The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 465: Indigestion in the Tang Dynasty

This year's imperial examination went smoothly except for a delay of half a month due to a heavy rain during the Grain Rain season.

Li Chengqian was sitting in the hall, still observing the drawings of Zhinu's new design. He originally wanted him to start working on it in terms of efficiency, but he still wanted to wait until the parts were complete before starting. After adding a few strokes, he made some comments.

After writing it, he looked at it carefully again, and handed it to the eunuch beside him, and ordered: "Pass it to Zhinu, and send a few craftsmen from the Shaofu Supervisor to help him."

"Here."

"This is very important."

Hearing His Majesty's additional words, the eunuch quickly bowed and said, "This old servant dare not neglect you."

Eunuch Yang stood beside His Majesty, still smiling, which made the other eunuchs frightened.

Since all the eunuchs who had previous dealings with various families were dealt with, perhaps many of them were actually thrown into the Taiye Lake to feed the fish or exiled to the Western Regions to plant trees.

In Chang'an City, after Li Zhi got the blueprints from his royal brother, he hurried to the Literature Museum to find his brother, the Prince of Wei.

Li Tai is still very fat today, and he often discusses literature and books in the world with scholars from the Literature Museum.

"Brother Prince Wei! Brother Prince Wei!"

Hearing the voice, Li Tai turned around and saw that it was Zhinu, and said with a smile: "Zhinu."

Li Zhi took two steps forward and said, "I am a little confused and would like to ask Brother Wei Wang for advice."

Li Tai waved his hand to let the scholars leave, and then the two brothers left space to sit in the main hall of the Literature Museum and said, "You speak."

Li Zhi first looked around. The Museum of Literature seemed very simple and ancient. The more fashionable furniture that was now found in Chang'an City was not displayed here. In addition, there were many old scholars coming in and out of the Museum of Literature.

Li Tai added: "In fact, you can come to the Literature Museum more often."

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Zhi Nu and Shen Di often ask Brother Wei Wang for help when they get into trouble."

Li Tai calmly took a sip of tea and said, "It's okay, we are all brothers."

As he spoke, Li Shen came running over with a food box, placed the box in front of the King of Wei and opened it attentively.

Li Tai was confused when he saw his two younger brothers' arrangement. He saw steaming rice cakes in the food boxes.

Looking at Li Shen's appearance, he had been running all the way here, fearing that the zongzi would get cold.

Li Tai straightened his expression and asked, "Did you get into trouble?"

Li Zhi quickly waved his hand and said, "No."

Li Tai's expression became more serious. He took another sip of tea and said, "If you really get into trouble, tell me now. I can still speak well of you to my brother, father, and mother."

"Brother Prince Wei has taken great care of us on a daily basis." Li Shen also said very seriously.

"Brother Wei Wang, we need a compiler who is familiar with the arrangement of the book."

Li Tai nodded and said, "Okay, you pick a few and go back."

"Thank you, Brother Wang."

After the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Ji left, Su Xu, the director of the Institute of Literature, was summoned by the Prince of Wei and came quickly.

Li Tai told him about his two younger brothers, but he didn't mention the drawings of movable type printing.

After hearing this, Su Xu asked again, "Does the King of Wei want me to go there?"

Li Tai said: "In fact, this matter is not that complicated. They don't have to come to the Literature Museum. Most likely they feel they dare not act on their own."

Su Xu said: "Although the King of Jin and the King of Ji often get into trouble, they are also very smart."

Li Tai nodded and said, "You can go to Prince Jin's Mansion to help them these days."

"Here!"

Afterwards, Li Tai wrote down the causes and consequences of these events and informed his brother the emperor in the palace.

The Grain Rain season is close to the Beginning of Summer. After the imperial examination was over, Li Chengqian handed over the remaining matters to the Secretariat and went to Weibei with Ying Gong, still reading a letter in his hand.

"Qingque said Zhinu and Shendi went to look for him."

Li Ji said: "It is a good thing that your majesty's family is so united."

Under the escort of soldiers and horses, Li Chengqian saw a large hospital in the distance. It was a hospital covering hundreds of acres.

"I originally asked Dongyang to leave some land to grow some food for self-sufficiency, but she still built all the land in her fiefdom into a hospital."

Knowing that it was the Emperor's brother who had arrived, Dongyang hurried over to greet him and said, "Emperor's brother."

Li Chengqian looked at his sister and said, "I didn't expect this place to be so big."

Dongyang said: "The land is still not enough. My sister has no extra land."

Li Chengqian said: "That's good too. Is there anything else I need to arrange?"

Dongyang walked beside his brother and said, "No need, we have enough manpower. Anyway, the land in Guanzhong is under strict control now, so they may not give it to me."

Li Ji brought his guards and horses to guard the surroundings.

Helped this sister to improve the hospital's management methods.

Li Chengqian left here, and while walking along the way, he saw a group of children fighting.

Then he walked from Weibei to Longshouyuan, and Li Chengqian met his mother in Anning Village.

The eldest grandson was washing his grandson's clothes. When he saw his son coming, he smiled and said, "You are so busy with state affairs, how come you have time to come and visit mother?"

Li Chengqian walked into the small courtyard where his father and mother lived, took the wooden basin from his mother, helped wash, and asked, "How is Yu Tu doing these days?"

"He studies all day now. He studies at the Confucius Library where he teaches. All the children in this area listen to his orders."

Li Chengqian took the bucket from his mother and poured it into the basin.

Seeing her son helping to wash clothes, Empress Dowager Changsun just smiled and said, "You children are all very sensible. Last month, Li Zhi gave birth to a daughter and said that she would let her daughter run the family business in the future. Du He's family business is now in Li Zhi's hands."

After washing the clothes, Li Chengqian helped his mother hang them out to dry.

In fact, the Queen Mother has always been very concerned about how her brothers and sisters are doing now, and she knows exactly how they are doing.

After finishing all this, Li Chengqian helped his mother clean the yard. He did it on his own without his mother saying anything.

The maids outside the courtyard were at a loss as to what to do. These were things that His Majesty should not do, but it was obvious that His Majesty was doing it out of filial piety, so it was difficult for them to stop him.

After everything was cleaned up, Li Chengqian washed all the dishes and then sat at the gate of the courtyard with his mother.

If you look up slightly, you can still see the white hair that can no longer be hidden between your mother's hair.

The queen mother looked at the scene in the village and smiled gently in the setting sun.

"Dad!" Hearing the call, Li Chengqian turned around and saw that it was his father and son coming.

As soon as the son ran, he jumped into his arms. His Majesty, who always loved cleanliness, brushed the dust off the prince's clothes and hit him hard twice. The people around him also laughed.

Li Chengqian asked: "What have you been learning recently?"

"The child is learning mathematics from the teacher."

Seeing that he was still carrying a school bag, Li Chengqian patted him on the back and said, "If you can't learn well outside, go to the Imperial Academy to study."

"I'm a good student, but the classes at the Imperial College are too boring." As he spoke, he sniffed the aroma of the food and said, "I'm hungry."

Only then did Empress Dowager Zhangsun take her grandson to have dinner.

Li Chengqian was still sitting at the gate of the courtyard, looking at the sunset in the distance with his hands in his pockets.

The golden sunset shines on the father and son. When the wind blows, you can see the wheat waving in the fields.

Li Shimin asked, "I heard that you sent a lot of officials to the Western Regions and Tubo?"

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Well, this is necessary. It will be like this in the next few years."

"Chongwen Hall, Jingzhao Prefecture, rebuild the government offices in all counties." Li Shimin whispered, "Your power is greater than mine in the past."

"Father, do you think your son is too centralized?"

Li Shimin said: "One day, when all the students in the world are students of the branch schools, they will all be the disciples of the emperor."

"It's easier said than done, thanks to your father's good words. Who knows how much resistance the court officials encountered in arranging these things? Nothing is so easy. There are still many obstacles in the cause of supporting education."

Li Chengqian added: "Now more and more people are coming to Chang'an City, and many people are leaving Chang'an City. Officials and teachers are sent to various counties. At present, there are still not enough people. Just like grandpa said before, some things cannot be completed in one generation."

"Maybe Grandpa doesn't want me to be too eager for quick success, so I slowed down my pace and built the four Anxi towns first to stabilize the situation in the Western Regions, and then built the Anxi Protectorate. These are the things I will focus on in the next three years."

"I didn't think you couldn't do a great job as the emperor. Being able to preserve your foundation is already very good."

"Yes, I think so too. As a successor, I should take it as my responsibility to protect the country."

Li Shimin stretched out his hand, placed it on his son's shoulder, patted him hard, and went back to eat.

In the courtyard, the Emperor, the Empress, and their son were talking about the interesting things that happened today.

Li Chengqian sat alone at the gate of the courtyard with his hands in his pockets, and he didn't know how long he had been sitting there.

When Yu Tu came out after dinner, he found that his father was gone. After hearing the guard's report, he learned that his father had returned to the palace.

In the sixth year of Qianqing's reign, there were more than two thousand students who failed the imperial examination, including the three hundred who passed. All of them would be sent to various places to teach or to train in the army.

Yu Zhining has been busy in the official residence until late at night these days, and officials passing by can hear the sound of the abacus.

It was only summer, and the court had already spent a large sum of money.

When Yu Zhining was still busy calculating the accounts, he looked up and saw that it was the emperor, so he stood up quickly.

Li Chengqian had food brought in and asked the officials here to stop what they were doing.

After staying up late and working hard for several days, when everyone was eating the hot meals sent by His Majesty, some officials were so moved that they cried on the spot, and some even cried very loudly. The louder they cried, the more loyal they were.

The eunuch saw this scene, and then saw His Majesty walk out of the official residence and stand at the door looking at the moon.

Perhaps His Majesty could not bear to see this kind of scene and that’s why he avoided it.

After the officials of the Secretariat had finished their meal, Li Chengqian asked them to go home as some things could not be finished in a short time.

The officials here left in twos and threes.

Yu Zhining was the last one to come out. He bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Li Chengqian walked into the Secretariat and put the messy tables and chairs in order.

Yu Zhining hurriedly helped His Majesty clean up the place. He remembered that when His Majesty was still the crown prince, he would often come here to clean. At that time, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was studying politics here.

While cleaning the place, Li Chengqian said, "After you finish teaching, take a break from summer vacation."

Yu Zhining said: "Yes."

Being an official in the Tang Dynasty, you have a lot of vacations, including winter vacations, summer vacations, and various festivals. You can also take a vacation if there is something going on at home.

Except for vacations, the work intensity is very high when on duty in the court. This is the center of court affairs and the center of the entire Tang Dynasty. The governance of all places comes from here.

Yu Zhining said, "I dare not let Your Majesty come to visit me so late at night. I am ashamed."

Li Chengqian said, "Go back and rest. There is no need to rush for some things. My father said that it is good enough to be able to protect the foundation."

Yu Zhining seemed to want to say something but hesitated. After keeping silent for three times, he stopped talking.

When leaving the palace, Yu Zhining was still thinking in his heart that His Majesty was definitely not an emperor who only wanted to preserve the Li Tang foundation.

Your Majesty now wants to make the Tang Dynasty strong and prosperous.

After the beginning of summer, June turned into July in Guanzhong, and the scorching heat made the scenery in the distance seem a little distorted.

The previously bustling city of Chang'an became much quieter under the scorching heat, and people spontaneously left the city to escape the heat in various places.

Li Chengqian stood in the Liangyi Hall with a huge map in front of him. This map was drawn by the Literary Museum. They demarcated the territories of the Arabs and the Tang Dynasty based on current rumors from the Western Regions and records from the Pamirs or the Lesser Bolor Kingdom.

Little Magpie ate a peach and looked at the map and asked, "Daddy, is the territory of the Arabs so big?"

Li Chengqian was holding a gold brick in his hand. This was a gold brick fired by the Shaofujian. After melting the gold coins brought from Pamirs, there were now many of them in the palace's storehouse.

Holding the heavy gold brick in his hand, Li Chengqian said, "I don't know whether it's real or fake."

Xiao Que'er measured it with his fingers and said, "The territory of the Arabs is almost as big as our Tang Dynasty."

It's like two giant beasts, with the Pamir Plateau as the boundary between their fangs, and there is a natural moat between the two countries.

However, this natural barrier is not difficult to cross for the two major civilizations. It is the Central Plains civilization that is confronting them.

The Arabs once sent 100,000 troops into the Pamir Mountains, and the Tang Dynasty also sent troops and has now captured the city of Talas.

After a brief battle, the two sides withdrew from the Pamir Mountains.

Whether they were the Hu people, the Sai people, or the Persian survivors who fled to various places, they all felt that the Arabs were extremely brutal. This time, the Tang Dynasty defeated the Arabs and buried the Arabs in the Pamir Mountains.

Then next time, the warlike and brutal Arabs will launch a second war against the Pamirs, and the Pamirs and the Tang Dynasty will have to face a more fierce counterattack from the enemy.

After the little magpie finished eating the peach, she walked with her short legs to wash her hands in the basin beside her, and then sat obediently at the small desk to practice calligraphy.

In the quiet Liangyi Hall, Empress Su and Concubine Ning were preparing clothes for the changing seasons.

The scorching heat of the sixth year of Qianqing lasted for two months, and it was not until mid-September that the scorching heat ended.

Before the court opened, news came from Liaodong that tens of millions of shi of grain had been grown from the Yalu River to the west of Liaodong all the way to Youzhou. The vast and fertile black soil was planted with grain.

(End of this chapter)