My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 16: Wei Wang Party, Bad Leader

It is not an easy matter for the prince to travel.

The Prince's Servant Department was responsible for the prince's travel carriages, horses and ceremonial guards.

What flag to hoist, how many people to accompany, etc.

This time he went to the home of Secretary Su Tan, and the first thing he had to do was to negotiate with the prefect of Yongzhou Prefecture.

Which route to take and how to control it.

No one else will be allowed to pass through this route. From the time the Crown Prince sets out to the time he returns to the East Palace, the road is under control.

The southern street of the imperial city is called Suzaku Street, and the 54th block to the east is under the jurisdiction of Wannian County.

The fifty-four wards west of the street are under the jurisdiction of Chang'an County.

Yongzhou Prefecture is in charge of the matter.

Secretary Su Tan's home is in Yongningfang, Wannian County.

The officials from Yongzhou Prefecture and Wannian County will be jointly responsible for the safety of the prince's travel.

In other words, when Li Chengqian traveled, he could not see any ordinary people.

It is rare to see the emperor or the prince on a carriage surrounded by onlookers in movies and TV dramas.

By the time all these things were arranged, it was already noon.

The Su family had naturally received notice long ago that the prince would visit today.

The entire Yongningfang will be temporarily closed, people are not allowed to go out, and all roads are controlled.

Su Tan and his eldest son Su Chen were waiting in front of the gate to greet them.

Li Chengqian also got on the carriage and took Su Yuer and little Li Jue with him and set off from the East Palace.

The Tang Dynasty imposed a curfew and closed the gates. No one was allowed to enter except in cases of illness, childbirth, or death.

It’s not that ordinary people have no nightlife at all, but the neighborhood generally doesn’t care about it.

You can have a midnight snack at a local tavern in the evening.

Pingkangfang is the largest red-light district in Chang'an City, with many people staying overnight.

When the prince's procession was passing Pingkangfang, two sneaky heads emerged from the side of the wall.

"Brother, this prince is so majestic when he travels."

"The officers who usually yell at us are now standing straight and not daring to move."

"The King of Wei is not so majestic."

"It's a pity that the prince doesn't think highly of us bad people, otherwise it would be great to follow him."

The law enforcement officers were called Buliangren in the Tang Dynasty and were led by Buliangshuai.

To put it another way, this is equivalent to the auxiliary police in later generations.

The one who was addressed as Big Brother was Ji Zhao, the bad commander from Wannian County.

Ji Zhao stared at the prince's carriage and the guards on horseback nearby, and said in a deep voice: "The assassin who assassinated the King of Wei was the prince's man."

The younger brother replied: "Then are we going to help the King of Wei assassinate the Crown Prince?"

Ji Zhao said: "It's hard to say. The news has been reported for several days, and the Prince of Wei's Mansion has no other intentions to convey it. Even if they want to assassinate the prince, I guess we, the Unruly Men, will not be used."

"The Crown Prince rarely travels. He lives in the East Palace and rarely has the opportunity to travel. This trip was too sudden and the King of Wei was not prepared."

The younger brother was a little unhappy: "The prince sent an assassin to kill the King of Wei, but the King of Wei did not fight back or make a statement. It's really boring."

Ji Zhao sighed: "Whether the assassination attempt on the crown prince succeeds or not, hundreds of our brothers will probably die. It is better for the King of Wei not to fight back."

I didn’t say anything else, I just kept thinking about doing something big.
-
Yongningfang, Su Mansion.

The prince's carriage came, and the first to get off were Su Yuer and little Li Jue, and then the prince.

"His Royal Highness."

Su Tan and his eldest son Su Chen hurried forward and bowed.

"Why should I be so polite, father-in-law?"

"This is Su Chen, right? I haven't seen him for a few years. He is indeed very handsome and has a great appearance."

Li Chengqian said with a smile. This surprised Su Tan a little.

I was thinking to myself that when His Majesty punished the Crown Prince the day before yesterday, I didn't expect that the violent temper in the Crown Prince had actually been dispelled.

He looked so gentle a few years ago.

"Father, the prince brought a lot of good things this time."

"And a gift for my brother."

Su Yuer said with a smile while holding little Li Jue.

"Okay, okay, Your Highness is thoughtful. Please come into the mansion quickly."

At Su Tan's hospitality, Li Chengqian and his party walked in.

Su Tan was very careful, and the servants on both sides all bowed their heads deeply.

This is to save Li Chengqian's face.

Since his leg disease, Li Chengqian almost never left the East Palace except for attending court, because he didn't want others to see his lame leg.

Last night, Su Yuer actually suggested that they come to the Su Mansion after the wheelchair is made.

But Li Chengqian no longer cared about these.

Besides, this can also reflect his sincerity towards Su Tan.

After the prince entered the mansion, a banquet was served, and all kinds of rare and precious food were served one after another.

This is not a communal dining system, but a separate dining system, with a table in front of each person.

Su Tan's wife also came out with the three-year-old Su Gui to pay her respects.

The status of women in the Tang Dynasty was the highest in history, and there was no saying that women should avoid eating.

The banquet reached its climax when the prince asked the people from Jialing Temple to present the Sushan.

There were also Hu girls performing the Huxuan dance and playing instruments such as the pipa.

The banquet lasted until noon.

Su Yuer hugged little Li Jue and said, "Mother will take you to play with little uncle."

Mrs. Su went out holding little Su Gui.

Su Chen wanted to stay, but at the signal from his father Su Tan, he stood up, bowed and left.

Su Tan waved his hand again, and the servants retreated.

There were only the prince and his father-in-law in the hall.

Su Tan sighed, "The ancients said that a scholar should be treated with new eyes after three days of absence. Today, seeing Your Highness, I know that the ancients were not wrong."

Then he stood up and bowed: "Congratulations, Your Highness, for walking out of the sadness of the past and regaining your former glory."

Li Chengqian said with a smile: "Those who left me, yesterday's day cannot be kept. Those who intoxicated my heart, today's day is full of joy."

"Your Majesty has whipped me five times with a horse whip, which has woken me up. Let all those absurd things I did before be blown away by the wind."

"It is a great blessing to be able to drink and chat with my father-in-law today."

Su Tan raised his glass and said, "Your Highness is very talented in writing. I offer you a toast."

Li Chengqian also picked up the wine glass and drank with his father-in-law.

Then he said, "Su Chen is not young anymore, it's time for him to enter the government. There is still a vacancy in my East Palace, why not let him take the position first."

There were two ways to enter the officialdom in the Tang Dynasty: imperial examination and recommendation. Su Chen was able to serve in the Eastern Palace, so Su Tan naturally happily agreed.

After a few more glasses of wine, Li Chengqian said, "I have been living a decadent life these past few years. I heard that the King of Wei is quite powerful. Could you please tell me a little bit about it, father-in-law?"

In the 13th year of Zhenguan, after Li Chengqian's temperament changed drastically, he hid in the East Palace all day, reveling and drinking every night, and ignored the affairs of the court.

It was during these three years that Li Shimin became more and more fond of the King of Wei, rewarding him repeatedly and allowing him to hold an official position. Even after being crowned king, he still stayed in Chang'an.

This also made Prince Wei Li Tai have different ideas. He began to win over court officials and continuously expand the Prince Wei's party.

In February of this year, after the "Guodi Zhi" edited by Prince Wei was completed, it was even more favored by Li Shimin, and the momentum of Prince Wei's party was unparalleled at the time.

This time, Li Chengqian came to see his father-in-law Su Tan, not only because of Su Chen's matter, but also because he wanted to understand to what extent the current Wei Wang Party had developed.

(End of this chapter)