The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 96 Past events
I watched General Yuchi peel off the scales of the fish, clean the fish, wash it and bring it up again.

Li Chengqian took the big fish and said, "Thank you for your help."

Yuchi Gong still grinned and said, "This one is too fat and not tasty."

"It's true that it doesn't taste good when stewed, but it will be different if you roast it until it's crispy and at the right temperature." Li Chengqian raised the fish in his hand and continued, "You need to add some spices."

Yuchi Gong put away his sword and stood beside your majesty's waterside pavilion again.

Li Chengqian instructed again: "Dongyang, are all the seasonings and sauces ready?"

She checked it and said, "It's all fine."

Li Chengqian flattened the whole fish, propped it up with branches, and then propped it up with a rack before roasting it by the fire.

Li Zhi also placed some cakes by the fire. After heating up, these wheat cakes could be eaten with the barbecue.

Maybe for other children, they don’t need to eat cakes when they eat meat, but the children of the Eastern Palace cannot only eat meat. They must have rice, flour, meat and vegetables. If they only eat meat without vegetables, they will be scolded by the imperial sisters and brothers.

So no matter whether it is radishes or green vegetables, you have to eat them, and a meal must have a staple food.

Li Chengqian asked as he applied sauce to the fish: "Qingque."

Li Tai bowed and said, "Yes."

"No need to be so polite. Why should we be so restrained when we are out having fun as a family?" Li Chengqian said with a smile, "How is the preparation for the Comprehensive Geography now?"

Li Tai replied: "We have been collecting county chronicles from various parts of the Central Plains and are currently compiling them."

Li Chengqian turned the grilled fish over and said, "The Comprehensive Geography is related to the integrity of the Central Plains classics. Try to think about and write about the bigger picture as much as possible. Don't be afraid of trouble and abandon those minor details."

"If you need anything, just tell me." As he was speaking, Li Chengqian noticed that Li Tai's eyes were also looking at Li Ke beside him.

Li Chengqian added: "You don't need to look at him. He has been in the army for a long time. As long as he can maintain strict military discipline and be a decent person, he will be very good."

Hearing this, Li Ke smiled innocently.

Seeing Li Tai lower his head again, Li Chengqian asked, "How is Wang Gui? Does he teach you every day?"

Li Tai replied: "The old man is very good."

"That's good. I thought you wouldn't get along with him."

"Thank you for your concern, brother."

Li Chengqian patted him on the shoulder and said, "You are my brother."

Li Tai nodded heavily and said, "Yes, my brother."

The big fish was being roasted and oozing with oil. A lot of oil was dripping into the fire, making a sizzling sound.

I have to say, the fish in Taiye Lake are incredibly fat. There is still so much oil and water after being roasted for so long.

Li Zhi handed over two cakes and said, "Brother, eat the cakes first, or you will be hungry."

Li Chengqian broke the cake and gave each to Li Tai and Li Ke.

The three brothers were standing together eating. Their younger brothers and sisters also had their own games to play. Li Lizhi and Dongyang were playing shuttlecock.

Beside Taiye Lake, a group of children are playing harmoniously.

Li Shimin sat in the water pavilion without saying a word. The eunuch stood by and watched as his majesty's fishing hook was bitten by fish many times.

I didn't see His Majesty pick up the fishing rod either.

At this moment, His Majesty was looking intently at the group of princes. The older Crown Prince, the King of Wei and the King of Wu were talking together.

The younger Li Zhi and Li Shen were grilling meat.

His Majesty remained silent, and the eunuch had no choice but to stand aside with his head down.

Li Chengqian said: "So, I and Prime Minister Fang established the imperial examination system, and even now there are still many people who oppose it."

Li Tai listened carefully, but did not express his attitude on the spot.

Li Chengqian whispered: "If we don't implement the imperial examination, then sooner or later the court will be controlled by the aristocratic families and other powerful clans."

After saying so much, I don’t know how much the two younger brothers listened to.

Li Ke is a very simple person. He only knows right from wrong, good from evil.

Li Tai was a rather complicated person, and his thoughts were rather complicated, so he had a rather complicated understanding of the relationship between aristocratic families and the imperial examinations.

Li Chengqian whispered, "Qingque, have you heard your teacher talk about his past?"

Li Tai shook his head and said, "No."

"If you have a chance, you can ask Mr. Wang about what happened back then."

Li Tai said: "Thank you for your guidance, brother."

Li Chengqian turned the grilled fish over again. The fish was now grilled to a crispy crisp with no excess oil or water dripping down.

"Child slave!"

"Brother Royal."

"Call the emperor and tell him that it's time to eat."

"Yes." Li Zhi ran into the waterside pavilion quickly, "Father, Father."

Li Shimin stroked his beard and looked at the water surface and asked, "What's wrong?"

Li Zhi said with a smile: "Father, it's time to eat."

Li Shimin smiled and said, "Are you hungry? I asked the palace to prepare food and asked them to bring it over."

"No need." Li Zhi pulled his father's arm and said, "My brother and I have prepared the food. We made it ourselves. Please don't despise it."

Looking at his son, Li Shimin was stunned for a moment and said, "Well, let me try the food you made."

Empress Changsun and her sisters sat on the other side and ate.

His Majesty sat with a group of his sons to have dinner.

Li Chengqian cut off the fish head and divided the fish body into several parts, first giving one part to his father.

Princess Gaoyang walked over and said, "Brother, I want to eat too."

The fish was very big. Li Chengqian cut off the other half and said, "Give it to mother and sisters."

Gao Yang took it with a smile. The fish was very big and could not be put into a ceramic basin. A large part of the head and tail was still hanging.

After she carefully brought the fish to her mother's table, Li Chengqian withdrew his gaze and shared the fish with his brothers.

Li Shimin picked up a piece with chopsticks, looked at the charred and fragrant fish meat, took a bite and chewed it carefully.

"This fish is too fat. I will roast it as long as possible." As he said this, Li Chengqian divided the fish meat among his remaining brothers.

Li Shimin ate the meat and asked, "Has anyone taught you this skill before?"

Li Zhi said: "Father, this is very simple. Just control the saltiness and sprinkle the ingredients as you like."

Li Shen ate the cake and nodded his head as he pleased.

Sitting together with his father for dinner, Li Tai seemed reserved, but Li Ke still looked indifferent, as if they were all brothers.

Li Chengqian said: "I know that your father is worried, but you can't just focus on the present and ignore the future."

Li Shimin asked back: "In the future? What do you think the future will be like?"

Li Chengqian replied: "The Tang Dynasty will be even more powerful in the future."

The conversation between the emperor and his brother was very straightforward, and Li Tai's forehead was sweating as he listened. "I think building a palace might be too expensive, so I plan to build a private garden for you next to the Taiye Lake. In fact, we don't need to go to Jiucheng Palace, isn't it also good to be next to our home?"

Li Shimin put down his chopsticks, took a sip of wine, and was still thinking about his son's words.

Li Chengqian asked again: "What do you think, Father?"

Li Shimin closed his eyes and slowly put down the wine bottle in his hand and said, "What should I do with so many children?"

Li Chengqian said casually: "Let them all go with father, and give them a long vacation."

"Since you have planned everything before and after, why are you still asking me what to do?"

"I will ask the Ministry of Works to prepare it someday. Please take a look, Father."

"Yes." Li Shimin nodded and said in a deep voice: "The imperial examination is still a major event this year. You and Prime Minister Fang cannot slack off."

"My son, take your orders."

After the family had their meal, they each went about their own business.

Li Tai left early after lunch, walked all the way from Taiye Lake to Xuanwu Gate, and then walked back to the palace.

Walking through the imperial city and onto Suzaku Street, I was still thinking about the meaning of my brother's words today.

"Your Highness Prince Wei, are you going back home?"

Hearing the words of the attendant beside him, Li Tai nodded and said, "Return home."

Several attendants were accompanying the King of Wei. The fifteen-year-old Li Tai looked somewhat confused.

It was not until I entered the mansion that I saw Wang Gui.

"Qingque greets the teacher." Li Tai bowed.

"Your Highness the Prince of Wei is late today." Wang Gui also saluted.

"I went boating with my father in Taiye Lake and just came back." Li Taigang sat down, took off his tight boots, and poured cold water into his mouth.

Wang Gui stood aside holding a book in his hand.

As soon as the water entered his mouth, he could feel the cool water entering his stomach. Li Tai's eyes were still looking at him, and after digesting the meal he had eaten in Taiye Lake, he burped heartily.

"I've never heard the old gentleman talk about the past."

Wang Gui stroked his beard and said, "There is not much to say about my past."

Li Tai sat cross-legged barefoot and said, "It's okay for you to talk about it, old sir. I am curious."

Wang Gui nodded and said, "I entered the government at a young age. Emperor Wen of Sui was still in power at that time. I followed my uncle Wang Long to study history and compile classics. Later, something happened..."

Having said this, Wang Gui looked at Li Tai, and then hesitantly spoke about the next thing. He paused for a moment and then continued speaking, saying that his uncle was killed and he himself had fled to Mount Zhongnan.

Li Tai whispered, "So when you and Wang Yu followed Han Wang Yang Liang to raise an army to overthrow Yang Guang, but were betrayed, and you fled to Mount Zhongnan, no one thought of helping you and redressing your name?"

Wang Gui was a little more unwilling and whispered, "I was young and arrogant and trusted others. I was betrayed by Han Wangliang's advisers. Later, someone in Taiyuan betrayed me to protect himself. They..."

When Li Tai got excited, he poured tea for the old man and advised him, "Don't be angry, old man. Drink some tea."

Wang Gui said: "So many years have passed, all those grievances have long been buried with those people. Your Majesty, remember my talent and reputation. If one day I am buried, you should ask those people why they betrayed me. Was it just for the good name of his Taiyuan family?"

It turns out that the old man followed the wrong people and trusted the wrong people when he was young.

The uncle of Teacher Wang Gui when he was young was Wang Xu, who was from a noble family in Taiyuan.

It seems that the teacher is now at odds with the aristocratic family. Li Tai sat silently, carefully thinking about the teacher's words and the advice in his royal brother's words.

Observing the teacher's expression, everyone told a different story.

Coming from the old man's mouth, one can hear how unwilling and regretful he is.

But is Wang Long necessarily a good person?
These were all decades ago. These secrets and past events had long been buried along with the Sui Dynasty.

Li Tai stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Teacher, Qingque will support you from now on until you grow old."

Wang Gui looked up at the young man. Regardless of whether his words were true or false, the young man's heart was always sincere and kind.

"Your Highness, Prince of Wei, one day in the future, please send me to Mount Zhongnan to live out my life there."

Li Tai bowed again and said, "Disciple obeys your command."

At night, Chang'an City finally quieted down from its bustle.

These days, Pei Xingjian has been living in a small courtyard. He doesn't know who the owner of this courtyard is. He only knows that his uncle, one of his father's relatives, told him that he has a house in Chang'an.

As the only children left by their father, they have always hoped to become scholars.

It seemed that for them, being a military commander like their father and brother meant death.

Deep down, Pei Xingjian was a man who did not believe in fate. He had long been impatient with the Book of Songs, the Analects of Confucius, and some discussions by ancient sages. He had to accept everything that had come his way and take the imperial examination to become an official. Was that the end of his life?

This worry has been tormenting me in my heart for a long time. The reason I couldn't sleep tonight was not just because of this.

Tossing and turning in bed, Pei Xingjian sat up from the bed, put on a coat, and walked out of the room.

The city of Chang'an was very quiet under the cover of night, and it was still a little chilly at night.

Pei Xingjian glanced at the servant sleeping in the side room, confirmed that he was asleep, then opened the gate and walked out.

There were few pedestrians on the street, and curfew was approaching.

Pei Xingjian quickened his pace, from the brisk walk at the beginning, to a run, all the way to the entrance of Hongwenguan. After catching his breath, he knocked heavily on the door.

"Who is it, so late?"

Unpleasant voices were heard in the museum.

Pei Xingjian said, "Pei Shouyue, a scholar from the Hongwen Academy."

The door of Hongwen Hall opened a little, and after confirming the person coming, he opened it again and said, "It's Shouyue, what are you doing here so late?"

"Something was left behind."

The servant hurriedly said, "Come in."

Pei Xingjian walked into the Hongwen Hall and bowed, saying, "Thank you."

The servant handed him the oil lamp and warned him, "Be careful not to burn it."

Taking the oil lamp, Pei Xingjian walked along the bookshelves holding the lamp, following the location where he had seen the article before, and walked to the back of the bookshelf. Most of the documents here were preserved over the years.

Fortunately, I still remember where I put that article before.

With the help of the oil lamp, he found a place where the dust had been wiped off, picked up the book and put it in his arms.

"Found it, thank you."

"Yeah." The servant nodded and sat aside drinking wine and eating mutton.

Pei Xingjian quickly left Hongwenguan and took the "culprit" who had kept him awake back home.

I want to find out why this theory of production relations keeps me awake.

This article is different from other articles. It should be said that it is different from all the articles I have read since I was a child.

He walked into the courtyard, closed the door, and first confirmed that the follower was still asleep.

Pei Xingjian walked into his room and lit the oil lamp.

Just sit down and read this article carefully. It is not like other articles that quote discussions from other classics to express one's own views.

(End of this chapter)