The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 16 Morality, Intelligence, Physical Fitness and Aesthetics
Li Chengqian explained: "Because these two people support me and stand on my side."

Du He scratched his head and thought that he just needed to help His Highness finish this matter, without thinking too much about it.

"Where is your workshop?"

"In my own home."

Li Chengqian looked at the blueprint in front of him and nodded, "That's good."

When Du He left, he took away a few drawings.

The copper coins in the three-horse carriage were in the East Palace, and Ning'er had them pulled to the back hall.

Li Chengqian looked at the three-horse carriage, which was covered with black oilcloth.

When the oilcloth was lifted, there were burlap bags everywhere.

Ning Er opened it and took out a handful of copper coins, saying, "Many of these are Sui coins, and the quality of these coins is not very good."

Li Chengqian took one and looked at it carefully. The Wuzhu coin from the early Sui Dynasty looked to be of very poor quality, and the copper coin had turned black.

In fact, the private minting of copper coins had always existed from the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the early Sui Dynasty, which eventually led to the proliferation of copper coins.

However, privately minted copper coins contained many impurities and were of poor quality.

Since Li Yuan wanted to change the currency, it was not until the Zhenguan year that Tang copper coins, namely Kaiyuan Tongbao, began to be used on a large scale among the people.

There are four characters printed in regular script on the Tang copper coins: Kaiyuan Tongbao.

In addition to the size, weight, and perforation size of the copper coins, the most important anti-counterfeiting basis for the Tang Dynasty's copper coins is the four words "Kaiyuan Tong Bao".

These four words were written by the contemporary calligrapher Mr. Ouyang Xun, and his handwriting is the only anti-counterfeiting proof.

The quality of the Tang copper coins is pretty good, but the Sui coins in front of me are a bit worrying.

Du He was careless and did not check the goods, so he brought the copper coins directly.

Ning Er said, "It's not that these Sui coins are unusable. Nowadays, many people still use Sui coins. Many people are still unwilling to exchange Sui coins for Tang coins. The officials decide how much the Sui coins will be worth based on their purity. The loss is at least 50%."

Money is just for living needs.

Is Donggong doing business? No.

Is Du He doing business? He is not doing business either. He is just producing.

It was easy for the prince to exploit loopholes in the Tang Dynasty laws.

There is no clear form of goods trading, and there is not even any tax to be paid.

Du He also sent a roll of paper to the Eastern Palace. Li Chengqian looked at the thick and rough paper. The paper was yellow and had a bumpy surface. The texture was also very hard.

It is very suitable for using in the toilet.

When his younger brothers and sisters woke up from their nap, Ning'er had already put all the copper coins into the warehouse.

Li Shen walked to the front hall of the East Palace and rummaged through his brother's bookshelf. Finally, he found a roll of drawings. He grinned, opened the drawings and saw that it was indeed about water pumps.

"what are you doing?"

A voice suddenly came from behind him. Li Shen turned around and saw that it was Li Zhi, so he turned around quickly.

Li Zhi frowned and asked, "What are you doing with my brother's blueprints?"

Li Shen explained: "I have told my mother about the East Palace. She said that since it is such a magical creation, I should show it to my father."

Li Zhi asked again: "Did your mother say that?"

"My brother's mother said so." Li Shen replied honestly.

Hearing the words, Li Lizhi came over.

Li Zhi hurriedly said: "Royal sister, look at him!"

Li Lizhi smiled and said, "Since it is Concubine Wei's order, you should obey and do as you are told. This is not only correct, but also the right thing to do."

Li Shen lowered his head like a child who had been wronged.

Li Lizhi said to him again: "But this matter should be approved by my brother, what do you think?"

Li Shen lowered his head and replied, "My sister is right."

"Your mother is only your mother, but your brother's things belong to him. You did nothing wrong. It was your mother who did something wrong. She should have asked you to ask your brother instead of letting you take your brother's drawings to your father privately."

Seeing Li Shen's face reddening and his head lowered, Li Lizhi comforted him, "Okay, now take the blueprint to ask your brother if you can give it to your father. From now on, you must tell your brother about everything in the East Palace. Even your mother cannot make decisions on her own."

"Brother, I understand."

Li Lizhi looked at Li Zhi who was standing beside her and said, "You don't have to tell anyone about what happened today. Keep your mouth shut."

Li Zhi nodded in response.

Ning'er saw all these actions of the children. Who doesn't know about the things going on in the harem?

Princess Changle has been living in the deep palace since she was a child and has seen a lot of things going on in the harem. Now Li Shen probably did this at the instruction of Concubine Wei.

But Li Shen is an honest and sensible child. What can an eight-year-old child understand?

He shouldn't be led astray by his mother.

Li Shen walked quickly into the back hall, holding a thick roll of drawings, and saw his brother standing nearby hammering some wood.

The weather in Guanzhong these days is sometimes cold and sometimes hot.

It has just been warm for three or two days, and now the northwest wind is blowing again.

Seeing Li Shen standing aside, Li Chengqian asked, "What's wrong?"

Li Shen was still standing aside, pursing his lips.

Li Chengqian put down the wooden hammer in his hand, looked at him and said, "What difficulties have you encountered?"

Li Shen then spoke up: "My mother said she wanted to show my father the blueprints of the water pump, so she asked my brother to get them. The blueprints belong to my brother..."

"Well, take it."

"Hmm?" Li Shen was surprised to see his brother was so willing to do so.

"You still have to explain the principles to your father. Do you remember what I taught you before?"

"My brother remembers."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "You can take it."

"Thank you, Brother Huang."

Li Shen smiled again and ran towards Ganlu Palace holding the blueprint.

Li Lizhi frowned and said nothing as she watched Li Shen leave.

Li Zhi said: "Sister, I did nothing wrong."

Li Lizhi said, "Well, you are right. You did a good job. If something like this happens once, it will happen again. Li Shen is a very obedient and well-behaved child, but his mother is not necessarily that good."

Li Zhi said in distress, "Should we just let his mother do whatever she wants? My brother's kindness to us has been taken advantage of by her."

Inside the Ganlu Palace, Li Shimin listened to Li Shen explaining the principles, such as water pressure and air pressure, which he could not understand at all.

In the end, even if you ask Li Shen again, he actually doesn't understand. These are all taught by the emperor's brother. The three articles that the prince mentioned earlier are still very insightful. Now that the articles are no longer discussed, will you start to study these creations?

Li Shimin was not happy, but rather a little worried, and said, "Qingque has been studying with Kong Yingda in the Imperial College these days, and Chengqian is busy with these wonderful things all day long."

Then he called in several people from the Ministry of Works and built a cover for the well behind the Lizheng Hall. A long bamboo tube was hollowed out and placed directly into the well.

After a while, under Li Shen's skillful guidance, the water pump finally produced water.

You don't need to use a bucket to scoop water, just shake the pole a few times.

Li Shen said: "If Your Majesty wants to see something more interesting, you can go to the East Palace with me."

Li Shimin frowned and said, "Your brother has not been studying hard these days, but has been focusing on these things?"

Li Shen nodded and said, "My brother said he wanted to build a few more flush toilets."

"Your brother asked me to see this? He wanted me to know his achievements in the East Palace?"

Li Shen shook his head and explained the whole story.

Li Shimin patted the child on the shoulder and whispered, "You are very sensible. You should stay in the East Palace and learn skills from your brother."

"Your son will obey your father's order."

"Well." Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "You can go back."

"Yes." Li Shen left with an innocent smile.

The next day, Li Lizhi got up early and went to Lizheng Hall to visit her mother. This was something she did every day. After seeing her mother, she would hurried back to the Eastern Palace.

Li Chengqian was woken up by his sister. He turned over in a daze and said, "Lizhi, your brother has been making a flush toilet all night. Let me sleep for a while."

"Brother, wake up quickly."

Seeing that she was still not giving up, Li Chengqian had no choice but to turn over again, lying on his side and opening his eyes to look at her anxious little face, "What's wrong? Did you get into trouble?"

"My younger brother and sister didn't get into trouble. It was the Queen Mother's order." She took out a roll of yellow silk and placed it on the couch. "The Queen Mother ordered that Prince Ji Li Shen be handed over to my brother for upbringing."

"I know."

Li Chengqian turned over, replied in a daze, and fell asleep again.

When I thought about it again in confusion, I felt that something was wrong.

She sat up from the couch and called out to her sister who was about to leave, "Lizhi, what does mother mean?"

Li Lizhi replied, "It's all about the harem. Concubines are always vying for my father's attention. My mother knows that Concubine Wei used Shen'er to come to the East Palace to get the blueprints. From now on, Concubine Wei won't be needed to teach her children."

Hearing this, Li Chengqian sighed and said, "I understand. Please go out first. I need to change my clothes and wash up."

"Ah."

After Princess Changle left, Ning'er walked into the bedroom and explained, "Because of the Queen's order, I can't stop her."

Li Chengqian stood up, stepped barefoot on the wooden planks of the bedroom, opened the window and breathed in a breath of fresh air. He immediately felt much more energetic, "The grand court meeting is about to begin."

Ning Er replied, "Tomorrow, His Highness will go to Taiji Hall to attend court tomorrow morning."

She put the clothes aside, tested the water temperature in the bucket, and said, "Your Highness can wash now."

After His Highness finished washing and the door of the bedroom opened, Ning'er walked into the bedroom and combed His Highness's hair.

Li Chengqian frowned and looked out the window, remaining silent.

Ning Er combed His Highness's long hair and whispered, "Your Highness seems to be worried."

Li Chengqian asked: "In the past, how did the Queen Mother handle matters in the harem?"

Ning Er replied, "The Queen has always been strict in dealing with matters in the harem. At the beginning, there was an incident in the harem where a concubine was poisoned. Because of this incident, the Queen punished many people and killed many people. Until now, no one in the harem dares to do evil anymore."

She sighed, "Sometimes you have to be harsh in order to get rid of it once and for all. Otherwise, those people will do it again and again. Only when people are terrified and it becomes a taboo that no one dares to touch, will they stop doing it."

"But even if she restrains herself, she can't help but have some small thoughts. Concubine Wei's matter was caused by her small thoughts. Fortunately, the queen has always been strict in presiding over the affairs of the harem. Except when the harem treats outsiders, the queen is still very tolerant and open-minded."

There were some wet footprints in the bedroom, which were left by the prince after taking a bath. As usual, his highness loved cleanliness, so he brushed his teeth after taking a bath.

Xiaofu took a look at the situation in the palace. She picked up the prince's clean clothes and left silently.

Sister Ning'er is the closest person to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

When it comes to His Highness' current living habits, only this female official in charge knows them best.

"Few people in the Eastern Palace have caught a cold, and no one has fallen ill. However, many people in other parts of the palace have caught a cold, and the Imperial Medical Bureau wants to come and investigate."

"I am a good omen for the Tang Dynasty. I am the greatest blessing for the Tang Dynasty. Naturally, no one in the Eastern Palace will get sick."

Ning Er covered her mouth and chuckled, "Your Highness is joking again."

"What I said makes sense. In a sense, I am indeed the greatest blessing to the Tang Dynasty."

Ning Er said: "Well, the Crown Prince is safe and sound, which is the best blessing for the Tang Dynasty."

Xiaofu handed the clothes to another palace maid and waited outside the palace, listening to the laughter and conversation between the prince and Sister Ning'er. Her heart was full of envy.

Talking to His Highness is a refreshing experience. His Highness is a very easy-going person, and his words are very interesting, which always makes people relax.

The younger brothers and sisters had also washed and dressed, including five sisters, Princess Changle, Princess Dongyang, Princess Qinghe, Princess Runan, Princess Gaoyang, and two younger brothers, Li Zhi and Li Shen.

When Li Chengqian walked out of the bedroom, his younger brothers and sisters were already having lunch. Their breakfast was simple, a bowl of mutton ramen each.

After breakfast, it’s time for morning self-study. They can take their favorite books from the bookshelf.

Li Chengqian also has to prepare teaching materials. Ideological construction is a very important task, and children around ten years old need to grasp this course the most.

The concept that needs to be conveyed to them is actually very simple. If people all over the world believe in one idea, when this idea unifies the world, then people all over the world will work in one direction, which is a huge force.

According to His Highness's narration, Ning'er sat aside and took notes, and after finishing the teaching materials, she would do morning exercises.

It was early in the morning, and the grand court meeting was approaching. There were many things to prepare in the court. Li Shimin left Lizheng Hall early and went to the imperial city to see the preparations of various departments in the court. He was about to walk out of Chengtian Gate and passed by the East Palace.

Li Shimin looked sideways and saw a group of children shouting one, two, three, four, and dancing with their hands. "What are they doing?"

"I will go and ask now."

"Wait." Li Shimin called to the old eunuch beside him, then put his hands behind his back, just stared at them, and asked, "Are they like this usually?"

"Your Majesty, this is what the rumor says."

Not to mention what Cheng Qian said about the all-round development of morality, intelligence, physical fitness and aesthetics.

There is no one in this world who can develop so comprehensively, at least Li Shimin has never seen such a person in his mind.

Fortunately, the principles that Cheng Qian taught the children were not wrong and were beneficial to listen to.

Seeing their smiles made me happier than when I was in Lizheng Hall.

Also, since the Queen's health has improved in recent days, as her father, there is naturally nothing much to say.

Some things cannot be figured out unless you think about them carefully.

Upon closer thought, everything Cheng Qian has done and said in the past two months seems to be right.

Li Shimin ordered: "Send the raisins and cakes left in the palace, and the beef sent by Cheng Zhijie to the East Palace."

(End of this chapter)