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

Chapter 338 I'm Just Finding Something for Father to Worry About (Part )
Watching the emperor finish a cup of tea, Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief.

He then bowed and said, "Father! This tea can be drunk once, twice, or even more. After tasting it, I will compose a short poem:
One bowl moistens the throat and lips, two bowls relieve loneliness and depression.

Three bowls of dried intestines, only five thousand volumes of writing.

Four bowls of light sweating, all the uneven things in his life, scattered to the pores.

Five bowls of Muscle and Bone Clear, six bowls of Tongxianling.

I could not finish seven bowls, but I felt a cool breeze under my armpits."

Li Shimin nodded slowly, motioning Zhang Ananda to hand a cup of tea to Li Chengqian and Li Zhi respectively. Then he looked up at Li Chengqian and said, "This tea is good, but Chengqian, you never waste time. Tell me, what do you want to do?"

Li Chengqian was slightly pleased with himself, then he saluted and said, "Father, I have prepared a portion for each of the princes, uncles, brothers, and princesses consorts..."

"Send it up." The emperor looked outside the hall.

Immediately afterwards, dozens of maids entered the hall carrying teapots, tea bowls, and tea leaves.

Finally, a tea bowl filled with tea was placed in front of everyone in the hall.

When you savor it carefully, you will find that everyone has different expressions in an instant.

Some were satisfied with the taste, some found it bland, and some looked indifferent. But soon everyone nodded and smiled, saying, "Not bad, not bad."

Li Chengqian smiled slightly helplessly.

Not everyone likes to drink tea.

Especially for making tea.

Brewing tea can add many things to it, enriching personal taste, and even making it medicinal and edible.

Don't rush, take your time.

Literati, monks and Taoists are the most important audiences for this kind of tea brewing.

Li Chengqian turned and bowed to the emperor. "Father, I've been thinking about this. Every year, the Tang Dynasty exports a large amount of tea to Tubo, the Turks, and Tuyuhun, but the demand for tea never meets the supply. If we improve the tea-drinking habits of the Tang Dynasty's scholar-officials, not only will this tea-making method increase in value, but it will also allow more tea to be sold to foreign tribes..."

"The Supervisor of the Imperial Household will be in charge of this matter." Li Shimin nodded and looked at Li Chengqian and said, "But have you ever considered that this method should not be promoted too much? Otherwise, the price of new tea will not rise, and the price of old tea will plummet."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian cupped his hands and said, "I have thought about it."

As he spoke, Li Chengqian pulled a memorial from his sleeve and handed it to the emperor, saying, "I think this matter should be handled by the palace, and then given to the royal family and important ministers, and a small amount to monks and Taoists... Although I can't guarantee that everyone will regard this tea as top-grade, there will always be some people who particularly like it. The rest can be gradually spread out."

After a brief pause, Li Chengqian bowed seriously and said, "Also, not all teas are suitable for frying or boiling. Only a few types of tea can be fried or boiled..."

"This will only ensure that the price of tea does not fall." The emperor nodded.
"Yes!" Li Chengqian bowed, then continued, "Also, during a good year for tea, when the price is low, you can store some of the tea. When the price is high during a bad year, you can sell the stored tea to ensure sufficient income."

"The Crown Prince really intends to become my Minister of Revenue!" Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian's cautious expression, nodded with a smile, and said, "Let the Supervisor of the Imperial Household try it out first."

The Shaofujian was responsible for collecting taxes from mountains, seas, ponds and lakes, and storing local contributions. He was also responsible for providing the palace with all the food, clothing, daily necessities, hunting and entertainment.

"Yes!" Li Chengqian bowed, then sat back down, unable to help but breathe a sigh of relief.

He didn't know what hardships the promotion of tea had gone through in history, but it finally succeeded.

Today, the reason why he gave roasted tea as a New Year gift to the emperor was because once he started this trend, he could win over a large number of people by distributing the profits from roasting tea.

The first people to be won over were those in the temple.

Li Zhi sat opposite Li Chengqian with a slightly ugly expression. The New Year gift he had carefully prepared was still outshined by the prince.

He didn't understand why the prince was able to present good things to the emperor every year and win the emperor's favor.

Li Zhi's teeth were almost broken.

……

The new night is cold.

In the blink of an eye, it was already three quarters past midnight in the twentieth year of Zhenguan.

Xu Hui helped the somewhat drowsy emperor back to Ganlu Palace. She turned sideways and said calmly, "Put down the hangover soup. Everyone, go down."

"Yes!" The maids and eunuchs in the palace seemed to have adapted to the emperor and Xu Hui spending time alone together every night.

After serving the emperor the sobering soup and seeing that he had sobered up a little, Xu Hui helped the emperor take off his clothes, clean the abscess on his back, and finally put on new medicine and new clothes.

All of Xu Hui's movements were gentle and skillful.

"Tonight the prince presented a new tea-making method. What do you think, my beloved concubine?" The emperor still followed his old habit, lying in Xu Hui's arms and asking casually.

Xu Hui hesitated for a moment and whispered, "From what the Crown Prince said today about the new tea-making method, it seems that it can bring considerable tax revenue to the court. This should be a good thing."

"What do you mean by 'in the imperial court'? It's the Shaofu." Li Shimin shook his head slightly and said, "If the Crown Prince is not acting in private, then the first person to benefit from this matter is me."

"Then I congratulate Your Majesty." Xu Hui bowed with a faint smile.

Li Shimin sighed softly and said, "Over the years, the Eastern Palace has always been able to come up with many useful things for me and the court. I can hardly do without him."

Xu Hui gently massaged Li Shimin's shoulders, then whispered, "Seeing the Crown Prince's cautious demeanor today, I'm afraid he doesn't have much confidence in this matter."

"No, this will happen. Even if others don't want it to succeed, I will definitely make it happen." The emperor shook his head firmly.

Today Li Chengqian talked about the many benefits of tea improvement, but there was one thing that Li Chengqian did not see.

That is, as the Tang Dynasty became increasingly powerful, more and more countries would buy tea from the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty's tea would become less and less sufficient.

In this case, either more tea leaves are provided or the selling price of each piece of tea leaves is increased.

Li Chengqian's tea frying provided a perfect solution.

Hearing the emperor's explanation, Xu Hui nodded approvingly and said, "The Crown Prince is also Your Majesty's subject. It is only natural for him to serve Your Majesty. His current success is precisely due to Your Majesty's wise guidance."

"Hahaha!" The emperor nodded, then turned sideways to look at the curtain on one side, and said calmly and indifferently: "Go and check whether the prince has privately given the method of making tea to the princes and nobles." "Yes!" A figure swayed behind the curtain, and the next moment, it became completely quiet again.

Xu Hui bit her lips tightly for a moment, and her face turned pale.

……

In the Yichun Palace of the Eastern Palace, the candles have gone out.

Li Chengqian was lying on the bed, with Su Shu and several children beside him.

The other concubines had already gone to bed earlier.

After returning to the East Palace, the children all fell asleep tiredly.

Su Shu leaned against Li Chengqian's arms and asked in a low voice, "Did Father find that tea in Jiangnan?"

"Yes!" Li Chengqian nodded and said, "In the pre-Sui Dynasty, people were making stir-fried tea, but it was only for private consumption. Yang Wulian reminded me of this, so I wrote to my father-in-law and asked him to help find it... But I've already told my father-in-law about this matter. He wants to keep it secret. Neither the person nor the method must be made public. Let's promote it in the palace first."

Su Shu looked up at Li Chengqian and asked, "What is your Highness thinking? Is it just to bring in taxes?"

Li Chengqian smiled, then shook his head and said, "No, I just wanted to find something for Father to worry about, so that he wouldn't play any more checks and balances in the court."

Li Chengqian had a plan in mind, but for now, before all the benefits were realized, he wanted to let the emperor benefit first.

"Your Highness, aren't you afraid that His Majesty will transfer those people working on the 'Kaogong Zhi' at the Hongwenguan?" Su Shu asked casually. "Your Highness always produces something that impresses His Majesty every year. Sooner or later, His Majesty will be grateful for the people working on the 'Kaogong Zhi' at the Hongwenguan."

"Kaogong Zhi" was started almost at the same time as "Guodi Zhi" from the 15th year of Zhenguan to the present. However, "Guodi Zhi" had been completed for many years, and even Su Xu had become Li Chengqian's father-in-law, but "Kaogong Zhi" had not yet been completed.

"Whatever." Li Chengqian gently hugged Su Shu and said, "The only person who can really help with the Kaogong Zhi is me. The others can be assigned to other positions by your father."

In the darkness, Li Chengqian's eyes were surprisingly bright.

There was a cordon he set for himself.

He didn't care if the emperor dismissed people, but if the emperor forced the "Kaogong Zhi" to be completed, Li Chengqian would have to be careful.

Of course, the emperor would not do this easily. Li Chengqian was worried that Wu Meiniang would say something to the emperor.

Xu Hui, Xu Hui appeared in Liangyi Hall for the first time tonight.

Li Chengqian sighed in his heart. When Wu Meiniang and Li Zhi began to have contact, Xu Hui, who was now very close to the emperor, was soon kicked away by the emperor.

Li Chengqian saw clearly the role of Xu Hui in the emperor's life. She was just a medicine applicator who kept secrets.

If she didn't leave the emperor's side, how could Wu Meiniang appear on the stage?

Su Shu didn't know what Li Chengqian was thinking. She looked at Li Xiang and Li Jue and their siblings and said softly, "No matter what, as long as our family can be safe and sound, that's all that matters."

"This is natural."

……

"...Tang Jian, the Minister of Revenue, Grand Master of Imperial Households, and Duke of Ju, was promoted with gold and appointed with jade, and he furthered his previous achievements and remained faithful to the Way.

However, the Minister of Personnel and other officials can continue to receive their honors and rewards as before. "Minister Xiao Yu stood in the Taiji Hall, above the ministers on the left, holding the imperial edict and announcing it.

"Your Majesty, I accept your command." Tang Jian stepped out from among the ministers and bowed solemnly to the ground. "I thank Your Majesty for your great grace."

"Stand up." The emperor sat on the imperial couch, looked at Tang Jian with satisfaction, and then said: "My dear minister, you should perform your duties as an official, make the imperial selections without any mistakes, and take charge of the imperial examinations."

"I obey your order." Tang Jian stood up and bowed.

"I am not feeling well now. The crown prince will lead the imperial examination this year. You should assist the crown prince so that scholars all over the world can gain something and live in peace." The emperor bowed gently.

"Yes!" Li Chengqian and Tang Jian bowed at the same time.

The emperor turned to look at Xiao Yu, who continued to read the imperial edict: "...Yan Lide, the governor of Guangzhou, is a man of high character and wisdom, and of upright conduct.

But the Minister of Revenue and other official positions can still receive honors and rewards as before."

Yan Lide immediately stepped out from among the ministers and knelt on the ground: "Your servant Yan Lide, thank you for your great grace."

"Stand up." The emperor nodded calmly and said, "The Ministry of Revenue is responsible for the administration of land, people, money, grain, and tributes. I hope you will work hard for us in the future."

"Here!" Yan Lide bowed with some gratitude.

He knew that the emperor was talking about the future expedition to Goguryeo, and that the emperor would still have great use for him at that time.

Li Shimin turned to look at Xiao Yu, who continued to read the imperial edict: "...Sun Fujia, the Minister of the Dali Temple, has a broad vision and a long-standing style.

But the Imperial Censorate and other officials can still receive their honors and rewards as before."

"I obey your order." Sun Fujia immediately stood up and kowtowed.

"Stand up!" Li Shimin looked at Sun Fujia and nodded. "The emperor's disciplines are under the jurisdiction of the Chief Censor. Therefore, impeaching the ministers and examining the governors is the responsibility of the Grand Censor. I leave all matters to you."

"I obey your command and thank you for your grace, Your Majesty." Sun Fujia bowed solemnly.

"...Yin Jun, the governor of Puzhou, is a man of integrity, upright in his words and firm in his conduct.

But the position of Dali Temple Minister can continue to enjoy the same official honors and rewards as before."

"...Zhang Xingcheng, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice, is upright and has the talent to lead the government. He can be made the Chief of Yongzhou and receive the same official honors as before!"

Li Chengqian, who had been standing solemnly, suddenly looked up and looked at Zhang Xingcheng, who was standing with his hands clasped, with a look of surprise.

Although Zhang Xingchen has not been well-known in recent years as the Minister of Justice, he was known for his strict law enforcement, impeachment of officials, and fearlessness of the powerful when he was the Palace Censor and the Imperial Secretary.

For some reason, Li Chengqian had a feeling that the emperor's appointment of Zhang Xing as the Chief Clerk of Yongzhou was a move against him.

Because the previous Chief Secretary of Yongzhou was Yu Zhining, and the Sima of Yongzhou was Wang Renyou, both of whom had close relations with Li Chengqian!
Zhang Xingchen was transferred to be the Chief Secretary of Yongzhou. I am afraid that many of Li Chengqian’s layouts in Chang’an City will need to be adjusted.

(End of this chapter)