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

Chapter 745 Li Tai Leaves the Palace (Third Update)

As dawn breaks, lush greenery floats in the mist.

The cold morning breeze blew into Zhaoqing Hall, only to be quickly absorbed by the heating.

A refreshing atmosphere still permeated the entire hall.

On the bed, Li Chengqian slowly opened his eyes, and the world before him instantly became clear and bright.

He subconsciously looked at the beauty buried in his arms. Her delicate face was turned to the side, her expression innocent and charming, and the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, filled with infinite satisfaction. The pink silk quilt slipped off her jade shoulders, revealing her exquisite and fair collarbone, which was clear and smooth.

Li Chengqian lifted his fingers from under the pink quilt, brushed them over his shoulder, and landed on Wei Dan's cheek. He breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face.

Now that the Crown Prince will have an heir, Li Chengqian, who had previously been somewhat hesitant, can now fully relax his mind. It's time for all the concubines in his harem who don't have children to have them too.

His original plan was to abdicate after twenty years and then live out his old age in the Daming Palace. He intended to have his concubines with children go to their fiefdoms with their children, and those who were willing to stay in the palace with him could stay.

After all, once he abdicates, public opinion becomes uncertain.

Li Chengqian looked up at the outside of the hall. It was quiet outside, and even the entire Taiji Palace was quiet after the celebration.

The Crown Princess is pregnant, much to the delight of the royal family.

It was also the time when the emperor decided to perform the Fengshan ceremony to ensure the continuation of the imperial lineage, and all the officials offered their congratulations.

Li Chengqian issued an imperial edict for a three-day celebration in Chang'an.

The same was true in the palace. The Empress and the concubines had been making a ruckus for three whole days, but today, things finally quieted down.

Li Chengqian smiled gently, then stood up.

Wei Dan finally opened his eyes, his gaze still somewhat dazed, and murmured, "Your Majesty!"

"My beloved consort, continue sleeping. I must go to court." Li Chengqian glanced at Wei Dan and walked into bed.

Two maids came forward on either side to help Li Chengqian wash up and put on his robe.

"Oh!" Wei Dan murmured in response, turned over, and fell asleep again.

Li Chengqian chuckled softly, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes.

……

In the Liangyi Hall, Li Chengqian sat on the imperial couch, looking at the memorial in front of him.

Changsun Wuji, Li Ji, Lu Chengqing, Li Baiyao, and Li Chunfeng stood in the hall.

"Your Majesty, the Fengshan ceremony is generally well-established, but we would like to ask Your Majesty to determine the timing first, so that other aspects can proceed smoothly." Changsun Wuji bowed respectfully.

"What did the Imperial Observatory say?" Li Chengqian raised his head slightly.

Li Chunfeng stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, we have calculated that the auspicious times are the ninth day of the fifth month next year, the ninth day of the ninth month, and the New Year's Day the year after next."

Although Li Shimin chose the auspicious day of New Year's Day when he performed the Fengshan ceremony, historical records do not actually state that the Fengshan ceremony had to be performed on New Year's Day.

Qin Shi Huang performed the Fengshan ceremony in autumn, Emperor Wu of Han performed it in March or April, and Emperor Guangwu of Han performed it in February; the timing of these events varied from one another.

"September is the end of autumn. I think we should go to Luoyang for the Fengshan ceremony after the Zhaoling Mausoleum ceremony in May." Li Chengqian raised his head slightly. Before the Fengshan ceremony, he wanted to visit the Zhaoling Mausoleum.

"Your Majesty!" Changsun Wuji stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "I believe that May is the best time. In midsummer, May is the time when the crops are green and ripe, and it is the perfect time to pray for the blessings of Heaven so that we can have a good autumn harvest. Although September is also good, it is better not to affect the autumn harvest too much."

Li Chengqian nodded slowly. Although that was what Changsun Wuji said, there were many other meanings behind his words.

Although September is after the autumn harvest, there is a very important factor that affects the Fengshan ceremony.

If next year's autumn harvest is not as good as expected, will Li Chengqian still be able to perform the Fengshan ceremony?

As the saying goes, the longer the night, the more dreams you have.

The Tang emperors performed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Song, which was revered by the world, but also feared by it. No one knew what ambitious person might do, so it was better to do it in advance.

"Can the map of the Tang Dynasty's territory from the Honglu Temple, Prime Minister Su's 'Academy of the World,' and Xu Jingzong's 'Hundred Family Surnames' be completed by next May?" Li Chengqian understood the reasoning behind this. If possible, he even hoped to perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai tomorrow.

"Because we have prepared in advance, the map of the Tang Dynasty's territory can be completed before May next year without any problem. Prime Minister Su's 'Academy of the World' has been mostly completed this year, and it can be completed in full next year if we work hard. As for Xu Jingzong's 'Hundred Family Surnames,' the Ministry of Revenue is fully cooperating. After all, he only needs the total population of all surnames in the world, which is not difficult." Changsun Wuji bowed respectfully.

To be honest, Changsun Wuji did not expect that Xu Jingzong was simply counting the population of the country and had not done anything to Zongwang.

So no matter what schemes the emperor might have in secret, Changsun Wuji could ensure that they were suppressed, thus ensuring that the entire Fengshan ceremony would not be affected.

“In that case, let’s perform the Fengshan ceremony on the ninth day of the fifth month.” Li Chengqian nodded, then sighed and said, “Then I will go to Zhaoling to offer sacrifices on the fifteenth of the third month, depart for Luoyang at the end of March, and perform the Fengshan ceremony at Songshan on the ninth day of the fifth month.”

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji and the others bowed in unison and said, "Your subjects accept the decree."

Li Chengqian's expression turned solemn, and he said, "In that case, I will order the governors of the upper prefectures to select fifty people to come to Luoyang by the end of April next year, the governors of the middle prefectures to select thirty people to come to Luoyang by the end of April next year, and the governors of the lower prefectures to select twenty people to come to Luoyang by the end of April next year. All of them must be those with outstanding political achievements. I will not accept those with mediocre political achievements."

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji and the others became solemn.

The emperor's Fengshan ceremony was the best opportunity to leave a lasting mark on history.

Even if it's just the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Song, since the two great emperors of the Tang Dynasty only performed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Song and not at Mount Tai, this Fengshan ceremony at Mount Song might become a Tang Dynasty custom, and no one would not want to follow suit.

But with three hundred prefectures in the land, it's impossible to have all the prefectural governors come.

In the past, it might have been a case of everyone using their own unique abilities, but now the emperor has set rules to select the best, with the ultimate goal of improving the social atmosphere. "By the way, have you calculated this year's autumn harvest?" Li Chengqian asked seriously.

"Your Majesty, it is roughly around 18 million strings of cash," Changsun Wuji said, bowing. "This year's taxes from Fanzhou have also been factored in."

“Not bad.” Li Chengqian nodded with a smile and said, “I originally thought the figure would be around 16 million strings of cash, but I didn’t expect it to be 2 million strings more.”

"This is probably because everything in Fanzhou has not yet been formalized. If we wait a few years, this figure should be around three million strings of cash." Changsun Wuji bowed respectfully.

"Let's take it slow." Li Chengqian nodded and asked, "How's the situation with the Eastern Turks?"

Li Ji, standing at the back, looked up excitedly and said, "Your Majesty, the Turks have truly suffered a disaster, and the disaster is severe. It is a good opportunity to recruit their outstanding young men into the Tang army, train them, and make them loyal to the Tang Dynasty."

“Very good.” Li Chengqian nodded and said, “Use them to influence their families, then divide the Eastern Turks. At the same time, take this opportunity to teach some Turks how to grow crops and sericulture, and tell them that this way they can avoid disasters next year. Even if they don’t use them themselves, they can sell them for official robes to make money.”

Changsun Wuji and Li Ji's eyes widened. Changing customs and traditions—this was the real killer move against the Turks.

The two men simultaneously cupped their hands and said, "Yes!"

Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's almost the end of the year, and the imperial examination will be held after the New Year. It will be a major examination, including the palace examination. I think that since Xu Jingzong is not busy, let him be the chief examiner for this imperial examination. After all, he is one of the eighteen scholars of the Prince of Qin's mansion, and has been in charge of recording the emperor's daily life for many years. Now he is also the prime minister, so he is just right."

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji and the others bowed their heads at the same time, their expressions becoming solemn.

Xu Jingzong's role as chief examiner for the imperial examinations was no simple matter. It was evident from the surface that his actions would greatly facilitate the compilation of the "Hundred Family Surnames".

Ultimately, it benefits the emperor's objectives.

"That's about it for the rest." Li Chengqian's expression calmed down, and he looked up and said, "One last thing, Uncle, please tell Xin'er to go to Beiyuan in three days and bring Qingque out."

"Your Majesty!" Changsun Wuji suddenly looked up, staring at Li Chengqian in disbelief.

Li Chengqian closed his eyes slightly, then opened them and said, "I said that after the Tubo are pacified, Qingque will be allowed to leave the palace. Now the time is almost up. We don't need to wait until next year when I go to Zhaoling. It will be ready in three days. In the meantime, let him move freely in Chang'an. Let him go to Xianling if he wants to, and to Zhaoling if he wants to. Next year..."

“Your Majesty, the Prince of Wei cannot participate in the Fengshan ceremony.” Changsun Wuji cupped his hands and said earnestly, “I know Your Majesty is benevolent and filial, but the Fengshan ceremony is not a child’s play. The Prince of Wei cannot participate. In addition, his identity needs to be confirmed. He cannot even be a prince. Only in this way can he live longer.”

“Alright, let’s do as Uncle says.” Li Chengqian looked up and said, “Qingque has repented and reflected on his mistakes over the years, so he is released from the palace and granted the title of… Prince of Xin’an. The Court of Imperial Clan Affairs will build the Prince of Xin’an’s Mansion in Shezhou, and he can travel freely throughout the country. As for Xin’er, he is an Imperial Censor and will continue to serve in Chang’an.”

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji bowed respectfully, knowing there were some things he needed to tell Li Tai.

"Alright, that's settled then." Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "Uncle, you can come along if you have time. I won't go, and I won't see him either. That's all."

After Li Chengqian finished speaking, he stood up and headed towards the side hall.

"Your Majesty, we respectfully bid you farewell!" Changsun Wuji, Li Ji, and the others bowed in unison.

When he got up, the emperor had already disappeared.

"Grand Commandant!" Li Ji stood to one side, cautiously watching Changsun Wuji.

After pondering for a moment, Changsun Wuji said, "It is normal for His Majesty to bestow favors when the world is stable. During the time His Majesty is performing the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Song, Prince Xin'an should spend the New Year in Chang'an before the New Year and travel freely. After the New Year, he should go to Luoyang and stay there until His Majesty performs the Fengshan ceremony. Then, he should set off from Luoyang the day after the ceremony and never return."

"Yes!" Li Ji and the others bowed in unison.

……

Ningyin Palace.

The afternoon sunlight spills out, creating a dazzling display of colors.

Li Chengqian sat calmly on the main couch, with Pei Qian sitting opposite him. A small table was placed between the two of them, with a pot of sake and three small dishes.

Pei Qian's face was flushed, and the sake in the wine pot was almost empty.

The daughter of a military family, at this moment, had captivating eyes and an irresistible charm.

Compared to Pei Qian, Li Chengqian's expression was frighteningly calm.

Even though he drank more than Pei Qian, and even with such a beautiful woman in front of him, his expression remained calm.

A soft footstep came from outside the palace. Then, Xu An appeared at the palace gate, cupped his hands to Li Chengqian and said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Xin'an has left the palace. Before leaving, he kowtowed three times to the palace."

"Hmm!" Li Chengqian nodded and asked, "Is everything outside settled?"

“Everything has been arranged. The Prince of Xin’an’s residence has everything he needs. In addition, there is a thousand strings of cash and three hundred bolts of silk. With his annual salary, it is enough for the Prince of Xin’an to live comfortably.” Xu An bowed earnestly.

Li Chengqian looked up and said, "Tell the Crown Prince to think these things over carefully."

"Yes!" Xu An cupped his hands in greeting, then carefully withdrew from the hall.

Li Chengqian suddenly smiled, turned to look at Pei Qian, whose face was flushed, then got up, walked over and picked her up, heading towards the bed.

Pei Qian, feeling somewhat weak, hugged Li Chengqian's neck and breathed softly into his ear, "Your Majesty, it is daytime now."

"Heh!" Li Chengqian chuckled and placed Pei Qian directly on the bed.

The curtains fell down in an instant.

The two mandarin ducks on the screen suddenly came to life.

The afternoon light flowed across the horizon.

(End of this chapter)