Concubine Liu Hua was afraid of delaying Xuanzong's schedule, so she said, "Your Majesty, I have finished talking to Li Cong. Do you still want to talk to the two princes?"
"I want to leave here and go see Li Wan with you."
"I would like to thank Your Majesty for your concern for Wan'er."
Xuanzong and Concubine Liu Hua, accompanied by Zhang Jiuling, left Xingningfang and walked towards Yeting Palace. The guards following them were still Li Shoude and Chen Xiaoli, as well as the three young eunuchs and two palace maids.
Xuanzong and Concubine Liu Hua, surrounded by several people, went to the wet nurse's room in the northern part of Yeting Palace. There are separate rooms for Li Wan's wet nurse and the wet nurses of Li Cong, Li Ying, Li Yan, Li Yao and Li Ju. These wet nurses' rooms are adjacent but independent of each other. There are a total of more than a dozen eunuchs and more than twenty palace maids to help these wet nurses take care of the princes. There is also a guard standing guard at the door of each wet nurse's room.
Xuanzong and Concubine Liu Hua went to see Li Wan first, because Li Wan was also the prince born to Concubine Liu Hua. Li Wan is ten months old and chubby. When Xuanzong and Concubine Liu Hua went there, Li Wan had just finished drinking the wet nurse's milk and was put in the cradle by the wet nurse and fell asleep.
After seeing Li Wan, Xuanzong, accompanied by Concubine Liu Hua, saw the two-and-a-half-year-old Li Yan and the two half-year-old princes Li Yao and Li Ju.
After they had seen all the princes, Xuanzong said he was going to have lunch at Concubine Liu Hua's palace. Surrounded by several people, they arrived at the palace where Concubine Hua lived.
It was almost time to make lunch, and a eunuch went to report to Gao Lishi. Gao Lishi came to the palace where Concubine Hua lived in Yeting Palace, asked Xuanzong what kind of food he wanted to eat, and then went to the imperial kitchen to arrange for the imperial chef to prepare the meal.
Xuanzong had lunch with Concubine Liu Hua in the palace where Concubine Liu Hua lived. During this period, Concubine Liu Hua was a little worried about Li Cong and Li Wan's food problem. Xuanzong said: "Concubine Hua, you don't have to worry about the prince's food. I have arranged their food menu. There will not be the same meals every ten days. The imperial dining room is carefully prepared and can be said to be nutritious, with delicacies from both mountains and seas. There are many royal chefs in the imperial dining room. The meals eaten by the prince and the imperial concubine were tasted by the maids who delivered them on the spot to ensure there were no problems. The meals eaten by the wet nurse were also the same. treatment."
Concubine Liu Hua felt relieved after hearing the emperor's words. After lunch, Xuanzong helped Concubine Liu Hua practice writing regular script. At night, Xuanzong slept with Concubine Liu Hua.
After Xuanzong retired from court on the second day, accompanied by his guards, eunuchs, and maids, he and Concubine Wu Hui took a walk by the pool in the courtyard of Xingqing Palace. He saw the guard Li Shoude beside him and thought that he had also made a meritorious service when he killed the Princess Taiping Group. He thought Li Shoude should be rewarded.
Li Shoude's original name was Li Yide. He was a domestic slave bought by Xuanzong when he was the king of Linzi. He was later named Li Shoude. Li Shoude is good at riding, shooting and fighting.
Xuanzong and Concubine Wu Hui were enjoying the lotus flowers, but they were thinking about other things. Concubine Wu Hui asked the palace maid to get paper, pen, dye, and ink to draw the lotus in the pool. Since it was summer and the weather was getting hot, they went to the pavilion and sat on the chairs inside. Concubine Wu Hui set up a painting board in the pavilion and painted lotus flowers.
Xuanzong thought of his cousin King Bin Li Shouli. Although Li Shouli did not participate in the killing of Princess Taiping Group, he had always had a good relationship with Xuanzong. Li Shouli was the son of Xuanzong's second uncle, Li Xian. During the period of Empress Wu, Li Xian was established as the prince, but was later exiled to Bazhou by Empress Wu for treason.
Li Shouli and his father were exiled to Bazhou at the same time. After Wu Zetian ascended the throne, Li Xian was forced to commit suicide by Qiu Shenji, a cruel official under Wu Zetian in Bazhou. Li Shouli also suffered many whippings. Later, Wu Zetian recalled him back to Chang'an and imprisoned him in the palace. After the Shenlong Coup, he was freed. From the time of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty to the present, Li Shouli has been a low-key official, pragmatic and not interested in power. Xuanzong needed such royal members to serve the Tang Dynasty.
Xuanzong also planned to reward several brothers. The eldest brother, King Song, took the initiative to give way to the wise and did not compete for the crown prince. Now he does not interfere in the government affairs and indulges in drinking and sex; the second brother, King Shen, is cheerful and magnanimous, pursues a luxurious life, and is not good at politics; the two younger brothers, King Qi and King Xue, are in the process of executing When he was expelling Princess Taiping's group, they also supported him front and back.
Concubine Wu Hui said: "Your Majesty, how would you like to see the lotus painted by my concubine?"
Only then did Xuanzong come back to his senses, and his thoughts returned to the paintings shown to him by Concubine Wu Hui: "Well done, Concubine Hui's painting skills have improved a lot."
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty."
That night, Xuanzong wrote a summons to reward the kings and Li Shoude in Xingqing Palace, as well as to give promotions to some officials. Concubine Wu Hui lit several candles on the side and silently made tea for Xuanzong, but did not disturb him with words.
After Xuanzong finished writing the summons, he slept on the same bed as Concubine Wu Hui.
In the morning of the next day, Xuanzong sat on the dragon chair in the Wude Hall and announced to the civil and military ministers of the Manchu Dynasty: "Last time I announced a call for rewards based on merit. Today I will announce a few more orders for rewards. Gao Lishi reads it out."
Gao Lishi lowered his head slightly, took the edict with both hands, and read in front of the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty: "... King Li Xian of Song Dynasty granted 1,000 households; King Shen Li Ju granted 1,000 households; King Li Longfan of Qi granted 700 households; King Li Longye of Xue granted 700 households. Households. Li Shouli, King of Bin, granted 300 households; His Majesty's close bodyguard, Li Shoude, was appointed as the General of the Military Guard and was rewarded with 3,000 taels of gold. Officials of the Manchu Dynasty were given one rank for those with grades below the third rank, and one rank for each rank below the fourth rank."
When Gao Lishi read out the imperial edict, he needed to pronounce "I" as "Your Majesty". After he finished reading, he lowered his head, held the call letter in both hands and handed it to the emperor.
The civil and military ministers standing in two rows in the middle of the court bowed their heads at the same time and shouted in unison: "My emperor is wise, long live my emperor, long live, long live my emperor."
It has been nearly a year since Xuanzong ascended the throne. The weather has been smooth and the country is peaceful and the people are safe. Therefore, in the court, no ministers reported that there were droughts or floods in various places.
After the diligent governance during the Taizong period and the consolidation and development during the Gaozong and Wuzhou periods, the Tang Dynasty was already an empire with a vast territory and relatively strong national power.
Because the border areas are basically stable, people's lives are relatively stable, and there is a harmonious scene in Kyushu, there are very few memorials about man-made disasters.
Xuanzong is very relaxed at the moment. There are not many state affairs to discuss in the court, and there are not many memorials to approve after he retires.
After the morning court that day, at three quarters, Xuanzong was playing Go with Concubine Wu Hui in the east hall of Xingqing Palace. Eunuch Yang came in gently and reminded, "Old slave, I wonder what your Majesty would like to eat for lunch?"
Xuanzong looked at the chessboard and said, "Just the same as yesterday."
"I will inform the imperial kitchen to prepare meals now."
Eunuch Yang walked out of the palace door. Xuanzong actually lost this game of chess. Xuanzong said: "I have lost this game of chess."
Concubine Wu Hui was a little happy, but she didn't show too much excitement: "Your Majesty accepted the offer."
When Xuanzong saw Concubine Wu Hui, who was petite, had an oval face, cherry red lips, and a charming smile, he felt happy in his heart and his face was filled with smiles.
Xuanzong really let Concubine Wu Hui lose on purpose. He played chess with Concubine Wu Hui, and most of them won. If he didn't lose a game on purpose, Concubine Wu would be in a bad mood. Concubine Wu Hui is one of the very few people who can make him consider forbearance. Because he liked Concubine Wu Hui so much.
Concubine Wu Hui poured the water from the tea cup in front of the emperor and made hot tea.
Concubine Wu Hui said: "Your Majesty, sometimes you don't come to stay at Xingqing Palace. Where do you stay?"
If it were other concubines, they would not ask this question easily because they were afraid that Xuanzong would be angry. But she was Concubine Wu Hui, and Xuanzong never lost his temper with her, so she wouldn't worry too much.
Xuanzong said: "I sometimes go to Concubine Liu Hua and Concubine Yang, and occasionally to Empress Wang. The other concubines go even less often."
Speaking of Queen Wang, Concubine Wu Hui had a hint of displeasure on her face: "Queen Wang, although she is the Queen and has been married to His Majesty for the longest time, she has never given birth to an heir."
