The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 127 Garden Tour
While he was practicing archery, a eunuch came hurriedly and said, "Your Highness, there is a garden party at Qujiang Pond today, so there will be no court today."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "I understand."

The eunuch bowed and retreated.

Li Chengqian drew the bow and put an arrow on it. When the bowstring vibrated and the arrow whistled, the eunuch shuddered in fear. He checked carefully and confirmed that the arrow did not hit him. Then he left the East Palace in fear.

Originally, autumn should have been a very relaxing time for the court, as all the work that needed to be done in spring and summer had been completed.

I don’t know why, but this autumn has been very busy.

All departments in the court were extremely busy.

As soon as the day dawned, there were already quite a few people in the imperial city.

Li Chengqian had just finished his morning practice when a group of palace maids from the Lizheng Palace came hurriedly towards him, holding clothes in their hands.

"Your Highness, this is the new dress prepared by the Queen."

In addition to those for the current crown prince, there are also some for the princesses and princes.

Li Lizhi had just finished washing up and walked over quickly. Just like before, all the clothes were placed in wooden basins with names written on them.

After taking the wooden basins one by one, Li Lizhi asked again, "When did the Queen Mother say we should go to the garden?"

"The Queen said that we can go there at noon and have lunch at Qujiang Pond."

"Tell the Queen Mother that your daughter knows."

"Yes." A group of palace maids nodded and retreated.

This year, Jiangnan paid tribute with a lot of silk, which can be used to make new clothes for my younger brothers and sisters. In fact, the palace's expenses have become much more relaxed.

This autumn garden party was hosted by the Queen Mother, and of course her son agreed.

Li Chengqian put on a new coat, turned around and said, "How do you feel about it?"

Ning Er replied: "It fits very well."

"Maybe I've grown a little too fast recently. Do I look shorter now?"

"I don't think so. It fits me very well."

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is now much taller than he was two years ago. A sixteen-year-old boy grows taller every day. He needs to change a pair of shoes every three or two months, and his clothes often don't fit him.

This black outfit makes His Royal Highness the Crown Prince look more noble. After two years of exercise, his body has become much stronger and he looks better in clothes.

The broad shoulders and upright figure inevitably make people want to look more.

In particular, the prince’s eyes are exactly the same as the current queen’s, and his facial features are more like your majesty when he was young.

Soon, the younger brothers and sisters also changed into new clothes. Li Lizhi and the four sisters Dongyang, Qinghe and Runan wore horse-faced skirts. The waist-length horse-faced skirts had long hems that reached the ankles, and they wore short jackets on the upper body.

The four sisters' dresses are all in different colors.

Gao Yang, who is a little younger, is still wearing a ruqun.

Li Zhi, wearing new clothes, ran hurriedly past and was grabbed by Li Lizhi's ear.

"Sister, sister!" Li Zhi tilted his head and said, "It hurts! It hurts!"

Li Lizhi grabbed his ear and said, "You are not allowed to dirty the new clothes that your mother has worked so hard to make. If you dare to get a little dust on them before going to Qujiang Pond, I will not forgive you."

The smile on her face had disappeared, and her expression was now stern towards her brother.

Li Zhi was so scared that he said quickly, "Brother, I dare not get it dirty."

At this point, Li Lizhi stopped twisting his ear and said, "Keep an eye on Sister Gao Yang."

Li Zhi bowed repeatedly and said, "Yes."

Li Shen tried to hold back his laughter as he watched the funny scene.

In the morning, Li Lizhi was giving lessons to her younger brothers and sisters. At noon they were going to go to Qujiang Lake Garden, and these children could no longer concentrate.

As for what their sister said in the morning, Li Zhi and Li Shen were both absent-minded.

It was not until the elder sister rang the bell to announce the end of get out of class that Li Zhi and Li Shen ran out of the East Palace first.

Li Chengqian sat outside the Chongwen Hall and said, "Grandpa, are you really not going?"

Li Yuan tasted the wine and said, "You can take the children with you. I feel more comfortable here."

Li Chengqian stood up discouraged and said to the two eunuchs beside him: "Take good care of grandpa. I will be back with my brothers and sisters before dark."

"Here."

Outside Chengtian Gate, General Li Ji had already prepared the carriages for the princes and princesses.

First, she let her younger brothers and sisters line up, and Li Lizhi led them to sit in the carriages one by one. Li Chengqian sat in a separate carriage, and the general himself drove the horse.

Li Ji said, "I heard that the Queen invited many female relatives to Qujiang Pond this time."

Li Chengqian sat sideways in the carriage, closed his eyes and said, "Is mother going to choose a princess for me?"

Li Ji smiled and said, "Most likely, I heard that the girls from all the families have dressed up well, and they are thinking about whether they can meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Chengqian's body swayed with the bumps of the carriage. He could also hear the laughter of his younger brothers and sisters in the carriage behind him. He said lightly, "It's not easy to be my wife."

I don’t know what the prince’s words mean, but Li Ji is in a good mood. It would be a great thing if His Royal Highness the Prince could have a wife.

Because the prince is too aloof in his daily life, he seems to have never considered love.

The people who usually interact with the prince are all ministers in the court.

Therefore, in the market, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace is an extremely mysterious person who rarely walks in front of his peers. This crown prince also presides over the government affairs. He is a loner, not good at making friends, and acts harshly.

This undoubtedly added a lot of mystery to the minds of many women of marriageable age in Chang'an City.

The prince is just such a person. Li Chengqian didn't want to change these public opinions at all. Public opinions have nothing to do with state affairs.

The carriage slowly stopped, and Li Chengqian's body finally stopped shaking. He opened his eyes and got off the carriage.

The palace maids and eunuchs have already been prepared here, and someone will lead the princesses and princes into Qujiang Pool.

Li Chengqian saw that the palace maids and eunuchs in front of him were all familiar faces around his father and mother, so he asked, "Have my father and mother arrived?"

"Your Highness, I have arrived, but I am not walking in front of people."

Qujiang Lake is very lively now. A group of princes and princesses entered from the backyard of Qujiang Lake, where they can avoid the sight of most people.

The pavilion where my father and mother were located was at the highest point of Qujiang Lake. This was also the place where I had my first meeting with my uncle and my uncle.

Li Chengqian stood at the bottom of the pavilion, with Ning'er beside him.

Qujiang Lake was extremely lively at this moment, and it was not uncommon to see young men in luxurious attire. Therefore, Li Chengqian standing here did not attract much attention. From a distance, he looked like a young master from a powerful family.

There are too many young men from powerful families here, as well as women from wealthy families, some of whom hold round fans and half cover their faces. Therefore, the prince is just an ordinary person among these people.

Inside the tower, Li Shimin was playing chess with Gao Shilian.

Empress Changsun was accompanying her uncle and husband, making tea.

The emperor, who has been unhappy with everything at court recently, wants to have a heart-to-heart talk with his uncle.

When Gao Shilian saw that the children had all arrived, he asked, "Isn't the prince here yet?" Li Lizhi replied, "Uncle, my brother is downstairs and said he wants to take a walk."

"Come here, Li Zhi."

After hearing her mother's words, Li Lizhi sat beside her sensibly and made tea with her.

Li Shimin held the chess piece in his hand and said slowly: "My uncle has left the court, and I have been feeling very confused lately."

Gao Shilian stroked his graying beard and said, "Your Majesty is too worried, probably because you are worried about the Crown Prince."

On the balcony, there was a painter, he was Yan Lide, the young craftsman of the general family. He was a brother of Yan Liben of the Yan family. Both brothers were proficient in craftsmanship and painting.

Yan Lide is now at the highest point of Qujiang Lake. He can have a panoramic view of the bustling scene in the park by just stroking his beard and looking down.

The Queen ordered that the lively scene here be painted. Yan Lide knew that not only that, but the Queen might also choose the future Crown Princess from the painting.

The selection of the Crown Princess has not yet been decided, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has already reached the age of coming of age.

Inside the building, Li Shimin whispered, "There is something I want to discuss with my uncle."

Gao Shilian sighed, "Your Majesty, just make the decision on everything. You don't need to ask me."

"But I think it would be more appropriate to ask my uncle about this matter."

Gao Shilian raised Zhangsun Wuji and Empress Zhangsun, so in terms of status and emotion, the emperor was his son-in-law.

If the son-in-law is in trouble, as an uncle you should help if you can.

Gao Shilian glanced at Empress Changsun and nodded, saying, "There aren't many things that can embarrass Your Majesty."

The implication is that Li Shimin has already completed control over the entire court. No matter how capable the child Cheng Qian is, he is still under his control.

If you think about it carefully, there are very few things that can embarrass this son-in-law.

Li Shimin dropped a black dot and whispered, "The pharmacist's health is getting worse day by day. I went to visit him in person a few days ago. Now he can only stay at home. I also asked Zhen Quan to treat him and he stayed in the pharmacist's house."

Pharmacist Li, Li Jing?

Gao Shilian let out a sigh of relief. Apart from the pharmacist, there should be no one else who could make his son-in-law embarrassed. He asked again, "What is your majesty's plan?"

"The pharmacist was my right servant. He has been away from the court for many years since the fourth year of Zhenguan. Now he is going to abdicate due to illness. I don't know how to arrange it. What about the generals who followed the pharmacist back then, such as Su Dingfang, Li Daoyan, and Xue Wanjun?"

Gao Shilian stroked his beard and said, "Pharmacist Li is also old, alas..."

Li Shimin took a sip of tea and remained silent for a long time.

Gao Shilian pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, what do you think of the generals that the pharmacist led back then?"

Li Shimin said: "Su Dingfang and Xue Wanjun are both capable generals."

"Since your majesty ascended the throne, you have always treated the generals and counselors in the court with favor, which is very good."

Li Shimin nodded: "The pharmacist and I are brothers in arms. I will never forget the oath we made back then."

Gao Shilian thought about it again, and lost interest in playing chess. He whispered, "The pharmacist is now the Right Prime Minister. His title will remain the same, and the rewards and salaries given to his officers and soldiers will remain the same. I order him to focus on treating his illness and appoint him as the Prime Minister."

"My uncle's arrangements are always appropriate." Li Shimin nodded heavily.

"There is not much I can do to help Your Majesty. I can still give you some advice on internal affairs, but the rest is entirely up to Your Majesty to decide."

Li Shimin nodded and whispered: "The Western Turkic Duolu Khan is dead."

Gao Shilian laughed and said, "Has the Khan of Western Turkic changed again?"

Li Shimin said with emotion: "Three have been replaced this year."

Inside the building, Gao Shilian suddenly laughed again.

Li Zhi stood on the balcony and pointed down and said, "My brother is over there."

Gao Yang held onto the railing of the balcony with both hands, looking at his brother who was walking by the Qujiang Lake. His brother was walking with his hands in his pockets, and Sister Ning was beside him.

This time, the tour of Qujiang Lake was arranged by the Queen.

Moreover, all the expenses were paid for by the Queen. Why would the usually frugal Queen suddenly spend so much money to organize this garden party?

Some people speculated that it was to find a princess for the prince.

After everyone had this guess, it gradually became the truth.

More and more people believe that the Queen's visit to the garden was to find a candidate for the Crown Princess for the current Crown Prince.

Moreover, the prince is sixteen years old this year. In another three or two years, he will be twenty. It is likely that the prince will get married within these three years.

All the powerful families heard the news and took action. Even if their daughters did not want to go out, they would wear their most beautiful clothes and be led by their families to walk around Qujiang Lake.

At this moment, the women in each family are looking at the men of marriageable age here.

Even if she cannot be chosen by the Queen as the future Crown Princess, it is still a good opportunity to find a good family for her daughter.

The Queen would not choose the Crown Princess just once, but would select several families and then choose from among them.

So far, the rumored prince has not appeared in public.

Li Chengqian walked by the Qujiang Lake and along the lake.

Du He walked forward with a smile and said, "Your Highness."

Li Chengqian whispered, "You're here too."

"Yes, the tribe members asked me to walk around Qujiang Lake."

"How is Jingyang?"

"After the pig farm was expanded, we have 670 pigs, which have been tamed and kept in a pen."

Li Chengqian raised his head and looked into the distance. The pavilions along the lake were full of people. There were women swinging on the swings by the lake. In the middle of the pavilion, a group of women from the Taichang Temple were waving their sleeves and dancing to the sound of drums.

The dances of the Tang people are often heroic, and the waving of long sleeves has the artistic conception of the Han Dynasty.

"So, Jingyang will not be short of raw materials in the future?"

"Well, until we find a substitute for the soap raw material, we can only hide it this way." Du He was a little worried, and then said, "I'm afraid we can't sell soap residue anymore in the future."

Li Chengqian said: "As the workshops in Jingyang expand and productivity continues to increase, this situation is bound to happen."

Du He said: "Jingyang will produce more soap in the future."

"You are in charge of the workshop in Jingyang, so everything will be done according to your wishes."

Du He bowed respectfully and said, "Yes."

There are not many people who can be treated with such respect by Master Du He. Du He is the son of the Jingzhao Du family and the descendant of Du Ruhui. Even the Jingzhao prefect Li Daozon or the county magistrates have to lower their status to such a person.

Some people were wondering who this handsome young man standing next to Master Du He was and why he could make Master Du He bow like this.

The sharp-eyed people noticed the clue first and watched silently.

At the same time, they also had to deal with the various dignitaries who came and went and greet them in a friendly manner.

An autumn garden party was about to turn into an activity to select sons-in-law and daughters-in-law among the powerful families in the Tang Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)