The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 97 Rumors
This article is straightforward and explains the production relationship between land, people and wealth.

This is the first time I have seen such an article in my life. Judging from the fact that no one is interested in it in Hongwenguan, it will probably be the last time I see it.

In the two days before the imperial examination, Pei Xingjian stayed at home almost all the time, occasionally going to the Hongwenguan to pick up a few books.

The attendant always felt relieved that his young master was studying hard, and often closed the door to prevent outsiders from disturbing the young master.

Pei Xingjian took various classics and analyzed the production relations mentioned in this article.

On April 15th, it was a sunny day in Guanzhong. Li Chengqian did not attend the morning court today. Prime Minister Fang had to preside over the imperial examination, and Li Chengqian also arranged various matters.

This time the imperial examination was held in the imperial city. After the hour of Chen, as the drums sounded, a group of students outside the Suzaku Gate walked in.

The examination room is inside the Suzaku Gate. There are desks on the ground, and on each desk there are pens, ink and paper. The place is heavily guarded. Everyone who enters the examination room must receive a wooden sign according to their name and sit in the corresponding seat.

Whether it was on top of the Suzaku Gate or in the Imperial City, the examination halls were surrounded by the Jinwu Guards.

The imperial guards have surrounded the place.

Li Chengqian stood beside Prime Minister Fang and watched the students take their seats one by one.

This imperial examination is of great significance. It is a relatively formal imperial examination during the Zhenguan period, and the system of anonymous examination is used. If this imperial examination system can go smoothly, it will serve as the basis for the continuous improvement of the imperial examinations in the future.

The imperial examination lasted for five days, with one subject tested every day.

Pei Xingjian had not slept well in the past two days. He looked around, waiting for the teacher in charge of the examination to hand out the test questions.

He took the test paper, tore off the wax seal on it, looked at the question, and seeing that many people had already started writing, he also started answering.

The examination room was very quiet. The teachers and imperial guards supervising the examination room all had their eyes on all the students taking the imperial examination.

If any student behaves out of line, he will be taken away.

Li Chengqian sat upright with his hands in his pockets, looking at each face. Some of them just started writing quickly, but started scratching their heads in the second half, while others finished writing in one breath and were revising their work carefully.

There was a huge sundial in the examination room. The sunlight shone on a needle, and the shadow of the needle moved on the huge stone plate of the sundial. It moved one point for every point the sunlight moved.

At noon, the drums sounded, and Li Ji said loudly: "Collect the scrolls!"

Rows of teachers walked into the examination room and collected the papers on the spot regardless of whether the students had finished writing or not.

After today's exam, all the test papers will be put into the Secretariat for sealing, and a special person will cover the names.

After the students walked out of the Suzaku Gate, the imperial city was almost cleaned up.

Finally, Li Chengqian and Fang Xiang stood up together and said, "Today went smoothly."

Fang Xuanling stroked his beard and said, "Thank you all, officers and soldiers, and thank you all, teachers."

The teacher didn't answer, and still looked very worried. Come to think of it, it's too early to say that everything is going well. There are still several exams in the next few days. Only if everything goes well in the next few days can it be considered truly going well.

Li Chengqian watched as he put the stacks of test papers into wooden boxes.

This wooden box is specially designed so that the side of the test paper with the name and place of origin written on it will be exposed. When the lid is closed, only the name and place of origin will be outside and the contents of the test paper cannot be seen. This is how the test paper is sent to be covered by a special person.

The marking of the papers will be arranged only after the remaining subjects have been completed.

Back in the Secretariat, Li Chengqian was still preparing the ink. This light grey ink was a bit sticky, so he first smeared it on a piece of written paper.

Then wait for it to dry.

Li Chengqian looked at Fang Xiang who was standing beside him and asked, "The teacher seemed quite busy the past few days, and he didn't even tell me what he was busy with."

Fang Xuanling sighed, "These are all matters that have been piled up in the past. I am just reporting to Your Majesty."

Li Chengqian nodded as he drank his tea, "It's just that I have been responsible for reviewing many memorials recently, and I'm afraid something might go wrong."

"Don't worry, Your Highness. If there are any mistakes, I will make further arrangements."

After the ink dried, Cen Wenben scraped off the ink stuck on top and said, "Prime Minister Fang, the handwriting is still intact."

Fang Xuanling nodded and said, "Try it a few more times, using only paper from Jingyang."

"Here."

Cen Wenben called on people to continue the trial.

Li Chengqian said, "I will prepare some tea leaves and have someone send them out to see how the trade is going."

Fang Xuanling stroked his beard and said, "That's fine. I have advised Your Majesty before that this matter needs to be done slowly and not to be impatient."

"It is still Fang Xiang who has more foresight."

Fang Xuanling whispered, "As a subject, this is what I should do."

After trying a few more times, Cen Wenben replied, "Mr. Fang, it works well."

Fang Xuanling nodded and said, "Then use it."

"Here."

This is an oil-based ink that will separate from the paper after drying, so some marks will be left when it is scraped off, but it will not affect the writing.

This time, the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty participated in the imperial examination as a disciple of Prime Minister Fang. Although it was not very comprehensive, at least everything went smoothly.

Li Chengqian walked into the palace and came to the front of Ganlu Palace. He asked the eunuch in front of the palace, "Is my father here?"

The eunuch smiled and said, "Your Highness, please enter the palace. His Majesty has already given the order, so there is no need to report."

As I walked into the hall, I saw my father holding an oil lamp and looking at a map with a frown.

Li Chengqian stood aside and asked, "What are you looking for, father?"

Li Shimin whispered, "Can you help me find where the Yili River is?"

Li Chengqian looked towards the territory of Western Turkic and pointed at a long and narrow river. "It should be here."

"It's right here." Li Shimin said, "The urgent report just sent to me said that there are two khans in Western Turkic, fighting on both sides of the Ili River."

Li Chengqian looked up at the map and said, "How big a battle would it take, how many soldiers and horses would it take to alarm my father?"

Li Shimin smiled and sat down. "It is common for them to fight. It is not uncommon for them to change Khan every ten days or half a month."

Li Chengqian sat aside, took the tea handed to him by the eunuch, drank a sip and said, "How is the war between the Turks and Mobei going?"

Hearing this, Li Shimin took out a file from a pile of files beside him and handed it over, "Take a look yourself."

"Thank you, father." Li Chengqian said, took the file and started reading it.

Li Shimin said: "This is the season when the herdsmen on the grasslands need to graze. The Turks and the people of Mobei have no intention of continuing the war. They have called a truce and plan to fight again after they have finished grazing. Ashina She'er took Tongluo and has not made any progress since then."

"I used to hear my grandfather say how powerful the Turks were, but now they are being controlled by the Mobei people."

Li Shimin whispered, "You kids have never fought a war and don't understand the logic. Whether it's the Turks, the Mobei people, or the Uighurs, the further north you go, the harder it will be. And the further you go into Vietnam, the harder it will be." Li Chengqian smiled awkwardly, not wanting to refute his father on this point. In fact, his father was right, because we live on the Earth, which is a sphere. If we use longitude and latitude as a reference, the greater the span from north to south, the greater the climate change.

The larger the distance people migrate, the more likely they are to suffer from acclimatization problems and the different ecological environment. Therefore, before the Han and Tang Dynasties, the rapid expansion of dynasties mostly took place on latitudes with similar latitudes.

However, vertical expansion from north to south requires longer time and greater strength.

Therefore, what the emperor said is correct. War is not a journey or a long journey for one person. It involves tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses.

Li Chengqian put the tea bowl aside and said, "Father, I want to report the imperial examination."

"I know everything. Someone has already reported it."

"Ow..."

Li Chengqian nodded in understanding.

Seeing his son was about to leave, Li Shimin said again: "Wait."

"Father, is there anything else?"

Li Shimin hesitated as he sat on a chair, holding his temple and said with a distressed look: "How did you make the sauce for grilling fish in Taiye Lake last time?"

Li Chengqian thought for a moment and replied, "Soy sauce, salt, meat sauce, and mutton soup."

Li Shimin nodded.

"It's a bit difficult to make, and you have to boil it on the spot, and it will go bad after a day."

After saying this, Li Chengqian sighed and said, "I haven't eaten yet either. Father asked someone to go to the East Palace to get it. Let's eat here."

Li Shimin nodded, signaled to the two eunuchs beside him, and instructed: "Get some more garlic."

Like that day, someone went to Taiye Lake to catch a fish of similar size, and the fish was killed in advance.

After the eunuch brought the sauce, Li Chengqian put the fish on the grill and said, "Father, you have to pay attention to the heat when grilling fish. There can't be too much sauce, or it will be salty. But if you don't sprinkle some pepper and salt on it, it will seem a bit bland."

Li Shimin observed his son grilling fish, and his mind became much more mature, so he asked, "How do you feel about coming in and working with Fang Xiang?"

"Ugh……"

Hearing his sigh, Li Shimin frowned and said, "Not good?"

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "There are some things that Fang Xiang will take care of me, but I won't tell you everything. It's not just Fang Xiang. I'm probably too stupid. Sometimes I still don't understand even if I ask Fang Xiang. I need to ask my uncle."

"I am also afraid that the two elders will be annoyed with me, so I can only be cautious and learn as much as I can, but I always can't find the key points and I am not good at making decisions."

Li Shimin was surprised and said, "Prime Minister Fang told me that you have your own decisions and can analyze the pros and cons. Sixty-five out of ten officials in the Secretariat highly praise you."

"That's probably because Prime Minister Fang praised me too much. It could also be that Prime Minister Fang didn't want to think too badly of me in front of the Emperor."

Li Shimin looked at his son with a smile.

Li Chengqian frowned as he grilled the fish and said no more.

The relationship between father and son became much quieter.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince continued to grill the fish calmly, turning it over from time to time.

A eunuch came hurriedly and said, "Your Majesty, the Queen is here."

It was the Queen Mother who came with Little Sizi. Li Chengqian felt that his father's gaze had left, and he felt a lot more relaxed at once.

Li Shimin held the little Sizi in his arms and said, "You are in for a treat today."

Li Chengqian said: "Father, Sizi is still young, so he should eat less grilled fish with a lot of oil and salt."

Li Shimin looked at his little daughter lovingly and said, "Why not eat a little?"

Empress Changsun sat down beside her and whispered, "Your Majesty, why did you let Cheng Qian grill fish here?"

Looking at the father and son who were probably competing secretly, Empress Changsun sighed and said, "Then don't get your clothes dirty."

Li Chengqian said, "It's ready, little Sizi, it's time to eat the fish."

This child is just over one year old and he starts drooling at the smell of something.

The eunuch brought a table. Others might not know that only when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was present did His Majesty and the Queen allow others to sit at the table and eat.

Seeing his sons sharing the grilled fish, Li Shimin handed Xiao Sizi back to the queen beside him.

The Queen, His Majesty, the Crown Prince and the little princess sat together eating, while the eunuchs and palace maids stood by waiting.

Li Chengqian was concentrating on eating the fish. From the eye contact between his father and mother, he could understand that they probably had something to say today.

"Chengqian."

Seeing that it was his mother who spoke first, Li Chengqian said while eating fish, "Please speak, mother."

Empress Changsun whispered, "How long has it been since you last interacted with people your own age?"

Li Chengqian didn't care. His eyes wandered between his father and mother, and he said, "I have always lived in the East Palace with my brothers and sisters."

"That's not what mother meant. On weekdays, besides being with your brothers and sisters, you are in the Secretariat with the civil and military officials in the court to handle state affairs. You have never thought about going out for a walk and hanging out with a few good friends."

"Yes, Du He! Cheng Chumo!"

Noticing his mother's gaze, Li Chengqian cleared his throat guiltily and said, "I haven't seen them this year."

The Queen Mother still didn't intend to let him go, so Li Chengqian simply said, "I don't know what these two bastards are doing. Have they forgotten about me? They are going too far."

Seeing that his mother was still staring at him, Li Chengqian held his forehead and said, "Well, mother, actually I think their behavior is too childish. They spend all day either playing pot throwing, riding horses and hunting, or playing Pingkangfang, or competing to see who can drink more."

"Don't even mention interacting with some learned people. Their words are full of the glory of saints. I can't bask in the glory of saints with them. I really don't want to compete with them. I want to curse them after listening to them too much. It's better for me to practice archery by myself."

I explained again and again until I told the truth, and then the queen mother's eyes left me.

After finishing his words in one breath, Li Chengqian wiped the sweat from his forehead and suddenly felt that the sun was a bit too hot today.

Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "Your mother has already started to select people for the Eastern Palace. You will also get married in the future. Do you know what people in the streets are talking about you as the crown prince?"

"How is it?" Li Chengqian asked as he slowed down his chewing of the fish.

"They all say that the Crown Prince of the East Palace is aloof and unapproachable. He is indifferent and arrogant. If he has no friends, he is unkind. Unkind people are mostly mean."

Empress Changsun continued, "Mother knows what kind of character you have. You have taken care of your brothers and sisters for so long and have never been mean to them. You have also never been indifferent to your grandfather. It's just that..."

Li Chengqian snatched a round fan from the hand of a palace maid, and kept fanning himself, saying, "I know that someone spread rumors about me, but they are all rumors. It is really abominable to dare to talk about the crown prince like this."

I will only update two chapters for now because I am coughing a lot. Please forgive me.

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(End of this chapter)