The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 336 Old House Soldier

Inside the imperial city, there were many eunuchs diligently cleaning the ground. They had to remove the thin ice on the ground to prevent people from falling down on it.

Little Sizi left Chengtian Gate early and went to the Imperial Observatory.

Princess Jinyang was in a good mood today. Humming an unknown tune, she walked to the entrance of the Imperial Observatory and stretched out her hand to push open the heavy door.

The door was cold. When it was opened wide enough for her to enter, she walked into the Imperial Observatory with her hands in her pockets.

"It's so cold." Two eunuchs passed by with their necks hunched and complained.

The weather today is sunny, but the morning sunlight is a little gray. When the sunlight fully shines on the imperial city, Xiao Sizi takes out a basket of medicinal food and hangs it in front of the door of the Imperial Observatory to dry.

The little princess, wearing a Taoist robe, was humming a little tune. It was really cold and her fingers were frozen red.

Then he took out some scrolls from the Imperial Observatory and placed them outside to dry.

Little Sizi moved out a chair again, found a sunny spot, sat down and read a book, put a piece of Polygonatum odoratum in his mouth and started chewing it.

The book in hand is mostly annotations on diet. The name of the book is Food Classics. It is said that this book records all the delicacies in the world.

Little Sizi sat cross-legged on the chair, frowning and watching, trying to find some delicious food and then give it to Xiaofu.

As he was watching, he heard voices not far away. Little Sizi looked up and saw an official leading a group of people.

It was Chu Suiliang who led Jin Chunqiu.

I saw a little princess wearing a blue Taoist robe, with her hair piled up high and a wooden hairpin across her bun.

Chu Suiliang bowed and said, "Princess Jinyang."

Little Sizi withdrew his gaze and continued reading the book.

Jin Chunqiu followed Chu Suiliang all the way. The two first came to the Ministry of Rites, then talked a few words with the officials of the Ministry of Rites, and then went to the Honglu Temple.

Along the way, Chu Suiliang asked, "What does your Silla palace look like?"

Jin Chunqiu said: "There are only a few rooms and some servants. There are not so many officials, not so many rooms, and not so many tiles."

"Then you are in a difficult situation."

Jin Chunqiu smiled and said, "Chang'an is great. There is a lot of food here, and there are so many people. The houses are also very beautiful. It is much better than Goguryeo..."

Chu Suiliang smiled and nodded.

Jin Chunqiu wanted to say something else, but stopped when the words reached his lips.

"Just ask if you want to."

“Hey.” Jin Chunqiu followed behind with his back bent, and said, “The foreign ministers have not received any news from Silla.”

"Ah."

Chu Suiliang simply responded.

Seeing that the other party did not give further explanation, Jin Chunqiu did not dare to ask any more questions.

There are already quite a few people in the Honglu Temple, and the six ministries in the court still have people on duty, but most of them are idle. They will only get busy when there are occasional important matters that need to be delivered.

Therefore, even if it is a holiday during the New Year, a word from the court means that we must be ready to take up duty at any time, even if it is a holiday.

Jin Chunqiu followed Chu Suiliang into the Honglu Temple. He first glanced at the people present, then sat down on the side, waiting for the Tang officials' questions.

Sitting upright on a stool, Kim Chunchu straightened his clothes. Yeon Gaesomun of Goguryeo did kill many ministers, and he did usurp the throne, but there was indeed no news from Silla saying that Goguryeo attacked Silla?

After thinking for a moment, he continued to sit upright with a smile on his face.

Next, everyone in the Honglu Temple discussed the affairs of Goguryeo.

For about half an hour, Jin Chunqiu was still sitting here. The Tang officials seemed to have forgotten him, forgetting that he was an envoy from Silla.

Turning around, I saw these Tang officials were still discussing something.

Jin Chunqiu was still sitting here, and no one even looked at him. He was an envoy of Silla, and the matter involved Goguryeo and Silla, but now he felt that his presence or absence seemed to have nothing to do with the Tang people and was not important.

It was almost noon when Chu Suiliang finally looked at Jin Chunqiu standing beside him.

"Minister Chu, do you need an explanation from an outsider?"

"No, you can go back."

Chu Suiliang just said something lightly and then walked out of the Honglu Temple quickly.

Jin Chunqiu still smiled awkwardly and left alone.

Jin Chunqiu had been thinking about today's events all the way to Sifang Pavilion. The Sifang Pavilion was now very lively. During the past two years of living in Chang'an, he had been getting to know the Tang people.

At this time, the Sifang Pavilion was filled with envoys from various countries, all of whom came to Chang'an to pay tribute to Tian Khan.

Murong Shun was the former Khan of Tuyuhun, but the current Tuyuhun people have long been under the rule of the Tang people.

And now Murong Shun has become one of the most famous businessmen in the Western Regions.

Jin Chunqiu told him about his experience in the Honglu Temple.

Murong Shun drank grape wine and said, "It's good for Silla to be attached to the Tang Dynasty. It's just that the court needs you to be there so that you can give orders to Silla."

Jin Chunqiu nodded and said, "Thank you for your advice."

But now Murong Shun is only interested in the trade routes across the entire Western Regions, as the Arabs are attacking the dying Persia.

Recently, when Murong Shun was trading with several caravans in the Western Regions, he heard a name.

This name comes from the Caliphate. His name is Muhammad. The Caliphs call him a prophet. This man ruled the Caliphate.

Perhaps in another year, Persia will really be destroyed.

But this was still very far away for the Tang Dynasty. The Western Regions had not been affected by it, and the Anxi Protectorate was not alarmed.

Murong Shun didn't want to get involved in Goguryeo's affairs, nor did he want to know.

In the palace, Li Shimin was playing a jigsaw puzzle with his grandson and granddaughter. When he saw his son coming with a memorial, he said, "The court is on holiday. If you have anything to say, please tell me after the court session."

Li Chengqian put aside the memorial about Goguryeo and said, "It's not a very important matter."

Seeing his grandson building a square small city, Li Shimin stroked his beard and smiled.

Little Yutu and Little Lingque have been smart since they learned to walk, and they show their resourcefulness even when they get into trouble.

Li Shimin raised his head and gestured, saying, "Zhang Xuanbi and the students of the great Confucian scholars have submitted a memorial. Please take a look."

Li Chengqian walked to his father's desk, picked up the memorial and asked, "Hasn't your father read it?"

Seeing that the emperor's attention was still on the two children, the little magpie pulled her beard, but her father still held her with a smile.

Seeing that his father had no mood to reply, Li Chengqian sorted out the memorials on the table and prepared to take them away.

The eunuchs in the palace couldn't help laughing when they saw His Majesty taking care of the child with a smile.

But suddenly she realized that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was here, so she quickly put away her smile, lowered her head and stood still.

Li Chengqian took the memorial and left Ganlu Palace, heading back to the East Palace.

When I reached the gate of the East Palace, I smelled a fragrance.

Little Sizi said, "Brother, my sister and Xiaofu stewed a chicken today."

"Hmm, it smells pretty good." "Well, my sister needs to be cured, and Taoist Li said that he should let her focus more on food."

"Why? Are you Taoists also specialized in cooking?"

Little Sizi explained with a smile: "The so-called diet is not just about eating. The medicinal diet that Taoist Li taught me is also a kind of food, but the value of it is that it can nourish the body."

"Then wait for your stewed chicken to come out of the pot."

She nodded heavily.

Li Chengqian walked to the Chongwen Hall and pushed the door open. The Chongwen Hall was now empty.

Grandpa hasn't lived here for a long time. Li Chengqian walked in the dim hall, where there were several jars of grape wine stored, which had never been opened.

Now that I think about it, my grandfather hasn't drunk alcohol for a long time. He reduced his drinking back then, but now his body can no longer drink alcohol.

Li Chengqian opened the window of Chongwen Hall to let in some sunlight.

I also saw wine jugs and cups placed in a mess, and one or two coats placed on the table.

I originally wanted to ventilate the place, but when I looked around, I saw there was still a lot of dust, so I opened all the windows and started cleaning.

Seeing that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was cleaning up here alone, Su Wan and Ning'er also came with the palace maids to clean up.

Soon, everyone began to clean the Chongwen Hall.

Xiao Sizi sat by the stove and fell asleep on Xiaofu's shoulder. The firelight shone on her face, and her face turned red under the warm light.

After Chongwen Hall was cleaned up again, the stewed chicken was finally served after noon.

Little Sizi was a little confused in her sleep. She staggered out of the kitchen, tapped her leg, and said, "It's numb."

Xiaofu took a whole chicken out of the pot and said, "Your Highness, just take a few more steps. You slept sitting up for too long."

Little Sizi nodded and kicked his legs hard a few times, and then he felt much better.

The eunuchs who came from Ganlu Palace took away the food sent from Taiye Lake, because my father also wanted to have a meal at Taiye Lake.

The East Palace is becoming more and more quiet now. The most lively place in the palace is Taiye Lake. Grandpa, father, mother and a group of children are all there.

After the meal, Li Chengqian picked up the memorial given by his father and began to read it. This memorial was written by Zhang Xuanbi based on the words of the great Confucian scholar from Dongyi. It also mentioned that during the Han Dynasty, Xiao He, Cao Shen, Chen Ping and others were all fond of Huang-Lao philosophy.

Therefore, people's livelihood recovered quickly during the Han Dynasty, and they used the situation at the beginning of the Han Dynasty to compare with the current Tang Dynasty.

The Han Dynasty emerged from the chaos at the end of the Qin Dynasty. By the time Liu Bang officially laid the foundation, the Central Plains was depopulated and in ruins.

They felt that the current Tang Dynasty, which had emerged from the war at the end of the Sui Dynasty, should also be like this.

Zhang Xuanbi and others were very worried about this.

Seeing his wife sitting aside waiting for the water in the kettle to boil, Li Chengqian handed her the memorial in his hand and said, "Take a look too."

Ning Er was a little hesitant, but seeing her husband's smile, she still picked up the memorial. Before she even read it, she said, "My mother has taught me that I should be less involved in state affairs."

"It's okay, I just want you to take a look."

"Then can I not express any opinion after reading this?"

"You know what? My mother is actually clearing the way for me to ascend the throne."

Ning Er emphasized: "Ever since His Highness was a child, your mother has always loved His Highness the Crown Prince the most."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Take a look first."

After saying that, Ning'er opened the memorial and began to read it, then put it down after a moment.

"how do you feel?"

"Your Highness, do you think that Huang Lao's teachings are bad?"

"It's not bad."

Ning Er saw that the water in the kettle was boiling, so she poured a bowl of tea and brought it to His Highness, whispering, "Zhang Xuanbi is not serving in the court. He just looks at Guanzhong from the perspective of a Confucian scholar. He thinks that the Central Plains should recuperate and the tired people of Guanzhong should be able to rest."

Li Chengqian drank his tea and nodded.

Ning Er added: "I think Zhang Xuanbi's talk about recuperation is wrong. Although the reign of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing was good, Guanzhong cannot remain poor forever. He thinks recuperation means the villagers can live in peace. He only sees the appearance and ignores the inner meaning. People should live a happier life."

Li Chengqian nodded again.

Labor is a means of creating wealth, and Guanzhong has been rapidly accumulating wealth in recent years.

If Guanzhong does not strengthen itself, it will be controlled by others.

On the one hand, it is a stable and prosperous life, on the other hand, it is wealth. The view you see is different depending on your standpoint.

Li Chengqian took a sip of hot tea, put the memorial aside, and said, "The Tang Dynasty should have more theories."

Ning'er got up and took back the clothes that were hanging out to dry.

This winter was busy yet somewhat leisurely. Wei Chang was talking to an old soldier.

The old soldier had white hair and beard. He whispered, "After waking up, I found that all the money in my house was gone."

Wei Chang took a few bad guys and started questioning the neighbors around.

After getting some clues, Wei Chang bowed and said, "Don't worry, we will definitely find the money back."

The old soldier waved his hand and said, "It's just a few dozen coins, not important. My children are all serving in the army, so they won't be needed."

"You are an old soldier of the Tang Dynasty. I will never allow anyone to bully you."

After saying that, Wei Chang led his men away.

Near nightfall, Wei Chang picked up a local thug and threw him at the door of the old soldier's house, saying, "How dare you! You actually steal in Chang'an City!"

"I don't dare anymore...I don't dare anymore..."

Wei Chang pointed to the old soldier's house and said, "The Jingzhao Prefecture has issued an order that anyone who bullies an old soldier will be punished more severely and exiled to the Western Regions."

Afterwards, Wei Chang took out a purse and handed it to the old soldier, saying, "Old man, I'll give it back to you."

The old soldier took the money, nodded, and said with a smile on his weathered face: "Thank you, brother."

Wei Chang had a stern face as he dragged the little thief to Jingzhao Prefecture. As he walked, he said, "Jingzhao Prefecture has an order that anyone who bullies an old soldier will be detained at the very least, or exiled at the worst!"

The person walked farther and farther away until he disappeared from the streets.

The old soldier stood at the door of his house, leaning on his cane and slightly bending down to salute.

The old soldiers who had fought for the Tang Dynasty in those days were all taken care of by the Jingzhao Prefecture. Even if they had no one to support them, someone would be arranged to visit them.

Wei Chang took the thief to Jingzhao Prefecture and handed him over to the jailer for custody.

In addition to governance, Jingzhao Prefecture also has the power to arrest thieves and manage people's livelihood. Sometimes it can be involved in both big and small matters, and trivial matters.

When Li Daozon first took office as Jingzhao Prefecture, he was overwhelmed.

However, since Xu Jingzong took over, each district in Chang'an City has had staff, and things are now better.

To say it was a good thing, at this moment Li Daozon looked at the people in Jingzhao Prefecture with great melancholy.

It was already night time, and everyone in Jingzhao Prefecture was still discussing the matter. As they discussed, one memorial after another was sent to the Secretariat.

(End of this chapter)