The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 57: The Old Minister Who Died Well
As soon as these words came out, Li Chengqian choked on a mouthful of tea and coughed for a long time.

Changsun Wuji looked suspicious.

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Xiaogong asked, "Don't you believe it, old fox?"

Chang Sun Wuji looked calm and said, "Well, tell me what your dream was like."

"This..." Li Xiaogong hesitated to speak, and kept winking at his nephew beside him.

There was a sigh in the palace, and Changsun Wuji said slowly: "It was Your Highness who dreamed of the Prince of Hejian, not the Prince of Hejian who dreamed of the Crown Prince. Once this kind of thing is told out, it will be full of loopholes. If you think about it carefully, people will think that someone in the East Palace is misleading the people."

"Yes!" Li Xiaogong nodded seriously.

Zhang Sun Wuji's expression was very serious, and he added: "But it's okay, I don't have to worry if the East Palace gets into trouble in the future."

"What do you mean, old fox?"

Changsun Wuji took a sip of tea, his expression calm, and ignored him.

Li Xiaogong said, "I don't like talking to an old fox like you."

After saying this, Li Chengqian watched his uncle quickly walk out of the East Palace.

The palace fell silent again. Zhang Sun Wuji looked a little more worried and asked, "Last year, I heard that Your Highness was seriously ill?"

Li Chengqian said: "My illness has been cured."

"Yes." Changsun Wuji said slowly: "Everything I encountered in the dream was fake. I hope Your Highness will not take it seriously."

"I must remember my uncle's teachings."

Changsun Wuji took another look at the soup in the pot and lost interest in eating for a moment. He calmed himself down and got up to leave.

Some things cannot be said casually, especially by the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.

Even if there are some strange words in the dream, it is best to keep silent about it afterwards. Most of the time, just know it in your heart and don't say it out loud.

This is probably what my uncle meant by his warning. You can’t just shout to everyone in the world, “I’m going to destroy the aristocratic families and give fairness to all the scholars in the world.”

If you are a loyal minister, then follow me and overthrow the aristocratic family in a grand manner?
But... I really want to shout it out loud.

When I saw His Highness coming out of Chongwen Hall, his face didn't look good.

Ning'er followed beside him without saying a word.

After walking for a while with his hands in his pockets, Li Chengqian suddenly stopped.

Ning'er took one more step out of habit, and when she saw His Highness stopped, she stepped back and stood aside.

Li Chengqian frowned and said, "Send a letter to Du He's house. My uncle knows what Xu Jingzong did."

"Yes." Ning'er hurried to make arrangements.

Recently, the story of the farmer and the snake has spread among the people as the group of young princesses and princes played in Mount Li.

The implication of this story is very profound and thought-provoking.

In the hot spring palace of the Lishan Palace, Li Shimin sat in a warm pool.

Also sitting in the pool were Yuchi Gong and Wei Zheng.

Li Shimin poured a bowl of wine, drank it and said, "I heard that recently after the officials went to the county, Guanzhong not only found another 5,000 hidden households, but also reclaimed many paddy fields."

Yuchi Gong remained silent.

Wei Zheng whispered, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is able to pay attention to agricultural work. I congratulate the Tang Dynasty."

Li Shimin placed the wine bowl on the edge of the pond and frowned, saying, "My son sometimes always thinks about things that others don't think about. Just before the autumn hunt, he said that people from the Western Regions could make a lot of money just by selling grapes to Guanzhong, so Xu Xiaode went to the streets to inquire about it."

"In Cheng Qian's eyes, he thinks that such things shouldn't exist in the world. What do you think?"

Wei Zheng bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I think that the Crown Prince is young and will always be a little arrogant."

Yuchi Gong sat in the hot spring pool, still motionless.

Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "Just as Lord Zheng said, Cheng Qian is still young, he thinks things are too simple, relying on these alone? It is still too early to govern the world."

The next day, Li Chengqian stood in the Taiji Hall and continued to supervise state affairs.

But today, Li Tai was not seen attending court sessions.

This younger brother was most likely very busy with Kuadizhi, but that was okay, since his father hadn't come back yet after all, and whether Qingque came to attend the government affairs was his own business.

People give themselves a sense of security, so when facing the ministers in the court, no matter what they think in their hearts or what they say, they are more or less reserved.

Since arriving at this era, after several attempts and with some self-awareness, I can at least understand the situation clearly.

For example, Yu Zhining and Xu Xiaode, although they are both officials of the Eastern Palace, their abilities still have no distinct characteristics. In other words, it is not clear what they are good at and what they are not good at.

For example, is Xu Xiaode good at finding problems? That's not the case. The problem is that I told him as the crown prince, and he can only be regarded as a verification at best.

And after that, no specific solution was given.

So all along, except internally.

The sense of security to the outside world comes from his uncle, Changsun Wuji.

Changsun Wuji was over thirty and almost forty years old. He was the oldest and most powerful relative of the dynasty.

Both in age and status, they are at the peak of their lives.

He is able to hold power, but he will never betray the Tang Dynasty or his father, and his loyalty remains solid and reliable.

Although he was a relative by marriage and held a high position, he was still subject to criticism, which made the uncle more cautious.

Today's morning court talked about the war after Tuyuhun. This autumn, Hou Junji's army and Xue Wanjun's troops fought all the way to Dayechuan. After the armies joined together, the situation was stabilized.

Hou Junji and Duan Zhixuan have wiped out the remaining Tuyuhun tribes and are now about to return to the capital.

Prime Minister Fang mentioned this matter. By the time Hou Junji and Duan Zhixuan return to the court, Your Majesty should also be back from the autumn hunt in Mount Li.

After the morning court was over, Li Chengqian walked out of the Taiji Hall with everyone else. They completed a relaxing morning court while chatting and laughing.

When I walked out of the Tai Chi Hall, I saw Ning'er standing outside the hall. She was standing at the bottom of the steps with her head down.

A group of civil officials bowed and said goodbye to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince with a smile.

After everyone left, Ning Er dared to step forward and salute, saying, "Your Highness, Xu Changshi brought Ying Guogong here, saying that they came to apologize to Your Highness."

Li Chengqian waved to the guards in front of the hall.

The other party stepped forward quickly and said, "I am here."

"Go and invite Xu Changshi and Ying Guogong to the Wude Hall."

"Here."

It was the prince's daily habit to go to the Wude Hall to practice archery after the morning court session.

This custom has been preserved since he began to supervise the government.

Therefore, it became more logical to invite Xu Xiaode and Ying Gong to Wude Hall.

Without even saying hello to the emperor, Li Chengqian stood in the sunshine in front of the Wude Hall, drawing his bow and arrow.

An arrow was released and it landed accurately on the center of the target.

By the time Xu Xiaode and Wu Shigui were led here, Li Chengqian had already practiced more than six arrows.

Asking the eunuchs in the distance to move the target further away, Li Chengqian pulled the bowstring to its full length. "Your Highness, Xu Changshi and Ying Guogong are here!"

Li Chengqian still pulled the bowstring, staring at the target in the distance, and said, "Let the two of you enter the hall and wait for me."

"Yes!" The guard responded loudly and led the two into the hall.

In the sunshine, Li Chengqian put his bow aside and sat on the steps in front of the hall to rest.

He picked up the tea bowl beside him and took a sip of the wine.

Voices were soon heard in the hall.

Li Yuan frowned as he looked at the familiar man standing in the hall with his head bowed. He quickly walked forward to help him up and said slowly, "Shi Kui?"

Wu Shigui slowly raised his head and said excitedly, "Your Majesty!"

Li Yuan was a little bit unbelievable. He looked at the old man whose hair and beard had turned gray, and slowly asked: "Why are you old?"

The retired emperor's voice was full of confusion and some disbelief.

Wu Shigui whispered, "It's been many years since we last met. Your Majesty has grown old."

Li Yuan quickly pulled his wrist and sat him down, and then said, "Back then, I heard that you were transferred to Lizhou. It's been so many years, how did you get here?"

"I will obey the orders of the court and will never neglect them."

Li Yuan patted his shoulder heavily and said slowly: "You should have come back a long time ago. The old friends from that time have left one after another."

Wu Shigui bowed again and said, "I have come here to apologize to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Yuan looked outside the palace and saw his eldest grandson still sitting on the steps in front of the palace. He explained, "My grandson likes to practice archery, so he often comes to me to ask for forgiveness. What's the matter?"

Xu Xiaode recounted all the previous events and said that Wu Shigui's health had long since deteriorated and that was why he came to resign.

Li Yuan nodded and said, "You are old, and I am old, too. We are all old."

Old stories were talked about again in the hall. The Wu family started out as a timber business. In fact, when Li Yuan was young and working in Hedong, he made friends with Wu Shigui.

Since Li Yuan was about to start his army in Jinyang, Wu Shigui provided a lot of military supplies and money, and the wood needed for many siege equipment was also provided by the Wu family.

When Li Yuan entered Chang'an, Wu Shigui was promoted to Duke of Taiyuan County, and later appointed Minister of Works. He was once the money bag of the Li Tang rear.

However, due to various things that happened afterwards, Wu Shigui gradually withdrew from the power center of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Chengqian continued to practice archery outside the palace. He asked the eunuchs in the distance to throw a rattan ball into the air. The arrow was released, but it missed the rattan ball.

It is not so easy to hit a moving target. If you don’t practice well at shooting moving targets, you will be no better than ordinary archers in the army. The archers of the Tang army are selected from hundreds of thousands.

This is not only a difference in eyesight and strength, but also an experience of parabola and the weight of bowstring and arrow.

Then there were faint sobbing sounds in the conversation in the hall, and as they spoke, they became more emotional and started to cry.

Li Yuan looked up at his grandson outside the palace and said, "I know everything. It is really difficult for Cheng Qian to make the decision on this matter."

Wu Shigui said slowly: "It is I who have troubled His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Don't take it too seriously. You were rewarded by me in the first place. Even if Erlang doesn't care about you, I will. I've asked Zhangsun Wuji to approve your resignation letter even if it's against my will."

Upon hearing this, Wu Shigui bowed again and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

While the two were talking, Wu Shigui brought up Xu Jingzong's visit last night.

Li Yuan said slowly, "Since you have an appointment with Xu Jingzong, you don't have to rush back to Bingzhou. It's better to stay in Chang'an to recuperate. Although Cheng Qian is young, he can always make friends with some masters. Doctor Sun lives in the Du Mansion in Chang'an. You can go there to see a doctor. Stay in Chang'an to recuperate first. You are tired from traveling to Bingzhou."

"Your Majesty!" Wu Shigui bowed again and said, "I accept your command."

At that time, Wu Shigui helped Li Tang to send troops to the Central Plains, and Li Yuan was still on the throne.

Now this scene seems to have returned to those days.

Li Chengqian was still practicing archery outside the hall. Wu Shigui walked out of the Wude Hall, looked at the young prince and saluted, saying, "I was disrespectful earlier. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

Li Chengqian tried the bowstring and was not satisfied. He put down the bow and said, "What crime has Lord Ying committed? Stop joking."

Wu Shigui looked at Li Yuan in the hall again, then turned to the crown prince and continued, "It was my fault both emotionally and logically."

"Grandpa Emperor agreed to let you retire?"

Wu Shigui nodded and said, "Let me recuperate in Chang'an."

"Well, then take good care of yourself." Li Chengqian pulled the bowstring, aimed the arrow at the rattan ball that was falling from a high altitude, and shot it.

The arrow pierced through the rattan ball and hit the far wall.

Ning Er smiled and said, "Your Highness is good at archery."

Seeing this, Li Chengqian grinned and said, "I have always had good luck."

"Your Highness's talent is definitely not ordinary."

"It's just hitting the target with one or two arrows occasionally. It's not really a talent."

Looking at the warrior who was still bowing to the side, Li Chengqian said: "It's good to have a good chat with the emperor. If Ying Gong is free, please come to visit him more often in the future."

"Thank you, Your Highness, for not holding grudges against me and making arrangements for me. I am deeply grateful."

After saying this, he saluted again.

Li Chengqian couldn't bear to see a man in his old age crying alone, so he asked, "Xu Changshi, what did the emperor say?"

"Your Highness, the Emperor has agreed to approve Mr. Ying's resignation."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "I will report this matter to my father truthfully. You can go back and wait for the news."

"My minister retire."

In fact, Ying Gong resigned from his post and found the retired Emperor Li Yuan. When he talked about the past, he couldn't help but recall the friendship they had.

Li Yuan made an exception and allowed Wu Shigui to resign and retire. The former hero now had a good beginning and a good end, which is a good story no matter how you look at it.

Since it is a good story, someone will definitely make it come true.

After Ying Gong's resignation memorial was approved by the Ministry of Personnel, it was sent to Mount Li.

The next day, His Majesty personally approved the announcement and allowed him to retire.

Although there were some twists and turns, everyone got the result they wanted.

After the autumn rain stops, dry and cold wind from the northwest blows into Guanzhong.

Changsun Wuji would visit his uncle whenever he had free time.

In the mansion of Duke Xu, several old men were addicted to playing cards for a while. They went back to their homes these days and planned to get together again in a few days.

Gao Shilian looked at the chessboard in front of him and said, "I told Wang Gui about this. The old man got angry with me and asked why I didn't let my eldest grandson help him resign."

In the quiet courtyard, Gao Lin was cooking, adding firewood to the stove with swift hands and feet. The old servant always had a smile on his face.

Chang Sun Wuji said slowly: "The position of Shizhong will most likely belong to Wei Zheng."

Gao Shilian whispered: "Could it still be yours?"

After hearing what his uncle said, Changsun Wuji looked at the chessboard again and found that he had made a wrong move, and a gap appeared in the overall situation of the chessboard.

Gao Shilian smiled and made a move at the critical point, and then said: "This is where you are inferior to others. It has been like this since you were a child. You are easily bound by the opinions of outsiders, which delays you."

(End of this chapter)