The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 278 The Prince is Happy

Listening to the sound of abacus beads, Li Chengqian said, "In fact, the so-called large-scale construction of workshops and the mobilization of laborers will cause criticism in the court, not because the scale of the mobilization of Jingzhao Prefecture is too large this time. If we want to impeach him, he should have been impeached three years ago."

"While the target of the court officials' criticism this time seemed to be Jingzhao Prefecture, it was actually a question of power distribution. The decree led by the Eastern Palace bypassed the three provinces and six ministries and went directly to Jingzhao Prefecture. At first, it seemed that there was no problem because everything was in its infancy at that time, but now five years have passed."

"When benefits and advantages appear, they will unravel the disadvantages and start to face them. It's like a field that no one cultivates. When no one cultivates and no one sows, no one cares."

“But when a piece of barren land produces food, many people will come to you to reason with you.”

At this point, Li Chengqian said with emotion: "There will always be some difficulties, but it doesn't matter. When faced with obstacles, we must remove them. When faced with problems, we must solve them. We must be down-to-earth and take one step at a time."

In the slightly warm sunshine of the New Year, Li Chengqian asked again: "Eh? Grandpa, are you still listening to your grandson? Grandpa?"

Li Yuan opened his eyes in confusion and said, "Listen, listen."

Although my grandfather is old, he is actually in good spirits. The only problem is that if you talk to him too much, he will fall asleep.

When Li Zhi came out again, Li Chengqian handed him a walnut and said, "Have you reflected on yourself?"

Li Zhi said nonchalantly, "Yeah."

"Don't you feel wronged?"

"No grievance."

Li Zhi took the walnut and sat beside him and asked, "Father wants me to worship Zhang Xuanbi as my teacher, but I don't want to. I want to worship Xu Jingzong as my teacher."

Li Chengqian nodded while eating walnuts.

"But Xu Jingzong is unwilling to accept Zhinu as his disciple." As he spoke, Li Zhi picked up a cloth towel beside him, wiped a piece of walnut shell off the table, and put it into a cloth bag.

Seeing the table clean again, Li Chengqian drank a sip of tea with satisfaction and said, "It doesn't matter whether Xu Jingzong accepts you as a disciple or not. What matters is what you can learn from him and what you can do with the skills you have learned. It doesn't matter who your teacher is."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "Yes, I understand."

When night was about to fall, Changsun Wuji hurried into the palace again and walked all the way to the ink pool in Xingqing Hall.

There was a candlestick by the pool, and the candlelight illuminated the emperor's face.

"Your Majesty." Changsun Wuji bowed and saluted.

"Do you know how much silver the Guanzhong city tax is this year?"

"I have not seen the Ministry of Revenue's review yet."

"I have seen it."

Changsun Wuji stood aside, deep in thought.

Li Shimin held a puzzle piece in his hand, not knowing where to put it, and continued, "Let's forget about Xu Jingzong and Chu Suiliang."

"I have already told Chu Suiliang about this. He won't mind it."

Li Shimin said: "Alas, these sons of mine are becoming more and more outrageous."

Changsun Wuji remained silent.

"Whether it's Cheng Qian or Zhi Nu, these children are becoming increasingly difficult to manage."

Since they were still teenagers, Your Majesty and the Duke of Zhao were already common people friends, and their friendship was different from that of other ministers.

Li Shimin handed him a memorial and said, "Take a look."

Changsun Wuji took the memorial and first looked at His Majesty. Seeing that His Majesty's eyes were still on the puzzle, he walked to the candlestick, opened the memorial, and read the contents in the candlelight with a solemn expression.

After reading it, he placed the memorial on the side of Your Majesty's desk.

"how do you feel?"

Chang Sun Wuji was puzzled and asked, "Guanzhong seems to have not changed much, where do so many city taxes come from?"

"Soap, silk, tea, paper..." Li Shimin put down the puzzle in his hand and said, "That's all. I heard that the soap in Guanzhong has been sold to the Arabs."

With the construction of the Hexi Corridor, more and more merchants and travelers came from the Western Regions.

Chang Sun Wuji whispered, "Since the goods have not increased, but the market taxes have increased, you can imagine how harsh the taxes on merchants and travelers outside the Hexi Corridor have become."

Li Shimin recalled and wanted to find some clues from his son's previous articles to explore the origin of the city tax. Now he knew that Wuwei County could earn a lot of money by selling store locations, and all this money was included in the city tax.

"Tax law..." Changsun Wuji said slowly, "The tax law used by His Royal Highness is different. If I can get the management strategy of the Hexi Corridor, I can find out what kind of tax law His Royal Highness uses."

A eunuch came hurriedly with a lantern in hand and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has left the East Palace."

Li Shimin put his hands behind his back, looked up at the sky and asked, "Did he go fishing?"

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince went to the Secretariat to get a map."

"Ah."

For a long time, Li Shimin had not looked at the accounts of the court, but he only knew that the court was very rich.

It is very simple to find out about these taxes and operations. Just send a few people to look at the files of Jingzhao Prefecture and the Ministry of Revenue.

Li Shimin suddenly smiled. If he really did that, this kid would look down on him.

Chang Sun Wuji whispered, "Should we summon the prince to ask him the reason?"

"Oh, I still need to ask him for advice?"

Changsun Wuji said with some fear: "That's not what I meant."

Not to mention that these things are not important for the time being, thinking of the current situation in the Western Regions, he asked, "Have Guo Xiaoke and Xue Wanbei arrived at the Anxi Protectorate?"

"Your Majesty, I have received an urgent report that the army arrived in Xizhou a month ago, and Qibi Heli's troops will most likely arrive at Tianshan in April."

Li Shimin asked again: "Has Su Dingfang set out?"

"He set out yesterday with five thousand cavalrymen."

Li Shimin nodded slightly.

Late at night, in the quiet palace, Li Chengqian returned to the East Palace from the Secretariat with a map. He opened the attack routes on the map and thought about the routes to the rear and the front.

Li Lizhi stood beside her brother with her hands behind her back, looking at the map, "I heard that my uncle is going to see my father again tonight."

"I know."

"Is there a disagreement between my uncle and my brother?"

Li Chengqian put down the candlestick in his hand, put his hands in his pockets and said: "Uncle has been standing on the top for too long, forgetting that many things need to be viewed from a developmental perspective. But uncle is loyal, he is always loyal to father."

"It's all for the sake of the country. My uncle and Xu Jingzong have differences, and conflicts are not necessarily a bad thing."

Li Lizhi said, "My uncle is in a high position and has great power."

"You're right. It's because my uncle is in such a high position that he looks at things differently." Li Chengqian turned around and took two steps, saying, "Power is like this. When you are at the top of power, you can't see the scenery at the foot of the mountain. You don't know who is scolding you and who is working hard. Slowly, you will lose your emotions on the mountain. There is no one to talk to. You are as ruthless as a stone on the mountain, stubborn and unyielding despite wind and rain."

"I've never heard my brother say this before."

Li Chengqian explained, "This is what Zhuangzi said. According to the classics of our ancestors, Zhuangzi can be considered a disciple of Daozu. However, I don't like Zhuangzi's attitude towards life."

"Why?"

"The King of Chu offered him an official post several times, but Zhuangzi refused. Perhaps he was thinking too deeply and far-reachingly."

Listening to the knowledge that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince talked about, it was indeed possible to see clues from Zhuangzi's classics. Su Wan sorted out the clothes to be changed in spring and listened carefully to His Royal Highness' words.

Suddenly I felt that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was very knowledgeable. Rumor has it that the Crown Prince was eccentric, paranoid, and unkind.

Su Wan looked at the Crown Prince's expression and thought to herself that as a wife she wanted to understand her husband as much as possible, but the Crown Prince's heart was as deep as the sea.

Li Lizhi said, "Sister still thinks that we should act according to the underlying logic between people. When there is enough interest to drive people to change, as long as the hard work pays off, Jingzhao Prefecture's plan will surely succeed."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "That depends on how well Xu Jingzong does."

This is the advantage of being the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, and it is also the advantage of power. If a thing cannot be done, you can find someone else to do it.

Even if Xu Jingzong messed up, he could just learn from his failure and replace him with someone else.

It would not harm his own foundation. At worst, let Xu Jingzong return to Jingyang County to continue serving as a county magistrate and spend the rest of his life guarding the karez. The Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace would also be able to give him a good end.

It is right and natural for an elder brother to teach his younger sister. Su Wan has read the books of the Eastern Palace and has also appreciated the knowledge of the Eastern Palace. This knowledge is very real, so real that it analyzes the people and government orders in the production relations clearly.

The next day, after the morning court session, Li Baiyao hurriedly walked out of the palace and said, "Your Highness, Songtsen Gampo sent someone to bring a letter from the throne."

Songtsen Gampo still managed to stabilize the internal situation of Tubo. He once again used his wisdom and skills to quell the civil unrest that was about to break out in Tubo.

Li Chengqian walked down the steps of the Taiji Hall and asked, "Why? He asked the Tang Dynasty to release Lu Dongzan again?"

"Not this time. Songtsen Gampo sent 300 kilograms of gold to congratulate the Tang Dynasty. He no longer asked to marry the princess and wanted to make peace with the Tang Dynasty. He also agreed to build the Tang Dynasty's Chongwen Hall in Tubo territory."

Li Baiyao added: "He also wrote a letter to Lu Dongzan, saying that the past cannot be changed, but the future can still be pursued."

"It's really interesting. This Songtsen Gampo is really interesting."

Li Chengqian said with a smile.

Songtsen Gampo accepted the defeat in the battle of Qinghai and accepted this reality.

Li Baiyao said again: "Your Highness, I think Songtsen Gampo wants to reorganize his troops and retake Qinghai once again. This man will be patient and calm the people's hearts. If the evil intentions are not resolved, it will become a great trouble."

"Luoxi sits west and faces east, right?"

"Exactly."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Well, send an envoy to Lhasa and tell Songtsen Gampo that the Tang people will one day climb the snow-capped mountains behind him."

"Here."

Li Baiyao's old face cheered up and he went to do the work immediately.

The Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace left court today. Some people said that the Crown Prince was very happy and laughed out loud. The last time His Highness laughed so happily was when he was a child.

Today is the wedding of the King of Wei. Li Chengqian changed into new clothes and waited alone at Chengtian Gate for his father and mother to go to Qingque's wedding. His younger brother and sister had already gone there. Ning'er and Su Wan wanted to learn cotton and linen craftsmanship from the mothers-in-law in the palace.

The guards to escort Your Majesty to the Prince of Wei's Palace are ready, and they will be escorted by General Yuchi and General Qin Qiong.

Looking at a group of people coming from a distance, my father and mother were standing in the team.

Seeing Cheng Qian standing alone at Chengtian Gate, Li Shimin said, "Let's go."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Father, Emperor, and Mother, please."

Empress Chang Sun asked curiously, "I heard that the Crown Prince of the East Palace is in a good mood today?"

Hearing the teasing tone in his mother's words, Li Chengqian bowed and said, "Today is Qingque's wedding, and I am happy for my brother."

"Why do I feel like you've been irritated by watching Songtsen Gampo of Tibet?"

"I appreciate this Zamp."

Empress Changsun shook her head and looked around again, saying, "Isn't Father going?"

Li Chengqian said, "Dr. Sun is treating Grandpa today, so it's probably inconvenient for him to go."

After helping his father and mother into the carriage, Li Chengqian climbed onto the horse and followed the team all the way to the Prince of Wei's Palace in Chang'an City.

At this time, there were already quite a few guests in front of the Prince of Wei's Mansion.

Qingque has been a smart child since he was young, and there are many elders and respected people who appreciate him.

Even Zhang Xuanbi and Yan Shigu came.

My uncle brought Mr. Ouyang Xun and was talking with Mr. Wang Gui.

With the arrival of the Emperor and the Empress, all the ministers, the public, and the pedestrians on the entire street bowed and saluted until the Emperor and the Empress drove into the Prince of Wei's Palace.

Li Chengqian got off the horse and saw his uncle.

"Uncle, you look particularly energetic today."

Chang Sun Wuji said: "The army at the foot of Tianshan Mountain is about to go to war. Now that Yanqi has rebelled, they may attack Xizhou."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Today is Qingque's wedding, uncle, don't worry, you should be happy."

After saying that, Li Chengqian walked into the Prince of Wei's mansion. The Prince of Wei's mansion was not big, but it was very elegant.

Li Zhi said: "Sister, my brother also wants the palace."

Listening to her brother's plea, Li Lizhi said with a displeased face, "When you turn thirteen, your father will arrange a residence for you."

As all the people arrived, the wedding of Prince Wei Li Tai began under the arrangement of the Ministry of Rites and the Zongzheng Temple.

Just as everyone was congratulating King Wei Li Tai, something happened in Luoyang.

At a farm outside Luoyang City, Li Yifu led more than 60 people to stand in front of a warehouse on the farm and said in a cold voice: "The weight of grain is wrong, please open the warehouse."

"We are servants of the Cui family in Qinghe. The insufficient land tax will be sent to us in the future."

Li Yifu, who had long held a grudge against the aristocratic families, grinned sinisterly and said, "Do you know who this family is?"

"You are Li Yifu!"

"I am Li Yifu, the director of Luoyang Chongwenguan, a disciple of the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, and the chief historian of Luoyang." Li Yifu said loudly, "Last year, the land tax was delayed for so long, and it will be delayed again this year. Your master of the family did not come, and you still want me to talk to a servant like you? The servants of your Cui family are really precious."

Compared to Guanzhong, the Chongwenguan in Luoyang was even more powerful under the leadership of Li Yifu. He waved his sleeves and shouted, "Open their granary! Capture all those who stand in our way and beat them!"

(End of this chapter)