The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 181 Teacher's Family Affairs
This year's autumn rain made Guanzhong wet. Rain kept falling from the eaves. The rain was not heavy, but even such continuous rain caused the water level of the Guanzhong River to rise a lot.

Three new workshops were built in Weinan County, and Jingzhao Prefecture spent a lot of money in this county.

These costs must be recovered.

After Yan Qinli and Guo Luotuo finished talking, Pei Xingjian took his men to monitor another workshop, which was a paper and wood recycling workshop that collected waste paper and waste wood.

Originally these things were worth some money in Chang'an, but Weinan County wanted to make them more valuable, so they wanted to make a different kind of cardboard.

Pei Xingjian picked up a piece of rotten wood and whispered, "If we can't use it, it will be a waste."

Yan Qinli asked, "Are the craftsmen sent by Jingyang still useful?"

Pei Xingjian had a black beard, and because he was still a young man, his beard was dense and soft. He was walking in the autumn rain passing through a jujube forest.

A child held a few winter dates in his dirty hands.

The winter jujubes in Weinan County are very large, larger than those in other places in Guanzhong.

Pei Xingjian tasted a date and said with a smile: "The dates from Weinan are still sweeter."

The child ran to his parents who were picking dates.

The child's mother said, "Mr. Pei is very busy, don't disturb him."

The child's father sighed, "The county magistrates in the past would not have walked around the county for so long. The county magistrates nowadays are all different."

As he spoke, the child's father gave his child an approving look.

Today's county magistrates are indeed different from before, and it is very difficult to change a person's mindset.

The Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace doesn't like to reason with others, and he doesn't like the method of trying to stop a boiling pot by adding more water.

Instead of preaching or waiting for a person to change his ideas, it is better to directly replace him with someone who is more suitable and has the same ideas. There is no shortage of such people in Jingzhao Prefecture now.

Two more county magistrates were dismissed this autumn, and they would soon be replaced. Faced with the privileges given to the prince by the emperor, after they took off their official uniforms, they had no choice but to consider themselves unlucky.

The prince is a wise crown prince and the emperor trusts him greatly.

The achievements of Jingzhao Prefecture are there, and they are firmly placed on the shoulders of all the counties.

Pei Xingjian walked to a canal and asked Guo Luotuo, who was walking towards him, "Can soapy water also be used for irrigation?"

Guo Luotuo leaned forward and looked at the canal, whispering, "Originally it was not allowed, but it will be allowed after adding some things."

Sometimes Pei Xingjian really didn't understand what Guo Luotuo was thinking, and even if he asked, he would say something incomprehensible.

Most of the time, Pei Xingjian would no longer ask about it.

Sometimes, Pei Xingjian would ask himself in distress, what was he doing?
In Chang'an shrouded in autumn rain, everything seemed much quieter, with only the rustling sound of raindrops.

People always feel lazy when it rains.

Guanzhong is peaceful and everything is getting better and better. What a wonderful cause.

Li Daozon sat alone in the government office of Jingzhao Prefecture, because there was no one else here except himself.

Everyone is out busy, so it's good to be here, quiet and peaceful.

He looked up at the map of Guanzhong hanging nearby. Xu Jingzong was probably still watching the autumn flood in the Jing River. It always made people feel at ease to have such a capable subordinate.

Li Daozong had a file in front of him, thinking about how hard they were working. "I am the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, how can I be negligent?"

After some preparation in his mind, he picked up his pen and was about to write when he suddenly heard the clerk at the door say a few words.

Looking up, I saw a tall figure walking towards Yanei.

When the people came up to him, Li Dao Zong retracted his gaze and continued to look at the file in front of him, whispering: "Zhijie, what are you doing here?"

Cheng Yaojin looked at the person sitting seriously, and moved closer to examine him more carefully.

"Say it."

Li Dao Zong's tone became heavier.

Cheng Yaojin said lazily: "Several generals have returned to Chang'an. Feng Ang from Lingnan said he would hold a banquet in Pingkangfang."

"What does it have to do with me?" Li Daozon still looked serious.

"Everyone knows that you, the King of Jiangxia, can do nothing in Jingzhao Prefecture except sitting and sleeping?"

"Who is spreading rumors about me?" Li Dao Zong raised his head again and said sternly, "Guanzhong needs to be governed and prosperous, and I have never slacked off."

Cheng Yaojin picked up a tea egg from the pot beside him, and simply sat aside, peeling the eggshell, and said, "It's up to you whether you want to go or not."

"Hmph." Li Daozon snorted coldly and continued to pick up his pen.

There was silence for a moment in Jingzhao Prefecture.

"That's right!" Cheng Yaojin suddenly slapped his thigh.

"What's wrong?" Li Daozon glanced at him sideways, his expression somewhat displeased.

"I heard that Fang Xuanling will also be there today, and there will be grape wine to drink." Cheng Yaojin finished the tea egg in his hand in a few bites, stood up, pulled up his belt, took two steps, and his boots made a dull sound on the ground.

"Wait!" Li Daozon stopped Cheng Yaojin who was about to leave and said, "How could Fang Xuanling go to that kind of place?"

"How would I know? I heard that Feng Ang also brought a lot of fruits from Lingnan."

Li Daozong was stunned for a moment. Not a single word had been written on the file in front of him. He only left a stroke and the last stroke was not completed. He quickly stood up and said, "Fang Xuanling can go to Pingkangfang? It's really rare. If he can go, I must go to meet him. How can this be absurd?"

After saying this, the two of them walked out of Jingzhao Prefecture together.

The clerk at the door bowed to the two people in front of him with a smile on his face.

As soon as he left Jingzhao Prefecture, Li Daozong said in a serious tone, "It is because of Fang Xuanling that I went to Pingkangfang today. Please do not disturb my official business again in the future."

Cheng Yaojin said impatiently: "Hurry up."

The two of them walked much faster from Jingzhao Prefecture to Pingkangfang. Even on a day with drizzling autumn rain, Chang'an City was still very lively.

Feng Ang had always been a free and easy person. As soon as he arrived in Chang'an City, he held a banquet to entertain all the heroes and good men of the time.

During the Wude period, Feng Ang accepted Li Jing's manifesto and surrendered to the Tang Dynasty.

To put it another way, Feng Ang did not want to fight Li Jing head-on, as who knows how many people would die if they did.

After surrendering to the Tang Dynasty, someone accused Feng Ang of treason. After all, Feng Ang was entrenched in Lingnan, which covered eight states and a territory of 2,000 miles.

He surrendered to the Tang Dynasty with the eight states of Lingnan, but some people were still suspicious of him.

Later, after Your Majesty ascended the throne, under the personal charm of Emperor Li, Feng Ang surrendered and no one was suspicious of him anymore.

There are also rumors that Feng Ang pacified Lingnan with seven arrows and was highly praised by Your Majesty.

Now that Feng Ang had returned from Jingzhou, he held a banquet and drank with all the heroes of that time.

In a restaurant in Pingkangfang, most of the generals from various departments in the court had arrived, and there was drinking and chatting.

Li Daozon walked in and picked a banana from the side and ate it, looking at Fang Xuanling in the crowd.

It is rare to see Fang Xuanling coming to Pingkangfang and drinking with everyone.

The tables in the restaurant were filled with fruits sent from Lingnan, and the fragrance of these fruits was intoxicating.

Does it mean that Fang Xuanling’s fierce wife would not care when he went out to drink?

Just as he was thinking, he suddenly heard a loud shout. The shout came from a woman, and everyone paused and looked at the woman holding a stick outside the restaurant.

Li Dao Zong hesitated and said, "Mrs. Fang... Madam Fang?"

Before anyone could say anything, they saw the woman walking out of the restaurant with Fang Xuanling in her arms with vigorous steps.

No one in the restaurant spoke until the figure disappeared.

Cheng Yaojin murmured, "There are dozens of generals here, but they are not afraid of danger. They picked up one person and escaped safely... Madam Fang is truly a heroine."

Cheng Yaojin's admiration was mixed with some sympathy for Fang Xuanling.

Everyone looked at each other, and continued to drink and eat fruit.

The hospitable Feng Ang invited everyone to continue drinking and eating fruit.

When General Feng Ang returned to the court, the Eastern Palace also received a batch of fruits. Originally, these fruits were intended for my father, but my father had the fruits delivered to the Eastern Palace.

"Brother, can we raise a few more ducks in Taiye Pond?"

"No." Li Chengqian sat under the eaves, reading a book and immediately refused, adding, "One duck is annoying enough."

Li Zhi grabbed the door frame with both hands and said aggrievedly: "It doesn't lay eggs just because it's the only duck."

"It has nothing to do with whether it lays eggs or not. When the duck is roasted, you will still enjoy eating it."

The words of his royal brother dealt Li Zhi another heavy blow.

He shook the door with a painful look on his face and said aggrievedly, "Royal brother!"

Ning Er, who had just returned from Lizheng Palace, hurried to the eaves. She stopped and whispered, "Your Highness, His Majesty is going to host a banquet for all the ministers today."

Li Chengqian was still flipping through the book, took a deep breath and said, "I know."

"This time the Queen is hosting the banquet again, and the generals are required to bring their families. The Queen has ordered the Crown Prince to go to Prime Minister Fang's residence to invite him."

Li Chengqian looked up at the rainy scene and asked, "Is there anything else you can give away in the East Palace?"

Ning Er asked in confusion: "What does His Royal Highness want to give?"

"It's definitely not good to have something too expensive. Let Xiaofu prepare a pot of soy sauce and a piece of braised beef."

"Yes." Ning Er was about to leave when she reminded him again, "Your Highness, please change your clothes. You have to be at the banquet as well."

"Ah."

Li Chengqian ignored Li Zhi's pleading eyes and changed his clothes in the bedroom. When he came out, Li Zhi still had the same expression.

"Chinu, the duck is still too young and not fat yet. I won't kill it. I hope it eats less."

Li Zhi lowered his head weakly.

When they arrived at the front hall, Xiaofu had already prepared a pot of soy sauce and a large piece of braised beef. He put them into a food box and handed it to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Li Chengqian walked out of the East Palace quickly, holding an umbrella in one hand and a food box in the other.

After the emperor brother left, Li Shen slipped out and whispered, "Don't worry, our emperor brother won't kill the duck easily. He is just trying to scare us."

Li Zhi sat down dejectedly, took an orange from the table beside him and handed one to Li Shen.

Dongyang saw this, holding the medicine book in his hand, and instructed: "Eat less, eating too much will cause internal heat."

Li Zhi chewed an orange and responded, "Yeah."

When walking out of the Eastern Palace, Li Chengqian saw that the eunuchs and maids in the palace were very busy.

He walked all the way to Chengtian Gate and met General Li Ji.

"Where's Xue Wanbei?"

Li Ji followed beside him and replied: "Wan Bei is on duty, and I have something else to do at home."

Li Chengqian walked on the wet ground in the imperial city. After his father finished his rest, the imperial city became busy again.

Compared to now, I don’t know why, but I prefer the appearance of the imperial city when my father was on vacation.

Now that my father is back, I always feel that everything is busy and messy.

The teacher's home is right on the edge of East Market, close to Zhuque Street.

When I arrived at the teacher's house, the door was closed.

Li Ji stepped forward and knocked on the door.

Li Chengqian took a step forward with the food box in his hand and walked under the eaves.

The person who opened the door was a young man. He was the teacher's son Fang Yizhi, whom he had met at the banquet in Xingqing Hall.

He looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old. He bowed respectfully and said, "Your Highness, I am honored to meet the General."

Li Chengqian asked: "Is the teacher here?"

"My father is here." Fang Yi looked towards his yard.

Suddenly, a woman's angry shout was heard from the yard, and there were some sounds of bowls and chopsticks being smashed.

Fang Yizhi showed a guilty look on his face, and quickly said: "Right now it is really... Alas! Your Highness, wait a moment."

He left the door half closed and hurried back to the yard.

Li Chengqian stood outside the door, feeling somewhat at a loss as to what to do.

Seeing the Crown Prince looking at him, Li Ji whispered, "I heard that Prime Minister Fang went to Pingkangfang for a banquet today. It was His Majesty who asked Prime Minister Fang to go."

Li Chengqian was puzzled and asked in a low voice: "Why is Father..."

"This..." Li Ji whispered, "Everyone in the court knows that Prime Minister Fang has such a fierce wife. Your Majesty and Prime Minister Fang have always been close friends. So you told Prime Minister Fang not to be afraid of his wife and let him go to the banquet. I heard about this matter at noon today."

The sound of footsteps stepping on water was heard in the yard again. The ground was wet due to the autumn rain.

Fang Yizheng smiled and opened the door, bowed and said, "Your Highness, please come in."

Li Chengqian walked into the yard. The teacher's house was very spacious. After all, it was the de facto residence of the prime minister of the dynasty.

The teacher was sitting in the room when a woman with a bright smile came out to greet him. She bowed and said, "I didn't know it was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who was coming. I didn't prepare anything. I'm sorry to have embarrassed His Royal Highness."

There were servants nearby sweeping up the broken bowls and scattered chopsticks on the ground.

Li Chengqian also bowed and said, "Greetings, Master's wife. My mother has ordered that Master and his family be invited to a banquet in the palace."

Madam Fang smiled and said, "I'm sorry to bother His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to make this trip. It's really..."

"No problem. I should come and have a look too." Li Chengqian politely handed over a food box and explained, "This is the East Palace's own soy sauce and braised beef. Master's wife can try it on weekdays."

Mrs. Fang was about the same age as the Queen Mother and wore simple coarse cloth clothes.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Mrs. Fang took the food box with a smile and did not refuse.

Li Chengqian glanced sideways and saw Fang Yizheng wiping the sweat from his forehead with a guilty look on his face.

Madam Fang added, "I heard Xuanling say that His Majesty asked him to go to Pingkangfang. His Majesty is such a great man, how could he let Xuanling go to such a place? That's definitely not the case."

"Master's wife is right." Li Chengqian replied. It must be said that even though Madam Fang had a smile on her face, the aura hidden beneath her smile was awe-inspiring.

(End of this chapter)