The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 532 How Many Xuanzangs Can There Be?
Li Shimin looked at the sunset outside and watched the children playing.

Soon Li Xiaogong and Li Daozon also came here to worship.

When Li Shimin looked back, he found that Cheng Qian, who had been sitting behind him, had left at some point. He asked the eunuch beside him, "Where is Cheng Qian?"

The eunuch replied, "Your Majesty has some documents to review today."

Seeing Li Xiaogong and Li Daozong bowing respectfully to the spirit tablet, Li Shimin said, "Sometimes I am very dissatisfied with the way Chengqian behaves."

Li Xiaogong sat down aside.

Listening to the retired emperor talking about the current emperor, Li Daozon also remained silent. Let the retired emperor talk as he pleased, just listen and don't make any further comments.

In this matter, Li Xiaogong and Li Daozon showed great tacit understanding.

Li Shimin asked, "How is your son?"

Li Xiaogong replied: "Chongyi is trusted by your majesty and is in charge of the Zongzheng Temple."

"Why did I hear that you hung a rope at home?"

"This..." Li Xiaogong continued, "It is because Chongyi is a child that your majesty trusts him so much that I am thinking that this kid must not live up to your majesty's trust. If Chongyi gets into trouble, I will point to the rope and commit suicide to apologize."

Li Dao Zong said: "It is true."

The two brothers sat on one side and one side. Li Xiaogong seemed more relaxed, but Li Daozon sat upright.

According to common sense, Prince Jiangxia followed the retired emperor to fight in wars when he was young, so he should be closer to the retired emperor and should be more relaxed.

On the contrary, the Prince of Hejian, who had once been accused of treason, seemed very relaxed and even yawned.

The only brothers in Chang'an City who are close to Your Majesty are these two princes.

Li Shimin said: "Children, please allow me to have some wine tonight. You all stay and celebrate with me."

Li Xiaogong looked around and asked, "Where is the old fox Changsun?"

Li Shimin stood up and said, "He will be here tomorrow."

When he stood up, Li Daozon coughed twice.

Li Xiaogong patted him on the back and said, "You are a few years younger than me, why are you so weak?"

Li Daozon now has a lot of white hair. Looking back, he was able to follow His Majesty in the Eastern Expedition more than ten years ago.

Thinking about it again, I suddenly felt that more than ten years have passed since the Eastern Expedition.

Li Xiaogong said, "I have some medicinal herbs sent by Weibei Hospital at home. They are very mild in nature and not bitter to drink. They are very good."

Li Dao Zong said: "We already have enough medicinal herbs at home."

"Just one meal a day."

"Bring it here and try it." Li Dao Zong nodded again, and then said, "Your waist is not in good condition, you should drink less."

Li Shimin walked along the way, listening to the words of the two old brothers behind him. His eyes became red again. He walked in front, quickened his pace, turned his back to the two old brothers, and quietly wiped away his tears.

The night passed quietly, and the next day, before dawn, one still needed to carry a lantern when walking on the street.

Because today is the sixtieth birthday of the retired emperor, several ministers in the court must go to the palace before dawn to meet His Majesty and hold the last court meeting before the emperor takes a rest.

Only a few ministers were summoned to this court meeting, and no one else was summoned, so there shouldn't be too many things to explain.

Yu Zhining thought this in his mind as he walked all the way to Suzaku Street and headed towards Suzaku Gate.

After standing for a while on the deserted Suzaku Street, Yu Zhining looked back and then looked ahead. Seeing that there was no one else, he took a deep breath of the cold air and walked towards the Suzaku Gate.

After walking about ten steps, I saw some people walking out from the streets on both sides of Suzaku Street. They were also holding lanterns and were all going to meet His Majesty.

Just as they were about to reach the Suzaku Gate, Yu Zhining vaguely heard voices, and when he looked sideways he saw Xu Xiaode walking out of the street.

There was a young man next to Xu Xiaode, who was talking.

Yu Zhining stopped and listened for a moment.

"Minister Xu, in my opinion, if we dig through this mountain and build an 800-foot tunnel, based on the number of people traveling between Shuzhong and Guanzhong last year, which was 120,000, the distance that would otherwise be spent on bypassing the mountain road would be greatly shortened, that is, by 12,000 feet."

"If everyone walks less every day, they will save time, which means people can save 300,000 feet of walking a month. If we dig through this mountain, a tunnel can benefit both the north and the south, bringing convenience to countless people."

Xu Xiaode listened as his footsteps quickened as he walked towards the Suzaku Gate. He seemed to be fed up with the young man beside him and walked straight into the gate.

Yu Zhining was relieved to see him walk into the Suzaku Gate, and then he saw that the young man was stopped outside, so he stepped forward and asked, "What happened?"

Xu Xiaode said: "Do you know what a dream is?"

Yu Zhining asked back: "Dream?"

Xu Xiaode added: "Chongwenguan has been teaching children to dream recently, and that young man is a dreamer."

“How come you see?”

"He wanted to do something. It was his dream. He said he had found a mountain near Mount Zhongnan. He only needed to dig a road in the mountain to connect the north and the south. From then on, the Qinling Mountains would no longer be a problem."

Yu Zhining asked in surprise: "Digging a mountain?"

Xu Xiaode smiled and said, "I am the Minister of Works. He naturally came to me for this matter. He has too many unrealistic ideas. Besides, the court discussed this matter many years ago, and it was rejected by His Majesty in the end."

Yu Zhining recalled what he had just heard and asked again: "That young man speaks very well, who is he?"

Xu Xiaode followed the crowd and explained, "Yuan Tiangang's son, Master Yuan Ke."

"Can I serve in the court?"

"He took the exam several times and failed each time. Now he's wandering around the streets of Chang'an, thinking about irrelevant things all day long. He even said he wanted to dig through Mount Zhongnan. Does he know how much manpower it would take? How many years it would take?"

Xu Xiaode spoke a few more words and didn't want to say anything more.

Yuan Tiangang never came back after leaving Guanzhong. Now his son is back. Yu Zhining said, "In fact, the Literature Institute also thought about this, but it was limited by the need for large-scale corvée labor, and we don't know when it will happen. Besides, digging through Zhongnan Mountain is not a good thing. It will bring bad reputation. Logically, Yuan Tiangang's son should not have such thoughts."

In fact, as early as a few years ago, when the workshop industry in Guanzhong was booming, the court had no room for levying corvee labor, that is, there was not enough manpower. The workshops occupied the vast majority of the labor, which directly increased the cost of levying corvee labor by several times.

Furthermore, for the manpower mainly engaged in production and construction, it would be putting the cart before the horse to hollow out Mount Zhongnan. At least for the moment, the productivity of the Li Tang Dynasty is not yet abundant to such an extent.

All the officials who came to the morning court today walked into the new palace. Chu Suiliang glanced at the six ministers present and said, "Why is Shangguan Yi not here?" Ma Zhou said, "Shangguan Yi is not among the six ministers, so he does not need to come to this court meeting."

Everyone was talking in low voices again, talking about recent family matters or trivial matters left over from the court.

It was not until a team of eunuchs entered the hall that everyone realized that His Majesty was coming, and then they stood up and saluted.

Li Chengqian, who had just finished his morning run, walked into the hall wearing a robe and said with a smile, "Thank you for asking you all to come here so early in the morning."

Xu Jingzong hurriedly said: "We dare not trouble Your Majesty."

Li Chengqian sat down, took a bowl of porridge, took a bite, and said, "How are the arrangements for visiting the counties going?"

Xu Jingzong replied: "Your Majesty, it can be arranged within five days."

Li Chengqian asked, "How about three days?"

Seeing that he was still a little hesitant, Li Chengqian looked at him and said, "I will give you three days."

Xu Jingzong bowed again and said, "Yes."

“How is the coal delivery going this year?”

Chu Suiliang, the Minister of Revenue, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the amount of coal transported this year is twice that of previous years, but the manpower required for transportation has become much more expensive. Several counties in Guanzhong have also submitted documents, asking whether they can dig up the coal mines in Guanzhong."

Li Chengqian hesitated for a moment, then looked at the six ministers in front of him and said, "The coal mines in Guanzhong must be closely monitored. No one is allowed to dig without permission. Anyone who digs privately will be fined ten times the amount."

"Here."

This is also for the development of Guanzhong. Guanzhong always needs assets. As for spending a little more money on transportation, things that can be solved with money are trivial matters.

Li Chengqian said: "We still need to increase the reserves in Guanzhong this year. The Ministry of Revenue should step up efforts and strive to have enough reserves for three years next year."

Chu Suiliang bowed and said.

Ma Zhou said: "Your Majesty, some people say that the current reserves in Guanzhong are sufficient. Even if Guanzhong does not plant crops this year, the villagers in Guanzhong will have enough food to eat for a year with the stored food."

Li Chengqian took a sip of tea and nodded, "I will consider it."

Today, Beiyuan is a very mysterious place for the court and the public.

This mysterious place does not participate in court affairs, county governance, or recruit disciples.

It's just that Beiyuan would occasionally write some articles, all of which were about the production and construction in Guanzhong. Officials in the court did not dare to underestimate Beiyuan's articles. And every time an article came out, as long as you read it carefully, you might be able to get some opportunities for development.

This is also the reason why Beiyuan is not in the court but is closely related to the court. No local academy has ever been able to understand the population and various resources of Guanzhong so clearly. Beiyuan can even understand how much money people in Guanzhong have through taxes.

This is a very scary thing. The only clue people know is that Beiyuan is related to the emperor's family.

Since it is the knowledge of the emperor's family, people would not have so many doubts. Maybe the emperor's family has unique knowledge of governing the world, and this knowledge cannot be mastered by ordinary people.

This is also the reason why Beiyuan’s status is so important in the court and even in all counties.

Some people have analyzed the truth or practical significance of these articles. Whenever someone questioned them, after verification, the results were all correct, and gradually no one questioned them anymore.

Li Chengqian was drinking tea when he saw many people walking around outside the hall. People inside the hall were still explaining their own affairs. Each department was handing over the progress of various matters. Yu Zhining wanted to know about the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of Rites wanted to know where the Ministry of Works' staff had gone.

The Ministry of Personnel needs to prepare for the appointment of officials next year.

During the period, Xu Jingzong talked about the candidate for the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture. Next year, Yan Qinli will be promoted to the position of Vice Minister of the Secretariat, and the issue of the next candidate for the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture was brought up again.

Ma Zhou said: "I have read the report from Congling. If Liu Rengui's skills were used in the Ministry of War, it would be very good."

Yu Zhining nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I think so too. During the battle of Pamirs, Liu Rengui was very good at dispatching troops and transporting food and supplies. It would be a waste if he stayed in Jingzhao Prefecture. The Ministry of War is in need of someone who can dispatch troops to the Zhechong Prefectures in various parts of the Central Plains."

Chu Suiliang interrupted Yu Zhining and said, "Liu Rengui was born as a county lieutenant and later served in Xianyang County. I have never heard that he has military talent before."

Li Chengqian remembered what Liu Rengui had said back then. He could go to the frontier or be a county magistrate in Guanzhong. He was a down-to-earth and extremely realistic person, but also a little pessimistic.

There has always been no shortage of pessimistic people. Most people who have lived through the chaotic period at the end of the Sui Dynasty during the Daye period are pessimistic and are accustomed to looking at the world with a pessimistic view.

Liu Rengui is such a person. It is very difficult to persuade such a person to do things, and he is also unkind. However, this is the business of the Ministry of Personnel.

Li Chengqian didn't want to interfere until the Ministry of Personnel had its own rules.

It was already bright outside. Li Chengqian stood up and walked out of the new palace with the six ministers. The wind was still very cold today. He smiled and said, "Today is my father's sixtieth birthday. Everyone, please follow me to the West Garden to celebrate my father's birthday."

"Here."

The West Garden of the Imperial Palace has always been relatively deserted, and is usually only used by the emperor to entertain his ministers.

In winter, there are several plum trees in bloom and a few deer walking around. The scenery here looks very pleasant.

The tranquility here finally freed the six ministers from the arguments that had occurred early in the morning, and they relaxed both physically and mentally.

A eunuch came hurriedly and whispered something in Xu Xiaode's ear.

Yu Zhining asked, "What's wrong?"

Xu Xiaode replied: "Master Yuan has left Chang'an. He said he wants to dig through Mount Zhongnan alone."

Yu Zhining took the tea egg handed to him by the eunuch, lowered his head to peel the eggshell, and said, "It's good. I hope he can move some people."

"You mean if he really wants to dig through Zhongnan Mountain, will there be people to dig with him?"

Yu Zhining said, "Xuanzang was able to walk from Chang'an to India, but Master Yuan Ke only dug through a mountain. Ten, twenty, or thirty years? If someone knows what he did, even if it really can't be done, someone will go and dig a shovel."

Xu Xiaode said: "If he only dug for three to five days or half a month and then gave up, it wouldn't be worth mentioning."

Yu Zhining nodded and said, "Yes, how many Xuanzangs are there in this world?"

The six ministers arrived very early, and there were not many guests in the West Garden. After His Majesty sent them away, he left.

Several ministers sat in a row, each with something to say. Those who had nothing to say lowered their heads to eat fruits or nuts, or drank tea one sip after another.

Another person came to the West Garden, and everyone stood up and saluted. The person was none other than Li Tai, King of Wei.

In the past, we had heard that the King of Wei wanted to lose weight, but we had never seen him lose much weight. Now that the compilation of the Comprehensive Geography has been completed, the King of Wei has lost a lot of weight.

Li Tai also bowed to the people in front of him and said, "You all came really early."

(End of this chapter)