The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 204 The Prince's Property

Li Zhen added: "My father knew that the construction of the Hexi Corridor was presided over by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. It was right for Li Yifu to drive away the horses and sheep. These horses and sheep are nothing compared to the renovation of the city and the county."

Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "I've said that."

There was a slight breeze, causing the candle flame to sway slightly.

Li Chengqian said: "Actually I don't care about this matter."

Li Zhen felt more at ease.

Li Chengqian continued, "As the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, I will naturally protect the Hexi Corridor and the herdsmen's property."

Seeing the prince pouring tea for him, Li Zhen quickly said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

"Mr. Ying's family business can naturally remain in the Hexi Corridor."

Li Zhen nodded and said, "Yes."

"Let Li Yifu come back. The Hexi Corridor has been repaired almost completely."

"The general understands."

Li Chengqian stood up and said, "It's getting late, let's go back."

"I will retire at the end."

After tidying up the Secretariat, Li Chengqian blew out the candles there, closed the door, and looked from afar, he saw Li Zhen walking towards Suzaku Gate under the moonlight.

After thinking for a while, Li Chengqian did not go to the Eastern Palace, but went straight to the Lizheng Hall.

At this moment in the Lizheng Hall, little Sizi was talking to his mother about what he had learned from following Taoist Master Li today.

My father sat aside, reading a book and chewing dried dates.

Seeing her son coming, Empress Changsun said with a smile, "Chengqian, I prepared some Tremella soup, but Sizi doesn't want to eat it."

"Royal brother!" Little Sizi ran over quickly and hugged his royal brother's legs, just reaching his knees.

Li Chengqian picked her up and frowned, saying, "Little Sizi has grown taller and heavier."

She grinned and said, "Mingda, draw the star map according to the emperor's way. It will be easier to remember this way."

Pointing to a picture, she smiled and said, "This one looks like a horse, this one looks like a bear, and this one looks like a bow..."

Connecting some stars together to form pictures is also to help little Sizi remember better, but in terms of the explanation, Sizi still uses the Taoist way to tell the story.

Connecting the dots on the star map to form patterns will help her recognize them more easily and allow her to give full play to her imagination.

After putting Xiao Sizi down and handing him to his mother, Li Chengqian picked up a bowl of Tremella soup and sat in front of his father to eat.

The prince sat in front of the emperor naturally without his father offering him a seat.

Li Shimin still had the dates in his mouth and asked, "How does it taste?"

Li Chengqian finished a bowl of Tremella soup and nodded, "It tastes good, the soup is sweet and refreshing."

As soon as the prince put down his bowl and chopsticks, a palace maid took them away.

Li Shimin glanced at his daughter who was painting, and asked, "Did Li Ji's son come to see you?"

"That's what I was just about to say."

Li Shimin nodded, signaling him to speak directly.

"The renovation of the Hexi Corridor has reached the final stage. Let Li Yifu come back."

Li Shimin put down the book, closed his eyes and said, "Li Yifu has made great contributions to the restoration of the Hexi Corridor. How should we reward him?"

The queen waved her hand slightly and asked all the palace maids in the hall to retreat, leaving only the emperor and his family in the hall.

"I heard that when Li Yifu first came to take the imperial examination, he had many conflicts with the children of the aristocratic families, and even had a fight in front of the Suzaku Gate."

"Ah."

Li Chengqian folded his hands and said, "Let him join the Imperial Censorate and transfer him to Luoyang as an Imperial Censor."

"what for?"

"I am not familiar with Li Yifu, so I will send him to Luoyang to hone his skills and see what he is capable of."

"Why? Wasn't the Hexi Corridor enough for him to hone his skills?"

Li Chengqian shook his head and explained, "No, I don't intend to smooth out this man's edges. On the contrary, I hope that this man's edge can be sharper. If he really wants to be an enemy of the aristocratic families, then after he goes to Luoyang, his edge will definitely be sharper."

Li Shimin was about to speak when he heard his son continue.

"Let General Li Daliang come back as well. Replace him with a general to guard the Hexi Corridor. It would be best if he is the son of Lord Ying."

Empress Changsun sat aside and listened to the conversation between father and son, which had a certain flavor of exchange of interests and game.

Cheng Qian can let Li Yifu come back, but he also asks his father to withdraw Li Daliang as well.

"No." Li Shimin shook his head and said, "The situation in Hexi is not stable yet."

"That's good." Li Chengqian said again: "Let Yinggong's son go to the Hexi Corridor, and let Minister Duan come back."

He opened his eyes slightly and looked at his son. He seemed to have figured out something and nodded in agreement with a normal expression.

With that, Li Chengqian prepared to leave, "I will not disturb my father and mother's rest."

Xiao Sizi said: "Brother, Mingda wants to go to the East Palace."

Seeing his sister catching up with him, Li Chengqian picked her up and after getting the queen mother's nod, he took her to the Eastern Palace, where Li Lizhi and Dongyang could take care of her.

After the two children left, Empress Changsun put away her daughter's pictures one by one.

The palace was still very quiet. Without the queen's permission, the palace maids stood outside the palace and dared not enter.

After a long while, Empress Changsun finally spoke: "I'm afraid Cheng Qian has other plans."

Li Shimin looked at his wife's smile and said, "You seem to be somewhat happy?"

"My son has grown up and has his own plans. As a mother, I am naturally happy."

Li Shimin wiped his face with hot water and whispered, "Cheng Qian wants to make the entire Hexi Corridor his property."

Empress Changsun helped her husband take off his coat and said, "What's wrong with this? If the Hexi Corridor really becomes Cheng Qian's property, if something unexpected happens in the future, with this child's skills, he will definitely be able to save the Hexi area. Besides, he has always been a good child and thinks of everything."

Li Shimin said nothing.

"Your Majesty, if Cheng Qian can defend the Hexi Corridor, it may not be a bad thing for Your Majesty. If you have concerns, you will not agree to Cheng Qian."

"What? Is Cheng Qian going to separate from me in the future? I won't bother with the child."

Whenever I hear my husband's arrogant words, as a wife I can only smile helplessly. This family remains the same.

It was late at night, and as soon as little Sizi arrived at the East Palace, he ran to play with Li Zhi.

Seeing that the prince who had just returned looked tired, Ning'er prepared hot water.

In the quiet bedroom, Li Chengqian listened to his own breathing, sat in the bucket, and felt the temperature of the hot water.

Feeling heavy with sleepiness, Li Chengqian took a bath and went to bed early.

The next day, at dawn, two decrees were issued.

Li Yifu was recalled and appointed as the Censor of the Censorate, and was sent to Luoyang.

Recall Duan Zan, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War.

Li Zhen was transferred to the Hexi Corridor. The plaque on the door of Li Ji's mansion had been changed.

Li Ji looked at his son standing in front of him, and talked to him for a long time until he heard the decree.

After listening to his father's explanation, Li Zhen finally realized that the matter of the Hexi Corridor had never been a matter between his family and the prince.

It was an exchange between His Majesty and the Crown Prince.

"Father, I'm afraid I said something wrong last night."

Li Ji whispered, "No problem."

How could anyone have a say in the imperial family affairs? This time, it became a sway between the emperor and the prince.

Li Ji felt very relieved, at least the prince was thinking about his family.

"From now on, our family business is not important. You must take care of the Hexi Corridor after you go there."

"My child understands."

Li Ji stood with his hands behind his back and said, "Military orders cannot be delayed."

Li Zhen walked out of the house quickly, jumped on the horse, held the reins in one hand and held the imperial edict in the other, and galloped on the still empty Zhuque Street.

Just before leaving the city, he held up the imperial edict and said loudly, "I am ordered to be transferred to the Hexi Corridor. Military affairs must not be delayed. Open the city gates immediately."

It was not yet time to open the city gate, but when they saw the people coming and shouting, they hurriedly opened the city gate and let the people go.

When preparing to attend the morning court, Li Chengqian saw the general and said with a smile, "Mr. Ying."

Li Ji bowed and said, "Your Highness, I am ashamed."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "General, don't be ashamed. It was my negligence."

What happened last night had its consequences early in the morning. In the transaction between the emperor and the prince, huge changes occurred in the Hexi Corridor.

First, Li Yifu, who was in charge of repairing the Hexi Corridor, was transferred back, and even the assistant minister of the Ministry of War was recalled.

Li Ji's son was transferred to the Hexi Corridor to serve as the commander of the Hexi Dao Zhechoufu, but was still under the command of Li Daliang.

Duke Ying's family business remained in Hexi, and Duke Ying's son went to the Hexi Corridor to oversee the crown prince's renovation work in the Hexi Corridor.

In the future, Donggong and Li Ji will be very close.

Once the Hexi Corridor is repaired, there will be more merchants from the Western Regions traveling between the border areas. Will they bypass the Hexi Corridor? This is impossible.

At the morning court session, His Majesty did not mention the reason for the two edicts, and no one mentioned this matter.

A month later, it was February in Guanzhong and the weather was warm but still cold.

The temperature was very low at night. Li Yifu returned to Chang'an earlier than Duan Zan. After receiving the imperial edict in the Hexi Corridor, he handed over all matters to Li Zhen and rode back in a hurry.

Li Yifu had originally planned to arrive before Minister Duan, but now he had no choice but to ride his horse and wander in front of the city gate of Chang'an.

There was a curfew in Chang'an City, and the city gates would not be opened for a newly appointed censor like himself.

No wonder Minister Duan slowed down his pace by half a day. It turned out that he had calculated the pace in advance, and when he arrived in Chang'an, the city gates would be opened just in time.

As a result, Li Yifu gave up the idea of ​​staying in Chang'an for a short time. He went directly to Luoyang to report according to the imperial edict without reporting the affairs of the Hexi Corridor to the court.

"Gee!" Li Yifu shouted and rode his horse towards Luoyang.

As they moved forward along the Wei River and were about to reach the border of Weinan, Li Yifu pulled the reins and asked the horse to stop.

Then he comforted his tired warhorse and slowly walked into the village in front of him.

The sound of horse hooves and the snorting of war horses were very clear in the night, and they kept going until they stopped in front of the county government office of Weinan County.

Pei Mingli, who had lived in Hedong for a long time, was very sensitive to the sound of war horses, and he woke up from his sleep.

He first climbed up the wall, and seeing that there was only one person on a horse coming here, he asked, "Who is it?"

"Li Yifu, the Censorate, is here to see Magistrate Pei."

When he learned that Pei Xingjian was now the magistrate of Weinan County and the Hexi Corridor confirmed the news, he felt lonely.

They both passed the imperial examination and entered officialdom together, but a year later, they were completely different.

However, Li Yifu now has a changed mood. He has made contributions to the repair of the Hexi Corridor. He is a civil servant who entered the officialdom through imperial examination. He has no qualifications to join the army, so he can only continue to work as a clerk.

He is now the Censor, no worse than Pei Xingjian, and this is the confidence in his heart.

The door of the county government slowly opened, and Pei Xingjian walked out quickly. He looked at the other party and said with a smile, "Li Yifu? I thought you would arrive in two days."

In the night, Li Yifu had a scruffy beard and his face was not good-looking, and he looked a little embarrassed.

Pei Xingjian invited the man into the county government office and asked, "Is there anyone bullying you in the Hexi Corridor?"

Li Yifu was about to say that he was bullied by General Li Daliang, but he stopped talking. It was not really bullying, as he was given a lot of instruction.

Seeing that he was hesitant to speak, Pei Xingjian said, "Now you don't have to worry about anyone bullying you. You are the Imperial Censor. If someone dares to hit you, you can sue him. They will all be afraid of you."

Li Yifu took a sip of cold water, then took a piece of cake handed to him by Pei Mingli and wolfed it down. He was really hungry.

Pei Mingli is still making a living by doing business, and he plans to do something big this year, but currently he is still living in Shouyue's office. If he has free time, he will serve tea and water to Shouyue like he is doing now.

In fact, Shouyue has said many times that they are all fellow villagers and friends, so there is no need to act like this.

No matter what, if I can gain a foothold in Chang'an in the future, Shouyue's kindness in taking me in is too great, and I must repay him.

Li Yifu knocked on his chest, choking because he ate too quickly. He finally swallowed the food and felt better after having something in his stomach.

Pei Xingjian smiled and said, "I heard that you are going to Luoyang to take up your post this time."

"Ah."

"Many people died in Luoyang last year. Now the flood control in Luoyang is in charge of by His Royal Highness the King of Wu. Ma Zhou will temporarily take over as the governor of Luoyang and take charge of all Luoyang affairs."

After that, Pei Xingjian smiled and said, "I don't need to tell you all this, you should already know it."

Li Yifu nodded heavily, picked up the second pancake and continued to stuff it into his mouth.

"Rest here for one night, and then head to Luoyang tomorrow morning. We'll set off at daybreak."

"Thank you, County Magistrate Pei, for taking him in."

"You're welcome. Although we are just acquaintances and have only met a few times, I admire you for being able to build four counties in the Hexi Corridor all by yourself."

It was late at night, and Pei Xingjian said with a smile, "As you please."

Pei Mingli helped wash Li Yifu's warhorse, fed it some grass, and then went to rest.

Tonight, Li Yifu fell into a deep sleep. He was grateful for the prince's guidance, but after returning, he still could not see the prince.

As soon as it got a little brighter, Li Yifu woke up. He walked out of the county government office, took the dry food that the other party had prepared for him, and said, "Thank you."

Pei Xingjian urged, "Write a letter when you arrive in Luoyang."

"Okay." Li Yifu grinned, rode on the horse and looked around. Many county residents had already come out for a walk.

There are many workshops in Weinan County, and you can only see what it looks like clearly at dawn.

But he didn't have time to take a closer look. Li Yifu rode his horse all the way towards Luoyang. Now he felt that at least he had friends. He didn't mean to curry favor with them, they were just friends.

Pei Xingjian calmed himself down and continued to be busy with county affairs. Sometimes he thought, how nice it would be if he could also visit the Hexi Corridor.

I will update at the same time tomorrow, yes.

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(End of this chapter)