The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 178 Opening Plan

Li Chengqian looked at the fresh spinach in the basket again and said, "Uncle, do you want to take some home?"

Chang Sun Wuji waved his hand and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

"The spinach in this season may not taste good." Li Chengqian looked at Yu Zhining who was standing in the distance and asked, "Does Yu Zhanshi eat spinach?"

Yu Zhining bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your gift."

"General, take some home too."

Li Ji said, "Yes."

After several people had divided the fruits, Li Chengqian discovered that there were only a few spinach left in the basket. He then washed the spinach in the river and decided to take it back to the Eastern Palace to make soup.

After catching three or two fish, Li Chengqian walked along the river bank holding his fishing rod. As far as he could see, he saw some villagers busy working in the fields in the distance.

Guanzhong is about to enter the slack farming season, and in another two months, the various workshops hosted by Jingzhao Prefecture can also be started.

Li Chengqian was not in a hurry to return to Chang'an City, but walked along the river, chatting with his uncle about family matters.

Especially after hearing that Little Sizi wanted to become his disciple, Changsun Wuji smiled and said, "Does the little princess really have such a skill?"

Li Chengqian sat on the shaft of the carriage, one foot dangling, and said to his uncle who was also sitting on the other side of the shaft: "Master Yuan and Master Li Chunfeng said that little Sizi is a very talented person."

Zhang Sun Wuji nodded and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince must have spent a lot of time and effort on these children."

"I wouldn't say I'm too worried. My brothers and sisters are all very sensible. As the eldest brother, I just give them some guidance."

The officers and soldiers walked along the way. After the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace welcomed Duke Zheng, he did not return to Chang'an with Duke Zheng.

Instead, he walked along the official road and visited various villages and counties along the way.

There are rumors that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also has powerful abilities. His Royal Highness can tell the level of governance in each county by looking at the expressions of the villagers while they are working.

This time, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace came out to welcome Duke Zheng under the order of the Emperor. When the county officials learned the news, they became nervous.

He said he was here to fish, but he was actually here for inspection.

Changsun Wuji said, "Wen Yanbo often visits his uncle these days."

"Yeah, I heard about it."

“What should Guanzhong do next?”

Li Chengqian looked into the distance and stretched lazily, "Guanzhong still needs to accumulate wealth. The economic scale that has been supported in a short period of time needs to settle for a period of time."

"Is there anything I can do to help you?"

What my uncle meant was that if there was anything, he could help.

Li Chengqian pulled the reins to slow down the horse pulling the carriage. He hung one foot on the side of the shaft and bent one knee. He leaned his back against the carriage and thought for a moment. He said, "Jingzhao Prefecture needs to protect the villagers in Guanzhong. If Guanzhong wants to add a workshop in the future, I hope my uncle can give permission."

The carriage went all the way to Xianyang County. There stood a man on the official road. It was Liu Rengui, who had not been seen for a long time.

Li Ji rode his horse in front, pulled the reins and said loudly, "Why did Magistrate Liu stop us here?"

Liu Rengui said in a clear voice: "I learned that Duke Zheng left Longyou for Chencang to deal with Yu Ning's funeral. I am ashamed and willing to go to Longyou to settle the grudge."

He stood in front of the team, unable to see the prince who was being protected by the soldiers, nor could he hear the prince's reply.

After a long silence, Liu Rengui stood there, as if he would not give up until he got a reply from the prince.

Yu Zhining walked to the front of the team carrying a cloth bag, and smiled at Liu Rengui, "This is given to you by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Liu Rengui took the cloth bag in astonishment and asked puzzledly: "This is..."

Yu Zhining explained, "This is spinach. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince hopes that you will do your job well in whatever position you hold, and not be indecisive. If you dare to leave the county magistrate's jurisdiction without permission, it will be a small matter to deduct your salary, but if you delay the governance of Guanzhong, you will bear the consequences yourself."

I had never thought that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would allow someone to speak such harsh words.

Liu Rengui stepped aside and respectfully saw the prince off.

The team passed through Xianyang County and returned to Chang'an City.

For the children of the Eastern Palace, learning is a very important thing. Knowledge can be a weapon as well as power.

This sentence has been the core content that the Donggong class has adhered to since its inception.

How did people in previous dynasties teach princes?
Generally speaking, the princes would have a tutor, and most of the tutors would be respected people in the court, such as Fang Xuanling and Duke Zheng.

There are also great generals like Li Ji who come to teach the prince.

This is how Emperor Wu of Han was taught. Someone taught the young Emperor literature, or the art of war, or some knowledge of physiognomy.

I don’t know whether Emperor Wu of Han learned well or not at that time.

Li Shimin was looking at the children who were doing their homework and hearing Li Ji's report.

The conversation between the Crown Prince and Wei Zheng on the banks of the Wei River reached Your Majesty's ears.

Now Li Shimin felt that it was inappropriate for the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace to say that killing was a good thing.

Moreover, Cheng Qian likes to read books like Qi Min Yao Shu, so he should be a kind and gentle person.

Li Shimin looked through the governance files of the Guanzhong counties and waved his hand in distress, indicating that Li Ji could leave.

At night, Li Chunfeng looked at the starry sky, breathed the air here, and said to the little princess beside him: "The White Dew season has arrived."

Little Sizi was holding a pen and drawing on the paper. She drew the current appearance of the Big Dipper.

Li Chunfeng asked in surprise: "Your Highness Princess can find the Big Dipper?"

Little Sizi stood on a chair. Because her body was too short, she needed to stand on the chair to be able to draw stars on the table.

She replied, "Master Li, my brother taught Mingda how to find the Big Dipper."

The Big Dipper in the White Dew season is in the shape of an inverted spoon. He then asked, "Master Li, did Mingda draw it wrong?"

Li Chunfeng looked up at the starry sky, stroked his beard and said, "Well, you are worthy of being my disciple. You can find the Big Dipper in just one month."

Little Sizi said: "Mingda also knows about Taibai Jinxing. In fact, the position of Taibai Jinxing has a regular pattern. But my brother said that Taibai Jinxing is also the morning star. No matter where it appears, it follows its regular pattern."

Li Chunfeng nodded, "Your Highness Princess is right."

Little Sizi climbed down from the chair and said proudly, "Mingda's brother is also very capable."

Li Chunfeng whispered, "Your Highness the Crown Prince and I have different ways."

"What do you mean by different paths?"

Li Chunfeng smiled and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is not someone who would learn Taoism. Your Highness the Princess will understand in the future."

Little Sizi nodded slowly, "It's getting late, Taoist priest, please go to bed early."

She held the hand of her elder sister and walked back to the villa.

Little Sizi, wearing Taoist robes, looked at his sister who was holding a lantern and said, "Sister Dongyang, what does the Taoist priest mean by 'the Tao is different'?" The sound of flowing water hitting the river bank came from the Taiye Lake.

Dongyang held his sister's hand and whispered, "My brother is good at analyzing problems and things. He observes the problems in detail and explains them in more practical words. This may be the difference between my brother and the Taoist priest."

She continued, "Master Li is determined not to accept our brother as a disciple, which just shows that there may be a contradiction between our brother's knowledge and the knowledge of Taoism."

Little Sizi pouted unconvincedly and said, "My royal brother can also find the Big Dipper, Vega, and Venus."

Dongyang smiled and stroked the small strands of hair on her forehead, saying, "In fact, my brother is a very capable person. He is able to apply the knowledge of the Eastern Palace to many political affairs in the court. The learning ability that my brother has shown in the past two years has left many people dumbfounded."

Little Sizi only understood half of what he heard, so she could only tell him what she heard, and whispered, "Master Li said that my brother, like him, is a person who knows the mysteries of heaven and earth. Therefore, my brother does not need to worship Master Li as his master, nor does he need to learn from Master Yuan. The ability that my brother possesses is beyond the reach of thousands of people."

"If my brother understands the unique skills and secrets of Li Daochang, how will Li Daochang deal with it?"

Dongyang smiled with satisfaction and said, "Mingda is really smart."

Little Sizi said proudly: "Mingda is the smartest."

This is indeed a very talented sister, a wise and enlightened four-year-old child. Her talent is so rare.

Moreover, she has Taoist Master Li as her teacher and such a powerful royal brother.

After returning to the villa, little Sizi ran into his mother's arms.

Dongyang left first with Li Lizhi, holding a lantern.

Empress Changsun held her little daughter in her arms, looked at Zhinu who was arguing with Gao Yang, and sighed.

Sometimes, these children lived in the Eastern Palace for a long time, and the queen mother would miss them.

But after a long time, seeing these children will become annoying.

Now, Your Majesty no longer has the patience to listen to Zhinu's speech.

"Your Majesty, Taoist Li mentioned the White Dew season."

"Well, let's go back to the palace tomorrow. It's time to take care of these naughty children in the East Palace."

Empress Changsun smiled and said, "Only the Eastern Palace can control them."

The White Dew season has arrived, and a shower of rain falls in Guanzhong in the early morning, with fine rain pouring down on Guanzhong.

A group of soldiers came to Weinan County. They were from Jingzhao Prefecture, led by Yan Qinli.

Another team of officers and soldiers went to Weibei County. They heard that they were going to open up 200,000 acres of grape fields in the Linwei area east of Weibei and west of Tongguan.

Linwei is located in the eastern part of the Guanzhong Plain, where the sunlight, water and soil are very suitable for growing grapes.

Yan Qinli came to Weinan County for two reasons: one was to reclaim wasteland, and the other was that Chang'an City would need a large amount of green onions after autumn.

Weinan County Magistrate Pei Xingjian came to greet him in person. Pei Xingjian now had some black beard.

Seeing the other party's gaze, Pei Xingjian bowed and said, "Lawyer Yan, I am the youngest among the county magistrates in Guanzhong. I grow a beard so that they will think I am more stable."

Yan Qinli was not surprised. He said, "This year's melon harvest is good. After autumn, we must pay attention to the cultivation of winter jujube and sweet pear."

"I have already made all the arrangements. Yan Shuling will go to the county to check it out."

Yan Qinli walked into the county and walked with Pei Xingjian.

Weinan is located in the center of the Guanzhong Plain. It is also a key area for farming in Guanzhong and a major grain-producing county.

Yan Qinli said to him: "Jingyang and Weibei are now on the right track. Your Highness the Crown Prince is very concerned about Weinan."

"Yes..." Pei Xingjian smiled awkwardly, and then said, "It is said in Guanzhong that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince cannot bear to see wasteland in Guanzhong."

"I have a book here, take it and have a look."

"Yes." Pei Xingjian took the book respectfully.

I came to a field of green onions. The five hectares of land on the high plateau were planted with green onions. It was so lush and green, which was very pleasing to the eye.

Seeing that Pei Xingjian had already opened the scroll, Yan Qinli explained: "In the future, Weinan County will be divided into two districts, with a total of six townships. You are still the only county magistrate here, but you cannot do things carelessly. According to Jingzhao Prefecture..."

“Segment management.”

Seeing Pei Xingjian's quick response, Yan Qinli shook his head and said with some shame: "Some of my words are not as fluent as yours."

Pei Xingjian bowed and explained, "Yan Shuling has not been in Guanzhong for long, and I often read the articles of Jingzhao Prefecture. In fact, even if I don't know, the villagers who often listen to Jingzhao Prefecture's lectures will know. Now the counties in Guanzhong should not only learn by themselves, but also learn faster than the villagers."

Yan Qinli nodded: "Jingzhao Prefecture cannot be separated from these villagers. Instead, the county residents are the ones lashing out at us for the governance of the counties."

Pei Xingjian nodded.

Yan Qinli pointed to the officials who followed him and said, "They are all clerks from Jingzhao Prefecture. They can help County Magistrate Pei govern Weinan. They are well aware of the various strategies issued by Jingzhao Prefecture. This year, Weinan will open six workshops to concentrate manpower for production."

"Here."

Most of the people Yan Qinli brought were young people. The leader saluted and said, "Pei County Magistrate, I am Zhang Da'an, the clerk of Jingzhao Prefecture."

Only Yan Qinli knows Zhang Da'an's true identity. He is the team leader of the construction of Weinan County this time. He is also the son of Zhang Gongjin, the Duke of Tan. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince arranged for him to come to Weinan County for training.

Therefore, he specifically instructed not to casually use Zhang Da'an's identity to make matters worse, to let him be closer to ordinary officials, and not to have any special privileges.

Pei Xingjian bowed and said, "Meet Mr. Zhang."

Zhang Daan, who was only nineteen years old, also bowed and said, "Greetings to County Magistrate Pei. I hope you can give me more advice in the future if we have more contacts."

Pei Xingjian saw that the other party's demeanor and behavior were not at all like those of an ordinary young man, so he just nodded secretly.

The recorder of Jingzhao Prefecture was only an eighth-rank official, while Pei Xingjian was a county magistrate and a sixth-rank official. However, Jingzhao Prefecture raised the salary standards of all county magistrates to the fifth rank.

The Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace is in charge of the expenditures of the court, so as long as there is no objection in the court regarding matters such as salary increase, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince can naturally make the decision.

Facing the polite Pei Xingjian, Zhang Daan did not dare to be negligent at all.

In the palace, the emperor's summer retreat was over and he would be holding court in two days.

Li Chengqian brought his younger brothers and sisters to help his father clean up Ganlu Palace.

Li Shimin had a gloomy face because the children stuffed some things into his arms.

Li Chengqian peeled the pomegranate patiently, eating it one by one leisurely.

"I gave you the horse groom for the Eastern Palace, and you sent him to Weinan County right away?"

Li Chengqian explained: "I don't need too many people around me. Besides, Zhang Daan also wants to do something. It's better to take an official position in Jingzhao Prefecture and go out to gain some experience."

Li Shimin said with an unhappy look: "After Zhang Gongjin passed away, I have always felt indebted to their family, so I let him go to the East Palace."

"Then can't I arrange the official positions in the Eastern Palace myself?"

(End of this chapter)