The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 553: Only One Success Required

Guo Zhengyi delivered the urgent report to the Ministry of Rites, but found that Minister Xu was not there. Instead, he had already learned the news and went to meet His Majesty.

Inside the imperial palace, there is the Chengqing Hall in the East Palace and the West Garden. This hall was also built in recent years and was renovated three times. His Majesty has always been dissatisfied with the steps in the hall.

In the eyes of His Majesty, everything in the palace must be in order. However, due to the long-term disrepair of the imperial palace, the foundation here is a bit uneven, and the steps in front of the hall are also a bit tilted. His Majesty was angry several times because of this.

They could only ask people from the palace to repair it again and again, but once the construction started, they had to drive piles and consolidate the foundation again. The peonies planted in front of Chengqing Hall were the favorite of the current Empress Su, so the people in the palace did not dare to dig them up easily. For a while, the people in the palace were in a dilemma.

Inside the palace, Li Chengqian looked at Xu Jingzong's report and said, "Old Xu."

Xu Jingzong said loudly: "I am here."

"After the Tibetan issue is settled, you can retire."

Hearing His Majesty's words, Xu Jingzong sniffed, unable to suppress his sadness, and choked up, "I am still willing to serve Your Majesty, I am still... I am not old yet."

Xu Jingzong lowered his head, his voice trembling slightly.

Li Chengqian looked at his beard and hair, which had mostly turned white, walked up to him, handed him a bowl of tea, and said, "Old Xu, I am not short of talented people."

Xu Jingzong took the tea bowl with both hands and said loudly: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the tea."

Li Chengqian took two steps forward with his hands in his pockets. In fact, Xu Jingzong's half life was very rough. Who among Xu Jingzong's generation had a smooth life?

Although Xu Jingzong was one of the 18 scholars in the Qin Palace at that time, there were also Fang Xiang, Du Ruhui, Yao Silian, Kong Yingda, Yu Shinan, and even Su Xu and Yu Zhining, who were from the Su family of Wugong County.

These people are incomparable to Xu Jingzong in terms of talent and ability.

He experienced the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, the Jiangdu Incident during the reign of Yang Guang, and witnessed Yu Wenzhi's rebellion with his own eyes. After that, he defected to the Li Tang Dynasty and was worshipped by the Prince of Qin.

After experiencing the Jiangdu Incident, Xu Jingzong was at the lowest point in his life in his twenties. After entering the Qin Palace, Xu Jingzong originally planned to show his talents, but he met the leaders of that era, such as Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Kong Yingda, and Yu Shinan.

Those people were all shining figures in the turbulent times, but Xu Jingzong, who was also a scholar in the Qin Palace, always remained in obscurity.

Finally, Xu Jingzong joined the service of Xu Guogong Gao Shilian, seeking a way out, and found an opportunity to become the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.

Originally, Li Chengqian had never thought that he would have someone like Xu Jingzong to help him. He could only say that his uncle's vision was never wrong, even when he handed his mother over to his father, and even now, his uncle's vision of people was incredibly accurate.

After that, Xu Jingzong worked hard in Jingyang for two years, and in Jingzhao Prefecture for several more years, and finally became the Minister of Rites, until now he has become the Minister of Rites.

Even as early as that year, Xu Jingzong was said by the court and the public to be the confidant of the Eastern Palace. Now Xu Jingzong is ranked among the six ministers and one of the left and right prime ministers, which further confirms the statement from that year.

Over the years, the abilities demonstrated by Xu Jingzong are worthy of recognition.

In that fragmented era, another person who had the same fate as Xu Jingzong and experienced the Jiangdu Incident was Shangguan Yi.

In terms of life circumstances, Xu Jingzong's life is very similar to Shangguan Yi's life.

It was only after the Jiangdu Incident that Xu Jingzong defected to Li Tang.

As for Shangguan Yi, he became a monk after the Jiangdu Incident and even had an experience in Hanshan Temple in Gusu City.

Generally speaking, in the end, both of them carried the resentment of the former Sui Dynasty and walked from the chaotic times to the Li Tang Dynasty.

No wonder, after the great victory of the Eastern Expedition, Xu Jingzong and Shangguan Yi hugged each other and cried.

It's like when Liu Bang talks about his Han Dynasty foundation, he will talk about the Qin Dynasty. Under the limitations of that era, in order to win the hearts of the people, Liu Bang would also add the word "tyrannical Qin" before "Qin", thereby portraying himself as a person who opposed the tyrannical Qin and recruiting other like-minded people to govern the country for him.

As for Liu Bang, he talked about the tyranny of Qin, but in terms of laws and systems, Liu Bang's body honestly continued the "old customs" of the tyranny of Qin.

This is like the Tang Dynasty. Everything in the Tang Dynasty has the shadow of the previous Sui Dynasty. However, Wude abdicated the throne from a supported Sui emperor, which was a bit abrupt.

But there are many abrupt things in this world. At that time, there were many heroes in the world, and even Yu Wenzhi proclaimed himself emperor. Who could tolerate such a thing?

Just as he was thinking about it, he saw Xu Jingzong gather up the hem of his court robe and was about to kneel on the ground.

Li Chengqian quickly stepped forward to support him, "What are you doing?"

Xu Jingzong grasped His Majesty's strong arm and said with red eyes: "Your Majesty, please let me serve you for a few more years. I am not old yet, and I can still handle state affairs for Your Majesty."

Li Chengqian frowned and looked at him.

Xu Jingzong trembled and said, "Your Majesty, it is not that I am greedy for power. Even if Your Majesty asks me to just write documents in the court, I am willing. I only ask Your Majesty to let me stay in the court for a few more years and let me be loyal to Your Majesty."

This was indeed Xu Jingzong's true words. He was the Minister of Rites, but compared with the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Justice, how much power could a Minister of Rites have?

Xu Jingzong's power was not even as real as Xu Xiaode's.

"Your Majesty! Since the Jiangdu Incident, I have been displaced for half my life. Now that I have a good master, I have no regrets in death. I can still serve Your Majesty for another ten years. I hope Your Majesty will grant me this."

Li Chengqian helped him up, patted his shoulder and said, "I didn't ask you to retire now."

Xu Jingzong wiped his tears with the sleeve of his court robe, bowed again and said: "Your Majesty..."

"I'll leave the Nanzhao affairs to you. I'll give you another three years."

Xu Jingzong said in a clear voice: "I obey your command."

He bowed once more before turning around and leaving Chengqing Hall.

Li Chengqian stood alone in the hall and waited for Xu Jingzong, whose hair and beard were all white, to leave the hall. Then he sat back and picked up Xu Jingzong's file and looked at it carefully.

"You are a good emperor."

The voice came from the screen behind him. He looked up and saw that it was his father who had been standing behind him. Li Chengqian said, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you."

Li Shimin stepped forward with a cane and said, "Your subjects are willing to serve you until they grow old."

"Father, you are joking again. People all say that I am heartless and ungrateful."

"So what?" Li Shimin sat aside and said, "If you cared about what others thought, you wouldn't have been so decisive back then, and you wouldn't have killed so many people in Luoyang."

Li Chengqian remained silent as he stared at the memorial in his hand.

Li Shimin coughed twice, then fell asleep quietly in the rocking chair in the hall.

In the imperial city, Guo Zhengyi saw Minister Xu coming towards him. He ran up to him and said, "Minister Xu! The Dao County of Tubo has been built."

Under the auspices of the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War and the Protectorate, the Tibetan territory was divided into six regions and seventy-four counties.

This ruling situation means that Tubo will also implement the Tang Dynasty's division of prefectures and counties in the future. For the rulers, dividing the area into counties, each with a different population and geographical location, is more beneficial to the rulers.

From the rulers' perspective, it means dividing people into pieces of land, letting them regroup, and dividing them into counties and townships. Power starts from the counties and townships and accumulates from the bottom up, and finally the power will be concentrated in the hands of the rulers.

The stability and prosperity brought by this way of ruling prefectures and counties made the Tang people naturally think that this was the best way. Even when the emperor said that he should adapt to local conditions, some court officials stood up to oppose it.

As long as everyone's goal is the same, even if the methods are different, Li Chengqian is willing to give people more time to verify the answer.

Guo Zhengyi said with tears in his eyes: "Tubonia has been incorporated into the Tang Dynasty."

Xu Jingzong patted him on the back and added: "There is still a lot to do. Our work is not yet complete."

Summer, the fourteenth year of Qianqing.

It was during the Lantern Festival that Tubo completed the division of Dao, Zhou and counties.

It was not until this summer that officials from the Ministry of Households came to Tubo and gave the Tibetans new household registration.

In this era when information was transmitted slowly, when the urgent report from Tubo reached Chang'an City, after discussion in the court, officials were sent to Tubo, and a spring passed just like that.

Today's Tang people still use ancient methods of transportation, and people are accustomed to the lag in information.

……

Shangguan Yi accompanied the prince, walking beside the Xianyang Bridge, and watched His Majesty fishing with the prince.

Yu Tu said, "Father has become more and more free lately."

Shangguan Yi stroked his beard and smiled, "The world is peaceful and your majesty is free, which is truly a great thing in the world."

"Father, fishing is also a good story, right?"

"That's natural."

"Father has been fishing for three days."

"That is also a good thing. The officials in the court are doing their jobs well and the country is stable. If Your Majesty is worried and uneasy all day, the country will also be uneasy."

Yu Tu frowned and said, "Teacher, what you said... sounds like the words of a tyrant."

Shangguan Yi still had a smile on his face. It would be better if the prince could stay away from his granddaughter.

Recently, his granddaughter often talked and laughed with the prince, which has become a big problem in Shangguan Yi's mind. What should he do?

Yu Tu continued, "Has there been another message from Tubo?"

Shangguan Yi narrated what happened in Tubo.

Just this spring, Cheng Chumo did a big thing in Tubo.

Back then in Chang'an City, Cheng Chumo saw with his own eyes a group of children standing at Chunming Gate and swearing an oath to the citizens of Chang'an City.

And now, Cheng Chumo brought a group of fifteen-year-old Tibetan children to swear an oath to the Tang Dynasty and the people of Tibet, to protect the Tang Dynasty and the Tibetan people, to safeguard the peace of their homeland and protect the border.

Cheng Chumo, who grew up in the army, is a decisive person. He does not act in a hesitant manner like Li Anqi.

He did this without reporting to the emperor, which caused criticism in the court. However, considering that Cheng Chumo had good intentions, His Majesty later asked Duke Cheng to write a letter of reprimand to Cheng Chumo, and the matter was forgotten.

Yu Tu said, "My aunt's disciple founded a school of thought. Teacher, have you heard about it?"

Shangguan Yi nodded and said, "I heard that the girl from the Wu family and Xu Hui founded the Materialism School in Luoyang, and they only accept female disciples. They have thousands of female disciples."

Xiao Wu and Xu Hui were the disciples of Princess Changle, and they have achieved great success now. In those days, they had debates with many famous officials in Luoyang. For this reason, people in Luoyang knew these two talented women. After they became famous, they began to accept disciples.

Their disciples were all women. To be precise, the School of Materialism was founded at the instruction of Princess Changle.

Yu Tu said: "Teacher, in fact, from the perspective of production and labor, in the past, taxes were mostly paid by men per household. If more and more women participate in labor in the future, the productivity they create can also bring great benefits to the country."

Shangguan Yi said: "Your Highness, it has actually been like this since ancient times."

Yu Tu said: "In terms of productivity, a person's productivity has nothing to do with age, gender, or age. It only has to do with the value he can produce. Production is a very cold subject, so I have been unwilling to learn from Aunt Changle since I was a child. Aunt Changle and my father's knowledge are very cold."

Shangguan Yi smiled and said, "Has Your Highness the Crown Prince noticed this since he was a child?"

Yu Tu said, "That was after I was able to understand the Analects. I showed my aunt's article to Mr. Lai Ji, who said it was a very cold and icy learning that regarded people as productive forces. He had never seen such a cold and icy learning before, but it was such a cold and icy learning that I, the prince, had to learn."

Shangguan Yi sighed and thought that the prince was actually starting to worry about growing up. A sentimental child, the future emperor might not be a heartless person.

"Your Highness, don't worry too much."

"Please also ask the teacher for guidance."

Shangguan Yi said with a smile: "I am the Imperial Censor. I have seen the ups and downs of life, and I have also seen the darkness of the world. Your Highness... Everyone is different. Many things in this world seem to make sense. We all think that many things should be explained according to reason, but in reality, many things cannot be explained according to reason."

The teacher's words were very profound, and Yu Tu only understood half of them, but he still had one thing to do today.

At the other end of the Xianyang Bridge, there was a huge furnace burning, and several laborers were frantically shoveling coal into the furnace.

Li Zhi shouted, "Release!"

Hearing this, a laborer pulled the rope, and the stove whistled. Everyone present saw with their own eyes a white mist rising into the sky.

The whistle sounded only once. Li Zhi wrote down the result of this attempt, and then took an iron ingot from the blacksmith of the Shaofujian. He placed the ingot on top of the furnace to maintain the air pressure in the furnace stable so that the air pressure would not explode the furnace, but would not release too much gas.

Li Chengqian looked at the stove from a distance.

Dongyang walked to his brother's side, looked at the excitement on the other side of the river, and said with a smile: "Child slaves are finally made."

What Li Zhi made now should be a pressure cooker, probably a pressure cooker, a large pressure cooker, and the kind with poor airtightness.

Zhinu still looks like a late bloomer, and even if he is a late bloomer, it will still take many years.

He only needs to do one thing, and succeed once, and that will be enough to shock the world and change the world.

Just one success is enough.

(End of this chapter)