The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 454: Father's Changes

Pei Xingjian is no ordinary person now. He has two deputy generals under him, who were selected from the Anxi Army. They are named Cheng Wuting and Wang Fangyi.

The two men stood outside the general's mansion, one on the left and one on the right.

Bai Fang was still wondering why Songtsen Gampo refused your Majesty's invitation, and asked: "Who is this Songtsen Gampo? He actually ignored your Majesty's kindness."

After he finished speaking, seeing that Pei Xingjian ignored him, Bai Fang continued, "General Pei!"

Pei Xingjian continued to look at the book and nodded.

Bai Fang simply stepped forward, looked at the contents of the book and asked, "What book is this?"

"The military book given to me by Wang Xuance."

"It is the volume that General Wang always holds in his hand."

Pei Xingjian asked, "Why don't you go to serve in the Anxi Army?"

Bai Fang ate a date and said, "His Majesty said that it would not be too late to take up the post after the Lantern Festival."

Pei Xingjian was very annoyed and wanted to kick this man to the Western Regions.

Are you still thinking about Songtsen Gampo? He is your Majesty's guest staying in Chang'an, and you, Bai Fang, have no right to interfere.

Pei Xingjian was thinking this in his mind as Bai Fang walked out the door.

Just when I was thinking I could have some peace and quiet for a while, a soldier came to report: "General Pei, the Bai side beat up the Tibetans."

Pei Xingjian's face darkened, he closed his eyes and said in pain: "Just say I don't know him."

"Here!"

Bai Fang was caught in a brawl with Tibetans in the market place of Chang'an City and was immediately captured by Jingzhao Prefecture.

When Di Renjie saw that Bai Fang was a comrade in the Anxi Army, he pleaded with Xu Jingzong.

And he was the newly appointed General of the Western Regions by His Majesty, so Songtsen Gampo sent someone to say that the matter was not a big deal.

The court fined Bai Fang two months' salary and didn't take it seriously.

Lou Shide was still the Censor, and Shangguan Yi, the Grand Counselor of the Censorate and now the highest official of the Censorate, kept Lou Shide.

After all, the Censorate is short of people.

Lou Shide's military achievements were recorded, and the court gave him rewards, and he was appointed as the Imperial Censor of the Army, and he was in charge of the military discipline of the 24 guards in Guanzhong.

Shangguan Yi gave Lou Shide a lot of power, so he pushed this man into the position of censor and denounced the actions of the army to snatch officials from the Censorate.

The Anxi Army returned, and with it came all kinds of problems.

Lou Shide was a very conscientious censor. After he submitted Bai Fang's deeds in the Western Regions, Pei Xingjian also provided evidence. The court then sent this dangerous person, Bai Fang, to the Anxi Protectorate at an early stage, and he was appointed as the garrison general at an early stage.

Pei Xingjian personally saw Bai Fang off, looking reluctant to let him go. He also prepared spare clothes, dry food, and even travel expenses for him.

Seeing General Pei's thoughtfulness, Bai Fang was moved to tears, and they agreed to meet again when he came to Chang'an to report on his work next year.

After seeing Bai Fang off, Pei Xingjian put away his sad expression and put on a smiling face.

Wang Fangyi was puzzled and asked, "General Pei, are you just sending him away like this?"

Pei Xingjian snorted coldly: "Why do you want me to keep him?"

Wang Fangyi was confused and said honestly, "Wasn't General Pei very reluctant to leave?"

"I've been fed up with him for a long time. Finally, no one is nagging me. Do you know how my family has lived in the Western Regions for so many years?"

Wang Fangyi understood everything and bowed with great respect.

On the bank of the Jing River west of Chang'an City, His Majesty still goes out for a walk as often as he did in the past.

Except for the guards around the emperor, the emperor still looked alone.

This was the case when Your Majesty had not yet ascended the throne and was still the crown prince. Today he would go to the county in the east, and tomorrow he would go to the county in the south.

For decades, the county magistrates have not dared to be negligent, for fear that His Majesty would arrive when they slacked off.

In other words, if Your Majesty is traveling and someone suddenly blocks the road and cries out for justice, dozens of county officials in that county will have to smash their heads and die to apologize to the world.

Your Majesty's style is the same as it was when he was the crown prince.

Li Chengqian walked along the river and looked at the scenery with General Qin Qiong who was sitting in a wheelchair, while chatting about family matters.

These are all your Majesty's family affairs, and Qin Qiong listened very carefully.

"Originally, Zhinu and Shendi had made military achievements in the Congling Mountains. I wanted to make them imperial generals, but the decree I just issued was taken back by my father."

Qin Qiong looked at the depressed Majesty with a smile.

Li Chengqian continued, "I asked the eunuchs to ask, but my father still refused to give them the title of royal generals. I can do nothing about it."

Qin Qiong was still smiling.

Li Chengqian continued, "Maybe Father thinks that I take too much care of my brothers and sisters and shouldn't spoil them like this. What do you think, General?"

Qin Qiong said: "This is your Majesty's family affair."

"Yes, the emperor no longer cares about state affairs, but the emperor is still the emperor after all, and he can still control his brothers and sisters."

Qin Qiong felt that this was quite good. Although His Majesty had abdicated, he could still enjoy his old age and take care of state affairs and his children. It was truly a beautiful thing in the world.

In the fifth year of Qianqing's reign, as the Lantern Festival was approaching, a piece of bad news spread throughout the court and the country: Lord Li Wei had passed away.

Li Jing died at the age of 81, and Duke Wei of Li was already very old at the age of 80.

Li Weigong's funeral arrangements had already been made, and before he passed away, he handed over the military book he had written with his life's work to His Majesty.

The funeral of Lord Li Wei was arranged personally by the retired emperor, and Li Chengqian handed over all the titles to his father for arrangement.

He was appointed Si Tu and Governor of Bingzhou, given the posthumous title of Jingwu, and buried in Zhaoling Mausoleum.

My father is a man of great loyalty and righteousness. Even after death, the brothers who fought together to establish the empire will sleep together.

At night, beside the Taiye Lake, Li Chengqian looked at his father who was sitting alone by the lake and advised: "In fact, we all know that Duke Wei will only have these few days left."

Li Shimin asked: "Cheng Qian, have you prepared for your funeral?"

"Master Li Chunfeng is selecting for his son."

"Won't Yuan Tiangang help you?"

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Eight years ago, Taoist Yuan Tiangang left Chang'an and never came back. After Taoist Li Chunfeng came down from Laojun Mountain, he asked people to look for him but couldn't find him. Taoist Li speculated that he was probably buried in some unknown place."

Li Shimin nodded, "Pharmacist, why don't you live a few more years, Pharmacist Li..."

Li Chengqian stayed beside his father, listening to his calls.

My father is hungover tonight, so he is resting in the villa by Taiye Lake.

Seeing His Majesty standing guard at the door, the maid stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, it is getting late."

Li Chengqian said: "I am here to guard my father, let the queen and the others rest early."

"Here."

At night, the emperor started vomiting again. Li Chengqian took care of him personally and wiped his face with hot water after he finished vomiting.

“Pharmacist…”

In my sleep, my father was still calling me.

Li Chengqian sat at the table outside the door, drinking tea alone and listening to his father calling him at night.

When it was almost dawn, Li Chengqian ordered again: "The court will be closed today." "Yes."

My father was so drunk that he didn't wake up until noon.

Today, Li Tai also came, and he brought a map of the Literature Museum. The map showed the Cantian Khan Road.

The Chantian Khan Avenue goes straight into Chang'an from Liaodong Road, and another one goes from the Uighurs through the Yin Mountains all the way to Chang'an.

There is also such a road in the Western Regions. As for Tubo, there is an ancient Tang-Tibet Road, which is the Chantian Khan Road.

All corners of the world gather in Chang'an, this picture is quite pleasing to the eye.

When Li Shimin walked out of the villa, Li Chengqian looked at his father's haggard expression and signaled to the eunuch beside him.

The eunuch handed over tea and said, "Your Majesty, please have something to eat."

Li Shimin sat down tiredly, looked at his two sons, and asked, "Qingque, how are you these days?"

Li Tai was still as fat as ever, and his weight loss efforts still hadn't made any progress. He bowed and said, "Father, I am fine."

Li Shimin looked at his two sons who were in their prime, lowered his head again, and asked, "Is there still no result on the Silla issue?"

"Jin Chunqiu is enslaving the Japanese to dig for gold and silver. I'm afraid he won't come back in these years."

"Why? Can't we dig up all the gold and silver from the Japanese?"

The eunuch brought him some corn rice. After a night of hangover, Li Shimin felt hungry and ate it.

The sun shone on the three of them, making them feel particularly warm. Li Chengqian put his hands in his pockets and said, "Jin Chunqiu didn't come to Chang'an, but a Silla general named Heichi Changzhi came. He was originally a general of Baekje, and was taken in by Liu Boying as a general in Silla. This year, he came to Chang'an as a Silla envoy to pay tribute."

"If Jin Chunqiu doesn't come to Chang'an again, he should be killed."

"This man is still useful. I am not in a hurry to kill him."

"Aren't you afraid of becoming a disaster?"

"If he dares to betray the Tang Dynasty, the people of Silla will help me to fight him. He doesn't dare to rebel, and he doesn't have the ability to rebel. Father, why do you think I let Liu Boying go to Silla?"

Li Shimin was chewing millet rice, then picked up a piece of pickled radish and put it into his mouth, motioning to Qingque beside him.

Li Tai bowed and said, "Father, I think what you said is true."

Seeing his brothers working together, Li Shimin put down his bowl and chopsticks, took another sip of mutton soup, and said, "I'm full."

Li Tai stepped forward again to help his father onto the horse, and watched him leave. He asked, "It seems that Lord Li Wei's passing has made your father very sad."

“A lot of people are having a hard time.”

"Brother King Wu killed some more people in Shandong."

Li Chengqian nodded. Some things were seeds that he had planted in Li Ke's heart. Once the seeds were planted, it would be hard to recover them.

Land annexation is Li Ke’s enemy. This is Li Ke’s war, and it is a life-and-death war.

Li Chengqian said: "Everyone he killed has been verified by the court. Some are corrupt officials, some are evil people. Even if they are sent to Chang'an, they will be beheaded. The law must be strictly enforced. Qingque does not need to worry."

"Uncle!" Li Xin came over obediently.

Li Chengqian picked up his nephew and asked, "You've grown this big?"

Li Xin looked around and asked, "Huh? Where's Brother Yu Tu?"

"He lives in the village outside. Do you want to play with him?"

Li Xin shook her head and said, "He always bullies Xin'er."

Li Chengqian put the child down again and let him play by himself.

Li Tai said: "My brother, someone asked when the Comprehensive Geography will be completed."

“Are they anxious?”

"Some people say that after so many years, should we take it out and show it to them? The book of Geography contains so much information that it took a lifetime of hard work to compile it."

"Take out some of it and show it to them."

Li Tai nodded, "That's exactly what I meant. Thank you for your guidance, brother. Actually, I came here to plead for Zhinu and Shendi, but now that I see how father is like this, I don't know how to start again."

"Me too."

The brothers looked at each other and smiled.

Li Tai looked at the peaceful Taiye Lake, feeling the warmth of the sun, and said, "My father has changed now."

Today, my father looks like a man who has mastered supernatural powers, but he is restrained and seems like an ordinary person, but he is actually a peerless master.

Generally speaking, brothers and sisters all feel this way.

Over the years, more and more old generals have passed away, and my father has experienced more separations. This kind of separation is very cruel, and once separated, you will never see each other again.

What my father has experienced in recent years has also made him different from before.

My father is now going through the most painful years of his life. Things will get better only when he gets used to seeing life and death.

Li Chengqian accompanied Li Tai and Li Xin all the way out from the north of Taiye Lake.

Li Xin wanted to visit her grandmother and was not afraid of being bullied for this. She watched Li Tai leave with his son.

I don’t know how long it will take for my father to get over his grief. Life is difficult most of the time.

If your father really cannot get out of his hardships, you might as well tell him the story of Zhuge Wuhou. That way... your father might not feel so painful.

There were too many heroes during the Zhenguan period, and the twenty-four meritorious officials listed in the Lingyan Pavilion were among them. In fact, there were even more such heroes.

Until his death, Duke Li Wei never said whether there really was a heroic hero named Qiu Ran Ke in this world.

After Li Chengqian returned to the palace, he focused his attention on state affairs again.

In the past, there were often conflicts when volunteer teachers gave lectures to soldiers. However, after Pei Yan took up the post of Langzhong of the Ministry of War, there have been fewer conflicts recently, and even if there were any, they were easily resolved by Pei Yan.

The eunuch came with a stack of memorials, "Your Majesty, this is the list of officials recommended by various ministries this year."

Li Chengqian took a copy and asked, "Has the Ministry of Personnel approved it?"

"Your Majesty, it was sent by the Ministry of Personnel."

Ma Zhou was still the Minister of Personnel, and he was in charge of arranging the promotions and transfers of officials in the court.

Looking at the names one by one, there are people like Li Anqi, Li Jingxuan, Cen Changqian, and Liu Qixian.

The eunuch stood outside the hall, quietly guarding the door.

After approving the memorials recommended by the officials, Li Chengqian saw a memorial of advice, which was about the arrangements for Songtsen Gampo. The article stated that Songtsen Gampo would refuse to submit to the emperor in the future.

After reading it, Li Chengqian put it aside.

The emperor did not respond to this memorial of advice. Some people said that the current emperor is willing to accept good advice, while others said that the current emperor no longer accepts advice from others.

But after all, the emperor has changed, and today it is Qianqing.

I see that Your Majesty has finished dealing with today's memorials, as efficient as ever.

While the eunuch folded the memorials again and prepared to take them away, he also cleaned the table with his hands deftly and wiped the surface spotlessly.

After doing all these things, the eunuch reported: "Your Majesty, the Prince of Hejian is here."

Li Chengqian relaxed his eyes, "It's time for dinner. Eat with me. Prepare more noodles. My uncle always has a good appetite."

(End of this chapter)