Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 386 The Prince Presents a Book
In late July, several heavy rains suddenly fell in the south of the Yangtze River, and the drought that had lasted for several months finally ended.

This time, the imperial court's disaster relief efforts were very strong, and were personally presided over by the Minister of Revenue Lu Chengqing. The people of the five states all received relief from the imperial court.

They already had surplus food, and with the relief food from the court, they could survive this year even if there was no harvest in autumn and winter.

Li Zhi then issued another decree to exempt the five states from taxes for the next year. When the people in the south of the Yangtze River learned about this, they were overjoyed and spontaneously went to the government office to kowtow and express their gratitude.

Zhang Duohai's adopted son Zhang Quan is from Jiangnan and has two brothers in his hometown. After he told Zhang Duohai about the situation, Zhang Duohai reported it to Wu Meiniang.

Wu Meiniang sighed, "These Jiangnan common people really know what's good for them. They're much better than those Jiangnan nobles."

Zhang Duohai smiled and said, "I heard from Zhang Quan that many unscrupulous merchants in Jiangnan took advantage of the severe drought to drive up grain prices and make a fortune. Minister Lu asked Your Majesty for permission to execute five of these unscrupulous merchants on the walls of Shezhou. Only then did they dare not oppose the court again!"

Wu Meiniang said calmly, "Merchants are greedy for profit. This has been the case since ancient times. It's not surprising. Lu Chengqing is a scholar after all, so he killed too few people."

Zhang Duohai's scalp tingled when he heard this. He was well aware of the queen's ruthless methods. If the emperor asked her to go to provide disaster relief, there would probably be many deaths in Jiangnan.

That night, Wu Meiniang told Li Zhi about this matter again, and Li Zhi was very pleased.

As the saying goes, good things come in pairs. Suddenly, a report came from Penglai Palace that Xu Jin had a dream. Li Zhi was overjoyed and decided to hold a banquet tomorrow to celebrate the event.

In the past, palace banquets were mostly held with court officials. This time, Li Zhi decided to hold a family banquet and celebrate only with the concubines, princes and princesses in the palace in the Linhu Palace.

For this banquet, Li Zhi wanted to strengthen the family relationships within the royal family, so the atmosphere should be relaxed. He asked Wu Meiniang to be responsible for the preparations for the banquet.

Li Zhi only made two requests: the first was that it should be held outdoors, and the second was to roast more sheep.

He hoped to create the feeling of outdoor barbecues in later generations.

It was easy for him, the one who made the request, but it was hard for Wu Meiniang, who was preparing for the banquet.

Wu Meiniang has always been energetic and strives for perfection in everything she does.

Early that morning, she came to the Linhu Palace and directed the palace maids and eunuchs to set up the banquet table.

Xu Jin was delighted to have a dragon seed and arrived first. When he arrived at the Linhu Palace, he saw that the layout of the place was grand and majestic, yet also quiet and elegant.

Thirty-six screens formed a semicircle, and more than a dozen tables were neatly distributed within the semicircle, fan-shaped and facing the South China Sea pool.

Twelve cloud umbrellas were fixed on the banquet table like pillars, blocking the scorching sun outside.

Six three-legged stoves were placed in a hexagonal shape in the middle of the table. Charcoal fire was burning inside, and the flames were so strong that they roasted the whole lamb on top until it was golden and crispy.

The aroma of meat filled the air, and Wu Meiniang ordered people to spread honey on the mutton to suppress the fishy smell of the mutton, making people's appetites whetted.

Seeing her coming, Wu Meiniang glanced at her belly and said with a smile, "Sister, you're here early."

Xu Jin had always been dignified, but at this moment she could not hide her joy. She smiled sweetly, bowed low, and started chatting with Wu Meiniang.

When Wu Meiniang asked about Concubine Yang, Xu Jin smiled and said, "Prince Qi hasn't been to the palace for a few days. I wanted them to be alone together for a while, so I came here first."

As they were talking, Concubine Zheng and Concubine Zhu came together, with Concubine Zheng holding the eighth prince Li Ren in her arms.

Li Ren is almost two years old now, but he is very introverted and quiet, well-behaved and polite. He doesn't look like a prince, but more like a princess.

Wu Meiniang liked this child very much, and sometimes even wondered how great it would be if her daughter Princess Taiping had the same personality as him.

Seeing that more and more people were coming, Wu Meiniang ordered Zhang Duohai to take He Shanggong to call Li Xian, Li Xian, Li Dan and Princess Taiping.

Her children had not arrived yet, but Liu Chong'er and Zheng Cairen came together, followed by a young man of about thirteen or fourteen years old, who was the second prince Li Xiao.

Wu Meiniang knew more about the situation outside the palace than Li Zhi did. She knew that Li Xiao was doing cockfighting and dog running around outside and doing all kinds of evil things.

She didn't like the child, so she was too lazy to discipline him.

Immediately afterwards, Yang Cairen and Li Yong finally came over. The mother and daughter had a very good relationship and were talking as they walked, which was completely different from the relationship between Li Xiao and Zheng Cairen.

After a while, bursts of laughter came from a distance. Looking up, I saw a large group of people walking towards me.

Upon closer inspection, the visitors included Princess Gao'an, Princess Yiyang, Princess Taiping, Li Lian, Li Xian, Li Xian and Li Dan.

Princess Gao'an held Princess Taiping, Li Xian held Li Dan, and Li Xian held the corner of Li Xian's clothes.

In addition to the seven princes and princesses, Li Ji and Helan Minzhi followed behind, and no one knew how these two came.

After they came over, Wu Meiniang asked Helan Minzhi why he appeared here.

"Aunt, today is a holiday. My brother Li and I followed His Royal Highness the King of Yue into the palace. After His Majesty saw us, he asked us to join him as well." Helan Minzhi replied.

Wu Meiniang asked, "Where is His Majesty?"

Helan Minzhi smiled and said, "He is playing chess with His Majesty the Prince of Yue. He said he will be here soon. The Crown Prince is also with His Majesty."

Wu Meiniang nodded and asked everyone to sit and wait.

A quarter of an hour later, Li Zhi came with Li Hong, and Li Zhen followed behind.

Li Zhi looked at the banquet table layout and was very satisfied. He nodded to Wu Meiniang and said with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work, Queen."

Wu Meiniang smiled and said, "Your Majesty has kept me busy, but you are free and playing chess with the King of Yue, keeping everyone waiting."

Li Zhi laughed heartily and said, "It was my eighth brother who insisted on challenging me. How could I not accept the challenge?"

After Li Zhen lost to Li Zhi in a game of Go last time, he went home and hired many guests who were proficient in Go. He studied it every day and improved a lot. Then he came to seek revenge on Li Zhi.

Wu Meiniang glanced at Li Zhen and said with a smile, "Then Eighth Brother must have won this time?"

Li Zhen bowed and said, "Your Highness, you are joking. I thought I had made considerable progress, but I didn't expect Your Majesty to make even greater progress. I still lose."

The family sat down according to their seniority.

The atmosphere at the banquet was indeed more harmonious than the banquet in the palace. The family was talking and laughing, and Princess Gao An even came forward to perform her talents and played a song.

Li Zhi cheered loudly and asked the younger ones to come forward and perform a talent show.

Princess Taiping asked, "Yes, my daughter, do you want to perform too?"

Made everyone laugh.

Li Zhi smiled and said, "You little guys, if you want to perform, then perform. If you don't want to perform, then perform."

Although Princess Taiping was young, she inherited Wu Meiniang's competitive nature. She stepped forward, swayed her small body, and danced.

Li Zhi was delighted to see her dancing so well, and asked with a smile, "Taiping, was this dance taught to you by your mother?"

Wu Meiniang glanced at her and said, "She refused to learn even though I was here to teach her."

Princess Taiping glanced at her mother and said unyieldingly, "Mother is so busy, how could she have time to teach me? It was Master Jiang who taught me."

Li Zhi asked, "Which Jiang Baofu?"

Wu Meiniang said, "It's Jiang Yan." Li Zhi asked curiously, "Isn't Jiang Yan the palace lady by your side?"

Wu Meiniang said softly, "She is old now, so she voluntarily resigned her position as Shang Gong and asked to be Taiping's tutor. Since she took on the role, Taiping has become much more obedient."

Li Zhi nodded and asked, "Where is Jiang Yan?"

Jiang Yan, who was standing near the screen, felt a surge of excitement. She quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your servant greets Your Majesty."

Li Zhi smiled and said, "You are so loyal and diligent. I will confer upon you the title of Fifth Rank Lady. I hope you will teach the princess well in the future."

Jiang Yan took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Next, Princess Yi Yang recited a poem about the Goddess of Luo River, and other princes also came forward to perform their talents.

When it was Crown Prince Li Hong's turn, he had a smug look on his face and took out a small notebook from his sleeve.

"Father, this is 'Yaoshan Jade Colors', a collection of ancient and modern prose that I recently asked a group of scholars from the Eastern Palace to compile. They've selected five hundred pieces and compiled their explanations. Please read it."

Li Zhi was slightly stunned. He took it and looked at it. He saw that it indeed contained many classic collections of essays.

To be precise, it not only includes but also explains the meanings of many classic collections, so that other people can refer to this book when they study these classics in the future.

This is equivalent to an important classic book that is beneficial to academic research. Although it was not compiled by Li Hong himself, it also shows his attitude of attaching importance to learning and making progress.

This is similar to Li Tai's compilation of the "Guo Di Zhi".

Although the function of "Yaoshan Yucai" is not as great as that of "Guodizhi", its nature is the same.

Li Zhi was delighted and said, "The prince's talent is the best today!" He ordered people to circulate it around.

Li Hongxi said, "Thank you for the praise, father."

The other concubines all praised the prince's book "Yaoshan Yucai". Xu Jin even wrote a poem called "Yaoshan Banquet" to congratulate the emperor for receiving the book "Yaoshan Yucai" at the banquet.

As the atmosphere of the banquet became more and more tense, the queen smiled and was in a very good mood. Zhang Da Hai quietly retreated behind the screen.

He had just been busy for a while and was sweating.

As a fat man who sweated a lot, he was afraid that the smell of his sweat would bother Empress Wu, so he asked a eunuch to serve him and quietly left the Linhu Palace.

He returned all the way to Lizheng Hall, prepared to take a shower, change clothes, and then go over to serve.

His house was located in the southeast corner of Lizheng Hall. It was the residence of the eunuchs of Lizheng Hall, and the largest room among them was his.

As soon as Zhang Duohai arrived at the door, he saw a eunuch standing outside his door, tiptoeing and looking furtive.

When Zhang Duohai saw the man, he frowned and said, "Zhou Zhi, why are you here again?" with a look of disgust.

The eunuch was in his forties, tall and thin, with a sallow complexion. He forced a smile and said, "Young Master Zhang, I have something to ask you."

Zhang Duohai snorted, pushed the door open and entered his room, walked to the table and sat down, poured himself a cup of cold tea and started drinking it.

Zhou Zhi came behind him and diligently massaged Zhang Duohai's shoulders.

Zhang Duohai finished a cup of tea and ordered several eunuchs to bring him some water. Then he slowly said, "If you have anything to say, please say it. I have to go to Linhu Palace later to serve Her Majesty the Queen."

Zhou Zhi hurriedly said, "I'll help you bathe first." He rushed to help fetch water, and soon, he filled a wooden bucket with cold water.

Zhang Duohai took off his clothes and soaked in the water. Zhou Zhi took a towel and bath beans and rubbed Zhang Duohai's body.

Zhang Dahai closed his eyes comfortably and said, "Tell me, what's going on?"

Zhou Zhi smiled and said, "Young Supervisor Zhang, I heard that the Xiguan Bureau has a vacant supervisor. Do you think I can..."

"Zhou Zhi, it's not that I don't want to help you. You've offended the young King Wu. If he knew that I promoted you again, wouldn't he go to the saint to complain?" Zhang Duohai interrupted.

Zhou Zhi said anxiously, "Zhang Shaojian, that was so long ago. The young King of Wu must have forgotten me. Please have mercy and give me another chance. I will definitely repay you."

At that time, Wu Wang Li Ji was still a eunuch in the palace. He stole some paper and was chased all the way by Zhou Zhi, the then Minister of the Treasury.

As a result, he happened to meet Emperor Li Zhi and was severely scolded.

Later, Li Ji was transferred to Ganlu Palace by the emperor, and because of this incident, Zhou Zhi was demoted by Wang Fusheng to a low-level eunuch in Xianchi Palace.

Xianchi Palace is a cold and lonely palace where the emperor and empress can never be seen, let alone promoted.

Eight years have passed now. He is already in his forties, but he is still a key eunuch in Xianchi Palace. He must be very depressed.

He was originally Zhang Dahai's man, so he always came to Zhang Dahai to plead for mercy.

But Li Ji has now been promoted to a prince and is highly regarded by the emperor. He is even qualified to attend family banquets of the level just now.

How could Zhang Duohai dare to offend Li Ji for Zhou Zhi?
So every time Zhou Zhi came, he would just give excuses and make prevarications.

Zhang Duohai sighed, "Xiaoxiang is not the same person he was back then. Little King Wu remembers it clearly. I think you should just be patient for a while. After another ten years or so, I'll help you find a solution."

Zhou Zhi said anxiously: "In another ten years, I will be over fifty!"

Zhang Dahai said calmly: "There's nothing we can do about it. You can only blame your bad luck."

Zhou Zhi paused and said, "You really don't care about our old friendship?"

Zhang Duohai said coldly, "Why, I'm talking to you nicely, and you're threatening me?"

Zhou Zhi hurriedly said: "No, I dare not."

Zhang Duohai said, "Then get out quickly and don't appear in front of me again." He clapped his fat hands.

Two eunuchs came in immediately and helped Zhang Dahai take a bath.

Zhou Zhi lowered his head, a cold light flashing in his eyes. He said in a low voice, "Master Zhang, I'll take my leave now. Please take care of yourself."

Zhang Dahai ignored him.

After Zhou Zhi left Zhang Duohai's house, he returned to Xianchi Palace and pushed the door open to enter his own room.

The room is small, faces south and is dimly lit.

He walked under the bed, took out a box, opened the lid, and heard a hissing sound from inside. There was a small red snake in the box.

Zhou Zhi put the snake into his sleeve and said coldly, "Zhang Duohai, I wanted to give you a great credit, but since you won't let me live, then you can forget about living well!"

He walked out of the house and headed towards Lizheng Hall. He soon arrived near a rockery and looked towards another rockery to the west.

Near the rockery, there was another eunuch quietly staring at the Lizheng Hall. It was Wang Hong.

(End of this chapter)