The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 333: Lord Zheng's Explanation

In the Xingqing Hall, Dongyang sat on a chair nearby, his expression calm and with a hint of smile. Among so many brothers and sisters, Dongyang was the most approachable and the gentlest to his younger brothers and sisters.

She has been learning medicine under the guidance of Dr. Sun for so many years. When learning medical skills and treating patients, she always has to be kind, especially since she is a princess.

Over the years, my sister, who used to only speak in a low voice, has now grown into a well-mannered and confident person.

This kind of confidence and gentleness is the best psychological comfort for patients.

As long as she says it's okay, it must be okay.

Li Zhi grimaced in pain and his face twitched in pain.

The eunuch at the side seemed to be thinking about something. He didn't know why, but His Majesty's temper had been getting worse and worse recently, and the two princes had gotten into trouble just when they should not have.

Dongyang poured a bowl of tea and handed it to his brother.

Li Chengqian took the tea bowl and asked, "Are you still sorting out the medical records recently?"

"Yeah, it's quite tiring. Xiaowu and Xiaohui don't know anything about medicine, so my sister has to do it herself."

Li Shen suddenly raised his head and asked, "Brother, can you ask Father to change someone?"

Li Chengqian: "Who to change?"

"As long as it's not Confucius."

Li Chengqian looked at his two brothers lying on the wooden board and asked again, "Why?"

Li Shen lay on the wooden board and tilted his head and said, "Master Kong Yingda is very old, and I am worried that he might be mad to death."

"Angry to death?"

"Um……"

Seeing that the two brothers' voices were getting lower and lower, Dongyang was about to leave with the medicine box, and reminded them again: "Don't get wet, don't sit."

"I understand." Li Zhi replied weakly.

Li Chengqian said to the eunuch standing beside him: "Carry them back."

Li Zhi said: "Brother..."

Li Chengqian said helplessly: "I can't change it."

"Oh……"

Li Shen said aggrievedly: "Since it is the will of the emperor, it cannot be changed."

Now we have to prepare for the Eastern Expedition and visit Duke Zheng.

I don't want to care about these things. In fact, these two younger brothers have pure intentions and are quite chivalrous in their actions.

If they could change their approach, the results would be better.

The hall fell silent again. Li Chengqian noticed that the eunuch who came from his father's palace to deliver the imperial edict was still standing there, so he asked, "Does your father think that I haven't disciplined my younger brother well?"

The eunuch whispered, "Your Highness, His Majesty didn't say anything."

"Is there anything else?"

"Your Majesty said that there is no news about the Eastern Expedition yet."

"Go back first and tell them I know."

"Here."

Seeing the eunuch leave, Li Chengqian withdrew his gaze and continued reading the memorial.

The memorial in his hand was exactly the situation of Goguryeo recorded by the Honglu Temple over the years. A man named Yeon Gaesomun launched a rebellion and killed all the ministers of the Goguryeo king. King Uija of Baekje was tyrannical and cruel.

The situation in Liaodong is very tense now. The forces are roughly divided into three parts. To the north is Goguryeo, and to the south of Goguryeo are Baekje and Silla.

Silla envoy Kim Chunchu is still in Chang'an and seems unwilling to leave in the short term.

By evening, dark clouds blocked the sunlight again. Li Chengqian walked outside the Xingqing Palace and looked at the gloomy sky for a long time without saying a word.

There were gusts of cold wind blowing, and it looked like it was going to snow again.

Li Chengqian walked back to the East Palace. The winters of the past two years have been like this. It is extremely cold every time in the middle of winter, and this cold will most likely continue until the beginning of spring next year.

After returning to the East Palace, Li Chengqian glanced at his daughter who was playing with building blocks. She didn't know what shape to put the blocks together and kept picking them up and putting them down. The child liked black and two colors, but didn't like anything too bright.

Li Chengqian asked, "Where is Yu Tu?"

Su Wan, who was sorting books, replied: "Most likely he is still with the Queen Mother."

The Queen Mother and the Emperor loved this grandson very much and often took him out personally.

"father!"

Hearing her daughter calling her, she ran over with her short legs. The child walked unsteadily, as if her head was very heavy.

When she came closer, Li Chengqian hugged her and said, "Well, what do you want to eat today?"

The little magpie looked up at his father and said, "Meat."

Li Chengqian stroked her head and said, "Why do you like to eat meat just like your brother?"

"Brother..." The little magpie looked around with her bright eyes. Her dark pupils reflected everything here. Then she raised her head and looked at her father again.

Then she sat in her father's arms, and when she couldn't find her brother, she started playing with the building blocks in her hands.

The simpler life is at this age, the better.

I will be 24 years old next year. Perhaps for others, 24 or 25 years old should be the age when one is most motivated or passionate about career.

Li Chengqian took a sip of tea and said, "It would be nice if it could always be like this."

Noticing her husband's change of mood, Su Wan asked, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Nothing, I just want to live a quiet life recently."

The affairs of state rest on the husband's shoulders. Even if we say that there will be some peace and quiet, how long can it last?
The next day, it snowed heavily in Guanzhong again. Li Chengqian woke up early, packed up, and left the East Palace alone to visit Duke Zheng.

When they reached the outside of the palace, Xue Wanbei followed with several guards.

"Your Highness, I heard that the nobles in various places are quite dissatisfied with Your Highness recently."

Li Chengqian asked: "What's wrong?"

Xue Wanbei followed beside him and whispered, "It seems someone is lobbying for the officials in the court."

"Well, it's okay, don't be afraid of them."

Walking out of the imperial city and onto the bustling Suzaku Street, Xue Wanbei looked around vigilantly.

Mr. Zheng’s mansion is also on Zhuque Street, right next to my uncle’s house.

I thought that Mr. Zheng and my uncle had very conflicting personalities, but I didn't expect that they would be neighbors.

In the court, Duke Zheng disagreed with his uncle on political views and they often quarreled in the court.

Li Chengqian walked into Duke Zheng's residence, and Wei Zheng's son Wei Shuyu hurried over to greet him, "Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"How is Lord Zheng?"

"My father is in the bedroom."

Duke Zheng's mansion was very different from his uncle's luxurious mansion. This mansion was plain and simple everywhere, and there was no special decoration in the house.

Li Chengqian followed Wei Shuyu into the bedroom.

Then I saw Mr. Zheng sitting in a wheelchair.

Wei Zheng bowed and said, "Your Highness, this old minister..." Li Chengqian stepped forward to support Duke Zheng who was about to stand up, and said, "My father and I are very concerned about your condition, so we asked me to come and ask about it."

Wei Zheng coughed twice and said, "I am sorry for your rudeness."

Li Chengqian noticed that on the desk was the "Qunshu Zhiyao" (Essentials of Various Books), a book compiled under the supervision of Duke Zheng.

He picked up the scroll and whispered, "Has this book not been edited yet?"

Wei Zheng leaned his back against the wheelchair, put his hands on the armrests, looked up at the young and energetic Crown Prince, and smiled, "Your Majesty said that you want to stop fighting and cultivate culture, and govern the country and bring peace to the nation. I compiled this book with Yu Shinan and Chu Suiliang, but now Yu Shinan has passed away and Chu Suiliang is busy with government affairs. I, an old minister, must continue compiling it."

Li Chengqian flipped through the book and said, "You should rest more. Dongyang said that Duke Zheng should not work too hard any more."

"I understand."

"I am here for the affairs of the court."

After saying this, Li Chengqian took off his cloak, put it on Duke Zheng, and pushed the old man out of the bedroom and under the eaves.

Wei Zheng's gray beard fluttered in the wind. With trembling hands, he took out the pair of glass glasses. Because his hands were shaking, it was a little difficult for him to put on the glasses.

After putting it on with great difficulty, he looked up and finally saw the prince's expression clearly.

"Your Highness has grown up and is becoming more and more like Your Majesty when he was young."

“Yeah, a lot of people say that.”

"Alas..." Wei Zheng sighed, and the emotion in his heart turned into a cloud of mist in the cold wind. He said, "If Your Highness ascends the throne in the future, I am afraid I will not be able to assist you."

Li Chengqian looked up at the falling snowflakes, "Duke Zheng is a role model for officials in the Tang Dynasty. We need people like Duke Zheng to maintain peace and order. I hope that future officials can be like Duke Zheng, and that his spirit can be passed down and followed by future generations."

"Your Highness, you are too kind. I really don't deserve it."

"If the emperor is close to people like you, many loyal ministers will emerge in the court. If the emperor is close to villains, the court will be full of people who are scheming against each other."

"If Your Highness can wake up, I will have no regrets in my life."

Li Chengqian said: "To be honest with you, Lord Zheng, my father is actually preparing to march east."

Wei Zheng seemed to have known that he couldn't stop them. He closed his eyes and felt the temperature around him. "I know that even His Royal Highness the Crown Prince supports the Eastern Expedition. Recovering Liaodong is imperative, but the Central Plains has been in decline for a long time, and it's time to recuperate."

"The teacher is worried that if we don't march east now, there will be more people who oppose us in the future."

Wei Zheng said slowly: "How does your highness plan to arrange it?"

"The troops and food for this battle have been prepared. Although there are not many troops, the food is sufficient. However, we have not yet decided how to fight. The terrain of Goguryeo is complex, unlike the flat land of the Western Regions."

Wei Zheng nodded slowly.

Li Chengqian said: "There are some things I'm still thinking about."

Wei Zheng suddenly smiled.

Wei Shuyu was surprised that his father actually laughed. He had never laughed like this since he returned from the outing with the emperor.

Li Chengqian added: "For the Li Tang dynasty, to be more selfish, if we can conquer Liaodong by sending out more than a thousand soldiers, we can gain the recognition of the emperor and the support of the people. This is undoubtedly worthwhile."

"It is wrong to only think about the benefits. There are also costs. The cost of this war cannot be too high. Once the cost is high and the gains are too small, it will not seem worth it."

Wei Zheng said: "A crown prince with a sense of justice should not have such concerns."

"If we don't go to war, we can win over the people by governing the country well. Even if the local nobles and aristocratic families don't support us, the worst that can happen is that we can kill a few more people."

Wei Zheng whispered, "Your Majesty can march eastward, but regardless of success or failure, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince must ascend the throne."

"Duke Zheng has a long-term vision."

"It is my duty."

After sitting in Duke Zheng's house for a while, Li Chengqian talked a lot with the old man, talking about some trivial matters of the day and the governance of the Western Regions.

As early as when there was a dispute over how to educate the Turks, Duke Zheng strongly advised that in order to make the Turks submit to the Tang Dynasty, they must start with etiquette and morality.

Therefore, Zheng Gongshi is very satisfied with the use of Confucian teachings in governing the Western Regions, which is very much in line with the appetite of this old man.

Many times, Li Chengqian got along very well with this very realistic old man.

Whether my father's Eastern Expedition succeeds or fails, it requires a strong emperor to ascend the throne.

Firstly, Duke Zheng was worried that if the Eastern Expedition failed, the local gentry and the people of the Central Plains would be disappointed with the Tang people. They would feel that there was no difference between the Tang Dynasty and the Sui Dynasty, and his father was an uncertain factor.

Secondly, even if the Eastern Expedition was victorious, my father would become arrogant amid all the praise and might do something wrong.

This is probably the situation that Duke Zheng was worried about.

After leaving Duke Zheng's mansion, Wei Shuyu personally escorted the prince out the door.

"Your Highness, my father hasn't been this happy for a long time. The prince's visit is exactly what my father has been looking forward to."

Li Chengqian understood and nodded at the innocent Wei Shuyu.

I'm afraid even Duke Zheng's son didn't realize that what he said to Duke Zheng today was actually a bit of an explanation of what he would do after his death.

People may know their destiny, and Duke Zheng probably felt that he didn't have much time left.

On the way back to the palace, Xue Wanbei felt that the prince was not in a good mood, so he didn't want to talk anymore and just followed quietly.

After meeting the prince, Wei Zheng wrote a memorial and asked his son to deliver it to the palace and to His Majesty.

In the Guande Hall in the West Garden of the Imperial City, the current emperor was playing cards with Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong.

The situation at the card game was very tense, with all three parties holding their cards as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

The eunuch held the memorial in both hands and said, "Your Majesty, this is Duke Zheng's memorial."

Li Shimin first put the cards away and put them aside, then took the memorial and looked at it.

Yuchi Gong also put away the cards in his hand, rubbed his brows and relaxed himself.

Cheng Yaojin looked around with a serious expression, and said, "My cards are too bad. I am really unlucky. Where is Li Chunfeng? Please calculate for me."

After reading the memorial, Li Shimin said, "Let's stop here today."

"Ah... I will take my leave."

Before leaving, Yuchi Gong hurriedly picked up the cards on the ground and placed them on the table. The two of them took their leave and walked out of Guande Hall.

Cheng Yaojin stopped, looked at the hall behind him, and said, "Jingde."

"Ok?"

"Did someone tip off Lord Zheng that His Majesty was playing cards in Guande Hall? Old Cheng hasn't even won back what he lost, and I'm so pissed off."

Yuchi Gong comforted him: "Not necessarily."

"What else could it be?"

"Where is your usual spiritual awakening, Old Cheng?"

In the Guande Hall, Li Shimin held Wei Zheng's memorial in silence for a long time, then quietly put it aside and sat with his eyes closed.

After enduring for half a month, Li Zhi and Li Shen finally recovered their vitality.

Kong Yingda, who was teaching the two princes, was dozing off with his head supported by one hand and a scroll in the other.

"Brother, the old master has fallen asleep."

Li Zhi took small steps forward, stared at him for a long time, waved his hand in front of the old man, confirmed that he was really asleep, and then left the palace with Li Shen.

Before leaving, Li Shen put his coat on the old man, helped him to sleep, carefully placed his head on the pillow, and said to the servant beside him: "Be sure to take good care of the old man, and send him back when he wakes up."

"Here."

(End of this chapter)