The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 540 People who want to go home

Pei Yan added: "The southwestern parts of Nanzhao have not been pacified yet. If they can be pacified in the future, it will be much more convenient. However, it is too far from Chang'an. Some people will think it is impractical and will inevitably discuss it. I think there is no need to rush."

Chu Suiliang also thought that these things could be planned in advance. He said, "Back then, Xu Jingzong said he wanted to seize Nanzhao. Could it be that he still had foresight?"

After a pause, Chu Suiliang bowed to the Taiji Hall and said, "It is the wisdom of the current emperor, and it has nothing to do with the thief Xu."

Pei Yan said: "For the planning of Tianzhu, I will write the charter and hand it over to Your Majesty."

Chu Suiliang admired Pei Yan very much, he was a very promising young man.

Originally, the regulations of Tianzhu were the responsibility of the Ministry of Revenue, although it was also related to the Ministry of War. However, when Chu Suiliang saw that Pei Yan was able to take the initiative to take on the matter, he was very grateful for this favor.

After Pei Yan bowed and left, Chu Suiliang stood outside the Ministry of Revenue and said to the officials around him: "This is a very capable young man, but it's a pity... he is not a student of mine."

A clerk asked, "I'm afraid the Hedong Pei family will have another prime minister in the future."

Chu Suiliang shook his head and said, "It may not be him. There are many talented people nowadays. Di Renjie and Pei Xingjian are not bad."

"Isn't Pei Xingjian the right general?"

Chu Suiliang said: "Pei Xingjian entered the government through the imperial examination. He once served as the magistrate of Lantian County. Why do you think he can only be a military commander?"

Hearing Minister Chu's question in a scolding tone, the clerk immediately lowered his head.

Even if there were no Di Renjie and Pei Xingjian, looking at the talented people in the court, there were still Zhang Da'an, Liu Rengui, Liu Hongye, Cui Xuanwei, and even Zhang Jianzhi.

Outside the city of Chang'an, a group of soldiers arrived in front of the city. The one who came was Li Yifu, the famous censor of the time.

The guard standing in front of the city stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Imperial Censor Li."

Li Yifu dismounted, handed over a scroll and said, "I still need to see Your Majesty, please settle the soldiers and horses that came with me."

"Here."

When Li Yifu strode into Chang'an City, the guards in front of the city gate were still whispering, "He is Li Yifu?"

"Don't mess with this censor. Too many people have fallen into his hands."

"Yeah, I don't know how many people Li Yifu has killed in the past two years."

"I heard that wherever Li Yifu goes, the officials there will be worried and unable to sleep or eat."

……

Li Yifu was already walking on Zhuque Street and heading towards Zhuque Gate. People behind him were still whispering.

Censor Li returned to Chang'an and walked all the way to the Imperial City, where he was smoothly summoned by the current emperor.

Shangguan Yi and others were waiting in front of Chengtian Gate. After waiting here for half an hour, they saw Li Yifu coming.

"You have seen His Majesty?"

"Meet Shangguan Zhongcheng."

Now Shangguan Yi is the Chief Censor in charge of the Censorate, and Li Yifu bowed respectfully.

Shangguan Yi said, "Li Yushi has been busy these past two years. An old friend has been waiting for a long time, and he wants to get drunk together."

Li Yifu followed Shangguan Yi to a tavern in Chang'an City. The person waiting there was indeed an old friend, Pei Xingjian, who had taken the imperial examination with him and passed the exam together.

Pei Xingjian smiled and said, "Long time no see."

Li Yifu also smiled suddenly.

When they took the imperial examination together and entered officialdom, their circumstances were completely different. Now that they are officials in the court, their lives are also completely different.

If everyone's life was the same, it would be too boring.

Li Yifu noticed the young man standing nearby.

Shangguan Yi explained: "This is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Yu Tu asked, "Li Yifu? Are you Luo Binwang's teacher?"

Li Yifu bowed and said, "Your Highness Li Yifu..."

"No need to be polite." Yu Tu interrupted, "I'm good friends with Luo Binwang at Chongwen Hall. He mentioned you as his teacher, so I came to see you today. Ah... Luo Binwang is at Chongwen Hall, and he's probably still studying at this hour."

Li Yifu knew that Shangguan Yi had long been promoted to the position of Chief Censor, and had also become the Prince's attendant, and the Prince's only nominal teacher.

Pei Xingjian said, "I heard that you have been in Liaodong for the past two years."

Li Yifu said: "The various places in Liaodong have finally become much more solid."

Shangguan Yi poured some wine and said, "Everyone is talking about the bumper harvest in Liaodong. It's because the Censorate and Chongwen Academy have made great efforts in Liaodong over the years. How can there be so much peace and bumper harvest? It's also because you people have been practicing the ideals of the court in various places."

Li Yifu drank the wine in the bowl in one gulp, let out a long sigh, and said, "That's great! When I get old, I want to take a good look at this world."

Pei Xingjian said: "Young people nowadays are all advocating the implementation of new policies."

Li Yifu asked suspiciously, "New policy?"

"The so-called New Deal is to promote reform, promote benefits and eliminate disadvantages, rectify the administration of officials, eliminate redundant positions, and develop production."

"really?"

Pei Xingjian said: "Well, the Anxi Protectorate has been built. Apart from the Tubo issue, the only thing left this year is the so-called New Deal."

Shangguan Yi added: "All the court documents are posted outside the Suzaku Gate. If you have time, you can go and have a look."

The next day, Chang'an City welcomed the first autumn rain of the year.

Li Yifu walked to the front of the Suzaku Gate and looked at the bulletin board next to the Suzaku Gate, where there were documents posted.

The rain fell, forming a curtain of water under the eaves of the bulletin board.

Li Yifu looked at the contents of the documents. In short, in the next three years, the Tang Dynasty will continue the policy of supporting education, improve the local systems, provide assistance to the villagers, and correct unhealthy practices. He ordered local officials to perform their duties, listen to both sides to be wise, listen to only one side to be in the dark, be prepared for danger in times of peace, and refrain from extravagance and practice frugality.

We also continue to advocate Zheng Gong's ideas and regard them as the main whip of education today. Zheng Gong's ideas are the backbone of educating the world, and other books and classics are only supplementary.

As long as there are students in Chongwenguan, Zheng Gong’s ideas will be spread.

Even when he was in Liaodong, Li Yifu had seen students from the Chongwenguan reciting the words and deeds of Duke Zheng.

Li Yifu read the documents one after another. In addition to some ideological suggestions, he did notice one thing, which was the merchants leaving the customs.

This was a notice posted by Jingzhao Prefecture. It was not a decree from the court. It was a call from Jingzhao Prefecture for all merchants in Guanzhong to go out and sell their goods to the Turks, Nanzhao people, and people from the Western Regions.

Among them were soap and paper, cloth, and tea from the Central Plains, and the court could even reduce or exempt city taxes. Li Yifu looked at this meaningful notice, and just as he was thinking about it, he saw an old man looking at the notice. The old man even held a scroll in one hand and took notes with a pen.

When he looked again, he saw the other person's face. It was a middle-aged man with white hair. His face was very familiar. Li Yifu recalled it and noticed the other person's clothes, then he remembered that this was the Tubo King Songtsen Gampo.

After not seeing him for many years, Songtsen Gampo looks like this now.

"Long time no see, Censor Li."

Seeing that the other party still recognized him, Li Yifu bowed slightly and said, "Zanpu."

Songtsen Gampo continued, "The documents of Jingzhao Prefecture are actually very simple. Is there anything that you are confused about, Li Yushi?"

Li Yifu asked, "Is it inappropriate for the Tibetan king to come and instruct the officials in the court?"

Songtsen Gampo put away his scroll and said, "The document of Jingzhao Prefecture was not the decision of Jingzhao Prefecture. It was actually the will of the emperor. Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, there have been three emperors, and only the current emperor has the most centralized power."

He stood under the eaves, watching the rain falling, and whispered, "With such a centralized emperor, there is no doubt that the actions of the court and officials are all the emperor's thoughts and purposes."

"If a large number of merchants stay in Guanzhong, the unsold goods will accumulate, which will increase the number of defective products. Your emperor is well aware of the problem. If merchants fight each other and do whatever it takes to make a profit, the whole place will be in chaos in the end."

Songtsen Gampo added: "Your emperor is far-sighted. If you say he is a businessman, he should be the most powerful businessman. It's a pity that he is an emperor, but it's also a good thing that he is an emperor. Besides, selling soap, paper, cloth and tea to the outside world is to speed up the outflow of goods, so that goods can be quickly transported in and out, improve the production in Guanzhong and increase the control over the surrounding countries."

"It's probably because they made the Turks accustomed to tea, made the Tibetans inseparable from milk tea, and made the people of the Western Regions prefer paper and cloth..."

Having said this, Songtsen Gampo began to feel a little unsure, because this was not Qi silk or Lu silk at all.

He sighed, "Who on earth can catch up with today's Tian Khan?"

Songtsen Gampo let out a long sigh, which was filled with helplessness and even despair.

The emperor of the Tang Dynasty was too powerful. When he was young, Songtsen Gampo was very confident and even wanted to compete with the Tang Dynasty.

At the top of this huge country stands a centralized emperor.

This emperor had already shown his brilliance when he was still a crown prince. Sitting on the throne, he decided the fate of millions of people.

Songtsen Gampo could no longer use the experience he had learned from history books to speculate on the future of the Tang Dynasty.

Now, Songtsen Gampo also understood why even the students of Chongwenguan knew that they could not rely solely on past experience to make current judgments. It was a wrong fallacy to use past experience as a guide without considering the actual situation and practical significance.

The sound of autumn rain fell in my ears, the rain was getting heavier and heavier, the rain falling on the ground splashed up water, the water splashed had wet my shoes.

Songtsen Gampo put on a bamboo hat and left with a book in his arms.

Li Yifu was still standing there, looking at the back of the Tubo Zamp in silence.

There was the sound of footsteps on the puddled water behind him. The person approached and stopped, saying, "I heard that the teacher came back last night. Disciple..."

Li Yifu interrupted him, turned around and saw that he had grown a lot taller, and asked, "Sixteen?"

Luo Binwang bowed and said, "After this month, I will be sixteen years old."

Li Yifu added: "Okay, you can take part in the imperial examination next year."

"Yes……"

At this point, the teacher was seen walking into the rain, and Luo Binwang hurried to follow.

The rain stopped the next day, and it became a trend for merchants to go through the customs. Merchants were proud to be able to bring money into the country.

Therefore, the emperor's desk was filled with memorials again.

In life, there will always be someone who pours cold water on you when you are most proud of yourself.

It is obviously a good thing that can increase the production in Guanzhong, expand production and speed up dumping. However, some people come to advise the emperor not to encourage the trend of traveling merchants. I hope Your Majesty will not forget the foundation of the country.

This incident even alarmed Mr. Cen Wenben, who had been living in retirement at home for many years.

Li Chengqian met Cen Wenben sitting in a wheelchair in the palace. The old man had a blanket covering his knees.

He asked someone to bring a thicker blanket from Congling. When he saw the old man trying to stand up from his wheelchair to salute, Li Chengqian stepped forward to support him and said, "Mr. Cen, there is no need to do this."

When Cen Wenben stood up slightly, his legs were still shaking. It was not until he took two steps with the help of a crutch that he felt much better.

"I, an old minister, can still walk a few steps. It will be more comfortable if I take one step." After Cen Wenben stood firm, he smiled easily.

Li Chengqian still reached out his hand to support the old man. Since the death of his teacher and Lord Zheng, the most respected people in the court were Elder Cen and his uncle.

Cen Wenben said: "I have heard from the children that the court's move is to allow goods to be cleared."

Li Chengqian said: "I have never forgotten the foundation of the Tang Dynasty, but the goods in Guanzhong need to be traded. Not only should they be sold to the east of Luoyang, but also the demand should be expanded. If the Turks are not used to tea, then let them get used to it."

Cen Wenben said: "I am old, but Your Majesty still looks the same as he did in those days."

Li Chengqian said: "I will also grow old."

"Your Majesty still looks very young."

"I will still grow old. My wisdom teeth are long gone. I just look a little younger."

Elder Cen raised his head and said, "This palace is still the same as it was back then."

Li Chengqian walked with the old man for a few steps and said, "There are still many empty palaces here. Father and mother are unwilling to stay in the palace for a long time. They always say that such a palace is too deserted and too quiet. The tiles of some palaces are old and in disrepair."

"I have also thought about renovating the palace sometime in the future."

Cen Wenben nodded.

Today, Li Chengqian had lunch with Mr. Cen, and in the afternoon, someone sent Mr. Cen back.

In October of the twelfth year of Qianqing's reign, a message was delivered to the palace that Mr. Cen Wenben had passed away. Li Chengqian sat in the Lingyan Pavilion and said calmly, "Rest in peace, Mr. Cen."

Freezing rain started early this late autumn. This year's autumn is very short. Winter is here before we can even take a good look at the withered maple forest.

Cen Wenben's portrait was hung in the Lingyan Pavilion, and he became one of the heroes of the Lingyan Pavilion. His portrait was hung next to Guo Luotuo's.

"When my father was selecting the heroes for the Lingyan Pavilion, he must have considered Mr. Cen." Li Chengqian held the tea bowl in one hand and the windowsill with the other, looking at the freezing rain outside, raised his head and looked at the sky and said: "Since I ascended the throne, I would like to thank Mr. Cen for his teachings and guidance. Today I send you to the Lingyan Pavilion and your name will be recorded in the history books. Future generations will remember it."

The freezing rain outside the window continued and the candles in the Lingyan Pavilion were still lit, until night, when the freezing rain slowly turned into a heavy snow.

When the magpie came, "Father, it's time for dinner."

The door of Lingyan Pavilion slowly closed, and Li Chengqian took his daughter's hand and asked, "What are we having for dinner tonight?"

The father and daughter sat in the snow, and she replied, "My mother made some cakes and said that I would let my father taste them first before giving them away as rewards. There is one more thing... I have read the memorial on my father's desk, and Songtsen Gampo asked to go home."

(End of this chapter)