The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 508: The Geographical Records Are Just the Beginning

The first night of the Lantern Festival is spent by people celebrating with “Happy Lantern Festival!”

After the first day of the Lantern Festival, the curfew is still lifted today. The eleventh year of Qianqing has just begun, and the city of Chang'an has begun a long celebration, from the New Year to now.

People seem to have endless enthusiasm this New Year.

Early in the morning, Su Tan, accompanied by several students, pushed open the door of Chongwenguan.

"When was the Comprehensive Geography delivered?"

"Reporting to the chief, it was sent to Chongwenguan last night, and we only found out about it this morning."

I walked hurriedly into Chongwenguan and found a library with its door closed and two guards watching.

"You are……"

Hearing the question from the head of Chongwen Hall, the guard hurriedly explained, "General Li ordered us to look after the books."

Su Tan was wearing a grey robe. Although he was not wearing an official uniform, he had a fish symbol on his waist. His words and actions also revealed a kind of majesty without anger. He asked, "Which General Li?"

"General Li Daoyan."

Su Tan was a relative by marriage and the emperor's father-in-law. In terms of status, Li Daoyan was a member of the royal family of Li Tang and could be considered a member of the royal family of Your Majesty.

As a relative by marriage, I don't want to have too many entanglements with the royal family.

Your Majesty's arrangement... makes Su Tan very distressed.

Several students were standing at the back. They had originally followed Master Su. Master Su was still very imposing, and it seemed as if no one dared to be presumptuous in Chongwenguan.

But when he heard that it was General Li Daoyan, Master Su's expression was filled with worry again.

Just as Su Tan was hesitating whether to go see His Majesty to ask the reason, voices were heard outside the door.

Su Xu walked on the frosty ground, shivering in the cold wind, and said, "It's too late, too late."

As he spoke, he stepped forward and said, "First, deposit the Comprehensive Geography in Chongwen Hall and have the students there copy it. After copying, give it to the printing house in Jingyang."

Su Tan and Su Xu are two brothers, biological brothers, and they are also the core leaders of the Su family's martial arts.

Su Tan asked, "Your Majesty, have you read the Comprehensive Geography?"

Su Xu stroked his beard and said, "Your Majesty has probably... read some of it."

It is said that Your Majesty has read some of it, but how much of it has he read, or just one volume? Su Xu felt that Your Majesty must be very familiar with the Comprehensive Geography, because the King of Wei often discussed it with Your Majesty during the years of its compilation, and Your Majesty also participated in many outlines of the Comprehensive Geography.

At that time, Your Majesty was still the Crown Prince, and he began to participate in the compilation of the Comprehensive Geography.

Su Xu had no idea what happened at the beginning. At that time, it was Wang Gui, not Su Xu, who was in charge of compiling the Kuodi Zhi.

Su Xu only knew the situation back then. The King of Wei was angry and smashed things several times because of the compilation of the Comprehensive Geography. After that, he began to re-plan the Comprehensive Geography with great difficulty.

Generally speaking, these are all that Su Xu knew. As for how many secrets there were about the Comprehensive Geography, or whether there was any connection with the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace at that time, perhaps only Mr. Wang Gui, who has been buried, knows the truth.

As they were talking, it began to drizzle again. The drizzle mixed with snowflakes added a bit of tranquility to the city of Chang'an, which had just finished a night of celebration.

Su Xu stood in front of the library, looking at the rain all over the sky and said, "I thought this winter would be warmer, but I'm afraid there will be another late spring cold snap."

Su Tan said: "Last night was unusually warm, so it's normal to have some rain and snow today."

Su Xu said, "Yesterday, the Ministry of Personnel just sent a document that His Majesty asked me to serve as the director of the Kuodijian. The Kuodi Chronicle will be included in the teaching books of Chongwenguan. From now on, I will come to Chongwenguan more often."

In fact, Su Tan envied his elder brother very much, because his elder brother could focus on literature and compilation without distraction.

Su Xu asked, "I wonder if Chongwen Hall has any arrangements?"

"What is the arrangement that my brother is talking about?"

“Naturally, how to incorporate the Comprehensive Geography into the teaching of Chongwen Hall.”

As long as he doesn't deal with Li Tang's royal family, Su Tan will feel more at ease, and the two brothers can still speak their minds.

Su Xu has always been a leisurely person, pursuing knowledge wholeheartedly and having no other desires. Therefore, he did not care about the affairs of the Wugong Su family, and all the arrangements were made by Su Tan.

Later, the Crown Princess was chosen to be from the Wugong Su family, and Su Tan's eldest daughter became the Crown Princess.

From then on, the Wugong Su family was tied to the prince, and the prince had the final say on what happened to the Wugong Su family.

Until now, few of the Wugong Su family’s descendants have served as officials in the court, but many of them are teaching in various places.

It can only be said that during the Li Tang dynasty, none of the younger generations of the maternal relatives served as officials in the court, and the maternal relatives lineage was incredibly weak.

Su Tan picked up one of the volumes, opened it and looked at the contents, saying, "It would take hundreds of teachers to break down the knowledge in the Comprehensive Geography and divide it into volumes, and to make it from easy to understand to profound. It would take time."

As the two were talking, a student came to report: "Master, people from the Taifu Temple are here."

Su Tan stroked his beard and asked, "What are the people from Taifu Temple doing here?"

"It is said to be His Majesty's will."

Su Tan sat down again and met an official from the Taifu Temple, who was Wang Jiusi, the Shaoqing of the Taifu Temple.

Wang Jiusi was a rare young junior minister in the court, the junior minister of Taifu Temple.

Although there are many young people who have passed the imperial examinations now, there are still not many young people who can be ranked as Shaoqing.

Wang Jiusi walked quickly to the library, bowed and said, "It's a festive occasion, I'm really sorry to bother you."

The other party saluted politely and respectfully. Su Tan asked, "I heard that you have been writing memorials about herding in various places recently?"

Wang Jiusi said, "That's right. It's a big issue concerning people's meat consumption. His Majesty said he would give me more convenience. However, I didn't see His Majesty before I came here. It was just that an eunuch came to pass on the message and asked me to come here."

Su Tan finally understood that everything that happened today was arranged by His Majesty.

Just as everyone took a sip of wine, they saw Sun Chuyue, the head of Hongwenguan, also arrived.

In this way, people from the Literature Museum, Chongwen Hall, Hongwen Hall, and Taifu Temple arrived.

Finally, when Shangguan Yi arrived at Chongwenguan, Su Tan understood His Majesty's intention.

Su Tan has the highest status among these people, and his daughter is the current queen.

Su Tan could only be polite to Shangguan Yi, because Shangguan Yi was the first person to follow His Majesty. Yu Zhining, Xu Jingzong, and Shangguan Yi were the important members of the Eastern Palace team at that time.

When His Majesty was still the crown prince, he relied on these three people to gain power step by step. As for the ability to judge people, not many people know whether the old man Gao Shilian was guiding the crown prince.

Su Tan felt that even his own daughter was not aware of what had happened in the past.

When Your Majesty was still the Crown Prince, he stepped into the Secretariat step by step with the help of these three people. It must be said that Your Majesty had a very unique vision at that time.

Thinking about it now, these three people back then are now in very important positions in the court.

It is said that the current Minister of Industry Xu Xiaode is also like this. It is rumored that Xu Xiaode got the position of Minister of Industry by delivering tea to His Majesty. I don't know whether this is true or not...

Su Tan was very polite to Shangguan Yi, and Shangguan Yi was also very respectful.

It was also from Shangguan Yi's words that the people present understood the real reason why His Majesty arranged today's affairs and asked so many people to gather in Chongwenguan. It was because His Majesty wanted to compile several sets of books, which would be used by the teachers who would teach in the countryside.

From the time children start elementary school until they grow up, roughly from the age of six to twelve or thirteen, children need a new set of books every year, and each set of books needs to contain further knowledge.

The most important thing is to have a very knowledgeable person, covering mathematics, classics, history books, etiquette... and many other things.

Shangguan Yi said: "Don't think that compiling a comprehensive geographical record is just the beginning. It is only the first step for your majesty."

After a pause, Shangguan Yi said to everyone present: "In the future, we will need the joint efforts of the four major universities in Chang'an and the various departments in the court. It will take more than ten years, or even dozens of years, to compile this."

Wang Jiusi said, "I just came to Chongwenguan after receiving a message from the inner guards. I don't know what the Taifu Temple is doing for me."

Shangguan Yi said: "Wang Shaoqing has made great achievements in investigating animal husbandry in various places this year. His knowledge needs to be compiled into a book."

Su Tan said: "Chongwenguan doesn't have enough manpower to begin with, it seems we need to make more preparations."

Shangguan Yi said: "Whether it is the Secretary General or the Master of Literature in the court, Your Majesty will also establish a new official residence."

Su Xu understood what was going on. He thought that one official residence might not be enough to satisfy His Majesty, and he needed to build a few more.

Su Xu said, "Shangguan Yushi, it sounds like this matter cannot be accomplished without hundreds or thousands of people."

Shangguan Yi said: "But once it is completed, it will be a permanent solution for the future."

Su Tan shook his head and said, "If you want to solve the problem once and for all, you need to do it well enough from the beginning."

The rain outside was getting heavier. Listening to the sound of raindrops hitting the roof, Shangguan Yi walked to the eaves of the library, looked at the rain, put his hands behind his back, raised his head and said, "I will leave the rest to you. If you need anything else, please let me know."

In the Chongwen Hall, Su Tan and Su Xu looked at each other without speaking.

Wang Jiusi kept looking at Shangguan Yi's back until the man walked into the rain and his back could no longer be seen. Only then did he come back to his senses and think.

Shangguan Yi was in charge of the Censorate and was a minister trusted by the emperor. Every word he said was in line with the emperor's wishes.

Besides, with just one word from the emperor, hundreds or even thousands of people would be busy with it.

But the current emperor is wise and will never be influenced by external things. It is said that the emperor likes fishing and never builds palaces for entertainment. There are no objects for entertainment around the emperor.

Su Xu and Su Tan were talking, completely ignoring Sun Chuyue and Wang Jiusi.

Sun Chuyue felt bored sitting there. It was raining and snowing outside, so he couldn't leave immediately. He didn't bring a raincoat with him, so he made small talk and asked, "How are you doing in Taifu Temple lately?"

Wang Jiusi said: "This year has been pretty good."

Sun Chuyue asked, "Maybe, His Majesty thinks you are not suitable for the Taifu Temple?"

Wang Jiusi really wants to ask, can you speculate about His Majesty like this? Is this appropriate?

But then he thought again and felt that it was not a good idea to ask such a question, so he asked back, "What do you think, Mr. Sun?"

Sun Chuyue thought for a moment and nodded, "Most likely, His Majesty thinks you are not doing a good job in the Taifu Temple, so he wants you to work in another place and give up the position of Shaoqing of the Taifu Temple to someone else."

After saying this, seeing that Wang Jiusi looked somewhat unhappy, Sun Chuyue lowered his voice and said, "In this court, the one who frightens the world is Lord Ying, the one who plots and schemes is Yu Zhining, and the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War are your Majesty's left and right arms, and the Censorate is the most ferocious wolf in your Majesty's hands."

Sun Chuyue said again: "Jiusi, you are a very talented child. You have a pure heart and you must not get close to these people."

Su Tan and Su Xu were still talking and didn't pay attention to the whispers of the two people here.

Wang Jiusi bowed and said, "Thank you for your guidance, sir."

Seeing that the rain outside had subsided a lot, Sun Chuyue also left.

Wang Jiusi sat here for a while. No matter how his position changed, he could not get close to those people who had been advised by Mr. Sun. He could not get close to the Censorate, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Personnel...even Yu Zhining from the Secretariat.

In other words, the court officials sitting in those positions were all extremely powerful figures, whether it was Xu Jingzong, Chu Suiliang, or Shangguan Yi, these people... their methods were definitely not something he could achieve.

When leaving Chongwenguan, Wang Jiusi suddenly felt that he was very insignificant, and that as a person of little influence, there were very few things he could influence.

When we arrived at the restaurant in Anyifang, freezing rain was still falling. Everything was very quiet, as if people had not yet woken up from last night's celebration. There were not many pedestrians on the street.

Wang Jiusi met Zhang Jianzhi again here.

Zhang Jianzhi was pouring vinegar into a bowl of noodles and asked, "I heard that you went to Chongwenguan early in the morning?"

Wang Jiusi nodded.

"Anything on your mind?"

Wang Jiusi said: "They all say that the court during the Zhenguan period was peaceful, the emperor and his subjects were in harmony, and the officials were courteous and yielding to each other."

Zhang Jianzhi ate his noodles and said, "Yes."

Wang Jiusi took the noodles brought by the store owner and said, "It would be nice if I could see what the court looked like back then."

Zhang Jianzhi swallowed a mouthful of noodles, took another bite of the cake, and asked, "What's wrong? Is the court not good now?"

Wang Jiusi sprinkled some chopped green onions on the mutton soup, took a sip, and said, "I haven't seen other courts, but some people say that the ministers in the court are like wolves and tigers."

Zhang Jianzhi said with a smile: "The positions in the court are occupied by the capable. It is because Your Majesty values ​​talents that the ministers act in this way."

Wang Jiusi took a deep breath and was about to pick up his chopsticks to eat, but he heard someone outside shouting, "There is a decree from the court. His Majesty has ordered that in order to spread knowledge and for students all over the world, Chongwen Hall, Hongwen Hall, Wenxue Hall, and Sifang Hall should be united to build a book bureau. The order should be spread to the world, recruiting teachers from all over the world to come and compile books, which will be a plan for the students all over the world for a hundred years."

Hearing this, Zhang Jianzhi finished the mutton soup in the bowl in one breath, still chewing the meat in his mouth, and said, "I will be busy later."

After saying this, he picked up the hat on the table, shook off some water droplets, put it on again, and walked into the rain-soaked street.

The late spring cold snap has really arrived, and the biting cold wind has made the customers who were originally taking shelter under the eaves freeze so hard that they have to shrink their necks and go into the store to avoid the cold wind.

Upon seeing this, the shop owner smiled and opened a wooden lid, revealing boiling mutton soup underneath.

(End of this chapter)