The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 272: Rest? Rest?
Li Chengqian walked down the high slope of Longshouyuan in a good mood.

Li Ji added: "There are still some complaints about the price proposed by the prince in the court and the public."

"It's already a price, so of course the more the better. Besides, Lu Dongzan wasn't sold by the pound."

The cold wind blew across the plain. Li Ji followed the prince with his soldiers. Suddenly he sighed and wondered, "Does His Royal Highness the Prince still regard Lu Dongzan as a human being?"

He should be treated as a human being, otherwise Lu Dongzan would not be on duty at Sifang Pavilion.

As for the prince's character, he once cursed Taoism and God in the East Palace.

It was probably because His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was young and ignorant back then.

Li Ji believed that he had followed the prince for many years and had a very fair understanding of his character, especially the good side.

What I said to Lu Dongzan was the reality. The reality is that even without him, the Tibetans can still eat and drink as usual.

Li Chengqian asked, "Mr. Ying, aren't my words too hurtful?"

Li Ji clasped his fists and said, "Your Highness, every word you said to Lu Dongzan was sincere."

"Yeah, I think so too."

It would be too sad if Lu Dongzan and Songtsen Gampo were still thinking about each other even though they were separated by distance.

The flow in Longshou Canal is calm, but the water levels in the tributaries in Guanzhong have risen this year.

Li Chengqian was wandering around the territory of Longshouyuan when the crown prince came out for inspection. From the time he left the city an hour ago to half a minute after he arrived at Longshouyuan, the news had already spread to all the counties.

The county magistrates who were on leave opened the county government offices early and came to work during the leave, for fear that the prince would see them on leave.

Li Keshi rode his horse to the Longshou Canal.

Li Ji asked in a clear voice: "Master, what do you want to report?"

Hearing this, Li Keshi looked at the prince who was standing by the canal, and seemed to be counting the leaves on a dead tree by the canal.

"Your Majesty has ordered me to ask, Your Highness, do you really want to cut the salaries of the princes of the royal family in half this year?"

After he finished speaking, Li Ji turned around and looked at the prince.

Li Chengqian still looked up at the leaves on the dead tree, with his hands in his pockets, and asked, "What? King Peng realized his mistake and decided to hang himself?"

Li Keshi replied: "After the Prince of Hejian and the Prince of Jiangxia beat up Prince Peng, they were driven out of Chang'an City."

"So that's it."

Upon learning that it was indeed the prince's arrangement, Li Keshi went to report.

The reduction of the royal family's salary was so decisive and shocking that the Crown Prince did not even consult with the Zongzheng Temple.

Then think about it, this prince is in control of the court's expenses and has increased the salaries of officials at all levels in the court by 30%.

In this case, it’s nothing.

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Does Lord Ying have any concerns?"

Li Ji said quickly: "I have no worries. Your Highness is in charge of the court's expenses, and all the departments in the court are convinced."

"Yes, if King Peng really starved to death, it wasn't me who killed him, was it?"

Li Ji shook his head and smiled bitterly. The prince's thoughts were really hard to guess.

This winter is very calm, but there is a little more wind.

When he returned to Chang'an, Li Chengqian heard another piece of news. Because the regular salary of the royal family was reduced by half, when Prince Peng left Chang'an, he was robbed by the princes of various royal families, and all the money he brought with him was looted.

As for this matter, it came into the hands of the Zongzheng Temple, and the Prince of Hejian, the Minister of the Zongzheng Temple, once again took sick leave.

In fact, he was not sick at all, and he turned around and went to drink with Li Daozon.

The Jingzhao Prefecture was very busy during the rest season, so busy that there were almost no people in the government office. Most people were still running around the counties, and would not submit the day's reports until dusk.

Therefore, starting from noon, it is very quiet here.

If some good friends had not come to visit him, Li Daozon would really feel like a lonely widower, guarding Jingzhao Prefecture all by himself.

Li Xiaogong was drunk, his old face flushed with alcohol, and said, "Those royal family members are very troublesome."

Li Dao Zong took another sip of wine, sighed, and said, "These are all family affairs. Just don't let outsiders interfere, otherwise it will be a mess."

Even if Li Xiaogong is not in tune with the situation, he can always figure it out. It is best not to let outsiders interfere too much in Li Tang's family affairs.

The prince immediately cut off the connection between the Eastern Palace's in-laws and the royal family.

The Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace has always been strict in his actions, but now he seems to be very polite, probably because he just got married, so Your Highness gives him some face.

If anyone still has any intention of taking advantage of the in-laws in the future, I'm afraid the outcome will be even more ugly.

The Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace was strict with the entire royal family. With just one sentence, he reduced the salaries of all the princes and dukes of the royal family.

Li Dao Zong drunkenly said: "Because of the words and deeds of one person, all the relatives of the royal family were punished. No prince in the history of the dynasties has ever been so harsh."

The two were drinking when a clerk outside the door came in hurriedly and said, "Someone from the palace has arrived."

Hearing this, Li Dao Zong's drunkenness disappeared instantly. He packed up his wine bowl and wine pot and said in panic, "I said I couldn't drink with you, but now it's all right."

Li Xiaogong looked at his flustered appearance and laughed even louder, slamming the table.

"Still laughing." Li Dao Zong glared and said in a low voice, "Put away the wine bowl."

It was too late to say anything. The eunuch from the palace had already arrived at the main hall. The eunuch first smelled the aroma of the wine, then looked at the wine still warming on the stove beside him, and said with a smile: "Today, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince practiced calligraphy, and brought two sets of calligraphy for you two."

As he spoke, the eunuch asked the craftsman behind him to hand over a framed plaque. He looked around and looked at the wall above the first seat. He said, "It's empty there, just hang it there."

Several craftsmen came forward and hung the plaque up with great effort.

The eunuch nodded in satisfaction and said, "That's good."

Li Daozon looked up at the plaque. There were four big characters hanging above his head: Perform your duties conscientiously.

Before anyone could speak, the eunuch said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince has also practiced calligraphy, which he is giving to the Prince of Hejian."

"Oh?" Li Xiaogong was not afraid of being discovered drinking in the government office, but said, "Bring it here and show it to me."

Another plaque was handed over, with four words written on it: Justice in the Heart.

The eunuch said, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that the two uncles have worked hard over the years, so this should be considered as a return gift for the wedding gift. I hope the two uncles will accept it."

Li Dao Zong said: "Please report back to the Crown Prince. We will definitely not let His Highness down."

The eunuch nodded with satisfaction and led his men away.

In the palace, Li Chengqian was taking a walk with his newlywed wife, telling her how the palace here was built.

The couple was supposed to be taking a stroll that made others envious, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was talking about how much money was spent on the palaces in the palace, as if he was counting the money.

She couldn't help but feel a sense of responsibility, which came from the word "mistress". Her husband was the crown prince, and he was in charge of the money and grain dispatch in the court. As the wife of the crown prince of the East Palace, she had to face more things.

His Highness did not tell me what happened to my uncle. Later, the Queen asked my mother to visit the palace. Only then did Su Wan hear about what happened to my uncle from my mother who came to visit.

The prince easily resolved the matter.

Speaking of responsibility, there are so many unique children in Donggong.

The learned Princess Changle, the medically proficient Princess Dongyang, the gifted Xiao Sizi, and the remaining brothers and sisters.

Realizing that the prince was holding her hand, Su Wan felt the warmth of his palm and felt at ease.

"Zhi Nu, you're fighting again!"

When I walked back to the East Palace, I heard Li Lizhi's scolding.

Li Chengqian took his wife to sit next to his grandfather.

Little Sizi came over holding a stack of files and said, "This was sent from the court. My brother has beaten Zhang Jianzhi again."

Li Chengqian nodded with a smile, "Go and persuade your sister."

Su Wan was also a little confused.

Finally, Li Zhi, who was beaten, stood in front of the East Palace gate with grievance, "Grandpa is partial."

Li Yuan said: "Haha, your father is also partial."

Li Zhi hesitated to speak.

Noticing Su Wan's gaze, Li Chengqian smiled and signaled her not to worry and not to care.

Listening to Li Zhi acting like a spoiled child to his grandfather, Su Wan understood that although this family was harmonious, each family had its own temper.

Later, Li Zhi compromised. After admitting his mistake, he took his brother Shen with him to sweep the floor as punishment.

Speaking of Zhang Xuanbi and his son, I don’t know if it was bad luck, but after being beaten by Li Yifu in Luoyang, they rushed to Chang'an to file a complaint.

However, he was stopped by Li Jingheng, although it is unknown what he said to Zhang Xuanbi.

These two younger brothers seemed to have a conflict with Zhang Jianzhi, so Zhinu beat Zhang Jianzhi again and treated it as a fight between children.

Li Chengqian was looking through the files, which were all sent from the Western Regions. They all talked about the various difficulties Guo Luotuo encountered in the Western Regions, and the completion of the Chongwenguan in the Western Regions, which was just next to the Anxi Protectorate. The Chongwenguan in the Western Regions had twenty people, and recruited people from the Western Regions to learn the Central Plains writing and language. When this move was first proposed, Duke Zheng strongly agreed.

The power of the Eastern Palace has taken root in the Western Regions. Li Chengqian finished reading one volume and picked up another. The water and soil conditions in the Western Regions are not so bad now, but the results of Guo Luotuo's cotton planting are not as good as expected. Planting cotton seems to be an easy task.

But there are many problems when planting.

He summarized his experience of planting cotton last year, in which withered cotton and cotton with poor yield still accounted for more than 20%. He became more and more convinced of the importance of the prerequisites for building karez in the Western Regions.

Therefore, Guo Luotuo also went to Yanqi and asked the king of Yanqi to provide 5,000 laborers to dig karez in many areas west and north of Anxi Protectorate.

It was winter in Guanzhong, but more than 5,000 people were digging karez in the Western Regions.

This is Guo Luotuo's greatest achievement in his life.

Zhang Shigui had been stationed in the Anxi Protectorate, training troops and familiarizing himself with the environment of the Western Regions. He also constantly sent out scouts to investigate the situation of the two khans on the east and west banks of the Ili River.

Once the troops and food supplies are ready, Your Majesty will give the order and lead the troops to sweep across the Tianshan Mountains.

Li Chengqian rubbed his brows and thought about the current situation. Gaochang Kingdom was gone, the trade route was restored, and there was no Gaochang King to profit from it. The Tang people could directly collect entry taxes at the Anxi Protectorate.

How to formulate city taxes without affecting the smooth flow of trade routes, and how many industries this Silk Road can drive in Guanzhong, is another complex issue that requires a long period of planning.

Li Lizhi walked out of the East Palace and glared at the young slave who was sweeping the floor. She handed over a booklet and said, "Brother, everything has been sorted out. Dongyang checked it and there are no major problems."

Li Chengqian took the book and said, "I will go to see my father."

In the palace, there is the Lizheng Hall.

Li Shimin listened to the eunuch's words and learned about this. He put the puzzle together and asked, "Is it really so?"

The eunuch nodded and said, "Yes."

Empress Changsun was altering the Taoist robe for Xiao Sizi and sitting aside listening.

"Li Xiaogong, who has a righteous heart? Li Daozong, who is dedicated to his duties?" Li Shimin laughed disdainfully and said, "He really values ​​these two uncles."

Empress Chang Sun held the needle and thread in one hand and said, "These two are the only relatives who are close to Cheng Qian."

Li Shimin asked again: "How is this boy's handwriting?"

The eunuch replied: "Very good."

"I haven't seen this kid practicing calligraphy normally." Li Shimin had read the files and articles written by his son. Cheng Qian's handwriting couldn't be said to be very good, it could only be considered neat.

It's just neatness. He is not afraid of being criticized for the words he gave out. Are they good?
There was a hint of dissatisfaction on Li Shimin's face.

The eunuch realized that his nice words seemed to be wrong, he just wanted to make His Majesty happy. Since the prince's handwriting was ugly, could it be said?

Empress Changsun added: "Chengqian has grown up, it's time for him to take care of the household affairs."

Not long after, another eunuch came to report, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has arrived."

Li Shimin drank his tea, his eyes still on the huge puzzle, and nodded, "Let him enter the hall."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Chengqian walked into the warm hall, where his mother was sitting beside him mending the Taoist robe.

"Cheng Qian, have you given your two uncles a name?"

"My handwriting is not very good, I just want to praise the character of my two uncles."

"You are quite modest." Empress Changsun smiled, put down her Taoist robe, took her son's hand, and whispered, "Ning'er brought the Crown Princess to visit mother before. You need to be careful when dealing with relatives from the outside in the future."

Li Chengqian nodded, "I know my limits."

Looking at his father again, Li Chengqian bowed and said, "I came here today to discuss something with you."

Li Shimin asked: "Discuss?"

"The cotton sent from the Western Regions was arranged by my mother. There are now two thousand stones of cotton stored in the palace. I want to open a workshop."

Li Shimin put down a puzzle piece, looked at the place where it was put together, and said, "There are people in the palace who weave cloth and make clothes by hand."

"But if so much cotton is not made into clothes, it will not generate any practical value if stored."

Li Shimin said: "How rich is your East Palace?"

"Mastering production means mastering wealth. The money of the Eastern Palace is only temporary." Li Chengqian added, "I have ordered the Supervisor of the Imperial Household to modify the spinning wheel and try to start with the manufacturing process."

Seeing that his father was silent, Li Chengqian handed over a memorial, "This is the budget for cotton pricing and costs compiled by Dongyang and Lizhi. Please take a look at it, father."

The booklet was on the table and it was very thick.

In the winter, there was still some wind blowing into the hall. Li Shimin picked up the book and looked at it with a frown, wondering if his son had forgotten that it was the rest season, or did he think that I did not need to rest?
(End of this chapter)