand, rubbed his brows as if he was considering the profound meaning of the article, and then he noticed Yan Liben standing here.

"You came."

Before Yan Liben could reply, the eunuch whispered in His Majesty's ear, "Master Yan has been standing here for half an hour."

Li Shimin held his forehead and said, "Please take a seat."

Yan Liben was as if he had been pardoned and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Taking the cup of tea prepared by the eunuch, Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "Let's not talk about other things for now, how are the preparations for Lingyan Pavilion going?"

Yan Liben quickly said, "Your Majesty, this matter was arranged by Xu Xiaode, the Minister of Works."

He was about to put down the tea bowl, but it froze in his hand. He frowned and said, "You are the Minister of Industry. Do you still have to act according to his mood?"

Today I will update twice, and I will try to update more tomorrow

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(End of this chapter)