The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 139 An Unexplainable Misunderstanding

In Ganlu Palace, the emperor and his ministers were still talking. The autumn rain in Guanzhong had finally stopped temporarily, and the rare sunshine shone on the land of Guanzhong.

In the Eastern Palace, Ning'er, Dongyang and Li Lizhi were taking out the Eastern Palace's books to dry in the sun.

Li Lizhi also had to tidy up her brother's bedroom and open the windows for ventilation.

The entire East Palace was being cleaned. Xiaofu was cleaning the kitchen by herself. Li Zhi complained, "Xiaofu, you are always like this. You could have soaked the pickled mustard greens first. We will be late for dinner again today."

Xiaofu held a pile of bowls and said, "You must be careful in everything. This is what His Highness has told you."

Li Shen smiled and helped clean up the kitchen and said, "Xiaofu is right."

"Yeah." Xiaofu put down a pile of bowls with difficulty and nodded heavily: "If you don't make it carefully, the food won't taste good."

Li Zhi looked at Li Shen unhappily. This younger brother was too realistic.

Li Lizhi took out her brother's books and papers to dry. In fact, the furnishings here were very simple. Usually, all objects were placed neatly. For example, the pen holder was placed in a certain position on the table, and it would always be there and would never be moved.

After making sure that the bedroom was clean, Li Lizhi and Dongyang sat in front of the bedroom, basking in the sun.

Ning Er came over and said, "Your Highness, the people from Lizheng Palace are here."

Li Lizhi opened her eyes slightly, still basking in the sun, and whispered, "Is there something you want to tell me, mother?"

The maid whispered, "His Majesty is very angry about the Crown Prince's matter."

Li Lizhi asked suspiciously, "Brother Huang made a mistake?"

"Not really."

"That shouldn't be a big deal."

Li Lizhi lay on the recliner, stretching lazily.

The maid continued, "The Queen asked me to pass on a message saying that His Majesty was angry today because of the arrangement made by Duke Zhao and Prime Minister Fang, and I want to convey this to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Hearing that her uncle was still in contact with Fang Xiang, Li Lizhi was sure that her brother was fine, so she replied, "Well, go report this to the Queen Mother."

"The slaves retire."

Ning'er sent the palace maid from Lizheng Palace away again.

The weather was very good today. Li Chengqian had just come out of the Secretariat after finishing his work when he saw a figure walking towards him.

Whenever an official saw him, he had to bow and greet him.

Li Chengqian looked at the person who came, and after seeing him more clearly, he quickly stepped forward and said, "General, how come you have time to come here today?"

Li Jing held his cane and said, "Your Majesty has ordered me to take charge of government affairs, so I naturally have to come and see."

Standing next to Li Jing was Li Dejian, who saluted and said, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Jing added: "This child was worried about me, so he followed me here."

"Let the prince laugh at me."

Li Chengqian put his hands in his pockets and said, "General, please come this way."

Li Jing's temples were gray, and he walked with a cane all the way to the steps of the Secretariat. He glanced at the busy officials inside and sat down on the steps.

Li Chengqian also sat aside and took out a tea egg and handed it over.

Li Jing took the tea egg and nodded, "Thank you, Your Highness."

He handed another to Li Dejian, and Li Chengqian asked curiously, "General, aren't you going to sit inside?"

Li Jing peeled the shell of a tea egg and said with a smile, "I won't go. Your Majesty knows how to use people well. With Fang Xuanling, Cen Wenben, Duke Zhao and others here, there is no need for me to give instructions in the court. Besides, I have fought for so many years and am not as good at government affairs as they are."

Li Chengqian put his hands in his pockets and looked up at Li Dejian, who smiled at him in a simple and honest way.

All officials passing by here must bow to General Li Jing.

And the general seems to be sitting here.

"Brother Dejian, what do you do on weekdays?"

"Your Highness, I like reading." Li Dejian stood aside and thought for a moment, then added, "Recently, I like to read The Dream of the Red Chamber."

"It turns out that Brother Dejian also likes Red Mansions."

Li Dejian looked at his father who was eating tea eggs, then turned to the prince and said, "I am ashamed to say that I cannot understand military books, and I especially like stories like The Dream of the Red Chamber."

"Will you take the imperial examination again?"

Li Dejian replied: "I don't want to take the imperial examination anymore."

Hearing this, Li Chengqian was a little surprised, "Why?"

"My ambition is not to pass the imperial examination and become an official. I want to travel all over the Central Plains and see the mountains and rivers. This is enough for my life."

Li Jing sighed, "This child followed me in battles for a long time, but he didn't learn much about marching and fighting. He became obsessed with the mountains and rivers along the way. Your Highness, please forgive me for making a fool of myself."

Li Chengqian replied: "Everyone has his own aspirations. I envy Brother Dejian's state of mind."

The general did not seem to be someone who would force his children to inherit his mantle. This was true for most of the children of generals in the Tang Dynasty, such as the children of the emperor's uncle Li Xiaogong, Li Chongyi, the son of General Cheng Yaojin, or Du He.

Li Jing ate the tea eggs with a smile on his face.

Li Chengqian thought that for someone like Li Dejian, perhaps it was not a good thing to let him enter this complicated court.

It would be a pity if Dejian lost such a bright and pure heart because of entering the court.

"This world is magnificent and beautiful. If you find any beautiful places in the future, please write to me and let me know."

Li Dejian bowed and said, "Then I have made an agreement with Your Highness."

Li Chengqian nodded and agreed to the agreement.

He sat quietly outside the Secretariat for a long time. Just as General Li Jing had said, he could both manage state affairs and move around the imperial city at will.

This is because the emperor gave this great general great power.

It's just that General Li Jing seemed to have come to the imperial city to relax, or to see how his old friends were doing.

"I heard that the counties in Guanzhong are talking about His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"

Li Chengqian sighed, "Yes."

“Is it still like this now?”

"It's not like that now. The teacher and uncle have done something. Now the county magistrates are very obedient. If Jingzhao Prefecture tells them to go east, they dare not go west. If they are told to plant trees, they will definitely not dare to be lazy."

Li Chengqian continued: "Actually, I don't like to reason with others. It's a very tiring thing."

Li Jing said: "Your Majesty made an alliance with Jie Li Khan by beheading a white horse at the Wei River. In fact, Your Majesty is not someone who likes to reason with others."

In the imperial city, many officials respected General Li Jing, but because of his special status, no one dared to talk much to the general.

What was surprising was that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had already chatted a lot with General Li Jing, and the general's smile was full of satisfaction.

When Cen Wenben and Yu Zhining walked out of the Secretariat and saw the Crown Prince sitting with the general, they couldn't help but feel curious and kept looking back every few steps.

"Minister Cen, is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince very close to Duke Wei?"

Cen Wenben held the document to be handed over to the Ministry of Personnel and frowned, saying, "You are the Minister of the Eastern Palace, don't you know?"

Yu Zhining replied, "Although I am an official of the Eastern Palace, I am not close to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince on weekdays. This is the only place where I can talk to His Royal Highness."

Cen Wenben pondered over it, feeling confused.

Yu Zhining continued, "Everyone in the court and the country knows that Duke Wei has been living in seclusion since his great victory in the battle of Yinshan, and rarely interacts with outsiders."

Listening to the general talking about the past, Li Chengqian sat aside and listened carefully. Li Dejian stood behind the prince with a smile on his face. Li Jing said: "In fact, the prince's teacher is a very powerful person. Gao Shilian spoke highly of him back then."

Li Chengqian said: "I have learned a lot from my uncle and teacher."

Li Jing whispered, "How is the emperor's health?"

"Grandpa has stopped drinking recently, but being able to drink some wine can be considered as a comfort to him in his later years. Having the children of the East Palace accompany him can make Grandpa feel younger."

"In fact, your majesty is most concerned about this old man."

The Li Tang family has come a long way to where it is today. It is not that complicated, but if we take into account the royal family and the relatives by marriage, it is actually quite complicated.

But now Li Tang is always good at making complicated things simpler.

After about an hour, Fang Xuanling also came out of the Secretariat and said with a smile, "Duke Wei, long time no see."

Li Jing stood up with the help of Li Dejian and bowed, "How are you, Xuanling?"

Fang Xuanling looked at the prince beside him and said with a smile, "Very good, why don't you take a walk with me?"

Li Jing nodded and said, "Okay."

Li Chengqian stood there with his hands in his pockets, watching his teacher and the general walk out of the imperial city.

Soon, seeing his uncle also coming out, Li Chengqian said, "Teacher and the general just left."

Changsun Wuji stroked his beard and walked to the side, stopped and asked, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is very close to the general?"

"I met the general twice after that day's garden tour."

"Yes." Zhang Sun Wuji's expression relaxed a little, and he continued, "It would be great if Li Jing could teach Your Highness some military tactics."

"That would require General Li Jing to be willing to teach you."

"But some skills cannot be learned by anyone who wants to. When will there be another person like Li Jing in this world?"

Li Chengqian took out another tea egg and handed it over.

Chang Sun Wuji took the tea egg and felt a little curious. How many things did his nephew have in his sleeves?

"The five-year plan for Guanzhong has been submitted to Your Majesty for review."

"What does Father think?"

"It was given to your Majesty by Minister Fang, who said that your Majesty said nothing, neither good nor bad."

"Thank you for the reminder, uncle."

As dusk approached, Changsun Wuji ate tea eggs and walked away.

As winter came and summer went, and autumn brought harvest and winter brought storage, the Tang Dynasty finally became much more leisurely, and the Zhenguan period also entered its rising period.

The so-called rising period, under the premise that it is still difficult to meet food and clothing, Li Chengqian hopes to make this rising period higher.

For example, taking slightly bigger steps.

Looking back at the chaotic situation in the Secretariat, the prince looked a little more troubled. He looked at the few people who stayed behind and asked, "Is there anything else?"

Hearing the prince's question, several people lowered their heads in panic and stood with their hands hanging.

Li Chengqian walked in, his expression full of displeasure and dissatisfaction, and said, "If everything is fine, then everyone can go out."

"Yes." Several people left in a hurry.

When I was alone here, I started to clean up. I blew out all the lit candles and oil lamps and placed them neatly in a row in the corner.

Then classify all the files and documents and put them into the bookshelf.

The court has been much quieter recently, except for Jingzhao Prefecture, which has many problems. I heard that he is very busy, and that is all Xu Jingzong's business.

Generally speaking, the DPRK has completed the finishing work for this year.

This year is a year of extremely high efficiency in the court. Li Chengqian is pleased about this. This is a good change.

The court should not have redundant structures, and should be efficient in its operations.

It would be a great thing for the court if everything could be done more efficiently.

After organizing the files, he turned over all the chairs and stools, poured water on the ground, and started sweeping the floor.

The autumn wind blew into the Secretariat, and the prince's clothes were also blown.

After busying himself for a while and making sure that the Secretariat was clean, Li Chengqian closed the heavy door.

The prince looked at the clean roads in the imperial city with satisfaction. Under the setting sun, the entire imperial city was dyed red, and the fiery clouds in the sky were extremely gorgeous.

This shows that there is still a lot of moisture in the sky after the autumn rain, which is why there is such a magnificent scene.

However, in this late autumn season, such clouds can only be seen in Guanzhong after the autumn rain. It is also a rare sight.

Walking alone in the imperial city, Li Chengqian thought about the situation in Guanzhong in autumn.

Just as he was about to reach Chengtian Gate, he met Li Daoyan, who happened to be on duty here.

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Brother Daoyan."

"I have met His Highness the Crown Prince."

"I remember that Brother Daoyan is now a captain."

"Your Highness, he is a deputy commander, just a former lieutenant general."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "That's good too. Your position in the army is a little higher. Brother Daoyan seems to be worried."

Li Daoyan replied: "As a military commander, I should go to the frontier to make military achievements and protect the border."

"I heard that after General Li Shentong passed away, Brother Daoyan has been taking care of the brothers at home."

"Don't worry, Your Highness. Your brothers have grown up."

Li Daoyan was the eldest son of General Li Shentong, a member of the royal family. He was also one of the few people in the army who became a general at a young age.

In those days, he fought wars in the south and the north, and put down several rebellions in the northwestern border of the Tang Dynasty.

Until the most recent time, Tuyuhun was wiped out.

"Brother Daoyan, do you really want to go on the expedition?"

Li Daoyan said seriously, "I heard that Lord Wei is coming today?"

Even he knew the news. Whenever the general came to the court, it would definitely cause a huge stir, and everyone would talk about it.

Even Li Daoyan, who usually performs his duties conscientiously, knew the news.

As Li Chengqian walked, he replied, "In fact, the general came to the court just to relax."

"Relax?"

"Yes, what else?" Li Chengqian showed the brightest and most sincere smile of a young man.

Li Daoyan said quickly: "Then Duke Wei has discussed a lot with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and he must have come up with a strategy to sweep across the Western Regions."

The prince's smile disappeared instantly, and he looked more solemn.

Li Daoyan added: "I shouldn't have asked these questions, please forgive me, Your Highness."

Li Chengqian walked into Chengtian Gate and said, "I never said I wanted to sweep across the Western Regions."

"Yes, I understand. I will not reveal the strategy."

(End of this chapter)