The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 186 Du Zhenglun

The conversation was interrupted by the report of General Yuchi. After all, it was a prince's trip, so it would not hurt for the emperor to make some extra preparations when he heard about the troops deployed in Mount Xiao.

Li Chengqian caught a fish and felt much better when he saw the palm-sized grass carp.

"Over the years, I have been thinking, if all of you are gone, what will I do alone?"

Chai Shao looked at the lake and said, "I am still here."

Looking at Chai Shao's gray hair, Li Shimin felt a little reluctant. He withdrew his gaze, looked into the distance and started talking about the past again.

Good brothers who haven't seen each other for a long time have endless things to talk about for days and nights.

Leaving the space to his father and uncle, Li Chengqian carried the fish basket and left Taiye Lake with his catch.

Chai Shao looked up at the prince's back as he walked away. He whispered, "Your Highness, your expression is somewhat similar to Xiuning's."

It’s been so many years since what happened, but he’s still stuck in the past.

Li Shimin stood with his hands behind his back, looking up and saying nothing.

In Chang'an City, Quan Wanji submitted a memorial on the water situation in Luoyang, which caused a discussion in the Secretariat, and then the King of Wu decided to go to Luoyang to control the flood.

On the third day of King Wu Li Ke's expedition, in the autumn day, under the clear sky in Chang'an City, the sunlight shining on the body can make people feel a little warmth.

Du Zhenglun, who served as a regular attendant in the court, came to a house and bowed to the owner.

Du Zhenglun was a scholar during the imperial examinations of the Sui Dynasty. His reputation was not outstanding at that time. He only served as a cavalry captain in the army. Later, he entered the Qin Mansion and worked in the Literary Institute.

After all these years, I am now middle-aged. After Your Majesty ascended the throne, I was promoted from the editor of the Literature Museum to the Ministry of War.

The owner of this house is Cui Renshu of the current Boling Cui family.

Du Zhenglun behaved properly, even though he was not on good terms with the other party. This time he was ordered by His Majesty to come here to lobby.

The Cui family of Boling was different from the aristocratic families in other places. They were a true aristocratic family that had been entrenched in the Boling area of ​​the Central Plains for hundreds of years.

Since the Eastern Han Dynasty and even in the Xin Dynasty, there were many people of high moral character in the Boling lineage. The ancestors of the Cui family were even on good terms with Zhang Heng and Ma Rong.

It’s just that after the changes of dynasties, the descendants have changed and the situation has also changed.

They became an important family in the Central Plains, a clan entrenched in one area, one of the seven surnames and ten families.

Even though their power is not as strong as it used to be, their remaining connections, disciples, and even the influence of their branches in the local area cannot be underestimated.

Some people no longer care about their ancestors' family traditions. They feel that they are still a towering tree with deep roots, constantly absorbing nutrients from the peaceful world today to recover from the injuries they suffered in the war.

Cui Renshu teased the cricket in front of him and said, "This Guanzhong is really not fun. All the crickets I raised died."

Seeing Du Zhenglun still standing in front of him, Cui Renshu closed the lid of the pottery jar, covering up the crickets' chirping. He stretched lazily and said, "Did the emperor ask you to come?"

Du Zhenglun looked serious and said, "That's right, where is Master Cui Ren?"

"Brother, it will probably take a while." Cui Renshu stood up with unsteady steps, his thin face with sunken eye sockets.

This body looks like it has been drained of energy and blood by long-term bad habits, and the face doesn't look good either.

Du Zhenglun stood there without saying anything, waiting for the person he wanted to meet.

Cui Renshu walked around Du Zhenglun, sizing him up and said in a hoarse voice, "Oh, the official uniforms the emperor gave you look pretty good."

After saying this, Cui Renshu looked amused and reached out to touch the other person's official uniform.

Du Zhenglun reached out and grabbed the other person's wrist.

Cui Renshu said with a sick smile: "I just want to touch your official uniform..."

"Ah!" He let out a scream in the middle of his words.

Du Zhenglun twisted his wrist and said in a deep voice: "Don't touch my official uniform with your hands."

"Oh... it hurts, it hurts so much." Cui Renshu was twisted so hard that his whole body bent down. He wailed, "Let go! Let go!"

Hearing the master's shout, the servants all gathered around.

Du Zhenglun stood among them, listening to the wailing of this young man from a noble family. Surrounded by a group of servants, his momentum did not diminish at all and he had no intention of letting go.

"Master Cui Ren! If you don't come out, your brother's hand will be broken!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged man walked out from the back of the yard, holding a book in his hand and walking slowly.

The person who came was Cui Renshi, and the servants around him looked at the real master.

Cui Renshi stroked his long beard and said, "My cousin is not a good host. I will discipline him. Please let him go."

Only then did Du Zhenglun let go of his hand.

Cui Renshu fell to the ground, wailed for a long time, and then fled in panic.

Seeing this scene, Cui Renshi said, "If he wants to see me, why do you have to make things difficult for him?"

Du Zhenglun said: "His Majesty ordered me to come to see you and convey a message."

Cui Renshi put down the book in his hand and bowed beside the incense table. His movements retained the dignity that a famous official should have. He whispered, "What do you want, Your Majesty?"

Seeing that the servants were still here, Cui Renshi's expression darkened and he shouted angrily, "Get out of here!"

All the servants fled in all directions.

Du Zhenglun stood where he was and said, "I heard that someone from Boling wanted to marry a princess from Taiyuan. Your Majesty hopes that this matter will be dropped."

Cui Renshi suddenly smiled, closed his eyes and said, "I have no say in this matter."

"Okay then." Du Zhenglun continued, "Your Majesty will arrange for someone to deliver the letter."

"Is there anything else?"

Du Zhenglun looked at the other party and whispered, "There is one thing that has nothing to do with your majesty's order."

Cui Renshi whispered, "What's the matter?"

"The King of Wu went to Luoyang."

"I know. Go and control the water."

“Are your hands and feet clean?”

After understanding what was meant, Cui Renshi opened his eyes again and said with a somewhat unhappy look: "In that case, I will also say something private to you."

Du Zhenglun was about to turn around and leave, but he turned back and looked at him again.

Cui Renshi smelled the tea and said, "No matter who sits on the throne, whether it is the emperor who ascended the throne in Luoyang or the emperor who ascended the throne in Chang'an, I have seen enough. These emperors are all the same, just like Emperor Yang of Sui and Emperor Wen of Sui? Didn't these emperors do the same things?"

There was laughter in the yard again. It was Cui Renshu who was laughing.

Cui Renshi lowered his eyes and said, "These emperors are all the same."

Du Zhenglun left the mansion and closed the door behind him. He breathed in the fresh air outside and felt a little more comfortable.

Then he walked quickly along Zhuque Street to report to His Majesty. The construction and development of Guanzhong was in good order, which made Li Chengqian feel very satisfied. After seven county officials were dismissed from the twelve counties of Chang'an, the rest of the counties also became completely honest.

The newly built workshops in each county were jointly owned by Jingzhao Prefecture and the counties, and each took 50% of the profits.

Du Heluo proposed a system of individual workshop operation, in which several county residents would contribute money together to buy out some of Jingzhao Prefecture's assets in various counties.

As for the value of the assets of Jingzhao Prefecture and its counties, this is a matter of great debate.

Considering the negative side, this is also an important channel for Du He to send money to the court. Even if it is a huge sum of money to buy horse bones, as long as he is willing to pay.

Du He's current industry is very large. He not only owns soap, but also a not-so-large pig farm. There are three soy sauce workshops under construction in Guanzhong, and one of them belongs to him.

Therefore, Du He does not have permanent labor, and most of the labor force is short-term.

Although he was the money bag of the Eastern Palace, Li Chengqian felt that Du He had transformed from a mature businessman into an ambitious businessman.

His business model was the most avant-garde way of distributing labor, and he was also the first person to reap the benefits of this new production model.

He also had the guidance of Xu Jingzong.

Li Chengqian put the memorial aside, not because he didn't want to give Du He convenience, but the time when Guanzhong was not yet ripe for him to undertake the construction was just was not right.

Although his heart is good and he is loyal enough to the Eastern Palace.

Today is the first day that soy sauce from Weibei enters Guanzhong. Jingzhao Prefecture is very concerned about the buying and selling of soy sauce in Guanzhong.

Three thousand pots of soy sauce were sold on the first day it entered Chang'an City. It became a dipping sauce for mutton or a seasoning for cakes.

A pot of soy sauce that cost twenty cents was in such short supply in Chang'an City.

Li Chengqian was very satisfied when he saw the account book Yan Qinli handed over. He smiled and said, "The exported goods have increased again."

Yan Qinli said, “Your Highness, after the soy sauce workshops in Lantian County and Gaoling County are built, Guanzhong can sell more.”

"Municipal taxes must be collected at the source of production, and we must not let our guard down."

"I understand."

Inside Jingzhao Prefecture, it was still very quiet. Li Daozon was sitting alone in the government office, having just written a few words.

"Prefect, General Cheng is here."

Li Daozon took a deep breath, and a voice in his heart reminded him to do his job well and not to slack off, never slack off again.

Before the prefect's permission was granted, Cheng Yaojin strode in. Tongling looked around with big eyes and asked, "What's wrong? Where are the others? Why are you alone?"

"Di Zhixun is the magistrate of Jingzhao Prefecture. He must be present at all county trials. Yan Shuling has gone to see the crown prince."

"Where's Xu Jingzong? Isn't he here?"

Li Dao Zong closed his eyes, intending to reject Cheng Yaojin's invitation, and said, "Xu Jing Zong said that the money cannot all be earned by those merchants. He wants to form a caravan and let this caravan go east out of Mount Xiao, so that the villagers in Guanzhong can earn more silver after a year of hard work."

Cheng Yaojin suddenly laughed out loud, "Haha! It turns out you are the only prefect who has nothing to do."

Li Dao Zong said in a deep voice: "A certain family naturally has something to do."

As soon as he finished speaking, a pottery pot was placed in front of him. Li Dao Zong picked up his pen and put it down again, wondering, "You bought soy sauce too?"

Li Daozon knew that half of the profits from the soy sauce business that Jingzhao Prefecture cooperated with the counties would belong to the counties, and half of the profits would belong to Jingzhao Prefecture and the court.

All officials in Jingzhao Prefecture did not receive a penny, only salaries.

However, after the money entered the court, it was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who arranged the expenses.

Cheng Yaojin whispered, "Someone has discovered a new way to eat soy sauce."

Li Dao Zong asked curiously, “Really?”

"There's some beef at home, do you want to go?"

Li Dao Zong sat upright, hesitating for a long time with his eyes closed, and said seriously: "I am on duty!"

Cheng Yaojin put away the pot of soy sauce again and said disdainfully: "Don't blame me for not telling you. By then, you in Jingzhao Prefecture won't even know how to use and eat soy sauce, and Chai Shao is here too."

The government office was quiet for a while.

Li Dao Zong took a deep breath and said, "It's not easy to brew soy sauce. Now it's sold out in one day. I can't help but go and see the color of the sauce. It's also what the Jingzhao prefect should do."

Cheng Yaojin had already walked outside the door and said, "Why don't you hurry up?"

Li Dao Zong sighed in frustration, stood up hastily, and complained, "Zhijie, if anyone says that the prefect has left his post without permission, it's you who has harmed me."

Cheng Yaojin walked with big strides, raised his head and said, "Everyone knows that you have nothing to do in Jingzhao Prefecture all day long. Leave early and settle down early."

Li Dao Zong said sternly: "Zhijie, I will say it again, I am very busy in Jingzhao Prefecture."

"Yes Yes……"

Hearing the other party's perfunctory words, Li Dao Zong hesitated and waved his sleeves to stop, saying regretfully: "I should have severed my friendship with you in the beginning."

Many generals had gathered by the Qujiang Lake. Li Daozon followed Cheng Yaojin into the banquet. When he first took office as the prefect of Jingzhao, he was indeed very busy. He had to take care of all the big and small matters in Chang'an City, and even had to ask Duke Zhao to arrange people to help.

Two years have passed. Now that Jingzhao Prefecture is fully staffed, I, as the prefect, feel a little lost for some reason. It's not like I'm idle as Cheng Yaojin said. It's just that there is less I can do than before.

Or it is because Xu Jingzong, Yan Qinli and Di Zhixun are indeed very capable.

Half a month later, Guanzhong entered deep autumn, and the Frost Descent solar term had just arrived when the first report from Luoyang was delivered to Chang'an City.

This was the first report Li Ke sent after he went to Luoyang.

On a clear yet bleak afternoon, beside the pond behind Xingqing Hall, the leaves of the ginkgo trees had already turned yellow. As the leaves fell, a pile of fallen leaves formed at the roots of the trees.

There were three eunuchs sweeping up the fallen leaves.

The pond had long since turned into an ink pool, with a hint of ink scent wafting through the pitch-black water.

Li Chengqian walked to the edge of the pool and watched his father pursing his lips as he concentrated on putting a puzzle together. His long beard touched one side of the puzzle, and he reached out and placed the puzzle on the other side of the board.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is here."

The eunuch at the side gave a reminder.

Li Shimin then noticed his son standing beside him and whispered, "I asked the Ministry of Works to take the puzzle back and redo it. They want to divide the big puzzle of Guanzhong into several pieces. I told them several times that I want a complete piece and they are not allowed to separate it."

Li Chengqian sat down and put the tea handed to him by the eunuch aside.

People need to have hobbies, and cultivating hobbies is a very worthwhile thing.

My father likes jigsaw puzzles, which is a simple hobby but also very interesting.

The father and son sat at a table, and Li Chengqian quietly helped his father put together a jigsaw puzzle.

By the quiet pond, it seemed as if time was passing very slowly. The Crown Prince, who seemed short before, was now as tall as His Majesty as he sat next to His Majesty.

(End of this chapter)