The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 17 He Wants to Roll Up the Dead Orphan

When Li Shimin thought of the current situation outside the Great Wall, he felt extremely confused and walked out of Chengtian Gate quickly. Outside Chengtian Gate was the imperial city, where the three provinces and six ministries were located, and many officials were walking around.

As the grand court meeting approached, the entire Chang'an city became busy. In the past, when Li Shimin first ascended the throne, he was thinking all day about who to kill today and who to kill tomorrow.

I worry almost every day, or whether there will be another rebellion somewhere in the Central Plains.

But now Li Shimin feels that as long as he implements benevolent policies and treats people with kindness, many problems can be solved.

Times have passed, all those who deserved to die have been buried, and looking around the world, no one is causing trouble anymore.

And now, we can finally stop killing people, and the remaining humeri are all trustworthy people.

In the East Palace, Li Chengqian sat cross-legged with his hands in his pockets. A group of his younger brothers and sisters also sat cross-legged with their hands in their pockets, all looking at their brother as he told a story.

This is a story about Monkey King. The mere sight of a monkey jumping out from between the rocks is enough to arouse the curiosity of younger brothers and sisters.

Because he always lived in the palace, he had never seen the world, let alone such touching stories.

The story continued until after dinner, and then stopped. Li Chengqian was tired, so he jumped out of the stone and continued to talk about how Monkey King became the Horse Keeper.

No matter how much his younger brothers and sisters begged, Li Chengqian was unwilling to say anything.

Of course, Li Chengqian was even more reluctant to tell the story of Water Margin to his younger brothers and sisters. If he really told them the story, it would probably plant the seeds of rebellion in their hearts.

The story of Monkey King jumping out of a stone seems suitable for children.

Li Chengqian sat in the bedroom, looking at the scroll in his hand. It was the Book of Jin, which elaborated on the essentials of the Nine-Rank System and social relations, emphasizing that they were all about monarch-monarch, subject-subject, or direct lineage of a family, etc.

This makes people more infuriated the more they look at it. No wonder the unruly and unique Emperor Yang of Sui wanted to abolish the influence of this system.

“It’s so difficult!”

His Highness's angry curses were heard from the bedroom.

Ning'er was packing up the toys of the princesses and princes. Upon hearing this, she looked into the palace in surprise.

Xiaofu frowned and said, "Why is your highness angry?"

Another palace maid leaned over the door and listened for a moment, then whispered, "Your Highness is cursing the Saint."

"Which saint?"

Ning'er remembered the book that His Highness took into the bedroom, and she understood why His Highness was angry. Then she looked at Xiaofu and the others in front of her. These girls had never read any books, so naturally they didn't understand anything.

Sometimes Ning'er also felt very tired. She found that she was the only one in the entire East Palace who understood His Highness the best.

After putting all the toys into the wooden box, Ning'er said to them, "You guys go and have a rest first."

"Yes." Several maids stepped back in small steps.

Ning'er stood outside the door for a while, pushed it open slightly and saw that the prince had already fallen asleep, so she went back to the side room next to the palace to sleep.

It was still cold in Guanzhong at night. In Chang'an City, Yu Zhining hurriedly walked into a house.

Xu Xiaode personally greeted him at the door.

Both of them are officials of the Eastern Palace. From the time they were appointed as ministers assisting the Crown Prince, they have only been in office for one day?
The two sat opposite each other. Xu Xiaode poured the wine and said, "This is the rice wine from my hometown. You should try it."

Yu Zhining took a sip and said, "This wine tastes soft and has a sweet aftertaste."

"I was born in Jiangnan West Road and grew up drinking this kind of wine. As I get older, I can't live without it. This was brought to me by my relatives from my hometown this year."

Speaking of his hometown, Yu Zhining thought of Xu Xiaode, who was a descendant of the Donghai nobles, whose nobles of the Southern Chen Dynasty have now declined.

"The court will open tomorrow." Xu Xiaode said again calmly.

"Yes." Yu Zhining put the wine bowl on the table and said, "Are you worried about something?"

Xu Xiaode frowned and whispered, "Since I took office as an official in the Eastern Palace, His Highness has never summoned me again. Not only that, he has been staying in the Eastern Palace for a long time and rarely goes out."

Yu Zhining smiled and didn't say much.

Xu Xiaode added: "I heard that the royal family is talking a lot about the prince now."

Yu Zhining shook his head and smiled, "It's still because of Zhao Jie."

Xu Xiaode frowned and said, "That's exactly what I want to talk about."

Yu Zhining took a deep breath, picked up the wine bowl and took a sip of the wine. The sound of the wind whistling outside the house was in his ears. He said slowly: "Zhao Jie is a member of the royal family after all. Your Majesty's bloodbath at Xuanwu Gate frightened many members of the royal family. The prince is such a shrewd person, doesn't he know the benefits and disadvantages of this?"

Seeing the other party silent, Yu Zhining comforted him, "Xiaode, let alone even if the prince regrets it, even if Princess Changguang makes trouble outside, there are many court officials who support the eldest son. They absolutely support the prince, and she can't stir up trouble."

"Do you know who recommended you to the East Palace?"

Hearing this, Xu Xiaode nodded and said, "Who?"

Yu Zhining smiled and said, "Duke Xu, Gao Jian, Gao Shilian."

Xu Xiaode thought for a moment, "So, as long as Gao Shilian supports the prince, then Zhangsun Wuji's people will also support the prince."

Yu Zhining nodded and whispered, "Although they are all relatives of the Tang Dynasty, they have been with us since the Jinyang uprising. Your Majesty still needs their abilities to govern the country and dispatch officials."

He suddenly smiled and continued, "It is hard to tell now whether it was Gao Shilian's sharp eyes that attracted your majesty, who was a commoner friend of Zhangsun Wuji at that time, or whether your majesty had already seen the extraordinaryness of the Zhangsun family."

Xu Xiaode whispered, "In terms of family power, the Changsun family, including Gao Shilian, is now the most powerful foreign relative in the court."

"It seems that Xiaode is worried that the prince is getting too close to his relatives."

Xu Xiaode did not deny it, but smiled helplessly, "Mr. Yu, aren't you worried?"

"I am worried." Yu Zhining sighed, "It depends on how we assist the Crown Prince in the future. However, since I am in the center, I have heard something. I don't know whether it is true or not."

"Is it related to the prince?"

Yu Zhining nodded heavily and said, "Not only that, it is also related to Princess Changle. His Majesty postponed Princess Changle's wedding date. It is rumored that the Crown Prince met Li Chunfeng, and after Li Chunfeng met His Majesty again, the wedding was postponed."

Xu Xiaode frowned and asked, "Are you saying this matter is related to the prince?"

Yu Zhining smiled and said, "I remember that the Crown Prince never expressed his opinion on this matter before. That was in the summer of last year. Now, His Highness seems to have changed a lot after a serious illness. If the reason why Princess Changle's wedding was postponed is really related to the Crown Prince, then this matter is very interesting."

For a moment, Xu Xiaode felt that teaching the Eastern Palace was a heavy responsibility. This was not just a simple job, but a task to teach the prince to become what His Majesty wanted him to be.

But my understanding of the prince is limited to that one conversation in the East Palace.

Xu Xiaode took a sip of wine, "But now you and I know nothing about the prince, let alone understand him. Although you and I are ministers of the Eastern Palace, the prince lives in seclusion and rarely goes out. He doesn't even summon you and me to discuss knowledge or governance strategies. It seems..." "It seems that the prince is very indifferent to these things?" Yu Zhining took over the conversation.

"Ah."

Xu Xiaode nodded heavily.

It was already late at night, the night wind was still howling outside, and Yu Zhining was a little drunk. He stroked his forehead and said, "Xiaode, I have to say something unpleasant. It seems that His Highness is treating your daughter..."

Xu Xiaode shook his head and said, "My little girl is only eight years old. How could His Highness be interested in her?"

He paused for a moment. Although he was drunk, Xu Xiaode's expression became more determined. He said, "That's absolutely impossible."

Yu Zhining smiled awkwardly, "Maybe."

The next day, it was not yet fully light and the sunrise had not yet appeared in the horizon. I looked up and saw that the sky, which had just broken dawn, was gray.

Ning'er walked hurriedly into the prince's bedroom.

Inside the palace, she whispered, "Your Highness, you cannot dress like you normally would for the morning court session. You should dress more formally now."

Li Chengqian let Ning'er help him put on his clothes and boots that didn't fit him well. He whispered, "I'm growing up too. These boots won't fit me anymore."

Ning Er smiled and said, "Men do grow when they are fifteen. Your Highness will be even taller in two years. Your Highness, please bear with it for a day. I will report to Lizheng Palace later."

After that, she checked it carefully again.

Li Chengqian asked: "How is it?"

"Yes, very good." Ning Er reminded: "Although His Majesty has not yet given you a name, you must wear a crown and clothes when attending court according to etiquette, and you must pay attention to your manners in Taiji Hall."

Listening to Ning'er talking like an older sister, Li Chengqian agreed to everything.

Xiaofu made today's breakfast. Under the guidance of Ning'er, the palace maids in the East Palace are improving their cooking skills rapidly.

In the morning, he ate a bowl of wontons, took two bites, and then hurried to court.

Seeing that the time was almost up, they hurried out of the East Palace. On the road from Chengtian Gate to Taiji Hall, there were many civil officials and military generals walking on the road.

Everyone was silent, and under the dim sky, it was difficult to see the faces of these people clearly.

Li Chengqian walked into the crowd and walked silently. All he could hear were the sounds of dense footsteps. No one spoke and everyone looked very serious.

Li Chengqian followed the group of people wearing red, blue and purple robes towards the Taiji Hall.

This most magnificent hall in the imperial palace was the center of power in the Tang Dynasty. All the decrees to change the world and govern the country were made here.

This was the first time that Li Chengqian stepped into the Taiji Hall.

Of course, Li Chengqian, who was well-armed with ideas, was not very interested in those etiquettes. At most, he was just curious. If he had any real interest, he was only interested in how to sit in that supreme position.

"Brother!" Li Ke came hurriedly and asked, "Why are you here so late?"

Li Chengqian disagreed and said calmly: "Why? Am I late?"

Li Ke signaled with his eyes, and seeing that his brother still ignored him, he pursed his lips again.

Following his gaze, Li Chengqian saw the fat Li Tai talking to several civil officials. They were smiling while talking and it seemed that they were very happy.

Li Ke whispered, "My Royal Brother, you may not know that Li Tai was the first to arrive at the Taiji Hall. He was waiting for the ministers to arrive. He would come forward and say a few words to each one who came. The King of Wei made friends with many ministers on his first day of attending the morning court."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "So?"

"Your Highness might as well do the same as him..."

"Haha..." Li Chengqian said with his hands in his pockets, "Qingque came early, so I must come earlier than him. Who are we going to kill by rolling around like this?"

In later generations, there would be no shortage of ambitious children like Li Tai, but as my brother, what would he want to do if he was so ambitious?
Behind Li Tai, there was a group of advisers and guests from the Prince of Wei's Palace chasing him hard, and he, Li Tai, had to fight for his life on the front line.

As he was speaking, he heard a cough.

Li Chengqian looked back and saw a middle-aged fat man, but he didn't care and continued to say to Li Ke: "If Qingque wants to show off, let him show off. It has nothing to do with me."

As he was speaking, the coughing sound behind him became heavier.

Li Chengqian frowned and looked back again.

Li Ke quickly bowed, "Nephew greets the Emperor."

This middle-aged, fat man was Li Xiaogong, the Prince of Hejian. He looked at the still frail figure of the Crown Prince and said, "The Crown Prince gave me the Red Tower, and now I am pretending not to know him."

"Ow..."

Li Chengqian finally came to his senses and bowed quickly, saying, "My nephew greets my uncle. I almost didn't recognize you after not seeing you for a long time."

Li Xiaogong scratched the stubble on his chin, hesitating to speak, and tried to organize his words several times.

There were also whispers of discussions in private. Before the morning court, everyone had someone to chat with, ranging from family matters to health, or if someone had a bruised face and nose today and was pointing fingers, it was probably because he was beaten by the shrew at home.

The people in Guanzhong are tough and have always been like this.

Li Chengqian put his hands in his pockets and bowed, "Uncle, what do you want to say?"

Li Xiaogong stretched out a finger again and scratched the stubble on his chin. His big eyes like copper bells stared, and there was a hint of blackness under his eyes. It seemed that he had not rested well in the past two days.

“You…” He sighed heavily and said, “I have been hurt so badly by your Highness.”

"Why does the emperor uncle say that?"

"As the crown prince, you sent the Red Tower to my house with just one sentence. The scholars in Chang'an City came to my door one after another and asked me to hand over the Red Tower."

Li Chengqian asked curiously, "Has it been handed over?"

When Li Shimin was still the Prince of Qin, Li Xiaogong always called Li Chengqian "boy". He still calls him that now, which is fine. The Prince of Hejian is the most amiable and easy to talk to among the royal family members, and also the most unrestrained among the royal princes.

At that time, the world was in chaos and Li Yuan started his army in Jinyang. Since then, the four generals of the royal family have been known, including Li Daoxuan, Li Shentong, Li Xiaogong and Li Daozon.

The four generals of the royal family each had their own unique personalities, but now only Li Xiaogong and Li Daozon are still alive, which is such a pity.

But now, Li Xiaogong has long lost his military power and serves as the Minister of Zongzheng Temple in the Zongzheng Temple, entering retirement state early.

"Originally, I wanted to throw the Red Mansion away and put an end to it, but those scholars were ignorant, so I asked for three thousand strings of cash per volume, and those scholars scolded me even more fiercely. Now I have become notorious in the streets."

Three thousand guan for one scroll? It was said to be Mr. Cao's original, but it was all written by Sister Ning'er. If she knew about this, I wonder what Sister Ning'er would think?
(End of this chapter)