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

Chapter 317 The Emperor's Suspicion (Part )
The weather is cold in winter and the wind is blowing from the north.

After Li Ji led the army north and Li Chengqian, Zhangsun Wuji, Tang Jian and others arranged all logistical matters, the emperor set off and returned to Chang'an.

Dingzhou, which was originally bustling and densely populated, suddenly became a little empty.

When the emperor returned south, the imperial guard general Zhang Shigui led the troops to escort him south.

A general in red and golden armor followed closely beside the imperial carriage, guarding the emperor's safety.

Li Chengqian rode on horseback behind the emperor's carriage, looking at the vast Hebei plain with an expression of emotion.

The land is fertile and the fields are vast.

Rich and beautiful.

"Although Hebei has vast plains, its biggest problem is that it borders the grasslands, and there are too many foreign tribes in the north." A green-robed official followed Li Chengqian and said with a somewhat gloomy look, "Turks, Khitans, Xi, Bohai, Mohe, and other tribes. However, most of these tribes were incorporated into the Tang Dynasty, and many of them became government soldiers."

"There aren't many locals among the Hebei government soldiers, I know that." Li Chengqian nodded, then looked at the green-robed official and said seriously, "Mr. Cui, this is an old matter, and we need to solve it step by step. If you have any ideas, you can write them up and I will discuss them with you slowly."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Cui Xinggong bowed earnestly to Li Chengqian with a look of gratitude.

He knew that it was not easy for Li Chengqian to make such a statement.

In today's Tang Dynasty, the Guanlong clans firmly occupy the upper-level resources, and it is very difficult for other clans from all over the country to move up.

Not only do you have the ability and qualifications, you also need to compete with others.

Of course, relationships also have to exist.

Cui Xinggong was born into the Cui family of Boling, and his father-in-law was the Minister of Revenue, Tang Jian.

Tang Jian liked his literary talent very much and married his daughter to him.

In the past two days, Tang Jian, as the commander-in-chief of the rear army of the Eastern Expedition, has been accompanied by Cui Xinggong. Almost all the military proclamations and memorials were written by Cui Xinggong.

Tang Jian's son, Tang Shanshi, married Li Chengqian's sister, Princess Yuzhang.

Actually, Cui Xinggong and Li Chengqian are half relatives.

This is also the reason why the emperor allowed Li Chengqian to contact the children of the Cui family of Boling and the Lu family of Fanyang, and the reason why Cui Xinggong finally stood out and stayed by Li Chengqian's side.

Li Chengqian tightened his cloak slightly and said, "In fact, over the years, my father has also been trying to solve the problems in Hebei. However, every time the court takes a step forward, there are always things that will delay it."

Cui Xinggong looked gloomy, he knew that Li Chengqian was talking about Qi Zhixuan.

The Yixuan Qi clan was watching closely, and Cui Xinggong even had a few acquaintances who were from the Yixuan Qi clan, but even he had not expected that the Yixuan Qi clan would actually intend to rebel.

In fact, there are similar people not only in the Yixuan Qi family, the Fanyang Lu family, and the Fanyang Zhang family, but also in all the aristocratic families in Hebei.

Bastards, collateral relatives, those who failed the imperial examinations, those whose futures were damaged, and even those who were completely hopeless, were forced or voluntarily embarked on this path, which would never end...

"Tap tap tap..." A Qianniu Guard rode up to Li Chengqian's side and bowed to him, saying, "Your Highness, His Majesty has summoned you."

"Got it!" Li Chengqian turned around and glanced at Cui Xinggong, then urged his horse to head towards the imperial carriage.

Cui Xinggong bowed solemnly and watched Li Chengqian leave.

……

The carriage, as big as a small house, was pulled by six horses and headed towards Luoyang at a rapid speed.

Li Chengqian boarded the carriage and got inside.

Inside the spacious imperial carriage, the emperor reclined on the couch.

Li Zhi was sitting on the right side of the emperor's ear, holding a memorial in his hand and reading it seriously.

The Secretary of the Central Secretariat Chu Suiliang and the Attendant Shangguan Yi were kneeling on either side, one on the left and the other on the right, both of them were busy dealing with official documents.

Li Chengqian stood firm, bowed to the emperor and said, "Your Highness, your son pays respects to you, Father."

"Sit down!" Li Shimin raised his hand slightly, and Li Chengqian immediately bowed, then sat down at the emperor's feet and knelt down.

The emperor stood up, looked at Li Zhi on his right, and said, "There are often disputes over water among the people in the countryside, and local officials handle them differently.

Prince Jin is a little confused as to why this is happening. Prince, please help him explain this."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian bowed, then looked at Li Zhi. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke, "Water disputes are often caused by insufficient irrigation. If it's upstream and downstream, it benefits the upper part but not the lower part. If it's along a river, it benefits more but not the lower part. If the river is seriously insufficient, with only enough water for one side, then all water will be irrigated on that side, leaving the other completely unattended."

"Isn't that unfair?"

"Local officials have their own positions. Taxes, population, and morality all have their own responsibilities. So, whichever side of the farmland can produce the most taxes should be given priority." Li Chengqian smiled and said, "If there is enough water for both sides, but one side wants to monopolize it, then we should punish the monopolist and allow both sides to irrigate at the same time."

"What if that's not enough?" Li Zhi asked immediately.

"That was a natural disaster. There's no point in arguing about it." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "For local officials, when a piece of land lacks adequate irrigation and cannot produce, they must find a way to ensure the survival of the people living there. This is the local official's responsibility. Failure to do so is a dereliction of duty and deserves death."

Li Zhi raised his eyebrows and subconsciously looked at the emperor.

Li Shimin smiled and said, "If a natural disaster occurs, the court should be informed and arrange for disaster relief. At times like this, what we fear most is greed and exploitation. Officials who embezzle relief grain, exploit the people who can't produce enough, or even force them to rebel, should be executed."

"Yes!" Li Zhi bowed immediately.

For some reason, he had a feeling that whether it was the prince or the emperor, there seemed to be a lot that had not been said.

"Alright, Zhinu, you can go back now. You should read more memorials on local governance. When you go to a local government, even if you learn from others, you won't do too badly." Li Shimin waved his hand at Li Zhi, who immediately bowed and said, "Your son, I'll take my leave."

"Ok!"

……

The imperial carriage traveled along the official road under the protection of countless guards.

The emperor walked to the window, looked at the endless mountains in the west, and said with emotion: "Bingzhou is on the other side of the mountain. The vast Taihang Mountains divide the north and the south. Although Bingzhou is a fertile land, it is far inferior to Hebei." Li Chengqian stood behind the emperor with a calm expression.

The emperor's voice suddenly rang out from the front: "Cheng Qian!"

"Your son is here!" Li Chengqian bowed solemnly.

The emperor smiled faintly and asked, "Hengshan County is not far from here. Do you still remember it?"

"I have never been to Hengshan County and have no impression of it. When I was the Prince of Hengshan County, I was too young and at most only my cousin might have had contact with me. Later, my cousin passed away and I had no contact with him again." Li Chengqian couldn't help but look a little emotional.

Before he became the crown prince, he was the Prince of Hengshan.

Hengshan County is not Hengshan in Bingzhou, but Changshan County in Hebei.

Changshan is actually Hengshan, the ancient Hengshan.

During the Western Han Dynasty, Hengshan was renamed Changshan to avoid the taboo of Emperor Wen Liu Heng.

Mount Heng, the Northern Mountain, has always been Damao Mountain in Changshan County. There is also a Beiyue Temple on the mountain, which has been worshipped by generations.

As for Hengshan Mountain in Bingzhou, it is actually called Taiheng Mountain.

When Li Chengqian was the Prince of Hengshan, it was only the third year of Wude. At that time, Hebei was still in the hands of Dou Jiande.

Later, he was granted the title of Prince of Zhongshan, and actually lived in the Changshan area.

"Cui Xinggong just told you a lot about Hebei." Li Shimin turned around and looked at Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian nodded seriously and said, "Yes, Father. The people of Hebei are having a hard time surviving. Cui Xinggong is worried about this, so I hope that I can solve this problem in the future."

Li Shimin looked at him and asked calmly, "What do you think?"

"I don't think we can act rashly." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "The issue of the imperial guards is of grave importance. Any slight change would be a major event. The situation in Hebei is particularly complex, even I can hardly imagine it. So I think we should take it slow. As my father mentioned regarding transportation reform, I plan to use thirty years to transform Hebei..."

"No, fifty years." The emperor waved his hand and said, "Even if you don't live to be seventy, you can't rush to change. You have to understand that if things in Hebei really change, the primary beneficiaries will definitely not be the court, but the Hebei noble families. So before you have a complete grasp of Hebei's affairs, don't make any rash moves."

Li Chengqian's brows suddenly tightened, and he bowed and said, "Your son obeys your command."

Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian deeply, then said, "Cui Xinggong has a younger sister who is not yet engaged. I will make the decision. After returning to the capital, I will have her marry into the Eastern Palace and become your Crown Prince's concubine."

"Father?" Li Chengqian looked up in surprise. In an instant, his mind flashed back to the emperor's previous request for him to contact the Cui and Lu families. This was originally the emperor's plan.

"Cui Xinggong's mother is Princess Ningyu, the daughter of Prince Changping's uncle. She is my cousin, and his sister is your cousin. Our family backgrounds are just right, so let's just leave it at that." Li Shimin waved his hand.

Li Chengqian immediately understood that Cui Xinggong was still his cousin.

Li Shuliang, the Prince of Changping, was the grandson of Emperor Taizu Li Hu and the cousin of Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan. He was of the same generation as Li Shentong, the Prince of Huainan, and Li Shenfu, the Prince of Xiangyi.

However, Li Shuliang died in the second year of Wude, so although Princess Ningyu was the emperor's cousin, the relationship was very distant.

Tang Jian's daughter married Cui Xinggong, which seemed to be an alliance with the Cui family of Boling, but on a deeper level, it was still an alliance with the royal family.

Now, Cui Xinggong's sister entered the Eastern Palace as the prince's concubine, and everything was just a cycle.

"Yes!" Li Chengqian bowed seriously and accepted the order.

……

Li Shimin turned around and looked out the window, then said softly, "Also, I'd like to bestow the title of King of Hengshan upon someone else. Which of your sons would be the most suitable?"

"Xiang'er!" Li Chengqian said Li Xiang's name decisively.

"Nonsense!" Li Shimin turned around, looked at Li Chengqian with amusement, and said, "Even if Xiang'er is not crowned as the Crown Prince, he is still a prince. How can he be called a county prince?"

"What I want is to make him a prince first, so that he won't be too unstable." Li Chengqian couldn't help but shook his head.

"Alright, Xiang'er will be crowned the Crown Prince, and Ju'er will be the Prince of Hengshan." The emperor shook his head with amusement, then said calmly, "In two years, I will have to march east again, and Hebei must remain peaceful. I will confer the title of Prince of Hengshan, and then find a son of a noble Hebei family to serve as the Prince of Hengshan's tutor, and slowly win over the noble Hebei families."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian bowed seriously.

"Remember, no matter how much grace you give to the aristocratic families in Hebei, its foundation will not be shaken. But you must be very careful with the system in Hebei and don't touch it lightly!" Li Shimin stared into Li Chengqian's eyes.

"I understand, son." Li Chengqian bowed solemnly.

"Okay, we are about to reach the Hutuo River. Go and see how the Ministry of Works is building the floating bridge on the river?" The emperor's gaze fell lightly on Li Chengqian's face.

Li Chengqian immediately bowed and said, "Your son will take his leave!"

Li Shimin calmly watched Li Chengqian exit the imperial carriage, but his eyes became slightly solemn.

……

Li Chengqian was riding on a horse, with Changsun Xiang and Qin Huaidao following closely with a team of Qianniu Guards.

At the end of the distant sight, the Hutuo River is floating above it.

Li Chengqian looked out at the Hutuo River with a solemn expression.

He whispered in his heart: Father, I really don’t have any manpower in Changshan. It was not I who destroyed this floating bridge, but Zhinu’s “manpower”. They have now arrived in Taiyuan. If you really want to investigate, you should go to Taiyuan.

No matter what, the matter will eventually be traced back to Li Zhi, not him, Li Chengqian.

The floating bridge on the Hutuo River gradually appeared.

The Ministry of Works acted quickly. Just ten days after Li Chengqian arrived in Dingzhou, a floating bridge had been completed.

The floating bridge spans the river, connecting to the south bank at one end.

On the south bank, an official road continues southward to Luoyang.

(End of this chapter)