The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 335: New Year's Day

Li Yuan showed a compromising look and said, "Okay."

Li Chengqian gave a few instructions to the eunuch beside him, and Linchuan took the wooden tray, put down the two bowls of noodles, and said, "Sister and Xiaofu, go make some more dishes."

"Remember to send it to Father as well."

"My sister knows."

After that, she went to help Xiaofu cook.

Li Yuan likes to put a lot of vinegar in his noodles when eating them recently. The grandfather and grandson sat together, each with a bowl of noodles in their hands.

The little deer lying beside it raised its head slightly, didn't like the taste of vinegar, and walked away with its head held high.

Although these deer are raised in Taiye Lake, they are not usually monitored and can come and go freely.

When Linchuan brought the bowl and put some minced meat into her grandfather's bowl, she sat beside it and ate, then admired the painting she had just completed.

When he has free time, Linchuan paints here.

Li Chengqian asked, "What have Zhinu and Shendi been doing lately?"

Linchuan ate millet rice and said, "I heard that Zhinu has been busy with some carpentry work recently. I don't know what he is doing. I asked Shendi but he didn't tell me."

After the meal, Li Chengqian filled a water bag with hot water and put it in his grandfather's hand.

Li Yuan sat on a chair, closed his eyes and asked, "When will the Eastern Expedition be launched?"

Li Chengqian put the cloak on Grandpa's knees and said, "There are still things to prepare. It won't take long."

"Well, have you convinced the courtiers?"

"Neither Prime Minister Fang nor Duke Zheng are against the Eastern Expedition, and my uncle will not mind it. I have discussed this with them in private."

Li Yuan nodded slowly, holding the warm water bag with both hands, "Your father needs help with what he wants. If it's not you, then the assistant will do it. If it's someone else, they won't think so much about your father."

"Grandpa is joking."

"Haha..." Li Yuan chuckled, "You've been busy running around, you've worked hard."

"My grandson is the crown prince. He will become the emperor in the future. He must always consider the country. Different positions will lead to different interests. There will always be people who obstruct him."

Li Yuan nodded slowly again.

After he said just two sentences, grandpa's breathing gradually slowed down, and after a while he fell asleep.

Li Chengqian pushed his grandfather in a wheelchair into the warm courtyard.

Empress Changsun stepped forward to take the wheelchair and said, "You go and do your work. I will watch over you later."

My mother pushed my grandfather into the house and put a cotton coat on him to keep him warm. After a while, I heard my grandfather snoring.

Over the years, grandpa's health has been getting worse.

The queen mother sat beside him, watching over him.

Looking inside the house, he saw his son and daughter playing with building blocks. Li Chengqian looked at them quietly for a moment and then walked back into the snow.

Linchuan wore gloves when painting. This sister did not have the lofty ambitions of Lizhi, nor did she practice medicine and consult patients like Dongyang for years.

On weekdays, Linchuan is very quiet, taking care of his younger sister.

Walking into the palace, Li Chengqian followed the eunuch to the Lingyan Pavilion, where he met his father.

On the four walls of the second floor of the Lingyan Pavilion, there are portraits hanging, all of which are the heroes who have made contributions since the founding of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin pointed to one of the portraits and said, "This is Xiao Yu."

"I have heard of it."

"Well, this person is a descendant of Emperor Ming of Liang. He is also the brother of Empress Xiao of Emperor Yang of Sui. He has a distinguished family background."

Li Shimin praised him, but then said, "But he has great ambitions but little talent, and is narrow-minded. He cannot tolerate Fang Du and Li Jing. He has caused trouble several times, and he is somewhat related to me. I wanted to use him before, but he failed me every time, so I dismissed him several times."

After walking back and forth in Lingyan Pavilion for a few steps, Li Shimin continued, "Now someone has advised me to call Xiao Yu back. I want to hear your opinion."

Li Chengqian said: "If your Majesty summons Xiao Yu back to the court, it would be a sign of your tolerance. But if you summon him back to the court, do you still want to make him the prime minister?"

"You don't want to use this person?"

"Xiao Yu was an important official of the former Sui Dynasty. When the Tang Dynasty was first established, my father needed to recruit many important officials of the former Sui Dynasty to govern the country. But the times are different now, and it is wrong to use the old ideas."

"Besides, I think that those who advised the emperor to re-employ Xiao Yu were targeting Jingzhao Prefecture. No matter how well Jingzhao Prefecture does, there will always be people who are its enemies."

Li Shimin said: "If Xiao Yu were the prime minister, you would definitely kill him."

Li Chengqian bowed and said, "Father, you are joking."

"Even if I want to use him again, he might die suddenly at home in a few days. There are some things you don't have to do. Someone will do it for you. Your East Palace is just a ship."

"You were alone before, but now there are too many people on this ship. For the sake of profit, the exclusion of dissidents is not something you, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, can control."

"I will remember your father's teachings."

"In this case, you should pay more attention to your words and promises. I know you always keep your promises, but it is a burden to keep your promises."

Li Shimin put his hands behind his back, feeling the chill of the cold wind blowing into the pavilion, and asked, "If you were the emperor, what would you do in the future?"

"I haven't thought about it yet."

Li Shimin patted his son on the shoulder and said, "Come with me for a walk."

Walking down the Lingyan Pavilion, Li Chengqian followed and looked at the scenery in the palace. The wind and snow had just stopped for a while, and there was still some snow on the roof of the palace.

The ground has been dried by the wind and the weather seems to be getting colder.

Listening to my father talking about the past, they were all interesting things, like that Jie Li did dance in the Taiji Hall, but not in front of many ministers, but at a dinner with generals.

In fact, Zhishishili had already defected to the Tang Dynasty, but Jie Li was not aware of it at the time.

Whenever talking about the disputes between us and the Turks, my father was always very proud. In his eyes, Jie Li was not smart, but rather a little stupid, and had been fooled for several years.

After that, the Tang army attacked Jie Li, and that battle was not easy.

In the 17th year of Zhenguan, near New Year's Eve, a group of soldiers came from Luoyang and arrived in front of Chang'an city.

The visitors were Li Yifu, the director of Luoyang Chongwenguan, and Zhang Da'an, the secretary of Luoyang Jingzhao Prefecture, who had come to report on their work.

Zhang Da'an, wearing a dark blue official robe, dismounted from his horse, handed the documents to the guard at the city gate, and led his men into Chang'an.

Li Yifu followed behind, and freezing rain was falling in Guanzhong.

Wen Ting, who came to greet them, came hurriedly and said, "Everyone, please come to Jingzhao Prefecture."

Zhang Daan walked along Suzaku Street and said, "I haven't been to Chang'an for many years. Suzaku Street has never been so crowded before."

Wen Ting said: "Yes, there are too many people. Fortunately, many houses have been built in various counties, otherwise there would be no place for so many people to live in Chang'an City."

Zhang Daan said: "It's the same in Luoyang now. There are more and more people and houses are being built non-stop."

Wen Ting led the group along the way and said, "Xu Shaoyin has been thinking about the two of you coming. Guanzhong and Luoyang should really have a good talk."

Li Yifu pressed on: "There is something I want to ask."

Wen Ting said, "Master Li, please feel free to speak."

"Is Pei Xingjian still in the Western Regions?"

"He served as the Protector General of Anxi Protectorate, and guarded Xizhou with General Liang Jianfang."

As they were talking, they arrived at Jingzhao Prefecture. Xu Jingzong came to greet them with a smile, "I have been waiting for you two for a long time."

Zhang Daan and Li Yifu bowed and said, "Xu Shaoyin."

Yan Qinli stood in the main hall and arranged for everyone to sit down.

Zhang Daan handed over a scroll and said, "This is the outline of Luoyang's governance. Let's see if Guanzhong and Luoyang can cooperate."

Xu Jingzong smiled and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince often said that some things cannot be communicated through documents alone. It would be best if officials in Luoyang and Guanzhong could visit each other more often and have closer exchanges."

Yan Qinli asked people to prepare pen and ink to record this conversation.

This is an extremely important conversation. Both sides must cooperate on everything from construction land to teaching and workshop construction. In particular, Guanzhong and Luoyang must work together on various arrangements for Shandong in the coming year.

On the night of New Year's Eve, the lights in the Jingzhao Prefecture's official residence were still brightly lit. No one knew how many days the talks would last, perhaps as long as half a month.

When the residents of Chang'an who were celebrating New Year's Eve passed by Jingzhao Prefecture, they could see busy figures under the lights inside the Jingzhao Prefecture from outside the gate.

Late at night, sounds of arguments could be heard from Jingzhao Prefecture.

For everyone in Jingzhao Prefecture, this year's New Year's Eve was a day off, and they stayed up until dawn, which was the end of the 17th year of Zhenguan.

By morning, it was the eighteenth year of Zhenguan.

On this day, the city of Chang'an was celebrating the first month of the lunar year. The weather was still cold, but people were in high spirits.

Li Yifu was going to stay in Jingzhao Prefecture these days. It turned out that Jingzhao Prefecture had prepared accommodation for officials, so he and Zhang Da'an lived in the place where Di Zhixun and his son used to live.

In fact, this morning, Li Yifu was woken up by a boy. He walked out of the house and stared at the little fat boy in front of him.

And the little fat boy also stared.

"Whose child are you?"

"Boy Di Renjie."

When he heard the name, Li Yifu understood that this was the young official who was quite famous in Chongwenguan.

Before she could say anything, she saw him slip into the house, take out a package, and leave quickly.

Li Yifu asked, "Master Xiao Di, are you leaving just like that?"

Di Renjie replied, "Originally this was the room you and my father lived in, but after my mother came, we moved out. We now live in the East Market. If you left anything behind, come and get it. Sorry to bother you."

Although Di Renjie is young, Li Yifu does not dare to underestimate him at all. This guy is quite famous in the Chongwenguan in Chang'an.

Li Yifu said with a smile: "What a pity."

Di Renjie turned around and asked, "What's a pity?"

Li Yifu said, "It's a pity that you have become Yan Qinli's disciple."

Di Renjie's fat face turned red from the cold. He asked suspiciously, "Why?"

"If you can take me as your master, I will definitely teach you more."

"Renjie has something to do at home. If you don't go back, my mother will be angry again."

"Go back."

"Boy, please leave."

Li Yifu lowered his head in disappointment, but he did not plan to stay in Chongwenguan forever. After he made achievements in the future, maybe he could join the court and stand in the Taiji Hall for the morning court.

Zhang Daan bought two baked buns and said, "Breakfast in Chang'an is more expensive than in Luoyang."

Li Yifu hesitated and said, "I heard that Chongwenguan has breakfast for free."

After handing the breakfast to Li Yifu, Zhang Daan said, "I just went to see my two brothers. They scolded me for not coming back for many years."

"As a son, it's okay to listen to more criticism."

"Yes." Zhang Da'an nodded, then suddenly raised his head and said, "Next year you and Shangguan Yi will go to Shandong together, and I will not go."

Li Yifu said: "Okay, I will settle the matter in the front and eliminate the evildoers, and you will govern in the back."

Zhang Daan nodded heavily.

Wen Ting said: "I heard that Empress Xiao has entered the palace."

Li Yifu hesitated and asked, "That Empress Xiao?"

Zhang Daan explained: "When Empress Xiao of Emperor Yang of Sui heard that she had lived in Xingdao for a long time, she was thought to have passed away."

Empress Xiao was summoned by Empress Changsun. In the first month of this year, Empress Changsun summoned many female relatives from noble families.

After the Jiangdu Rebellion, the Former Sui Dynasty collapsed, and Empress Xiao of the Former Sui Dynasty wandered for half her life.

On weekdays, the Li Tang family did not have much contact with the elderly Empress Xiao, after all, the former Sui Dynasty had already fallen.

The Queen Mother usually does not participate in state affairs, but she can influence some state affairs in other ways.

For example, someone advised the emperor to re-employ Xiao Yu, who was the younger brother of Empress Xiao.

Li Chengqian did not participate in the banquet hosted by his mother, but spent the first day of the first lunar month quietly in the East Palace.

It was not until Little Sizi brought Little Yutu and Little Lingque back that Li Chengqian asked, "What did the Queen Mother and Empress Xiao talk about?"

Little Sizi wiped the snot off Little Lingque's nose and said, "My sister doesn't know either. Empress Xiao scolded Xiao Yu and Xiao Yu left Chang'an."

Li Chengqian said, "Thank you, mother."

"Brother, do you not want to use Xiao Yu?"

"How did you know?"

"Sister, listen to what Grandpa said."

Li Chengqian picked up his son at his feet, rubbed his red cheeks from the cold, and said, "My mother is preparing for my ascension to the throne and clearing away obstacles."

He placed his son in his arms and looked at Su Wan and Ning'er who were still knitting clothes for the child with cotton thread. They were talking in low voices.

Sometimes I really feel like I have reached middle age early. Li Chengqian took a sip of tea. The more peaceful the years are, the faster time seems to pass.

Maybe it's because it's too quiet, so it's easy to calm the mind.

While writing, Li Chengqian had to hold his son in one hand, otherwise he would always want to climb onto the table.

Only after Xiao Sizi had put away her books and came back did Li Chengqian hand his son over to her care.

After writing a letter, Li Chengqian handed it to the eunuch in Chongwen Hall and said, "Give it to Chu Suiliang."

"Here."

Just after the first month of the new year, when the prince's letter was delivered, Chu Suiliang made a warning to His Majesty, "Yeon Gaesomun of Goguryeo killed Goguryeo ministers, usurped the throne and attacked Silla. He is truly ambitious and disrespectful to the Tang Dynasty. He refuses to be a vassal and should be executed."

Soon, His Majesty ordered the Honglu Temple to question the Silla envoy Kim Chunchu.

It had just snowed all night in Chang'an City. When the day just dawned, it was the third day of the first lunar month of the eighteenth year of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty.

Jin Chunqiu followed Chu Suiliang and asked, "Minister Chu, what should the foreign minister say?"

Chu Suiliang led the way and said, "Just say what you should say."

"Foreign ministers are really..."

Jin Chunqiu was very confused. He had not received any news about Goguryeo's attack on Silla. Or was this news false?

(End of this chapter)