The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 334: Absurd and Shortsighted

Kong Yingda was very old, and he fell asleep while teaching.

Li Zhi and Li Shen took a deep breath of the outside air and felt refreshed.

"Zhang Jianzhi, that bitch, laughed like that when we were hurt. It makes me itch when I think about it now."

Li Shen hurriedly said: "Brother, please stay calm. If we cause trouble again, we will be driven back to our fiefdom."

Li Zhi put his hands behind his back and said, "Don't worry, I don't want to teach him a lesson now."

Li Shen nodded solemnly. After thinking about it, he realized that Zhang Jianzhi's face had been smiling all the time since he was scolded by his father. Now he felt itchy when he thought about it.

Li Zhi said: "Let's go find Xu Shaoyin."

When they arrived at Jingzhao Prefecture, the two brothers did not see Xu Shaoyin. They heard from the people here that he had gone to inspect the counties with Master Du He.

Li Zhi and Li Shen also left Chang'an City and said to the guards driving the carriage, "Let's go to Jingyang."

At this time, Xu Shaoyin went to see Du He for no other reason than that he was busy with the papermaking workshop.

After arriving in Jingyang County, they found Xu Shaoyin and Du He as expected.

Xu Jingzong saw the two princes running towards him and said, "Let's stop here today. I will go back to Jingzhao Prefecture to discuss with them first."

Du He said: "Okay, Xu Shaoyin still has to report to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Huh? Is Xu Shaoyin leaving now?"

"Yeah, I'm busy."

Li Zhi bowed and said, "Xu Shaoyin, take care."

Xu Jingzong had a gloomy face, he mounted his horse and headed towards Chang'an City.

Li Shen whispered, "Brother Emperor...Aren't we following Xu Shaoyin?"

Li Zhi turned his head to look at Du He, then looked at Xu Jingzong who was walking away, and then set his eyes on Du He again, saying, "I'm here to see Brother Du He today."

There are still many people working in the Jingyang Paper Mill. Du He flipped through the account book in his hand and looked at the two princes who were still standing beside him.

Li Zhi bowed and said, "Zhi, I meet Master Du He."

"I have been very busy recently. I wonder what His Royal Highness Prince Jin wants me to do?"

"What's there to do in the middle of winter?"

Seeing Du He still smiling, Li Zhi asked impatiently, "What are you busy with?"

"The nobles of Wugong Su County have also recently come to support the education. They said that the descendants of the Su family will no longer call themselves the Su family. They will recruit students and spread knowledge, so that the learning of Wugong County can spread throughout Guanzhong."

Li Shen said: "Shen has also heard about this."

Du He walked out of the papermaking workshop and said, "The Jingzhao Du family cannot just sit back and do nothing. They must also open more schools to accept students."

"Won't there be more people from the Jingzhao Du family in the future?"

"My uncle is now in charge of the Jingzhao Du Clan. He said that the Jingzhao Du Clan's family knowledge is passed down to more children. So it's not that there are more people in the Jingzhao Du Clan, but that there will be more knowledgeable people in our Du Clan."

Du He continued, "In fact, this should have been done a long time ago. If you expect a large family to have many descendants, the descendants will always be of mixed quality. It is better to make changes sooner rather than later."

"Brother Du He's uncle is Du Chuke?"

"Well, he was originally the chief historian of the Prince of Wei's palace, and he has retired now."

Du He asked, "I heard that His Royal Highness Prince Jin is good at making some ingenious things?"

Li Zhi nodded heavily.

Li Shen said: "My royal brother made a juicer and a windmill, both of which are very useful."

Du He said: "If Your Highness the Prince of Jin can invent a better printing technique, I will give you money."

"really?"

"I, Du He, have always been sincere to others."

"Okay! I'll give you an explanation when I get back."

After saying this, Li Zhi pulled Li Shen and was about to leave again.

Before leaving, Li Shen reached out and grabbed a handful of almonds and put them in his arms.

After the two princes walked away, the elderly Yinggong Wu Shigui came from behind and said, "It is not good for you to make such a promise to the King of Jin and the King of Ji."

Du He put the account book on the bookshelf and replied, "Instead of letting them keep looking for it, it's better to give them a chance. If they can do it well, it's fine. If they can't do it well, they will give up... It's the best."

The old warrior, leaning on a cane, had aged very quickly in the past two years. He added, "In fact, the East Palace is very wealthy. Prince Jin and Prince Ji do not need money."

"I know."

"Then you still..."

"Prince Jin and Prince Ji are ambitious. They want to make a career on their own."

"It's always wrong for you to interfere in the prince's affairs... Alas."

Du He seemed very relaxed. He recalled some past events and said, "What the Eastern Palace gave them is not their own after all."

After leaving Jingyang, Li Zhi and Li Shen walked aimlessly. When they arrived in Xianyang County, they met Di Renjie.

"Prince Jin, Prince Ji!" Di Renjie shouted from a distance.

Li Zhi walked forward confidently, "Why are you here?"

Di Renjie pointed at Yan Qinli who was not far away and said, "Come and see."

Li Zhi asked, "Aren't you watching Chongwen Hall?"

Di Renjie bowed and said, "I am now the disciple of Master Yan, not the gatekeeper of Chongwen Hall."

Li Zhi whispered, "Du He agreed."

"Really? How much money?"

"Give..." Li Zhi thought again and said, "A lot."

"How much is a lot?"

"Anyway, it's a lot, you don't need to ask."

Li Shen ate almonds and gave some to Di Renjie, saying, "This is delicious."

Di Renjie took the almonds and said, "Thank you, King Ji."

"No need to thank me between you and me."

Li Zhi looked at Li Shen and Di Renjie chewing almonds, and he suddenly felt that he was going to do great things and could not act like a child.

Li Shen chewed an almond in his mouth, bumped Di Renjie's arm, and asked, "What are they arguing about?"

“Open a workshop.”

“Aren’t there enough workshops in Guanzhong?”

Di Renjie squatted down, picked up a branch and drew on the ground, saying: "Three families wanted to open a workshop together. At first, they promised that two of them would contribute 100 strings of cash and one would contribute 300 strings of cash, and the three families would share the profits. But the family that was going to contribute 300 strings of cash suddenly ran out of money and lent it to the neighboring county."

"Why?"

"This is a long story. Jingzhao Prefecture asked them to provide written documents and they must pay enough money before they can open a workshop."

“If they can’t come up with the money and tamper with the accounts, it will not only harm the interests of the three families, but will also affect the money of the workers in each county.” “In each workshop, the officials of each county must first ensure that the workers in each county must get their wages. This is the bottom line. Otherwise, Jingzhao Prefecture will arrest and detain them.”

"Therefore, the county magistrates of each county were under the high pressure and supervision of Jingzhao Prefecture. Some people said that the county magistrates of Guanzhong counties were all cruel officials, and the officials under the jurisdiction of Jingzhao Prefecture were also cruel officials."

"The people in Guanzhong have always been tough, and no one cares about loving the people like their own children."

Although Di Renjie is the youngest among the three, when it comes to the current situation of Guanzhong governance, this guy Di Renjie can always tell the story.

If Zhang Jianzhi failed to pass the imperial examination, then Di Renjie definitely could. Just look at the many years he spent in Chongwenguan, and how he witnessed Chongwenguan grow from nothing to where it is today. His qualifications should not be underestimated at such a young age. Even many people in Chongwenguan would ask him for advice when they encountered difficulties.

"Your Highness Prince Ji, you don't know that governance must be based on laws. If the laws are not strict and unclear, Guanzhong will sooner or later become chaotic. For Jingzhao Prefecture now, it is better to do something unnecessary than to make any mistakes."

"So... we are not only fighting for the benefit of the people and the country, but we are also trying to improve the Tang Law. Maybe we will continue to amend the law in the future."

Li Shen was still chewing almonds. Di Renjie said a lot, but he didn't hear much. He asked, "Who is the one who cursed the most?"

"That's Liu Rengui, the magistrate of Xianyang County."

Li Shen nodded in understanding, "I thought it would be smooth sailing to open workshops in each county."

"Yes, it is not that easy to do it. The county magistrates of each county are very busy. The previous county magistrates did not know how to run business. They had to ask questions everywhere while doing things. Xu Shaoyin has been asking questions to Master Du He these days, and he plans to discuss some strategies with Master Du He."

"What strategy?"

"It's about the strategy of building a workshop."

Li Shen scratched his head again, looked around, and said, "Huh? Where's my brother?"

The guard replied: "Back to Chang'an."

Li Shen continued to eat almonds and look at the scenery in the distance.

Many people moved to Guanzhong, and some workshops were opened, recruiting a lot of laborers, just like recruiting soldiers. The household registration and name of everyone entering the workshop had to be recorded, and they were divided into long-term and short-term workers.

Li Shen asked, "Where do all these people live?"

Di Renjie said, "Many houses have been built in Guanzhong. People who moved to Guanzhong also built their own houses. Jingzhao Prefecture is busy with this. The population of each county in Guanzhong has increased several times. The small counties in the past will become large counties in the future. Teacher, within five years, the population of the faster-developing counties may be equivalent to that of a prefecture."

"So many?"

"Of course. It has been nearly ten years since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince took charge of the construction of Guanzhong. It is natural that such results have been achieved. Besides, why did Guanzhong accumulate strength for so many years? Now it is the time for it to be developed. Many people are moving to Guanzhong now. When they register their household registration in Guanzhong, they are all Guanzhong people."

Li Shen calculated carefully, just as Di Renjie said, Jingzhao Prefecture has been in charge of the construction of Guanzhong for at least eight or nine years.

Di Renjie said: "Years of accumulation have finally paid off. Guanzhong is undergoing a dramatic change, and this is the right time."

"Shen, I have another question."

Li Shen did not dare to look down on Di Renjie, so he simply changed his address and showed him respect.

Di Renjie chewed an almond, his fat face moving along with it, "But it's okay to ask."

"Working in a workshop pays more than farming before, so won't anyone farm anymore in the future?"

"Haha... ridiculous. Your Highness Prince Ji, please don't listen to the words of those short-sighted people. They also said that the people in Guanzhong will starve to death. This is really a thousand miles away from the truth."

"Rice can be grown in Tianshan, and farmland can be built in Songzhou. Besides, farmland is the bottom line for the development of Guanzhong. They don't know the relationship between benefits and land, and they can only complain about themselves."

"When grain prices go up, land will be more valuable. When land is valuable, farmers can get more harvests from farming. They have never seen the situation in the Hexi Corridor. More grain is being transported into Guanzhong than out. Even if Tongguan stops transporting grain, people in Guanzhong will not starve to death."

As he was talking, Di Renjie suddenly looked up and said, "Eh? Dad! Why are you here?"

Di Zhixun took a deep breath and said, "Your mother is back."

"Ah!" Di Renjie said happily, "My mother is back."

Di Zhixun lowered his head and said, "Go home. Your mother is here in mourning."

Hearing this, Di Renjie was stunned. He understood that his mother had been in Bingzhou taking care of his seriously ill grandfather, and now she was back.

It’s impossible for grandpa to recover at his age. There is only one reason why mom came back: he passed away.

Di Renjie followed in his father's footsteps and returned to Chang'an.

In Chongwen Hall, Di's mother was furious and she scolded Di Zhixun for a long time.

However, Di Zhixun kept his head down and allowed his wife to scold him. As a son, he was indeed unfilial for not being by his father's side when he was dying.

Li Shen pulled Di Renjie's sleeve and whispered, "Your mother is so fierce."

Di Renjie was about to speak.

"You bastard! Come here!"

Hearing his mother's shout, Di Renjie was frightened and walked forward with his head lowered.

Afterwards, the Di family father and son kowtowed and bowed before the spirit tablet.

Di's mother was wearing mourning clothes and had lost her previous arrogance. She knelt aside and sobbed.

In fact, Di Zhixun has been very successful. Although he did not have the opportunity to take the imperial examination, after serving in Jingzhao Prefecture, he is now promoted to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, which can be regarded as not bringing disgrace to the Di family.

By the Taiye Lake in the imperial palace, Li Yuan looked at a scroll of letters and whispered, "He's gone too, alas..."

This letter was sent from Bingzhou, and Di Xiaoxu had passed away.

Li Chengqian listened to his grandfather talking about the past. His grandfather and Di Xiaoxu knew each other when they were young. At that time, his grandfather started his army in Jinyang and wanted to win over Di Xiaoxu. Later, after his father ascended the throne, he also gave him many official positions.

However, the old man was unwilling to go to Chang'an, so he could only be given some honorary titles and enjoy the salary from the court.

At that time, he started recuperating in Bingzhou.

Later, of the three children of the Di family, one served in Jiangyin, another served in Yizhou, and the youngest one was Di Zhixun, who served in Chang'an.

Di Xiaoxu still missed the former Sui Dynasty. He was one of the more regrettable former Sui officials who wanted to restore the Tang Dynasty after its establishment.

Fortunately, his sons all work for Li Tang.

Li Yuan sighed: "One day, I will also die."

Li Chengqian said: "My uncle said that he still wants to see his grandson ascend the throne."

"Then why don't you ascend the throne?"

"Father is sitting on the throne. I have already discussed it with Lord Zheng..."

The queen mother beside her suddenly coughed twice.

Li Chengqian glanced sideways and saw Concubine Yang beside his mother again. At this moment, Concubine Yang's smile froze and her expression was quite strange.

Even Li Ke stared with his eyes wide open, unable to speak for a long time.

Li Chengqian straightened his sitting posture again, looked at the sky and said, "Grandpa, what do you want to eat tonight?"

Li Yuan thought to himself, "Is there any beef left at home?"

"If you have bad teeth, don't eat beef."

"I can drink broth."

"Beef soup can cause internal heat, don't drink it. Last time I ate too much, I felt so bad that it took two days to get over it. I had to take medicine to get rid of the internal heat, and I even had diarrhea because of it. It took a lot of trouble to get over it. Don't touch beef anymore."

"Oh, what else can I eat?"

"Let's eat noodles."

(End of this chapter)