The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 155 The Di Family Father and Son
The guard looked at the little kid and said, "Go, we'll watch him."

"Thank you."

Di Renjie stood by and watched his father walk into the Suzaku Gate.

The six-year-old boy stood in front of the door, waiting for his father to come out.

After waiting for a long time, he squatted down and carefully looked at the bricks and stones on the wall of Suzaku Gate.

The guards looked at the boy with curiosity, but such a small child did not cry or make a fuss.

Afterwards, Di Zhixun came out of the Suzaku Gate and saluted the guards here, saying, "Thank you for your care."

The guard nodded to indicate that it was okay.

"Renjie, why don't you salute?"

Hearing this, Di Renjie quickly saluted the guard in front of him.

Di Zhixun and his son walked on Zhuque Street again.

"Daddy?"

"Ah."

"Where else are you going?"

Di Zhixun stroked his beard and said, "Your grandfather is seriously ill and cannot come to Chang'an. Your father wants to visit an old friend on your grandfather's behalf. I heard that he also returned to Chang'an this year."

Di Renjie pondered, "Is it that Grandpa Wen?"

"Haha, yes." Di Zhixun said with a smile, "Before your father had you, your grandfather served in the East Palace with this old gentleman. Later, he went to work in Shuofang and just came back recently. Today, there is a big court meeting. Your father helped your grandfather submit the documents and also went to visit this old gentleman."

Di Renjie nodded in response.

The father and son came to a house, and there were many people visiting the old man.

Di Zhixun explained his purpose, but the servant said, "The old man has gone to see Duke Xu and will be back later."

Seeing the guests leaving one after another, Di Zhixun said, "Then I will wait here."

The servants also have an attitude of "whatever you say".

Sitting at the door of the old man's house, Di Renjie counted on his fingers and said, "In Chang'an, there are soaps and chairs... I heard that the meat buns and tea eggs in Chang'an are delicious."

Di Zhixun said, "I'll buy it for you after I meet the old gentleman."

"Thank you, Dad." Di Renjie sat on the steps in front of the door, his hands supporting his cheeks. He felt bored again and whispered, "The old man must have known that there would be many guests visiting today, so he made an excuse to leave."

Di Zhixun smiled and touched his son's head. Actually, Renjie was a very smart child, but he was too lively and sometimes hard to control.

After waiting for more than an hour, towards evening, I saw an old figure approaching.

Di Zhixun brought his son to pay his respects together.

Wen Yanbo walked closer, looked at the person, and asked, "Are you Di Zhixun?"

"I've met the old gentleman."

"It's Di Xiaoxu's son." The old man nodded and said with his cane, "Come in. I haven't seen your father for a long time."

After saying this, Di Zhixun led Di Renjie into the courtyard.

Wen Yanbo instructed the servants at home, "Close the door tightly. If anyone comes to visit, tell them that I am resting and ask them to come back another day."

"Here."

Leading the guests into the house, the elderly Wen Yanbo put down his cane, sat down at a low table, and asked, "Why didn't Xiaoxu come to Chang'an?"

"Sir, my father has been seriously ill recently and cannot come to Chang'an to report on his duties. I am going to Chang'an on his behalf."

Wen Yanbo looked at the child beside him and whispered, "This must be Xiaoxu's grandson."

"Young man Di Renjie, nice to meet you, old gentleman."

Seeing the child's well-behaved appearance, Wen Yanbo smiled and said, "I didn't expect Xiaoxu to have a grandson. We haven't seen each other for many years. Both I and he are old. I don't know if we can see each other again in our lifetime."

Dickson took out a roll of paper at the right time and said, "This is a letter from my father."

Because of his old age, Wen Yanbo's hands were shaking a little. He had to squint and stroke his beard while reading the letter.

Di Renjie looked around the simple room and then at the old man's expression.

After reading the letter, Wen Yanbo whispered, "Are you going to become an official?"

"My father arranged it."

Hearing this, Wen Yanbo folded the letter in half and put it aside, sighing, "The court is different now. It's not like the past when you could recommend someone to become an official. Even if I recommend you, you still have to pass the imperial examination before you can become an official."

Di Zhixun bowed and said, "I heard about it when I was in Bianzhou. This time I am here to participate in the next imperial examination."

"I don't know when the next imperial examination will be." Wen Yanbo thought for a moment, the old spots on his face moving with his expression, and whispered: "There is something you can do with Yan Qinli."

Dickson bowed and said, "Please speak, old sir."

"The court is going to open Chongwen Academy and recruit scholars. Although I cannot recommend you to be an official, I can recommend you to be an editor in Chongwen Academy."

"Chongwen Hall?"

"Yes." Wen Yanbo nodded and said, "I have been ordered by His Majesty to take charge of all affairs in Chongwenguan. Chongwenguan is directly led by the Crown Prince. You can stay in Chongwenguan temporarily to consolidate your knowledge and wait for the next imperial examination."

"Thank you for your guidance, Mr.

"Chongwen Hall is directly under the jurisdiction of the Crown Prince. It is built in the backyard of Jingzhao Prefecture. I will inevitably meet the Crown Prince in the future."

"When I came here, I heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was a solitary and demanding person."

"Hehehe..." Wen Yanbo suddenly laughed and said, "I have gone to see Gao Shilian. He said that the crown prince is not as rumored by the outside world. Come to me again at noon tomorrow and I will take you to see the crown prince."

"I'll come back tomorrow."

"Yeah." Wen Yanbo nodded to indicate that the father and son in front of him could leave.

Di Renjie still looked carefree, but Di Zhixun was conflicted. He thought that if his recommendation failed, he would just not enter the officialdom.

This entry into the government was originally his father's request, and now he had to meet the crown prince, so he frowned and remained silent.

Di Renjie said with a smile: "Dad, you are afraid of trouble, but you can't disobey grandpa's arrangement. I think Chongwen Hall is very suitable."

Wen Yanbo sat alone in the courtyard. The servant poured him a bowl of tea and whispered, "Old sir, this is tea leaves. People in Chang'an drink it this way now."

Wen Yanbo did not go to get the tea bowl, but looked at the sky outside the window and said slowly: "I met Di Xiaoxu's child today. So many years have passed, but I can still remember what happened in the East Palace."

The servant stepped aside and said, "Now even the emperor has changed. It was more than ten years ago that the old gentleman taught the Crown Prince of the East Palace."

"Seeing Xu Xiaoxu's child reminded me of my past in the East Palace. The current owner of the East Palace has changed. He is the eldest son of Li Jia Erlang."

The servant replied, "Old sir, there are many rumors about the prince nowadays."

Wen Yanbo added: "I have seen the prince in the court. He looks about seventeen or eighteen years old. Gao Shilian's evaluation of this prince is very interesting."

Seeing the old gentleman suddenly smile, the servant asked: "What did Duke Xu say that made the old gentleman so happy?"

Wen Yanbo shook his head and said nothing.

The prince could only meet him after the morning court session, so the time agreed with Di Zhixun was also noon.

After the morning court session, Li Chengqian came early to see the old gentleman.

Just as he arrived in front of the old man's house, Li Chengqian saw a father and son walking towards him.

The man looked to be about thirty years old, and the child looked to be about five or six years old.

Xue Wanbei was standing aside, holding a long food box, alert. Di Zhixun and his son stood at the door of the old man's house, also looking at the young man in luxurious clothes.

Coincidentally, the wooden door of the house opened.

Wen Yanbo walked out with a cane, looked at the people standing on both sides of the door, and saluted, "Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Chengqian extended his hand to support him and said, "No need to be so polite, old sir."

Wen Yanbo looked at Di Zhixun who was standing beside him and introduced him, "Your Highness, this is Di Zhixun."

"I am Di Zhixun from Bingzhou. I am here to see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Di Renjie, who was standing by, also saluted and said in a childish voice, "I am Di Renjie from Bingzhou."

Li Chengqian took another look at Di Renjie and then at Di Zhixun. Although he did not see Di Xiaoxu as his grandfather had mentioned, he saw them father and son.

Li Chengqian retracted his gaze and whispered, "Old sir, Chongwen Hall is still under construction, let's go take a look first."

"Okay." Wen Yanbo followed the prince's footsteps. He could feel that the prince deliberately slowed down his pace to take care of him, an old man.

The street was very quiet and there were no other pedestrians.

He turned back to look at the Di Zhixun father and son who were following behind, and whispered: "Your Highness, I have gone to see Duke Xu."

"My uncle..." Li Chengqian smiled awkwardly, thinking that his uncle would not say anything weird to him.

Wen Yanbo whispered, "I heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince often visits and said that His Royal Highness is very ambitious."

"Ambition?" Li Chengqian looked embarrassed and said, "Maybe Uncle is saying that I am very far-sighted."

Wen Yanbo said: "I also heard that Lord Li Wei is very close to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Hearing this, Di Zhixun paused for a moment, lowered his head and thought about something.

Li Chengqian forced a smile and said, "I often play chess with the general, just chess."

"You can also learn the art of war by playing chess."

Di Zhixun paused again.

Li Chengqian kept walking and said, "Playing chess has nothing to do with the art of war."

"I know that the novel Red Mansions comes from the East Palace, so why didn't you write about it later?"

Li Chengqian's smile became more and more forced, and he explained, "Old sir, the Dream of the Red Chamber was written by Mr. Cao."

Wen Yanbo looked calm and acted as if to ask you to explain yourself.

"I also heard from Duke Xu that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants to hurry up and become the emperor?"

Hearing this, Di Zhixun stopped and thought for a moment that he had heard it wrong.

Li Chengqian rubbed his temples with one hand. His uncle's conversation was really... not unexpected.

Di Renjie tugged at his father's sleeve, pointed at the backs of the prince and the old man and said, "Dad, they are going far away."

Only then did Di Zhixun come to his senses and quickly followed his son.

Now Chongwen Hall is under construction in the backyard of Jingzhao Prefecture. Craftsmen arranged by the Ministry of Works are building it, and the framework is already in sight.

Since it was originally the backyard of Jingzhao Prefecture, the process of consolidating the foundation was omitted.

Li Chengqian said with his hands in his pockets: "Although Chongwenguan is not as big as Hongwenguan and Wenxueguan, it is better in terms of location and is connected to Jingzhao Prefecture, so it will be convenient for us to move around if we have any work in the future."

Wen Yanbo asked, "Your Highness, do you hope that Chongwenguan and Jingzhao Prefecture can complement each other?"

"The Hongwen Hall is connected to the Secretary General, the Wenxue Hall is connected to the Wei Wang Mansion, and the Chongwen Hall is connected to the Jingzhao Prefecture."

At this point, Li Chengqian added: "Don't worry, everyone in Jingzhao Prefecture is my people."

Di Zhixun's expression suddenly became cold, and he suddenly felt that the wind today was particularly cold. This time when he followed the old gentleman to see the prince, the words he heard... were truly unforgettable.

Wen Yanbo looked at the father and son behind him again and whispered, "Your Highness, Di Zhixun is the son of my good friend Di Xiaoxu. I wanted to recommend him to enter the government. Now that the imperial examination is in effect, I know the rules of the court very well. I taught him when he was young and he is a very talented young man. I want to recommend him to enter Chongwenguan together with Yan Qinli. What do you think?"

"of course can."

Looking back, Li Chengqian asked, "Brother Di? Do you have a place to stay in Chang'an?"

Dickson, who had been standing in the back, saluted and replied, "I'm staying in a tavern for the time being."

"It's not convenient to live in a tavern. There's an empty house here. You and your son can live here first. It will be convenient for you to proofread articles in the future. You can get up and walk a few steps to work."

Xu Jingzong came hurriedly, passing by several busy craftsmen, and walked all the way to the backyard door, bowing and saying, "Your Highness, old sir."

Li Chengqian pointed to a room in the backyard and ordered, "Old Xu, clean up that room and give it to Di Zhixun and his son to live in."

"Here."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "He is also a lonely man."

Di Zhixun understood and said, "I have heard of Xu Shaoyin's reputation for a long time."

Xu Jingzong looked at Di Zhixun, who was about the same age as him, and said, "What kind of reputation is this? It's just a joke. It's just an insult to someone's family."

After just a few words, Lao Xu got along well with Di Zhixun.

In other words, Xu Jingzong could drink with anyone, no matter from all over the world or from the Turkic Western Regions.

This kind of person can live comfortably no matter where he is thrown.

Several people walked into the backyard and sat down in Jingzhao Mansion. Xue Wanbei opened the food box and brought out pots of dishes and a pot of grape wine.

Di Renjie opened his eyes wide and exclaimed: "It is said that grapes can be grown in Guanzhong and Guanzhong grape wine can be made. It turns out to be true."

Li Chengqian said: "Children are not allowed to drink."

Di Zhixun said in a deep voice: "Renjie."

Di Renjie then returned to his father and looked at the grape wine again, wanting to taste it.

Li Chengqian handed the grape wine to Xu Jingzong and said, "I don't drink."

Xu Jingzong pushed the wine pot away and said, "There is a rule in Jingzhao Prefecture that you cannot drink while on duty."

Wen Yanbo took a sip of the wine, smacked his lips, and asked, "If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince becomes the emperor, will he go on an expedition to the east?"

Li Chengqian picked up the chopsticks and picked up a piece of braised pork for the old man. "Don't be impatient about the Eastern Expedition. I will find a way."

"I am old now and won't live long. I am afraid I won't see the day when the four counties of Liaodong are recovered."

"There will be a day of recovery."

Li Chengqian added: "I don't like things that are not neat or regular. Sometimes I feel very uncomfortable when I see a few irregular dividing lines on the map. Even if the old gentleman doesn't say anything, I can't stand such a piece of land having to border the Tang Dynasty."

There are rumors about the prince, some of which are true and some are false.

But the prince did act like that, so even when Xu Jingzong came to see the prince, he had to dress neatly and wear his official hat straight.

What's more, the tables and chairs in the Secretariat had to be arranged neatly.

There is also the Chongwen Hall which is under construction, which is symmetrical on the left and right.

Wen Yanbo sighed, "Duke Xu said that Zhangsun Wuji is a loser?"

As he spoke, Di Renjie looked at the meat buns and grape wine with envy.

There will be two updates today while Xiao Zhang recovers. I will try to update more tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.

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(End of this chapter)