The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 426 An Emperor More Ambitious Than Jiro
The old man and the old man's voices became lower and lower.

Li Chengqian walked outside the Wude Hall, looked at the quiet palace, and gazed at the open flat land in front of the Taiji Hall in the distance, but did not see anyone walking around.

Dongyang followed and walked out, "Brother, grandpa and uncle are very happy."

There was a loud singing coming from the hall. Two old men were singing. Li Chengqian looked into the hall.

Dongyang asked, "Did Zhinu go to the Western Regions?"

Li Chengqian walked down the steps of the Wude Hall and said as he walked, "Yes, it is said that they encountered the Hu tribe over there, and the two sides almost fought."

Dongyang followed beside him and said with a smile: "Royal sister is right."

Li Chengqian suddenly smiled and asked, "What did Li Zhi say again?"

Dongyang sighed, "My sister said that Zhinu is dumber than an ox. He won't move when you pull him, and he even retreats when you hit him."

Thinking about the meaning of this statement again, this evaluation is quite pertinent.

"The Imperial Sister has decided to send Zhinu to the Western Regions to hone his skills."

Among the brothers and sisters in the Eastern Palace back then, Li Zhi was the one who cared the most about her younger siblings. It was the same back then, and it is the same now.

The cold winter wind blew through the palace, and the ginkgo tree in Xingqing Hall was still withered.

Li Chengqian arrived at the Taiye Lake and discovered that all the ducks that Zhinu had raised were gone. He then looked at his two daughters who were reading together.

Xiao Que'er was studying with Xiao Mengji. The two of them were walking, one in front and the other behind, reading as they went.

Li Chengqian asked: "Que'er, where are the ducks here?"

The reading stopped, and Xiao Queer replied, "They were all captured by my brother."

Li Chengqian suddenly found it funny and asked, "Doesn't he know that those ducks are raised here by his uncle?"

"I know." Little Magpie replied.

"How would his uncle feel if he knew about this?"

Xiao Que'er stood aside with his hands in his pockets, frowning and saying, "Brother distributed the ducks from Taiye Pond to the villagers in the village. I only found out about this later when grandma told me about it."

Li Chengqian walked into the water pavilion, and his two daughters followed behind him. The water reflected the figures of the three of them.

Xiao Que'er asked her sister Meng Ji to recite the Analects of Confucius.

Meng Ji, who had just grown new teeth, opened his mouth and recited obediently.

When the first snow of the year arrived in Guanzhong, a piece of news was sent to the palace that General Chai Shao had passed away.

The emperor wore plain clothes to mourn for General Chai Shao.

In fact, Chai Shao had already returned the seal of the General Guarding the Country, but he retained the General Guarding the Country's Mansion. At that time, the Supreme Emperor was still in power, and perhaps for Princess Pingyang, he kept the plaque on the door of the General Guarding the Country's Mansion.

And on the day Chai Shao passed away, Chai Zhewei personally took down the door plaque, which felt like a sense of letting go.

Chai Shao and Princess Pingyang could finally be buried together.

Watching his uncle's coffin leaving Chang'an City, Li Chengqian still remembered what his uncle looked like, a handsome, melancholy uncle with gray hair on his temples.

Snowflakes fell in Chang'an City, and at a glance, the vast city of Chang'an was covered with a thin layer of snow.

Seeing that the farewell team had gone far away, Li Chengqian helped his grandfather down from the city wall.

Li Yuan walked tremblingly with a cane, silent all the way.

The grandfather and grandson walked together, and Linchuan came over quickly and said, "Royal brother, father is drunk again."

"I will go and persuade the emperor, you help grandpa back."

Lin Chuan nodded and said, "Yes."

Standing on the side of the street, watching his grandfather walk away, Li Chengqian stood there thinking for a moment, then walked towards the General's Mansion.

Along the way, as His Majesty moved, the escorting soldiers changed direction, cleared passers-by along the way, and lined up in front of the General's Mansion.

Li Chengqian walked into the general's residence calmly. The remaining guests who came to pay their respects had also left, and his father was the only one left in the mourning hall.

Li Shimin poured wine into his mouth and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Li Chengqian sat down in front of his father, took the wine pot beside him and said, "Lizhi and Dongyang will scold you for drinking like this."

Li Shimin put his weight on the chair and said dejectedly: "I feel bad."

"Too many people are feeling bad. Chai Zhewei originally wanted to continue to fight on the battlefield for a few more years, but now he has to stay to manage the family business. And my uncle, teacher, and Li Weigong are all feeling bad."

Li Shimin drunkenly said: "Last month, when I saw him, he said he could live a few more years."

Feeling his father's emotions, Li Chengqian was silent for a long time. It was the most difficult to persuade people at this time, but he still couldn't drink.

Outside the mourning hall, the elderly Yuchi Gong stood with Li Jing.

Seeing that Li Jing had more white hair than black hair, Yuchi Gong said slowly: "You are old too."

The wind and snow were still drifting down from the dark sky.

Li Jing said slowly: "Do you still have a black hair?"

Yuchi Gong sat down on the steps and said, "Your Majesty is the one who is suffering the most right now."

"Yes, your majesty is such a person." Li Daliang came over, sat down and said, "It has always been like this. Your majesty is a man who values ​​friendship and loyalty."

Yuchi Gong nodded again and said: "Now, the Tang Dynasty has another good emperor."

The three old generals looked into the mourning hall with smiles on their faces.

Most likely, the emperor was tired of talking, so he just sat there with his eyes closed.

When his father's breathing became more and more stable, Li Chengqian looked at the eunuch beside him.

Two eunuchs walked forward quickly, and Li Chengqian asked them to help his father to a bed to sleep.

The three old generals saw the exhausted emperor being helped down, and when they saw His Majesty, they bowed and said, "Your Majesty."

Li Chengqian stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings to the three uncles."

"Your Majesty, there is no need to be so polite." Li Jing said first: "There are many state affairs that still need your Majesty to preside over."

In fact, Li Chengqian said: "Thank you three uncles for taking care of my father."

Hearing His Majesty addressing them as uncle, the three old generals saluted in unison.

Li Chengqian nodded, walked away, and returned to the palace to write an edict, posthumously awarding him the governor of Jingzhou with the posthumous title of Xiang.

With the death of a great general, the atmosphere in the various military headquarters in Chang'an became somewhat depressed.

Arranging the files on the table, Li Chengqian placed some necessary files on the bookshelf in the new hall.

Only the eunuchs in the palace knew that the layout of the new palace could not be changed lightly and had to be kept spotless on a daily basis, especially the files on the bookshelves, which had to remain in their original positions.

Your Majesty is an extremely careful person. He knows exactly which file and which year's file is placed where.

If the position is moved, it will make His Majesty look unhappy.

Li Chengqian sorted out the files and left the new palace. The city of Chang'an became quiet on this winter day.

Li Chengqian sat by the Taiye Lake to accompany his grandfather.

"Is your father still in Chai Shao's mourning hall?"

"Well, father wants to stay with uncle in the mourning hall for a few days."

"Erlang, he is just too loyal. It is said that he is a man of great courage and all heroes respect your father."

Li Chengqian said: "When it comes to commanding the heroes of the world, my grandson is not as good as my father."

Li Yuan shook his head and said, "Your uncle said that you are more suitable to be the emperor than your father."

"My uncle always likes to joke."

Li Yuan chuckled and said, "In the eyes of an old man like me, you are indeed suitable to be an emperor."

When Xiao Que'er and Xiao Mengji came running over, they kept calling him "Old Master", which made Li Yuan laugh again.

Li Chengqian sat there fishing and waiting, waiting for the baby Su Wan was carrying to be born, waiting for Wang Xuance to return from India, waiting for the people from the Anxi Protectorate to flatten the Pamir Mountains.

Li Yuan asked, "Is the Tang Dynasty going to war again?"

"I have not made any plans yet. These are just rumors among the government and the public."

"I heard that urgent news has been sent from the Western Regions. Zhinu and the others are in the Anxi Protectorate?"

"Don't worry, Grandpa. The Flying Tigers will protect them."

Li Yuan stroked his graying beard and pursed his lips, "I also heard that you asked Lord Ying to reduce the number of soldiers and horses in various prefectures?"

Li Chengqian thought for a moment, then continued, "Grandpa, my grandson has many people. I plan to appoint Ashina Dur as the Great Khan of the Turks, to control the areas north and south of the Yinshan Mountains and the northern desert, and to restrict the Uighurs."

Li Yuan nodded.

"Because the Tang Dynasty is no longer the same as it was in the past. Just like when Wang Xuance sent out his troops, he had both Tang troops and Tibetan troops. In the future, the Tang Dynasty will no longer recruit soldiers on a large scale, because the construction of various places must focus on people's livelihood. The several wars during the Zhenguan period almost emptied out all parts of the Central Plains. What my grandson needs most now is time, so that the people of the Central Plains can have time to recuperate."

Li Yuan whispered, "When your father wanted to hold the imperial examination, you opened the Chongwen Academy. At that time, I said to you that you were more centralized than Erlang."

Li Chengqian neither denied nor nodded.

"But in my opinion, your ambition is greater than Erlang's."

"Grandpa, the Tang Dynasty will continue to expand. After the establishment of the Anxi Protectorate, I will no longer restrict people from leaving the country. I hope to allow more Tang people to go out, go further, further, so that there will be traces of Tang people in more remote places in the world."

Li Chengqian added: "This world is actually very big. There are some things that I don't know if I am doing right or wrong. If more Tang people can go out, it will not be wrong. I am a wise king and I must do some wise things."

"Hehehe..." Li Yuan stroked his beard with a smile, holding little Mengji and no longer paying attention to his grandson.

If the Tang Dynasty wanted to increase its national strength, it had to expand its territory. People in the Central Plains had lived a tiring life, and as the Heavenly Khan, he had to command both the Turks and the people of the Western Regions.

Governance is difficult. Even if the distant places are in a mess, as long as there are Tang people who can bring more wealth, it is good. As long as there are more Tang people with the spirit of adventure, there will definitely be people to open up the distant places.

Even if these people were not Tang soldiers, officials, or members of the Chongwenguan, as long as they were Tang people, it would be fine.

Xuanzang's Buddhist scriptures remain in the Chongwenguan to this day, and no one has looked through those files. The Buddhist scriptures brought by Xuanzang may not be very necessary, but the spirit that Xuanzang left behind is what the Tang Dynasty needs.

Therefore, Li Chengqian hoped that Xuanzang could live well, write stories about him, and keep him in the hearts of the Tang people for hundreds of years.

Chai Shao passed away. Everyone will die eventually, including himself and his grandfather.

But the story will always remain in people's hearts. Even if it is only heard once, the story will be passed down for many, many years and many people will remember it.

Little Mengji saw the eunuchs bringing files to her father for approval. She put her hands around the old man's neck and asked, "Grandpa, what is Dad doing?"

Li Yuan smiled and said, "Your father has to deal with state affairs."

Xiao Meng looked at his father who was sitting in the pavilion with his bright black eyes.

Seeing that the child was a little unhappy, Li Yuan said, "Grandpa, can you play with building blocks with me?"

She turned her head and said, "Building blocks are not fun, I want to play shuttlecock."

Li Yuan was old and could not kick shuttlecock, so he could only ask someone to give the shuttlecock to the children and watch Meng Ji and Que'er play shuttlecock.

During the snowy days last year, Shangguan Yi, Li Yifu, and Liu Dewei cleaned up Yangzhou and arrested many bad officials.

And now, the list approved by the emperor is the corrupt officials caught by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu and Li Yifu in various places in the Central Plains this time.

Governing the country is a long process, so long that it requires repeated investigations and investigations to catch corrupt officials.

In every dynasty, there is never an end to such things. They need to be implemented one by one in a down-to-earth manner and inspected again and again.

Therefore, this level of inspection will continue for many years to come.

Some of the censors who were sent out last year returned this year, and some left Chang'an and went to various places after returning.

Li Chengqian looked at the name on the list and received the approval from above.

Also in winter, the eunuch hurriedly left the palace and ran in the wind and snow. He held an imperial edict in his hand and handed it to Shangguan Yi.

As Shangguan Yi recited the imperial edict, another group of people were sent to the Western Regions, or executed on the spot, and all their property was confiscated.

This was the Qianqing Dynasty, when laws were strictly enforced.

The Zhenguan period was a period of twenty years of benevolence and many wars.

But the current emperor governs the world and makes people live better, but more people die, and so many people have lost their heads this year.

The historian came to Ji to record the history books. The world in this dynasty was not as turbulent as during the Zhenguan period. There was only peace and tranquility, with heads falling to the ground one after another.

Today, Li Yibiao returned to Chang'an City after two months of travel.

He was greeted by the Minister of the Ministry of Rites Guo Zhengyi.

"Let me eat more!" Li Yibiao held a bowl in one hand and a piece of cake in the other.

Guo Zhengyi said: "Be careful not to lose manners in front of His Majesty."

Having said that, he was still eating. Guo Zhengyi was used to it. Every traveler was like this. After returning to Chang'an, they would always eat and drink to their heart's content.

After finishing his meal, Li Yibiao burped happily and said, "I rode all the way here at full speed, and five horses died of exhaustion."

Guo Zhengyi asked the store owner to bring another bowl of mutton soup.

Li Yibiao took it and took another big sip, then heaved a sigh of relief, "Guo Siqing, you don't know that you can't eat such delicious food in Tianzhu."

Guo Zhengyi naturally had never eaten Indian food.

After a long while, Li Yibiao seemed to feel that he couldn't eat anything anymore. He stood up and shook himself off. Then he said, "Let's go! Let's go see His Majesty."

Guo Zhengyi took him away.

Li Yibiao followed behind and said, "What should I do if I lose my manners in front of Your Majesty?"

"Don't burp when His Majesty is asking you questions."

(End of this chapter)