The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 66: General's Teachings

Li Lizhi took out a stack of yellow paper from a small cloth bag and put it aside for drafting. She also took out some dried meat and red dates as snacks and whispered, "My brother, have some too."

"Father, eat too." She grabbed some dried meat and placed it on her father's table.

Li Lizhi is only twelve years old now, but according to her birthday, she should be thirteen years old.

Next, Li Chengqian looked at the memorial intently, not caring that the wind and snow outside the window began to fall into the hall, and some of it even fell on his body.

Li Lizhi seemed to have been influenced by her brother, and she was concentrating on dealing with memorials while tapping on an abacus.

The brother and sister completed one after another, and whispered to each other in between, all of which were related to the memorials.

While calculating, Li Lizhi needed to make a draft and skillfully wrote out the formulas, using the Feibai style she was best at, which was also the same font as her father's.

Li Shimin stood up, holding his lower back and stretching his muscles. He glanced sideways to see the brother and sister still writing attentively.

He has a strong concentration and is not affected by the wind and snow outside. The brush in his hand occasionally pauses and occasionally writes.

When the ink in the inkstone was gone, the eunuch next to it would replace it with a new inkstone, while another eunuch would grind it nearby.

As if feeling a little embarrassed for being lazy, Li Shimin cleared his throat and sat down again, looking at the memorial approved by his son.

He then silently placed some memorials that gave him a headache and were difficult to decide on on his son's desk.

Li Lizhi was chewing dried meat while looking at the memorials, while calculating on the paper with the brush in her hand. She picked up a date beside her and put it into her mouth. When her hands were free, she began to use the abacus.

Thinking about how this brother and sister had gotten through the time of supervising government affairs, Li Shimin's old face rarely turned red.

After sitting for a long while, Li Shimin stood up again, staring at the falling snow outside the window, wishing that more of the snow would fall on himself, the father, and less on his children.

I could still hear the conversation between the brother and sister.

"Brother, is this correct?"

"Ah."

……

In the quiet Taiji Hall, Li Shimin somewhat admired the concentration of these two children. Could it be that his brothers and sisters in the East Palace could all be so focused?
How did you develop such strong concentration?

After another hour, Li Lizhi had finished calculating all the accounts. She stretched herself and then leaned over the desk, intending to take a nap.

Before we knew it, it was already afternoon. The children in the East Palace had the habit of taking a nap.

Li Chengqian was still looking through the memorials. In fact, several memorials were talking about the same thing, and it was entirely possible to deal with them as one.

The Queen waited until Li Lizhi woke up from her nap and then ordered someone to bring food to the East Palace.

Only then did Li Chengqian complete the approval of these 235 memorials.

"Father, these are the last batch before the Emperor's recess. The provincial governments hope to finalize many matters before the Emperor's recess. Otherwise, if they wait until the Emperor's recess to deal with them, it will take until next year."

Li Shimin nodded and said, "Yes."

Li Lizhi massaged her brother's shoulders attentively.

Li Chengqian put down the brush in his hand and whispered, "Your son has classified these memorials into four categories: civil affairs, construction, military and defense, and money and grain dispatch. Father can also classify them in the future. Moreover, many things can be combined into one thing. Classifying and summarizing them in advance can greatly reduce the workload."

"For example, the land distribution problem in Weinan County is essentially a population registration issue. Once the household registration is resolved, the land distribution issue will naturally lead to land ownership."

"There is also the issue of resettlement of refugees, which is fundamentally a question of land for construction..."

Listening to his son's analysis, Li Shimin took note in his mind and nodded in understanding. After truly seeing how his son reviewed the papers, he knew clearly in his mind the secret of how his son was able to solve these problems so efficiently and completely.

It doesn't sound like a big secret, but rather a skill that can be learned easily.

Li Lizhi placed a pot of food on the table and said, "Brother, please have your meal. I am hungry too. Xiaofu made a stew of lamb bones today."

The father, his son, brother and sister sat down again in the Ganlu Hall and ate the meal in front of them.

It has been a long time since I watched the children eat so quietly. I can’t remember when was the last time I had a meal with these two children.

Li Chengqian put a piece of lean mutton into Li Lizhi's bowl and said, "You will feel uncomfortable if you eat too much fat. Eat some lean meat."

Li Lizhi nodded and scooped millet rice into her mouth with chopsticks.

She narrowed her eyes and smiled contentedly, "My daughter likes pickled mustard greens the most."

My daughter likes to eat pickled mustard greens... Li Shimin forced a smile and slowed down his eating movements.

The old eunuch beside him observed the emperor's expression. He couldn't tell whether he was happy or not. He probably felt a little guilty.

Li Chengqian was eating his meal and asked, "Father, are we really going to remove the bow and arrow targets in front of the Wude Hall?"

Li Shimin held up a lamb leg bone and asked, "How is your archery?"

"Grandpa Emperor said that my archery skills are amazing, but Uncle Emperor said that I am not even as good as the most common archer in the army."

"If you want to be good at archery, you need to train your arm strength. Practice drawing the bow more often and hang a few heavy stones on your arms."

Li Chengqian nodded, swallowed the food in his mouth, and said, "If the bows and arrows in the Wude Hall are taken away, can I go to the army to practice archery?"

Li Shimin sighed, "Please leave it in the Wude Hall. I'll let Maogong teach you. Your grandfather is old and is no longer the same as he used to be. And Xiaogong is okay in marching and leading troops in battle, but as for archery... he is not good at it."

"Thank you, Father."

At the dinner table, Li Lizhi sometimes looked at her father and sometimes looked at her brother.

"If you have anything to ask for, you can tell me."

"I have a document in my hand and would like your Majesty to comment and seal it." After saying that, Li Chengqian handed over the document that Changsun Wuji had handed over during the court session this morning.

Li Shimin opened the document and took a look, then asked, "What do you want this for?"

"Arrange a team to go outside the Great Wall to have a look. It may take many trips to and from Guanzhong and outside the Great Wall, although the seal of the Secretariat is enough." Li Chengqian put down his bowl and chopsticks and sat up straight, and said, "But I thought about it again. If the emperor allows, it would be better if the Tang envoys go outside the Great Wall with soldiers and horses to escort them."

It didn't seem like a big deal, so he asked, "How many soldiers do you need?"

Li Chengqian replied: "More than a hundred people will be enough."

"Let Niu Jinda arrange this matter." After saying that, Li Shimin put down his bowl and chopsticks, added a few words, and asked the eunuch beside him to stamp his seal.

After taking the document, Li Chengqian put it into his sleeve and stuffed it into his sleeve with force.

With this permission, the "caravan" will be able to travel freely in the Western Regions outside the Great Wall.

"I have another request."

"Speak." Li Shimin picked up the wine bottle beside him and took a sip of the wine.

"Perhaps this is inappropriate for me to say."

After saying this, looking at his father's eyes again, Li Chengqian said, "At that time, my father did not come back from Xuanwu Gate. At that time, Fang Xiang and I tried to persuade Qingque several times, but he insisted on waiting in Ganlu Palace. Afterwards, my uncle, Duke Zhao, said that the will is the will and we must obey it."

After a pause, Li Chengqian continued, "Qingque was indeed too stubborn that day, and Prime Minister Fang and the others had a lot to say to her. If Qingque is ignorant, it must be that the emperor's elder brother has failed to take good care of his younger siblings." Li Shimin nodded and remained silent.

"Father, I heard that Mr. Wang Gui has retired. He is still staying in Chang'an. Why not ask him to go to the Prince of Wei's Mansion to teach Qingque?"

Li Lizhi was full, so she put down her bowl and chopsticks and sat upright.

Li Shimin first looked at his daughter beside him, and then said in a deep voice: "I sometimes neglect you brothers and sisters. Well, let Wang Gui teach Qingque."

"Thank you, Father."

The dinner went smoothly. By this time, it was already night outside the hall.

Li Chengqian walked out of the hall with his hands in his pockets, feeling the wind and snow blowing towards him.

Li Lizhi followed her brother with a lantern in her hand.

Li Shimin, who was still sitting in the hall, held a wine jar, drank wine and watched the brother and sister walking into the snow.

"Your Majesty, the wine has been heated three times."

"Send all these memorials to the Secretariat and distribute them."

"Here."

After drinking, I still felt a little warm.

Li Shimin came to the Lizheng Hall.

Empress Changsun had just coaxed Little Sizi to sleep and lit the stove for His Majesty to get warmer. She whispered, "The heavy snow came early this year. Taoist Yuan from the Imperial Observatory sent a message saying that it will snow in the next few days."

Li Shimin sat aside, stroking his forehead, holding his wife's hand and saying, "Today, I feel particularly tired."

The couple sat together. Empress Changsun felt the warmth of her husband's palm and whispered, "What difficulties have you encountered again?"

"It's not a difficult task." Li Shimin said with a wry smile: "Cheng Qian actually asked me for something."

"any request?"

"It's not too much to ask."

Empress Changsun asked suspiciously, "What happened to you and your son?"

Li Shimin whispered, "In the past, when I asked him what he wanted, he would never ask me for what he wanted."

"The former Cheng Qian only hoped that you, the father, would be healthy."

"Haha, this kid now thinks about himself."

It snowed heavily for a whole day and night. When it was almost dawn, it was still snowing heavily. It was not yet time for the official holiday.

The entire court of civil and military officials came to the Chengtian Gate, which was still closed. A eunuch standing in front of the gate said loudly, "Your Majesty has ordered that it is snowing heavily today, so the court will be closed for one day."

Whenever a group of officials arrived at Chengtian Gate, the eunuchs standing in front of the gate would read out the emperor's decree loudly.

It's time to rest, it's freezing cold, and there are still many state affairs that need to be dealt with.

Fang Xuanling, Zhangsun Wuji and Wei Zheng, the three most important people in the court, walked into the Secretariat and began to prepare for today's affairs.

As soon as he sat down, Fang Xuanling took a memorial and looked at it carefully. After recognizing the handwriting on it, he smiled and said, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is reviewing the memorial again."

Changsun Wuji asked with concern: "Really? Let me take a look."

After saying this, he quickly snatched a memorial and wanted to see what his nephew had commented on.

Wei Zheng said: "I have been saying that we should implement a policy of education for the Turks, and your Highness the Crown Prince agrees with me."

Fang Xiang asked, "What did His Royal Highness say?"

Wei Zheng said, "Your Majesty has been slow to respond to the memorial I submitted before. Now it says that it encourages exchanges among ethnic groups and orders envoys from various tribes to go to the Sifang Pavilion to learn Tang people's etiquette and writing. After they leave the border, they will be appointed as Tang envoys and return to their respective tribes after they have learned how to do so."

"Hahaha!" Wei Zheng said loudly while sitting in the Secretariat: "I am not alone in my thinking. The Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace and I, a hero, share the same views."

In the morning, although there was no need to attend the early morning court today, he could not miss his morning run, so he asked Ning'er to arrange for the eunuchs in the palace to deliver the documents to Xu Jingzong in Jingyang.

The Eastern Palace always asked the eunuchs in the palace to do things, and these eunuchs were very enthusiastic.

If you do things for the Eastern Palace, the Eastern Palace will give you two salted duck eggs. If you encounter trouble, the Eastern Palace will even give you more delicious tea eggs.

This made the eunuchs feel that the Eastern Palace really treated them as human beings.

Because of the heavy snow today, Li Chengqian only took his younger brother and sister to run two laps in the East Palace courtyard before giving up.

Ning Er had just finished instructing the eunuch to do something when she came back and said, "Your Highness, General Li Ji is here."

Li Chengqian was holding two bowls of noodles, with some cabbage leaves, some beef and a fried egg with scallion oil on top.

It is freezing cold, and eating a bowl of steaming noodles can replenish carbohydrates and warm the stomach.

The younger brother and sister were eating in the East Palace. Li Chengqian came outside the East Palace with a bowl in his hand, handed a bowl to the general, and said, "You haven't eaten yet, have a bowl."

Li Ji clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, Your Highness!"

The general took the bowl and chopsticks and stood outside the East Palace to eat.

Li Chengqian waved towards the East Palace with the hand holding the chopsticks, and the sensible Xiaofu quickly brought a chair. She was very strong and dragged two armchairs with both hands.

Let Li Ji sit down first, and then Li Chengqian sat down. The two of them sat at the East Palace Gate and ate noodles on a snowy morning.

Seeing the general eating heartily, Li Chengqian asked, "Does the general usually get up early to eat?"

Li Ji said: "I don't have this habit. I used to eat more in the army, but now I don't eat so much."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "In fact, my uncle and Prime Minister Fang often come to the East Palace to eat before the morning court. The general can also come along."

Li Ji put a whole poached egg into his mouth, chewed it three or two times and swallowed it. When he moved his chopsticks, the armor on his shoulders made a sound due to the collision. He said, "After you finish eating, I will teach you archery."

The general still speaks so little.

After breakfast, the two put their bowls and chopsticks in front of the East Palace and went to the Wude Hall to practice archery.

Xiaofu walked quickly to the outside of the East Palace, made sure that the prince had finished all the noodles, and then happily walked back to the East Palace with the empty bowl.

His Majesty finally rescinded his order and allowed bows and targets to be placed in front of the Wude Hall so that the Crown Prince of the East Palace could practice archery here. The mutual understanding between three generations of father and son became a good story in the palace.

The heavy snow had not stopped yet, and Li Chengqian drew his bow and shot an arrow.

Li Ji observed the prince's movements and corrected him, "Raise your arms higher and don't tense your feet too much."

Li Chengqian listened to the general's words and corrected them one by one.

"Yes." Li Ji nodded and said, "There are people in this world who are gifted with great archery skills. The Turks have been learning hunting since they were young, so they are naturally good at riding and shooting."

(End of this chapter)