The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 311: Not So Relaxing Morning Court
In front of the Vermillion Bird Gate, Cheng Yaojin stood next to Zhang Shigui and muttered, "What happened to this old thief Changsun recently?"

Qin Qiong happened to walk over and was also confused when he heard this.

Zhang Shigui looked behind him and saw Wang Wendu chewing a piece of cake. He had become thinner after returning from the Western Regions. Now he was eating non-stop, as if he wanted to make himself stronger again.

Standing next to Wang Wendu was Liu Renyuan, who stood beside him with his head held high, like a heroic statue.

After the Battle of Tianshan, both Liu Renyuan and Pei Xingjian made great contributions.

Pei Xingjian was appointed as the Protector General of Anxi Protectorate. The reason given by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was that Pei Xingjian had served as a county magistrate in Guanzhong and had experience in governance.

Liu Renyuan was appointed General of the Left Army, but his military position was bestowed by His Majesty, not arranged by the Crown Prince.

Wang Wendu was the deputy general of the Zuowuwei Army, and he helped Su Dingfang arrange various matters after he returned from the war.

As for Xue Rengui, he served as the General of the Central Army in the Leading Army Guard. This time, Your Majesty also brought Xue Rengui with him on his trip, and he served as Your Majesty's personal guard.

The emergence of a group of new generals in the army made the veteran generals in the court feel relieved.

"Wang Wendu!"

When Wang Wendu heard General Zhang calling him, he was still chewing a piece of cake and whispered, "What do you want, General?"

As soon as he opened his mouth, a smell of garlic hit him in the face.

Zhang Shigui took a step back and whispered, "How is Pei Xingjian doing in Anxi Protectorate recently?"

"That kid." Wang Wendu said with a smile: "When I came back last month, I saw this kid busy building a city in the Western Regions. Those Western Regions people didn't obey his orders, so he cursed every day."

"curse?"

Wang Wendu replied: "He often scolds everyone, and sometimes he whips people who don't obey him."

"When I was fighting him, this guy was quite easygoing."

"That's because Pei was with the general back then. What kind of people are around Pei now? People from the Western Regions, Turks, Tuyuhun. How can they be obedient without being beaten or scolded?"

Zhang Shigui suddenly smiled, and then said with some displeasure: "This kid has ended up living like this."

As he was speaking, Su Dingfang walked over quickly, pulled Wang Wendu aside, and said, "What did General Zhang talk about with my deputy general?"

Zhang Shigui raised his head and asked, "What? You can't say a word?"

"At the beginning, I had an agreement with the general that you would take Xue Rengui and I would take Pei Xingjian."

Wang Wendu was sandwiched between the two generals, continuing to chew the cake and eat.

Su Dingfang continued, "I heard that when we were in Tianshan, the general tried to win over Pei Xingjian several times."

Zhang Shigui snorted coldly and said, "Really? Who tipped you off?"

The two generals looked back and found that Wang Wendu was no longer among the crowd, and they didn't know where he had gone.

The Suzaku Gate opened, and hundreds of officials walked into the imperial city. The sound of their footsteps mixed with the voices of many people talking, as they headed towards the Chengtian Gate to attend court.

Those who need to be on duty should go to their respective offices.

The Tai Chi Hall is cleaner than before. The ground is a little wet as if it has just been scrubbed. The windows on one side of the hall that were previously closed are now open. The air in the hall is not as turbid as before, but much fresher.

A slight morning breeze blew into the hall, making people no longer feel drowsy and sleepy.

Li Chengqian walked into the hall, where there was still a lot of discussion.

The prince was wearing a suit with blue and brown dots, which made him look casual. His clothes were neat and clean, and he had a crown on his head, which made him look a little more relaxed.

This prince, who is in his early twenties, gives people a feeling of being energetic and enterprising.

Standing at the front of the court, Li Chengqian had his back to the throne and was facing the many officials in the court.

"Winter is coming soon. Have you prepared your winter clothes?"

Hearing the greeting from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, everyone smiled in relief.

Chu Suiliang walked out of the court in a very flattering manner and replied, "My family has prepared winter clothes."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly, signaling to the teachers in the court class that today's morning court session could begin.

Just as expected, today's morning court started off relaxed and pleasantly. Apart from the war in Yinshan, the ministers generally spoke more than usual.

It seems that Your Majesty intends to hand over the war in Yinshan to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

But for the prince, commanding the generals was not difficult. The only difference from Your Majesty was that this prince paid more attention to food and population in war, and generously left strategic matters to the generals at the front to decide.

The current crown prince is just a crown prince. Although Your Majesty is traveling and not in Chang'an, He is still Your Majesty after all.

Zhang Xingcheng, the Imperial Censor in the Palace, said in a loud voice: "Your Highness, in the days leading up to winter, it has rained heavily in the Hexi Corridor, and Wuwei County has had heavy rain for two days and two nights. This heavy rain also fell in Shazhou, and even Gaochang has had continuous rain."

There were many clouds in the sky outside the palace at this moment, as if a cumulonimbus cloud was coming from the northwest to Chang'an.

After hearing the report, the prince just looked thoughtful and didn't say anything.

Li Daozon stood out from the court and reported on the development of various counties in Guanzhong this year. He mostly talked about the income of residents in each county this year.

Li Chengqian said: "Jingzhao Prefecture still needs to make plans for the future. The development of each county needs to be implemented according to personal ability, Shangguan Yi!"

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Yi stood out from the court and said, "I am here."

Li Chengqian ordered: "You go and handle this matter. If you are hesitant, have someone send the files over."

"Here."

Looking at everyone, Li Chengqian really wanted to allow fifth-rank officials to attend the morning court as well.

The following court meetings were all normal affairs.

After the various departments had discussed their matters, a voice was heard from outside the palace, and the guards reported loudly: "Your Highness, the Junior Secretary of the Zongzheng Temple and Minister Du are here to see you."

The Minister of the Zongzheng Temple was Li Xiaogong, Prince of Hejian, and the Junior Minister of the Zongzheng Temple was Li Chongyi.

When the Prince of Hejian was summoned back to Chang'an, he was most likely still on his way from Shuofang.

Li Chengqian ordered: "Enter the palace."

Li Chongyi nodded and walked into the palace, handing over a memorial and saying, "Your Highness, the county magistrate of Teng County, the fief of Teng Wang Li Yuanying, has been imprisoned."

Du Zhenglun also walked into the hall, lowered his head and handed over a memorial, saying: "Your Highness, as far as I know, Prince Teng is arrogant and extravagant. He has imposed heavy taxes in Teng County and built a large-scale construction project, including the Tengwang Pavilion."

Listening to the voices in the hall, Li Chengqian's expression remained calm.

Du Zhenglun continued, "Your Highness, because the magistrate of Teng County was dissatisfied with the atrocities of Prince Teng, he repeatedly went to Chang'an to report. During this period, the officials who went to Chang'an were repeatedly intercepted by thieves. When he heard that Your Majesty was traveling, the magistrate of Teng County wanted to go to Mount Tai to meet Your Majesty in person, but because the news leaked, he was captured by Prince Teng and imprisoned. Your Majesty was furious when he heard about it."

Zhang Sun Wuji stood out of the court and said angrily, "How could such a thing happen!"

Du Zhenglun continued, "Your Majesty has ordered that this matter be handed over to the Crown Prince for handling." Prince Teng Li Yuanying is Li Yuan's child and the uncle of the current Crown Prince.

Everyone's eyes were on the prince, trying to find some clues from his expression to see whether he was annoyed, furious or regretful.

But after looking at him for a long time, they did not find any major emotional fluctuations in the prince, he just frowned slightly.

This is a very rational prince. Even when his uncle got into trouble in Teng County, he remained calm.

Li Chengqian ordered: "Did the emperor allow me to put him in jail?"

The court officials remained silent, and everyone had different expressions.

Du Zhenglun was speechless for a moment, then bowed and said, "Right now, my royal family members are in Mount Tai and are begging Your Majesty for mercy, hoping that you can punish Li Yuanying leniently."

Li Chengqian paced back and forth, thinking for a moment, and said: "The ancients said that the emperor's personal likes and dislikes cannot be controlled above the laws of the country, otherwise the country will not be able to rule. I believe that father can also understand the truth."

Everyone in the hall was silent.

"The Junior Minister of Zongzheng Temple and the Imperial Censor Zhang Xingcheng will go to Tengzhou and bring Prince Teng Li Yuanying to Chang'an."

"Here."

Li Chengqian ordered again: "Some things are not just about Prince Teng himself. We need to investigate the governance of each county and who in Shandong has connections with Prince Teng. Take my right-hand officer, the Eastern Palace, with you. Hand over the governance of Teng County to Wen Ting, the secretary of Jingzhao Prefecture. Order Li Daoyan, who is stationed at Tongguan, to lead a thousand soldiers to Teng County first and control Li Yuanying."

"Here!"

Three or five people walked out of the court and hurried to handle the matter.

Even when the court was dismissed and the officials walked out of the Taiji Hall, they were still somewhat frightened.

When all the court officials left the palace and found that his uncle was still here, Li Chengqian walked up to him and said, "Uncle, do you think I am too strict?"

Chang Sun Wuji stood in the same posture as he had in the morning court, and said with his eyes closed: "It is most painful when brothers kill each other."

Li Chengqian looked outside the hall, which was already covered with dark clouds, and said, "It is very powerless to use morality to restrain a person. Facts have proved that placing expectations on others often backfires, isn't it?"

Changsun Wuji finally opened his eyes and looked at the prince in surprise.

Li Chengqian had a smile on his face, and it was a very sincere smile.

"If the princes of the royal family persuaded Your Majesty and made Your Majesty feel compassion, it would not be a good thing for Your Highness to continue to act arbitrarily and abuse his power."

"I don't like to put the result on a person's expectations, hoping that he can repent?"

Zhang Sun Wuji advised again: "It is definitely not a good thing if the royal family is alienated."

"Uncle is absolutely right."

After giving this casual reply, Li Chengqian walked out of the hall and looked at the dark clouds looming outside.

Li Chengqian took two more steps. His uncle behind him seemed to have nothing to say, so he walked all the way to the East Palace and opened the memorial in his hand to look through it. This memorial was a few items excerpted by Du Zhenglun based on the memorial sent by Teng County.

We can only know the specific situation after Li Chongyi and others go and see it.

The Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng, which has been passed down through the ages, is still ringing in my ears.

Li Chengqian smiled helplessly. If Prince Teng Li Yuanying was really captured, would Wang Bo still write the Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng?
Today's East Palace is no longer as lively as it used to be. The two younger brothers have gone to live in the prince's palace, and the younger sisters are either with their mother or with Li Lizhi in the North Garden.

Grandpa also went to Beiyuan. It seemed that the huge imperial palace and the huge imperial city would be given to him, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.

When I walked into the house, the meal was already prepared.

Ning'er took care of the two children while they ate, while Su Wan sat beside them and prepared a bowl of millet rice.

"Did Grandpa and Mother talk about the royal family today?"

Su Wan shook her head and said, "My mother and grandfather were busy making new clothes for my younger brothers and sisters, so they didn't mention it."

"After dinner, I went fishing with my uncle. Do you want to go and relax?"

Su Wan shook her head and said, "I want to stay and take care of the child."

Ning Er also replied: "My mother is not in the palace, so I have to take care of some things in the palace."

It seems that they are quite busy, whether it is matters at home or in the palace.

In the afternoon, the imperial city was still busy with post-winter affairs. Li Chengqian walked in the imperial city, passing by official residences one by one. The busiest one was the Ministry of Rites.

Every year, more and more envoys came to Chang'an to pay tribute. The Silla envoy Jin Chunqiu was crying to Chu Suiliang, telling him about the disgusting nature of Goguryeo and how the Baekje people bullied them.

Envoys from various countries lined up in long queues, one after another telling the officials of the Ministry of Rites about their loyalty to the Tang Dynasty and their hope that the Tang Dynasty would grant them justice.

Some of these envoys hoped that the Tang Dynasty would treat them in a certain way, either out of vanity or for the sake of profit.

Li Chengqian walked straight out of the Suzaku Gate. Xue Wanbei was already driving a carriage, waiting with his uncle outside the Chunming Gate.

"There were some twists and turns this morning so I came in late."

Hearing his grandson's voice outside, Gao Shilian, who was dozing off, came back to his senses. He looked outside the car and said, "I am really old. I fell asleep after waiting for such a short while."

Li Chengqian sat on the shaft of the carriage and drove the car for his uncle himself. The carriage moved slowly under the protection of the guards.

After walking for a while, Gao Shilian got off the carriage and said with emotion: "I haven't been out for a long time. The Xianyang Bridge is now completely unrecognizable."

Li Chengqian said: "In fact, Tongguan should be more lively."

The grandfather and grandson put down their fishing rods by the river. Gao Shilian whispered, "Logically speaking, everyone has gone to the workshop to work, so Xianyang Bridge shouldn't be so busy."

"With more people producing, there will be more goods, and more people will come to buy goods, so it will naturally be more lively."

Gao Shilian nodded and said, "I am really old."

The location for fishing is very good. It won’t feel too noisy from the Xianyang Bridge, nor will it be too deserted. Now there is no Liu Rengui to spoil the fun. He is most likely in the group traveling with his father, along with his younger brother Ke.

Gao Shilian stood up, left the fishing rod there, and went to talk to an old farmer who was washing his hands nearby.

The old farmer looked to be about the same age as my uncle, and the two of them sat down and started chatting.

The old farmer was not afraid of the soldiers and officers from the court. He let the soldiers stand aside while he washed some dates.

The uncle came out for a walk, but left his grandson aside. Li Chengqian picked up the fishing rod helplessly.

"I went to war with the army 20 years ago." He put a date in his mouth and said, "You are a noble man, you don't need to listen to what I say."

It seems that this old man is still an old soldier, but now all the people working in Zhechoufu are young people.

The uncle asked a few more questions, and the old man sighed, "Guanzhong was never as busy as it is now."

(End of this chapter)