The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 287 Worth More Than Money
In Qujiangfang of Chang'an City, there is a guard house, which is the East Palace Right Guard House.

Originally, logically speaking... generally speaking, the Donggong Youlue Mansion should be in the imperial city, but at that time, Donggong Youlue became the Queen's garden, so His Royal Highness the Crown Prince moved Donggong Youlue to Qujiangfang in Chang'an City, and the entire Youlue, including the Prince of Hejian, had only seven people.

This is a rare occasion this year that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince actually came to Youlu Mansion.

Cheng Chumo held a big bowl in one hand, a scallion in the other, and ate millet rice with a mouthful of scallion, eating wildly.

Li Xiaogong glanced at the prince who was practicing archery, then looked down at Chu Mo and asked, "You have meat to eat, why are you eating green onions?"

“The green onions grown in Weinan taste great.”

After saying that, Cheng Chumo took another bite of the scallion.

Li Xiaogong was speechless for a moment. He just wanted to eat the meal and didn't want to argue with him at the moment. Besides, this boy always thought of himself as the Flying Tigers of the Tang Dynasty.

Donggong Youlu has only one team of people. They are the Flying Tigers of the Tang Dynasty. At this moment, many members are reading books and learning to read.

In the Flying Tigers, reading and writing are also necessary training.

Li Chengqian drew his bow and shot an arrow, which landed accurately on the target.

Yan Qinli came over in a hurry and said, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has given instructions."

Li Chengqian put down the longbow in his hand and looked at the neat and tidy Donggong Youshu Mansion. He was in a good mood. Even the clothes were folded neatly. It seemed that the emperor's uncle was good at commanding the army.

Yan Qinli said again: "I don't understand."

"You said."

"Why not prepare more manpower?"

Li Chengqian walked out of Youshu Mansion with his hands in his pockets.

Li Xiaogong, who was sitting next to Cheng Chumo, looked suspicious. The prince came silently and left silently without saying a word.

He nudged Chu Mo with his arm.

Cheng Chumo moved to the side impatiently.

"Why do you dislike me so much, kid?"

Cheng Chumo, still holding the green onion in one hand, said, "If you have something to say, just say it."

Li Xiaogong really wanted to kick this ignorant boy on behalf of Cheng Yaojin, but he thought that he was so big now and might not be a match for this boy if they fought. After all, he was no longer the same as he was in the past when he could still bully him.

After clearing his throat, Li Xiaogong slowed down his tone and said, "I have a question for you."

"Ah."

Cheng Chumo was chewing the onion with a "crunch, crunch" sound.

Li Xiaogong came closer and asked, "Why didn't your beef arrive at my house?"

"If you don't know, go ask my old man."

"Your old fellow..." Li Xiaogong gritted his teeth and said, "Cheng Yaojin, that old dog..."

Cheng Chumo asked again: "There is only this little meat on the cow. How many families can share it?"

Li Xiaogong seemed to be thinking about something, and said, "It's not your fault that there's not enough beef to share."

Li Chengqian and Yan Qinli were walking in a secluded alley, accompanied by a group of guards led by General Li Ji.

As they walked, Li Chengqian said, "It's right for them not to agree right away. After all, they have to go back and continue to bear what they hate."

Even if this plan eventually fails, it won't matter. Although Li Ke's idea is very avant-garde, it may not be necessary.

Li Chengqian said to him, "Take your time, don't rush. Don't force them if they don't want to."

Yan Qinli bowed and said, "Yes."

Walking out of the alleys of East Market, Zhuque Street is right in front of you.

Di Renjie was sitting in front of the gate of Chongwenguan. Although he was young, he was very smart. The students and scholars who came and went in Chongwenguan even jokingly called him "little master".

After Mr. Wen Yanbo passed away, it was Yan Qinli who taught him to read and write.

Di Zhixun went to work in the Ministry of Justice, and was usually accompanied by Xu Jingzong, Yan Qinli, or the Prince of Jiangxia.

Usually, no one looked after Di Renjie, and most of the people from Chongwenguan and Jingzhao Prefecture took care of him.

Li Chengqian ordered: "Please pay more attention to the construction of Chongwen Hall in the counties of Guanzhong."

Yan Qinli bowed and said, "Yes."

There was a Chongwenguan in each of the twelve counties of Chang'an, and each of these small Chongwenguans had about five or six staff members.

Yan Qinli stood in front of Chongwenguan and thought. The current Chongwenguan was expanding outward with Chang'an as the center. The Chongwenguans established in various counties were like beacon towers, transmitting messages to each other and implementing the concept of being faithful to one purpose.

The Chongwen Halls in various counties and the teaching support work are complementary to each other. The Chongwen Hall is a way that has never appeared before. It goes to various counties and villages and walks with all the villagers who are wearing cloth and linen clothes.

And it will be like this for a long time to come.

Di Zhixun was on duty in the Ministry of Justice on weekdays, and Yan Qinli would take Di Renjie with him in his spare time. Di Renjie was a very smart child, and except that he was easily distracted and thought about other things on weekdays, he had a good understanding.

The Crown Prince doesn't seem to be so busy recently and he often goes out for walks. Today he even made a rare visit to the East Palace Right Leader.

The imperial city is just outside the Suzaku Gate, where many people gather.

It's very lively here, as if everyone is waiting for the court's arrangements.

Yu Zhining came hurriedly, holding the list and said, "Your Highness, several old officials in the court resigned today, saying they wanted to retire."

Li Chengqian stood at the Suzaku Gate with his hands in his pockets, looking at the noisy students, and said, "Let's quit."

Seeing that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said it so easily, I'll just quit...

I just resigned. If it were His Majesty, he would probably try to keep me.

Yu Zhining added: "And His Royal Highness Prince Ji said that he wanted to build a house in the imperial palace. This matter has been reported to the Ministry of Works."

"Let him build it."

Yu Zhining picked up a booklet and said, "Also, many officials from various counties in Luoyang resigned this year, and some of them are quite young."

"This kind of thing will be handled by the Ministry of Personnel in the future. You don't need to inform me."

"The county magistrates in Luoyang had some bad words for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"It's okay, let's replace him."

"Here."

Seeing that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince spoke so readily, Yu Zhining didn't say much. Anyway, he had already said that the Ministry of Personnel would handle it. He stood aside and looked at the crowd in the distance.

Soon, Chu Suiliang, who was still wearing court robes, shouted, "Everyone, everyone!"

The scene quieted down, and Chu Suiliang said loudly: "Failing the imperial examination does not mean that you have no chance. There will be imperial examinations every two years. You don't have to worry about having nowhere to go after coming to Chang'an. You can go to Chongwenguan for the examination. As long as you pass the examination, you can participate in teaching. While teaching, you can also solve the problem of food and clothing, and get a salary!"

His shouts echoed in front of Chengtian Gate, and the pancake vendors on the street all fell silent.

Chu Suiliang added: "What is extraordinary? Teaching without seeking fame and gain is the most extraordinary. Jingzhao Prefecture has four characters on its head: fulfilling one's duty! The Tang Dynasty was established only more than 20 years ago, but it created the most fair imperial examination system in history. It is precisely because of so many extraordinary people that the Tang Dynasty has become extraordinary."

……

Li Chengqian listened to these words and walked into Chengtian Gate. With his hands in his pockets, he asked Yu Zhining, "Who told Chu Suiliang to say these words?"

"Duke Zhao ordered it." "Did you ask him to say these words?"

"Not really." Yu Zhining explained, "It was Minister Chu who came up with this idea himself."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "It doesn't sound like something he would say."

Yu Zhining thought for a moment and then said, "Minister Chu has been in contact with His Royal Highness Prince Ji recently."

Li Chengqian's expression became more understanding, and after giving Yu Zhining a few more instructions, he returned to the East Palace.

At this moment in the East Palace, Li Lizhi was listening to the speeches of her father and grandfather.

Li Chengqian sat by the wall of the East Palace, picked up a palm-leaf fan beside him to fan himself, and picked up a bowl of iced grapes to put into his mouth.

Li Shimin said: "I can send more people to teach."

Li Lizhi said: "No."

"Why?"

Listening to her father's question, Li Lizhi explained, "My brother now spends thousands of strings of silver on Chongwenguan and the teaching cause every year. This year, it may be close to ten thousand strings of silver. If we use the money my brother spends on the teaching teachers, how much money is there in the court to spread the teaching in all parts of the Central Plains?"

Li Shimin continued: "Some things cannot be measured by money, isn't that what you all said?"

Li Lizhi added, "To put it more cruelly, what Father envisioned was just carved railings and jade bricks that could collapse at any time, just like the house we built with building blocks, which would fall down as soon as we pushed it. Without sufficient support and a strong will, we cannot think this way."

"If the Tang people had a stronger belief, they would be able to achieve what Father had envisioned."

"Is your brother's teaching going to stop?"

Li Chengqian listened to the conversation between his father and Li Zhi and found it very interesting, so he became interested and continued listening.

Li Lizhi added: "The best option is the one that suits the current situation. The current situation in Guanzhong and Luoyang is the best option. As for how to operate in the future, it depends on the future situation."

Seeing that her father was still hesitant, Li Lizhi stood up and said, "My daughter will tell you a story. This story was also told by my brother."

Li Shimin nodded, "Go ahead."

Li Lizhi continued, "Once upon a time, there was a family whose grandfather was about to die. He had many children, and the place where they lived was a wasteland. The grandfather who was about to die was always worried that his children would starve to death. Before he died, the grandfather said that he had buried a lot of gold in the wasteland in the backyard."

"Later, after Grandpa passed away, his children went to dig for gold in the wasteland, but there was no gold in the wasteland. They dug for many years, and then the wasteland became fields because of their digging everywhere, and they grew a lot of food."

"After that, grandpa and his children could live on the food from the fields. Although they didn't find gold, they found something more important than gold."

Li Lizhi paused for a moment and then continued, "This is more important than gold, and it is worth pursuing."

Li Yuan understood and said, "So, gold is not important, and the money spent on teaching is also not important."

Li Lizhi smiled and said, "Grandpa is right."

Li Shimin picked up the tea bowl and found that the tea in the bowl was empty at some point. He looked at the eunuch holding the teapot beside him.

The eunuch was still immersed in the story told by Princess Changle. It took him a while to come back to his senses and hurriedly refill the tea for His Majesty.

The tea had just been refilled, but Li Shimin was unwilling to drink it again.

The eunuch stood there with his head lowered, looking aggrieved.

Li Yuan asked with a smile: "Lizhi, are the ducks that Zhinu raised in Taiye Lake ready to eat?"

Li Lizhi nodded and said, "It's quite fat. Can Grandpa still eat duck meat with his teeth?"

Li Yuan smiled and stroked his beard, saying, "Let Xiaofu stew it until it's a bit mushy, then I can eat it."

The eunuch holding the teapot beside him was relieved and said quickly, "I will go to Taiye Lake to catch it for you, Your Majesty."

Soon, the Queen Mother returned with Su Wan and Ning'er, and the whole family was going to have dinner in the East Palace.

Li Zhi came back at dusk.

Li Li asked, "Zhi Nu, why are you eating as soon as you get back?"

Li Zhi turned his back and finished eating a banana, then said, "I was out with Xu Shaoyin all day today, so I didn't eat."

Under his sister's gaze, he quickly said honestly: "My brother didn't get into trouble today."

Only then did Li Lizhi retract her gaze and go to help Xiaofu.

That’s right, the children in the Eastern Palace have to learn to cook, but now they can only make some simpler meals.

Dongyang still remembers his brother's advice: if you ever go on a long journey, you must at least make sure you don't starve to death and can satisfy your hunger by yourself.

"It's time for dinner, it's time for dinner!"

Li Lizhi's voice was heard from the East Palace, and a group of children gathered around.

On the table of the father and son, there was a bowl of duck soup with two duck wings in it, and there were also three or two pots of vegetables.

Li Shimin turned his head to look at the table of noisy children behind him, then looked at the small table where he and his son were sitting alone.

Li Chengqian was eating a piece of cake and putting some bean sprouts into his mouth. He chewed it for a while, swallowed it, and asked, "Didn't you say that mother is willing to have dinner with father?"

Li Shimin said: "Your mother is not usually like this."

"Your Majesty, please eat these two duck wings. I will just take two bites."

As he spoke, Li Shimin took out some dried fruits from his sleeves, put them on the table and asked, "How have you slept recently?"

"I slept well."

"These dried fruits are good for your health. Do you want to try them?"

Li Chengqian picked up one and observed it carefully, saying, "Is this a medicinal herb?"

Li Shimin picked up the chopsticks and nodded, saying, "It is true. If you have trouble sleeping, you can also use it to soak in water and drink."

As he was talking, Li Chengqian also took out a cloth bag from his sleeve and said, "I have some honeysuckle and scutellaria here, which are also good."

Li Shimin hesitated and asked, "Really?"

"It can also be soaked in water and drunk to dispel heat and detoxify."

Li Shimin took the cloth bag calmly and said, "Is this small bag enough to brew tea after it is put into the cup?"

"Yes, it's convenient and saves trouble. Father, please try it. If it works well, I'll give you some more."

Li Shimin put the bag of honeysuckle in his pocket and asked, "Are you still getting irritated recently?"

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Occasionally."

"I've been a little irritated lately."

"Don't drink it too often. Drinking too much will upset your stomach."

"Oh, it's better to be young."

There was no need for the father and son to look at each other. They just nodded in understanding and continued to eat.

After lunch, the Emperor and the Queen went back, and Grandpa lay on the recliner and let Little Sizi tap his back.

Li Chengqian carried a fishing rod and left the Eastern Palace. He put it down beside the Taiye Lake and took a stool to sit down.

(End of this chapter)