The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 485: Treasures of the Tang Dynasty

The unmarried women around were all quietly observing His Majesty, some glanced occasionally, while others watched him intentionally or unintentionally.

This is a rare opportunity for them to meet His Majesty.

Judging from the emperors of all dynasties recorded in history books, Your Majesty today should be a rare emperor who is pure-hearted and has few desires.

He would not build a large palace, nor would he indulge in extravagance. Instead, he was frugal and diligent in his work.

His Majesty has become a role model for the older generation of heroes and they all hope that their children can develop the character of His Majesty.

At the other end of the hill, Li Chengqian was pushing his teacher's wheelchair, with his uncle beside him. He added, "My children can't always be proud. Lu Dongzan has a good son. Qin Ling can become Yu Tu's rival. This is not necessarily a bad thing."

Fang Xuanling smiled without saying anything. "Your Majesty has always been a very sober person. He was like this when he was young, and he is even more sober now."

Your Majesty always knows what needs to be done and what does not need to be done.

In order to obtain cotton from the Western Regions, it was necessary to conquer the Pamir Mountains; in order to obtain the prosperity of Luoyang and Guanzhong, it was also necessary to build a canal system.

Fang Xuanling said: "I only hope that the children of the Tang people will always be proud and strong."

Chang Sun Wuji said: "Nowadays, there are more and more people on both sides of the canal. I heard that the taxes collected in Guanzhong last year were not small."

In the distance, Cheng Yaojin was chewing a peach, looking at the handsome old man Zhangsun Wuji, and said, "How come he is still so graceful at his age?"

Niu Jinda picked at the meat between his teeth, flicked the meat off and said, "How would I know? Why don't you go and ask yourself?"

Cheng Yaojin took another bite of the peach and said, "Next year I will retire as well."

Niu Jinda patted him on the shoulder and said, "Wait a few more years, and we'll retire together."

Li Xiaogong also echoed: "It will definitely be a good story if the three of us retire together."

Only Li Daozon was looking into the distance with a sad expression, his back to the three people, and those who were with them could only remain silent.

Cheng Yaojin took another bite of the peach and stared at the elegant Changsun Wuji.

But Changsun Wuji ignored the hostile gaze.

Qinling was a whetstone for Yu Tu, and of course for the emperor himself.

Li Chengqian felt that killing Qin Ling was very simple, so simple that he could even arrange various ways to kill him.

Make the best use of things and people. Since Qin Ling is useful, you can keep him.

Shangguan Yi held his granddaughter in his arms and watched the emperor and his family finally leave. He breathed a sigh of relief and looked at his granddaughter.

Shangguan Wan'er said, "Grandpa, Her Royal Highness the Princess is very knowledgeable."

"Well, I can also teach you knowledge."

Shangguan Wan'er grinned, revealing teeth the size of rice grains.

A warm breeze blew across the grassland. After the emperor left, the nobles also returned one after another.

After many officers and soldiers cleaned up, the entire grassland returned to its original appearance.

In addition to dealing with state affairs, Li Chengqian would often talk with Su Tan. Recently, the old father-in-law often came to meet him and talked about things related to Chongwenguan.

More and more books are being printed in Jingyang, and Su Tan should be happy about it, but his worries are increasing.

Li Chengqian drank his tea and said, "When you reach middle age, you should be more open-minded."

Su Tan said: "I am just worried that those books will make scholars all over the world have more prejudices against the court."

Li Chengqian personally brewed a bowl of hot tea for the father-in-law, sat by the Chengtian Gate, and said with a smile: "I heard that Jin Chunqiu burst into tears after seeing his son. After I ordered Tubo to withdraw its troops, the envoys of the Little Bolor Kingdom kowtowed in front of the Chengtian Gate for a whole day."

Su Tan took the tea bowl handed over by His Majesty with both hands and whispered, "Your Majesty is wise, so naturally more people will come to pay homage to you."

As they were talking, Yang, the eunuch, came to report: "Your Majesty, the Minister of Zongzheng Temple is here."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Let Brother Chongyi come over. It just so happens that tea has just been newly planted in Guanzhong this year."

Li Chongyi was invited by the elderly eunuch Yang to come closer, bowed and said, "Your Majesty."

Li Chengqian said: "The tea grown in Guanzhong this year has a good flavor. You can try it too."

Li Chongyi took the tea bowl with both hands and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Li Chongyi has changed a lot today compared to back then. The youthful look he had before is gone, and he now has a short beard.

After taking a sip of tea, Li Chongyi said with emotion: "I have unknowingly reached the age where I need to control my diet."

Li Chengqian asked in confusion: "What's wrong with you?"

Li Chongyi said: "At this age, there are some foods that you should avoid."

Li Chongyi is over forty years old.

After that, he added: "I heard that Lu Dongzan's son left Chang'an."

Li Chengqian put the kettle on the stove again and said, "I allow it."

"I also heard that Lu Dongzan's son competed with the crown prince, and the result was a draw?"

Li Chengqian nodded again.

Li Chongyi whispered, "So this was all arranged by His Majesty."

"Lu Dongzan's son is a proud man, and my son is also a proud man. It's good for us to sharpen each other. Just think of it as finding a goal for the children."

Su Tan felt somewhat dissatisfied when he heard about his grandson. How could his son, Lu Dongzan, be compared with the crown prince? He would definitely kill him in the future.

But back to the present, Li Chongyi began to report on the royal family.

Ever since my father's brothers and sisters have become much more low-key, many things now are related to Dongyang and the others.

The most talked about thing is beauty.

There is no other reason, it’s just that this sister is so outstanding, and her technical institute has specialized in a new technology.

This technology is also very simple. It is to manufacture prefabricated panels for building houses and cast a kind of stone slabs. Although it is much cheaper than the stone slabs used in the palace, it can greatly increase the speed of house construction in Chang'an now.

Li Zhi made this technology public without asking for anything in return. She hoped that Guanzhong could have a new workshop that could be used to prepare building materials.

Previously, Li Lizhi was worried about the large population and insufficient resources, so she had been studying production tools.

The workshop industry was her first breakthrough. In order to avoid the trap in Malthusian theory, she increased the production tools of the Tang people and built more types of workshops that met urgent needs.

Li Lizhi didn't know who Malthus was, but her theoretical level had reached this point and she was putting it into practice.

For others, the emergence of prefabricated panels is a huge opportunity, but for her it is just a small attempt to open up a new path.

Today's Tang Dynasty is in great need of new production tools.

There were workshops doing this kind of business, but they didn't have very good technology. They didn't have the superb level of Li Zhi. In a sense, although it didn't change the production method, it changed the production order, making the construction of houses more efficient.

Now all counties know the secret recipe of this prefabricated board, which has caused dissatisfaction among many people who buy and sell stone.

Let’s talk about Dongyang. Sun Simiao visited that hospital a few days ago, and with Sun Simiao’s recognition and endorsement, more and more people are willing to go to the hospital for treatment.

There are still some scattered people who make a living by practicing medicine in the market. Nowadays, more and more patients go to the hospital in the princess's fiefdom for treatment, and the prices are very low, which has also caused dissatisfaction among many doctors.

Li Zhi was still building the workshop in Jingyang, and Li Shen worked with him to expand the papermaking workshop again. The two brothers complemented each other, one was engaged in technology and the other was building houses.

Beiyuan, presided over by Linchuan, has always been the mainstay of the counties in Guanzhong.

When the counties are building, if there are any issues concerning land, construction, or population, they will go to Beiyuan for advice, and Beiyuan will also give advice.

Not all counties will adopt it, but they will give it serious consideration.

Today, Guanzhong is developing with this kind of strange relationship. Beiyuan is not an official residence, but it is better than an official residence.

Since Li Lizhi assisted various counties in their construction, Beiyuan has held an important position in the hearts of the counties in Guanzhong.

Today, Beiyuan has begun to plan the layout of the world's resources, such as coal, oil, firewood, mud and sand, or copper and iron ore.

Beiyuan was in frequent contact with the Literary Institute and even compiled ancient books presented by various places in Bashu. According to the intermittent records in the ancient books, a very large copper mine was discovered in the southwest, which is the largest copper mine in the southwest so far.

Everything is developing according to the route set by Li Zhi, but the changes are not obvious and are very slow.

Perhaps after many years, the accumulated strength will burst out and unleash tremendous power.

After listening to Li Chongyi's report, Li Chengqian poured more tea for the two of them. He used to think that he was a good omen for the Tang Dynasty. Later, he thought that his grandfather was a good omen for the Tang Dynasty. Now, he thinks that Li Tang is the good omen.

"I also plan to build a grain transport supervisory office in Luoyang, which will be under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works."

After hearing this, Su Tan and Li Chongyi did not express their opinions immediately.

If Mr. Ying were here, he would definitely nod.

The court officials all felt that Duke Ying, the great general who protected the country, was only responsible for giving the emperor's nod, apart from being in charge of the military forces of the country.

As for the rest, I have nothing to do with it.

Su Tan said: "Your Majesty, if you need anything, Chongwenguan will help you."

Li Chengqian said: "Reforming the court is a very complicated and lengthy process. I cannot make the six ministries become what I want with just one sentence. I can only do it step by step. Where there is a lack of people and functions, I will fill the gaps."

When my father-in-law and Brother Chongyi heard this, they looked very conflicted.

Li Chengqian picked up the tea bowl and said, "I have to face the difficulties in the process of reform. Reform is a dream, and difficulties are reality. People should always think more about reality. Don't think too well, and don't think too badly. Probably, it won't get worse."

Looking at the two people in front of me again, they were not talking.

Eunuch Yang stood aside and felt unfair for His Majesty. There were some things His Majesty would not tell outsiders.

But now, Your Majesty has said these words to your father-in-law and cousin, but there has been no response.

Li Chengqian looked calm, as if he was talking to himself, and said, "I will tell you these words."

Su Tan and Li Chongyi sat upright, not daring to move. Could they listen to these words? Even if they had said them in a dream, they would have been sent to the Western Regions to plant trees.

Seeing that the tea was getting cold, Li Chongyi tilted his head back and drank it.

Su Tan knew His Majesty's thoughts very well, and said, "I hope that more students can come to teach this year."

Li Chongyi nodded.

Su Tan added: "I understand your majesty's ambition. Since the Han Dynasty, those who have been able to control the situation in the world are those in power, and the people just follow the footsteps of those in power. The rise and fall of the world in those days was only related to those in power. Your majesty hopes that all the people in the world can participate in the country."

My father-in-law worked at Chongwenguan, and his speech and style had changed.

Li Chengqian looked at the tall Chengtian Gate and thought to himself that in fact, Chongwenguan had been built with the selfish ideas of the emperor himself since its inception. This selfish idea was a belief that he imposed on Chongwenguan.

Su Tan expressed his own understanding of this belief.

Emperors throughout the dynasties did not like people with too dazzling personal charm, unless that person was the emperor himself. In order to stabilize the imperial power, the "Three Questions of Heaven and Man" were needed.

Under the circumstances of that time, the rulers needed to control the world and needed a unified concept. In this process, history books appeared, and more and more right and wrong were recorded in history books, such as the First Emperor, Emperor Wu of Han, or the Northern and Southern Jin Dynasties.

Emperor Yang of Sui was a very unrestrained emperor. His lessons taught later emperors that if they wanted to complete a grand narrative, such as building the Grand Canal, they needed to have a solid foundation in culture and governance, as well as a unified concept that could control the world.

Before these prerequisites were met, Yang Guang's fate could be imagined.

And Ying Zheng, with the remaining strength of six generations, completed the grand narrative of unifying the Central Plains.

Emperor Wu of Han also used the feud between the Han Dynasty and the Huns in the early Han Dynasty to complete a grand narrative against the Huns.

On the contrary, in the Tang Dynasty that succeeded the Sui Dynasty, the father emperor did not need the so-called prerequisite, or it could be said that the father emperor himself was a prerequisite.

Carrying with him all the resentments of the former Sui Dynasty and under the influence of his father's charm, he skipped the prerequisites and completed the Eastern Expedition.

In just a cup of tea, Li Chengqian sorted out the relationship between the past and the present, and suddenly smiled.

Su Tan asked, "Why is your majesty laughing?"

Li Chengqian said: "I am just very fortunate that the Tang Dynasty has Duke Zheng."

Su Tan nodded in agreement.

Duke Zheng was a treasure of the Tang Dynasty and laid the foundation for the core concept of civil governance for the Tang Dynasty.

Even though this happened after Duke Zheng passed away.

Thunder exploded in the sky, and it was about to rain in the gloomy sky. The emperor bid farewell to the director of Chongwenguan and the minister of Zongzheng Temple, and ended today's tea tasting.

There is more and more tea, and only some elderly people or noble families still maintain the medieval tradition of drinking tea.

On the contrary, fried tea has become a drink that is suitable for the general public and not so expensive.

As more and more tea trees are planted on the mountains over the years, the price of tea in Guanzhong has dropped.

Xu Jingzong sat in the official residence of the Ministry of Rites today. He faced the envoys from various countries and slammed the table, saying, "Tea costs two hundred coins per ounce. Not a penny less."

When the envoys from various countries heard the price, their hearts bleed.

The envoy of the Kingdom of Bolor said, "I heard that Ashina She'er bought tea worth 100,000 coins for only 10 coins per ounce. Why do we have to pay such a high price?"

Xu Jingzong patted the table again and said, "She'er is going to fight for His Majesty again. Can your little Bolor Kingdom do it?"

The Queen of India said, "I have a lot of gold, I want to buy all the tea in the Ministry of Rites."

……

Note: I will only update one chapter today and make up for it tomorrow, so that Xiao Zhang can go to bed early.

(End of this chapter)