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

Chapter 659 The Emperor is Sick (Part )
On the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, the city was blocked by heavy snow.

In Ganlu Palace, Li Chengqian was lying on a slanted couch with a slightly warm silk cloth on his forehead and his eyes slightly closed.

He is very sick.

Of course, it's just a cold.

Xu Yi sat in front of Li Chengqian, holding the memorial in his hand, and whispered, "Duke Ying has reported that 80% of the land granted to meritorious soldiers in the army has been received, and the remaining 20% ​​will be completed after the beginning of next spring."

Li Chengqian nodded gently, without opening his eyes, and said directly: "Continue!"

"Yes!" Xu Yi bowed slightly, then continued, "Minister Zhang Daxiang of the Ministry of Revenue has reported that the grain and fodder from Jiangnan has been transported to Yangzhou. After March of next year, it will be shipped to Luoyang and all will be delivered to Chang'an by the end of April."

"Next year!" Li Chengqian couldn't help but sigh.

He will still go on an eastern tour next year, which will indeed reduce the amount of grain transported to Chang'an, but he will also go to war with the Western Turks next year.

Then this reduction will definitely not be too much, which will result in the Luoyang and Chang'an rivers being busy throughout the summer and autumn.

Li Chengqian couldn't help but sigh, whispering, "Food, soldiers, officials—the foundation of the court. Add to that rituals, tools, and criminal law, supplemented by the Nine Temples, Five Prisons, and Sixteen Guards. Armed with them, it's a ferocious beast. No single detail can be neglected!"

Xu Yi blinked and looked at Li Chengqian with a confused look on his face.

Li Chengqian smiled, opened his eyes, looked past her at Xu Hui standing behind him, and asked, "Hui Niang, what do you say?"

Xu Hui bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that etiquette and law are the foundation of everything, especially in times of prosperity."

"Are you saying that my empire has reached its peak?" Li Chengqian couldn't help but laugh. He lowered his head to look at Xu Yi and said, "Look, your sister is still the one who knows how to talk."

Xu Yi's smile was a little forced, and he didn't know what to say for a moment.

Today is her third day in Ganlu Temple.

Because the emperor caught a cold, he summoned her to Ganlu Palace to serve him.

In addition, due to the heavy snow, the emperor did not have to attend court. However, even so, there was still a steady stream of memorials sent to the Ganlu Palace.

The emperor was not interested in reading it, so he asked her to read it on the side.

However, compared to her elder sister Xu Hui, her younger sister Xu Yi does not have much qualifications in governing the country, so she often has no say.

Just as Xu Yi's expression was gloomy, a finger touched her chin. Xu Yi looked up and met Li Chengqian's eyes. She subconsciously said, "Your Majesty!"

"Don't worry about these things. It's just right that you don't understand, so people won't accuse you of meddling in government affairs." Li Chengqian smiled and said, "You, wait until I recover from my illness, then bear another child for me, so that Balang can have another one to play with."

"Your Majesty!" Xu Yi lowered his head shyly.

Li Chengqian simply reached out, hugged Xu Yi's gentle body into his arms, and then closed his eyes slightly.

The sixth year of Yongwei was about to pass. In this year, taking advantage of the army's return to the capital, Li Chengqian severely dealt with the issues of hidden fields and evil money.

Although the root of the problem has not yet been deeply touched, these current events are sufficient to meet the court's needs for the war against the Western Turks next year.

Not only were funds and food supplies guaranteed, but the benefits of what Li Chengqian did this year also benefited the officers and soldiers in the army.

Whenever the people see this, they will inevitably feel envious. If the war starts next year, he will be able to gain the maximum support from the people of the world.

Soldiers, money, food, people's hearts, tools, etiquette, and criminal law.

Li Chengqian strengthened his control over all of these.

No matter what, he would be able to achieve ultimate victory in the war against Ashina Helu of Western Turkic Khaganate.

After a year of hard work, he has enough confidence.

……

It was late at night and Xu Hui was sleeping on a small couch in the inner hall.

The emperor and his sister Xu Yi were lying on the bed not far away and had fallen into a deep sleep.

But Xu Hui couldn't fall asleep at all.

There were more than a dozen memorials on the table next to him. Some of the ones on top were just delivered in the past two days, but those at the bottom were delivered a few days ago.

On the bottom few books, Xu Hui saw a few familiar marks drawn with a thin gold bamboo pen.

Yes, familiar.

very familiar.

That was Wu Meiniang's note-taking habit.

It has been several years since Xu Hui returned to the palace. Most of the time, she stays with her younger sister Xu Yi, taking care of the eighth prince Li Yu for her.

Only on rare occasions would she see Wu Meiniang.

Then they immediately turned and walked away. The two never met face to face. Others knew about their awkward relationship, so few people would say these things to each other's faces. But, is this really how they have to live their lives?

At this moment, a pair of arms hugged Xu Hui from behind, and a voice rang in her ears: "You are still thinking about Mei Niang."

Xu Hui's body trembled slightly, then she lowered her head and said, "Yes!"

Li Chengqian felt Xu Hui's trembling and whispered, "Can't you forgive her for what happened back then?"

Xu Hui bit her lip tightly. After a long while, she turned around and looked at Li Chengqian face to face and said, "If Your Majesty wants me to let go of my grudge, I will do so."

Li Chengqian gently lifted Xu Hui's chin and whispered, "Since you have resentment in your heart, then find a time to vent it. There is no need to wrong yourself!"

"Huh?" Xu Hui looked up in surprise and looked at Li Chengqian in disbelief.

Li Chengqian hugged Xu Hui, looked at her and said, "I have never thought of asking you to be wronged. If someone makes you feel wronged, then let her be wronged. The grievances you have suffered should be completely avenged on her, even if it is Mei Niang."

"Your Majesty!" Xu Hui's lips opened and closed, her eyes filled with tears.

Li Chengqian lowered his head slightly and bit Xu Hui's lips. Xu Hui hugged Li Chengqian emotionally, closed her eyes, and kissed him with her tongue.

Just before the next moment, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the hall, and Zhang Ananda's solemn voice came: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

Li Chengqian's eyes flashed with annoyance. He let go of Xu Hui slightly and took a deep breath. After a moment, he calmly asked, "What's wrong?"

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Pengcheng has passed away." Zhang Ananda's voice trembled uncontrollably at the end of his speech.

Li Chengqian's breathing suddenly became heavier. He gently hugged Xu Hui, sighed softly, and said, "It's late now, it's not convenient for me to go. Make arrangements tomorrow morning and I will go to pay my respects."

"Yes!" Zhang Ananda bowed and then stepped back.

Hearing the footsteps fading away, Li Chengqian raised his head, looked at the darkness in front of him, and fell into silence for a moment.

"Your Majesty, please accept my condolences!" Xu Hui whispered beside him, "The Duke of Pengcheng is already seventy-three years old. This is a great loss, Your Majesty, there is no need to grieve too much."

"I know, but I didn't expect him to be the first to pass away. The Duke of Ju was two years older, and he was still fine. I didn't expect the Duke of Pengcheng to pass away first." Li Chengqian raised his head and sighed softly, "Fate is so fickle!"

……

In the Duke of Pengcheng's Mansion, Li Chengqian, dressed in a pure black robe with a white silk cloth tied around his arm, bowed solemnly to the spirit tablet of Liu Dewei in front of him.

Taking the incense from Liu Shenli's hand, he solemnly inserted it into the incense burner.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Liu Shenli bowed to Li Chengqian gratefully.

Li Chengqian patted Liu Shenli on the shoulder and said, "Please accept my condolences. Someone told me that the Duke of Pengcheng's death at the age of seventy-three is a rare occurrence in the world. You should take good care of your father's funeral and stay with him for a year. I will have great use for you in the future. The pace of world affairs cannot be slowed down. I think this is what your father would like to see."

"Yes!" Liu Shenli couldn't help but shed tears.

"Ah!" Li Chengqian turned and walked out of the mourning tent. He said to Zhangsun Wuji, Tang Jian and others standing on both sides, "I think the posthumous title of the Duke of Pengcheng should be Xiang. "Xiang" means "to have virtue in opening up the land." "Xiang" means "to have hard work in armor." "Xiang" means "to have merit in undertaking affairs." "Xiang" means "to be determined and overcome difficulties." "Xiangxie" means "to support achievements." "Xiang" means "to have prestige and virtue that conquers far and wide."

I see that every word is consistent!"

"We obey your order." The ministers bowed with emotion.

Since Liu Dewei entered the Tang Dynasty, he was granted the title of General of the Left Jinwu Guard and the Duke of Pengcheng County. He served as the Minister of the Imperial Household, the Governor of Mianzhou, and the Minister of Justice. He was transferred to the Minister of Punishment and suppressed the rebellion of Qi Wang Li You. He was promoted to the Minister of the Central Secretariat and his posthumous title was Xiang, which was indeed appropriate.

"In addition, he will be posthumously awarded the title of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince and buried in Zhaoling Mausoleum." Li Chengqian's eyes swept across the ministers, finally landing on Tang Jian. He nodded gently and said, "Tang Qing, please take care of yourself."

"Yes!" Tang Jian bowed seriously.

"Yes!" Li Chengqian walked out and the ministers followed.

After thinking for a moment, Li Chengqian stopped and looked at Tang Jian: "Mr. Tang, you don't need to attend the regular court sessions except for the New Moon and Full Moon Court sessions. Take good care of yourself. As for the affairs of the Secretariat, you can leave them to Master Yu in the future."

"I obey your order." Tang Jian bowed gratefully. He originally thought that the emperor wanted him to resign as the Minister of the Central Secretariat, but unexpectedly, the emperor only wanted him to be exempted from regular court attendance and to focus on his health.

Now that Liu Dewei has passed away, Yu Zhining will be promoted to the position of Zhongshu Ling in the future, but Tang Jian will still retain the position of Zhongshu Ling and will be able to participate in any matters.

"Also, let Sun Qing be in charge of the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel." Li Chengqian glanced at Sun Fujia behind him.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Sun Fujia bowed in surprise. In a blink of an eye, he was promoted from the Chief Censor to the Minister of the Interior, which was the prime minister of one of the three ministries.

"Mr. Cui of the Dali Temple is transferred to the position of Chief Censor, and Chief Advisor Gao Zhizhou is promoted to the position of Minister of the Dali Temple." Li Chengqian decided on several positions with just one sentence.

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed.

"Order the Imperial Pharmacy and the Imperial Hospital to send personnel to diagnose all the ministers over sixty years old. They must prescribe medicine and seek medical treatment early." Li Chengqian looked at the ministers and said seriously, "My lords, I have always prioritized the long-term. To ensure the prosperity of our future rule, I will need your dedicated efforts. Please take care of yourselves."

"We thank Your Majesty!" All the ministers bowed in unison.

"Let's go." Li Chengqian walked out of the Pengcheng County Mansion.

The ministers followed closely behind.

(End of this chapter)