The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 306 The Emperor's Outing
Xue Wanbei sat on the shaft of the carriage, letting the horse move slowly, and said, "Fourth brother went to see General Chai Shao before, and now he is going to train the troops again."

Xue Wanbei's fourth brother was Xue Wanche, a general who became famous at a young age. Although he was a disciple of Li Jiancheng at that time, he was reinstated during the Zhenguan period.

"Your Highness, are you worried about His Majesty's Fengshan at Mount Tai?"

Li Chengqian came back to his senses a little. Now everyone in the court and the country was discussing the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai. Even if his father had rejected this matter to his uncle, it would inevitably arouse people's discussion.

If an emperor imposes heavy taxes and levies, it is inevitable that people will talk about him. The same is true if an emperor has made outstanding achievements.

Some people are already working in the fields. Last year, Guanzhong was exempted from taxes for one year, and production was barely resumed in the autumn and winter of last year.

The sun was a little warmer, and there were children playing in the fields.

The sound of reading can still be heard in each study.

Speaking of the Fengshan Ceremony at Mount Tai, the vast majority of voices in the court said that the emperor's achievements were sufficient.

But according to historical records, Li Shimin never performed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai throughout his life.

After returning to the palace, Li Chengqian took a few thin pieces of colored glaze from the Shaofujian. The surface of the colored glaze was not smooth, but had some bumps and protrusions.

After returning to the East Palace with more than ten pieces of light blue glass, Li Chengqian took out some wooden glasses frames.

I had just put my son aside, and after a moment he quickly crawled back and stretched out his little hand again.

Li Chengqian had no choice but to put him back into the stroller and fasten the glass piece onto the glasses frame. The size was good and the Shaofujian's craftsmanship had become more advanced.

"Meat! Meat..."

When I heard my son's words, he didn't know how to call dad and mom yet, and the first thing he learned to do was eat meat.

Li Chengqian picked up his son who had crawled over again, put him back into the stroller, and continued to assemble the lenses.

This happened several times, and the boy finally crawled over again without giving up.

Li Chengqian carried him back to the stroller. The child laughed happily. It seemed like a very fun game to him.

It was not until Su Wan walked quickly into the hall that she picked up her son.

The hall finally quieted down a bit.

This lens is a convex mirror. I don't know if the teacher will find it useful. The teacher always squints when reading files and documents because he handles state affairs all year round.

Relatively speaking, my father’s eyesight is better now.

Li Chengqian walked to Chongwen Hall with the glasses and handed them to his grandfather.

Li Yuan was repairing a toy. He held a windmill in one hand and a small wooden hammer in the other, hammering away with a pout.

"Grandpa, try this."

"What is this?" Li Yuan glanced at the crystal glass glasses and frowned.

Li Chengqian handed over a book, put the glasses on Grandpa, and said, "Now try reading."

He felt a little uncomfortable looking at things with the blue lenses, then he picked up a book and frowned again after taking a look at it.

Li Yuan said: "It's too dark."

The glass is blue, so the words appear much darker.

Li Chengqian asked again: "Can you see the words clearly?"

After being asked this question, Li Yuan was surprised and said, "Well, it is indeed much clearer. After so many years, I thought I would not be able to see the words clearly anymore."

He stroked his beard and smiled, "Good stuff."

Li Chengqian took out several other pairs of glasses and asked his grandfather to try them. He selected a few better pairs and tried them himself. It was like looking outside through blue glass.

After asking his grandfather to choose the most suitable pair, Li Chengqian took the remaining pairs of glasses to the Secretariat.

During the early days of the court session, the Secretariat was always busiest at the beginning of the year, just like in previous years.

When everyone saw the Crown Prince coming, they bowed and then continued to work on the things at hand.

Li Chengqian sat down in front of the teacher, took out his glasses and put them on the table, saying, "Teacher, how about you pick a pair?"

Fang Xuanling said: "The colored glaze is quite valuable, I dare not accept it."

"These are glasses. Besides, they are also for the teacher to use when handling government affairs. I have no selfish motives."

All the civil and military officials in the court knew that the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace was extremely wealthy, so wealthy that it was outrageous, and he gave the gift to Prime Minister Fang Liuli as soon as he had money.

God knows how rich this Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace is.

Li Chengqian tried the trial method on the teacher.

Fang Xuanling tried several pairs in turn, then picked up one and said, "This... is more useful."

Li Chengqian asked again: "How about Lord Zheng and uncle come and try it too?"

Changsun Wuji picked up one of the glasses and immediately understood their purpose. He shook his head and said, "My eyes are fine."

Duke Zheng was very old and had to wear glasses to read documents, and he could not take them off once he put them on.

Seeing the prince sitting down beside him, Fang Xuanling handed over the memorial and said, "This is the memorial sent from Qinghai."

Li Chengqian did not look at the memorial, but put it on the table and ignored it, saying with his hands in his pockets: "I want to increase the salaries of court officials, mainly the officials of the three provinces and six ministries."

As soon as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince finished speaking, most people in the Secretariat froze in their tracks, and even the previous discussions stopped.

Li Chengqian added: "You have all worked very hard in the past two years. I plan to increase the salaries of officials in each department by another 30%. If you retire from the court in the future, your salary will be increased by another 20% after retirement."

Fang Xuanling stroked his beard and said, "Your Highness should make the decisions on these matters yourself, and don't ask me about them."

"Then I will draw up the charter when I return."

After saying this, the prince was about to get up and leave, and everyone continued to be busy with the things at hand.

Just as he was about to reach the door, Li Chengqian stopped again and said, "Minister Chu, go to Jingzhao Prefecture and bring all the tax files for cotton and linen cloth this year. I'll sort them out overnight in the next two days."

Chu Suiliang stood up and saluted, saying, "I obey your command."

Li Chengqian smiled and nodded, then left.

In the Secretariat, Fang Xuanling was wearing glasses and reading memorials. Although it was a little dark, it felt much better standing in the sun to read the memorials.

Zhang Sun Wuji also walked out of the Secretariat, stood in the sun and asked, "Your Highness, have you not read Qinghai's memorial?"

"It doesn't matter if you don't look at it. He is just a monk traveling west."

Chang Sun Wuji stood aside with his hands behind his back, frowning and saying, "Songtsen Gampo still kept Xuanzang."

Fang Xuanling asked: "What are we eating today?"

Hearing this question suddenly, Changsun Wuji was stunned for a moment. He thought and said, "It's time to have wild vegetables to eat in this season."

Fang Xuanling nodded slightly and said, "It seems that the prince doesn't care whether Xuanzang lives or dies."

"Songtsen Gampo will definitely keep Xuanzang, and will definitely not kill him, so there is no need to worry."

"Are the assistants worried that Songtsen Gampo might keep Xuanzang and not let him come back?"

Zhang Sun Wuji said: "If Xuanzang could leave despite the wealth and glory offered by the King of India, then even if Songtsen Gampo offered to treat Xuanzang as a minister of state, Xuanzang would not agree."

Fang Xuanling looked at the document in his hand and said nothing. Changsun Wuji paced back and forth and said, "It's just that the people in Chongwenguan have been using Feng Dexia's identity as an envoy to absorb Tibetan herdsmen."

Fang Xuanling replied: "The people in Chongwen Hall are the most studious. They learn everything very quickly. They were all trained by Yan Qinli. If Chongwen Hall is the reserve prepared by the prince, then the prince has enough reserve personnel."

Zhang Sun Wuji also nodded and said, "Although Chongwenguan is not among the three provinces, six ministries and nine temples, most of them work in the counties and towns. Although they do not have official positions, due to the relationship between Chongwenguan and Jingzhao Prefecture, the county officials of each county must give Chongwenguan some courtesy."

"Yeah." Fang Xuanling nodded and responded calmly.

"Does Minister Fang think this is a good thing?"

"Isn't this good?" Fang Xuanling asked again.

After all, Fang Xuanling was older, and Changsun Wuji would not openly refute some of Fang's political views. At most, he would just raise questions. As for whether Prime Minister Fang agreed or disagreed, Changsun Wuji felt powerless to influence his decision.

Perhaps after the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace ascends the throne in the future, people like Prime Minister Fang and Duke Zheng should leave the court.

Changsun Wuji thought that he should be in charge of the power, but then he thought about the prince's character and wondered who else he could rely on except Prime Minister Fang.

"Duke Zhao, His Majesty summons you."

Upon hearing this, Changsun Wuji bowed slightly to Prime Minister Fang and quickly followed the eunuch who delivered the message.

The Imperial Palace, Chengqing Hall. This palace was just renovated last year. Li Shimin was sitting in the hall, reading an article sent by his daughter, while drinking tea.

Zhang Sun Wuji was led by the eunuch into the palace and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty."

Li Shimin nodded and said, "Sit down."

Changsun Wuji straightened up and sat down beside him, feeling the solidity of the chair. The Ministry of Works had made a new chair and added a tall pillow at the back. The cushion was very soft, and it seemed that there was something stuffed under the fur cushion to support the weight of the body.

This kind of chair is really too luxurious. Not to mention the workmanship and wood, the fur covering it alone is worth a lot of money.

I remember that when the Yinshan battle had just ended, the palace was short of money. Now it is much better, even a little luxurious.

Li Shimin was still reading the article and said, "There is some new noodles made by the East Palace on the table. You can try it first."

"Here."

Changsun Wuji picked up a still hot steamed bun, which seemed to be mixed with scallion oil. He took a bite and tasted the strong scallion aroma. He sat upright and savored it carefully.

Li Shimin picked up the glasses and put them down again, saying, "This glass mirror that Cheng Qian had made is really hard to use."

As His Majesty spoke, he put the glass glasses into an exquisite wooden box and placed it next to the teacup. He then picked up the tea bowl and took a sip of tea, then asked, "How does this pasta taste?"

Chang Sun Wuji ate two in a row. It was lunchtime, so he replied, "I'm just hungry. I think it's delicious."

Li Shimin continued drinking tea.

Changsun Wuji also smiled. What is the highest honor of the Changsun family? Perhaps it is to become an important official entrusted by His Majesty after the crown prince ascends the throne and become the assistant prime minister of the new emperor.

"These days I've heard them talking about the Fengshan Ceremony at Mount Tai, which made me uncomfortable, so I came here to get some peace and quiet."

"They are all ministers who are eager for success."

"Yeah, luckily the auxiliary machine is not the same as them."

Li Shimin sat up straight, shook the paper in his hand, and said, "This is an article written by Li Zhi. She proposed a classification of craftsmanship and refined it in a hierarchical way."

"Oh?"

"Just like in the counties of Guanzhong, one family brews soy sauce, another makes pottery jars to sell. Now she said there are artificial slates, and they specialize in selling slates."

Chang Sun Wuji said: "There are families running this kind of business in the market, but they are not doing very well."

Li Shimin smiled again and said, "But Li Zhi said that there is a demand for construction, so Guanzhong needs a huge reserve of resources."

Seeing the other party's confused expression, Li Shimin stroked his beard and smiled, "Don't be surprised, Fu Ji, I can't understand what these children are saying now. Some people complain that my children don't speak human language."

Changsun Wuji smiled awkwardly.

"Is Cheng Qian here?"

Hearing His Majesty's words, the eunuch waiting outside the palace walked in and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is relaxing at the old site of Jianzhang Palace. He said he has nothing to do today, so please don't disturb him."

"Humph, he's relaxing? He has nothing to do? The whole court is so busy, but he has time to relax."

"I will deliver this message to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"no need!"

"Here!"

Chang Sun Wuji advised: "Your Highness, are you on a spring outing?"

Li Shimin looked at the sky outside the palace and saw that it was dark for a short moment as clouds passed by, and then it became clear again.

After calming down, he continued to talk about recent political affairs with Changsun Wuji.

Even though Xuanzang was charged with escaping the country secretly, Songtsen Gampo still wanted to keep the monk in Tubo.

Recently, we learned from the secret report sent by Tubo that Songtsen Gampo hoped that Xuanzang could worship Buddha with them and build Buddhist caves.

If Songtsen Gampo wanted to submit to the Tang Dynasty, he should have tied up Xuanzang and handed him over to the Tang Dynasty for disposal, but the Tibetan king did not do so.

The Tianshan Mountains were fought for two years. Last year, Guanzhong was exempted from taxes for one year. In the past three years, Guanzhong was almost emptied. It was only after last winter that there was some surplus.

The emperor also knew that now was not a good time to go to war with Mobei. The Tang Dynasty still needed to use Ashina Simo to guard the northern border and would not mobilize troops unless it was absolutely necessary.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince mentioned a salary increase, but His Majesty has not issued an edict.

The matter was delayed until June of the fifteenth year of Zhenguan, half of which year had already passed.

On this day the emperor was going on a trip to Luoyang, and left the crown prince to guard Chang'an and supervise state affairs, and ordered Prime Minister Fang and Duke Zhao to assist the crown prince.

There were more than 500 people standing in front of Chunming Gate, a sea of ​​people wearing court robes.

They are the officials and generals in the court, and the one standing in the front is the current crown prince.

Li Chengqian stood outside the city gate, leading all the officials to bid farewell to his father.

I can’t remember how many times my father has gone on a trip. There are 20,000 soldiers and horses accompanying him, so he is not short of food and fodder, as there is plenty of food and fodder in Luoyang.

When his father's carriage disappeared from sight, Li Chengqian turned to look at the officials and whispered, "I'll have to trouble you, teacher and uncle, from now on."

Zhang Sun Wuji said: "I didn't want Your Majesty to go to Luoyang at this time, but you asked Zhang Xuanbi to accompany you."

"Uncle, are you still worried that Father will go to Mount Tai when he goes to Luoyang?"

"With all the ministers advising you in this way, especially Zhang Xuanbi who has repeatedly advised your majesty to go to Fengshan, I am afraid your majesty will waver. If your majesty really goes to Mount Tai at this time, what will happen to the situation in Mobei?"

Li Chengqian was leading all the officials towards the imperial city, feeling suspicious.

"Your Highness is also worried. Your Majesty will..."

"No." Li Chengqian explained with a smile: "It's just that I think it's quite sudden for my father to go to Luoyang."

Fang Xuanling nodded and said, "Yes, very deliberate."

……

PS: Xiao Zhang has taken a leave today and will only update one chapter. There will be three chapters updated tomorrow to make up for it.

Thank you all for your monthly tickets, Xiao Zhang bows his head!
(End of this chapter)