The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 32 Visiting Uncle
Li Chengqian slowly picked up the chopsticks beside him, picked up a smaller piece of braised pork, put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly.

Li Shimin's expression eased a little, and he said, "Most of the dishes made by those people in the palace are not as good as your cooking skills."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "The sauce of the braised pork is not well absorbed, but that's okay. Cooking requires experience. It will always get better after a few tries."

Seeing his brother picking up his chopsticks, Li Ke finally grinned, picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

Li Tai also picked up the chopsticks and ate the braised pork in front of him.

It is best for the family to sit together and eat in harmony.

Li Chengqian suddenly said, "Father, I want someone."

Li Shimin picked up a piece of radish with chopsticks, chewed it and said, "Who do you want?"

"Xu Jingzong from the Secretariat."

"What do you want him for?"

Li Chengqian said: "I know that he was one of the Eighteen Scholars of the Qin Palace. I also heard that he is very talented. I want to ask him some questions."

Li Shimin first looked at his son meaningfully, then nodded slowly and said, "Just accept him as a guest of the East Palace. You don't need to ask me about this matter."

"Back then, Xu Jingzong was a scholar in my father Emperor Qin's palace. How dare I, your son, make my own decisions?"

"Well, I agree."

The meal ended in the afternoon. Li Tai returned to his residence exhausted. A servant beside him whispered, "Your Highness, the Eastern Palace has sent a lot of books, all of which are said to be related to geographical records of past dynasties."

Li Tai looked at the cart of books in front of him. Some of these books were bamboo slips, some were recorded on silk, and some were written on paper.

"I just had dinner with my brother. When was it delivered?"

"When Your Highness was still attending the morning court, Princess Changle sent these here according to the Crown Prince's instructions, saying that it would be great if these books could be used."

Li Tai picked up three or two volumes and opened them to look at them. Most of these volumes were left over from the pre-Sui Dynasty. At that time, many old books from the pre-Sui Dynasty were still in the East Palace, because that was during the Wude period.

"Several gentlemen have already read it. It is exactly the book we are missing."

Thinking about the pleasant meal he had had in Ganlu Palace today, Li Tai could see that there was still a gap between his father and his brother.

If we want to talk about when this rift began, we should probably start with Li Zhi's marriage.

Li Tai heard from others that in order to oppose Li Zhi's marriage, the prince had made great efforts and even met Li Chunfeng.

Not many people knew about this matter because Li Tai often went to Lizheng Hall, and some things were not cleared up in advance and would still reach their ears afterwards.

"Your Highness, the King of Wei, today the gentlemen have recruited a group of learned people. Should we go and take a look?"

Li Tai put the scroll aside and whispered, "I won't go today."

The servant nodded and stepped aside.

In the imperial city, Li Chengqian and Li Ke walked together and had the meal with their father in harmony.

"What is your brother going to do?"

"I'm going to visit my uncle. He hasn't come to the morning court for some time. I want to ask about his health."

Li Ke smiled awkwardly, stopped and said, "Well, then my brother will go first."

Li Chengqian glanced at him and asked, "Do you have any other plans today?"

Li Ke scratched the back of his head and said, "I haven't made any other arrangements."

Compared with the Eastern Palace, the Eastern Palace at least has his uncle Gao Shilian as a backer. Li Ke is about the same age as himself, and he is Concubine Yang's child.

Concubine Yang was a princess of the former Sui Dynasty and also an old person of the Sui Dynasty.

As the child of the former Sui princess, Li Ke's identity was very special. Few people had been close to him since he was a child, and no one in the court supported him and his mother.

Fortunately, Li Ke was also a diligent child. He performed very well in the army and was highly appreciated by his father.

Li Chengqian said with his hands in his pockets: "Actually, I am just like you, I don't have many friends. At least it is good for us brothers to be closer, and no one outside will say anything."

Hearing this, Li Ke nodded and said, "If my brother has any instructions, I will definitely help."

"Is this also what your mother told you to do?"

"Yeah." Li Ke nodded honestly.

Perhaps Concubine Yang did not ask for much, and if the child Li Ke had the support of the Eastern Palace, it would be beneficial for his future.

Li Chengqian sighed, "Actually, there is nothing else to tell you. You and I will go to the East Palace first, and then you can go with me to see my uncle."

Li Ke nodded and said, "Yes."

With a relieved smile, Li Chengqian took him to the outside of the East Palace. Seeing him stop, he said, "Why? Don't you want to come in and sit down?"

"Just wait for my brother outside."

Li Chengqian patted him on the back and said, "We are all brothers, it would be nice for you to come in and take a look."

Li Ke still kept his head down and followed his brother's instructions to walk into the East Palace. As soon as he stepped in, he saw a group of children laughing and playing here.

Li Chengqian explained: "My younger brothers and sisters usually like to play the game of eagle catching chickens."

Li Ke smiled and nodded, but still seemed a little unfamiliar.

Li Chengqian picked up Li Zhi who was eating noodles and asked, "Where is your sister?"

Li Zhi was still holding the bowl, which was bigger than his face, in his hands, slurping noodles, and asked, "Which sister are you talking about, my brother?"

"Our squad leader of the East Palace."

"My sister is helping Sister Ning'er correct homework."

Li Chengqian ordered: "Ask your sister to bring the box I prepared last night."

"Brother, I'll go right away."

Li Ke looked around and took a closer look whenever he saw something new and had never seen before.

Li Chengqian said: "You see Dongyang doesn't want to play with them. She is usually very quiet."

Li Ke nodded slightly, "That's Princess Dongyang..."

Speaking of which, his father has so many children, and as the emperor's elder brother, Li Ke has so many brothers and sisters that he still can't recognize them all. After all, the family is so big and the age gap between everyone is so large.

After Li Ke grew up, he joined the army and rarely interacted with his brothers and sisters.

Li Lizhi, wearing a light blue skirt, ran over with a wooden box in her hand and said, "Brother, aren't you going to give a lecture today?"

Li Chengqian took the box and replied, "I will go see my uncle. If you need anything, I will bring it to you on the way."

Li Lizhi grinned and said, "I want to eat zong gao."

"Okay, I'll bring it to you when I come back."

She looked aside and bowed again, "Greetings, my brother."

Li Ke also bowed awkwardly. He put the wooden box into his sleeve and continued to walk out of the East Palace with his hands in his pockets. Li Chengqian asked, "Since you came back at the beginning of the year, does your father plan to let you go to the army again?"

The two brothers walked out of Chengtian Gate, with no one else accompanying them.

Li Ke was of similar height to Li Chengqian, and their foreheads and eyebrows were very similar, both looking like the current emperor.

Li Ke's mouth and nose are more like Yang Fei's.

Li Chengqian's facial features are more like the emperor's, but his eyes are the same as the current queen's.

Walking from Chengtian Gate to the Imperial City, Li Ke always walked one step behind his brother and explained, "It has been three months since I came back from the Leading Army Guards. Father has not mentioned letting me go to the army again. Instead, he has arranged for a civil official named Quan Wanji to come and teach me."

"Father still values ​​you very much."

Li Ke quickly said: "In fact, father is also very concerned about the East Palace, but he is unwilling to say it."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Of course, Father cares about the Eastern Palace."

"I also ask my brother not to cause a rift between you and my father because of Li Zhi's marriage."

After reaching the Suzaku Gate, Li Chengqian said discouragedly, "Do you all think so?"

Li Ke continued, "My brother is not good at speaking, and I can't say anything good. If my brother is really determined to oppose this marriage, my brother is willing to help my brother persuade the emperor."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "You are my good brother."

Li Ke lowered his head and continued, "Mother said that my brother would help Li Zhi at this time, so if we brothers and sisters have difficulties in the future, my brother will not sit idly by."

The two walked out of Suzaku Gate and into the bustling Suzaku Street.

Concubine Yang raised a good son who was hardworking and honest.

This shows that God is blessing Li Tang. The emperor has several good women around him and several good sons.

Duke Xu’s mansion is not difficult to find, but it is far away from Duke Zhao’s mansion, Changsun Wuji’s mansion, and the two mansions are separated by a market town.

Walking from Zhuque Street to Anyifang, the largest house here is the residence of Duke Xu.

When I walked to the door, I saw that Li Ke was still a little reserved.

Li Chengqian advised: "Relax a little."

Having said that, she also advised him not to be so reserved, but in fact, Li Chengqian was also very reserved.

When the doorman saw that it was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness the King of Wu, he immediately bowed and said, "Your Highnesses, please enter the courtyard."

After straightening his clothes, Li Chengqian walked into the house. His uncle's house was very spacious and various weapons could be seen in the yard. It had to be said that his uncle was a man of both civil and military talents.

In a sense, which of these civil officials at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty was not both civil and military?
Gao Shilian was sitting in the yard, his eyes half closed, reading a volume of Dream of the Red Chamber in his hand.

After Li Chengqian and Li Ke approached, he frowned and raised his eyes and asked, "Is the Rongguo Mansion in the Red Mansion inherited by the eldest son or the second son?"

Li Chengqian was not polite and sat down directly in front of his uncle. He took out the wooden box and placed it on the table, saying, "Father asked the same question."

Gao Shilian stroked his beard and whispered, "How did you respond to your father?"

"The Red Mansion is just a story. There is no such extravagant Rongguo Mansion in the world. Father did not ask any more questions, but he said that he would rather let the eldest son inherit it."

"I also think that the eldest son should inherit."

Li Chengqian took out a stack of cards from the box. The cards were made of cork and wrapped in mulberry paper. He sorted the cards and said, "Sure enough, even you think so."

Gao Shilian was surprised and asked, "Isn't this how it ends?"

Li Chengqian sorted the cards and placed them on the table, "Uncle will know later."

Gao Shilian pursed his lips and sneered like an old naughty boy. He stared at the young man in front of him and said slowly, "Every time Li Xiaogong's Red Mansion came out, I could see it first. You didn't want to say it because the Rongguo Mansion would definitely not be inherited by the eldest son. The Rongguo Mansion inherited by the second son would definitely decline. If not, the story of the Red Mansion would not become a masterpiece."

I have to say that Gao Shilian's eyes were really sharp and he could see the key at a glance.

It is precisely because of such people that they are highly regarded by the emperors of the Wude and Zhenguan dynasties.

Li Chengqian whispered, "I really want my uncle to live a long life. I want him to ascend the throne as soon as possible so that I can help him manage the government."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Ke looked at his brother in surprise and asked, "What does it mean to want to ascend the throne as soon as possible?"

Gao Shilian looked at Li Ke standing beside him and said with a smile, "Your Highness, Prince Wu."

Li Ke bowed quickly and said, "Greetings, Duke Xu."

Then Gao Shilian looked at Li Chengqian again. Among all the emperor's children, he liked this eldest grandson the most.

As for the other princes, no matter how hard they tried, they were not as good as this sensible and filial grandson.

There is no other reason, it is just because he is the eldest son that Guanyinbi cares about the most, and he also looks the most like Guanyinbi.

Li Chengqian smiled and asked, "How is your health lately, uncle?"

"I am already this old, what's the point of talking about my health?" Gao Shilian said with a smile, "The grave has been dug, and many of my fellow countrymen in my hometown are now looking forward to my early burial, so that they can put their worries to rest sooner."

"I recently figured out a card game and wanted to share it with my uncle."

"Did you research this when you had nothing to do?"

"People are idle. When a person is idle to a certain extent, it is not surprising to do some boring things. To be honest, I have been focusing on growing vegetables and grapes recently. After I succeed, maybe you can eat grapes grown by the East Palace this summer."

"Well, I will just try to live a little longer." Gao Shilian said with a smile: "When you become emperor, you will definitely be a wise ruler."

Li Chengqian said: "I am still waiting for you to help me sit on the throne."

A little sweat ran down Li Ke's forehead. He blinked and quickly wiped it off with his sleeve without daring to say a word.

"It's no fun to play this card game with two people. You should join us."

"Ah..." Li Ke wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve again, a little flustered, he could only respond and sit down and said: "Yes."

After explaining the rules of the game to Li Ke and his uncle, the three of them started playing cards.

At the beginning, Li Chengqian won several games.

Gao Shilian originally thought that it was due to his lack of experience. From the time he got a glimpse of the tricks to the time he started to use the rules and became familiar with them, he still lost to this kid several times.

He couldn't help but look grim. The chess game in Chongwen Hall was fine, but even this kind of trick couldn't be defeated by a young man?
Gao Shilian took a deep breath and frowned as he looked at the cards in his hand.

In his spare time, Li Chengqian asked the elderly servant beside him, "Can you buy some zongzi for me?"

"Your Highness, I will go right away."

"More." Li Chengqian urged, "Buy better ones, buy more, and bring them back for your younger brothers and sisters."

"Yes." The old servant left with a smile on his face.

After a long while, Gao Shilian shook his head and said, "This game is not as interesting as chess after all. Chess is ever-changing, and there is no way to delve into playing cards. It will become boring after a while."

"It's just a little game. I made you laugh, uncle."

"I'm old, and my back can't stand sitting or standing for too long. I haven't been to court these days, and your father won't let me resign. It's really annoying."

(End of this chapter)