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

Chapter 622: Meeting Chen Shuozhen on the Streets of Luoyang (Part )

The autumn rain continued and fog shrouded the entire Luoyang city.

After tens of thousands of troops left Luoyang, although countless military equipment and food were still transported into Luoyang City every day, the people and officials in the city seemed to have lost their spirit and could not cheer up.

In the Zhenguan Hall, Li Chengqian looked at Tang Jian, Yu Zhining, Yan Lide, Liu Dewei and others on both sides and said, "The army has passed Weizhou. The subsequent troops, food, and military equipment will be directly transported north from Zhengzhou. Zhengzhou Governor Wang Dali and Ministry of Revenue Assistant Minister Zhang Daxiang are in charge there, so there is no need to worry too much."

"Yes!" Everyone bowed in unison with a gentle expression.

Li Chengqian took a deep breath and said, "Regarding Luoyang, let the subordinates do what they should do. Especially Tang Qing and Liu Qing, your health is not very good. Take advantage of this period of time when you are not busy to take some time to rest and let the imperial physician examine you."

"Yes!" Everyone bowed, some not understanding what the emperor meant.

"Only with good health can one achieve long-term success. This is what I want. Do you understand?" Li Chengqian explained it directly to prevent them from having wild thoughts.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" At this time, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that this was what the emperor meant.

To be honest, people who think too much will inevitably wonder whether the emperor is reminding them that they are old and should retire.

Fortunately, the emperor did not mean that.

But then again, whether it is Andy Lau or Tang Jian, they are not young anymore.

"Minister Yan, you are in charge of the Ministry of Revenue. In addition to having people count the autumn taxes in various places, you also need to send people to inspect the local areas, especially the poorest counties in each circuit. If there are not enough people, transfer people from the Secretariat." Li Chengqian raised his head slightly.

"I understand." Yan Lide bowed seriously. He was the youngest among the four.

Li Chengqian looked at Liu Dewei and said, "Let's put the Ministry of Justice's affairs on hold for now. During the Eastern Expedition, treat the people leniently and send people to pass on the news to the local areas. As for the officials' affairs, I will have the Censorate, the Dali Temple, and the Ministry of Personnel jointly investigate."

Be lenient to the people and strict in governing officials.

This is the tone set by Li Chengqian during the army's eastern expedition in recent years.

Everyone bowed and said, "We accept your order."

"Alright, everyone, go and rest." Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "I need to rest as well. In a few days, I will go to Songshan and Longmen to offer sacrifices and pray for a great victory for the army. You, the ministers, do not need to follow me. Let the Palace Department handle it."

"Yes!" Everyone bowed and said, "We will take our leave."

Li Chengqian nodded, then looked to one side and saw four people: Zhongshu Sheren Zhao Hongzhi, Jieshi Zhong Li Yifu, Huangmen Shilang Xu Jingzong, and Secretary Lang Pei Yan.

Li Chengqian sighed lightly. Liu Rengui and Li Yiyan had already followed Li Ji to Andong.

"You should go and rest too. That's all for today." Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Take a good rest. When you've rested, I still have a lot of things waiting for you here!"

"We obey your orders." Zhao Hongzhi, Li Yifu, Xu Jingzong, and Pei Yan stood up and bowed, then said, "We will take our leave."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian nodded, then stood up and said, "Let's go, I'll go to the back and take a look."

"Yes!" Xu An bowed solemnly.

……

In the mountain courtyard, a burst of laughter came from inside.

At this moment, a voice came from outside the palace: "Your Majesty has arrived."

The hall was instantly in chaos, but at this time, Li Chengqian had already stepped into the hall.

Wang Youlan and Liu Yao immediately stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. May your Majesty be well and safe!"

Li Chengqian reached out and pulled Wang Youlan and Liu Yao up. He looked at Wang Youlan with particular curiosity and asked, "Why are you here today, Lan'er?"

"I came here to keep my cousin company, but I didn't expect His Majesty to come here today." Wang Youlan gave Liu Yao a playful look and said, "Since His Majesty is here, I will go back and not disturb His Majesty here."

"Sister." Liu Yao's face suddenly turned red, and she couldn't help but pull Wang Youlan.

Wang Youlan immediately left, then bowed to Li Chengqian and said, "Your Majesty, I will take my leave."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian smiled and nodded, saying, "In a few days, I will go to Songshan to offer sacrifices. My beloved concubine should come with me."

"I obey your command." Wang Youlan smiled sweetly, then bowed and left.

Li Chengqian looked at Liu Yao who was so close, then took her hand and said, "Come on, accompany me to the backyard. It's a rare opportunity for me to rest, so let's go to the backyard and see Qiuyu."

"Yes!" Liu Yao blushed and let Li Chengqian pull her to the backyard.

Xu An ordered his men to move a long couch and place a long table, which were filled with fruits and fine wine.

Li Chengqian sat on the couch, Liu Yao snuggled in his arms, and then quietly watched the autumn drizzle.

Li Chengqian raised his head and looked at the gloomy sky.

Although the sky was gloomy, there was no thunder in the continuous drizzle, which really disappointed him.

The army set out, and Li Chengqian had already given instructions as needed.

He believed that with Li Ji's ability, taking Pingrang City would be no problem.

The news of this battle had already reached the south bank of the Taedong River.

After taking Pingrang City and returning the power to Gao Baozang, the Tang Dynasty would not move south again, nor would it destroy Goguryeo.

Therefore, in today's Goguryeo, there are not many people who would follow Quan Gaisuwen to resist the Tang Dynasty. Especially if the Tang Dynasty breaks through Pingrang City in the future, those people will not gather any forces to resist after escaping, but will only stay in the place and wait for changes.

Anyone who could foresee this future would not wholeheartedly support Quan Gaisuwen in defending Pingrang City.

The real trouble came after the war.

The treasury was empty and the soldiers were exhausted.

He could continue to increase grain production through improved methods, but the increase in income was still too slow, so the only solution he could think of was to mint coins.

Coins were minted based on the wealth gained from Goguryeo's great victory.

However, how to mint coins is also a big problem. Should we continue to mint Kaiyuan Tongbao, or mint another type of coin based on this?

Li Chengqian shook his head slightly. He feared the risks of minting another type of coin were too great. While continuing to mint Kaiyuan Tongbao coins might not yield much, it was a more stable approach. Of course, if the situation was favorable, then continuing to mint Kaiyuan Tongbao coins would not be a problem. However, if the Western Turkic leader Ashina Helu rebelled, he would have to find another solution.

But in the end, everything must be stable.

Recovering his composure, Li Chengqian looked down at the beauty in his arms, whose face was already blushing.

Li Chengqian gently lifted her chin, then leaned down and kissed her.

With a "嘤" sound, Liu Yao didn't know where to put her hands for a moment, but after a moment, she subconsciously hugged Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian stood up, picked up Liu Yao, and strode towards the inner hall.

The curtains fell, and the red candles flickered for a moment.

……

Songshan, Zhongyue Mountain Temple.

Li Chengqian knelt down at the foot of the temple and kowtowed gently.

The sisters Wang Youlan and Liu Yao kowtowed together.

A moment later, on the mountain path outside the temple.

Master Pan was accompanying the emperor on a stroll along the mountain path.

"Taoist statues are mostly made of clay and gilded, and the Buddha statues in ordinary temples are also mostly made of clay." Li Chengqian looked at Pan Shizheng and said, "I asked the Ministry of Personnel to count the number of bronze Buddha statues in the world a while ago. Master, please guess how many bronze Buddha statues there are in the world."

"There should be no less than fifty bronze Buddha statues enshrined in temples across the country, primarily in the southern temples. In the north, the most important is the White Horse Temple." Pan Shizheng looked at Li Chengqian and whispered, "Your Majesty, do you have any intention of destroying Buddhism?"

"That's not the case." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "The Buddha statue has been completed. It is naturally due to the power of the people's thoughts. I am not at the point of destroying the people's thoughts.

However, I think that while the Buddha is naturally divine, there are quite a few deceitful people among the temple abbots and monks who are just trying to gain a good reputation. I'm worried that some of them can't even memorize a single volume of the Diamond Sutra."

"Yes!" Pan Shizheng suddenly bowed to Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "In that case, thank you for your help, Master."

"This is my responsibility." Master Pan bowed solemnly.

"Then, Master, let's go back." Li Chengqian nodded, then sat on the imperial carriage beside him and left Songshan.

Inside the imperial carriage, Wang Youlan and Liu Yao sat on either side of Li Chengqian.

Both of them heard clearly what Li Chengqian and Pan Shizheng said just now.

Wang Youlan asked, somewhat puzzled, "What was Your Majesty talking about with Master Pan just now?"

"Haha!" Li Chengqian smiled lightly without giving any explanation.

Although they were playing some cryptic games, it was actually nothing serious.

It’s just that we will be stricter on the ordination certificates in the future.

You know, monks have land but don't have to pay taxes.

Li Chengqian naturally would not have any ideas about those monks who sincerely chanted Buddha's name, but there were still some people who mixed in among them and deceived the world and stole the reputation.

These things happen not only in Buddhism, but also in Taoism.

Li Chengqian and Pan Shizheng just said a few words, in fact, he just wanted Pan Shizheng to pass on the message to Maoshan and Louguandao on his behalf.

The Taoist sect is prepared and will support Li Chengqian when the time comes, and at that time, the Buddhist sect will inevitably have to be cleansed of some dirt.

Of course, at that time, if the Buddhists accepted it, that would be fine. If they didn’t accept it, Li Chengqian wouldn’t mind relaxing a bit.

……

The emperor drove straight into Dingding Gate and returned to Ziwei Palace.

However, Li Chengqian, Wang Youlan, and Liu Yao left the group halfway and entered Luoyang City from Changxiamen in a red-covered carriage.

Fifty Jinwu Guards led the way on both sides, and countless Qianniu Guards followed secretly.

However, even so, the people of Luoyang just took a look and went about their own business.

The prosperity of Luoyang and the atmosphere of the city came directly before Li Chengqian's eyes.

Li Chengqian would occasionally lift the curtain to look outside the hall. On the other side were Wang Youlan and Liu Yao doing the same.

Li Chengqian smiled gently. What he did today was naturally not only for Wang Youlan and Liu Yao, but actually more for himself.

To be honest, Li Chengqian, the current emperor, had never been so close to the people of Luoyang.

Luoyang South City is not far ahead.

Nanshi is the most prosperous place in Luoyang. Although Li Chengqian cannot get off the car and go in, he can clearly feel the prosperous atmosphere inside when passing by from the outside.

Just as Li Chengqian was about to lower the curtain, a nun in a gray monk's robe suddenly flashed through the alley.

Li Chengqian couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. He felt that the figure just now was somewhat familiar.

Wisdom and awareness.

Chen Erni.

Chen Shuozhen.

Li Chengqian's expression suddenly became serious.

How come she is in Luoyang?

Li Chengqian said softly: "Someone come!"

(End of this chapter)