After being comforted by her mother, Li Lizhi smiled and started acting coquettishly again.
"alright……"
Li Shimin came out and waved to smooth things over.
"It's hard to return to your mother, so you should be grateful to your mother, but no matter what, the beauty of our family is the protagonist today."
"Come on, let's have dinner."
He was about to move his chopsticks when he saw Xu Fenglei raised his hand to stop him.
"In my hometown, there is still such a custom."
Xu Fenglei also smiled and said,
"On your birthday, lighting a few candles, closing your eyes and making a wish is the most effective, so it is also called a birthday wish."
"Lizi, before we start the banquet, would you like to make a wish and blow out the candles?"
Li Lizhi's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Make a wish?"
She jumped down from the arms of her eldest grandson Wugao and said,
"Okay, Li Zhi wants to make a wish!"
"Is there such a custom? It's quite interesting." Changsun Wugao said with a smile, "Come here, bring a candle."
A maid came forward and Xu Fenglei gave a few instructions in her ear.
After a while, eight small, thin candles were delivered to the table with candlelight.
"Li Zhi, make a wish!"
Xu Fenglei raised his hand and said.
"Um!"
Li Lizhi closed her eyes, put her hands together, and began to mutter something.
"What did you say?"
"Let me hear it, let me hear it..."
The two brothers started acting weird again.
"Go away, go away! You annoying eldest brother and second brother!"
Li Lizhi shouted her two brothers away, then closed her eyes tightly again and made a wish with great earnestness.
Obviously, she believed Master's words - her birthday wish came true!
After a while, the little girl opened her eyes suddenly.
"call--"
She blew out all eight candles with a sudden blow!
Bang bang!
"good!"
Xu Fenglei took the lead in applauding and congratulated,
"Happy birthday to our beauty, may you have this day every year, and this day every year!"
"Don't say your birthday wish out loud, it won't work if you say it!"
Bang bang bang!
Bang bang bang!
Li Shimin, Changsun Wugou, as well as Li Qingquan, Li Chengqian, and Li Tai all clapped vigorously and said in unison:
"Happy birthday to our beauty!"
Li Lizhi's little nose couldn't help but feel sore when she saw her parents, master, brothers and sisters all wishing her such heartfelt wishes.
"Father, Queen, Mother, Master, brothers and sisters...you are so kind!"
"Woo-"
With a hint of crying, she threw herself into Changsun Wugou's arms.
But this time I cried, of course, not because I was wronged, but because I was moved, and because I was surrounded by love.
At this moment, Li Lizhi felt that she was the happiest and most favored little girl in the world!
"Hahaha, don't cry, don't cry, just be happy..."
Li Shimin rubbed his hands and said,
"Come on, let's have dinner!"
"I was already hungry after eating the first chopsticks, haha..."
He picked up a piece of fat meat with his chopsticks and threw it into his mouth at lightning speed.
"Hey, Your Majesty! You..."
Xu Fenglei glared.
This is a sneaky way to eat fat!
"Oh, I'm happy, I'm so happy! It's just one piece, I won't eat more, I won't eat more..."
Li Shimin chewed vigorously and said with a rather rogue smile,
"Next, I will all eat fish, all eat fish..."
As he spoke, his chopsticks were already stirring into the fish bowl.
“This fish is fried too!”
Xu Fenglei teased,
"Our royal chef is pretty good. We have improved the dishes to this extent."
"To make fish soup, you have to fry the fish in hot water first. The skin and flesh will be crispy, and the soup will be more fragrant."
"If you eat this kind of diet, your majesty's wind disease will not be cured..."
Li Shimin smiled awkwardly.
"It's just this meal. I usually eat light meals. If you don't believe me, ask the Queen!"
He continued,
"Ask her, do I strictly abide by the dietary regulations and eat vegetable soup and tofu every day? To be honest, my life is almost like that of a monk!"
After saying this, Li Er felt quite confident.
Changsun Wugou also nodded.
"The vegetable soup is vegetable soup, but some chicken soup is also added to the vegetable soup."
She hummed softly,
"Tofu is tofu, but there is also a lot of minced meat on the tofu."
"A radish is a radish, but there is a little too much lard."
Li Shimin: "..."
He couldn't even continue to talk about this short-dressing thing!
"That's all, take your time. Your Majesty is busy with government affairs. If you don't eat some meat, you won't be able to keep up with your consumption."
Xu Fenglei took a large piece of fish and put it into his mouth, waved his hand and said,
"I'll feel more relaxed in the future, just pay more attention."
"Come on, come on, just enjoy yourself today, open it up and eat!"
After receiving this "pardon order", Li Er's eyes suddenly lit up and he looked towards the fat side crazily.
Adding chicken soup and minced meat is just enough to satisfy your cravings. If you really want to satisfy your craving, you still need fatty meat!
Knock! Knock! Knock!
They were all his own, and Li Er no longer cared about his image as an emperor and started feasting.
Xu Fenglei naturally pretended to be reserved. He had eaten such simple meals countless times in Tiance Mansion, and he could eat as much as he wanted.
He was so anxious that he dared to compete with Li Er!
"Come on, this cumin mutton is delicious. Chengqian, look at how skinny you are, all the pieces."
"This fried fish is also delicious. It's boneless. Come on, open your mouth."
"Qingquan, you're welcome. You can eat whatever you want. You've been very busy recently. How about some mountain delicacies to replenish your health?"
"Qingque shut up."
Several children ate with their mouths full of oil, leaving only Li Tai gnawing on the vegetable leaves with a sad and indignant look on his face...
He was ordered to eat no more than two mouthfuls of fish and not even think about mutton.
If you don’t lose this body fat, the dietary ban will be implemented forever!
After a while.
The children have small appetites and eat quickly. They are full in a short time and want to go out to play if they cannot sit still.
"Li Zhi, let's ride a big horse!"
Li Chengqian wiped his lips and greeted proudly,
"My father's fierce horse has been completely tamed by my brother. Shall I take you for a ride?"
"Okay -" Li Lizhi responded and got off the table.
"You can't ride that fierce horse blindly."
Li Shimin said hurriedly,
"It's impossible to tell. Don't throw your sister."
"Come here, bring a docile little mare for the prince and princess to ride."
After receiving the order, the guards quickly brought a pony from the stable and helped the brother and sister ride it.
To ensure nothing goes wrong, there is one person holding the horse, one person holding the pedals, and a group of people following behind.
"It's boring, it won't be exciting."
Li Chengqian curled his lips and said,
"Come on, Lizi, let me show you the view from the horse first. I believe you will fall in love with this feeling!"
"call--"
He threw the whip and the horse galloped.
"Woo! Woo!"
Li Lizhi felt the beating from the horse and shouted excitedly.
"Qingque, go and play for a while. It won't be a problem just sitting like this."
Changsun Wugou encouraged,
"Would you like to ride a horse? Mother, please get one for you too?"
Li Tai buried his head and murmured, with a ferocious expression on his face, and ignored me at all.
Even if you are a vegetarian, you must eat enough to be full!
…
"Hiccup - listen clearly..."
Li Shimin put down his chopsticks, took out a bamboo stick to shave his teeth, and said casually,
"A while ago, you accompanied the queen to Xingguo Temple and met a monk named Xuanzang?"
"He wants to travel to Guanxi to obtain the true scriptures?"
Xu Fenglei nodded.
"yes."
He said,
"This man is determined and has great ambitions. I am quite optimistic about him."
"Oh?" Li Shimin said with some surprise, "Speaking of which, you seem to be closer to Taoism, right? You said before that you wanted to take refuge in Quanzhen, but this time you admire the monk. Isn’t it true that you never deal with time?”
Xu Fenglei smiled.
"Buddhism and Taoism do not deal with it. It is a conflict between different religions and does not hinder personal interactions."
He responded,
"There are many eminent monks and Taoists in history, and they are all close friends who cherish each other."
Li Er suddenly realized.
"Then what you mean is... do you approve of this monk Xuanzang going out to the Western Regions to go to the country of Zhu to obtain the true scriptures?"
He frowned slightly and said,
"He also submitted a request before, and he handed it over from Xiao Yu, but I refuted it."
"Ignoring everything else, assuming that he really traveled across the Western Regions to obtain the scriptures, it would definitely set off a storm in the Tang Dynasty. The scene would be sensational!"
"Buddhism is bound to flourish, but I don't want to see this happen."
"Religious matters are of no benefit to the country..."
If you look at Xuanzang from an ordinary person's perspective, you will definitely admire his great perseverance.
But if you use the emperor's eyes to identify it, it's not that simple.
From a certain perspective, allowing Xuanzang to leave the Western Regions was a recipe for disaster.
"Yes, I think so too."
Xu Fenglei said bluntly,
"But Your Majesty, you can't actually stop it."
Li Shimin: "?!"
"Why do you say that?" he asked.
"This Master Xuanzang is extraordinary."
Xu Fenglei said seriously,
"Even if there is no customs clearance document, he can still find an opportunity to leave the Tang Dynasty. After all, our Tang Dynasty is not an iron barrel. There are always loopholes to exploit, not to mention that in years of famine, the court will allow refugees to go out to beg for food. Xuanzang is completely You can take advantage of this opportunity to slip away."
"As long as he leaves the territory of the Tang Dynasty, he can run freely and run towards his destination of Tianzhu."
This is not nonsense.
In history, Xuanzang was able to leave the Tang Dynasty and enter the Gaochang Kingdom by disguising himself as a refugee and going out to beg for food.
It is not difficult to replicate the same operation.
"That's it..."
Li Shimin touched his chin and muttered,
"Then it depends on what you mean. Do you think he can successfully make the trip and bring the scripture back?"
Xu Fenglei nodded.
"The Book of Changes says that chastity is auspicious."
He said,
"When a person has great perseverance and perseverance, and there is no doubt in his heart but only determination, even heaven and earth will help him!"
"Although I have only met Xuanzang once, I can confirm that he is such a person."
"Therefore, he will definitely succeed. It may take several years, ten years or even decades, but he will definitely be able to obtain the true scripture!"
"And when the time comes, even Your Majesty will have to go greet him, because he is too legendary, right?"
Li Shimin's expression changed.
But immediately, he could only nod his head.
indeed.
If Xuanzang could really cross the vast desert single-handedly, covering hundreds of thousands of miles, successfully travel between the Tang Dynasty and Tianzhu in the Western Regions, and bring back Buddhist scriptures, then he would definitely become a legend!
Needless to say, Buddhist disciples will definitely go crazy!
Even ordinary people would welcome them enthusiastically, and as an emperor, he was not exempt from vulgarity...
"Since he will definitely go, he will definitely succeed..."
Li Shimin murmured,
"Then should I be a little more enthusiastic? For example, give him a customs clearance document? And give him some support?"
"Yes." Xu Fenglei said firmly, "I believe that Xuanzang should be given the convenience he deserves. At the same time, the Tang Dynasty can also benefit from the journey to the west."
Li Shimin raised his eyebrows.
"Profit?"
He said with great interest,
"I know you have a lot of clever ideas, so why would you be so active in something that doesn't benefit you?"
"Tell me, tell me..."
Xu Fenglei laughed.
"Does Your Majesty intend to develop in the Western Region?"
"If you are interested, this is an opportunity for Datang and Your Majesty to have a deeper understanding of the Western Regions!"
He said happily,
"Although we have a Silk Road and there are merchants from the Western Regions traveling back and forth, those people only focus on doing business and can't find any valuable information at all."
"But if Xuanzang is sent as an envoy to the Western Regions..."
"When we provide him with conveniences, we can also make requests for him! For example, every time we visit a country, we must meet its king. While demonstrating our Datang diplomacy, we can also take the opportunity to learn about geology, geography, customs, Folk customs, language and culture, etc., we can ask Xuanzang to record them all!"
"In this way, one country after another ran down, and finally reached the country of Tianzhu. Xuanzang had a detailed map of the Western Regions in his hands!"
"Your Majesty should understand the value of this picture, right?"
Li Shimin's eyes are shining brightly!
He has the intention of expansion. Even if he does not plan to go west in this life, his descendants will certainly do so in the future!
But at present, the information in hand is just a few words left by the Han Dynasty hundreds of years ago.
Hundreds of years have passed, and that information has become useless.
It can be said that the situation in the Western Region is now completely blank and impossible to talk about.
But if we could get such a detailed map of the Western Regions...
Bang bang! Bang bang bang!
As he thought about it, Li Er's heartbeat began to speed up.
Ambition grows in my heart!
"I have intentions in the Western Region!"
In front of Xu Fenglei, Li Shimin did not hide it and said straightforwardly,
"This map of the Western Region is very crucial!"
"I want to know which countries are the so-called more than one hundred countries in the Western Region, where they are, and what are their connections with each other!"
"I want to know where Tianzhu is, and whether they have rich products and abundant resources!"
"I want to know everything!"
Xu Fenglei suddenly chuckled and said: "I heard that the Western Region is rich in minerals and there are quite a lot of gold mines."
Well, in the Western Region, there isn’t much of anything, just a lot of big dogs!
This has been true from ancient times to the present.
Li Er: "!!!"
"well!"
He said fervently,
"What you said aroused my greed!"
"Since Xuanzang's matter cannot be stopped, I have decided to agree! You are solely responsible for contacting him. You must let him leave Chang'an in glory and go to the Western Regions!"
"Tell him that I am waiting for him to come back to ask for the scriptures, and I am waiting for his treasure map of the Western Regions..."
"If he ever returns with great success, I will treat him like a victorious general!"
In Li Shimin's mind, he was already opening up gold mines in the Western Regions!
(End of chapter)
