The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 154 Old things
Li Ji wiped the blood from his nose and sat down, saying, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I will be fine after a short rest."

Li Chengqian brought hot water and asked the general to wash away the blood.

He plugged his nostrils with a piece of rag to stop the bleeding. Li Ji straightened his clothes and stood up again.

Li Xiaogong happened to be there too. He smiled and asked, "Maogong, what happened?"

Li Ji said: "Your Highness needs to practice his skills."

Li Chengqian confirmed that the general's nosebleed had stopped, and then said, "I just made a mistake."

"It is inevitable to use fists and kicks when practicing martial arts, but I will be fine."

Li Xiaogong laughed out loud and said, "It's been a long time since I saw Maogong injured. This scene is really rare. Where is the old man Changsun? How could he not be there to see such a scene?"

Li Ji also started laughing.

Li Chengqian hadn't seen his uncle during the past two months of rest, and hearing his powerful laughter, he felt much more relieved.

The three of them had breakfast in front of the East Palace gate, but they didn't see the teacher and uncle coming to the East Palace.

Li Yuan walked out of the Chongwen Hall, and first glanced at Li Ji's nose, and said with a smile: "The sons of the Li family should be martial artists, and only by being martial artists can they develop a good physique. Cheng Qian was too weak when he was young. Seeing that he has not been sick in the past two years, I am very pleased."

Li Xiaogong patted his middle-aged belly and nodded, "Yes."

The three of them left the East Palace and headed towards the Taiji Hall before the morning court session.

Just as he was passing by the Wude Hall, Li Chengqian stopped and took a closer look.

Li Xiaogong also followed his gaze and said, "The Wude Hall has been vacant for a long time."

"Ah."

Just as he was about to reach the Taiji Hall, he met Wen Yanbo and Yan Qinli who were also walking towards the Taiji Hall.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince." Yan Qinli saluted.

Wen Yanbo was walking up the stairs step by step with a cane.

Yan Qinli was about to help him, but he heard the old man say, "No need to help, I can walk up."

Li Chengqian didn't feel relieved until the old man walked up the steps and entered the Taiji Hall.

In fact, old ministers like him have also reached retirement age. Li Chengqian walked from the two rows of civil and military officials to his own seat, and first saluted his uncle and teacher at the front row of the court.

Fang Xuanling smiled and said, "I heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants to demolish Jingzhao Mansion and rebuild Chongwen Hall?"

Li Chengqian stood with his hands in his pockets and replied, "Convenient."

Fang Xuanling smiled knowingly.

Changsun Wuji closed his eyes, breathing steadily, as if in a state of meditation.

"Brother Royal?"

Hearing Li Ke's quiet call, Li Chengqian walked closer and asked, "What's up? Are you in trouble again?"

Li Ke said: "I have been helping to build ditches in Jingyang County recently. Next year I will try to see if I can grow Guo Siqing's seeds."

Li Chengqian frowned and said, "I hope so."

He lowered his voice and looked at Wen Yanbo, "This old gentleman will probably bring up the Eastern Expedition again."

Li Tai, who was standing at the back of the three brothers, whispered, "Brother, Qingque has something to tell you."

Li Chengqian thought about the construction of Chongwen Hall and said, "You say."

"I have been running the Literary Institute recently and have been interacting with many scholars. Many students are discussing the affairs of Guanzhong. Jingzhao Prefecture's governance strategy for Guanzhong has been circulated among county officials. Some people say that Guanzhong may be the birthplace of a new school of thought."

"New school?"

Li Tai whispered, "Isn't my royal brother doing this right now?"

Li Chengqian: "I never said that."

Li Tai kept silent and said hesitantly: "Is... is it?"

Everyone was talking, but suddenly they quieted down, and the eunuchs who were announcing the imperial edict on both sides stood up.

The three brothers kept silent as their father walked into the court and stood before the throne.

There were not many envoys coming to the court this year, as the Turks and Mobei were still at war. Ashina She'er would not come to the court at this time, not to mention the little Khan of the Turks. It was said that the little Khan was in poor health.

Western Turkestan is still in civil strife.

Originally, the envoy from Gaochang came and ran away after delivering Xuanzang's letter, probably because he was frightened.

The only people standing outside the Taiji Hall were the Tubo delegation, as well as envoys from some small countries in the Western Regions, or a small country called Nanzhao that could not be called Nanzhao.

This year's court celebration was quite quiet. As for the turbulent situation, the areas outside the Great Wall were not very peaceful last year.

The Indian monk Bopo passed away, and India, the only country that could arouse people's curiosity, did not say that it would send envoys to the Tang Dynasty again.

Wait until the envoys from various countries have finished their audience.

Li Shimin asked the eunuch beside him to read the order.

The hall was very quiet, with only the sound of the eunuch reading out the imperial edict echoing in the hall.

Wen Yanbo made great contributions to the governance of Shuofang, and was granted the title of Shangshu Zuo Pushe, and was appointed as the chief of literature in Chongwenguan. His past achievements were recited in the imperial edict.

Li Chengqian thought that the old gentleman was too old to take care of government affairs, and his title was just an honorary title like Li Jing's general.

When it came to the national policy to deal with the Turks, my father did not accept Wei Zheng's radical strategy, but adopted Wen Yanbo's more moderate and open-minded strategy and adopted a more open-minded strategy.

Yan Qinli was originally a general in the army. As he was a descendant of Yan Zhitui and was proficient in literature and classics, he was both a military officer and had the power of governance in Yongzhou. Now that he has made meritorious contributions to governance, he has been awarded the title of Bachelor of Chongwenguan and continues to hold the position of Zuo Zuo Lang, jointly leading Chongwenguan with Wen Yanbo.

Li Tai listened to the meaning of the imperial edict. He had heard the news about Chongwenguan last night, which meant that Chongwenguan was directly led by the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. In the future, Mr. Wen Yanbo and Yan Qinli, the descendant of Yan Zhitui, would both be the Crown Prince's disciples.

After thinking about all this, Li Tai sighed quietly. The prince already had Xu Jingzong and Shangguan Yi as talented people under his tutelage, and now there are Wen Yanbo and Yan Qinli.

If you are poor, you should take care of yourself… If you are poor, you should take care of yourself, Li Tai repeated his teacher’s words over and over in his mind.

Yan Qinli bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will obey your command!"

Wen Yanbo stood out of the court leaning on a cane. He said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, the envoys from Goguryeo have not paid tribute to you for a long time. I would like to ask if they have any intention of rebellion?"

The old gentleman asked a question but did not mention the Eastern Expedition directly.

Zhang Xingcheng, the Imperial Censor in the Palace, stood out from the court and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, whether or not Goguryeo came to pay tribute, they are all criminals. They occupied the four counties of Liaodong and proclaimed themselves the King of Goguryeo without being crowned by Your Majesty. This is an act of treason."

The emperor was labeled a traitor before he even opened his mouth.

The four Liaodong counties mentioned by Zhang Xingchen refer to the four counties set up on the Liaodong Peninsula during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han.

Li Chengqian stood quietly, listening to the ministers' low discussions.

Surprisingly, this time the generals kept silent in tacit understanding. Perhaps everyone understood that it was an inappropriate time to launch an expedition to the east.

Yesterday in Ganlu Hall, the old gentleman talked about the eastern expedition to Goguryeo. At that time, the emperor did not agree directly.

The old gentleman was concerned about recovering the lost territory in the Central Plains, and now he brought it up at the grand court meeting.

Wen Yanbo said in a clear voice: "Your Majesty! The King of Goguryeo is indeed a traitor. Why don't you conquer him?"

After saying this, Wei Zheng walked out of the court and said loudly: "Your Majesty! The Tang Dynasty has been established for less than 20 years. It needs long-term governance to win the support of the people. How can we talk about the Eastern Expedition lightly?"

Li Shimin looked solemnly at his three sons.

The three brothers Li Chengqian, Li Ke and Li Tai all stood there in a daze, and it seemed that none of them wanted to get involved.

Finally, his eyes focused on the prince. Li Chengqian did not move, closed his eyes and entered a state of meditation. Li Shimin had no choice but to continue looking at the court.

Wen Yanbo asked, "What if Goguryeo becomes stronger and attacks Youzhou with its troops? Have you ever thought about this, Wei Zheng?"

The old man's tone became heavier.

Wei Zheng said: "Youzhou has its own generals guarding it. Your Majesty has only been on the throne for nine years. If you lead an army to attack Goguryeo now, wouldn't that be destroying your own foundation?"

Wen Yanbo turned to look at him and said, "After so many years, does Wei Zheng have to keep doing this with me?"

Wei Zheng held up his tablet and bowed, saying, "It is not because of what happened back then. Now is definitely not the time to march east."

Wen Yanbo's chin trembled a little, and he said, "When the Sui Emperor went on the Eastern Expedition, how many soldiers were buried in Liaodong? How many families are worried about this until now, Wei Zheng! Have you never thought about it?"

The two sides were becoming more and more aggressive and were about to start a quarrel.

The old gentleman was old, and he was afraid that he would get angry and hurt himself on the spot. Fang Xuanling quickly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I think we should first send an envoy to ask the King of Goguryeo."

Li Shimin nodded, "What Prime Minister Fang said is what I think, what do you think, Prince?"

The court suddenly became quiet, and everyone's eyes turned to the prince.

Seeing that his brother did not respond, Li Ke pushed him slightly.

Li Chengqian opened his eyes in a trance and looked around. Everyone in the class was looking at him. His uncle was quietly winking at him.

Li Shimin frowned. Could it be that this kid fell asleep again?
Li Chengqian stood up and said, "I second the motion."

"What did I say? You second the motion..."

"I think we can send an envoy first. After the envoy goes there, he will rebuke the King of Goguryeo and then invite him to Chang'an to meet my father and the Heavenly Khan. If he comes and admits his mistakes sincerely, we will keep him. If he still claims to be the King of Goguryeo, we will arrest him."

Wen Yanbo turned to the prince and asked, "What if he doesn't come?"

Li Chengqian smiled gently and said, "Of course, we will conquer them."

Most of the court officials nodded, agreeing with what the prince said.

Cen Wenben and Chu Suiliang stood out of the court and said loudly: "I second the motion."

Zhang Sun Wuji also stood out from the court and said, "I second the motion."

Everyone bowed and said, "We second the motion."

Wen Yanbo's attitude improved a lot. He slowly turned his head to look at the prince, leaned on his cane, closed his eyes, and his breathing became smoother.

"Ministry of Etiquette!"

Hearing His Majesty's words, Li Baiyao stood out from the court and said, "Your Majesty."

Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "The Ministry of Rites has selected an envoy to go to Liaodong."

Li Baiyao said loudly: "I obey your command."

Mr. Wen advocated an expedition to the east, while Mr. Zheng believed that now was not the right time to do so.

To make a compromise, as the prince said, we should first send an envoy to see Goguryeo's attitude, and then we can do something about it and have a legitimate reason to fight.

Li Chengqian saluted the old gentleman.

Wen Yanbo lowered his eyes and bowed slightly.

Yan Qinli bowed with a smile.

Everyone returned to the court session, and the grand court meeting returned to its normal routine.

Li Chengqian stood in his position and continued to remain silent.

It was already three quarters past noon when Li Chengqian began to feel hungry.

Only when he heard the order to adjourn the court did he breathe a sigh of relief.

The morning court session was over. Everyone was very busy on the first day of court and no guests came to the East Palace for dinner.

There is always a recliner in front of the Chongwen Hall. The prince often comes here to take a nap, so this recliner has always been placed here.

Li Yuan asked curiously, "I heard that your father arranged Wen Yanbo and Yan Qinli to be your disciples."

Li Chengqian said: "Yes."

Li Yuan sat aside and ate dates, saying, "When I was still in power, Wen Yanbo and a young man named Di Xiaoxu came to serve me and were both placed in the East Palace."

"Di Xiaoxu?"

"Hmm." Li Yuan thought about what happened back then, smiled and continued, "Your father arranged for him to stay in Bianzhou. He also has a son whom I have met. He should be over 30 years old now. Many of the old people from the East Palace have stayed. Your father also made use of Wei Zheng. They should have returned to report to the grand court this year."

Listening to his grandfather's words, Li Chengqian fell into a deep sleep.

After sleeping for an hour, Li Chengqian sat up from the recliner and stretched his waist. He saw that his grandfather was still sleeping on the recliner next to him, snoring from time to time.

When I returned to the East Palace, my younger brothers and sisters were still taking a nap in their respective rooms.

Ning'er carefully hung the court dress on the hanger and changed His Highness into a lighter coat.

Xiaofu wrapped two cakes in paper and said, "Your Highness, take them with you, or you will be hungry in the afternoon."

"Yeah." Li Chengqian took the cake and put it in his arms. The cake was freshly baked. The cake made at noon was placed in the oven and kept on low heat until now.

Then the two of them saw His Highness off in front of the East Palace gate.

Xiaofu was in a good mood. For her, the most satisfying thing was that the princes of the East Palace could eat and drink well. Whenever the prince went out, she would prepare some dry food in case the prince got hungry.

Therefore, whenever Your Highness goes out, he rarely has to eat in restaurants outside.

In Chang'an, Di Zhixun was walking with his son Di Renjie. Coming from Bianzhou to Chang'an, Di Renjie was curious about everything here.

"Dad, there are so many people in Chang'an City." Six-year-old Di Renjie looked around.

"Renjie, don't look around."

"Yeah." Di Renjie responded, still looking around, his bright eyes reflecting the figures on Zhuque Street.

Di Zhixun walked to the gate of Jingzhao Prefecture and saw many craftsmen coming in and out, as well as some scholars busy at work.

Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, you have not been to Chang'an for many years.

On the way to Chang'an, Di Zhixun heard some rumors, and he led Di Renjie all the way from Zhuque Street to Zhuque Gate.

Walking towards the guards at the door, he handed over the document and said, "My father is Di Xiaoxu, the chief of Bianzhou. I am here to submit the petition for Bianzhou on his behalf."

"Why did it come so late? It should have been delivered yesterday."

Seeing the guard talking, Di Zhixun explained, "We were delayed on the way."

The guard confirmed the official seal on the document and asked, "Why don't you come in person?"

Dickson explained: "My father is seriously ill."

Then the guard looked at Di Renjie standing beside him.

The boy hid behind his father, without dodging his gaze, but instead looked him up.

The guard added: "The little kid doesn't need to go in."

Di Zhixun bowed again and said, "Please help take care of it."

(End of this chapter)