The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 246 I thought the prince was just fishing
In front of the altar of the Sanqing Temple, some officials were worshipping in groups of three or four, while others were gathered together to discuss.

Li Chengqian stood on the high platform and noticed that the palace maid who had previously handed over the winter clothes returned to his mother's side.

Li Tai was standing in the audience. When he saw his brother coming down, he bowed and said, "Congratulations, brother."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Next year, Qingque, you will be twenty years old."

The two brothers walked together, following the officials who were also leaving.

"It seems that there is an arrangement between my uncle and my father recently?"

"Qingque has not heard any news recently." After saying this, Li Tai suddenly recalled and said, "However, during the winter hunt, my father and uncle often talked. They were all discussed when they were away from home. It seemed that because of the flood in Shanzhou, they planned to build a Yu Temple in Shanzhou."

Li Chengqian hesitated and said, "I feel like there's more to it than this."

Li Tai seemed to be thinking about something, and also frowned and said nothing.

Walking from the Sanqing Hall to the Taiji Hall, Li Chengqian looked at his younger brother and said, "Mr. Wang Gui is old now, please take good care of him."

"Don't worry, my royal brother. Qingque has stopped letting the old gentleman read the files of the Comprehensive Geography these days, so that he can rest assured and enjoy his retirement."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly, and the two parted in front of the Taiji Hall.

The emperor returned to Ganlu Palace and after paying homage to Laozi, he would open court the next day.

A eunuch carefully packed up a winter coat made of cotton. He instructed the other palace maids beside him: "This winter coat was given to Your Majesty by the Crown Prince. Your Majesty loves this coat the most. You must take good care of it."

Several palace maids bowed and said, "Yes."

The old eunuch stayed by His Majesty's side with a smile on his face.

In February of the 12th year of Zhenguan, just after the Laozi ceremony ended, Guanzhong was greeted by another rain, announcing the arrival of spring.

Today, Xu Xiaode, the Minister of Works, also mentioned something, that dams should be built along the Tongguan and Weihe Rivers.

King Li Tai of Wei submitted a memorial, saying that when he was compiling the Comprehensive Geography, he discovered the reasons why the river course had changed several times in ancient times, and he agreed with the Ministry of Works to build the river course.

The emperor ordered the matter to be handed over to the crown prince and the King of Wei to assist in handling.

The idea was proposed by Xu Xiaode, the Minister of Works, and the evidence was provided by Prince of Wei Li Tai. The person who presided over this matter was the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.

At noon, after the morning court session, Li Chengqian, Li Tai and Xu Xiaode were summoned to the Ganlu Palace for lunch.

Inside the palace, Li Shimin asked the palace maids to present all the food, and then he drank tea and said, "Eat first."

Xu Xiaode first spread a huge map on the floor of the hall, so that the layout of several rivers in Guanzhong could be seen at a glance.

Li Chengqian held a bowl of millet rice and looked at the blueprint and said, "Fortunately, Qingque supports it, otherwise this idea might be opposed by court officials."

Li Tai asked curiously, "It turns out that my brother has already made preparations."

After saying this, he looked at his father hurriedly. How could he say in this way about joining forces with court officials to submit a memorial? It was not right.

Li Shimin's expression was calm as he asked, "I thought you brothers had already discussed this."

The atmosphere in Ganlu Temple was a little awkward for a moment.

Xu Xiaode lowered his head and dared not speak.

Li Tai hurriedly bowed and said, "I really don't know what your brother's intention is, but building a dam will benefit the country."

Li Chengqian held a bowl of millet rice and explained, "When my father was hunting in Mount Li, I did not do nothing. Otherwise, why would they think I was fishing in various rivers all day long?"

Xu Xiaode smiled awkwardly at the King of Wei and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince often goes out fishing. Some people say that this is his hobby, but in fact it is to observe the river. Whenever he comes back from fishing, the Crown Prince will send the drawings to me at night."

Li Chengqian added: "Fishing is indeed my hobby, there is no need to describe me as a man of great talent."

Li Shimin looked at the tea in the bowl without saying a word.

Xu Xiaode smiled even more awkwardly. He was not the kind of person like Xu Jingzong who would flatter others smoothly, nor was he good at flattery. He felt like he had said something wrong after a few words.

Li Tai was eating noodles and looking at the blueprints. He knew very well that if Xu Xiaode became the Minister of Works, then the entire Ministry of Works would be under the command of the Crown Prince in the future, including the Shaofujian under the Ministry of Works.

Asked: "Is this dam different from an ordinary dam?"

Hearing the King of Wei's question, Xu Xiaode explained: "The purpose of the silt dam is to block the silt, and it can also be used to create farmland. If it is implemented well, the use of silt to create farmland can increase the acreage, and crops can be planted on both sides of the river in the future."

Li Shimin put down his tea bowl, picked up a bowl of soup noodles beside him, and ate while listening to his two sons' stories.

Li Chengqian said, "First, build five silt dams. The manpower will be assigned to Jingzhao Prefecture. Qingque and Minister Xu can rest assured about this. Qingque will be in charge of the construction. What do you think, father?"

Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "Since we have already made preparations, then you brothers can make the arrangements."

Li Chengqian bowed and nodded, "My uncle told me the story of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty controlling floods."

Thinking back to the time when I started the rebellion in Jinyang, so many years have passed. Since I ascended the throne, I have unknowingly become estranged from many of my old friends.

A look of loss flashed in Li Shimin's eyes. In all these years of interacting with his uncle, except for Cheng Qian, it seemed that he had become much more distant from the old man.

After having their meal in Ganlu Hall, Li Tai and Xu Xiaode left quickly.

Li Chengqian placed his chopsticks on the bowl, bowed and said, "Father, some people say that I focus on the construction of the workshop. In fact, Guanzhong has always been the foundation of our Li family. This concept has always remained unchanged in my heart."

The silt dam was first built in the Ming Dynasty, and now it will appear in the Tang Dynasty as early as possible.

The Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace is already in charge of the construction power in Guanzhong. This power is granted by the emperor. As long as the emperor permits, he can directly issue orders to the Crown Prince without the need for an imperial decree.

The prince's decrees always went directly to Jingzhao Prefecture, which then passed them on to the counties in Guanzhong and summoned civilians to start building silt dams.

When Jingzhao Prefecture allocated manpower, Yan Qinli and Xu Jingzong immediately gathered militiamen in Chang'an City.

Hou Junji, who was still building a canal with his soldiers, saw a group of militiamen standing in front of the gate of Jingzhao Prefecture. He pulled over an old stonemason and asked, "What are you doing?"

The old stonemason looked at the teams of militiamen in front of the gate of Jingzhao Prefecture and said, "Most likely there is an arrangement."

Hou Junji frowned and said, "Does the prince have another plan?"

The old stonemason explained: "Don't worry, we get paid to work for Jingzhao Prefecture. When there is work to do, these people rush to do it. My children have also gone."

After that, the old stonemason pointed at a young man among the villagers and said, "That's my child."

When Hou Junji saw that the slabs had been laid to his side, he hurriedly poured mud down. This mud was also provided by the Ministry of Works. The officials of the Ministry of Works said that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had given the formula to the Minister of Works.

It is this mud that is now used in building ditches.

The old stonemason replied, "Don't worry, General. The Crown Prince used this kind of mud to build the house in the East Palace. It is very solid. If it was not easy to use, the Ministry of Works would not have arranged it this way."

Li Tairong had to make much preparation because the people from Jingzhao Prefecture had already gone there. He went to the Wei River the next day and started the construction from now on. By the time the water level dropped in the summer, the project would be completed.

On the bank of the Wei River, Li Tai rode his horse to the riverside. Xu Jingzong ordered people to build a simple wooden shed here for county officials from all over the country to report the militia.

Xu Jingzong bit a Hu pancake in his mouth, pulled up his belt, and said to the militiamen: "You must be proactive in your work, and you will be paid. If it is not completed before the busy farming season, I will not be able to deliver the goods, and your wages will be deducted."

After saying this, a group of militiamen started working swiftly.

Xu Jingzong bit the biscuit in his mouth and directed: "Can those guys over there swim?"

"Reply Shao Yin, I'll swim later!"

Xu Jingzong, still biting a piece of cake, handed each of them a long pole and said in a vague manner, "Go into the water and measure the water level."

"Here."

Li Tai rode his horse closer, dismounted and watched as a group of officials from Jingzhao Prefecture were directing the militiamen to do their work skillfully. They were wearing official uniforms but were still able to chat and laugh with the militiamen in the villages. Hundreds of militiamen gathered together, working with laughter and joy.

Even when they were beaten and scolded by officials from Jingzhao Prefecture, they still looked smiling.

These are the officials under my brother the Emperor. Just by looking at them, you can feel that these people understand the folks in Guanzhong very well and get along very well with them.

Li Tai handed the reins of the horse to the guard beside him, stepped forward quickly and said, "Xu Shaoyin."

Xu Jingzong bowed and saluted, "Your Highness, Prince of Wei, we are ordered by the Crown Prince to assist Your Highness, Prince of Wei, in repairing the silt dam."

Li Tai forced a smile and said, "My brother's decree has just been issued. You prepared the personnel in less than two hours yesterday. Today, I am a little too late to prepare."

Xu Jingzong said quickly: "Your Highness Prince Wei, please don't say that. We are already used to this style of doing things, and it is a bit rash."

Having lost some weight recently, Xu Jingzong felt that his belt didn't fit him well. Without saying anything, he pulled up the belt and tightened it at the back.

Soon, Shangguan Yi and Guo Luotuo also rode up on horseback. The visitor bowed and said, "I am Shangguan Yi, the director of the Hongwen Academy."

Guo Luotuo dismounted and said, "I am Guo Luotuo, the Minister of Agriculture, and I have been ordered to supervise the repair of the silt dam."

Li Tai looked at everyone with his hands behind his back.

These people stood in front of me, coming quickly and speaking very quickly.

For a moment, Li Tai didn't know how to arrange them, so he walked into the straw hut and sat down.

The ice and snow had just melted and the rain was still falling, so the weather was not very warm. Several militiamen who had just jumped into the river climbed up the river bank again and inserted poles to mark the water level into the river.

Li Tai said, "Just follow your way of doing things in the past. Xiao Wang is only responsible for supervision."

"Here." Shangguan Yi took out a few files and said, "These are records of the river in recent years. They include changes in the width and height of the river. The Ministry of Works previously planned a total of five silt dams. I think that seven silt dams can be built all the way to Luoyang."

Li Tai looked at the volumes of files. In fact, he had read the records of river channel changes since the compilation of the geographical records. Shangguan Yi's ability was quite good.

It has been three years since Xu Jingzong took office as Shaoyin of Jingzhao Prefecture and Shangguan Yi took office as the director of Hongwenguan. During these three years, those few inconspicuous people have become the most capable ministers of the Eastern Palace.

Guo Luotuo said, "I'll go check the riverbanks in various places. The busy farming season is coming soon. I'm following the orders of the Crown Prince. When we're building the silt dam, we can't delay the spring ploughing."

Several people were standing in the shed, still talking.

Seeing that he couldn't get a word in, Li Tai also walked outside. He found that Guo Luotuo was actually looking at a blade of grass and observing it for a long time.

Then Guo Luotuo stood up and walked away.

Li Tai followed in his footsteps.

Guo Luotuo looked at a ditch and said, "Your Highness, King Wei, this is the karez."

Li Tai looked at the ditch and wondered, "It must have been difficult to build the karez back then."

Guo Luotuo brushed off the dirt in his hands, stood up and said, "Yes, in the eyes of the people in the counties at that time, Xu Jingzong was a cruel official."

He smiled in relief and said, "The current Xu Jingzong is still a cruel official, but the counties are more willing to listen to his orders. Besides, the karez is a creation of great wisdom, and the silt dam is the same. If the construction of the silt dam can form silt land, it can indeed create farmland."

"The construction of the silt dam has increased the farmland on both sides of the river. Secondly, it is also for the safety of the downstream and to prevent the floods in many areas east of Luoyang. Most people in the world do not know the ambitions of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. We officials can only understand His Royal Highness's intentions from the changes in Guanzhong."

Li Tai looked into the distance. His elder brother was now twenty years old, and had grown stronger and established a solid foundation.

The officials under the Eastern Palace were not only from Jingzhao Prefecture, but also talented people from Chongwenguan. They were spread across various counties in Guanzhong as well as Tongguan and Luoyang.

The people of Jingzhao Prefecture, together with Xu Xiaode, the Vice Minister of Works, many compilers of Wei Wang Mansion, Guo Zhengyi, a scholar of Hongwenguan, and others, finally came to the conclusion that three silt dams should be built at the same time and completed before the summer.

Looking from the Wei River, you can see poles erected in the river with bamboo baskets hung on them. The changes in water level can be seen by watching the rise and fall of the bamboo baskets.

A line of poles stretched downstream, with several visible every mile.

In order to build the silt dam, the people of Jingzhao Prefecture, the Ministry of Works, and militiamen from various counties spent half a month making preliminary preparations.

Construction began just after the Grain Rain season.

Li Tai did not return to the Prince of Wei's palace these days. Instead, he lived by the river with many officials, built small houses here, and lived with local militiamen.

Only Prince Li Tai of Wei had a separate room, which was guarded by guards.

Perhaps many years later, Li Tai will ride his horse here again, relax by the Wei River, and when he sees this place, he will miss his time here and use his knowledge to benefit a place, or even Guanzhong.

This made Li Tai feel excited. Now that the Li Tang Dynasty was just showing signs of prosperity, everything he had learned could be used in its construction.

What we learn is not for fame or profit, but to benefit the world.

Li Tai felt an innate sense of responsibility in his heart, a feeling he had never experienced before.

On the 15th day of March in Guanzhong, the first silt dam built had just taken shape, but it was washed away when the water was released.

Standing in the heavy rain, Xu Jingzong pointed at the collapsed dam and shouted at everyone: "Damn it! How could this happen!"

(End of this chapter)