The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 531 Only Benefits
The canal of the Tang Dynasty handles millions of shi of grain every year. Especially this year, its transportation capacity has almost reached its limit. The reports given by Xu Yushi are becoming more and more comprehensive. At present, the construction of the canal has become more important and more difficult than construction.

Today, after reading the memorial, Li Chengqian went fishing at Taiye Lake with his father. Both inside and outside the palace were busy preparing for his father's 60th birthday. His mother and Su Wan often walked together to arrange matters.

My father was sitting by the Taiye Lake, his hair and beard had turned white.

Chai Shao has passed away, Duke Wei is also gone, Duke Zheng has passed away, and Prime Minister Fang has also passed away. My father looks much lonelier now.

Usually, the emperor and his uncle were very close. Li Chengqian looked around and asked, "Isn't my uncle here today?"

Li Shimin said: "Fuji and Zhijie went to see Jingde. Jingde is over seventy years old and is getting worse day by day."

My father had visited General Yuchi a few days ago. The general, who had fought for half his life, was now in his old age.

Li Shimin asked again: "What about that boy?"

Li Chengqian said, "After the morning court session, I followed Shangguan Yi."

Li Shimin whispered: "Well, it's good."

My father was fishing in the same usual way, sitting on a high platform beside the Taiye Lake, with five eunuchs sitting below him. Each of them held a fishing rod in his hand and stared at the fishing line intently, not daring to slack off for a moment. When their eyes got tired of staring, they blinked hard.

My father was leaning against a pillar, holding a book in his hand, with his feet resting on the stove, reading the book leisurely.

My father is already the emperor emeritus, and it’s just fishing, so he naturally doesn’t need to do it himself.

Li Chengqian stood aside with his hands in his pockets and raised his head and said, "The scenery of Taiye Lake is beautiful every year when it snows."

Li Shimin asked, "I heard from Mingda that there are fewer snowy days in Guanzhong recently than in previous years?"

"Yeah, it's not surprising. It's good to have snow in Guanzhong every year. It's also good if the snow is short."

“It’s not good for the snow days to be too short.”

There were still some snowflakes falling on the calm water.

A fish took the bait, and a servant fished it out. He held it in his hands and said, "Your Majesty, we have a fish."

Li Shimin still sat there, just smiling and nodding.

The eunuch understood and put the fish into a basin of water beside him, then went fishing.

Li Chengqian was still standing aside. If his father prepared more manpower, for example, if he placed a lot of fishing rods on one side of the Taiye Lake, all the fish in the pond would be caught by his father sooner or later.

After so many years, my father still acts in such a bold and open manner.

Li Shimin looked back at his son standing beside him and asked, "Did you release Lu Dongzan?"

"Ah."

"Aren't you worried that Lu Dongzan will return to Tubo to raise troops and then attack Hehuang Songzhou?"

Li Chengqian frowned and said, "I don't think Lu Dongzan would do that. Besides, I don't want to waste my energy on such things. I won't ask about many trivial matters."

Seeing that his father was very confused, Li Chengqian continued, "If Lu Dongzan is causing chaos in Tubo, then it is the responsibility of the Tubo Protectorate and the Tubo Chongwenguan."

"Duty?"

"I trust my subordinates, so why should I doubt the duties of others?" Li Chengqian added, "Besides, I can now say that Lu Dongzan is old."

Li Shimin sighed with emotion, exhaled a breath of hot air in the cold wind by the pool, and said: "I wish I had your confidence back then, what a pity."

There is a sense of time passing by in his words.

Li Chengqian raised his head and said, "In fact, father doesn't take Lu Dongzan seriously, right? Father wants a bigger puzzle."

Li Shimin said: "Yes, I haven't had a new puzzle for a long time."

Drinking tea and sitting in the waterside pavilion, Li Shimin looked at the scenery and saw the eunuch bringing up fish.

These fish are not eaten as soon as they are caught. Occasionally one or two may be eaten, but most of the time, if too many are caught, they will be released.

"Mother."

"Well, you have been busy these days preparing for your father's birthday. You should not neglect state affairs."

"Don't worry, mother."

Li Shimin listened to the voices, saw his son walking away, and then saw his wife coming with some cakes.

Empress Dowager Changsun put down the cakes on the plate, sat down by the stove and said slowly, "These are the cakes that Chu Liang's wife sent from Jiangnan."

Li Shimin looked at his wife's falling white hair and asked, "Is it about the prince's teacher?"

"I don't know what's going on in the court, and I haven't heard Wan'er talk about it."

Li Shimin picked up a piece of cake, put it in his mouth and ate it, saying: "I heard that Chu Suiliang and Xu Jingzong had a big fight for the position of the prince's teacher."

"Do they think Cheng Qian will really choose a teacher from among them?"

Li Shimin said: "Yes."

Empress Dowager Changsun picked up the cloak beside her, put it on her husband, and then continued to weave clothes.

There are many sweaters like the one knitted by the Empress Dowager in the market, and they can be knitted with just a few wooden sticks.

Although this kind of clothing is not very comfortable to wear, it is warm and has become a trend among women in Chang'an.

Li Shimin also picked up the wool and sat beside his wife, knitting with his chin pursed and his brows frowned.

Both husband and wife knew very well what kind of child Cheng Qian was. Court officials had responsibilities, and the emperor had responsibilities as well. Cheng Qian had always been a person who clearly drew the boundaries between responsibilities.

Therefore, Cheng Qian would not use emotions when handling state affairs, and anyone who wanted to impress the emperor with emotions would be frustrated.

When others tried to gain favors from the emperor by using the power of blood ties, Cheng Qian would always see through it but would never say anything. He would just quietly watch others cry.

This is why there are rumors that the current emperor is unkind.

Li Shimin did not like these rumors. After all, his son was the emperor. It was obvious that his son was a good person, had a good sense of propriety, and handled political affairs properly, but he still attracted so many bad rumors.

"Qingque is planning to go on a long journey recently. He will leave after the Winter Solstice Feast. He said that he will leave Li Xin to us two old people to raise."

Hearing his wife's words, Li Shimin said, "I can't even control these children, what is he going to do?"

Empress Dowager Zhangsun said, "She said she wanted to go and see the lands of the Central Plains. She wanted to go to Shuzhong first to see the salt wells there."

Seeing that her husband had no interest in listening to this, she said no more.

As the retired emperor's 60th birthday approached, the city of Chang'an became lively in advance, and the emperor issued an edict to lift the curfew on the winter solstice.

Zhang Da'an also arrived in Chang'an City before the winter solstice. He was only half a month later than the prince.

In Jingzhao Prefecture, Yan Qinli looked at the memorial he handed over and asked, "So, Wang Xuance, Liu Rengui and the others will be back soon?"

Zhang Daan replied: "Yes."

This was the second batch of Anxi troops returning to Chang'an.

Seeing that Yan Fuyin looked unhappy, Zhang Daan said, "Huaiying will soon arrive in Chang'an."

Zhang Da'an's official position and qualifications were not enough to meet His Majesty, so his work was inquired by Yan Qinli, the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture.

Yan Qinli was thinking about Di Renjie, but in fact, not only himself, but also Di Zhixun and Xu Jingzong. They were children who grew up under the eyes of everyone in Jingzhao Prefecture.

Yan Qinli read the document and said, "Liu Rengui recommended you to be the governor of Jingzhao Prefecture."

Zhang Daan bowed and said, "I am ashamed."

"The new appointments in the court will be made after the Lantern Festival next year. By the time of the Lantern Festival, the Anxi Army should have arrived in Chang'an City. There will be many new appointments by then." Yan Qinli walked up, patted him on the shoulder and said, "You should first adapt to the changes in Chang'an today."

Zhang Daan bowed and said, "Thank you, Governor Yan, for your care."

Yan Qinli said, "Whether you can become the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture is not determined by a recommendation letter. All appointments in the court must be reviewed and reconsidered by the Secretariat, especially matters of promotion and demotion. Now the Secretariat has sixteen secretaries, so it will be quite lively by then."

After saying this, Yan Qinli looked at the night outside and asked, "Do you still remember Master Xu Yu?"

"remember."

"This year, His Majesty appointed him as the Minister of the Secretariat and the Supervisor of the River. The court has long been different. You should take a closer look."

After Yan Qinli left, Zhang Da'an was still standing there. As it was already night, only candles were lit in the hall of Jingzhao Prefecture, making it a little dim.

Zhang Da'an, who returned to Chang'an City from the Western Regions, was having some difficulty acclimatizing. He had gotten used to the local climate during the past two years and felt quite uncomfortable returning to Chang'an.

The next day, Zhang Da'an went home to pay homage to his father who had passed away many years ago. He finally returned home after being away for many years.

Afterwards, Zhang Da'an went to visit Zhang Jianzhi again and also to deliver a letter to Di Renjie.

Today, Zhang Jianzhi has a short beard and is giving a lecture to a group of newly promoted officials.

Wenlinguan was where most officials came to take examinations before taking office.

The court used this place as a school for re-education of officials before they took office.

Zhang Da'an was waiting outside the door with Di Renjie's letter, listening to Zhang Jianzhi telling these people what was mostly the words left behind by Duke Zheng.

There are also some words about frugality and avoiding extravagance.

Precisely because this is Guanzhong, Your Majesty has always advocated frugality and thrift. Otherwise, how can you feed so many people in Guanzhong?
On the one hand, Guanzhong needs to continuously absorb and reserve resources, and on the other hand, people also need to be frugal.

For the long-term survival of Guanzhong, people will have to live a simple life for a long time to come.

Every era has its own way of living. This might not have been necessary during the Zhenguan period, because Guanzhong did not have such a large population at that time, but it was not much better either.

Today, the price of grain in Guanzhong has dropped to eight cents per dou, but anyone who wastes grain and water will be scolded.

In order to avoid being scolded, even adults have to teach their children to be frugal from an early age.

After the lecture was over, Zhang Jianzhi received a report from the book boy, then he came out and asked, "Zhang Daan?"

"Exactly."

Zhang Jianzhi explained: "These book boys are Li Shan's younger brothers. Li Shan is my disciple."

A disciple may only have one or two, but a pupil can have many.

In other words, Zhang Jianzhi has no disciples so far.

Zhang Da'an handed over the letter and said, "This is what Di Renjie asked me to deliver."

Zhang Jianzhi took the letter and read it while walking, and then asked: "Murong Shun also joined the expedition?"

"At that time, I left the Congling Mountains. I have no idea about the subsequent battles."

Zhang Jianzhi said, "Last year, your majesty ordered people to build the Kunming Lake. Would you like to go and see it with me?"

"it is good."

There are several small houses beside Kunming Lake today, which are occupied by officials in charge of the area.

Zhang Jianzhi said: "Now Guanzhong also has a river monitoring station. The population of Guanzhong is increasing, and the water source is becoming more and more important. With a population of two million, even if it is only a few hundred thousand people, everyone can drink up all the water in this pool."

As they were talking, the two men came to the edge of Kunming Lake and were not stopped because they were wearing official uniforms.

Zhang Daan looked at the peaceful Kunming Lake and wondered, "Kunming Lake didn't have so much water before, nor was it so wide."

Zhang Jianzhi said: "The court calls this a reservoir, just like the silt dam built during the Zhenguan period, which is both a dam and a reservoir."

"Has anyone recently advised Your Majesty about moving the capital?"

"No."

As they walked along the river bank, Zhang Jianzhi continued, "No one in the court has mentioned moving the capital. The court officials will not say it directly, but will hint at it. Duke Ying has conveyed your majesty's intention to the court officials. Luoyang is very good, and your majesty will visit it often."

Zhang Da'an came from the Zhenguan period, and he grew up during the internal and external troubles of the Li Tang Dynasty as a child.

It was not easy for Li Tang to have the current situation. The current emperor has strong support among the people in Guanzhong. Since the construction of Guanzhong, the foundation of Emperor Li Tang has always been in Guanzhong.

One decree could make two million people save money together, which shows that the emperor's ability to mobilize people in Guanzhong under his decree was incredibly strong.

In other words, with just one word from the emperor, two million people can become the emperor's army.

The relationship between the ruler and the people has always been a very complicated issue. After the Jin Dynasty, the gentry prospered on one side, while the people lived in misery on the other.

Perhaps, the current emperor also often reads history books and knows very clearly what path the dynasties have taken.

This was the only way Zhang Daan could understand it. Standing by the rebuilt Kunming Lake, he always felt an incomparable sense of refreshment.

"Yes, the emperor will not move the capital, at least not the current emperor."

Zhang Da'an didn't know what was written in the letter that Di Renjie gave to Zhang Jianzhi. When he returned to Chang'an City, many bad guys were already patrolling the city, because tomorrow was the winter solstice, which was the sixtieth birthday of the emperor.

Nanzhao is a small border country in the southwest, now bordering Tubo. The name Nanzhao was bestowed by the current emperor. The people of Chang'an now know this small country, but they don't know what Nanzhao was called before.

In the imperial city, Li Shimin sat in his own temple, looking at the tablets in silence.

Li Chengqian and his children are paying homage.

"Cheng Qian, where do you think my spirit tablet should be placed?"

"Where does Father want to put it?"

Li Shimin turned his head away, not wanting to answer, and with an attitude of "whatever you want to say", he said dissatisfiedly: "You have always liked to ask people questions since you were a child, back then and now. When Li Gang taught you, you were not like this."

Li Chengqian said: "It's a pity that the old man passed away too early."

"I was also worried about whether I should let Li Gang continue to teach you. I thought about it...but I didn't expect that he would pass away. It's better not to mention it."

Li Chengqian smiled and asked the children around him to pay respects to their ancestors before leaving.

As dusk fell on the father and son, Li Shimin said again: "There is news from Yinshan that Li Simo is about to die of old age."

Li Chengqian sat down at the side and said slowly: "However much value he brought to the Tang Dynasty, I will treat his descendants with the same kindness."

"Do you have to say it so coldly?"

"Don't worry, father. Your Majesty, I only care about interests in politics, not feelings."

(End of this chapter)