The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 144 Liu Rengui's New Life
The lesson that the emperor brother taught to his younger siblings was about cubes. He started with the six faces of the cube and asked his younger siblings to try to draw a cube.

Li Lizhi has attended all these classes.

Dongyang is a top student among this group of children. She has already completed this year's learning tasks and has initially mastered the application of geometry problems.

Thirteen-year-old Dongyang helped Xiaofu put some firewood away.

These are all firewood provided by the palace. The East Palace does not need to chop wood by itself, as eunuchs will deliver it to them every day.

In Xiaofu's words, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince likes things to be tidy, and even the firewood room in the East Palace must be clean and tidy.

Dongyang looked up and saw the firewood neatly stacked against the wall, like a wall, and all the firewood was facing in one direction.

Xiaofu poked a piece of firewood of appropriate size into the slightly larger gap, and then hammered it in with a wooden hammer. In this way, the pile of firewood was neatly stacked and looked pleasing to the eye.

The children in the East Palace are all very sensible. Ning'er sits aside and sorts some duck eggs with a smile on her face. In fact, Xiaofu himself is also a child.

In peaceful years, there are always some small twists and turns, but after the twists and turns, everything returns to peace.

On the third day after Liu Rengui arrived in Xianyang County, there was still frost on the ground in the morning. He held the land register and household register of Xianyang County in one hand, compared them with the houses where the villagers lived, and measured the fields himself.

The servant sent by Du He did not dare to act rudely in front of Liu Rengui, and was afraid that he would be driven away, so he stayed to help measure the fields and became Liu Rengui's subordinate.

Liu Rengui’s wife was pregnant, and he had just brought his wife from Chencang County to Xianyang County yesterday. At this moment, he was in the government office, sorting out files and some clothes.

Every day at noon, Liu Rengui would sit in the county government office to handle official business left over from the county.

The former county magistrate passed away, leaving behind a lot of things.

After returning to his county government office, Liu Rengui had just sat down when someone strode into the office.

The person who came was Xu Shaoyin of Jingzhao Prefecture, followed by Guo Siqing and Pei Xingjian.

Liu Rengui bowed and asked, "May I ask who you are?"

"Your subordinate is the Minister of Agriculture."

"Weinan County Magistrate Pei Xingjian."

After the two people around him finished introducing themselves, Xu Jingzong explained himself: "Shao Yin of Jingzhao Prefecture, I have met you at Master Du He's house."

Upon hearing this, Liu Rengui understood and said, "It turns out that it is Xu Shaoyin, a cruel official who is famous in Chang'an."

Xu Jingzong did not care about being called a cruel official, and people in the Tang Dynasty also liked to label others.

Although it is a bad reputation, for Xu Jingzong, if this title is needed to govern Guanzhong and it can also satisfy His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, it is a rare good thing.

Besides, Xu Jingzong had no intention of changing himself, because it was very tiring to live in the eyes of others by changing their opinions.

Looking at this government office, because it is adjacent to Chang'an, Xianyang County is also an important county in Guanzhong. The construction and maintenance of the government office here are better than those in other counties.

Of course, Xu Jingzong envied Liu Rengui very much.

Such a person will definitely become a very powerful person, and he knows in his heart that Liu Rengui may not be the same kind of person as himself.

"I heard that the Crown Prince came to visit you when you were taken to the Dali Temple that day?"

Liu Renguidao: “Exactly.”

Xu Jingzong sat down beside him, handed him a piece of paper, and said, "Take a look."

"Here."

Xianyang County was under the jurisdiction of Jingzhao Prefecture, so Xianyang County naturally belonged to Jingzhao Prefecture. Xu Jingzong was the superior of all the county magistrates in Guanzhong.

Liu Rengui was very respectful. He took the paper and looked at it carefully. He saw a few big words on the paper: Development Guidelines for Counties in Guanzhong
After that, there were several hundred words in the poem. Liu Rengui straightened his clothes as if facing a great enemy and sat upright to read it carefully.

Xu Jingzong was very patient. Not all county magistrates could read this article, so he waited patiently for Liu Rengui's response.

With the goal of increasing income in the counties of Guanzhong, the counties have been pragmatic, deeply understood the needs of the people in the counties, and based on the principle of poverty alleviation and prosperity in the counties of Guanzhong...

After reading the first few sentences, Liu Rengui looked solemn and straightened his back and sat more upright.

Vigorously develop the agricultural characteristics of each county, increase crop diversity, vigorously develop the fruit and vegetable industry while retaining existing cultivated land and maintaining the amount of grain output.

It is encouraged that county residents participate in production during their spare time, such as opening shops along the official roads, finding work in Chang'an, and combining transportation and cargo dispatch to increase county residents' extra income and improve their ability to bear risks during years of poor harvests.

……

Liu Rengui read the eloquent words carefully, and pondered over each sentence for a long time. He also encouraged the counties to improve their appearance and actively worked with the county residents to build libraries to provide education for their children.

Next year, Jingzhao Prefecture will select model counties in Guanzhong based on the development status of each county.

Every year, Jingzhao Prefecture will provide support to the model county in the following year.

Pei Xingjian and Guo Luotuo were also sitting nearby.

Xu Jingzong handed him a water bag.

"Thank you." Liu Rengui thanked him, took the water and swallowed it. He found that it was warm tea and had some sweetness, probably wolfberry.

Xu Jingzong sighed, "Liu County Magistrate, please take your time to read it. It takes a lot of time to read the Crown Prince's article."

Liu Rengui asked, "Is this the article written by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"

"Well, County Magistrate Liu doesn't know that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is now in charge of agricultural affairs in Guanzhong, and all county magistrates must obey His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Can I keep this article?"

"Keep it for yourself. Every county magistrate in Guanzhong should have a copy."

"Thank you, Xu Shaoyin."

"What does County Magistrate Liu think?"

Liu Rengui was puzzled and asked, "What does His Royal Highness mean by resisting risks? Does it mean that the Crown Prince thinks there will be disasters in the near future?"

County Magistrate Liu looked at the three people in front of him.

Guo Luotuo smiled but didn't say anything.

Pei Xingjian was the youngest of the county lieutenants. He whispered, "County Magistrate Liu misunderstood. The prince meant that if Guanzhong had no reserves, it would be vulnerable to disasters. Of course, there is a more important meaning."

"Please enlighten me."

Seeing Liu Rengui's upright attitude, Pei Xingjian thought for a moment and said, "There are many things in this world that require God's blessing, but the most unreliable thing is God's blessing."

Liu Rengui whispered, "Although this is something we shouldn't say, County Magistrate Pei is right. The most unreliable person is this thief God."

Liu Rengui, who witnessed the drought in the early years of Zhenguan, understood this best.

"In other words, talent is the most important labor force, and land is just a way to generate wealth. If you control the labor force, you control the wealth. Therefore, people are more important than land. If you control talent, you control production. Therefore, those nobles who have always wanted to annex land are actually the most stupid and short-sighted people."

This is Pei Xingjian's own opinion, as well as his discussion in the article in the Hongwenguan, and the point of view he discussed on the imperial examination paper.

Although this view may not be agreed by most people.

Pei Xingjian added: "The construction of Guanzhong should be based on people. The people of each county are our greatest asset. If they are prosperous, Guanzhong will be prosperous. I am the county lieutenant of Weinan County. Logically, I should not be in charge of the affairs of Xianyang County. However, according to the opinion of Xu Shaoyin of Jingzhao Prefecture, our two counties can get closer." At this point, Xu Jingzong stood up and said, "What do you think of this article, County Magistrate Liu?"

"I have never seen such an article before. I will do my best to act according to what the article says."

So, Guo Luotuo handed over a ball of cotton and some seeds, and explained, "This is cotton, brought by the caravan from the Western Regions. It is a kind of fabric. I want County Magistrate Liu to plant it in April next year."

There were only a dozen or so seeds. Liu Ren said, "I obey your orders."

Xu Jingzong nodded with satisfaction, "Goodbye, I still have a lot of things to do."

After seeing off the officials from Jingzhao Prefecture, Liu Rengui came to the riverside of Xianyang County and pulled up the fish baskets that had been set up morning and evening from the river.

There was only one fish in the fish basket, and it was not a big one.

Carrying the fish back to the backyard of the government office, Liu Rengui killed the fish, roasted it, and then rolled it up in a piece of naan.

The fish, which is baked to a crispy outside and tender inside, tastes great when eaten with the pancake.

Although there was no pepper or salt and it still had a fishy smell, it was nothing like the delicious meal I had at the Dali Temple that day.

The fish-wrapped pancake that Liu Rengui had eaten at the Dali Temple was the most delicious meal he had ever had in his life. He might never be able to eat such delicious food again for most of his life.

He finished the bread in his hand and swallowed it along with the crispy roasted fish.

Liu Rengui burped happily, then raised his head and looked towards Chang'an City. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that some people who died were just dead.

"You can just think of yourself as having died once. From now on, you can welcome a new life. From now on, your life will be different. You have been reborn."

An article from Jingzhao Prefecture brought a new idea for the governance of Guanzhong, and Liu Rengui also had to face his new life in Xianyang County.

In Chang'an, Xu Jingzong returned to the Du Mansion and saw Master Du He still reading a book.

Because His Royal Highness the Crown Prince likes reading, Master Du He also reads frequently. Over the past two years, Du He has regarded the Crown Prince as a role model.

"Have you arranged things for Xianyang County?"

Listening to Master Du He's words, Xu Jingzong took off his boots and said, "It's arranged. Let's see what Liu Rengui's ability is before making a judgment."

Du He changed his sitting position and continued reading.

Xu Jingzong sat aside and ate walnuts, saying, "Recently, I have been ill."

Du He glanced at him and asked, "If you are sick, go see a doctor. Doctor Sun will be back later."

"This subordinate's illness cannot be cured by the divine doctor Sun."

"What disease?"

Xu Jingzong looked depressed, chewing a walnut in his mouth, "I can only calm down when I chew walnuts. Doctor Sun said that I am too busy, so I have this kind of heart disease."

Xu Jingzong has indeed been very busy recently, running around to various counties all day long.

The prince put a lot of pressure on him, as the development of each county was related to Xu Jingzong's future career.

Inside the palace.

Li Lizhi was supervising her younger brother and sister doing their homework. She asked Li Zhi, "Is this a cube?"

Li Zhi blinked innocently and said, "That's what my brother taught me."

Facing this brother, Li Lizhi looked painful. She picked up the homework beside her and pointed at the picture drawn by Li Shen and asked, "Why are you the only one who is wrong?"

"This……"

Li Zhi scratched the back of his head, not knowing how to explain.

Li Lizhi pointed at the lines on the drawing and said, "Look at your length, width and height, right? Take it back and redraw it!"

"Oh." Li Zhi picked up his homework book and walked back with a wronged look.

Ning Er held a bowl of tea and said, "Princess, have a drink."

Li Li asked, "Is my brother still asleep?"

"Yeah." Ning'er put the kettle down again and whispered, "Your Highness, please take a rest too."

After taking a look, Li Zhi was the only one left sitting in his seat. Li Lizhi shook her head and said, "No, Zhinu can't learn well by herself."

Li Zhi held the wooden ruler in his hand, scratched his head again, and drew carefully.

In November, late autumn in Guanzhong turns into winter, and it is always very cold in the early morning.

On this day, a freezing rain fell in Guanzhong, and God was announcing that winter had arrived in Guanzhong.

Li Chengqian was wearing a green shirt, holding a bamboo umbrella in one hand and a basket in the other, walking on Zhuque Street, accompanied by Xue Wanbei and two guards.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is a person who is good at observing the sentiments of the people, so he walked very slowly on Suzaku Street.

It seems that just by looking at the expressions of the people walking on the street now, Your Highness can know how the people in Guanzhong are living.

When we arrived at Duke Xu's mansion, we found that there was no doorman in my uncle's mansion. Only an old man named Gao Lin was taking care of it.

I heard that he has been very close to old masters like Ouyang Xun and Yu Shinan recently.

Guard Li Chengqian was waiting outside the door, so he walked into the mansion alone.

The furnishings in his uncle's house were still the same as before. Li Chengqian looked towards the inner room and heard a few coughs.

Putting down the bamboo umbrella in his hand, he walked into the house, put the basket on the table beside him, put his hands in his pockets and smiled, "Uncle, long time no see."

Gao Shilian was holding a file and looking at it. He looked up and saw his eldest grandson. He coughed twice, then frowned and looked at him. He said in a hoarse voice, "You have grown taller."

Sitting cross-legged beside his uncle's low table, Li Chengqian looked at his uncle's face.

"Why, I am old?"

"Uncle is still the same as before. He hasn't aged."

"Hehehe..." Gao Shilian chuckled, "I'm already this old, how much older can I get?"

Li Chengqian looked around and saw that only his uncle and grandson were in the house. He listened to the sound of freezing rain falling on the roof tiles.

"Does Uncle usually read books at home?"

"This is your East Palace storybook. I asked Guanyin to copy it and send it to you."

Li Chengqian said: "People need stories. Stories expand our feelings about life and living."

Gao Shilian put down the scroll in his hand, sat up from his side-lying position, and said, "Yu Shinan came to play cards with me a few days ago. Yu Shinan's health is not good in winter, and he hasn't come for many days. He will probably come to play cards with me again in the spring of next year."

Seeing that the tea in his uncle's teacup was gone, Li Chengqian went to the stove outside the house to take the kettle down and poured a bowl of hot tea.

Gao Shilian drank the hot water and continued, "Also, Auxiliary Engine often comes to visit me, but now I feel annoyed when I see him. Very annoyed."

(End of this chapter)