The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 377 Old Friend and Old Minister
Because of the thunderstorm, the team could only stay on the official road they came from and set up camp on the spot.

In this kind of life of camping and traveling, the soldiers in the army were the most tired, so they were provided with plenty of meat and vegetables along the way and the food was particularly good.

If the emperor is eager to return home now, he may just set off with a few hundred cavalrymen.

Li Xin listened to his cousin's words and nodded thoughtfully: "Did he really get beaten?"

Xiao Yutu nodded heavily and said, "Yes, it hurts."

Li Xin looked left and right and said, "Cousin, it's really not easy."

Xiao Yutu nodded again, "As the grandson of the emperor, even if it is not easy, I will ascend to the position of crown prince. I have even climbed Mount Tai."

Hearing this, Li Xin became interested again and asked about what happened on Mount Tai.

He had never been to Mount Tai and was very curious.

After the thunderstorm stopped, Xiao Yutu walked along the way and told Li Xin about what happened on Mount Tai.

In fact, it was really amazing for a seven-year-old child to climb Mount Tai, but this time, Yu Tu was actually carried up by Xue Wanbei.

As he was speaking, Xiao Yutu ran into a man in armor.

He was even knocked back two steps, but the person in front of him didn't move at all. Xiao Yutu rubbed his forehead and looked up.

The other party was also looking back.

The two, one big and one small, looked at each other for a long time.

Xiao Yutu cleared his throat, put his hands behind his back and asked proudly, "Who are you?"

The man stood up and said, "The Flying Tigers of the Tang Dynasty, Cheng Chumo."

"Huh?" Xiao Yutu asked in surprise, "Flying Tigers?"

Cheng Chumo sat back down, holding a scallion in one hand and eating it with a mouthful of scallion and a mouthful of rice.

Xiao Yutu led Li Xin forward and asked, "Do you like eating onions, too?"

Cheng Chumo nodded slowly, still picking up the rice grains in the bowl and putting them into his mouth.

Li Xin saw the guards in armor around him, and with a somewhat frightened look on his face, he pulled at his cousin's sleeve and said, "Let's go back."

Little Yutu was not afraid. He asked again, "Why haven't I heard of the Flying Tigers?"

Cheng Chumo suddenly smiled and fell silent again.

Seeing this, Xiao Yutu ignored Li Xin's pulling and said again: "I will be the crown prince soon. Are you willing to serve me in the future?"

The soldiers around tried to hold back their laughter. They naturally knew who this child was. He was the most beloved grandson of the current emperor.

But before he could say anything else, Xiao Yutu felt a huge force on his back, and he was lifted into the air.

"Hey!"

Xiao Yutu screamed in surprise, turned around and saw Xue Wanbei, and said, "General Xue!"

Xue Wanbei said nothing, holding the emperor's grandson in one hand and Li Xin on his shoulder with the other, and strode away.

Li Xin did not struggle when he was carried on someone's shoulders, but little Yu Tu kept calling out all the way.

"General Xue, put me down!"

"Where are you taking me?"

"I didn't get into trouble!"

……

The voice of the emperor's grandson became increasingly distant, and the Flying Tigers stopped smiling and continued to eat.

Soon, a civil servant came over quickly and said, "General Cheng, the Crown Prince has ordered that the General escort me to Shanxi."

Cheng Chumo, who had already eaten his fill, said, "Brothers, let's get going."

Xiao Yutu was brought before His Majesty by Xue Wanbei.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, he asked, "Grandpa?"

Li Shimin sat by the campfire, drinking tea and smiling, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Little Yutu asked, "Why hasn't my grandson heard of the Flying Tigers?"

"I have only heard of them, I have never seen them."

"what?"

Little Yu Tu was very surprised. He didn't expect that there was a team in the military guard house that his grandfather didn't know about.

Xiaopang's face was full of confusion, and he asked again: "Then whose team are they from?"

Li Shimin whispered, "Your father is the Right Commander of the Eastern Palace."

Little Yutu sat beside his grandfather thoughtfully, and whispered, "When my grandson becomes the crown prince in the future, will the Flying Tigers belong to him?"

Li Shimin chuckled and said, "Ask your father."

Xiao Yutu took the mutton skewers handed to him by Li Xin with a serious expression.

Li Xin was a timid but sensible child. He naturally became his cousin's younger brother in the team and followed behind from time to time.

The next day, when little Yu Tu was about to climb onto his father's carriage, he dismissed the eunuchs beside him and said, "I have climbed Mount Tai, I don't need your help."

As soon as he finished speaking, little Yu Tu stepped on a stool and climbed onto the carriage with difficulty.

Li Chengqian was sitting in the carriage, looking at memorials sent from all over Shandong. Many of them were reports submitted by officials from various places on their work and their governance achievements in recent years.

I don’t know if these memorials are exaggerated or false, and it seems that there is not much to gain from them.

From the perspective of human civilization history, the supervision system has always been a very troublesome issue, which requires long-term and persistent investigation, and it cannot stop.

"father."

Seeing his son walking into the carriage, Li Chengqian asked, "Did you get into trouble?"

Little Yu Tu shook his head and said, "I want the Right Leader of the East Palace."

"Why?"

"The Flying Tigers are awesome, aren't they?"

Li Chengqian nodded.

Xiao Yutu continued, "I will be the crown prince in the future, so I will need the right commander of the Eastern Palace. I will also take Li Weigong as my teacher, so I will definitely need soldiers and horses."

"Think about it when you grow up."

"The child is now able to climb Mount Tai."

This child climbed Mount Tai and kept spreading the news everywhere, almost letting the whole world know that Li Tang's grandson could climb Mount Tai at the age of seven.

Li Chengqian put away the memorial and said, "The Right Commander of the Eastern Palace still has a lot of things to do, so I can't hand it over to you now."

Little Yu Tu hung his head and said, "When will the child grow up?"

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "You still have a lot to learn. Can you read the Analects?"

Xiao Yutu shook his head.

Li Chengqian whispered, "Go and learn all the words in the Analects before you talk about this."

Little Yu Tu lay on the carriage and was silent again, as if he was silently resisting learning.

The carriage started moving again, and after heading north to the south bank of the Yellow River, the team stopped again.

Li Ji reported: "Your Highness, the water level is not high now, so it is not easy for the big ship to move forward."

Looking ahead, Li Chengqian instructed: "Don't be in a hurry. The team will walk for half a day and stop for half a day. Take your time." "Yes."

Just treat it as a trip out for fun. After climbing Mount Tai, Li Shimin was finally able to walk smoothly. Now he can also ride horses in the mountains and forests with his soldiers and occasionally hunt some prey.

In their spare time, Li Chengqian and Li Tai walked together and looked at the newly compiled Comprehensive Geography of China by the Literary Museum. This Comprehensive Geography of China not only contains geographical descriptions, but also information about the distance between the sun and the ground, as well as some measurement methods.

The compilation of Kuodizhi has been going on for more than ten years and has not yet been completed.

The two brothers were walking along the Yellow River.

Li Tai said, "I heard that Brother Wu Wang and Quan Wanji went to Hebei again."

"Well, he always wants to do what he wants to do, so let him do it."

Li Tai whispered, "Actually, there is one more thing I want to do when I come to visit my father this time."

Li Chengqian said: "You say."

"Some court officials advised my uncle that if the crown prince were to ascend the throne, the other kings should go to their fiefdoms."

"Our uncle must be having trouble sleeping and eating because of state affairs."

Li Tai smiled and said, "When I left Luoyang, Qingque went to see my uncle, but he didn't lose his appetite."

"If you brothers and sisters don't want to leave, you can stay in Chang'an."

After that, Li Chengqian patted Li Tai on the shoulder again and said, "You should stay here. You will still be in charge of the affairs of the Literature Museum."

Li Tai bowed and said, "Thank you, my royal brother."

Not far away, a group of children were seen playing. Yu Tu became the leader of the children. Under his leadership, the group of children played the shuttlecock kicking game.

These kids look strong and healthy, and they are a pleasure to watch.

Li Chengqian said: "Don't worry about the affairs of the court, these are all our family affairs."

In fact, Li Zhi and Li Shen also thought so. Brothers and sisters must be united since childhood, so that the family can be strong.

Looking back, I saw Li Zhi and Li Shen tinkering with some wood.

Li Tai asked curiously, "What are they doing?"

Li Chengqian explained: "Zhi Nu said that he wanted to build a car that saves more effort, but he is still at a loss and has drawn dozens of drawings."

Li Tai said: "Let the people from the Ministry of Industry help him."

"Alright."

Li Tai married Yan Lide's daughter. If Zhinu really wanted to create something, Yan Liben and Yan Lide could actually give him great help.

When the emperor set out again, he did not take the water route, but went all the way to Zhengzhou.

Zhengzhou was also known as the Shang capital in ancient times, and its dynasties can be traced back from the Warring States Period to the Western Zhou Dynasty or the Shang Dynasty.

This place is very ancient, and it has had a special meaning since the birth of Central Plains civilization.

The emperor and his family came to the Confucian Temple, which covers an area of ​​more than 30 acres and has many pavilions and waterside terraces. It is also a place where many local scholars gather.

The construction here still retains the ancient architectural style.

Li Shimin walked in front, Li Chengqian and Li Tai walked behind, and after them came Li Zhi and Li Shen.

"Cheng Qian, this Confucian Temple has not been repaired for many years."

"Well, it looks a bit shabby."

Li Shimin explained: "During the wars, this place was destroyed several times. Your grandfather repaired it during the Wude period, but then there was a rebellion and it has been shelved until now."

If the emperor wants to promote culture, he must win the hearts of scholars all over the world, and repairing the Confucian Temple can indeed be a means to do so.

Li Tai said: "The Emperor Ming of Han built the Confucian Temple to calm the people's hearts."

As to why Emperor Ming of Han built the Confucian Temple, it is still unknown.

Li Chengqian looked at the high roof and said, "In the future, students taking the imperial examinations can come here. Although this place cannot be used as a place for the imperial examinations in the court, it can also be a place for them to rest and recuperate. We can arrange for someone to manage it."

Li Shimin asked: "I thought you would open another imperial examination venue here."

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "The imperial examination still needs to be improved. I don't think it is necessary to open another venue for the examination now."

Li Shimin sat down, looked at the students who were kneeling here, and asked them to stand up.

Li Chengqian looked at the faces of these people. Some of them were only thirteen or fourteen years old, there were also middle-aged people as old as forty-five years old, and there were several elderly people with white hair. One of them was Li Baiyao who had retired from the court.

When I saw Li Baiyao again, he was leaning on a cane, wearing a loose robe, his hair and beard had turned gray, and even the skin on his chin had become loose.

Li Chengqian walked aside.

Li Baiyao also understood and walked forward.

Hearing the sound of the cane tapping on the ground, Li Chengqian turned and looked at him.

Li Baiyao bowed and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Chengqian quickly helped the elderly man up and asked, "How come you are getting old so fast?"

Li Baiyao narrowed his eyes and smiled: "Your Highness doesn't look changed at all."

Li Chengqian helped him sit down in the pavilion beside him and said, "You were not like this when you retired..."

Li Baiyao sat down, leaning on his cane, and whispered, "It has been four years since I last saw His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Now I am eighty-three years old, and it is time for me to look like this. I am old."

"I still remember how righteous and confident he looked after the fight with the Tibetan envoys at the Honglu Temple."

Li Baiyao sighed, "I was still able to fight then, but not now. That was six or seven years ago."

A person's aging seems to happen in the blink of an eye. When Li Chengqian saw him again, he was deeply touched. Time flies quickly. Looking back, the people of the past have aged unexpectedly.

Li Baiyao said with a smile: "Your Highness, I heard that Your Majesty personally led an expedition to Goguryeo and has conquered the four Liaodong counties of the Han Dynasty."

"Not only that, Silla's envoys Jin Chunqiu and Gao Yanshou wiped out Baekje. Now not only the four counties of Liaodong have returned, but perhaps it won't be long before Silla and even the entire territory will belong to the Tang Dynasty."

Li Baiyao tilted his head, trying to hear what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said.

He heard it clearly, and heard that it was true, not a rumor. He smiled and said, "Great, great. The resentment of the former Sui Dynasty has finally been cleared. Now that His Majesty is still offering sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai, no one can control the Tang Dynasty anymore after it has established itself in the Central Plains."

Li Chengqian noticed Li Baiyao's fingers that were like skin and bones, and then looked at his kind smile. Ten years ago, he was still the Minister of Rites who could challenge Duke Zhao.

"The current situation in Datang cannot be solved without you."

"I am ashamed."

Li Chengqian asked, "Old sir, do you have anything else you need me to do?"

Li Baiyao said: "I have nothing to ask you. If His Royal Highness still needs me, even though I am so old, I am willing to serve His Royal Highness and the country in the court."

Li Chengqian patted the old minister on the back and said with a smile, "I am very happy to see you again now."

Li Baiyao said: "I have seen the rise and fall of the Sui Dynasty. I have also seen the wars and chaos in the Central Plains. I know how difficult it is for the Tang Dynasty to gain a foothold in the Central Plains and achieve what it has today. It is really not easy."

"I will definitely remember your words."

"Dad!" A childish voice came, and little Yu Tu ran over quickly.

Li Chengqian picked him up from behind and said, "This is an orphan child."

Li Baiyao squinted and looked for a long time.

Little Yu Tu felt a little uncomfortable being stared at, and turned his head to his father's shoulder.

Li Baiyao whispered, "This child looks very much like Your Highness, exactly like Your Highness when he was a child."

Li Chengqian looked at his son who was not happy to face the old man and said, "If the old man was not so old, I would let you be the child's teacher."

(End of this chapter)