The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 363: Four Sages of Literature
Wen Ting and his wife and children dressed in mourning clothes and stood aside, while his aunt, Princess Qianjin, gave birth to a son for Wen Ting.

Li Chengqian looked at the child, who was about the same age as Yu Tu.

The child was looking at the prince who came to pay homage with his bright eyes.

Originally, not many people were informed about today's worship, but after the court knew about it, officials in the court came to worship voluntarily, and most of these people were officials under the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.

Among them were Xu Jingzong, Yan Qinli, Zhang Da'an and a group of officials from Jingzhao Prefecture and Chongwenguan. Even Du He came, as well as Hou Junji who had just returned to Luoyang from Hebei.

There are still some new faces. Now there are many new people in Jingzhao Prefecture and Chongwenguan.

Wen Yanbo is of great significance to the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace and the officials under the Eastern Palace.

Mr. Wen Yanbo was the first director of Chongwenguan, and the career of the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace started with this old man.

Li Chengqian took out a piece of paper, which was full of words. It was a letter written to Mr. Wen.

The letter was lit in the brazier. Li Chengqian watched the flames burn the words on the paper and said loudly, "Old sir, Liaodong has been recovered."

Wen Ting wiped away his tears and looked up at the debris in the brazier floating in the wind.

Li Chengqian bowed towards the old gentleman's spirit tablet.

After the incense burned out, Li Chengqian prepared to leave. He watched everyone kowtow and called Xu Jingzong over.

Li Chengqian said: "Who is this person next to you..."

Xu Jingzong replied: "These are students studying in Jingzhao Prefecture."

The young man, who looked to be about twenty years old, bowed respectfully and said, "Your Highness, I am Li Jingxuan."

"After the appointment from the imperial court comes down, Liu Rengui will serve as Shao Yin."

Xu Jingzong hurriedly said: "I understand."

Xue Wanbei guarded the prince all the way, and there were hundreds of young people following behind the prince. After the imperial examination this year, more and more young people were serving as officials in the court.

Xu Jingzong was followed by a man named Li Jingxuan, while Chu Suiliang accepted a student named Zhao Renben.

When they reached the gate of Luoyang, Li Chengqian stopped and said, "In the future, in addition to serving as the Shao Yin of Jingzhao Prefecture, you will also serve as the Zhongshu Shilang. While participating in government affairs, you will still focus on the affairs of Jingzhao Prefecture."

"I accept your order."

Li Chengqian looked at the people behind him and returned to the palace alone.

Luoyang City became more and more lively day by day, with an increasing population. The streets were once congested with people coming and going.

In a tavern, several young people were sitting together. The young man who walked into the tavern was Pei Yan, who was currently studying in the Hongwenguan. He had not yet taken the imperial examination because of his age.

There are many high-spirited young people and many literati in this tavern.

Two other officials also walked into the tavern. They were in charge of editing books in the court. They were Lai Ji, the Tongshi Sheren, and Sun Chuyue, the Zhongshu Sheren. They were from the same school, and following behind them were two good friends, Gao Zhizhou and Hao Chujun.

Lai Ji, Sun Chuyue, Gao Zhizhou and Hao Chujun were the newly promoted backbone forces in the court and were highly regarded by the Minister of the Central Secretariat Cen Wenben.

Pei Yan sat down and was about to eat when he noticed the figure of a good friend. He called out, "Brother Wei."

Wei Xuantong came over and said, "I knew you would come here to eat, so I came to look for you."

Pei Yan smiled and poured the other person some wine. He said, "I heard that Brother Wei was recommended by Censor Shangguan. Now that he has passed the imperial examination, has the court made any arrangements?"

Wei Xuantong took a sip of his drink and said, "No arrangements have been made yet."

This surprised Pei Yan a little, and he listened to the discussions around him.

Wei Xuantong was from Hebei and was the son of a county magistrate in Dingzhou, Hebei. This year he came to Luoyang to take part in the imperial examination.

Pei Yan was from Jiangzhou, and the two met while studying abroad.

Studying in Shandong and visiting famous officials from all over the country was not smooth. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Confucius traveled around the countries, giving lectures and teaching students everywhere. After that, it became a trend for young people to study abroad, make friends, and visit famous officials. After the Two Jin Dynasties, this trend was still popular.

They had originally hoped to visit famous scholars and receive some advice, but Pei Yan and Wei Xuantong's study tour did not receive the reception of many famous scholars.

Later, the two met Shangguan Yi, an imperial censor in Shandong.

Shangguan Yi thought Wei Xuantong had good knowledge, so he recommended him to the court.

Pei Yan was somewhat surprised that Wei Xuantong had passed the imperial examination and should be granted an official position. Moreover, he was recommended by the current censor.

This year, among those who passed the imperial examination, Wei Xuantong was one of them. Most of the others were given official positions, but Brother Wei had not yet been given one.

Wei Xuantong smiled and said, "It's okay. There are so many talented people in the court now. I would like to go to Chongwenguan and work as a teacher in the future."

Pei Yan said: "The court is in need of talents right now, and we all have a place to use our talents."

"Yeah, exactly."

Some people were about to leave after their meal, and Lai Ji and his four companions were leaving at that time.

Pei Yan noticed that there was a quarrel in the tavern.

Wei Xuantong pointed at a young man who was speaking loudly and said, "That man passed the exam with me."

Looking up, Pei Yan asked, "Who is this person?"

"His name is Li Anqi, and he is the son of the former Minister of Rites, Li Baiyao."

"Li Baiyao?" Pei Yan recalled a little and said, "Brother Wei, are you talking about the Minister of Rites who defeated envoys from various countries?"

Wei Xuantong nodded.

Li Baiyao has retired, but his reputation remains in the court and the country.

After the Tang Dynasty conquered Tuyuhun, the Tibetan and Western Region countries all had a bad attitude towards the Tang Dynasty.

Li Baiyao maneuvered among the envoys of various countries, and even once fought a fierce battle with the Tubo delegation. It was rumored that as long as Li Baiyao took action, the envoys of various countries would submit.

After Li Baiyao left the court, the Tubo Prime Minister Lu Dongzan stayed in Chang'an and was never sent back to Tubo.

Now the Tibetan prime minister is still in Chang'an.

After Lai Ji and his three companions finished their meal, they hurried into the palace to meet the Minister of the Central Secretariat Cen Benwen. The four followed the newly appointed Minister of the Central Secretariat to the side hall next to the Qianyuan Hall, which is the Qianyang Hall.

Cen Wenben led these four people to give lectures to the emperor's grandson.

Little Yutu was wearing loose clothes which were very expensive and should be matched with a valuable jade pendant. At this moment, he was sitting cross-legged on the ground, welcoming the first teacher of his life.

But Xiao Yutu saw not just one person coming, but five people in total.

Xiao Yutu, who always thought he was very smart, was not flustered. He followed his mother's instructions and saluted sensibly and obediently, "Student, I greet you, teacher."

Cen Wenben also saluted and then stood in front of the emperor's grandson.

Little Yutu looked at the people in front of him with his bright eyes and said, "Huh? Why are there five people? Grandpa didn't say there would be five people to teach."

Cen Wenben explained: "These four are the current doctors of literature in the court. They are here with me to teach Your Highness."

Xiao Yutu frowned and said, "Well, since Grandpa has arranged this, I am willing to listen to the teachers' instructions."

Several people had relieved smiles on their faces.

Li Shimin stood outside the palace gate, watching his grandson talking with several teachers inside the palace.

Afterwards, another eunuch hurried over and whispered, "Your Majesty, Duke Zhao wants the Minister of the Central Secretariat to come over."

Li Shimin nodded and asked him to give the order. The eunuch walked into the hall and gave a few orders. Cen Wenben hurried into the hall. When he saw His Majesty standing outside the hall, he understood and saluted without making a sound.

Li Shimin signaled him that he could leave and continued to look at his grandson sitting in the hall.

Xiao Yutu asked, "Come to Ji?"

"Exactly."

"What a strange name." Little Yu Tu looked quite adult-like, with his hands behind his back, and asked in a baby voice, "Teacher, do you have many brothers and sisters?"

Lai Ji, the oldest of the four, stroked his beard and smiled, "Why do you ask this, Your Highness?"

Little Yu Tu pursed his lips and said, "My father has many brothers and sisters, they are all my uncles and aunts. My uncles and aunts are all very powerful, Uncle King of Wei, Uncle King of Wu, Uncle King of Jin, and many aunts, each with their own strengths."

Lai Ji said: "I also have brothers. I have an elder brother named Lai Heng and another elder brother named Lai Zheng."

Xiao Yutu said, "What a strange name."

Lai Ji smiled without commenting.

Little Yu Tu said, "Daddy said that today is my first day of class, and I need to get to know the teachers first."

Lai Ji introduced the people around him and said, "They are Sun Chuyue, Gao Zhizhou, and Hao Chujun. They all studied under the same master as me."

Hearing this, Xiao Yutu glanced at these people, then frowned and scratched his head hard, unable to remember who was who for a moment.

However, Xiao Yutu, who was always quite wise, did not seem flustered, but said calmly: "Then from now on, I will call you four sages of literature."

All four of them were well-versed in history and had smiles on their faces.

Lai Ji said: "Your subjects cannot be called the Four Sages."

Little Yu Tu waved his hands solemnly, and said in an adult-like manner: "Teacher, there is no need to be modest. To be able to be my teacher, you must be an extraordinary person."

"Why did Your Highness say this?"

"Because..." Xiao Yutu was confused again. How should he answer?
After thinking about it again and again, Xiao Yutu couldn't speak well and his speaking skills were limited, so he actually said, "From now on, you will be my four sages of literature."

The four scholars regarded it as a child's joke and paid no attention to it.

Li Shimin, who was standing outside the palace gate, laughed again when he heard these words.

Xiao Yutu asked doubtfully, "I have something to ask you."

Lai Ji said, "Your Highness, please speak."

"My father is the current crown prince." Little Yu Tu said in a baby voice, "My father has been the crown prince of the Eastern Palace for nearly twenty years, and my grandfather is already old. May I ask how I can make him abdicate?"

The expressions of the four Wenhan sages all became solemn, and their scalps tightened.

Don't know how to answer.

Is this just the words of a child, or who taught him this?

Lai Ji added: "Since ancient times..."

He paused and said, "Since ancient times... it's not good either. Counting from the Sui Dynasty onwards, it seems that there were few princes in all dynasties who ascended the throne normally."

This problem is terrible.

Little Yutu said, "Actually, I wanted to ask Taoist Master Li to be my teacher, but Aunt Mingda said that Taoist Master Li was unwilling to accept me as his disciple, saying that when I was born, a mountain lion came to congratulate Grandpa, and he couldn't teach me."

Children are children after all. After asking one question, they asked a second question.

The four sages breathed a sigh of relief, and Sun Chuyue explained, "Master Li is from the Taoist sect. Taoists never accept many disciples. For someone like Master Li, they would only accept disciples with extraordinary talents."

“I am also gifted.”

Xiao Yutu was very serious and authentic.

Lai Ji advised: "People have different talents and each has his own strengths."

Little Yutu added, "But my father said that if a person with extraordinary talents does not work hard, he will be like everyone else. A person's talent is not important. Besides, I have been able to eat a lot since I was a child. My grandfather and grandmother both said that I was gifted."

Outside the palace gate, Li Shimin had a smile on his face, listening to the child's childish words, and was very happy.

Your Majesty was not dissatisfied with the emperor's grandson's presumptuous words, but was even more satisfied.

What satisfied Li Shimin was that Cheng Qian's son was also very ordinary and didn't seem to be anything special.

Afterwards, Li Shimin left this place and walked to the other side of the palace.

Li Chengqian and his wife Su Wan were taking a walk beside the newly built canal in the imperial palace.

Su Wan was pregnant and listened to the prince telling the story of Liang Zhu.

Empress Changsun was also lost in thought while listening to this story. The story was very touching. Before her son had finished telling the story, she heard that Liang Shanbo should have returned home in glory after passing the imperial examination and becoming an official. But after hearing this, she could already feel that this must be a very sad story.

But halfway through the story, His Majesty arrived.

Su Wan bowed first and said, "Father."

Li Shimin indicated that there was no need to be so polite.

Seeing that the father and son were most likely going to discuss state affairs again, the Queen took Que'er and Su Wan away.

Li Chengqian sat down in the pavilion beside the canal and said, "Lingnan has sent in a lot of fruits as tribute."

On the table was a pile of tribute fruits from Lingnan. It was the harvest season for fruits from all over the Central Plains and the Western Regions. Li Chengqian ate a melon and asked, "How did Yu Tu learn today?"

Li Shimin picked up the orange and peeled it in front of his son. "It's pretty good, except that the kid said he wanted me to abdicate."

"This kid always has these words on his lips."

"I know that you are usually busy with state affairs, and it is Lizhi and Dongyang who take care of the children."

"The court officials all misunderstood whether it was me who wanted to be the emperor or the child who wanted to be the crown prince."

Li Shimin suddenly smiled and said, "You want Yu Tu to be the crown prince?"

"Teach him slowly. I am not in a hurry."

Perhaps Li Shimin was somewhat relieved in his heart. Cheng Qian was very capable. With his ability, he only needed three or five capable court officials to handle state affairs. Moreover, he did not need very capable officials, as long as they could obey orders and do their work.

In other words, Cheng Qian himself is actually a capable person in governing the country. If he could be more merciful, he would definitely be a wise king in the future.

Li Shimin said: "I have decided to exempt the prefectures of Guanzhong, Hexi, Hedong, Hebei, Henan, Laizhou, Youzhou, and Yingzhou from taxes for one year."

Li Chengqian nodded: "It's just the land tax, no problem."

"This is the land tax of most of the Central Plains."

"It's okay. The city tax alone is enough to cover the expenses of the court and the palace, and can also be used to pay the military in various places. I will take care of this matter."

After returning from the Eastern Expedition...or rather, before the Eastern Expedition, Li Shimin had lost a clear understanding of his family's financial situation.

……

Note: During the Zhenguan period, Sun Chuyue, Gao Zhizhou, Hao Chujun and Lai Ji attached themselves to Shi Zhonglan in Jiangdu. Shi Zhonglan admired them very much and knew that they would become capable and wise officials in the future, so he gave them money to help them.

(End of this chapter)