Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty: Please say long live His Majesty

Chapter 130 I Won’t Let the Crown Prince Interfere in the Ministry of Revenue (Part )
Sun Simiao was writing a prescription on the table, saying, "First, take Shengmai Drink for a year, one dose each morning and evening, every day. After a year, I will come back to diagnose you and make a decision based on your condition."

"Shengmai Drink, ginseng, Ophiopogon japonicus, Schisandra chinensis. The others are easy to say, but this ginseng needs to be taken all year round, and even royal families can't afford it, let alone my humble family." Wei Zheng said, his eyes gently drifting to Li Chengqian who was standing on the side.

Li Chengqian immediately bowed and said, "Prince Wei is ill. Please send all the ginseng you have from the Eastern Palace, no, from the Emperor's place, to him.

In addition, the governors of Yingzhou and Youzhou have also asked them to search for ginseng and send it to Chang'an. Not to mention a year, even if it takes ten or a hundred years, I will send it to Prime Minister Wei."

"There may be so many ginsengs in the world, but it is not easy to find them all." Sun Simiao wrote the prescription.

Li Chengqian took a look and his expression suddenly became serious.

The prescription Sun Simiao wrote for Wei Zheng was not only extremely heavy, but also needed to be taken every day. This was almost like using medicine to prolong life.

No wonder it is said that there may not be enough ginseng in the world.

At this time, Wei Zheng had already taken the prescription and took a look at it. He immediately understood everything.

"Master, are you saying that this kind of medicine should be taken continuously for a year?" Wei Zheng's voice became a little awkward.

"Yes, one year." Sun Simiao nodded vigorously.

Wei Zheng's face suddenly turned terribly pale.

"It is not necessary to use ginseng." Li Chengqian said suddenly, and Sun Simiao and Wei Zheng looked over subconsciously.

Li Chengqian quickly spoke up, saying, "The reason why there are so many ginsengs in Liaodong is because the Northeast is bitterly cold, with a small population, and little harvesting in the mountains and wilderness, so the herb can survive for a long time. But Liaodong isn't the only place with this kind of ginseng. There are also many places like Tuyuhun, Dangxiang, Tubo, and the Kunlun Mountains. Perhaps we can send people directly, or ask them to pay tribute, and they can all harvest these herbs."

"Yes." Sun Simiao suddenly realized and said, "How could I forget that Tuyuhun is now a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty, Tubo has also married into the Tang Dynasty, and Dangxiang has even become a prefecture of the Tang Dynasty. So, if it is feasible, the time for this decoction to take effect may be extended to two years."

"Also, there are wild ginseng in the mountains and sea cucumbers in the sea. Perhaps they can be found in the southeast, or in the waters outside the South China Sea." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said seriously, "The Yangzhou Military Governor's Office and the Guangzhou Jiaozhou Military Governor's Office can both send people directly into the sea to search.

I can personally write to the Emperor and ask him to order a search for Wei Xiang. If nothing goes wrong, we can find ginseng that is three to five years old, or even more than ten years old. Then Wei Xiang can rest assured and recuperate."

"Thank you very much, Your Highness." Wei Zheng nodded to Li Chengqian with a smile.

"Well, I won't disturb Prime Minister Wei from recuperating. I will return to the palace now to report to my father about Prime Minister Wei's condition and medication." Li Chengqian could hardly stand and quickly bowed to say goodbye.

The sooner Wei Zheng prepared for this kind of thing, the longer he could live.

"In that case, I'll trouble you, Your Highness." Wei Zheng looked up and towards the door: "Da Lang, escort the Crown Prince."

Soon, Wei Shuyu appeared outside the door.

"Prime Minister Wei, Chengqian takes his leave." Li Chengqian bowed, then saluted Sun Simiao, then quickly turned around and left.

After Li Chengqian left, Sun Simiao sighed and said, "The prince has really matured a lot after this illness."

Wei Zheng didn't say much. He looked up at Sun Simiao and asked, "Master, how long can this body of mine hold out?"

Sun Simiao took a deep breath and said, "If we can follow what the prince said, we can at least hold out for three years."

Together with the ginseng from Tuyuhun, Tubo, Dangxiang, Donghai, Nanhai, and Liaodong, it can last at least three years.

For some medicines, the later you use them, the less effective they become.

"Of course, these are just my guesses. I have used herbs from Tuyuhun before, but I have rarely used those from Tubo and Dangxiang. There are also those from the sea... maybe they can last another three or four years." Sun Simiao's words became more and more broad.

Wei Zheng smiled and nodded, saying, "In any case, I'll have to trouble you to stay in Chang'an for a few more years."

Sun Simiao raised his eyebrows slightly, and then said: "It's okay to cure the disease and save lives. I will go and see about the decoction of medicine first."

"Please come in, sir." Wei Zheng nodded slightly.

Wei Zheng finally breathed a sigh of relief when Sun Simiao completely disappeared from his sight.

At this moment, a light sound of footsteps came out from behind the curtain.

Wei Zheng lay on the bed, pursing his lips in disdain.

"I really didn't expect that Wei Qing's illness is so serious." Li Shimin walked out from behind the curtain with a serious expression, and then sat down beside the bed.

Wei Zheng raised his head slightly and said, "Ahem... Your Majesty, I am old. As the saying goes, it is rare for a person to reach seventy. I am already sixty-two, but seventy is normal."

"It's my fault." Li Shimin shook his head slightly and said, "I have been too willful and reckless over the years, which is why Wei Qing's liver qi is in disarray and he is seriously ill."

Sun Simiao's prescription was placed aside. Wei Zheng had problems with his liver and kidneys, and they were serious problems.

The liver was ventilated, and the emperor couldn't help but connect the absurd things he had done in recent years with the illness of the amiable Wei Zheng.

Wei Zheng smiled and said, "If Your Majesty can manage the affairs of state in a balanced way, then this old minister won't have to worry... Actually, I was originally most worried about the Crown Prince, but this past year, the Crown Prince has truly been managing the government properly, and his approach to state affairs has become increasingly reassuring."

If the crown prince worries too much about military affairs and colludes with military generals, no emperor will be at ease.

But if the prince cares about foreign relations and the people's livelihoods in the fields, then the emperor can be completely relieved.

"As for the ginseng matter, do as the prince said. I will send people to Liaodong, Tuyuhun, Dangxiang, the East China Sea and the South China Sea to dig. We will definitely be able to dig out all the ginseng." The emperor nodded seriously and vigorously, but refused to respond to Wei Zheng's words.

"The prince can take care of medical matters. Your Majesty does not need to worry too much. On the contrary, as the prince mentioned, I think we should pay attention to the Sinong Temple and the development of Tuyuhun, Anxi and Eastern Turks." Wei Zheng shook his head slightly, but still brought the subject back.

Li Shimin's breathing became heavier. Finally, he sighed and said, "I can hand over the Sino-Agricultural Affairs Bureau to the Crown Prince next year, but all other matters involve the Ministry of Revenue... The Ministry of Revenue is of great importance, and I cannot let the Crown Prince interfere lightly." "Your Majesty is too sensitive." Wei Zheng sighed deeply and said, "The Crown Prince wants the people to have more wealth so that they can have children. Only with more people and households can he have the confidence to perform the Fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai."

"The prince said that if the population is less than 60 million, he will not perform the Fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai."

"Even for the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Song, one needs confidence... cough cough..." Wei Zheng couldn't help coughing twice, and Li Shimin hurried over to help him calm down.

Wei Zheng then continued, "Your Majesty, you can proceed step by step. Let the Crown Prince take charge of the Ministry of Agriculture for three years. It would be a stretch to see any results from the Ministry of Agriculture in three years, not to mention the Crown Prince's limited mobility. Even in three years, it might not be possible. Five years might be enough. Regarding the Ministry of Revenue, the development of Tuyuhun, Anxi, and the Eastern Turks... Okay, if Your Majesty thinks it's close, you can let the Crown Prince take charge of Liaodong or Goguryeo remotely. After another five to ten years, Your Majesty can let the Crown Prince take charge of the Ministry of Revenue, and only the Ministry of Revenue. How do you think?"

"Five years, five years, another five years, that's fifteen years." Li Shimin lowered his gaze to Wei Zheng and said, "I still say the same thing. I can let him take charge of the Sinong Temple first, then Liaodong, and finally Western Tuyuhun. I'll reconsider the Ministry of Revenue."

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has been the Crown Prince for fifteen years already. In another fifteen, he will be nearly forty." Wei Zheng shook his head slightly and said, "This old minister is nearing death, so I have something to say. Your Majesty needs to gradually give the Crown Prince real power and keep him busy. As long as he doesn't get involved in the military, everything will be fine."

Li Shimin fell silent.

Among the six ministries, the Ministry of Personnel is the largest, followed by the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War.

In the eyes of an emperor like Li Shimin, the Ministry of War is above the Ministry of Revenue.

But the Ministry of Revenue was responsible for the finances of the entire country, and Li Shimin could not get over the fact that the Crown Prince was allowed to interfere in this way.

"It's okay to keep him busy. Perhaps I can let him handle the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Works, but as for the Ministry of Revenue, take your time and see how the situation develops." The emperor finally gritted his teeth and refused to give in.

"Well, this is just my own imagination. The prince may not have such an idea, especially now that his legs and feet are inconvenient. I heard that the prince is quite fond of Princess Ankang. As for the way of advance and retreat, I think he is better than anyone else..." Before Wei Zheng finished speaking, a burst of hurried footsteps was heard outside the door.

Wei Zheng subconsciously looked up and saw that the emperor had silently retreated behind the curtain.

Cui came in from outside, glanced at Wei Zheng, and said, "The prince has left."

"Yeah!" Wei Zheng nodded slightly, then couldn't help coughing.

Cui sat beside the bed and asked with a worried look, "How is your illness?"

"Master Sun said that I can live for at least another seven or eight years." Wei Zheng smiled calmly.

"Really? Don't lie to me." Cui reached out and pressed the corner of the quilt, then said, "But no matter what, you should completely let go of the affairs of the court. Find a time to discuss retirement with His Majesty. Dalang still hasn't married... And, there's Second Mother. The Crown Princess brought up the past again today."

"What happened before? The matter of marrying Er Niang as the Crown Prince's concubine?" Wei Zheng frowned and said, "Didn't the Crown Prince marry Zheng's daughter as the Crown Prince's concubine?"

"Who knows?" Cui shook her head and said, "But if I were to guess, the Crown Prince marrying Crown Prince Liangti requires His Majesty's approval. The reason His Majesty agreed last time was because the Crown Princess was pregnant. If Crown Prince Liangti is also pregnant this time... wouldn't His Majesty have to agree?"

Wei Zheng was stunned, then he came to his senses, shook his head, and said, "The Crown Prince is the heir to the throne, and my husband is the prime minister. How can the families of the heir to the throne and the prime minister be married?"

"That's why I told you to retire immediately." Cui rolled her eyes at Wei Zheng and said, "You're just a sick old man who's retired. Who cares if you're still prime minister?"

Wei Zheng was speechless for a moment, then he said, "My aunt has married the King of Han, and our family is already well-off."

"That's true, but Dalang has a dull personality. Although he's well-educated, he doesn't have many bright spots. His future prospects are uncertain. And there are Erlang, Sanlang, and Silang, who are still young. If Dalang can't handle it..."

"Where did you go? I'm still here." Wei Zheng couldn't help but interrupt Cui, then said, "Okay, Master Sun is still in the kitchen, go and take a look."

"Yeah!" Cui nodded, then looked at Wei Zheng deeply before standing up.

……

"She's worried about you." Li Shimin walked out from behind the curtain, looked at Wei Zheng with a complicated expression, and said, "Divine Doctor Sun said at the beginning that you should take the medicine every day for a year..."

This statement was already very clear. Wei Zheng only had about a year to live. Cui had obviously heard something.

"The prince said that medicine can be obtained from Tuyuhun and the sea." Wei Zheng smiled calmly.

The emperor shook his head and said, "Come to think of it, I do have a good daughter-in-law."

"Yes." Wei Zheng nodded in admiration and said, "The Crown Princess is magnanimous, dignified, and courageous. She is the most rare among all the princesses."

Li Shimin nodded and said, "Shuyu, I'll arrange a marriage for you. I'll look for a princess whose daughter is about the same age. As for Erniang, you can marry her into the Eastern Palace and be a good wife. Shuyu has a calm personality and will be a good helper to the Crown Prince in the future."

"Your Majesty, I do not..." Wei Zheng was about to object, but Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "The prince treats you very well. You should teach him well."

After saying that, the emperor walked straight out the door, unwilling to listen to Wei Zheng say any more.

Lying on the bed, Wei Zheng couldn't help but sigh.

Then he smiled bitterly. The emperor always holds the highest power in a tyrannical manner.

Not willing to let go at all.

Prince, or the Ministry of Agriculture.

As for the rest, let’s wait until the prince’s leg injury is completely healed.

Wei Zheng lay calmly on the bed and fell asleep with steady breathing.

He slept very peacefully, with only an occasional hint of pain on his face.

(End of this chapter)