The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 310: Efficient Government Behavior

Changsun Wuji wanted to speak again, but felt lost again.

Leading everyone into Chengqing Hall, there were many dishes on the table. Li Chengqian sat at the head of the table and said, "Everyone, please take your seats."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

After everyone was seated, there was silence again. They all sat upright as they looked at the dishes in front of them. They were indeed hungry after the morning court session ended.

The 43-year-old emperor traveled to Luoyang that year, and now he went to Mount Tai. The emperor's middle-aged life seemed to be set free.

Li Chengqian put the dishes in front of him and said, "Population growth has been a very serious problem in recent years. Except for Guanzhong and Luoyang, where the population growth is quite considerable, the population growth in other parts of the Central Plains is still not very significant."

Fang Xuanling stroked his beard and said, "It seems that the population of the Central Plains is indeed not as high as it was during the heyday of the Sui Dynasty."

Population is related to productivity. Therefore, when the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace advocated production and construction, he always encouraged population growth in Guanzhong.

Including after Your Majesty transformed the Wei Palace into the Zhechou Palace, the soldiers recruited were all men over 20 years old, and only sons were not allowed to go to the battlefield.

This time, not too many people from Guanzhong were mobilized. Except for the 3,000 cavalry under Li Ji and Li Daliang's troops from Liangzhou, the rest of the troops were drawn from Bingzhou and Hedong.

Seeing the prince pick up his chopsticks, everyone also started eating the food in front of them.

Cheng Yaojin suddenly asked, "Second Brother Qin, your son is guarding His Majesty. Has he received any letters from home recently?"

Qin Qiong shook his head and said, "No news has been sent yet, and I don't know whether His Majesty is really going to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the gods."

Your Majesty said that before the corpses of the Liaodong soldiers were recovered, the matter of Fengshan at Mount Tai would not be discussed. Changsun Wuji looked at Fang Xuanling who was standing beside him.

This Fang Xiang said nothing about the matter, leaving people in the court and the public to discuss and speculate. Some people even wanted to go to Mount Tai to get to the bottom of it.

Even the prince did not mention this matter.

The meal was quite good, and the atmosphere was lively with General Cheng Yaojin here.

Of course, this liveliness was far from the usual banquets in the palace. At the moment, people occasionally talked a word or two around the table, which could be considered lively.

While eating, Li Chengqian tried not to mention state affairs and chatted with General Qin Qiong about family matters.

After noon, I said goodbye to Prime Minister Fang, my uncle, General Cheng Yaojin and General Yuchi.

In Chengqing Hall, he was left alone again. He asked the eunuch to clean up the dishes and sat in the hall, planning to read General Li Jing's military strategy for a while.

The eunuchs took away the dishes and chopsticks, put the tables and chairs in order, and then left.

Having a moment of leisure in the afternoon, Li Chengqian came to Ganlu Palace, looked at his father's bookshelf, took down a book and read it carefully.

This book is a record of the dialogue between my father and Duke Wei, that is, the questions and answers between Emperor Taizong and Duke Wei. Of course, this military book that influenced later generations has not yet been published.

"Your Highness, Minister Yu and Chu Suiliang request to see you."

Li Chengqian looked at the book and nodded, "Yes."

The two walked into the hall and saluted together.

Li Chengqian sat in the hall with a file in his hand and asked, "How many people will be reported for prosecution next year?"

Yu Zhining replied: "Your Highness, we already have more than 3,000 people. If we wait until the beginning of next spring, we may have 8,000 people."

Chu Suiliang said: "Maybe there are tens of thousands of people."

Li Chengqian sighed.

The prince is unhappy? Is it because he thinks there are not enough people? Chu Suiliang said again: "Your Highness, the scale of the imperial examination is now large enough."

Yu Zhining bowed and said, "Your Highness, Chongwenguan sent a message that someone hopes the imperial examination can be postponed to once every five or six years."

"Well, what does Minister Yu think?"

"Your Highness, please make the decision."

Li Chengqian said: "In recent years, the imperial examination has been held every two years. Life is just a few decades long, and a person's most prosperous time is only a short ten years. A person has a few opportunities in his life to change his status through the imperial examination."

"Recently, my father has been traveling abroad, and from time to time, people have advised me. As the crown prince, I naturally have to follow their advice, but I can't just sit there and do nothing, right?"

Chu Suiliang bowed and said, "Your Highness is right."

Yu Zhining nodded and handed over a file, saying, "Your Highness, this is the population record of Qinghai in recent years. Many of the household registrations of Qinghai herdsmen have been determined."

Li Chengqian took the file and flipped through it, then asked, "How is the birth of the Wei Mansion going?"

Yu Zhining replied: "There are two divisions of the Production Guards at present. One is led by Guo Luotuo and mainly responsible for Tianshan production, and the other is led by General Li Zhen and mainly responsible for Qinghai and the Hexi Corridor production..."

The two of them reported to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for an hour.

Li Chengqian asked someone to pour them tea, as he felt thirsty after talking for an hour.

"Winter is coming soon. How many cotton clothes does the army have prepared?"

Yu Zhining replied: "The Minister of War Duan Zan submitted the account, a total of 6,000 sets of cotton cloth have been sent to Yinshan."

Perhaps many years later, when Yu Gushe once again recalled that the cotton that he did not like back then became a weapon for the Tang army's northern expedition, he would feel somewhat regretful.

After reporting the matter to the Crown Prince, the two of them left Ganlu Palace.

It is late autumn in Guanzhong and winter is approaching. The sun is bright but not very warm.

Normally, Chu Suiliang and Yu Zhining disliked each other, but everyone was working for the country, and even if they were not on good terms, they did not dare to delay government affairs.

The two walked together quietly, and Yu Zhining said, "I'm afraid that in the future, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will not be as receptive to advice as His Majesty is now."

Chu Suiliang nodded and said, "Yes, Your Highness has always been quite opinionated. Your Highness is not the Emperor, but the government and the people all think that Your Highness is too harsh."

At this point, he sighed again and said, "Don't you think so, Minister Yu?"

Yu Zhining replied: "There are so many things to do in the court, let's just focus on the things at hand and stop listening to those idle talks."

In Chang'an City, Changsun Wuji came to his uncle's house.

Recently, elderly people in Chang'an City have passed away one after another, but Gao Shilian has been living a leisurely life. He is using a small scale with two plates on both sides. When there is nothing on the plates, the scale remains horizontal and motionless.

"How did you come?"

"I'm here to visit my uncle." Changsun Wuji walked into the yard.

Gao Shilian did not look at him, but continued to fiddle with the tangerine peel. He said, "This small scale was sent by the East Palace. It is very interesting."

Chang Sun Wuji asked, "Did His Royal Highness the Crown Prince order it to be cast?"

Gao Shilian shook his head and said, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince gave the Prince of Jin an assignment, and the Prince of Jin made this thing. Don't underestimate it as just a small scale, there is a lot of knowledge hidden in it. The two ends are the same length and weight. Hmm... When did the casting skills of the Shaofu Supervisor become so amazing?"

Changsun Wuji sat aside and poured himself a bowl of tea.

"Hey!" Gao Shilian added a few more slices of tangerine peel and said, "Dangerine peel is a good thing. Doctor Sun said you can drink more of it."

"Thank you, uncle."

Gao Shilian took a sip of tea and said, "I'm in a good mood recently, so I won't chase you away. Tell me, why did you come to see me?"

"I just wanted to come and see my uncle, nothing else."

Gao Shilian sorted the tea leaves and put some dried tangerine peel into a cloth bag. He said to Gao Lin beside him, "Send it to Ouyang Xun's house." Gao Lin took the bag of dried tangerine peel, nodded and left.

Changsun Wuji sat cross-legged, looking at the small scale. He reached out and patted the small plate, and both ends of the scale began to shake.

There was also a pair of glass glasses on the table. I knew about this thing. Fang Xuanling and Zheng Gong both had a pair.

Such clear colored glass is very precious and rare in the palace.

"You can take the rest, but not these glasses. I still need them to read." Gao Shilian smiled and asked, "How is the prince these days?"

Zhang Sun Wuji replied: "The Crown Prince presides over the government, supervises state affairs, and guards Chang'an."

Gao Shilian stroked his beard and asked with understanding, "Where is Fang Xuanling?"

"The room is assisted by the Prime Minister."

"how about you?"

After hearing what his uncle said, Changsun Wuji said, "Assist the crown prince."

"Yes." Gao Shilian nodded and said, "You are the same as Fang Xuanling. Cheng Qian is a good boy and he wants to be the emperor."

Changsun Wuji took a sip of tea in annoyance.

"Look at you, you never say what's on your mind."

Zhang Sun Wuji said: "The Crown Prince asked Chu Suiliang to concurrently take charge of the Ministry of Rites. This promotion did not go through the Ministry of Personnel."

Gao Shilian stroked his beard and asked, "Do you feel that there is a rift between you and Cheng Qian?"

Seeing that he was still silent, Gao Shilian took a sip of tea. After the tea entered his mouth, his expression became better. "Do you still remember what I said to you back then?"

Zhang Sun Wuji nodded and said, "My uncle said at the beginning that as long as I support the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, the Zhang Sun family will definitely have a good ending."

"Well, just remember it."

"I don't doubt my uncle."

Gao Shilian sat in a rocking chair, holding a tea bowl in one hand, and waved his hand, saying, "It's useless even if you doubt me. Cheng Qian is the next emperor of the Tang Dynasty. This kid is very smart. He is not in a hurry, nor does he rush for success."

"Auxiliary engine." Gao Shilian ordered, "You are always worried about gains and losses."

Gao Lin came back again and sat aside, continuing to pick tangerine peels.

Changsun Wuji finished his tea, didn't ask any more questions, bowed and left.

After everyone left, Gao Lin whispered, "Duke Zhao seems to be very worried."

Gao Shilian smiled with emotion and continued to play with the small scale, saying, "I can no longer understand what he is worried about."

Gao Lin continued, "Duke Zhao is probably worried about His Majesty going to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the gods."

Gao Shilian shook his head and said, "If we're talking about Fengshan... Cheng Qian is also very suitable."

The two old people had smiles on their faces and were busy with their own things.

At night, Gao Shilian was reading an article in Chongwenguan when he heard voices outside the house. He pulled his glasses down slightly on his nose, frowned and looked outside.

Under the moonlight, there is a familiar figure.

Gao Shilian confirmed the visitor, put his feet down on the bed, hurriedly put on his cloth shoes, and went out without even pulling up his heels.

Ning'er handed her daughter in her arms to Gao Lin.

Gao Lin hugged his granddaughter with a smile on his face.

Li Chengqian stood in the courtyard and said, "Uncle, it's been a long time."

Gao Shilian looked a little more lazy and indifferent. He sat down on the threshold of the house and said, "I am about to go to sleep. Your Highness, why bother to disturb me?"

Li Chengqian took a stool from the side and sat down next to his uncle, saying, "My grandson knows that my uncle came to visit today. If my grandson comes again tomorrow, my uncle will feel annoyed. It is better to be annoyed for one day than for two days."

Gao Lin held his granddaughter in his arms and felt happy as he hadn't been in years.

Li Chengqian added: "I plan to wait until the child is sensible and give him to Li Zhi for instruction."

Gao Shilian leaned against the door, leaning sideways, and muttered, "Have you been deliberately making things difficult for the auxiliary engine recently?"

Li Chengqian said: "Maybe uncle feels that since our father is not here, he should take care of the government affairs and take care of his grandson, the crown prince."

"Oh." Gao Shilian looked a little unhappy, "Don't tell me this."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Then let's not talk about it."

As the night deepened and it was time for curfew in Chang'an City, Li Chengqian stopped talking about court affairs and made an appointment with his uncle to go fishing together the next day.

On the way back, candles were still lit in the windows of the streets and alleys on both sides of Zhuque Street.

The patrolling officers and soldiers saluted when they saw His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Back at the East Palace, Xiaofu had already prepared a midnight snack, and Ning'er put her sleeping daughter into the small bed beside her.

Su Wan looked at the brother and sister sleeping together and whispered, "The child has gained a lot of weight. He really changes every day."

Ning Er sat aside and said, "Yes, after this winter, we need to prepare clothes."

After having supper, Li Chengqian put the toys on the table into a small box and said to the two, "There are more and more toys at home. This child doesn't know how to play yet. Even if he knows how to play, we can't let him spend the whole day with toys."

Seeing that His Highness had begun to worry about the child's future, Su Wan had a slightly tired smile on her face. It was very tiring to take care of the child.

But she was unwilling to leave the child to the care of the palace maids, and the couple had been taking care of the child themselves.

As parents, this is the first time we raise a child in our lives. The hardships and feelings are unprecedented, so we do everything ourselves.

Su Wan took the coat from the Crown Prince and stood aside and said, "My mother is preparing new clothes. I will go to help her tomorrow."

Li Chengqian washed his face and nodded, "Yeah, that's fine."

The Queen Mother did not travel with my father, but lived in a villa beside the Taiye Lake.

Dongyang, Linchuan and Lizhi are by the Queen Mother's side.

The next day, just after dawn, Li Chengqian exhaled a breath of hot air in the cold air, put on his shoes and started his morning run, breathing in the fresh air deeply and feeling some dew falling on his body.

In the morning, the palace was very quiet, with only the sound of the prince's footsteps as he went for a morning run. No one had started walking yet.

When the morning court session was postponed for an hour, the palace returned to life later than usual.

When the morning light broke and the sun shone into Chang'an City from the thick fog, officials began to come to the front of the Suzaku Gate in twos and threes, waiting for the morning court to begin and for the Suzaku Gate to open.

Chu Suiliang was sleepy because he was always the last one to leave the Secretariat in recent days.

Recently, the reason why the government affairs have been handled so efficiently is actually very simple. Every day before the officials of each department go off duty, they must report to the Secretariat what they are going to do the next day.

Chu Suiliang was one of the main people responsible for compiling reports from various departments, so he was busy day and night.

Duke Zhao still looked quite worried. Ever since His Majesty went on a trip, he always had a stern face.

(End of this chapter)