The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 199: New Year Approaching
It was deep winter in the twelfth lunar month and the New Year was about to begin. The wind and snow were still falling at night. Li Chengqian and his sister passed by Ganlu Palace and saw his father who was discussing something with his uncle and teacher.

Under the light, one could still see my father waving his sleeves as he discussed with them.

The figure moving around from time to time is most likely my uncle. He always hesitates when faced with some choices.

The teacher sat aside and seemed much calmer.

Li Chengqian leaned over and whispered a few words to the little Sizi beside him.

She nodded heavily and hurried into the Ganlu Palace.

Looking at the back reflected in the window, the emperor picked up little Sizi, and laughter was heard in the hall again.

Soon, the teacher and uncle came out of the hall.

Seeing the prince standing in the snow outside the palace, Fang Xuanling smiled and said, "So it's His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who is here."

Li Chengqian bowed and said, "Teacher, it's getting late, uncle, please go back early."

You can also hear the conversation between Xiao Sizi and his father in the hall.

Walking in the snowy night, with a eunuch holding a lantern beside him, Li Chengqian said: "This winter is not bone-chillingly cold, but there is too much wind and snow."

Fang Xuanling nodded slightly, and some snowflakes hung on his beard.

The three of them walked, with the prince in front and the eunuch holding a lantern and bending over.

Li Chengqian asked again: "It's so late, it's time to go home and rest."

Fang Xuanling whispered, "Your Majesty is still arguing about the Lingyan Pavilion."

Li Chengqian asked curiously, "Do you really want to keep my name on the list of Lingyan Pavilion?"

Changsun Wuji suddenly smiled and said, "Your Majesty has never mentioned it."

Fang Xuanling asked, "I heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been reading military books recently?"

Li Chengqian let out a long breath in the cold wind, which turned into a cloud of white mist. He said, "My grandfather mentioned this at the banquet yesterday. When he saw me reading the military reports from previous years, he would naturally ask a few questions."

Fang Xuanling whispered: "I have heard some rumors."

Changsun Wuji also nodded to indicate that he had heard about this.

"Everyone has his own strengths. It is still a bit difficult for me to learn these military knowledge."

In fact, this is just like his father who could not understand the current governance strategy of Guanzhong. Li Chengqian found that he had to learn knowledge related to military strategy, which was difficult to understand without a foundation.

Take the Dao, Heaven, Earth and Law for example. From my own understanding, this set of knowledge is still interdisciplinary.

It has been like this since ancient times. A general must not only have a lot of experience, but also have sufficient analytical skills.

With the mentality that there is no harm in reading more, I read a few more volumes.

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "My uncle used Grandpa Li Shentong's experience to teach me not to judge a hero by his success or failure. A long time ago, my uncle also taught me to understand that desires are hard to satisfy and that I should know when to stop."

"People should enjoy themselves, what do you think, teacher?"

Fang Xuanling smiled and said, "With the small achievements in Guanzhong now, Your Highness the Crown Prince should also enjoy himself."

Changsun Wuji also burst out laughing.

Li Chengqian stood here for a moment after bidding farewell to his teacher and uncle at Chengtian Gate, until he saw the lanterns that were guarding his teacher and uncle being submerged in the wind and snow.

The prince then walked back to the East Palace.

Li Daoyan was on duty at Chengtian Gate. He watched the prince walk towards the East Palace in silence.

The guard at the side said: "Your Highness the Crown Prince really respects Duke Zhao and Prime Minister Fang."

Li Daoyan glanced at him and said in a serious tone: "Don't talk about the prince in private."

"Here."

The guard stood up straight again after hearing this.

In fact, there are many people who talk about the prince in private, and some of these words are good and some are bad.

Li Daoyan couldn't control others, but he could control the mouths of his subordinates.

The next day, which was the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, when the wind and snow stopped, Li Chengqian left the palace and walked in the fields and countryside with General Li Ji.

This is Sanyuan County. Li Chengqian looked up and saw a few big words written on the wall: Be diligent and thrifty, respect your job, and get rid of poverty and become rich.

I saw the general standing beside me looking at him in a daze.

Li Chengqian explained: "In fact, as long as the construction of Guanzhong is mainly based on the villagers, such words will naturally come out."

Seeing the general's puzzled expression, Li Chengqian explained: "They are just some small targets, General, don't worry about them."

Li Chengqian held a fishing rod and a bamboo basket of earthworms and asked, "Are there any boats ready for today?"

"Return to your highness, I am ready."

The carriage stopped by the Weishui River. Li Chengqian came to the river where a small boat was parked. He stepped onto the boat and felt the hull swaying on the river.

Li Ji picked up a long wooden pole and pushed the boat away from the shore. The hull began to slide on the water, cutting through the fine ice on the river surface.

After rowing a small boat on the river for a distance, you can see a bridge spanning the two banks in the distance.

Li Ji looked into the distance and said, "This is Xianyang Bridge."

The Xianyang Bridge looks very big, spanning the north and south banks of the Wei River, but the bridge is a bit old.

Li Chengqian recalled the poem “My parents and wife saw me off until the dust covered the Xianyang Bridge”. This bridge carries many memories. The development from ancient times to the present has produced many stories on the north and south banks of the Weihe River.

"Was it also here that Father and Jie Li held the alliance?"

Li Ji smiled and said nothing, but continued rowing the boat.

The boat passed under the Xianyang Bridge and between the wooden pillars under the bridge. These pillars were very old, and because of the fluctuating water level of the Wei River, there were some traces of water level lines on their surface.

The nearly 400-meter-long bridge looks even older when viewed up close.

At this moment, there were still many merchants traveling back and forth on both sides of the Xianyang Bridge, and even quite a few Hu girls were walking around.

Li Ji put down the oars and the boat stopped in the middle of the river.

Li Chengqian put on the bait and threw the fishing line into the river.

Soon, guards caught up with them on the river bank. They drove away the vendors, the foreign girls and the merchants, and dispersed all the merchants on both sides of the river closest to the prince.

However, Li Chengqian simply ignored all these situations and continued to sit in the boat and fish with his hat on.

Those merchants had no idea what law they had violated. After being driven away, they could only blame themselves for their bad luck and go to the other side of the Xianyang Bridge to do business.

Looking from the bridge, you can see two men wearing bamboo hats sitting in a boat, each holding a fishing rod, fishing.

Someone kindly shouted towards the bridge: "Hurry up! The soldiers are coming to chase us away."

The voice echoed under the bridge, but the two men were unmoved. The lady who was shouting said "these two men are asking for their own life or death" and quickly left the Xianyang Bridge.

"The Crown Prince went fishing and cleared out all the merchants in Xianyang Bridge. I will most likely be impeached."

Under the bamboo hat was a sharp-edged face. Li Chengqian lowered his bamboo hat and said, "If I say that the person fishing here is not me, will the censor believe me?"

Li Ji said: "Every trip of the prince will be recorded, he can't escape it."

Li Chengqian caught a fish. The fish in the center of the river was not very fat, but a slender bream. The fish was too small.

Disappointed, he put the fish back into the river and said, "Don't bite my hook again, or I will dry you into a dried fish." After saying that, he let the fishing line go again.

Sitting down again, Li Chengqian took out a pancake from his arms. The pancake was filled with braised beef in soy sauce. If it is recorded in history books in the future, Xiaofu will undoubtedly be the ancestor of future chefs.

Li Chengqian felt somewhat guilty.

Li Ji drank the wine and said, "Your Highness, do you need me to pour some wine?"

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "That's not necessary."

The other side of the Xianyang Bridge became bustling again. Since the Prince of Gaochang came to Chang'an, more and more people from the Western Regions have been accompanying him.

When he saw the villagers in Guanzhong selling raisins to the people in Gaochang, he was very happy.

As the year draws to a close, everyone is preparing for the tenth year of Zhenguan.

Li Chengqian took out a book, which was Jingzhao Prefecture's discussion of the papermaking process in Jingyang County. It contained many assumptions, so he began to read it patiently.

If we discuss this further, we will inevitably have to mention how to use production technology to improve production methods and increase productivity.

Talking about production technology in the Tang Dynasty is a very troublesome thing.

Xiangrui is very tired.

While the prince was still fishing on the Xianyang Bridge, Du Zhenglun returned to Chang'an City. He walked to Chengtian Gate and took out his token, and then the guards took him directly to see His Majesty.

Li Shimin is watching Yan Liben painting. Although he says his skills are not as good as his brother Yan Lide, Yan Lide is still working on flood control in Luoyang.

Du Zhenglun was led by the guards to the back of His Majesty and saluted, "Your Majesty."

Li Shimin's eyes were still on Yan Liben who was painting. In fact, he already had a portrait of Du Ruhui, which needed to be improved.

"I think his eyes should be brighter."

Hearing this, Yan Liben frowned and took the paper down. He could not make any changes, so he could only redraw it.

I don't know how many times he has redrawn the picture. He holds the brush and draws each stroke very carefully.

Du Zhenglun is reporting the situation in Luoyang to His Majesty.

Li Shimin asked: "So, after Ke'er captured those grain-hoarding families, he distributed all the grain?"

"Your Majesty, not only that, His Royal Highness the King of Wu also asked the villagers in each county to return to their fields and refill the flooded fields to drain the water."

Li Shimin nodded with satisfaction and said, "I thought he would find a way to come back."

As he was speaking, Li Shimin looked around with a guilty conscience, and then lowered his voice and instructed: "I will arrange for someone to go to Luoyang again."

Du Zhenglun reported: "Your Majesty, I have also found out that Jingzhao Prefecture has sent a lot of people to Tongguan. It seems that the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace has made some arrangements for Tongguan."

"I know about this. The prince has told me about it."

"One more thing."

"explain."

"Master Cui Ren asked someone to intercede and send several beheaded bodies away. Ma Zhou only found out about this afterwards, but he didn't ask about it."

Li Shimin nodded to indicate that he could leave.

"My minister retire."

Du Zhenglun bowed and saluted, then left quickly.

The attendants around His Majesty always come and go in a hurry, and His Majesty always gives instructions in private.

Du Zhenglun is capable and His Majesty has great trust in him.

Yan Liben whispered, "Your Majesty, how about this one?"

Li Shimin finally nodded with satisfaction and said, "This is what Keming looks like."

Yan Liben put his brush aside and bowed again, saying, "I heard that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei wrote a poem about the Eight Horses at a banquet. I remembered the horses that Your Majesty rode on his expeditions. Can I paint them and keep them?"

Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "No need."

"Your Majesty, the Zhaoling Mausoleum is being renovated, and all the emperors of previous dynasties have had their own carriages accompanying them."

Perhaps because of what happened before, Li Shimin felt somewhat averse to these things.

Yan Liben continued, "Your Majesty, this is etiquette."

"Let's talk about it later." Li Shimin left a word and quickly left with the scroll in his hand.

Yan Liben stood there, frowning in distress.

After returning to Ganlu Hall, Li Shimin opened the painting again and looked at it carefully, thinking about what happened that year.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a figure walking into the hall. It was my daughter, who was wearing a light blue dress.

"What are you doing here?"

Li Lizhi first asked the maid behind her to put the scrolls on the table. She explained, "My brother said that my father has been trapped in political affairs for a long time. I want to bring some scrolls to my father to help him relax."

As the eldest princess of the Tang Dynasty, Princess Changle is only fifteen years old. She is very graceful and treats people like an elder sister.

If this daughter didn’t speak so much like Cheng Qian.

Li Shimin would feel more relieved.

Li Lizhi walked to her father's side, poured a bowl of tea and said, "Everything at home has been arranged very well. Father, do you still have any worries?"

Li Shimin picked up the tea bowl and took a sip, then picked up the book his daughter brought, opened it and his face darkened.

"Father, these are the strategies of the Eastern Palace. I think you should also understand what my brother is doing."

Li Shimin just glanced at it, and for some reason he felt a little dizzy again, and asked, "What are you doing, brother?"

"Today, my brother went fishing."

"fishing?"

The old eunuch who was serving beside him replied at the right time: "Your Majesty, the prince is fishing at Xianyang Bridge, and he will most likely be back by now."

The life habits of the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace are actually very simple. He will definitely return to the palace before dark every day.

The prince now is not the same as he was in the past, so it’s no big deal even if he spends the night outside.

It’s just that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is the eldest brother in the Eastern Palace, and he needs to be strict with himself and set a good example for his younger siblings.

The life of the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace is very simple. On weekdays, he either handles government affairs or reads books in the Eastern Palace. It is said that his Highness the Crown Prince has dabbled in books from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Book of Han, and even the Taoist astronomical studies.

Or go fishing in his spare time, or visit the elders in Chang'an City.

Apart from toys for his younger brothers and sisters, the Crown Prince does not even have any toys for entertainment. To be honest, the Crown Prince likes to practice archery, and the bow and arrow and fishing rod are his Highness' toys.

From the perspective of lifestyle, not drinking alcohol is not a good habit.

His other living habits are simply role models for young people of the same age in Chang'an City.

Li Shimin looked over and saw his daughter rummaging through the bookshelf. He asked unhappily, "Why? Are there any valuable items in my Ganlu Palace that you haven't taken to the Eastern Palace?"

Li Lizhi took out a booklet from a compartment and when she opened it, she saw names and titles of various dukes.

(End of this chapter)