The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 380 Zheng Gong's Representative
Today, the city of Chang'an is still bustling. Under the governance of Prime Minister Fang, the city taxes in various parts of Guanzhong have increased significantly.

The roads on Zhuque Street had already been cleared. Li Chengqian looked at the shops on the street and could tell how the business was doing from the goods displayed in the shops.

The emperor didn't seem to be interested in all this, and everyone came to the Duke Zheng's mansion.

There are many seriously ill elderly people in Chang'an now, not only Mr. Zheng, but also my uncle Chai Shao. I heard that my uncle's health is getting worse than before.

Li Chengqian walked into the mansion and met Mr. Zheng, who was nearly seventy years old.

Dongyang looked a little disappointed. She whispered, "Three or two months at the earliest, half a year at the most."

Seeing his father talking to Lord Zheng who was sitting in a wheelchair, Li Chengqian lowered his voice and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

Dongyang said: "In fact, the medicine is useless to Zheng Gong now."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly.

I don’t know what Duke Zheng, my father, and Prime Minister Fang were talking about. The three of them sitting together seemed to have endless things to talk about.

Li Chengqian stood outside the house, looking at the bleak autumn scene.

Duke Zheng's family members all stood aside, looking desolate.

Li Chengqian said: "Uncle, in fact, when I return to Chang'an this time, I also want to let Fang Xiang retire."

Changsun Wuji stroked his beard and looked at the dead tree that the Crown Prince was looking at, saying, "Actually, I..."

"Uncle, do you want to retire too?"

"minister……"

Until my uncle was speechless, if the emperor abdicated at this time and let the prince ascend the throne, would he continue to support the country or step down.

If I say I want to retire now, it will inevitably cause the Crown Prince of the East Palace to think too much.

If he stayed, it would not be what he wanted, and people would think that he, Duke of Zhao, was greedy for power.

Li Chengqian said: "Actually, I still hope that my uncle can stay in the court for a while."

"I accept your order."

Li Chengqian smiled and picked a yellow leaf from the tree. In fact, his uncle was not a person who was greedy for power. He was a very loyal elder.

Chang Sun Chong has not held any office in the court so far, and almost none of the next generation of the Chang Sun family has entered the officialdom.

How could such a loyal uncle be greedy for power?

If he could, as the new emperor's uncle, pave the way for the new emperor of the Tang Dynasty, then the uncle would also be able to go down in history and become the most powerful and loyal relative throughout the dynasties.

Compared with his uncle, the Eastern Palace's in-laws seemed a little weaker. Su Tan still retained his official position in the court, but he was no longer in the court and was managing the children of the gentry in Wugong County.

Li Chengqian smiled back at his uncle.

It can't be said that you give a peach in return for a jade.

The future Tang Dynasty will never forget this uncle’s dedication to state affairs.

Not long after, Li Chengqian saw the teacher coming out of the house again and bowed, "Teacher."

Fang Xuanling stroked his beard and sighed, "I never thought that Duke Zheng, who was able to yell and scold loudly in the court, would be like this now."

He looked disappointed, and said, "Your Highness, please come in. Lord Zheng has something to say."

Li Chengqian gave his uncle another reassuring look and walked quickly into the house.

The room where Duke Zheng was recuperating was very spacious, and as soon as he entered the room he could smell the unique scent of medicinal herbs.

"Cough cough cough..."

Hearing the weak cough, Li Chengqian stepped forward and saluted, "Mr. Zheng."

Wei Zheng stroked his beard and smiled, "I didn't expect that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also climbed Mount Tai."

Li Shimin held Duke Zheng's hand and said with a smile, "He is now young and strong, and he doesn't need anyone to help him climb Mount Tai."

It took three full days to climb Mount Tai. It wasn’t a very strenuous climb, and it was relaxing as we stopped and walked frequently.

Li Chengqian laughed and said, "If we climb another section of the mountain road, we probably won't be able to hold on."

Wei Zheng suddenly smiled and said, "Your Highness is a man who keeps his word. I am pleased."

Li Chengqian sat down beside the couch and said, "Don't worry about your health, Lord Zheng. Dongyang is the most proud disciple of Divine Doctor Sun, and the court also has the best medical officer in the world."

Wei Zheng whispered, "I'm afraid I don't have much time left."

Li Chengqian stepped forward and said, "Don't say that."

Li Shimin's eyes were red and he turned his head to look out the window.

Patting the back of the prince's hand, Wei Zheng whispered, "Before your majesty's eastern expedition, the prince came to see me. Does the prince still remember what we said?"

"Well, I always remember it."

"Governing the country should be down-to-earth. I heard from your majesty that this is what the crown prince said to your majesty on Mount Tai. I hope your highness will keep this heart in the future. Governing the country requires decades or even generations of hard work. Don't be arrogant."

"I will remember it."

Duke Zheng relaxed his body, took a deep breath, and said, "Governing the country is not easy. Governing Guanzhong in the pre-Qin period took several generations of effort. After the Han Dynasty, there were several ups and downs in governing the country. It is rare for the world to be peaceful. I will not be able to see what happens in the future."

"When I grow old, I hope that Your Highness the Crown Prince will burn a letter for me every New Year to tell me how the country is doing now. I will be satisfied then."

Li Shimin stood up and faced the window, raising his hands and wiping them with his sleeves from time to time.

Duke Zheng said again: "Your Majesty, Liaodong has been recovered, but you cannot be too soft-hearted in governing the country. Your Majesty is tolerant of old ministers and others, and is also lenient to the princes of the royal family, and is also appeasing the local nobles. But I know that these are not enough to govern the country."

"Your Majesty is a hero, a Khan respected by all the nations. When your Majesty speaks, heroes all over the world will follow you. But has your Majesty ever thought that the Tang Dynasty is different now, the world is stable, and you don't need to be tolerant of some people and things anymore."

"Your Highness, please leave first. I still have something to say to Your Majesty."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "I'm just outside the door."

Walking out of Duke Zheng's room, I could vaguely hear the conversation between my father and Duke Zheng, as well as the occasional cough.

After that, the voices became increasingly quiet, and no one knew what Duke Zheng and the emperor had said.

It was not until nightfall that my father came out of Duke Zheng's room.

Dongyang hurried into the room again and asked about the patient's condition. "Father, Duke Zheng has fallen asleep and his breathing is relatively stable. As long as he is not too emotional, it is good for him to rest like this."

Li Shimin nodded and said, "Go back."

My uncle, Prime Minister Fang, Duke Ying and others dispersed in front of the door. Li Chengqian and Dongyang followed their father all the way back to the palace.

A lot of things have happened in the court in the past two years. There are several brave generals in the army and some new people in the court.

After the night deepened, Li Chengqian finally returned to the East Palace.

I haven't been back to the Eastern Palace for two years. The ground in front of Chongwen Hall has just been scrubbed and there are traces of weeds being pulled out.

"came back?"

Hearing Grandpa's words, Grandpa Li Chengqian sat down at the table and said, "Father and grandson are back."

Li Yuan held the chopsticks in his hand, looked at the dishes on the table and said, "I know you came late tonight, so I told them not to remove the dishes. Let's eat."

Li Chengqian took the millet rice brought by Xiaofu and ate it with his grandfather. In the night, the oil lamp on the table flickered in the night wind. Li Yuan whispered: "Did Duke Zheng let you ascend the throne?"

"Mr. Zheng did not say it explicitly, but he and my father talked a lot, and I don't know what they talked about."

Li Yuan smiled and said, "Now your uncle, Chai Shao, and Li Weigong are all looking forward to your ascension to the throne."

"Yes, grandson understands."

Li Yuan put down his bowl and chopsticks, asked the eunuch beside him to help him stretch, and then went back to the hall to rest.

Ning'er walked to the Chongwenguan Hall holding a lantern, watched the Crown Prince eating alone, and silently poured him a bowl of tea.

Li Chengqian finished the food on the table, drank the tea in the bowl, then stood up and returned to the East Palace.

Ning'er and Su Wan both noticed the fatigue on the Crown Prince's face. Even after returning from Mount Tai, the Crown Prince had never been so tired.

It seemed as if from the beginning of the Eastern Expedition to the climb of Mount Tai and then returning to Chang'an, all my tense nerves finally relaxed.

Even Xiao Yutu and his daughter, who had returned to the East Palace, were not so excited tonight. The children noticed that their father was not in good spirits and did not say anything.

After washing up, Li Chengqian went to bed early.

The next day, the emperor issued an edict to adjourn the court, and Li Chengqian slept until dawn for a rare night.

He took his son and daughter to stretch their muscles in front of the East Palace gate, and then started his morning run.

"Father, when can I go look for Lord Li Wei?"

"Lord Li Wei has not yet agreed to accept you as his disciple."

"Then..." Little Yu Tu hesitated, his face flushed in the sunlight, and then he continued, "Then how will Lord Li Wei accept me as his disciple?"

"Write a letter. If Lord Wei reads it and thinks he can accept you as his disciple, you can go visit him."

"Okay." Xiao Yutu quickly ran back to the East Palace to write a letter.

Half an hour later...

Little Yu Tu sat cross-legged beside the table with his writing brush placed on the inkstone. He stared at the paper in front of him with a look on his fat face as if he was facing a great enemy. Not a single word was written on the paper yet.

He hadn't figured out how to write to Li Weigong yet, so he scratched his head again and said, "Sister!"

Xiao Que'er, who was leisurely spinning the Rubik's Cube, looked up and asked, "Brother, what's the matter?"

"How did the letter go?"

Little Magpie sat at the table and said loudly, "You should address the other person first, then introduce yourself, and then write what you want to say to the person you are writing to."

Xiao Yutu first wrote the word "Li".

After holding it in for half an hour, the emperor's grandson finally wrote the first word on the paper, and it was just this one word.

He scratched his head and asked, "How do you write the word 'Wei' in Li Weigong?"

"This……"

Xiao Que'er looked at his brother in surprise, then looked at the letter paper with only one word written on it, and said, "If mother knew that brother couldn't write, he would probably get beaten again."

"Oh!" Little Yu Tu was suddenly startled to see that there was no one else in the palace. The East Palace was very busy today as his father had gone to take care of state affairs early in the morning.

"This must not be seen by mother. Que'er, you must keep it a secret for me."

Xiao Queer grinned and said, "Well, keep it a secret."

Xiao Yutu fell into deep thought again, put his hands on his waist and asked, "What should I do now?"

Xiao Que'er said, "I heard that Daddy couldn't hold a pen with both hands because of archery practice, so Daddy dictated the document and Aunt and Mother wrote it."

Hearing this, Xiao Yutu was enlightened and immediately stood up and said, "I thought... I was resourceful and intelligent, but I didn't expect that my sister is also gifted and can make plans. When you go to see the four sages, you must ask Li Weigong to accept me as his disciple."

Xiao Que'er watched her brother leave in a hurry and tidied up the messy desk. She said to herself, "Every time my brother sits down, the desk is always messy."

In the imperial city, a small figure holding a piece of paper was running quickly in front of government offices.

The officials passing by all smiled when they saw the child. The emperor's grandson ran very fast, nimbly bypassing one clerk after another, and then he leaped over and came to the Secretariat.

Because the weather is clear after the autumn rain, the wind in Guanzhong is also dry.

Xiao Yutu stopped and wiped the sweat from his forehead, then walked into the Secretariat. The Four Sages of Wenhan were not in charge of the submission of documents, but they were in charge of compiling the national history.

Seeing the emperor's grandson coming, Lai Ji stroked his beard and smiled and asked, "Why is your highness here today?"

Little Yutu breathed heavily and put the paper on the table.

Lai Ji added: "Your Highness is so proactive in coming to study, and I am glad to hear that."

"I came here... to ask the teacher to help me write a letter."

"Oh, write a letter? To whom?"

"Duke Li Wei."

"Why doesn't Your Highness write it yourself?"

"I..." Xiao Yutu thought for a moment and replied, "I am not very knowledgeable, so I hope that what I wrote will not fail to express my feelings. I hope that the teacher can help me."

Lai Ji nodded, this reason was reasonable, so he wrote: "Your Highness, please speak."

"My father is the current crown prince. I have been studious since I was young and gifted. I learned to read at the age of five, walked as fast as the wind at the age of six, and climbed Mount Tai at the age of seven. Now..."

The voice stopped, and Xiao Yutu said again: "No, I can't write like this, I have to be humble."

Lai Ji took up his pen to cross out what he had just said, waiting for His Highness to speak next.

"I am the eldest grandson of the current emperor, and my father is the current crown prince. I am gifted and resourceful. For someone like me, it is natural that I should learn from a famous teacher..."

After saying that, Xiao Yutu said in a tangled tone: "This doesn't work either."

Lai Ji skillfully crossed out the words he had just written.

……

The emperor summoned Duke Zhao, Prime Minister Fang, Cen Wenben, and Duke Ying Li Ji to discuss the matter in Ganlu Palace.

The conversation lasted from morning till noon and there was no end to it. It seemed that His Majesty had something very important to discuss.

Afterwards, Your Majesty summoned Chu Suiliang, Yu Zhining, Liu Li and others.

At this moment in the Secretariat, Li Chengqian already knew that his son had gone to see the Four Sages of Literature, and the Eastern Palace sent the news as soon as possible.

But looking at the military report in his hand, there was a man named Ashina Chebi in the Turkic people. After the defeat of Mobei that year, Ashina Chebi went north repeatedly to seize the pastures and population of Mobei.

Now Li Simo is still guarding Liaodong. From the military report sent by Ashina She'er, he feels that Ashina Chebi will be a hidden danger if he gains power.

However, Jin Chunqiu also sent an urgent report. After Gao Yanshou and Jin Chunqiu conquered Baekje, they encountered the Japanese at Baekgangkou. These Japanese took advantage of the war between Baekje and Silla to take the opportunity to plunder.

Jin Chunqiu has found an excuse to attack the Japanese and decided to cross the sea to attack the Japanese in winter this year.

Jin Chunqiu is a very useful puppet. He certainly wants to become the king of Silla and has the ambition to make progress.

Crossing the sea to attack the Japanese required mobilizing the entire national strength of Silla. In his report to the court, he talked about becoming the general of Silla. As long as the Tang Dynasty gave him the title of general, he could lead the entire Silla in the war against the Japanese.

(End of this chapter)