The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 161 Supervision
When the warm wind blows, it can also bring the smell of grass, trees and soil.

Li Chengqian whispered, "I have been dealing with all those political affairs all day long. It's good to come out and relax now."

Li Shimin said: "Under the pretext of relaxing, I am actually inspecting the counties."

"What they think has nothing to do with me."

As he spoke, Li Chengqian walked towards the grape field.

Li Shimin followed suit and said, "Back then, Emperor Wu of Han and Dong Zhongshu only exchanged a few simple words. Later, when Emperor Wu of Han walked out of the Pepper Room, he heard the palace maids sweeping the floor asking Emperor Wu of Han if he wanted to promote Confucianism as the only school of thought. Then the women in the palace also asked if Emperor Wu really wanted to promote Confucianism as the only school of thought..."

After a pause, Li Shimin continued, "Later, his teacher also asked why Confucianism should be the only doctrine."

Li Chengqian replied: "Father's teachings, I will remember them."

"Cheng Qian, only the people around you know what kind of person you are. The prince in people's words is what they think of him."

Li Chengqian sighed, "Then I will try my best to get everyone around me to stay, otherwise, no one in this world will know my true appearance."

Teaching sons is tiring, especially teaching the prince, there is a feeling of having the ability but nowhere to use it.

I don't know why he thinks so.

The father and son walked to the vineyard and watched the villagers busy at work.

Guo Luotuo came quickly, holding his official hat, and said, "I am the Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture..."

"No need to be polite."

Li Shimin interrupted directly.

Hearing this, Guo Luotuo had no choice but to step aside.

Several villagers were still working far away. The emperor's arrival had nothing to do with these people, and the officers and soldiers did not disturb them.

"Mr. Guo Si, when can we pick the grapes in Weibei?"

Hearing the Crown Prince's question, Guo Luotuo lowered his head and replied, "The earliest is late August or September."

"Father, is there enough wine in the palace?"

Li Shimin's expression became more serious, and he said slowly: "There are more."

Li Chengqian nodded, "I knew that Father would be able to make careful calculations."

Li Shimin nodded slightly, "Yes."

In fact, if you look from a distance, you can see that the grape trellis is long and narrow. Looking in another direction, you can see that the grape trellis extends all the way to the distance, with a turn in front, and it circles along the fields.

Below the grape trellis is a ridge of the field. When you walk into the grape trellis, you can feel like you are walking in a corridor.

At this time of year, a lot of wheat seedlings have grown in the fields, and for a moment I thought I was not on the Loess Plateau.

The wheat seedlings in the fields are lush and green.

I even had a sudden realization of what a rich place Guanzhong was in the Tang Dynasty a thousand years ago.

But when the wind blew, a cloud of yellow soil rolled up on the dry plateau in the distance, forcing Li Chengqian back to reality.

Li Shimin strolled leisurely under the grape trellis and asked, "Are you worried about something?"

Li Chengqian said sternly, "I have nothing on my mind."

"I see that your pace has slowed down a lot."

He subconsciously slowed down his pace while thinking. It was a subconscious behavior. Li Chengqian returned to his original walking speed.

Guo Luotuo followed behind and explained the principles of the grape trellis to the two generals who followed.

Li Shimin said: "If the grapes are harvested well this time, I will also reward Guo Siqing."

"Your Majesty, I dare not accept this."

Li Chengqian said: "If the emperor wants to reward you, you should accept it."

Guo Luotuo replied: "Yes."

Li Ji and Yuchi Gong followed beside him. Now they were walking behind him and found that the Crown Prince's steps were still normal.

But your majesty's pace slowed down a lot.

The father and son walked around the grape trellis. As dusk approached, Li Chengqian got back on the carriage and said, "Mr. Guo Si, we should not only plant grapes, but also select the best varieties, cultivate better fruits, and increase the yield."

Guo Luotuo bowed and said, "I obey your command."

"I know this is a difficult matter. It requires observation day after day and year after year. Don't worry, I'm not in a hurry."

Guo Luotuo bowed again and said, "I will definitely live up to your trust."

Li Chengqian sat in the carriage and said, "General, go back."

"Yes." Li Ji jumped on his horse, waved his hand and the team headed towards Chang'an City.

But not long after they set off, my father's carriage caught up with them.

After walking quietly for a while, Li Chengqian held a book in his hand and read it, his body swaying with the shaking of the carriage. The book contained Guo Luotuo's experience in crop cultivation.

At dusk, the surrounding scenery turned golden, and the two carriages were also dyed golden.

Perhaps it was because the journey was too quiet, Li Shimin cleared his throat.

Seeing that Cheng Qian didn't say anything but was quietly looking at the book in his hand, he asked, "Are you always this quiet when you go out?"

Li Chengqian asked back, "Is it always noisy when Father travels?"

Li Shimin took a deep breath, sat upright in the carriage, and whispered, "If the grapes in Jingyang and Weibei are harvested well, I can promote him."

After he finished speaking, Li Chengqian put down the scroll in his hand and said slowly, "Where does your father want to promote him? The Ministry of Personnel? The Ministry of Central Secretariat as a minister?"

"Do you feel bad?"

"Not good." Li Chengqian replied directly.

"Ministers who have made contributions should naturally be rewarded."

"Professionals should be placed in key positions. It is rare for a person to do only one thing in his entire life. Guo Luotuo only knows how to farm in his entire life. The emperor asked him to leave the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Finance, which harmed him."

Li Shimin frowned and said nothing.

"Guo Luotuo will continue to work in Sinong Temple. I will arrange some staff for him and let him take on a few disciples. His career is very important."

Li Ji walked behind the carriage of His Majesty and His Highness, while Yuchi Gong walked in front with his troops.

The distance was just right to hear the conversation.

Li Chengqian whispered, "Give him a county baron title of the fifth rank."

Li Shimin stroked his beard and nodded as he sat in the carriage. "He was able to grow grapes in Guanzhong. I will give him a reward. I will make arrangements for a good harvest this year. I don't know where he is from."

"I am from Fengle Township, Guanzhong."

The son's calm voice came from the carriage beside him again.

There is a prince in the court who always keeps his word. Regardless of the prince's ability, as long as His Highness is a man of his word, there will definitely be many people following him.

The carriage stopped in front of Xuanwu Gate. Li Chengqian got off the carriage, his clothes rustling in the wind. He stretched his limbs and said, "Father, I will go back to the East Palace first."

Li Shimin's carriage had just stopped when a dull voice came, "You can go back."

Li Ji watched His Royal Highness the Crown Prince walk into the palace alone.

Li Shimin asked, "Is he always like this?"

Li Ji said, "In fact, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is usually very talkative, just like when he talked with Your Majesty when he came." "He is talkative?"

Li Shimin shook his head and smiled, then walked towards the Xuanwu Gate.

East Palace, the emperor brother is back, and his younger brothers and sisters can finally have their meals, they are very happy.

Li Chengqian handed the bowl and chopsticks in his hand to Xiaofu.

She was very happy to see His Highness bring back the empty bowl and chopsticks. For her, this was the most difficult thing in the world to satisfy.

Even if there is one chopstick missing in the East Palace, she will find it.

I saw my brother wash his hands and sit down, preparing to eat.

Li Zhi whispered, "Brother, I told Di Renjie the story of Calabash Brothers."

Li Chengqian nodded, "Yes."

Li Shen said, "Then Di Renjie said that since the eldest son has fallen on hard times, the second son should not act rashly because he has learned from the past. If he does not learn from the past, he will definitely make the same mistake. And the third and fourth sons are the same. They have no long-term vision."

Li Chengqian whispered, "I know, let's eat."

"Here."

At night, a group of soldiers came to the Hexi Corridor, led by Duan Zan, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War.

Li Daliang led officials from the four counties and Li Yifu to welcome this group of people, because there were more people here than just the Ministry of War.

Duan Zan dismounted from his horse and quickly stepped forward, saying, "Greetings, General."

Li Daliang sighed, "Thank you for traveling day and night."

Li Yifu stood behind the general, bowed and lowered his head, looking at the officials in front of him who were talking with the general. These people all came from Chang'an.

Duan Zan sighed and said, "The court is arguing endlessly about the four counties in Hexi, and ordered us to come and take a look."

Li Daliang replied: "Everything is fine in the four counties of Hexi."

Li Daliang was a native of Longxi. He was captured in Luoyang in his early years and later joined Li Tang. Later, in the war against Fu Gongzhe, he cooperated with Li Jing to capture various areas in the south of the Yangtze River.

He is one of the generals that Your Majesty trusts the most and one of the brave veterans in the court.

The current situation in Hexi is that Li Daliang is in charge of the Hexi Corridor, while Niu Jinda is stationed in Fuqi City in the Tuyuhun territory west of the Hexi Corridor and leads his troops to be stationed in the hinterland of Qinghai.

The purpose of the arrangement of the front and the back is to contain Tubo while controlling the remaining rioters in Tuyuhun.

Duan Zan looked around and asked, "Where is the man called Li Yifu?"

Li Daliang also looked around, but couldn't find him. He scratched his beard and shouted, "Li Yifu!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a young man in a blue official uniform came over quickly and said, "General, I am here."

Li Daliang shouted: "Where have you been!"

Li Yifu put away his hands in greeting and replied, "I have been standing here all the time."

Hearing this, Li Daliang shouted again: "Why didn't I see you?"

"General, I am an official of low rank and stand behind them." Li Yifu pointed to the officials standing in the back wearing uniforms of higher ranks. They were the superiors and chief secretaries of the four counties.

He was originally just a ceremonial officer in the Ministry of Personnel, who was ordered by the Crown Prince to repair the four counties in Hexi, and he was only given the power to build a city.

In essence, judging from his official rank, he was still a lowly official in the Menxia Province.

Li Daliang wanted to blame him but he didn't know where to start. He turned to Duan Zan with a smile and said, "Minister Duan, please forgive me. This young man is not smart enough."

Duan Zan stood under the torch and nodded, "Look at how thorough his explanation is, how could he not be wise?"

Li Yifu bowed and said, "I am sorry for making you laugh at me, Minister Duan, for my poor eloquence."

Duan Zan was the son of Duan Zhixuan, a great general in the court, and served as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. When the rebellion was launched in Jinyang, Duan Zhixuan followed the young Majesty.

Li Daliang was as polite as he could be in front of the inspection team.

Duan Zan led the team into the recently renovated Dunhuang County, and more torches followed the team into the city.

Li Yifu whispered, "General, was this subordinate okay just now?"

Li Daliang whispered, "It's over."

"Then I won't be so restrained in the future?"

Li Daliang looked at the team entering the city and whispered, "If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince hadn't assigned you to build the Hexi Corridor, I wouldn't have spoiled you so much."

Li Yifu said quickly: "The general taught you well."

Li Daliang nudged his shoulder with his arm, motioning for him to go into the city to talk, and walked behind the team and whispered, "Do you think something happened to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in the court, which is why there are so many monitoring officers and soldiers?"

Li Yifu is a very smart man, although he always speaks differently to different people.

Li Daliang was able to use him very smoothly. The four counties in Hexi were built up, and Niu Jinda and the soldiers who garrisoned there all made contributions.

If the construction is not done well, they will be blamed. Of course, if the construction is not done well, it means that the Tuyuhun people did not work hard.

If that were the case, Li Daliang planned to kill all the Tuyuhun people who were building the city wall before leaving for Chang'an to receive punishment.

So far, the Tuyuhun people living in the four counties of Hexi are still living well, and they really have Li Yifu to thank.

The next day, officials from the court began to inspect the construction matters.

In the morning, Li Yifu distributed soap to the Tuyuhun people. A Tuyuhun man took the soap with both hands, put it down towards Chang'an and said loudly: "Thank you, Khan, for giving us soap!"

Every Tuyuhun person who received the soap would shout this loudly.

There were words written on these people's coats, mostly numbers like three, five, six, and seven.

Duan Zan asked curiously, "General, what's wrong with these people's clothes?"

Li Daliang replied: "It is convenient for management. Some Tuyuhun people can't even tell their own names. For convenience, words are written on the back of each person's coat so that they can be registered when they receive soap."

"What a good move! I admire the general's brilliant strategy."

"This was arranged by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. It has nothing to do with this old man."

"Your Highness the Crown Prince still has correspondence with the four counties in Hexi?" The question was asked by an official from the Censorate.

Li Daliang replied, "Never before, no one has sent a letter from the Crown Prince since I arrived in the Hexi Corridor."

As soon as he finished speaking, an official from the Censorate wrote down his words.

After distributing the soap, Li Yifu was taken away by the people from the Censorate for questioning.

In a room, several imperial censors stood together, all staring at the man in front of them named Li Yifu.

"We are following orders, and I hope Li Dianyi won't blame us."

"No problem, I will report it truthfully."

"Are all the 50,000 strings of cash that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince gave to the Hexi Corridor still there?"

"Three thousand strings of cash have been used to purchase stone, wood, short shirts, hemp ropes, and food. These accounts are in the hands of the general. If you are worried, you can go and check them."

"Why give the Tuyuhun people soap?"

"It's their wages. These people will sell the soap to people from the Western Regions. Soap is still very valuable."

A few people looked at each other and asked, "You still want to collect money after work?"

Li Yifu replied honestly, "They receive soap once a month. After they sell the soap, they need to pay 10% of the money as city tax."

(End of this chapter)