The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 462: The Turkic General on the Northern Expedition
Li Shimin walked down the city wall holding the hands of his grandson and granddaughter.

Li Chengqian put away his sword and walked down the city wall. He also asked the eunuchs to carry his grandfather's wheelchair down the city wall.

After the emperor took the children away and grandfather returned to the Wude Hall, Li Chengqian saw that it was already late at night, so he returned to the Liangyi Hall.

The next day, the Lantern Festival would be celebrated for three consecutive days. Before the court session began, the emperor had people clean the imperial city and Taiji Hall.

Today, Lai Ji, who is the Secretary of the Central Secretariat and the supervisor of national history, came to meet the emperor.

Li Chengqian met this old minister by the ink pool in Xingqing Hall. In the eyes of ministers, national history is very important, and compiling national history is also what the ministers wish.

In fact, history books were all written by later generations. The Book of Sui was written by people from the Tang Dynasty, and the Book of Jin was also compiled by people from the Tang Dynasty.

In the selection of court officials, those who could serve as Zhongshu Shilang were all quite qualified. From a selfish point of view, Li Chengqian hoped to increase the number of Zhongshu Shilang and make the Zhongshu Province the core of the court as much as possible.

Lai Ji stepped forward and saluted, "Your Majesty."

Li Chengqian asked someone to bring a chair for the old minister to sit down, and then asked someone to bring a heater.

Li Chengqian, wearing a cloak, looked at the gray sky and said, "It was warm for a few days before the Lantern Festival, why is it cold again now? I don't know how long this year's late spring cold will last."

Lai Ji replied: "Your Majesty, this year's snow is good snow."

After saying that, I looked at the gray sky and there was no sign of snowing, only gusts of cold wind blowing.

Li Chengqian said: "The ink pool is now much clearer. My father always liked to practice calligraphy."

Lai Ji said: "Your Majesty often discussed the great men of the past dynasties with Lord Yu and Ouyang Xun."

"Well, it's just that after Lord Yu passed away, father rarely practiced calligraphy anymore. He still did it occasionally, but not as enthusiastically as he did back then."

"Your Majesty's calligraphy was also a great treasure in the market. I wonder if you still write now?"

Li Chengqian put his hands in his pockets and said, "Father likes to farm now."

Lai Ji suddenly smiled and said, "Farming is also good."

It may be that after Yu Shinan passed away and Ouyang Xun left, my father had no one to discuss calligraphy with, and he rarely wrote after that.

Li Chengqian also felt that his calligraphy was still not as good as his father's, and the words he wrote could barely be considered neat.

Not every emperor has to be good at calligraphy. My father did set a good example, but this good example should stop with me.

Lai Ji handed over a scroll and said, "Your Majesty, this is a summary of the national history from the first year of Qianqing to the present."

Li Chengqian took the history book and glanced at it briefly before handing it back to him. "In the future, the national history can record more of the villagers' lives, and write less about my affairs."

Lai Ji frowned and said, "If future generations want to find out about your majesty's life, it would be best to have a complete record."

Li Chengqian said, "I just feel that if my lifestyle is often criticized by future generations, I would not feel comfortable if I am still alive."

"Hmm..." Lai Ji hesitated for a moment, then said, "I obey your command."

"If there are rules for national history, you need to write about my life and hobbies, or my joys and sorrows. It's okay if you write more."

Lai Ji said: "I will make my own decision."

Li Chengqian didn't want to embarrass the old man, as he was afraid that other emperors might also have various concerns and anxieties about their own national history.

It just makes later generations think that the emperors of the Qianqing period of the Tang Dynasty lived too simple a life, which is probably a good thing.

Lai Ji asked, "Recently, I have been looking for someone."

Li Chengqian asked: "Who is it?"

"Xuanzang."

"What's up with him?"

Lai Ji said: "After I finished writing about Lord Liang's deeds and read Wang Xuance's account, I discovered Xuanzang and learned that he returned to Chang'an last year, but I don't know where he is now."

The records of national history were not controlled by the emperor, and it is unknown whether the historians of each generation were the same as Lai Ji.

Li Chengqian glanced at the eunuch Yang beside him.

After the other party understood, he left in a hurry.

When he came back, he brought a secret report.

Li Chengqian handed the secret report to Lai Ji and said, "Read it for yourself."

"Here." Lai Ji took the secret report and looked at the contents, then asked, "Is that really the case?"

"Well, he went to the Hexi Corridor to teach. I ordered Chongwenguan to keep it secret. I don't know if Xuanzang was just in the mood or if he wants to spend the rest of his life teaching. He said he would pray for the Tang Dynasty for his whole life. His going there to teach is more effective than praying."

"I will not hide his whereabouts from you, but you should not make a big noise and do not let anyone disturb Xuanzang."

Lai Ji took the brush from the eunuch beside him, and then wrote after Xuanzang's line, and disappeared.

There are only a few records about Xuanzang in history books. His life ended with him returning to secular life and disappearing without a trace.

Lai Ji came here for this matter. His Majesty has been a good boy since he was young. Some things don't need to be said explicitly. He also knows how to write them. Then he stood up and said, "I will take my leave."

Li Chengqian still stood by the ink pool and nodded slightly.

Half a minute later, Li Chengqian looked at the ginkgo tree next to him. Now only dead branches were left, and the withered yellow ginkgo leaves were no longer visible. It was only waiting for new buds to grow next year.

"father!"

Hearing the call from behind and the sound of running footsteps, Li Chengqian turned around, picked up his daughter, and asked, "What do you want to eat today?"

Meng Ji thought for a moment and said, "I want to eat egg fried rice."

Li Chengqian said: "Okay, I'll make it for you today."

"Add chopped green onions."

"it is good."

Eunuch Yang followed behind His Majesty with a smile.

Another gust of wind blew in the palace. Now that Lord Li Wei had passed away, there were many young generals in the army. These generals all had great ambitions and were determined to be listed in the Lingyan Pavilion.

There were still two days before the court session began. During the remaining two days, the emperor did nothing but spend time with his family.

The current emperor does not have many children, but fortunately this family is peaceful and harmonious.

It is natural that people would talk about the fact that an emperor has few offspring. However, during the reigns of Wude and Zhenguan, the emperors had many offspring.

Nowadays, no one sends portraits of beauties to the emperor, but there are still people who ask about his family affairs and try to insert women into his palace in an indirect way.

It feels like this kind of thing has been going on for an endless period of time since I ascended the throne.

On the third day after the Lantern Festival celebration, because the morning court was postponed, Li Chengqian had some free time to prepare for the morning court after getting up early to exercise.

Eunuch Yang handed over a list and said, "Everyone who has recently inquired about your majesty's family affairs is recorded." Li Chengqian took the list and looked at the contents. There were the Kong family, the Lu family, the Wang family of Taiyuan, and even the Du family and the old Li family of Longxi.

The current Su Wan is the grandson's wife chosen by her grandfather, and also selected by her mother and father, so naturally it will not be changed.

Among the concubines, there is only Concubine Ning. As for the Kong family and the Lu family, there is no need to say much. Eunuch Yang recorded it very carefully. The Wang family of Taiyuan should be a branch of Wang Shennian, who is a person recorded in the Book of Wei.

After reading it, Li Chengqian returned the list to him and said, "Any eunuchs who have any connection with these families will be expelled from the palace."

"This……"

"What? They are digging into my family affairs behind my back. Should I throw them into Taiye Lake to feed the fish? The fish in the lake are not fat enough now."

Eunuch Yang hurriedly said, "Yes."

I'm afraid that another group of eunuchs will disappear or be expelled from the palace today. Old Yang is a very loyal eunuch. He handled more than 30 eunuchs skillfully, and all the eunuchs in charge were under his supervision.

People are good at using the resources at their disposal for personal gain, and this can be seen within the palace walls.

Li Chengqian handed all these matters over to Su Wan and Ning'er and went to the morning court.

When Your Majesty was still the crown prince, you were always alone. Now, in the Taiji Hall, there are hundreds of officials waiting for the emperor to come to the morning court, so Your Majesty is no longer alone.

As Li Chengqian walked into the Taiji Hall wearing the emperor's crown, the ministers saluted.

Under the gaze of his ministers, Li Chengqian sat on the throne and asked the eunuch beside him to read the imperial edict.

The decree was very simple, still adhering to the frugal style, saying that the Tang Dynasty was still not rich and not powerful, and congratulating the New Year again.

Li Chengqian said, "I know that the court is now richer than in previous years, but the court's expenses are still high. Your salaries in the court are meager. Now that it is New Year, I have asked people to prepare rewards. After the morning court is over, you can receive the rewards in front of Chengtian Gate."

The ministers bowed once more and shouted, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Next, each ministry reported on state affairs. The Ministry of Personnel would transfer more than 70 officials to the Western Regions this year to build the four Anxi towns, and the Chongwenguan would send more than 30 teachers to Tubo.

At the beginning of the New Year, arrangements were made to add more than a hundred Chongwenguans in the Central Plains, including several prefectures in Liaodong, Jiangnan, and Shu.

This is another considerable expense. Yu Zhining talked about the various expenditures this year.

Inside the hall, everyone from the ministers to the vice ministers were there. It was the beginning of this year and the court had to spend tens of thousands of strings of cash, which put a lot of pressure on everyone.

The Ministry of War is under the greatest pressure, as a large number of troops will be added this year, and it is unknown whether the court can cope with it.

After His Majesty agreed, the ministers felt relieved, as if His Majesty had gritted his teeth.

Only Yu Zhining remained calm, as the expenditure of several tens of thousands of strings of cash was actually not that much.

Only the two important officials in charge of dispatch, Ma Zhou and Yu Zhining, knew that the financial situation was now abundant and even if Your Majesty did nothing, you would not have to worry about supporting the officials for several years.

However, amid the concerns of his ministers and rumors from the outside world, every time the emperor spent a lot of money, it was worrying.

Besides, maybe some people are happy. The more those who resist the teaching support feel that the government is spending more than it earns, the happier they will be.

The louder those people shouted, the calmer His Majesty became, and he paid no attention to those shouts.

The morning court in the Taiji Hall lasted until noon, and the emperor then received envoys from various countries.

The Tibetan envoys who came to the Tang Dynasty this time were Sangbuza, the prince of the Lesser Bolor Kingdom, Ashina She'er, as well as the Indian envoys, Luo Shengyan, the son of the Nanzhao King, and the Uighur tribes.

The Nanzhao envoys presented treasures from the southwestern countries, the Indian envoys presented a lot of gold, silver and ivory cups, and Ashina Dur was the most practical, presenting a map. He had conquered a large area of ​​territory in the northern desert, and now his people were fighting against the Mohe people.

The emperor accepted the congratulations of his ministers and asked envoys from various countries to continue building the Tian Khan Avenue. Tian Khan intentionally or unintentionally mentioned the important road for communication between Tubo and the Tang Dynasty and built a highway between Tubo and the Tang Dynasty that could accommodate cavalry and carriages.

The geographical location of this road is the Ancient Tang-Tibet Road.

By the afternoon, the first grand court meeting of the sixth year of Qianqing ended. The Hu people from the Pamirs did not come to pay tribute, and the Arabs had no intention of congratulating the Tang Dynasty.

The first group of Arab envoys to the Tang Dynasty are still detained in Chang'an City, not to mention that the two countries have been at war.

Not many neighboring small countries came to pay tribute this year, mainly because the Tang army was too powerful.

After the court session, the ministers left the Taiji Hall in twos and threes.

Chu Suiliang walked among the crowd and asked Yu Zhining beside him, "I thought His Majesty would have some big plans this year."

Yu Zhining said, "What big arrangements do you think you need?"

There were court officials walking in groups of two or three, talking as they walked, and Chu Suiliang and Yu Zhining were not close on normal days.

They could still say a word or two occasionally, and besides, Yu Zhining was not from Xu Jingzong's faction.

He lowered his voice and asked again: "Logically speaking, since two regents have left, Your Majesty should show his talents this year."

Yu Zhining glanced at him and said, "Your Majesty never does things in a grand manner."

Chu Suiliang nodded in agreement, "That's right, this is our Majesty."

The emperor is still a low-key emperor, and has been like this since he was still the crown prince.

After the morning court session, Li Chengqian kept Ashina She'er for dinner.

"Your Majesty, I regret it."

Li Chengqian had someone pour him some wine and asked, "What do you regret?"

Ashina Shedun said with satisfaction: "I should follow the army to conquer the Congling Mountains."

"You have been fighting the Mohe for a year, and it is not easy. Things in the west are too far for you."

"If Your Majesty wishes to march west again, I am willing to lead 30,000 cavalrymen to the Pamir Mountains."

"Let's not talk about the Pamir Mountains for now. Are the Mohe people difficult to deal with? You've been fighting for a year and still haven't taken them down?"

"Your Majesty, the Mohe people live deep in the mountains. Sometimes a few bears or tigers pop up. It's easy to fight the Mohe people, but the wild beasts in the mountains are the most difficult to deal with."

Li Chengqian drank a mouthful of mutton soup and said, "Do you need my help?"

He shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. In another year, I will definitely sweep through the Mohe tribe and capture a few big bears and tigers for your Majesty's amusement."

Ashina She'er was a simple and unsophisticated man. The Mohe tribe was located to the north of Liaodong, which was full of mountains and forests. As a Turk, he was accustomed to fighting on the plains, and breaking into the mountains and forests was not his forte.

"I am not in a hurry to expand the territory. When my father went on the Eastern Expedition, many Mohe people did help the Goguryeo people. This account will be settled sooner or later. You don't have to worry. The most important thing is to get out of here safely. Besides, I will also send people to wipe them out."

Ashina She'er bowed and said, "Yes."

"How is Gao Yanshou?"

"Gao Yanshou joined my army just last month, but he died of illness after arriving on the grassland from Liaodong."

"Dead from illness?"

(End of this chapter)