The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 539 A Young and Sincere Person
"Tibet is extremely precious to the Tang Dynasty. My prince said that the snow-capped mountains of Tibet, like the Tianshan Mountains, are the northwest barrier of the Tang Dynasty."

"The Khan's prince is a very wise child." Songtsen Gampo's white hair fluttered in the night wind, and beneath the white hair was a haggard face of a middle-aged man.

This Tibetan king was not old yet, but his hair was already gray and he had been recuperating in Chang'an for many years.

Some people say that it was because of His Majesty that Songtsen Gampo was able to live so long.

Songtsen Gampo said: "The prince is very wise. He knows what your majesty and the country need."

Li Chengqian nodded.

Songtsen Gampo added: "Actually, there is no need for the prince to write this article."

His Majesty, who was taking a walk, stopped for a moment when he heard this.

"I think it was the Khan who informed Shangguan Yi, and then the crown prince, after Shangguan Yi's instruction, understood how important Tubo was to the Tang Dynasty, and that's why he wrote this article and advised Your Majesty to bring Tubo into the Tang Dynasty as soon as possible."

Songtsen Gampo added: "The Heavenly Khan has such a prince. Congratulations to the Heavenly Khan."

What the Tibetan king said sounded very nice, but there was another meaning hidden in his words. He almost said that it was Your Majesty who hinted to Shangguan Yi, and after Shangguan Yi got the hint, he informed the prince about the matter, and the prince wrote this article?
Li Chengqian was silent for a moment. In fact, as an emperor, he had never hinted to Shangguan Yi. Songtsen Gampo's speculation made sense, but he also felt it was quite innocent.

"I have an agreement with the Khan of Heaven. If the Tibetan people are willing to serve the Tang Dynasty, I will never interfere."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Okay."

Misunderstandings aside, why did the prince write this article? It really has nothing to do with the emperor himself. As for whether it has something to do with Shangguan Yi?
Li Chengqian was too lazy to explain.

"Your Majesty, Her Royal Highness the Princess has prepared mung bean soup."

"Alright."

Li Chengqian left Songtsen Gampo behind, and the two of them sat on the street in the imperial city, eating mung bean soup.

"This year's hot summer will only last a few days, so the palace doesn't have much green beans prepared." Li Chengqian continued, "When autumn comes, the palace will make more tofu and send it to you then."

Songtsen Gampo bowed and said, "Thank you, Khan."

The conversation between the Tubo Zamp and the Heavenly Khan was very calm, so calm that it seemed abnormal.

After having Songtsen Gampo sent away, Li Chengqian returned to the Liangyi Hall, which was very peaceful.

Under the night sky, the light coming from the window was very warm. Li Chengqian walked into the hall and saw Su Wan checking the children's homework and the documents annotated by the East Palace.

Ning Er asked, "Your Majesty, would you like some food?"

The night was indeed late, approaching midnight, Li Chengqian took her hand and asked, "Have you had your meal?"

Ning Er said, "I baked some bread and put some braised beef in it and ate it. I thought that His Majesty had eaten before and was probably hungry at this time."

"I invited Songtsen Gampo to drink a bowl of mung bean soup."

Thinking of the Tibetan affairs, Ning Er said, "I heard from the Queen that the article written by the Crown Prince is called..."

Li Chengqian said: "Tibetan to the Tang Dynasty."

Ning Er responded, "Yes, it is Tubo to the Tang Dynasty. Before your Majesty came back, this article had already been widely publicized by Shangguan Yi."

"I somewhat understand why Songtsen Gampo said it was me. I hinted to Shangguan Yi to let the prince write this article." Li Chengqian took Ning'er's hand and sat down in front of the Liangyi Hall.

After so many years of getting along, although I don’t know what Your Majesty talked to Songtsen Gampo, I can see that Your Majesty is still very happy about this.

Ning Er said, "I still remember that His Majesty said that if the feud between Tubo and Tang continued, Tang and Tubo would have been at war for more than a hundred years due to geographical reasons."

Li Chengqian patted her hands and said, "Did I really say that?"

"I have said so." Ning'er continued, "Your Majesty also said that it would be a pity to kill Songtsen Gampo. It would be great if he could be used by the Tang Dynasty. Isn't this exactly what Your Majesty wants?"

Li Chengqian nodded again and said, "In your opinion, I am a bit like a person who will do anything to achieve his goal."

"Even if Your Majesty uses whatever means necessary, it is for the sake of the country."

Su Wan's voice came from behind, with a tone that left no room for doubt.

There were palace maids tidying up the hall and putting the items in order. As long as His Majesty had not returned, Empress Su would not be able to fall asleep. Only when His Majesty returned could the Empress sleep peacefully. Fortunately, His Majesty would come back every night.

In fact, Liangyi Hall has always been like this in recent years.

The next day, Li Chengqian got up early to do morning exercises. He was quite adept at handling state affairs. No matter how difficult the state affairs were, there would be capable court officials to handle them.

Being an emperor may make one feel a little proud, but in terms of life experience, Li Chengqian still needs to seek advice from his uncles.

After running around the imperial city three times, Li Chengqian finally ran back to the Wude Hall. The early morning sun had not yet fully come out and the sky was still a little gray.

Since the morning court was postponed, Li Chengqian had enough time to finish his morning run, take a bath and have breakfast, and then go to the morning court in a better state of mind.

The emperor, who was adept at handling state affairs, still had to face life and deal with various household affairs.

After taking a bath, Li Chengqian just sat down to eat when he saw another household matter. Zhinu bought a lot of iron materials, and the quality of these iron materials was uneven.

The eunuch of the Prince of Jin's Palace who delivered the message bowed his head and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Jin originally did not want to inform the Jingzhao Palace of this matter."

Li Chengqian asked, "Did Brother Shen ask you to come?"

"Yes."

Li Chengqian continued, "It is difficult for me to speak to Jingzhao Prefecture, let alone tell me. Is that why Brother Shen asked you to come here?"

"Exactly."

"Let Li Yifu arrange for someone to investigate. He has recently been investigating the salt and iron affairs. This way, there is no need to alert Zhinu. The Censorate is also looking for a breakthrough in these matters, so let's do this by the way."

"Here."

After dealing with this family matter, Li Chengqian ate his breakfast today.

Xiao Que'er also woke up early. She walked over quickly, sat down aside immediately, and started eating with her bowl and chopsticks.

After eating a bowl of millet porridge, Li Chengqian prepared to go to the morning court.

Xiao Que'er asked, "Father, I heard that my brother wrote an article?"

"You know it too?"

"Yes, my daughter heard about it." Xiao Que'er looked suspicious and said, "Brother has disliked writing since he was a child. Why are you still writing?"

Li Chengqian said: "I know."

"Your Majesty, the time for the morning court session is almost here, and everyone who should be there is already in the Taiji Hall." "I'll go right away."

Li Chengqian changed into his outer robe and walked towards the Taiji Hall.

In August of the twelfth year of the Qianqing reign, the emperor issued an edict to send Guo Daiju, the Shaoqing of the Honglu Temple, as an envoy to Tubo.

The purpose is to inquire about the appearance of Tubo and the current situation of the people of Tubo.

The prince wrote an article about the relationship between Tibet and the Tang Dynasty. The emperor did not directly order people to conquer Tibet, but instead sent people to ask first.

In September, Nanzhao sent a message that the King of Nanzhao had passed away, and Nanzhao's prince Luo Shen ascended the throne and became the new King of Nanzhao.

Originally, Chu Suiliang and the ministers of various ministries came to the New Palace to discuss matters with His Majesty. They had discussed the future affairs of Silla and Baekje. When they walked outside the New Palace, they saw Xu Jingzong who was angry outside.

Chu Suiliang called Lu Zhaolin who was standing nearby and asked, "What happened to him?"

Lu Zhaolin, the Minister of Rites, replied: "The prince of Nanzhao has ascended the throne."

Chu Suiliang snorted coldly: "The little prince of Nanzhao ascended the throne, what does it have to do with him."

Lu Zhaolin took two steps and whispered, "From the perspective of the Ministry of Rites, whether it is Nanzhao or the small country of Bolor, the change of kings of these small countries must be approved by the Ministry of Rites. Nanzhao's behavior is precisely a sign of disloyalty. Even Jin Chunqiu did not dare to call himself the King of Silla after the death of the Queen of Silla."

Chu Suiliang asked: "A rebellious heart?"

"That's right. When I get back, I will write a memorial to Your Majesty, advising him to send troops to punish the new king of Nanzhao, Luo Shen."

Seeing Lu Zhaolin's determined look, Chu Suiliang said, "What a pity, you should be in the Ministry of Revenue, not the Ministry of Rites."

"Minister Chu is joking." Lu Zhaolin recalled the past and continued walking forward, saying, "When the time comes, I will resign."

Chu Suiliang followed and asked, "Why?"

"When I was young, I also wanted to be one of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers. At that time, I had met too few people and too few scenery. I was young and self-righteous. It was not until I came to Chang'an and came to this court that I met more people and so many talented people."

Lu Zhaolin shook his head and said, "What do you mean by a family-born talent, the pride of the Lu family? Haha... this pride is only in the small place of Youzhou, but look at the whole world! I have seen Pei Yan, Di Renjie, Shangguan Yi, Pei Xingjian, Xue Rengui, Wang Xuance, Zhang Da'an, Guo Luotuo... they are the real heroes."

Chu Suiliang said: "They are indeed very good."

Compared with these young heroes, Lu Zhaolin felt that his own brilliance was nothing.
Looking at the present, Lu Zhaolin said, "In fact, I am not suitable for serving in the court. As early as when I was in Chongwenguan, I met children like Yao Chong, Luo Binwang, and Yang Jiong. Only then did I think it would be great if I could teach in Chongwenguan. In other words, I should go to teach in the countryside."

"Minister Chu..."

Hearing this, Chu Suiliang, who had just been distracted, hurriedly came back to his senses, shook his face and said, "You say."

Lu Zhaolin said, "In fact, I don't want to go to the Ministry of Rites. If I go to the Ministry of Revenue just because of the fight between Minister Chu and Minister Xu, is it to take revenge on the other party and get some comfort? In fact, there is no need for that. My talent is not enough to deal with the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue."

"It is enough for me to come to the Ministry of Rites to serve as the Minister. When Minister Xu retires in the future, I will also leave the Ministry of Rites. Guo Zhengyi is more suitable than me to take over the position of Minister of Rites. Minister Chu does not need to worry too much."

Hearing these sincere words, Chu Suiliang didn't know how to respond for a moment. He stood at the Chengtian Gate and watched the person leave.

Lu Zhaolin was a very sincere person, and young people like him should be treated sincerely, but his sincerity was a little too young.

Chu Suiliang came to a conclusion in his mind, as if he could see the end of this young man's life at a glance.

Just as I was thinking about it, I saw Xu Jingzong walking towards here.

Seeing that the other party had also stopped, Chu Suiliang said: "You and I have been fighting for most of our lives, and our hair has turned a lot white. Can't you and I be more sincere?"

"Chu dog." Xu Jingzong left with these words, waved his sleeves and left, still busy with his state affairs.

"Xu thief!" Chu Suiliang pointed at Xu Jingzong's back, shouted angrily, and left with a wave of his sleeves.

In September of the twelfth year of Qianqing, an urgent report was delivered to Chang'an City. This urgent report recorded the events in Youzhou and Liaodong. The Northeast had another bumper harvest this year. The fertile black soil produced countless grains, and the warehouses were full of beans and rice, and there was no room for more.

The plains of the Central Plains were originally granaries, and now with the addition of Liaodong, the emperor personally named it Northeast Rice.

Youzhou has never been a bitter and cold place. As long as it is governed well enough and there are enough manpower to cultivate it, thousands of miles of fertile land can produce enough food to eat.

Li Tang had several granaries, including those in Liaodong, on both sides of the Yellow River, and in the south of the Yangtze River.

In comparison, the grain from Tianshan and Qinghai is not the main source and can be stored separately.

Recently, the Ministry of Revenue has to deal with a very troublesome problem, how to transport the grain from India to the Central Plains. Back then, the Queen of India spent a huge amount of manpower to deliver the grain to Chang'an. This kind of thing can be done once, but not many times.

The Queen of India can do whatever it takes, even if it is just a drop in the bucket, but the court cannot do such an unrealistic thing.

Pei Yan, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, came to the Ministry of Revenue.

Chu Suiliang looked at a huge map and asked, "Minister Pei, what brings you here?"

Pei Yan handed over a scroll and said, "This is a report from the army. I hope it will be helpful to the Ministry of Revenue."

Chu Suiliang took the scroll, looked at Pei Yan now, and said with a smile: "The youngest minister in the court is really amazing."

Pei Yan bowed and saluted.

Chu Suiliang added: "You don't have to be so reserved. If I were an assistant minister of the six ministries at your age, I would be even more arrogant. It's rare that you can be so humble now."

Pei Yan said: "It was your majesty who gave me the opportunity, and it was the court that allowed me to display my talents."

Pei Yan really came to the court to take up his post at the best time. That was when teaching was booming and His Majesty was planning to build the Anxi Protectorate.

It was during those years that outstanding figures such as Pei Yan and Di Renjie emerged one after another.

Chu Suiliang said: "The Western Regions is a good place."

Pei Yan said: "South of Tianzhu is the sea. From the sea south of Tianzhu, you can reach the South China Sea in the Central Plains by crossing eastward. I heard that someone once set out from the seaside of Tianzhu and reached Zhenla."

Chu Suiliang looked at the map again and asked, "The seashore of Tianzhu? Is it far from there to the Central Plains?"

"Yes, it's very far away, like a natural chasm. No one can cross such a long sea alive. Even if you can reach Zhenla alive, you are lucky."

This matter involves Chu Suiliang’s knowledge shortcomings.

Pei Yan added: "After discussion in the army, most people believe that this is a story passed down by word of mouth in India. Whether it is really possible to cross the sea requires actual experience. It is very risky, but if successful..."

"Once successful, the hidden dangers and benefits it brings will be equal," Chu Suiliang added.

Pei Yan nodded.

Chu Suiliang put down the scroll in his hand and said, "Your Majesty said that more Tang people should go out."

(End of this chapter)