The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 376 Fengshan
There is only one last stretch of road left to reach the top of Mount Tai. This is already the third day of our climb.

The people closest to the top of the mountain were only Li Shimin, Li Chengqian, Li Zhi, Li Shen, Xiao Yutu, father and son, as well as Ying Gong Li Ji and Xue Wanbei.

The next day, the sky was still gray and not yet fully bright, and the sun had not yet dispelled the dark clouds that remained at night.

Li Shimin took Cheng Qian's hand and said, "Climb Mount Tai with me."

"Father, please take another day to rest. There is no need to rush."

Li Shimin endured the pain in his feet and said, "I! I have fought on the battlefield for many times, how could I be afraid of this?"

After saying this, the father and son headed towards the top of Mount Tai under the gazes of many people behind them.

Along the mountain road, civil and military officials who were climbing the mountain one after another looked up. When they saw the emperor and his son reaching the top of Mount Tai, they all saluted solemnly.

As we were about to reach the top of Mount Tai, the wind was so strong that it made our clothes rustle.

The wind got colder too.

As they continued walking, Li Shimin said, "You have not yet told me how you are going to govern the country."

Li Chengqian suddenly smiled. Did he mean to build an empire with the largest territory in the history of human civilization, and then say shamelessly that Temujin was no better than him.

But my father didn’t know who Temujin was.

The father and son did not stop walking. Li Chengqian said, "Keep your feet on the ground."

"Okay." Li Shimin nodded in agreement and said, "This is how my crown prince should be."

After taking the last step, the father and son also stood on the top of Mount Tai. Listening to the rustling of flags, the ceremonial officials in black knelt on the ground one after another.

Li Shimin picked up a scroll of silk, strode to a huge bronze tripod, and said in a loud voice: "Cheng Qian, stand beside me."

"Your Majesty..." The ceremonial officer wanted to say something, but when he noticed that His Majesty had already raised the silk book, he lowered his head and said nothing.

The father and son stood side by side in front of the burning bronze tripod, facing the sky, and the morning sun was slowly rising in the distance.

Li Shimin recited his achievements loudly to heaven.

Jade articles, silk, jade cloth and ritual vessels were placed into the tripod one after another.

The iron scroll inlaid with gold was placed on the altar.

The priest then recited the prayer loudly and the sound of bells rang out.

This is a very ancient sacrifice, so ancient that the idea of ​​Fengshan appeared in Guanzi's account of Fengshan, and then to the real Fengshan on Mount Tai by Emperor Qin Shihuang, and then to the present day by Emperor Han, thousands of years have passed.

The father and son bowed three times and kowtowed nine times. It seemed that the emperor was not the only one who performed the Fengshan ceremony this time. It seemed that the emperor and the prince performed the Fengshan ceremony together.

It was unknown how long, but God still did not respond, and the ceremony continued.

The morning sun rose from the east, shining on the faces of the father and son. The golden sunlight made Mount Tai also shine with golden light.

Gradually the golden light faded, and Li Shimin said in a loud voice: "I! Take my son Li Chengqian with me to offer sacrifices to God..."

The emperor's words echoed on Mount Tai.

It was not until noon that the father and son walked down from the altar and appeared before the ministers at the foot of the mountain.

All the ministers knelt on the ground.

Little Yutu cheered loudly, "Grandpa, Dad!"

He was about to run up, but he felt pain in his feet and had to stop.

Li Chengqian followed his father down the steps and watched the ministers kneel down again and again.

At this point, the history books recorded that in July of the 20th year of Zhenguan, the Tang emperor offered sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai...

But this time the emperor was not the only one to perform the Fengshan ceremony. He brought the crown prince with him.

Many years later, when people come to the foot of Mount Tai again, they will remember the Fengshan ceremony of the Tang Dynasty, when the emperor and the prince jointly offered sacrifices to God.

Li Chengqian followed his father down the mountain and picked up his son.

Little Yutu sat in his father's arms and asked, "What is Fengshan like?"

Li Chengqian said: "The Fengshan ceremony is very tiring."

"What did Daddy and Grandpa say on the mountain?"

Li Chengqian added: "They are just some words to offer sacrifice to God, nothing special."

Li Shimin stood in front of his ministers. At this moment, the emperor looked more energetic than before.

An emperor standing at the pinnacle of his career is naturally full of energy and spirit.

As all the ministers knelt down, Li Chengqian held his son and walked down the mountain with his father.

After walking for a while, the court officials at the back also stood up and followed His Majesty and the Crown Prince.

Li Chengqian looked at Xiao Yutu's swollen feet and said, "You will suffer when you go back."

Little Yutu pursed his lips and said, "They say that the emperor may only climb Mount Tai once in his life, and I don't want to miss it."

Li Shimin said: "When you grow up, you can come whenever you want. You don't need to listen to others' words."

Little Yutu was much happier now.

Li Chengqian walked down the mountain carrying his son on his back. Civil and military officials along the way bowed down to him. Someone passed on the news that the emperor had already performed the Fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai.

The team going up the mountain was huge, and the team going down the mountain was still huge.

Some civil and military officials were unable to climb, but they stayed where they were and did not go down the mountain.

They only waited for His Majesty to return before they went down the mountain and followed His Majesty.

Little Yu Tu lay on his father's back, looking at the scenery below the mountain. The lush green seemed to be reflecting light under the sunlight.

Someone hurried up the mountain and reported: "Your Majesty, urgent news from Liaodong."

Little Yu Tu got down from his father's back and was carried by Xue Wanbei again.

Li Shimin opened the urgent report, read it carefully, and said, "Baekje is destroyed."

Li Chengqian took the urgent report handed over by his father and looked at the content. Gao Yanshou and Jin Chunqiu conquered the entire territory of Baekje with an army of 30,000.

King Uija of Baekje hanged himself, and more than 60,000 people of Baekje were captured and three generals surrendered.

Three carts of jewels, gold and silver were seized and presented to the Tang Dynasty.

After reading the military report, Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Father, Liaodong has won a great victory."

Li Shimin asked: "Now Jin Chunqiu and Gao Yanshou are facing each other from north to south. Aren't you afraid that they will fight?"

"What do you think, Father?"

Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "It's all up to you to arrange."

"My son, take your orders."

It was tiring to go up the mountain, and it was also tiring to go down the mountain. Li Chengqian felt the soreness in his legs and did not walk fast.

Li Shimin took difficult steps with the help of a cane.

In fact, some people who caught up also said that they could carry His Majesty on their backs.

But His Majesty refused again and again. Seeing His Majesty's persistence, the eunuchs were so anxious that they were about to cry.

It may also be that His Majesty is a little angry, because His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not ask anyone to carry him on his back either.

The 49-year-old emperor would not admit defeat to the young men.

It took three days to climb up the mountain and two days to go down.

When Empress Changsun saw her husband coming down with a cane, she covered her mouth and almost cried.

Li Shimin walked closer, embraced his wife and said, "It's okay, it's okay."

Watching his father walking back to the carriage with the support of his mother, Li Chengqian looked at his son again, who had already run towards his mother.

Su Wan was really angry and distressed when she saw her son's red and swollen feet. The ministers came down the mountain one after another.

Li Lizhi took the medicinal wine and gave it to her father first, and then distributed jars of it to the ministers.

Many people in the team could not walk and needed to rest for a few days.

Li Chengqian found it quite funny to see Su Wan scolding her son while applying medicine to him.

"These medicinal wines were prepared by Dongyang."

Hearing Li Zhi's words, Li Chengqian said, "She is really thoughtful."

Li Lizhi whispered, "I heard that Baekje was destroyed?"

"Yeah, it's a little later than expected."

The emperor's carriage was filled with the smell of medicinal wine, which was even a little intoxicating.

Everyone had a good rest for a day and a night, but they did not recover so quickly as many memorials were sent from Luoyang.

Li Chengqian was reading the memorial while discussing with his ministers.

As for my father, he is still in the carriage. He has not come out for some time. He probably needs to rest for a while.

Officials from prefectures and cities surrounding Mount Tai came to congratulate Your Majesty, but none of them saw the Emperor. They were just allowed to take their rewards and go back.

Little Yu Tu was seriously injured, but fortunately he recovered quickly. He came to his grandfather's carriage and said loudly, "Grandpa has already been enthroned. Can you abdicate now and give the throne to my father and the position of crown prince to me?"

The emperor sat in the carriage and did not respond for a long time.

Amid the stunned and terrified gazes of the eunuchs, Xiao Yutu said, "My aunts and I are of the same mind..."

Before the childish words were finished, Su Wan pulled her son away with a dark face.

Soon, the screams and cries of the little prince were heard.

Su Wan beat the little prince again.

The four sages of Wenhan, who were the teachers of the emperor's grandson, came to apologize once again.

Li Shimin was still recuperating in the carriage, and he gave the four sages many rewards, ordering them to continue to teach the emperor's grandson in the future.

The emperor's family also has a young man, and this grandson brought a lot of fun to the officials who accompanied him along the way.

After resting for three days, Li Shimin was barely able to walk.

The emperor personally visited the villages and counties around Mount Tai and took a personal look at the farming and people's livelihood.

This was still a wise emperor who personally went to the counties and villages to see for himself how people were living there.

It's just that during the time that the prince followed the emperor to various counties and prefectures, Shangguan Yi's questioning revealed some good and bad things.

The prince also dismissed more than ten officials from Yanzhou.

As if they had been mentally prepared, these dismissed officials were very calm, except for a few officials who had committed serious mistakes and cried out for injustice. They were taken to Luoyang and might even be exiled to the Western Regions to plant trees.

There are new rumors about this prince among the people. In addition to fishing and planting trees, this prince also likes to listen to the cries of officials.

Many people also advised Your Majesty to ask the Crown Prince to be more restrained.

But His Majesty ignored all of it and continued to have fun.

There is no temporary palace of the Tang Dynasty on Mount Tai now. Some people have suggested building a temporary palace here, as the palace left here by Emperor Yang of Sui is no longer habitable.

But after this matter passed through Your Majesty's hands and then into the hands of the Crown Prince, there was no further response.

The emperor was traveling and met a talented young man, who was Xu Yanbo from Yanzhou.

The emperor and the crown prince met Xu Yanbo in front of the Mencius Temple in Yanzhou.

Li Chengqian looked at the local prefecture's evaluation of this young man, who was good at writing and had considerable insights into literature.

At this moment, Xu Yanbo, who was only fourteen years old, stood respectfully in front of His Majesty and the Prince.

Li Chengqian drank his tea and said, "I heard that your writing is good."

Xu Yanbo replied: "I started learning literature at the age of seven, studying history at the age of ten, and have been following my teacher ever since..."

Li Shimin no longer cared about the matter of recruiting officials and did not say anything about it.

Li Chengqian read his article, nodded with satisfaction and said, "When you turn seventeen, you can come to Hongwenguan to study."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, and thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Xu Yanbo is one of the three best talents in Hezhong mentioned in history books. After several wars of the Tang Dynasty, a large number of talents emerged.

It seems that the emperor is still very satisfied with this young man. There are more young talents and he has more confidence in the future.

After staying in the Meng Temple for a day, before leaving, Li Chengqian asked him, "Yanbo?"

"The kid is here."

"Study hard and don't be proud. I will wait for the day when you become famous all over the world."

Xu Yanbo said in a clear voice: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your care."

Li Chengqian followed in his father's footsteps and stayed in Yanzhou for a month. The emperor's carriage finally set off to return to the court.

In the carriage of Xiao Yutu sat the four scholars of literature and literature. He said anxiously, "Every time I told grandpa about abdication, my mother would beat me."

Lai Ji said: "The Crown Prince is your loving father, and the Crown Princess is your strict mother. Whether it is beating or scolding or praising, it is the grace of the parents to the little prince."

Little Yutu said, "My mother hit me so hard that it hurt."

Hao Chujun said: "Your Highness really shouldn't have said those words to His Majesty."

Little Yutu continued, "Why did Grandpa reward the Four Sages even though I made a mistake?"

Lai Ji said: "That is your majesty's generosity."

"I have been resourceful since I was young, and the four sages taught me well. Grandfather thought it was right for me to let him abdicate, so he gave the teachers a reward?"

The four sages were speechless again, pondering the twists and turns in these words.

In fact, Xiao Yutu didn't think so much. He just felt a little unbalanced. Why did the four sages get rewards every time he got beaten? It didn't make sense.

“Why do people get into trouble?”

Xiao Yutu asked another very profound question.

This again stumped the four sages.

Xiao Yutu continued, "I heard that my father was taught by the current prime minister, and also by my uncle. How could I, a resourceful and gifted person like me, let anyone teach me?"

The four sages were once again speechless with amazement.

The team escorting the emperor moved forward slowly, stopping and starting along the way. Occasionally, there was an evening thunderstorm, which disturbed the prince's interest in fishing.

Lightning flashed in the sky. Li Chengqian put away his fishing rod and looked at the four sages standing behind him.

"The four old gentlemen taught Yu Tu, and my father and I saw it all. Yu Tu's frequent mischief is due to his childish nature. The old gentlemen don't need to blame themselves."

"Your Highness," Lai Ji said, taking the lead, "The emperor's grandson is more intelligent than ordinary children, but he just needs someone to teach him the rules."

Li Chengqian said: "Old Master, you are right. I was negligent in teaching him the rules. After I return to the court, I will find another teacher to teach him together with the four sages."

Lai Ji is old, and even if he receives rewards from His Majesty again and again, he can't save face.

A thunderstorm came, and Yu Tu sat on the shaft of the carriage. The roof of the carriage could block the rain, and he sat cross-legged with his hands in his pockets.

King Wei came to see grandpa today, and Li Xin also came.

Xiao Yutu looked at his cousin and said, "Xin, you should go and persuade Grandpa to abdicate."

"Okay! I'll go after the rain stops." Li Xin asked, "Why doesn't my cousin go?"

Little Yutu muttered, "Stop it, my mother will beat me."

(End of this chapter)