The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 552 Lifelong Goal
Outside the Lingyan Pavilion, heavy snow began to fall again.

His Majesty was alone in the Lingyan Pavilion, and the elderly eunuch Yang was standing outside the Lingyan Pavilion with a cane to prevent others from disturbing His Majesty.

This eunuch Yang has been serving the emperor's family since the Wude period. After so many years, he is now over seventy years old. Even at his old age, he still serves the emperor. He is now the third emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

Every December or during festivals, His Majesty would come to the Lingyan Pavilion to comfort the deceased heroes of the Tang Dynasty.

Until the wooden door of Lingyan Pavilion was reopened, some creaking sounds of wood friction were heard.

Yang, the eunuch holding the lantern, said, "Your Majesty, dinner is ready."

Li Chengqian nodded and walked down the steps of Lingyan Pavilion. A group of eunuchs also hurried into Lingyan Pavilion to clean up and restore the place to its original state.

Snow and wind fell in this peaceful palace. The palace was always deserted. Many palaces in the palace were still abandoned. Looking at the entire palace, only the Liangyi Palace was brightly lit.

When Li Chengqian walked into the Liangyi Hall, he saw Xiao Que'er teaching Meng Ji and his younger brother, while Yu Tu was sitting aside reading a book.

Seeing his father coming back, Yu Tu became interested and asked, "Father, was Uncle Jin scolded by Uncle Wei?"

Su Wan took off the cloak that her husband was wearing and glared at her nosy son.

Yu Tu is very busy on weekdays, but no matter how busy he is, he is always curious about other people's affairs.

Just like when he was a child, Yu Tu lowered his head in fear when his mother glared at him.

With such a strict mother at home, Li Chengqian felt much more relaxed, and said, "Your uncle Wei heard that uncle Jin spent a lot of money on making things. The copper and iron materials alone cost hundreds of strings of cash. Counting his workshop and blacksmiths, it must have cost three or two thousand strings of cash."

Yu Tu whispered, "Can't iron and copper be cast repeatedly?"

Xiao Que'er, who was leading his brothers, came over and said, "Brother, every time we use it for a while after forging it, it won't be as good as before after we melt it again."

Then Yu Tu asked her how she knew that.

Xiao Que'er has a strong learning ability and a wide range of interests. She has studied everything from astrology to geography, and she is even good at history and mathematics.

The Tang Dynasty has not yet divided the subjects, but the books related to teaching have already hinted at the idea of ​​liberal arts and science. However, Li Chengqian is also worried that there will be more other subjects in the future, such as the relatively rare Spring and Autumn School, or the Huang-Lao School...

The current Tang Dynasty school of thought is still very complicated, with many useful and useless side branches, and we cannot simply generalize and kill them all.

It is indeed good to have a hundred schools of thought contending with each other. However, if it is impossible to have one opinion, then the influence of that opinion should be increased as much as possible, and this influence must be very strong.

After the family had dinner, Li Chengqian walked with his son in the night of the imperial palace, listening to Yu Tu's story and thinking about why Emperor Wu of Han asked the three questions.

Maybe it was just as my grandfather said, at that time Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, probably didn't really want to promote Confucianism as the only school of thought. He just had a private talk with Dong Zhongshu, which was later called the Three Questions of Heaven and Man, and thus the idea of ​​promoting Confucianism as the only school of thought came into being.

Li Chengqian smiled silently.

"What is Father laughing at?"

"When your great grandfather was still alive, he was always able to see things in the world very clearly."

Speaking of his great-grandfather, Yu Tu lowered his head in disappointment.

Seeing his son's depressed look, Li Chengqian patted him on the shoulder and said, "Go, go back to the East Palace."

Yu Tu had just walked two steps towards the East Palace when he turned back and said, "Father, can I be a good emperor?"

"Well, you have so many people around you to help you, what are you afraid of."

Only then did he look up again and walk towards the East Palace.

Li Chengqian was still standing in the night, with only Eunuch Yang holding a lantern beside him. The lantern swayed when the wind blew.

"Your Majesty, the snow is heavy."

"Ah."

Li Chengqian nodded and walked back to Liangyi Hall. When his grandfather was still alive, Yu Tu had just started to remember things, and he began to remember things at his grandfather's knee.

Now my grandfather has passed away and my uncle is also gone. I don’t know why, but I always feel empty in my heart.

Back in the Liangyi Palace, Ning'er held a pile of clean clothes and asked, "Has Yu Tu gone home yet?"

Eunuch Yang replied, "Replying to Concubine Ning, has the Crown Prince gone to bed?"

Ning'er said again: "Your Majesty, Que'er still has some questions that he can't answer, I hope..."

"I'll go see her."

Su Wan was teaching Que'er how to solve a problem. Li Chengqian came to their side and looked at the question on the paper. It was a very complicated geometry and mathematics problem.

This type of question was also difficult for Su Wan. She managed to master some calculations during the learning process.

Just by looking at the handwriting on the paper, Li Chengqian knew that this was a question given to her by Linchuan. They were all the younger brothers and sisters she had taught in the Eastern Palace, so he could tell whose handwriting was which at a glance.

After taking one more look, Li Chengqian did not read it anymore. Instead, he sat aside and read the national history compiled by Mr. Lai Ji. The serious national history cannot be changed at will. The volume in his hand can only be said to be a copy, and the original is still in the hands of Mr. Lai Ji.

Sima Qian is the benchmark for historians, so Sima Qian’s spiritual pursuit back then is also what Mr. Lai Ji is pursuing now.

The next day, before dawn, everyone in the palace was ready. No matter whether it was winter or summer, His Majesty would wake up on time and go for a morning run. The door of the Liangyi Hall was slightly opened, and His Majesty walked out.

His Majesty took a deep breath and started running in the cold morning.

The heavy snow had not stopped yet, and His Majesty was running with hot air coming out of his mouth. At this time, the dark sky began to turn gray, until the sky became brighter and brighter.

It’s a pity that it’s still snowing today, with the fine snow floating here and there. I can’t see the blue sky in the east, nor can I see the first ray of morning light.

The Queen and Concubine Ning also woke up especially early because today was Empress Dowager Changsun's sixtieth birthday.

The palace and the outside world began to get busy early in the morning. As soon as the day broke, Chang'an City began to get busy. The Nanzhao envoy presented a large copper ship to the Empress Dowager Changsun. The ship was pulled by hundreds of laborers and towed all the way to Chengtian Gate.

Di Renjie looked at the luxurious items sent by the Nanzhao envoys. The entire ship was forged with copper, and the sails on top were clearly made of gold.

Then came the gifts sent by the Turkic envoys, which were tens of thousands of war horses, including nine white horses.

The Silla envoy presented a cart full of Dongzhu.

Envoys from all over the Western Regions came to Chang'an City together. They presented a jade statue. The statue had no face, but the luxurious clothes showed that it was Empress Dowager Changsun. The statue was a complete piece of jade, carved as tall as a person.

Even Zhenla and Pyu, which had been in conflict with Nanzhao for many years, sent gifts.

The elderly Ashina She'er brought his Turkic children to the Chengtian Gate and bowed deeply towards the Taiji Hall.

Tibet, Lesser Bolor, the Pamirs, the newly appointed Sai people king, even the Persians, the Arabs who were willing to put aside their grievances with the Tang Dynasty, and even the Gauls this year. Chang'an City was bustling with people, as if the whole world was celebrating the emperor's mother's birthday.

If the Tang Dynasty was the most powerful empire in the world, then it was only natural that the whole world should celebrate the birthday of the emperor's biological mother.

The most peculiar people are the Gauls. It is rumored that the Gauls live in the far north, but these Gauls came from the north of the Arabs.

With the arrival of envoys from various places, the court began to get busy. The busiest department was the Honglu Temple. The Minister of Honglu Temple Guo Zhengyi and his people received envoys from various countries.

Because the Queen Mother did not like to see such a big scene, and she was indeed old, she did not walk in public. The envoys from various countries' salutes at Chengtian Gate were regarded as congratulations.

At this age, the Queen Mother prefers to walk with her children, and she and the Emperor are most satisfied when seeing the smiles of her children and grandchildren.

Li Chengqian had no choice but to personally take care of the reception of envoys from various countries. When he saw the gift list from the Kingdom of Little Bolor and Ashina She'er, he ordered, "Call the King of Little Bolor and Ashina She'er."

"Here."

The emperor finally began to summon envoys.

Di Renjie and Zhang Jianzhi originally had an appointment with Prince of Jin. Prince of Jin said that after he paid a visit to the Empress Dowager, he would come to find them to build the legendary big furnace together.

The big furnace has not been built yet, the agreed time has long passed, and the King of Jin has not been seen.

Zhang Jianzhi asked, "Huaiying?"

"Ah."

"Why did His Majesty summon the King of Little Bolor?"

Di Renjie asked back: "Don't you know?"

Zhang Jianzhi shook his head and asked, "Are there any rumors?"

Di Renjie put a date in his mouth and chewed it while saying, "I was drinking with Guo Siqing last night, and he said that the king of Xiaoboluo came to Chang'an City."

"Ah."

"The king of Little Bolor wants to offer the entire Little Bolor to the Tang Dynasty and incorporate it into the Anxi Protectorate."

"really?"

Zhang Jianzhi asked, "Didn't the king of Xiaoboluo obtain his throne by usurping the throne? He is also a big merchant in the Western Regions, and he is also the prince of the Tuyuhun king, Murong Shun?"

"That's him."

Di Renjie stood in front of the Suzaku Gate and waited for a long time before he saw the King of the Little Bolor Kingdom and the white-haired and bearded Ashina She'er walking out of the Chengtian Gate together. It seemed that they were having a very pleasant chat with the current emperor.

Another guard ran to the Suzaku Gate and loudly recited the emperor's edict. Empress Dowager Zhangsun was celebrating her birthday and adhering to the court's style of frugality and abstaining from extravagance, so everything was handled simply. The curfew in Chang'an City was lifted for three nights.

The dinner in the palace was just a simple family dinner. In addition to the relatives of each family, Li Chengqian also invited Duke Ying.

At the banquet, Li Ji and Changsun Wuji sat in adjacent seats.

The elderly Changsun Wuji looked at Li Ji, who also had white hair and beard, and asked, "Maogong, His Majesty has told me that you should retire."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji stopped his hand that had just picked up the persimmon cake, paused for only a moment, and then continued to taste the persimmon cake as usual.

Chang Sun Wuji asked: "Do you want to retire?"

Li Ji said slowly: "This old minister can still serve Your Majesty for another twenty years."

"Twenty years?" Changsun Wuji said, "You are already over seventy years old."

But it is useless to say this. Li Ji is such a person. Since he said this, it means that he is willing to serve Your Majesty until he dies. Even though he is over seventy years old now, he is willing to continue to serve the emperor.

Changsun Wuji was holding a colored glass wine glass in his hand. He didn't know when all the wine glasses in the palace had been replaced with this kind of colored glass glass.

The glass wine glasses are very beautiful, and you can even see the shape of the wine in the glass, so you can tell who has drunk the least.

But since the emperor has mentioned the preparation for letting Ying Gong retire, he will definitely let Ying Gong retire, even if Ying Gong still wants to serve the emperor for another 20 years.

When Prime Minister Fang left the court, there was no one to replace him, and no one sat in his position.

The Qianqing reign lasted for thirteen years, and during these thirteen years, there was no prime minister in the court.

Changsun Wuji realized that His Majesty might want to completely abolish the power of the prime minister. Fang Xuanling would be the last prime minister of the Li Tang Dynasty, and there would be no prime minister in the future Li Tang.

The various changes in the Secretariat were designed to cope with the court affairs after the prime minister's power was gone. People involved might not have noticed that the prime ministers in the future would be his Zhangsun Wuji, Duke Ying, and Cen Wenben.

In fact, they are all just assisting Your Majesty, and Duke Ying has never had the power to directly veto state affairs. In the past thirteen years, the court officials may not have noticed that they have long been accustomed to the court without a prime minister.

Is this also your Majesty's new policy, to abolish the power of the prime minister?
After just a moment's thought, there was another round of cheers in the hall. It turned out that His Majesty took out a map. It was a map of the Kingdom of Little Bolor. Now the Kingdom of Little Bolor will hand over their territory to the Tang Dynasty.

Li Daozong stroked his graying beard and asked, "How far is Little Bolor? Is it farther than India?"

Seeing that Li Xiaogong wanted to drink more, Li Daozong snatched his glass and said, "Don't drink anymore. If you drink any more... you are really risking your life. The Imperial Medical Bureau has given you many warnings."

Li Xiaogong ate the mutton in disappointment.

When His Majesty took out a large pot of steaming beef, the old guys in the hall cheered again.

The 13th year of Qianqing ended with people's celebrations.

In the fourteenth year of Qianqing's reign, on the Lantern Festival, it was raining and snowing in Chang'an City today.

A fast horse arrived at the gate of Chang'an City. The lazy soldiers guarding the city shivered in the cold wind and walked up to him and asked, "Which troops are you from?"

The man dismounted and said, "I am from the Tibetan Protectorate, and I am Cheng Huailiang, a subordinate of Protector Cheng."

Cheng Huailiang was Cheng Chumo's younger brother. He and Cheng Chumo served as governors of the Tubo Protectorate together.

The urgent report sent by Cheng Huailiang must be of great importance. The soldiers at the city gate did not dare to neglect it and asked, "What happened in Tubo?"

Cheng Huailiang whispered, "Please hand it over to the Honglu Temple."

The soldier took the file and ran quickly into Chang'an City, stepping on the wet ground in the rain and snow, crossing the bustling streets, and running along Zhuque Street towards the Zhuque Gate in the distance.

This year, Tang officials accomplished a great thing in Tubo. They built seventy-four villages and counties in Tubo and ruled over a million square kilometers of land in Tubo.

When the Honglu Temple received the file, it immediately sent it to the Ministry of Rites and then to the Ministry of Personnel. Guo Zhengyi's eyes were filled with tears because this was the goal that Xu Jingzong had been pursuing all his life.

(End of this chapter)