The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 168 One Night

The heavy rain at night poured down on Chang'an City, and occasionally candles flickered in the rain under the night sky.

In the garden, Li Lizhi watched her younger brother and sister playing, raised her head to look at her mother, and whispered, "Father and brother probably haven't rested yet."

Empress Changsun smiled and said, "Let your brothers and sisters rest early."

"Ah."

Li Lizhi responded softly.

In the Secretariat of the Imperial City, Li Chengqian was eating the meal in front of him.

The father and son sat opposite each other, and Li Shimin ate the food sent by the Eastern Palace. He especially liked a bowl of pork ribs stewed with radish.

The emperor didn't like the ribs in the bowl, he liked the radish in the bowl more.

Li Chengqian has never been picky about food and ate quietly.

Finally, Li Shimin finished the millet rice in his bowl, slowly put down his bowl and chopsticks, still savoring the taste.

Li Chengqian poured a bowl of soup from a large bowl, handed one to his father and one to himself.

The father and son drank all the soup, and Li Chengqian finished eating the remaining ribs and asked Xiaofu to clean up the dishes.

It was very quiet in the Secretariat. Xiaofu and Ning'er put away their dishes and chopsticks in silence. They stood under the eaves outside the Secretariat with lanterns in their hands, waiting for the Crown Prince to come out before they followed him back to the East Palace.

Rain kept falling from the eaves. Ning'er and Xiaofu held lanterns and watched the rain fall on the ground and then flow down along the stone slabs under the steps.

In the Secretariat, Li Shimin took a sip of tea and said, "I heard that Ashina She'er was cured by you?"

Li Chengqian sat on a chair with his hands in his pockets, looking at the heavy rain outside the door and said, "I just treated his wounds. It was Doctor Sun who healed him."

"I heard that he had a high fever a few days ago, but now he can walk with difficulty. She'er also said that his life was saved by the Crown Prince of the East Palace, and he is willing to sacrifice his life for you, the Crown Prince."

Dongyang has been following Doctor Sun to learn medicine for a few days. Every three days, she would follow Doctor Sun to see patients. Her sister’s starting point in learning was very high. This was mainly because the medical method of the Tang Dynasty was more practical and started from the clinic.

Due to the limited environment, there is not enough theoretical knowledge for learning. Dongyang's learning progress can be roughly classified as practice and theory in parallel.

I also heard that Dongyang talked about Ashina She'er's injuries. From the second day after the wound was cleaned and bandaged, he began to have a high fever and was only holding on for one breath.

This person has a lot of open wounds, so it is normal for the body's immune mechanism to cause a high fever.

That period of high fever was the most fatal to him.

If this person survives, he will live.

If he couldn't survive, he would have to go find Jie Li and be buried together in Guanzhong.

God is kind to the Tang Dynasty, or to be more precise, to the solitary crown prince of the Tang Dynasty. Ashina She'er is alive, and now he owes the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace a life.

To gain the loyalty of a Turk is both difficult and easy.

Li Chengqian even suspected that he might have suffered some irreversible sequelae after this dangerous experience.

"That only shows that he is lucky." Li Chengqian said, and suddenly smiled, saying: "This thief, God always favors fools."

Li Shimin asked: "Do you think She'er is a fool?"

"What does Father think?"

Li Shimin fell silent again. What his son said seemed to make sense.

Li Chengqian continued: "She'er is someone who can be used. Since he is so kind to me..."

"No." Li Chengqian changed his explanation and said, "Since he is loyal to the Tang Dynasty, with such a person, I and my father can use him to do a lot of things in the Turkic affairs. Even though he has a bad reputation in the Turkic people, he is from the Ashina clan and has to call Jie Li uncle. He is the orthodox of the Turkic royal court."

Li Shimin observed his son's expression and asked, "Do you support him in conquering Mobei?"

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "This kind of thing...I don't understand."

Li Shimin wanted to say something but stopped himself. He felt something strange in his heart, a strange feeling he couldn't describe. He took a sip of tea and remained silent.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of quick footsteps running in the puddles outside the door.

The father and son looked outside at the same time. Li Daoyan, wearing armor and with wet hair and beard, walked into the door. He clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince! Urgent news from Weibei."

Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "Speak."

"Here!" Li Daoyan took out a piece of paper from his arms. Although the armor and the clothes covering the armor were wet, the piece of paper in his hand was still dry.

His wet hands spread some water stains on the paper, and he quickly put the paper on the table and said, "Five thousand seven hundred acres of land in the counties of Weibei produced two thousand three hundred bushels of grapes."

"Good!" Li Shimin stroked his beard and said, "Great! From now on, Guanzhong will no longer be short of grapes."

Li Chengqian looked at the number. The 5,700 acres written on the paper was actually a conservative figure, because there were still scattered plantings in the villages of various counties in Weibei.

To be precise, it should be over 6,000 acres.

The grapes planted in Weibei this time were all transferred from Jingyang.

Now that it has spread, it means that the grape-growing industry in Guanzhong will become more and more prosperous.

The sunshine was good this year, so the grapes ripened earlier.

In other words, perhaps some methods were not used well when planting grapes in Jingyang last year. When planting for the second time, the methods were improved and the fruit maturity period was extended.

"Why? Are you unhappy?"

Li Chengqian supported his chin with one hand, sat cross-legged on the chair, and said, "This heavy rain caused many grapes to be picked early, which is why we have the current yield. It's only August now, and there should be a batch of fruits that are ripe by September."

Li Shimin stroked his beard and said, "According to what you said, there are still many grapes to be picked?"

The heavy rain outside became much lighter and turned into a light rain.

After Li Chengqian put away the paper, he asked, "Brother Daoyan, where is the person who delivered the letter?"

"Your Highness, the person who brought the letter is Yan Qinli, the chief clerk of Chongwen Hall. He is still waiting for news outside Suzaku Gate."

"Well, let him go back."

Li Daoyan clasped his fists and said, "Yes."

After the others left, Li Shimin frowned and looked at his son, then smiled and said, "You are unhappy."

Li Chengqian stood up, put his chair upside down on the table, and said, "A phased success doesn't mean anything."

Li Shimin asked in a deep voice: "How well do you think those people in Jingzhao Prefecture do?"

"Keep your feet on the ground and start with the basics. But it's good news tonight. I can sleep well."

After saying this, the father and son walked out of the Secretariat. Li Chengqian looked back at the Secretariat which had fallen into darkness again and closed the two heavy wooden doors.

The two stood in front of the Secretariat for a long time.

"You also think it's wrong to go to war with Mobei now, right?"

Li Chengqian asked with his hands in his pockets, "Father, are you going to hand over these military matters to me now?"

Hearing this, Li Shimin suddenly smiled and said, "I'm going back."

Li Chengqian stood there, watching his father leave under the escort of several eunuchs. After watching him for a long time, he said to Ning'er and Xiaofu beside him, "Go back to the East Palace."

"Here."

The downpour lasted for an hour and then turned into a drizzle at this moment.

There are far more than these 2,000 shi of grapes in Weibei, and there must be many idle acres that have not been counted.

On the way back to the East Palace, Ning'er and Xiaofu walked on both sides holding lanterns. Li Chengqian was silent all the way.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not speak until he returned to the East Palace.

The princes are not in the East Palace, and it is very quiet now.

Li Chengqian took off his boots and walked barefoot. After he took off his coat and took a shower, he felt that the day's fatigue was over.

The prince was not a strong man, but his body was well-proportioned, especially his broad shoulders.

Due to years of archery practice, the muscles in his shoulders are very strong, and his body shape is also straight due to years of archery training.

Li Chengqian put on a thin coat and stretched his limbs.

Ning'er lit the insect repellent incense and whispered, "This was sent by the Queen. The Queen also told Your Highness to go to bed early."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly.

Ning'er bowed slightly to the Crown Prince's back, then left the bedroom and closed the door.

It was already late at night when Li Shimin arrived at the villa garden by Taiye Lake.

The sound of water from Taiye Lake reached the courtyard of the villa.

Empress Changsun was drinking tea and mending clothes while sitting by the candlestick.

Seeing that it was His Majesty who had returned, he whispered, "Cheng Qian has also returned?"

Li Shimin sat down next to his wife and sighed, "Today, Cheng Qian actually asked me if I should hand over the military affairs to him. This ignorant boy, how capable does he think he is?"

Empress Changsun sighed, "You and your son are quarreling again?"

Li Shimin sighed: "This child is very thoughtful."

Empress Changsun whispered, "It's a good idea for Cheng Qian to let Dongyang study medicine."

"I have nothing against him."

"The Lingyan Pavilion has been built. Let Cheng Qian repair the palaces in the palace that have been in disrepair for a long time."

Li Shimin took a sip of tea and sighed.

Empress Changsun whispered, "Why? Do you want me to ask Cheng Qian to repair the Lishan Hot Spring Palace as well?"

Li Shimin's expression was a little more distressed, and all his annoyance was in the tea. He said helplessly in a low voice: "No, lest Cheng Qian and the Censorate come together to advise me."

Empress Changsun smiled silently.

The couple was talking.

"Father, can I hang my brother's portrait in the Lingyan Pavilion?"

Suddenly hearing his daughter's words, Li Shimin turned around and looked at Li Zhi, puzzled: "Those whose portraits are erected in Lingyan Pavilion are all meritorious officials. Why is your brother's portrait hung there?"

Li Lizhi said unhappily: "My daughter knows that father is stingy."

"Your brother is the younger one..."

Li Shimin had just said half of his words when the momentum he had just built up suddenly wilted under the gaze of his wife.

He whispered, "I'll consider it."

"Hmph." Li Lizhi seemed to have seen through her father's thoughts long ago, she turned around and left.

After the children walked away, Li Shimin looked a little annoyed, "Guanyin! Look at these children, what have they become after following Cheng Qian in the East Palace."

Empress Changsun continued to mend her clothes and said, "No matter what they are like, they are still your Majesty's children."

Weibei is an area with mountains and plateaus. This unique geographical feature makes the land of Weibei very suitable for the development of fruit agriculture.

At this moment, there is a warehouse next to the Longshou Canal.

Xu Jingzong, Shangguan Yi, and Guo Luotuo sat in front of the warehouse, watching baskets of grapes being delivered into the warehouse.

There was a table in front of the warehouse, and Xu Jingzong and Shangguan Yi were drinking from their wine bowls.

Tonight, residents of all counties in Weibei will remain sleepless.

Xu Jingzong put a grape into his mouth and tasted it carefully. "No matter how you eat it, I feel that Guanzhong grapes are sweeter."

Shangguan Yi took a sip of wine and said, "When I was reading the files of the Hongwenguan, I found that grapes from the Western Regions can mature in June, and even cotton can be picked in June."

"Our Guanzhong cotton..." As he was speaking, Xu Jingzong looked back, but did not see Guo Luotuo standing beside him.

Brother Guo is usually a man of few words, but he suddenly disappeared from my sight.
Neither Xu Jingzong nor Shangguan Yi noticed it for a moment.

In front of the warehouse, villagers were celebrating the good harvest.

For Guo Luotuo, this harvest was easy, but he also took it for granted.

It was just that the Jingyang grape planting market was used in Weibei. Guo Luotuo and several villagers passing by smiled.

Their smiles were very genuine, which made Guo Luotuo feel much better.

He walked into a small room and lit the oil lamp. In front of him was a wooden rack. On each layer of the rack was a nursery with seedlings being cultivated in it.

While observing, Guo Luotuo noticed that a child also walked in.

He looked back and asked, "Whose child are you?"

"My father, Dickson."

As he spoke, the child's eyes seemed to reflect light in the dim room.

Guo Luotuo retracted his gaze and continued to observe the seedling, smiling, "So it's Di Zhixun's child."

Di Renjie looked up and asked, "Kid, I know that you are the Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, and since the Crown Prince has been in charge of agricultural affairs in Guanzhong, the Ministry of Agriculture has also become the Crown Prince's school."

"I don't understand what it means to be a disciple of the Crown Prince. To me, doing what I like is the most satisfying thing in the world."

Di Renjie asked curiously, "What are these seedlings used for?"

Guo Luotuo explained: "Weibei has a good harvest, but the yield per mu is 30% lower than that of Jingyang last year."

“Is farming difficult?”

Guo Luotuo whispered, "Farming is about keeping up with the seasons. After this season, it will be autumn in Guanzhong, and after autumn we will miss the season for raising seedlings."

Di Renjie asked curiously, "They all say it's a good harvest and are celebrating, but you are not happy."

Guo Luotuo said: "This is the first time that Guanzhong has such a big harvest of grapes. Of course we should celebrate. This has nothing to do with me."

Di Renjie felt that the joy of the outside world seemed to have nothing to do with Uncle Guo.

He sat on the doorstep, looked back at Uncle Guo, yawned, and didn't know what time it was. He felt very sleepy.

When his father came over, Di Renjie asked, "Where are you sleeping tonight?"

Di Zhixun realized it later. He slapped his forehead and said, "Father forgot. He was too busy celebrating with Xu Shaoyin."

Di Renjie forced a smile, feeling that it was not unexpected.

Guo Luotuo wiped his hands, came out with an oil lamp in his hand, and said while protecting the fire: "I have built a small house nearby. If you and your son have no place to sleep, you can come to my place."

(End of this chapter)