The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 64: The Beginning of the Peak of Father’s Power

Gao Lin whispered, "The monks from Shengguang Temple have arrived."

Gao Shilian put down the chess piece in his hand and whispered, "Let him in."

"Here."

Monk Popo walked into the clean room with a cane, looked at Duke of Zhao Changsun Wuji and Duke of Xu Gao Shilian, and bowed.

Gao Shilian whispered, "What do you want to say to me?"

Bo Po was still leaning on a crutch with one hand, and whispered, "I am about to die of old age. Repairing Shengguang Temple is the last merit I will do. Before I die, I want to tell Duke Xu something."

Gao Shilian stroked his beard and said, "You go ahead."

"When the old monk asked Xuanzang to travel west to India, someone sent a message that he had already arrived at the Great Qing Pond in Suye City."

Chang Sun Wuji asked: "So he has left the Western Regions?"

Bo Po added: "I have kept in mind your warning at Qujiang Lake and dare not forget it. I am afraid that I will not live to see Xuanzang return. Today, I saw General Hou Junji return to Chang'an, and I thought of Xuanzang. I only hope that Duke Xu will treat him well after he returns."

Chang Sun Wuji asked, "Why don't you go look for the prince?"

"This old monk dare not disturb the East Palace."

Gao Shilian stroked his beard and said, "I understand. You can leave now."

Because Bopo is too old now, he doesn't look good when he smiles.

After the old monk walked out of the room, Changsun Wuji picked up the tea bowl beside him and continued to place his pieces on the chessboard.

Gao Shilian whispered, "Did you go to see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince again today?"

Changsun Wuji nodded and said, "Yes."

"What did you say to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"

"Nothing, just some ordinary things."

"You and I are becoming increasingly distant."

Chang Sun Wuji whispered: "There are some things I can decide for myself."

Gao Shilian whispered, "You are now the Minister of Personnel and the Minister of the Central Secretariat. You hold a high position. It would be inappropriate for me to ask too many questions."

Changsun Wuji remained silent and continued playing chess.

Gao Lin hurried back and said, "Your Majesty summoned Wei Zheng late at night."

Gao Shilian stroked his beard and said, "I understand. You can go and have a rest."

"Here."

The next morning, Li Chengqian took his younger brothers and sisters for a run around the East Palace.

Li Shen wailed as he ran, "Brother, I can't run any more."

Li Chengqian said: "Come on, if you grit your teeth you can run to the East Palace."

Li Zhi's steps were slower than walking. It was a winter morning and still a little cold. He whispered, "Brother, why do they run one lap while I have to run half a lap more?"

Li Chengqian asked: "Do you want to be like a girl?"

Hearing this, Li Zhi gritted his teeth and ran a few steps faster.

Li Chengqian glanced at Li Shen who was lagging behind, and said, "Zhi Nu, let's stop here for today."

Li Zhi really couldn't run anymore. He held his waist and nodded. He only had the strength to breathe and his legs were trembling.

"Go and help Li Shen over here."

"Yes." Li Zhi hurried to help them, and the two brothers walked into the East Palace supporting each other.

This kind of high-intensity training was a little too much for the princes to bear for a while.

Li Chengqian roughly understood the physical limits of his younger brothers and sisters.

Before going to the morning court, he ordered again: "Don't sit still, get up and move around!"

A group of younger brothers and sisters wailed, but they could only support each other and stand up.

After changing into court clothes, Li Chengqian sat down to eat breakfast.

Li Lizhi and her younger brother and sister were still doing stretching exercises. They could only eat after they finished stretching.

Li Chengqian ate noodles and pancakes to replenish the carbohydrates needed by his body.

Xiaofu was very happy that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince could have a good meal.

After finishing their stretching exercises, the younger brothers and sisters started to have breakfast. Li Lizhi sat beside her brother and whispered, "They didn't get up until the sun was high in Mount Li. We can't let them slack off like this in the East Palace."

Li Chengqian nodded, finished the noodles in his bowl, then finished the cake, and burped comfortably.

Just as a little sunlight appeared in the sky, Li Chengqian walked out of the East Palace.

The ministers arrived particularly early for today's morning court session. Usually, there are not so many people supervising the government affairs. Half of them went to Mount Li.

It is now full and everyone is here.

Li Chengqian walked to his seat with familiarity.

Li Ke whispered, "When I came here, I saw my brother running outside the East Palace."

Li Chengqian said: "Morning running is my habit, it's for physical fitness."

Li Ke nodded and said, "My brother does look stronger than before."

The court returned to its previous state. As soon as the emperor returned, everything here was restored to its original state.

While His Majesty was not here yet, everyone chatted with their neighbors.

Changsun Wuji walked forward and handed over a file without saying a word.

Li Chengqian took the file and opened it for a look. The file was not big and could be hidden in his sleeve. He untied the rope and opened it. It contained documents for entering and leaving the customs, and it had the seal of the Secretariat.

So, Li Chengqian smiled at his uncle, then calmly hid his face in his sleeves and continued to stand with his hands in his pockets.

Li Ke asked again: "I heard that my brother has been practicing archery recently?"

Li Chengqian said: "Go and practice when you have nothing to do. You have been in the army all year round, how can I compare with you?"

"You are joking, my brother. Actually, my archery skills are not that good."

"You are not proficient, I am just beginning to learn the basics, you can teach me when you have time."

Li Ke looked troubled and said, "I'm afraid it won't be possible these days. I have to guard the Suzaku Gate."

"I mean, if I have time in the future."

"Yes." Li Ke saluted in a serious manner.

"You must have had a lot of fun during the autumn hunt."

"That's true. My brother always hunts the biggest prey. He even hunted a very fat wild boar."

The two brothers were chatting and ignoring Li Tai who was standing nearby. Li Tai couldn't find anyone to talk to for a moment, so he could only stand there in a trance, looking at his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose.

Finally, His Majesty arrived and the morning court officially began.

Before the ministries began to report their affairs, a eunuch read out the imperial decree. Because Wang Gui was old, he was allowed to retire and remain in the Ministry of Rites. Another counselor, Wei Zheng, was frank in his advice and counsel, and worked hard for state affairs, taking his place as the Minister of the Interior...

The order in just a few words meant that Wang Gui retired, and Wei Zheng was appointed as Shizhong, a position ranked among the prime ministers, with a status equal to that of Zhangsun Wuji.

I'm not sure what happened, but I feel like a lot of things happened in the court during the two days when the emperor returned from autumn hunting.

Not everything can be known to the Crown Prince of the East Palace. This is what it means to not be able to manage state affairs. You can only passively accept the changes. Last night, His Majesty scolded Hou Junji all night long. Today's morning court is bound to have many twists and turns.

A censor stood up from the court and said, "Your Majesty, I impeach Hou Junji, the deputy general of the Western Sea Road, for massacring people in Tuyuhun and killing surrendered soldiers indiscriminately."

Hearing this, a man with white hair on his temples walked out of the court. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty! I think that those killed by Hou Junji were all rebels, and they should be killed!"

The speaker was Wei Zheng, holding a tablet in his hand, and said in a loud voice: "I have warned you long ago that you must not relax your temper just because you surrender temporarily. If you do not teach them, it is better to kill them!"

I thought Wei Zheng, who had just been appointed as the Minister of the Interior, would be more low-key, but I didn't expect him to stand up and refute so quickly.

In the morning class, some people suddenly started talking in low voices.

Li Ke whispered, "Brother, when we dealt with the Turks, Wei Zheng also said that if they could not be educated, they should be killed."

Wei Zheng is a tough man towards outsiders, and it is rare for him to stand on Hou Junji's side.

Li Chengqian also whispered: "Has he always been like this?"

Li Ke replied: "People who learn the art of diplomacy are like this."

Li Chengqian nodded in understanding.

Li Tai stood in his position and could vaguely hear the whispers beside him. He continued to look at his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose. He kept his mouth shut and stood in meditation.

Another censor stood up and said, "Hou Junji killed the surrendered soldiers and damaged the reputation of the Tang army. How can we convince people in the future?"

Among the military commanders, Li Daliang said loudly: "Do you want the censors to reason with them? Look outside the Great Wall, how many people can understand your etiquette and the Spring and Autumn Annals? It's still up to me to fight!"

An official said: "We are talking about conquering the Western Regions, but you guys only know how to fight and kill."

"You're talking nonsense! That's the art of war!"

"you!"

Today's morning court was extremely exciting. Li Chengqian enjoyed it very much and felt much more energetic.

Li Shimin said with a sullen face: "Call Hou Junji."

The eunuch shouted loudly, "Call General Hou Junji into the palace!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the court fell silent, and all the officials and generals fell silent.

Hou Junji was wearing a thin cloth garment, without any armor, and walked into the hall barefoot with his head lowered.

Li Shimin nodded and said, "Go ahead."

The eyes of the officials were focused on the general who was heading to the west. Hou Junji bowed and said, "I am going to Qinghai. The so-called killing of the surrendered is because the Fuyun people rebelled. I treated them well for a while, but when they learned that Fuyun was dead, they abandoned the goodwill of our Tang army and gathered together to rebel."

Wei Zheng asked, "Is there any witness?"

"Yes!" Hou Junji's tone was very calm. He said in a deep voice: "I have escorted the son of Tuyuhun Khan to Chang'an. He can testify!"

Li Chengqian looked at the calm general suspiciously, then glanced at his father out of the corner of his eye.

Wei Zheng said: "Your Majesty, please summon Fu Yun's son and confront him in the palace."

Li Shimin nodded to signal for a summons.

Following another loud shout from the eunuch, a young man about twenty years old was taken to the Taiji Hall. He knelt down in the hall with his bare feet covered in black mud, and his black and yellow hair was a mess like a chicken coop.

The son of Fuyun knelt down and said, "Your humble servant pays respect to the Heavenly Khan!"

His voice was very loud and he prostrated himself on the ground.

Wei Zheng asked, "Did Hou Junji kill the surrendered Tuyuhun soldiers?"

Fu Yun's son fell to the ground, trembling, his nose and face almost touching the ground, and replied: "It was the tribe that surrendered and then rebelled. The general advised them several times and persuaded them to surrender, but they did not listen. The general also questioned the guilty minister. It was the tribe that was stubborn and brought shame to the Tang army. The guilty minister cannot redeem himself even if he is killed."

Li Chengqian lost interest when he heard the words which seemed to have been prepared in advance.

Finally, the emperor punished Hou Junji by confining him to his home for a month to reflect on his actions, and gave Fu Yun's son the surname Murong again. From then on, he was called Murong Shun. He lived in Chang'an and studied at Sifang Pavilion.

The political situation is still in the hands of the emperor, and everything that happens here is what the emperor wants.

The emperor's methods will be infinitely magnified in this Taiji Hall and in the court.

The war between Tuyuhun and the Tang Dynasty has now left a result that makes everyone happy, and this is also the result that the emperor wanted.

It was not until the morning court session was over that Li Chengqian walked out of the Taiji Hall with his hands in his pockets and a frown on his face, still feeling aggrieved. In fact, this matter should have been dealt with more roughly. Wouldn't there be a better result?

After all, even if Hou Junji had gone too far, the emperor still punished him by confinement and ordered him to reflect on his mistakes.

Whether it is face, reason, rewards and punishments, or morality and fairness, all are given.

The Heavenly Khan is still the Khan who is respected and admired by all the barbarians.

As for what happened on the Tuyuhun battlefield and how it ended, not many people care.

It is difficult to record an event in detail in history books.

Feeling the powerful hand that my father has in controlling the overall situation of the court, I realized that my father is powerful after all.

At least we have experienced the transition from Wude to Zhenguan, and then to the sedimentation of the past few years in Zhenguan, until now, the seventh year of Zhenguan, more and more old ministers have left the court.

In fact, from that time on, Fang Xiang took charge of the government, and Zhangsun Wuji and Wei Zheng all occupied key positions.

My father's hand has completely taken control of the court, and this is the beginning of the emperor's peak power.

As for today's results, Li Chengqian felt that there was nothing incomprehensible.

"Cheng Qian, you are here."

Hearing his grandfather's words, Li Chengqian picked up the bow in front of the Wude Hall and said, "My grandson is here to practice archery again. Sorry to bother you, grandfather."

Li Yuan smiled nonchalantly and said, "Come whenever you want."

The eunuch beside him was still kneeling on the ground, saying, "Your Majesty has instructed that you please take away these arrows and targets. It is inappropriate to leave them in the Wude Hall."

"Propriety?" Li Yuan kicked the eunuch who was delivering the message away and said, "If you keep nagging me, I will let you know what propriety is!"

The eunuch ran away with a sad face.

Li Yuan sat down and said, "He probably went to your father to complain again. You just need to continue practicing."

Li Chengqian drew his bow and shot an arrow, which became more and more accurate. His father had been hunting in autumn for two months, and he had also practiced archery in the Wude Hall for two months.

Although this grandson's archery skills are not yet up to par, like ordinary people, he does not have much talent, so he has to be hardworking and diligent when practicing.

Li Yuan asked, "I heard that you have been getting up early and running in the morning for more than half a year?"

Li Chengqian said: "It started last spring, and my grandson has not been sick since he started training."

"Good." Li Yuan nodded with satisfaction and said, "The sons of the Li family should be this strong."

Li Chengqian pulled the bowstring, and the arrow with a cold flash was aimed at the rattan ball that was falling from a high altitude.

An arrow was shot and hit the rattan ball, nailing it to the target.

"Well, you've made progress." Li Xiaogong appeared beside me without knowing when.

"Why are you here?" Li Yuan asked curiously.

"Hahaha..." Li Xiaogong said, "You refused to put away your bows and arrows. Your Majesty came to me, the Minister of Zongzheng Temple. Do you think that your nephew has finally got some free time and needs to bother you again?"

Li Yuan snorted coldly: "If I can't persuade you, I'll ask you to do it again, hahaha..."

Li Xiaogong looked at the prince shooting arrows in front of the palace and said, "The posture is correct, but the breath is unstable."

Li Yuan said: "The unstable breathing means that the child is worried."

"What could possibly happen in the East Palace? Could his worries be as many as mine?"

(End of this chapter)