A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 837 Dream Stealing
Make a cup of coffee,
Open a downloaded movie and play it.

The suspenseful film *Inception* is very mind-bending.

The warm-colored light in the study was soft and the room was quiet.

The coffee has a roasted aroma and a slightly bitter taste.

Movies that use dream-like narratives can immerse viewers in the story without them even realizing it.

This feeling is like it was just yesterday.

Sometimes he works until midnight, when his wife and children are already asleep. At this time, he usually makes himself a cup of coffee and watches a movie.
Lay the chair flat.
Take a break in the quiet of midnight.

Holding the cup, the warmth spreads to my palms, and the subtle aroma of caramel gently fills the air, easing the fatigue and tension of the whole day.

Immersed in the world of the movie,
Take a sip now and then.

for a long time,

The movie ends.

Li Yi looked at the subtitles with some regret.

Inception, how many layers of dreams are there?

And is he in a dream world right now?

The coffee in the cup has been finished.

I put down my cup, got up, and opened the window.
Unfortunately, the outside was always shrouded in fog, so I couldn't see or hear anything.

I walked around the house.
Everything he had previously consumed has been restored.

But the gold, silver, jade and other precious stones displayed in the center of the living room reminded him that things were different here.

Take out underwear and pajamas from the closet.

I went to the bathroom, took off my clothes, and took a shower.

Seeing his long hair and the beard growing on his face in the mirror, he smiled bitterly; he was no longer the same person he used to be.

He saw himself in the mirror and even had great muscles, including eight-pack abs that he had always wanted but never had.

Long hair is hard to wash.

Without the maids to serve them, they seemed even more cumbersome.

After washing up, I spent a long time using a hairdryer, then casually rolled up my clothes and changed into my pajamas.

Lying in my long-unused bed,
Li Yi, however, couldn't sleep.

The mattress is just the right firmness, much more comfortable than the hard wooden planks of the Tang Dynasty. Even the fabric of the four-piece bedding set was carefully selected by my wife, and it is very comfortable and skin-friendly.

But he always felt that something was missing.

The phone on the bedside table has been recharged.
I picked it up and flipped through the album, looking at the photos and videos of my wife and children.

This document records how he met and fell in love with his wife, as well as the little moments of his children's growth. Li Yi flipped through the pages one by one.

Before I knew it, my phone was almost out of battery.

Yeah, I've used this phone for a few years and it's still great in all aspects, except the battery isn't very durable.

Scrolling through your phone always makes you lose track of time.

Charge your phone.

Li Yi turned off the lights.
He hoped to wake up after a good night's sleep.
It was all just a dream.

The night is deep.

In the Luoyang Palace, Emperor Li Shimin was still reviewing memorials.

On the screen behind him were densely packed names of officials, with Li Yi's name at the very top, bold and large.

There was also a banner behind the screen.

Working tirelessly day and night.

Faced with this great famine that was about to sweep across the north,

Li Shimin could not sleep at night
Although the court was actively formulating various disaster relief strategies thanks to the efforts of Li Yi, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and others,
But Li Shimin felt it wasn't enough; many policies were being implemented too slowly.

He was a person who had experienced the chaos and famine of the Sui Dynasty.

Knowing how many people would die if the imperial court had ignored the famine, one can understand the immense suffering that would have occurred.

He wanted to be a wise and enlightened emperor, and didn't want people to starve to death during the famine.

At the very least, too many people shouldn't die.

"His Majesty,"

Empress Zhangsun came to deliver soup.

"Guanyinbi, you're still not asleep?" "Your Majesty isn't asleep yet, so I can't sleep either. I know there's a disaster in the north, but Your Majesty can't ruin your health by staying up all night."

Get some rest.

Ginseng stewed black-boned chicken is made by simmering the whole chicken over low heat, and also includes red dates, goji berries, yam, shiitake mushrooms, and quail eggs. It has the effect of replenishing qi and nourishing blood.

"Mmm, very fresh."

Li Shimin was indeed hungry. The soup was rich and sweet, and the chicken was tender and juicy.

"Your Majesty, please eat quickly, and then go and rest."

"Guanyinbi, you should eat with us too. I can't finish all this." Li Shimin tore off a chicken leg and ladled a bowl of soup for the Empress.

He sighed, "The thought that so many people are starving fills me with guilt."

"Your Majesty has done more than enough."

"No, that's not enough. The real test is yet to come. Spring planting is about to begin, but with such a drought and no soil moisture, I'm afraid we won't be able to sow the seeds."
If the summer harvest fails, and the autumn harvest also fails, the consequences are unimaginable.

"Aren't Li Pingzhang and the others also making plans in various ways, such as transferring grain from the south, organizing people to go south to cultivate land, and borrowing grain from nobles and powerful families?"

“Not enough,” Li Shimin shook his head. “Not enough.”

Empress Zhangsun advised her husband that even so, there was no need to rush.

Since ancient times, various disasters have been frequent. The south is prone to floods, the north to droughts, and there are also early frosts and severe cold. There is also a locust plague every three to five years.

This is the norm.

"Your Majesty, do your best, and leave the outcome to fate."

Li Shimin put down the bowl.

"When I lead troops into battle, I have never been afraid, no matter how fierce the enemy is. I can always find the enemy's weakness."

But now,

Faced with this natural disaster and famine, I am utterly helpless.

The Empress added another bowl of soup for her husband.

"Your Majesty, while in the inner palace, I have heard about the disaster relief policies of Your Majesty and the ministers. Many of these policies have already surpassed those of previous dynasties. Your Majesty need not be too demanding."

"Chengqian has been at the Prince Wei's residence for a month now. Does he want to stay there?"

Empress Zhangsun was very concerned about her son. Although she had visited Prince Wei's residence a few days ago and seen Chengqian,

Chengqian was doing well, his face full of smiles. He said he had made good friends there and learned a lot of new things.

However, the Prince Wei's mansion in Luoyang was no match for that in Chang'an, as it only occupied twenty acres.

Although Empress Zhangsun was not a person who loved luxury,

But now that the Crown Prince is living alone in the Prince Wei's residence, she is always worried about him.

"Li Yi told me that Chengqian is doing well over there. He is also studying hard and doing his homework. I have been to Li Yi's residence a few times and I have seen that the boy is indeed quite happy over there."

Let him stay there.
We sent him to Li Yi's place because we saw how well the Li family raised their children.

Empress Zhangsun could only nod helplessly, "When I went to Prince Wei's residence that day, I saw that the two women Prince Wei arranged to take care of Chengqian were very dedicated and responsible."
One of them was the younger sister of Lady Ji, a concubine of Li Yi, who was originally married to the sixth son of Li Xiaochang.

The other was Du, the cousin-in-law of Li Yi's wife, and the wife of Du Caigan, the former governor of Huazhou.

Their husbands were both exiled to Lingnan for treason, and both women divorced.

Your Majesty, I think it would be better to appoint them as tutors to the Crown Prince, to be responsible for taking care of him.

"If you think it's okay, then it's fine."

Li Shimin didn't care about their original identities.

To be honest, many of Li Shimin's concubines were former convicts in the inner palace. Some, like the Wei sisters, had also been married before; Wei Zhaoyi was originally Wang Shichong's crown princess.

Not to mention, it's a palace custom...

The bodyguards of the young princes and princesses were often court convicts of noble birth.

These people come from good families and are well-educated and cultured.

"Since they are serving as tutors to the Crown Prince, they should be given the appropriate treatment. I think we should first grant them the title of County Lady. If they perform well in the future, they can be promoted to County Lady or even County Lady."

It was common for the tutors of the crown prince to be granted the titles of Lady of the County or even Lady of the State, and even their sons had the opportunity to receive such titles.

The couple ate black-boned chicken and drank soup late at night.
They chatted about the crown prince, the King of Yue, and his children.

"Your Majesty, please go back and rest."

"I just finished eating and feel full of energy. I'll handle some more state affairs. You should go back to sleep." Li Shimin picked up another memorial and began to read.

(End of this chapter)