Li Chengqian bowed and continued: "Father, I also brought some food from the village, such as pickled pork, bacon, and a freshly made thing called sausage that needs to be dried for some time before it can be eaten. "
"I happen to be hungry too, so bring it over."
The little eunuch immediately brought up a small jar of salted pork.
When you open the jar, the aroma of distiller's lees comes out.
"Father, you only need one or two slices of this salted pork, and you can have a meal with millet rice." After Li Chengqian finished speaking, he cleared his throat awkwardly, "What I mean is that Yue'er and Zhang Yang have always been living in poverty. , I only eat one or two slices in one meal, which is very economical.”
Li Shimin picked up a piece of salt pork with chopsticks. The piece of salt pork was very large and long, with alternating fat and thin.
Li Shimin took a mouthful, savored it carefully, and then took another mouthful of millet rice.
A slice or two of salt pork is certainly enough for a meal, and very appetizing.
Li Shimin asked himself that he hadn't eaten so happily in a long time.
Seeing that his father was satisfied with his meal, Li Chengqian was also happy and it was a worthwhile trip.
"This kid doesn't want to do anything for Jiangshan Sheji, but he only thinks about food all day long, so he has no ambition."
The eunuch watched this scene, and his majesty scolded Zhang Yang for eating the food he brought from there and enjoying it so much.
He was still enjoying himself while scolding others. Perhaps this was because the emperor's heart was unpredictable.
"Father, Grandpa Huang said he would stay in that village for a longer time." Halfway through his words, Li Chengqian paused again, "I think Grandpa Huang can get better things with Divine Doctor Sun here. take care of."
Li Shimin smiled and said, "Your grandpa Huang just wants to go out and relax."
Looking at the picture in front of him, Li Shimin felt that this village was nothing special.
After autumn, the imperial court issued a decree to clean up the alleys and streets in Chang'an City.
As soon as this decree came out, many officers and soldiers patrolled the streets. If they found anyone dumping garbage carelessly, they would fine them money.
But contrary to expectations, this matter not only failed to be completed, but also caused officials in the court to impeach him for a while, saying that it violated the interests of the people and was another kind of harsh tax.
Li Shimin had no choice but to give up.
However, an unexpected news reached Chang'an City. The king of Gaochang was very satisfied with the affairs of helping Gaochang that Zhang Yang and Xu Jingzong presided over. He even wrote a letter of credence praising the actions of the Ministry of Rites in the DPRK, which was filled with gratitude to Li Shimin. Feelings.
Looking at the credentials, Li Shimin asked Changsun Wuji, "How did Xu Jingzong and Zhang Yang help Gaochang back then?"
Changsun Wuji bowed and said: "At that time, we had an agreement with the Ministry of Rites. The Zhongshu Province only had the right to intervene in the affairs of the Ministry of Rites and could not interfere in the affairs. The Zhongshu Province only heard from Xu Jingzong that Zhang Yang sent a man from the Western Regions. Go help Gaochang."
"A Westerner?"
"At that time, the Zhongshu Ministry also wanted to ask what happened to this matter. At that time, Zhang Yang and Xu Jingzong only took three or two days to complete the matter, and the Zhongshu Ministry did not ask any more questions."
"You asked King Gaochang to write a letter of credence to express his gratitude for something that was completed in three or two days? He even praised Xu Jingzong's talents? Xu Jingzong came up with many of the national policies?"
Changsun Wuji frowned and said: "At the beginning, the Ministry of Rites wanted to be independent from the six ministries. There were many things that I didn't know very well. You can ask Gao Jingzhong to ask Xu Jingzong about the reasons for the matter at that time."
"I understand, you can do it."
"Here."
Although Gaochang is a small country, it controls the key points of the Western Regions like Xizhou. Since the Han Dynasty, if you want to conquer the Western Regions, you must first capture these two places.
Changsun Wuji knew very well that His Majesty also had ambitions. After the Xuanwu Sect incident, His Majesty suffered from the negligence and judgment of the scholars. For this reason, His Majesty lowered his status to speak out more widely. He has not dared to neglect political affairs.
After the great victory over the Turks in the Yinshan War, His Majesty's reputation among the people has improved a lot. Now that the north has been pacified, what concerns His Majesty the most is Tubo and the Western Regions.
Gao Xingcheng, who was sitting in the Ministry of Rites, also knew the news. Zhang Yang and Xu Jingzong were responsible for Gaochang's affairs, and they also asked the King of Gaochang to write a letter of credence full of gratitude.
Gao Jingcheng looked at Zhang Xiangxiang, "This Xu Jingzong is also an official in the Ministry of Rites. Ever since Zhang Yang used his power for personal gain, he has not come to serve."
Zhang Elephant replied expressionlessly: "Shilang Xu was seriously ill for a while because of Zhang Yang's incident, so he stayed at home to recuperate all day."
Gao Xingchen snorted coldly: "I heard that he was drinking in Pingkangfang yesterday."
Zhang Xiang still had a straight face after hearing this.
Gao Jishi glanced at Zhang Elephant again, "Go and invite Xu Jingzong."
"But he is unwell." Zhang Elephant said in a low voice.
Zhang Dashu on the side already wanted to take action. If his brother's eyes hadn't indicated it, he would have really wanted to beat him up.
"Not feeling well? Can he still go to Pingkangfang for a drink if he is not feeling well? Even if he feels unwell again, I am still not able to hire him because I am temporarily serving as the Minister of Rites?"
Zhang Elephant cupped his hands and said, "Let's make arrangements now."
After speaking, Zhang Xiangxiang took Zhang Dashu and left.
Gao Xingcheng looked at Li Baiyao, "When your father arranged for you to join the Ministry of Etiquette, did you really know nothing about it?"
Li Baiyao lowered his head in shame, "Zhang Yang and the others did not let the subordinates participate in this matter. Moreover, this matter was all handled by Xu Jingzong. Even Zhang Yang did not come forward, and even Zhang Xiangxiang and the others did not know about it. What is the reason?"
Gao Xingcheng glared at Li Baiyao, "No wonder you have made no achievements in the East Palace, just like in the Ministry of Rites."
It was okay to be looked down upon by Li Chengqian in the East Palace, but now he is still being made difficult by Gao Xingcheng. Li Baiyao bowed and said: "I am just doing my job as a low-ranking official. How can I say that I have made no achievements?"
"When I say you have made no achievements, you have made no achievements!" Gao Xingcheng shouted loudly.
Gao Xingcheng's father was Gao Shilian, who held the power of official promotion, and how could he be trusted by his majesty.
The other party had a good family background, and Li Baiyao thought that he could not compare with them, nor could he compare with such a person.
Gao Xingcheng shouted: "Just like Zhang Xiangxiang, go and invite Xu Jingzong."
"Here." Li Baiyao could only lower his head and leave.
In the village, Li Yuan and Zhang Gongjin were laughing and talking.
Li Tai was wearing clothes knitted with cotton threads. Li Tai looked even fatter in his large woolen clothes.
This is the clothes knitted by my wife. This is also the first time I made clothes using cotton thread.
"His Royal Highness, King Wei, you don't feel well dressed." Zhang Yang asked curiously.
"It's really not as comfortable as silk."
"Is it painful because it's close to the skin?"
"Indeed." Li Tai took off the thing again and handed it to Li Yue.
Li Yue covered her mouth and chuckled: "I'll leave this matter to Qing Que."
Li Tai shook his head and sighed: "Clothes made of cotton are not that good either."
"Don't you feel very warm, Your Majesty the King of Wei?"
Li Tai thought for a while, "It is indeed very warm."
"That's right, if the workmanship is better, it will be more comfortable to wear, but because it is made of cotton, it will be very cheap. This will be a very cheap warm clothing, which will allow more people to avoid freezing in winter. , I also plan to use the existing cotton in our village to make a few new quilts, which are also good for keeping out the cold."
"Can you make money?"
"Right now, the King of Hejian County has sent many people to buy cotton in the Western Regions. A large number should be sent in a few days."
"The quilt you mentioned..."
"At that time, we will also arrange a bed for His Highness King Wei."
Li Tai grinned, "There was an incident in the court recently. My father wanted to reorganize the streets of Chang'an City and fine people who dump garbage carelessly."
"Rectifying the environment? That's a good thing." Zhang Yang smiled.
"It seemed like a good thing, but it was very difficult to implement. Because of the fine, officials in the court accused him of excessive taxation, so my father had no choice but to give up."
Hearing what Li Tai said, Zhang Yang asked puzzledly: "His Royal Highness, King Wei, wants to share your Majesty's worries?"
"I just said it casually, so don't worry about it."
Li Yue on the side looked at the book in his hand and sighed: "Actually, it's easy to do this well."
"Sister Huang, what's the plan?"
Li Yue looked at the book she had brought out from the Imperial Academy. She could do two things while reading. She whispered: "Father, if you want to rectify the streets, you can't start by restraining the ordinary people in Chang'an City. This approach is wrong. Use your husband." In other words, throwing garbage away is a moral issue."
Li Tai looked again at Zhang Yang, who was drinking tea calmly.
"Qingque, you can work with your father to ask the dignitaries and civil and military ministers in the court to set an example and never throw away garbage at will, and the offenders can have their salaries appropriately deducted, and cancel the fine of silver in the shop, and let the Confucian scholars write notices in the Posted on streets and alleys.”
"My father's fines on ordinary people will naturally be considered a harsh tax, but if we change the way and let the clan members and powerful ministers take the lead in doing this, coupled with precepts and deeds, people will gradually realize that this is a moral issue, and in Chang'an The city will install more trash cans.”
"There will always be some effect." Li Yue put down one volume and picked up another volume to continue reading. "Chang'an City has a large population. Sewage discharge and garbage disposal have always been a headache. If it can be implemented It will be of great help to the future governance of Chang’an City.”
"To put it bluntly, my father's strategy is indeed good and effective, but it treats the symptoms rather than the root cause. We can't stop people from littering by fines, but we must start from their moral quality and let them stop littering. Changing habits, in my husband’s words, means that habits become natural, and this is true governance.”
After hearing what his granddaughter said, Li Yuan took a deep breath in surprise. When did my granddaughter gain such insight? Tell it from beginning to end.
Li Yuan looked at Zhang Gongjin again.
Zhang Gongjin waved his hand and said: "Her Royal Highness the Princess has been reading books these days. Perhaps it is the knowledge in the book, but I did not teach you these things."
Li Yuan nodded after hearing this. Zhang Gongjin was very good at calculating people's minds, but on this kind of governance issue, I had never seen Zhang Gongjin have any real insights before.
Li Tai asked someone to write down Li Yue's words.
While thinking about these words, Li Tai became more and more confused, "Sister Huang, how should we deal with the garbage in the trash can?"
Li Yue still held the scroll in her hand, "It's simple. Set aside a piece of land in the suburbs specifically for the disposal of all kinds of garbage."
Li Tai looked at the attendant who was busy writing notes and asked, "Have you written down everything?"
"I'm remembering it, I'm remembering it."
My own cotton is grown in Weinan, south of the Weishui River in the village and downstream of Lishan Mountain.
Zhang Yang saw that the growth of the cotton was not as good as expected. The cotton seedlings were not very tall. It had been a month since they were planted in September, and the tallest seedlings only reached the ankles.
Generally speaking, cotton takes about three months from planting to picking. If it is placed in the Western Regions, it can be picked earlier, but if it is placed in Guanzhong, it will be relatively late, and the yield will not be too high.
The flower bud stage takes a month, and the latest cotton can be seen is November. We don’t know how much cotton we can receive next month.
Li Yue also looked at the cotton, "I originally asked Prince Hejian to go to the Western Regions to buy cotton, but my husband had to grow it himself. In my husband's words, this is something that ordinary people can use to keep out the cold. Look. My husband still cares about the world."
"Actually, I just hope that we will have more money when we retire in the future, so that our lives will be richer." Zhang Yang said with emotion: "Daughter-in-law, you think highly of me."
Li Yue covered her mouth and said with a smile: "Since you can grow cotton in Weinan, you can also grow it elsewhere. As long as it does not affect food cultivation, I believe the court will support it. Maybe in the future, your husband will be rewarded by the emperor for this matter." .”
"Your father will not give me the Lishan title. I think it is more practical to fight for it myself."
Take over the entire Lishan Mountain and treat the palace in Lishan Mountain as your own home. This is a good place to live for a long time, and there are hot springs on Lishan Mountain. With thousands of acres of land, you will be very satisfied with your life without worrying about food and clothing.
Looking sideways at Yan Liben, who was still lingering in the village, Zhang Yang waved to Niu Chuang, "Tell Yan Liben to find some good craftsmen who can specialize in engraving, and I will give him the drawings for improving the toilet."
"Here."
Ouyang Xun was not good at copying. There were craftsmen in the palace who had been engaged in carving and engraving for many years. Such craftsmen were hard to find in the shops, and generally only in the palace could this kind of craftsmanship be found.
Hearing Niu Chuang's reply, Yan Liben felt a little helpless in his heart, "Those craftsmen are all old men in the palace. One by one, there are not many who are skilled in craftsmanship."
Niu Chuang cupped his hands and said, "That's what the prince-in-law ordered. If Master Yan finds it difficult to handle, he can just give up."
"Shilang Zhang is really..."
Niu Chuang said with a smile: "He is indeed a person who has a hand in everything."
"It's understandable to be cautious and keep everything in mind, but I'll allow you to go back and consider this request."
Seeing Yan Liben finally leaving, Li Yue whispered, "Whether Yan Liben agrees or not, my husband wants to drive him away."
"That's right, the one who knows me is my wife."
Li Yue grinned.
In late October, while Zhang Yang was still busy solving the problem of paper improvement, Xu Jingzong and Zhang Xiangxiang came to the village together.
Because of his high performance, Xu Jingzong avoided him. The two brothers Zhang Daxiang and Dasu couldn't swallow this breath. Zhang Daxiang could swallow his anger. Zhang Dasu no longer wanted to stay in the Ministry of Rites.
(End of chapter)
