The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 416: Vacant Palace

It took half a day just to move the silver ore.

Li Chengqian invited Lord Ying and his uncle to eat hotpot together by the Taiye Lake.

When the eunuch saw that the last cart of silver ore had been moved away, the ground had been cleaned, and everything had returned to normal, he saw that His Majesty's expression had improved a lot, and he hurriedly refilled the copper pot with soup.

His Majesty and the two regents discussed how to deal with Jin Chunqiu.

An eunuch came to report: "Your Majesty, Duke Wei and General Chai have gone to Longshouyuan."

Li Weigong and his uncle went to Longshouyuan probably to visit his father. Li Chengqian nodded to indicate that he understood, while taking out some mutton and continuing to talk about the affairs of Liaodong.

"Mr. Ying said he wanted to kill Jin Chunqiu, and my uncle said he wanted to summon Jin Chunqiu to Chang'an." Li Chengqian put down his chopsticks, took a sip of tea and said, "How about this, I will order him to wipe out the Japanese in exchange for being the commander-in-chief of the Tōkaidō army. As for how far he will go, we can just leave him a deserted island, and take away all the people and treasures."

Li Ji nodded and said, "It was the same when I personally conquered Goguryeo. I took away all the people, livestock, and treasures."

Chang Sun Wuji hesitated and said, "So, does that mean Jin Chunqiu can also be considered a war to destroy a country?"

Li Ji shook his head and said, "The Japanese are not a nation, so they are not worth mentioning. But I heard that the roads in the Japanese territory are not easy to travel. The reason why Jin Chunqiu has not yet destroyed them is probably because the army has difficulty traveling."

"Your Majesty, I think what Lord Ying said makes sense. This is different from conquering Tianshan. Once we cross the sea, we will have no food or help."

Li Chengqian listened to the two regent ministers' stories and learned that the war between Jin and Chunqiu lasted for two years, and the slow pace of the war had a lot to do with geographical factors.

When they captured the Ili River Valley, the terrain was flat and the Tang army was able to move back and forth quickly on horseback.

Even if it was to conquer Liaodong, there were various terrains that could be used, but crossing the sea would be a bit difficult, and it was hard to say what the Japanese terrain was like, and there were no highways like those in the Central Plains that could allow cavalry to pass quickly.

In other words, a general's ability has nothing to do with the weather and terrain. A good general should be able to take advantage of these, which can only be attributed to Jin Chunqiu's inability.

The emperor and his two ministers planned the second half of Jin Chunqiu's life. Li Chengqian wrote an edict on the spot, ordering him to come to Chang'an to accept the reward after the conquest of the Japanese. The reward was nothing more than giving him the title of a general and the identity of a Tang person.

The condition was that he had to clear the Japanese territory, either using a large number of captives for mining or killing them, and the Tang Dynasty would not care.

Duke Ying was a very generous regent who sent a large amount of food and Tang weapons to Silla.

Li Chengqian bid farewell to his uncle and Ying Gong in front of Chengtian Gate.

Just as he was about to go back and rest, a eunuch came hurriedly and reported: "Your Majesty, the Tibetan minister Sangbuza sent a letter and a scroll."

Seeing that His Majesty had received the two files but had not yet opened them, the eunuch reported: "Sambuza also sent letters to Songtsen Gampo and Lu Dongzan."

"I understand."

The emperor still looks very young. To the older eunuchs, they have served in the palace for a long time and have watched His Majesty grow up.

His Majesty seems to be the same as before, as if time has left no trace on his body, except that his stubble looks bluer and thicker.

This may be related to your Majesty's exercise over the years, or your diet. Your Majesty never drinks alcohol, so you can always stay sober.

It is indeed rare to find an emperor who always remains sober.

The eunuch stood in front of the palace gate, watching His Majesty, who was wearing a golden robe and walking in the palace with steady steps. His Majesty's eyes were always on the scroll in his hand.

There were many people accompanying His Majesty, but it seemed that His Majesty was still alone.

Li Chengqian finished reading the letter sent by Sambuza. After returning, this Tibetan minister had been compiling Tibetan books. In the letter, Sambuza said that there were too many books sent by the Tang people, and many Tibetans were reading Tang people's books.

No one read the Tibetan books he compiled. He finally perfected the Tibetan writing system. He felt that he could walk into the white snow-capped mountains and die in a place where no one knew him. This was the way of death he most desired in his mind.

But now, Sambuza doesn't want to die like this. He wants to see how the Tang people will govern Tubo, and watch this generation of Tubo children grow up before he goes to die in the depths of the snow-capped mountains.

There are many children in Tubo now. These children are very strong and most of them go to Chongwenguan to study.

Sambhota was not as talented and ambitious as Songtsen Gampo, nor did he have the courage to compete with the Heavenly Khan like Ludongzan.

And he himself could only witness the changes in Tubo by the Zangbo River in Tubo.

Just as he arrived in front of the Wude Hall, Li Chengqian saw Mingda and his grandfather playing with origami, and his daughter Xiaoqueer was sitting beside them, watching the changes in the chess game.

Opening another book sent by Sambuza, this was the text he wrote in Tubo. These characters were mostly composed of circles or lines.

"Your Majesty, Director Su of Chongwenguan is here."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Please come."

"Here."

Su Tan held up a file and bowed, "Your Majesty."

Li Chengqian pointed to a seat nearby and said, "Sit down."

Su Tan sat down on the side after hearing this. He straightened his sleeves and sat up straight. He then said, "I went to Jingyang today. Ying Gong Wu Shigui had some words for me to pass on to Your Majesty."

"Well, you said."

"Mr. Ying no longer has the energy to manage the Jingyang Paper Mill. I hope Your Majesty will entrust this matter to someone else."

Li Chengqian looked at the tea in the bowl and asked, "How is his health?"

"She is no longer able to manage affairs, and can still go out in a wheelchair. I would like to ask the Imperial Medical Bureau to take a look."

"I will arrange it. From now on, the workshops in Jingyang will be managed by Chongwenguan. All the citizens of Jingyang County can work in the papermaking workshops. The court can provide the citizens of Jingyang County with pension benefits according to the salaries of the officials in the court who retire, and give them a monthly pension."

Su Tan thought for a moment and said, "I accept your order."

Opening the file he brought, Li Chengqian saw the entire Jingyang papermaking workshop.

Su Tan further explained: "This was painted by Master Yan."

Jingyang County is still Jingyang County, but the paper mill and printing factory in Jingyang County are the largest in Guanzhong, occupying 50% of the land area of ​​Jingyang County. It took 200 craftsmen a year to build such a scale.

This is the only workshop in the Tang Dynasty that is completely controlled by the court.

The task of printing books was given to Su Tan. Su Tan had the final say on which books could be printed and which could not.

And it was only after mixing the papermaking methods of Shu and other parts of the Central Plains that it reached its current scale.

However, due to the generous treatment and huge costs, the papermaking workshop covering an area of ​​300 acres will still remain loss-making for a long time.

On the one hand, production is in the red, and on the other hand, books are still in short supply, which makes people feel like they are stuck on both ends.

Su Tan handed over a small pottery bottle and said, "This is the new ink that the craftsmen have developed."

As he spoke, Su Tan opened the bottle cap and poured out some ink, saying, "It's made from coal ash and pine soot. It needs to be diluted with water before it can be used."

Li Chengqian looked at the small pottery bottle and then at the ink that was poured out. To be precise, this should be a kind of ink with a lot of impurities, and it is stored in liquid form and needs to be diluted with water before it can be used. Su Tan said: "I would like to ask your majesty for an order."

"This is the first time that my father-in-law has asked me for an order. He is also the first one who dares to ask me for an order, except when I ascended the throne, the ministers asked me to grant amnesty to the whole country."

Su Tan stood there in a daze for a long time without saying a word. He subconsciously looked around. Has no one ever asked for His Majesty's orders?

Li Chengqian drank tea and looked at his father-in-law with interest, and said, "Don't be afraid. I have always been willing to accept good advice and listen to all opinions."

"I dare not, I am afraid of my words..."

Li Chengqian poured him some tea, which dripped into the bowl, and motioned for him to drink it.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Su Tan raised the tea bowl and drank the tea in one gulp to calm himself. He took a deep breath and bowed, saying, "I would like to ask Your Majesty to order the nobles in Guanzhong to donate books to Chongwenguan."

Li Chengqian asked: "Is Chongwenguan still short of books?"

Su Tan kept silent, not knowing how to speak to His Majesty. He was once again panicked and hesitated before saying, "I have failed to do my job properly in the Chongwen Pavilion, which has caused a shortage of books. I am willing to accept the punishment."

"Well, I can give you my orders."

Upon hearing this, Su Tan immediately bowed deeply.

Li Chengqian quickly supported him and said, "No need to perform such a grand ceremony."

Su Tan slowly raised his head, looked at His Majesty and said, "I am ashamed."

Li Chengqian whispered: "Not only the nobles from Guanzhong, but also the nobles from all over the world. I hope they can donate books to complete the classics of the Tang Dynasty and use them for teaching in Chongwenguan."

"This……"

Li Chengqian turned around, put down his tea bowl, and said to the Wude Hall, "I think that just asking the nobles from all over Guanzhong to donate books is a drop in the bucket for the current huge education support cause."

There are now more than 5,000 teaching teachers scattered across Guanzhong, Longxi, the Hexi Corridor, Tubo, Xizhou, and other parts of the Central Plains.

From struggling in the beginning, people are now gradually accepting the support of teaching, and the trend of supporting teaching has become popular.

In the past, there were precautions in various places.

In contrast, nowadays, some counties are begging Chongwenguan to provide more teachers.

Besides, the imperial examination is approaching, and after the examination, there will definitely be more people to teach.

Su Tan said: "Your Majesty is wise."

"There is no need for my order for this kind of thing. You can write a memorial and I will approve it, then give it to the Secretariat to draft a decree, and then give it to the various prefectures in the Central Plains and send it to the counties. This way, it can be launched on a larger scale and will be more effective than an order, isn't it?"

"I was rude before because I didn't think it through." Su Tan bowed his head and closed his eyes, his old face even blushing.

What kind of person is the current emperor? He started to be regent at the age of sixteen, handled state affairs in the Secretariat at the age of seventeen, and was in charge of the entire Shaanxi East Road and even Luoyang at the age of twenty.

As a minister, Su Tan felt even more ashamed because his ability was not as good as that of the current emperor.

Your Majesty's teachers are all the most powerful figures in the world, not to mention Li Gang of the past, there are also Duke Xu Gao Shilian, Prime Minister Fang, and I even heard that there is Duke Li Wei.

Whether in the past or now, the emperors of Li Tang are powerful enough to be frightening.

Su Tan said: "I am worried that the nobles in various places will be reluctant."

"Before the empire was first settled, Father had to deal with many powerful families and clans and had to consider some social etiquette, but now... I don't need to be sentimental with them. The decree will be issued after the court meeting tomorrow, so don't worry too much."

Su Tan bowed and said, "Yes."

After seeing off his father-in-law, Mingda wanted to continue to accompany his grandfather, while Li Chengqian led his daughter through the palace.

Xiao Que'er's steps were not big. She looked around and said, "Daddy, I heard that brother's Rubik's Cube has not been solved yet."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "It's been a month, and your grandfather still sent someone to say that I was making things difficult for him."

Xiao Que'er chuckled and said, "Why are all the palaces here closed?"

"In the past, the palace was very lively. Your grandfather had many concubines and many children in the palace. Now, most of these palaces are uninhabited."

Little Magpie said, "What a pity."

However, these temples were kept very clean, but after the doors were closed, no one visited them anymore.

Xiao Que'er pushed open the door of a large hall with great effort. Suddenly, a wind blew, but the doors and windows remained motionless.

She didn't want to watch it anymore. She always felt something was wrong about the lack of popularity.

Li Chengqian said: "If you don't like it, just have everyone tear it down."

She stepped out of the palace and said, "No need, just keep it. What if someone wants to come back and take a look?"

The child's words made several palace maids beside him suddenly laugh.

Her Royal Highness the Princess is kindhearted and doesn't realize that after they leave, they may never come back.

When His Majesty and Her Royal Highness the Princess left here, a group of palace maids followed behind.

The father and daughter walked together, both with their hands in their pockets, and even the way they walked was exactly the same.

"Daddy, can my daughter learn skills from Aunt Mingda?"

Hearing his daughter's sudden question, Li Chengqian said, "Isn't Beiyuan's knowledge enough for you to learn?"

She added, "My daughter can learn from Aunt Mingda in her spare time."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "It's always good to learn more."

She nodded happily and continued walking with her hands in her pockets.

The next day, after the morning court session ended, the court issued a decree, ordering the gentry from all over the country to hand over the books to the Chongwenguan. Throughout history, sages have taken it as their responsibility to educate the world, and the same is true for the current court.

In fact, the court didn’t care much whether they kept the books secret or not. As long as the productivity of the workshops in Jingyang was sufficient, more books could be produced.

The imperial examination is approaching. At this moment in Jingyang County, Ying Gong Wu Shigui is sitting in a wheelchair. This old man has witnessed the changes in Jingyang County over the past decade. The karez from that time is still there, but the grape trellis is gone, replaced by an extremely large workshop.

Zhang Wenzhong, a physician from the Imperial Medical Bureau, stood aside and explained the patient's condition.

Ying Gong seemed to be listening but not really paying attention, but he asked, "Is it time for the imperial examination in Chang'an?"

Zhang Wenzhong packed up his medicine box and replied, "The exam will start at noon today."

(End of this chapter)