The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 86 Subsidy and Filial Piety

Li Chengqian hurriedly walked into the Honglu Temple and said, "Uncle."

Changsun Wuji nodded and pointed to a seat nearby, saying, "Sit down."

He sat down with his hands in his pockets first, and saw Li Baiyao and several officials outside the door making some arrangements.

Half a minute later, the Gaochang envoy Qu Zhisheng was brought in.

Li Chengqian thought to himself that he, the prince, had become familiar to the envoys of various countries. He had also met the envoys of several leaders of the forces surrounding the Tang Dynasty.

Gaochang Prince Qu Zhisheng walked into the Honglu Temple. He saluted with the etiquette of the Central Plains people and said, "I, the foreign minister Qu Zhisheng, greet your Highness the Crown Prince, the Duke of Zhao, and all the civil and military officials."

He was very polite and spoke authentic Guanzhong dialect. If he was not dressed like someone from the Western Regions and looked more like someone from Guanzhong, it would be difficult to tell whether he was from Guanzhong or the Western Regions if he was thrown into a crowd.

Li Chengqian smiled and nodded.

Qu Zhisheng bowed in the direction of the Taiji Hall and said, "I, the minister, have come to meet the Heavenly Khan on the order of my father to congratulate him. I have also brought two carts of agate and jade, one cart of furs and herbs, three hundred barrels of grape wine, one cart of dried fruits and meats from the Western Regions, five hundred war horses, and two hundred camels."

Listening to the other party's story, I have to say that the envoys from Gaochang brought quite a lot of gifts this time.

This once again proves how wealthy Gaochang is today. Occupying such a precious piece of land in the Western Regions, it would be difficult for it not to be wealthy.

This attitude is different from that of the Turks, the people of Mobei, and the Tibetans.

The gifts that the people of Gaochang brought to the court were so considerable and so numerous.

Of course, the Western Regions are definitely richer, but compared to other envoys, this Gaochang prince named Qu Zhisheng is more wealthy.

Zhang Sun Wuji said: "Your Gaochang King is also a descendant of a minister during the Han Dynasty. The court intends to appoint you Gaochang father and son as generals to guard the Western Regions."

Qu Zhisheng added: "We in the Western Regions have never been warlike. Father has made friends with the rulers of the Western Regions. If the Tang Dynasty is interested, it can send envoys to meet with the envoys of the Western Regions under the support of Gaochang."

As soon as he finished speaking, although Qu Zhisheng still had a kind smile on his face, the expressions of the Crown Prince and Duke Zhao became unhappy.

Li Chengqian said: "I heard that when Monk Xuanzang passed by Gaochang, the King of Gaochang swore brotherhood with him."

Qu Zhisheng explained, "That's right. Father saw Xuanzang travel thousands of miles alone from the Tang Dynasty to India. He admired his courage and respected his character, so he made friends with him."

After saying this, Qu Zhisheng bowed again and said, "That is why my father has been sitting in front of the Buddha for several days."

Li Baiyao on the side handed over another piece of paper. What was written on the paper was the verified gift from Gaochang, which was almost the same as what Qu Zhisheng said.

Li Chengqian also took the paper handed to him by his uncle, took a look at it and put it aside.

Qu Zhisheng asked again: "When I came here, did I hear that the Turkic envoy killed the Mobei envoy?"

Changsun Wuji said: "Everyone in Chang'an knows about this."

Qu Zhisheng sighed: "Foreign ministers admire Tian Khan as a man, a hero with the courage to stick to his words and be tolerant of the world."

Changsun Wuji said in a deep voice: "The court has already made a decision on this matter. When Ashina She'er ends his feud with Mobei, he will come to apologize."

Qu Zhisheng bowed again and said, "It is the foreign minister who is meddling in other people's affairs. I have come to the Tang Dynasty to meet the Khan on behalf of my father. I hope that the Tang Dynasty and Gaochang will continue to be on good terms."

After saying this, Li Baiyao ordered his men to make a record and place it in front of Duke Zhao.

Changsun Wuji said: "The envoy, please go back and wait for the grand court meeting to begin before coming to see the emperor again."

"Thank you, Duke Zhao, and thank you, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." Qu Zhisheng bowed repeatedly and walked out of the Honglu Temple.

Even though everyone in the Honglu Temple had finished their work, they still sat there, waiting for instructions from the Duke of Zhao or the Crown Prince.

Li Chengqian whispered, "Uncle, this Gaochang prince is so conceited."

Changsun Wuji said: "I am a little conceited. I still prefer envoys like Ashina She'er. At least they are genuine."

Li Chengqian put his hands in his pockets and whispered, "Such a person is guarding such a rich piece of land."

Zhang Sun Wuji smiled and said, "They father and son can't keep it."

"Has Father decided to attack?"

"Your Highness, this is not a joke."

After Duke Zhao and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince walked away while talking, everyone from the Honglu Temple came out one after another.

Li Chengqian was walking in the rain with his uncle, holding an umbrella, when suddenly a boot flew towards them and some shouting and cursing were heard.

When I got closer, I saw that a fight had broken out in the Secretariat.

Wei Zheng, Chu Suiliang and others started fighting over the issue of whether to cover the names of candidates in the imperial examination.

Li Chengqian and his uncle stood in the rain, watching the scene in the Secretariat, feeling a bit caught in a dilemma.

Speaking of fighting, Chu Suiliang, who usually looks like a decent human being, used each move more sinister than the last, and he actually attacked in three directions.

Li Chengqian whispered: "Uncle, we..."

Chang Sun Wuji waved his sleeves and said, "Forget it, I'm going back home."

My uncle left just like that. Right now the Secretariat is in chaos and it’s probably difficult for me to be on duty. It wasn’t a big deal anyway, so the Prince of Gaochang came.

What could be more important than this year's imperial examination?

It would be better to let them fight.

Getting a result and implementing the imperial examination is more important than anything else. What does the Gaochang Prince's affairs matter?

Li Chengqian returned to the Eastern Palace and resumed his vacation life.

During the days when Prince Gaochang came, a rich and generous prince coming to Chang'an was naturally very welcome.

Shangguan Yi stood outside a room and whispered, "Sure enough, I was right about him. Sure enough, I was right about him."

Inside the house, there was the sound of a group of people laughing and talking happily, while outside the house, Shangguan Yi was muttering to himself numbly.

This Xu Jingzong was not only able to negotiate business with the Turks, but in less than two days he had become so close to the Prince of Gaochang that they almost became brothers. At this moment, he was drinking grape wine and watching the Hu concubine dance with the Prince of Gaochang.

Shangguan Yi whispered: "I was right about him. County Magistrate Xu is extremely talented. He is extremely talented..."

Cheng Chumo walked over quickly and said, "What's wrong? Aren't you going to have a drink? It's rare to have grape wine to drink."

Shangguan Yi covered his face and squatted on the ground and said, "Brother Chu Mo."

Cheng Chumo nodded and said, "I am here."

Shangguan Yi looked distressed and asked, "How many times a year do people in the Western Regions take a bath?"

Cheng Chumo shook his head and asked, "Are they taking a shower?"

Xu Jingzong would become whatever kind of person he met, and he could always please the person. Now he wanted to sell soap to people from the Western Regions.

Why doesn’t he sell combs to monks!
Shangguan Yi looked almost broken, and said, "Xu Jingzong wanted the Gaochang people to sell soap."

While they were chatting and laughing, the drunken Prince Gaochang and Xu Jingzong walked out together.

"Gaochang wants to buy 10,000 bars of soap from Jingyang!" The prince of Gaochang held a wine bowl in one hand and stretched out a finger with the other hand, saying, "10,000 bars!"

……

The Prince of Gaochang verbally agreed to this matter and bid farewell to Xu Jingzong.

Xu Jingzong smiled and pulled Shangguan Yi away, with Cheng Chumo following behind them.

Shangguan Yi supported the nearly drunk Xu Jingzong and said, "Xu County Magistrate is thoughtful."

Xu Jingzong was drunk to the point of having red cheeks, but his eyes were clear as he said, "The people of Gaochang are really rich."

Shangguan Yi whispered, "It turns out that selling soap has nothing to do with whether they use soap or not."

"Yeah." He smiled with relief, patted him on the shoulder and said, "If you understand this truth, your future career will be smooth." Lao Xu was a smart man, and Shangguan Yi could only learn from him.

Xu Jingzong came to a tavern with a smile on his face and said, "Give me a bowl of water and a basin of hot water. Make sure it's hot."

A basin of smoking hot water was placed in front of him. Xu Jingzong washed his face vigorously with the hot water. He sobered up a lot and breathed a sigh of relief. He was happy in his heart and smiled on his face. Shangguan Yi finally got it.

The next day, before the fight broke out in the Secretariat, Li Chengqian arrived at the Secretariat, waited at the door, and looked at the officials who were walking towards him.

He waited until Fang Xiang arrived, then bowed and said, "Teacher."

Fang Xuanling stepped in and asked, "Your Highness, have you met the Gaochang envoy?"

Li Chengqian handed over a document and replied, "I have seen it."

After receiving the document from the crown prince, Fang Xuanling was about to pick up the pen beside him to make a reply, but hesitated again and said, "Have the gifts from the envoys of various countries arrived?"

Li Chengqian replied: "The cattle, sheep, horses, wine, and furs have all arrived."

Fang Xuanling nodded, wrote his reply below and stamped his seal.

Li Chengqian took the document and said with a smile, "Thank you, Teacher."

Fang Xuanling still looked at the document and said, "It's okay."

Li Chengqian took the documents and called Cen Wenben and Li Baiyao, and walked towards the warehouse of Menxia Province together.

The soldier guarding the place saw that it was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and hurried forward and said, "Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Chengqian handed over the document in his hand and said, "Official business, open the warehouse."

"Here."

After opening the heavy lock, what came into view were barrels of wine.

Li Chengqian checked the gift list in his hand and asked, "How much is a barrel of these grape wines according to the market price?"

Cen Wenben sniffed it and said, "A barrel of this fine grape wine can be sold for ten strings of cash."

"Three hundred barrels means three thousand strings of cash." Li Chengqian calculated that if he counted the camels, it would be good to have five thousand strings of cash.

If we take into account the agate and jade, if it can be sold at a good price, the total profit would be around 10,000 strings of cash?
Well! It's really worth a lot of money.

Li Chengqian remained silent, frowned and walked out of the warehouse.

Cen Wenben and Li Baiyao followed behind His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Li Ji was already standing outside the Suzaku Gate with a team of camels. When he saw the prince coming, he hurried forward and said, "I have brought these camels here according to your instructions."

The soldiers in the rear were each leading a camel.

Li Chengqian asked: "How much are these camels worth?"

Li Ji said, "About twenty strings of cash a head. It may sell for a better price depending on the quality of the teeth."

Li Chengqian patted the camel's neck and said, "It would be a pity to sell such a good animal."

"I think so too. Camels are good at marching on sandy land."

"Even if you want to sell it, you can't sell it at such a low price." Li Chengqian waved his sleeves and said, "Move it back and use it in the army."

"Here."

After saying this, Li Chengqian walked back to the Suzaku Gate.

Seeing that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had his hands behind his back, holding the document approved by Prime Minister Fang in his hands, and walking in a hurry, Cen Wenben and Li Baiyao followed behind His Royal Highness.

Li Daoyan stood on the tower of Suzaku Gate and looked at the empty imperial city. The three people who were walking hurriedly were particularly conspicuous.

Li Chengqian suddenly stopped, and the two of them also stopped.

"Will 50,000 strings of cash be enough to build four counties in the Hexi Corridor?"

Li Baiyao replied: "Your Highness, there are enough people to recruit for corvée labor."

Cen Wenben said: "After the beginning of spring, it is the busy farming season. Your Majesty has always been light on taxes and levies, and rarely recruits large numbers of laborers."

Li Chengqian paced back and forth. The gifts sent by various countries could barely be sold for 30,000 strings of cash. It would be considered good if he could have a surplus of 50,000 strings of cash by scraping together all the money.

To conscript labor, I need the emperor's approval.

Building the four counties in the Hexi Corridor is not a small project, and my father may not necessarily mobilize corvee labor on a large scale.

But corvée labor is not the biggest headache at the moment. Li Chengqian has a better way to solve the labor problem.

The headache now is the various expenses used in construction, the transportation of stones and wood, and the issue of military pay for the garrison.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince stood there, lost in thought.

Cen Wenben and Li Baiyao looked at each other, not knowing what His Highness was thinking. They had no choice but to stand where they were. Were they going to be scolded by His Highness?
But what exactly does His Royal Highness the Crown Prince want to do?
Trade, military, taxes, land tax, the Silk Road, all kinds of information flashed through my mind quickly.

Suddenly, Li Chengqian sighed and said, "Talents! The Tang Dynasty is so short of talents."

"What kind of manpower does His Royal Highness want?"

Li Chengqian said: "You two can go back first."

"Here."

Li Baiyao and Cen Wenben bowed again and left.

After returning to the Eastern Palace, Li Chengqian heard the news that Xu Jingzong had sold another 10,000 bars of soap.

Ning Er said, "Now people in the Western Regions, the Turkic people, and the Tibetan people all know about soap."

Li Chengqian said: "Very good, from now on the soap can be used as money after it leaves the customs."

In this era of material scarcity, many things can be used as money, since people in the Western Regions can use pepper as money.

Then the Central Plains could also use soap and tea as money.

Life isn't always smooth sailing.

When the emperor felt that everything was going smoothly in his life, he wanted to drink some wine to cheer himself up and thought of grape wine.

When the eunuch returned to Ganlu Palace with a small bucket of grape wine, he reported the sad news to His Majesty.

Li Shimin pointed to a barrel of grape wine as big as a stool and asked, "Is this all the grape wine that the Gaochang people presented to us?"

The eunuch knelt down and cried softly, "Your Majesty, I just found out that the Crown Prince took a letter from Prime Minister Fang and sold all the grape wine to subsidize the court expenses."

"subsidy!"

Li Shimin uttered two words from between his teeth.

The eunuch even wiped his tears and said, "Everyone in the court says that the Crown Prince is filial. Because Your Majesty likes grape wine, I left some for Your Majesty to enjoy. I left it here on purpose."

"Filial piety!"

Two more words came out of the emperor's mouth.

The eunuch whispered, "Your Majesty, this matter was approved by Prime Minister Fang and signed by the Secretariat. All the civil and military officials in the court are saying that Your Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince are not motivated by personal desires, but are wholeheartedly devoted to the country."

I will update two chapters today, and will update more tomorrow.

Let Rong Xiaozhang go to bed early and have a rest, and continue to update tomorrow.

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(End of this chapter)