Li Shimin is somewhat bearish when it comes to educating his children, especially in terms of positive influence. For those who are seventeen or eighteen years old and need guidance the most, and even more need to be pointed in the right direction, Li Shimin is like a hands-off shopkeeper.
Li Chengqian, who was sweating all over, smiled and said: "I think Mr. Zheng will not come to the East Palace today. The servant has prepared hot water. Why don't you and I take a shower together?"
Zhang Daan nodded and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Looking at Zhang Daan in confusion, Zhang Yang wanted to say something else, but this guy agreed happily.
In the East Palace, three large barrels of hot water have been prepared.
Frank communication between men often occurs in the bathhouse.
I remembered that in the past, friends could go to the bathhouse to chat and laugh, but when I was alone, I would never go to the bathhouse to take a bath.
Each person has a bucket, and three people sit in it.
The steam was rising. Li Chengqian raised his head and let out a sigh of relief, "I really envy you. You live a free and easy life without so many worries."
Zhang Daan took the hot water with his hands and rubbed his face vigorously.
Zhang Yang replied in a low voice: "What are the prince's worries about?"
Li Chengqian picked up the jug on the side and took a sip of wine, with a solemn look on his face, "I often make my father dissatisfied. My father is always harsh. I have to be careful at all times. Before I do something, I have to think about it carefully." Will this please my father?"
"Has His Royal Highness been here like this all these years?"
"It has been like this since Gu entered the East Palace."
Seeing Zhang Yang suddenly laughing, Li Chengqian asked: "Why are you laughing?"
Zhang Yang sighed: "Are you tired?"
Zhang Daan remained silent and sat quietly in the bucket.
Li Chengqian took another sip of wine and said, "Everyone respects Gu and is very cautious when facing Gu. They can somewhat understand the fatigue in Gu's heart, but you can express it."
Living in the eyes of others is very tiring, especially for people like Li Chengqian, who wants to live in the approval of his father.
Once he did something wrong, he would be severely punished. It was said that Li Shimin was a bear when it came to educating his children, and his mental state was somewhat abnormal.
Zhang Yang whispered: "Living in other people's prejudices, even breathing is wrong. No matter what the prince does, he will not be satisfied with your majesty."
Li Chengqian smiled with relief, "Just yesterday, my father sent someone to bring ambergris, saying it was a reward for me. I heard some eunuchs in the palace tell me that it was you who had written the Baiguan Booklet written by me. If it weren’t for your father, you might not even know what the minister said to your father.”
The prince's words were filled with fatigue.
"What kind of prince do you think I want to be?"
"If it were me, I would think that the prince should have all-round development of morality, intelligence, physical and beauty." Zhang Yang smiled bitterly again, "My parents used to be like this, but later they felt that it was too difficult for me to develop all-round moral, intellectual, physical and beauty. So he gave up and asked me to concentrate on learning a skill so that I could support myself.”
"A skill? Is it the work of a craftsman?"
"So be it."
"I cannot learn from the work of a craftsman." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "I must learn the words of a sage and learn how to govern a country."
"Actually, statecraft is also a profession."
"major?"
Zhang Yang cleared his throat and explained: "For example, if the people from the government outside are catching thieves, they can catch the thieves by smelling them. They can understand the habits of the owner of a person's residence through his residence. This has been done over many years. The accumulated experience allows them to make such judgments. This is professionalism. People have been studying this for decades, and they will naturally be better than ordinary people in terms of observation and judgment."
These words made Li Chengqian nod in agreement, "I heard that an experienced blacksmith can know whether the iron is good or not and where it comes from by holding an iron ingot in his hand."
"Professional people do professional things. If the prince wants to govern the country in the future, he must start learning how to govern the country."
"Can you learn this?" Li Chengqian smiled bitterly, "It is not easy to govern the world? Do you know how to learn it?"
Zhang Yang shook his head.
Li Chengqian smiled, this time easily, "Look, you don't know either."
"Let's start with understanding. Know what the world is like, how much food is available in a year, and how many people are there." Zhang Yang stood up and stepped out of the bucket. "Old farmers can tell how the harvest will be by looking at the condition of the seedlings. Just look at the sky. To know what the weather will be like tomorrow, a blacksmith needs to know the state of iron at high temperatures to forge it, and to repair a piece of furniture, he needs to know its internal structure."
As he spoke, Zhang Yang dried his body and put on his clothes again.
The three of them walked outside the hall, and Li Chengqian said helplessly: "I feel very benefited from talking with you. Unlike those scholars who talk rhetorically and quote scriptures, I feel that these words are very real."
"It's getting late, so I'll take my leave first."
Li Chengqian cupped his hands and said: "At least I know what to do. Tomorrow I will collect the classics, and you and I will study together."
I really want to reject the prince. It is you who want to rule the world, not me.
Taking Zhang Daan out of the East Palace and all the way to the yamen of the Ministry of Rites, Zhang Yang whispered: "Da'an."
"Why."
"The weather is very nice today. My wife and teacher should be washing their clothes."
Zhang Daan raised his head and looked at the sky dully.
Zhang Yang whispered: "What I mean is that your two brothers are working in the Ministry of Etiquette and have no time to take care of the teacher and mistress. There is no servant to take care of the two elders. You go back to the village to help and do some housework."
"I understand, let's go now." Zhang Daan realized it later and left in a panic.
Li Shimin had enough power, and the huge machine of the Tang Dynasty officially began to operate, and a new decree would be issued every one or two months.
Li Shimin, who was in his prime, had grand plans in mind and wanted to do bigger things. The emperor's idea was good. The Central Plains, which had experienced successive years of war, had not yet recovered its vitality.
Have the population, productivity, food, and taxes reached the level where Li Shimin can display his ambitions?
Due to the weak national power, Li Shimin needed this energetic court to play a better role. At present, he was focusing on people's livelihood, and all government orders were in the direction of lightening corvee and thinning taxes.
As a result, Li Shimin has been living a frugal life with very few taxes in the past two years.
After Li Shimin, Fang Xuanling, and Changsun Wuji finished talking about the situation in the Western Regions, they lay tiredly on the couch with their eyes closed and relaxed.
"What did the prince do today?"
The young eunuch heard this and replied: "Donggong made a sandbag for the prince's amusement."
"For fun? Is this what Zhang Yang did?"
"The people in the East Palace report that this is indeed the case."
Li Shimin turned over and still had his eyes closed, "After all, I am still young and it is difficult for me to take on a big responsibility."
The little eunuch smiled helplessly.
Ever since Qingque bought back the money, the cost of the imperial court was no longer so tight.
But at that time, the money Qingque used to buy his wife was almost spent. According to the queen's expectation, it should be able to last for a year. In less than half a year, the court spent various expenses, and Li Shimin found that he had no money left at his disposal. Not much left.
What's more, Gaochang, which has been coveted for a long time, has fallen into the hands of others.
In the imperial city below Chengtianmen, various government offices are still busy.
The Ministry of Rites is different from before.
The government office is not as small as before. There are now more than ten civil servants in the Rites Department. The entire government office is much taller than before. It is a decent government office, and its appearance is a bit more luxurious than the household department next door.
Since the last time Li Baiyao was driven away by Gao Jingcheng, he finally came back. He wrote vigorously and wrote the memorial to be submitted to the Zhongshu Province. All the document writers in the Ministry of Rites were handed over to Li Baiyao.
By leaving the heavy affairs to Li Baiyao, Xu Jingzong and Zhang Xiangxiang can relax a lot.
Xu Jingzong, who had just left court, was drinking tea leisurely.
Zhang Xiangxiang asked in a low voice: "Brother Xu, why don't you think His Majesty has appointed a Minister of Rites?"
Xu Jingzong clicked his tongue and said, "Don't try to guess His Majesty's thoughts."
"The position of Minister of Rites cannot always be vacant."
Zhang Elephant lowered his voice again for fear of being overheard.
Xu Jingzong also came closer and whispered: "If it's empty, it's empty. Maybe His Majesty is waiting for something. If a new Minister of Rites comes, it might be another troublesome thing."
"That's right, a high execution was already troublesome before." Zhang Elephant nodded in agreement.
Xu Jingzong's expression was calm, giving the officials of the Ministry of Rites an unfathomable feeling.
Zhang Elephant whispered: "This time Gaochang conquered several tribes of the Western Turks. Does Zhang Shilang know about this?"
Having said this, Zhang Xiangxiang looked outside the government office again, "He didn't come to ask me why."
What everyone was arguing about this morning was Gaochang's conquest of the Western Turks. The news came late, maybe Gaochang would start a war against the Western Turks as early as February.
As soon as the news arrived today, Gaochang sent 30,000 troops to capture several Western Turkic tribes and seize hundreds of hectares of territory.
This sent a signal to the DPRK and China that Gaochang not only wanted to protect itself, but also wanted to expand.
A small official from Zhongshu Province came with a volume of documents and said, "Please also ask the Ministry of Rites to make arrangements."
Xu Jingzong opened the document and looked at the contents and said, "I understand. Please report back to Duke Zhao. The Ministry of Rites will make arrangements."
"Here."
After the clerk left, Zhang Xiangxiang asked anxiously: "What did Zhongshu Sheng say?"
Xu Jingzong handed him the document, "What Zhongshu Sheng means is that the Ministry of War will arrange for a hundred people to escort him. We, Zhongshu Sheng, will then send Zhang Dashu to Gaochang to ask Gaochang garrison general Adalan what he means."
Zhang Elephant's expression was solemn, "Although Adalan now calls himself Gaochang's garrison general, in the eyes of many people, this Adalan is the actual controller of Gaochang."
Only two people knew that the actual owner of Gaochang was actually His Majesty's son-in-law, Zhang Yang.
If you want to say that Zhang Shilang is capable, his ability is indeed incredible. He bought Gaochang into his own hands for only one penny, and all the seals and seals of the Gaochang Kingdom are in Zhang Yang's hands.
I heard that Adalan hung the King of Gaochang and his son in front of Gaochang City, letting those who had been enslaved by the father and son deal with them.
It was a punishment of death by a thousand cuts.
It is said that after being shredded for half a month, the people were shredded into dried flesh, and then the flesh was cut off piece by piece by the hatred-filled people of Gaochang.
According to rumors, the corpses of the father and son are still hanging in front of Gaochang City.
Xu Jingzong felt chills running down his spine every time he thought of this. He saw them as living people last year, but now they died in such miserable ways.
You deserve it, you deserve it.
Xu Jingzong kept comforting himself in his heart.
The progress of things in Gaochang was a bit unexpected. Was it because the king of Gaochang and his son were too stupid at the beginning, or was it because Adalan was really talented that he took Gaochang into his hands so quickly.
Sooner or later, the DPRK will know who the actual controller of Gaochang is.
The fact that Zhongshu Ministry of Education wants the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War to recruit people together shows that Changsun Wuji has always been skeptical about this matter.
No one can hide this old fox from Changsun Wuji.
This guy can smell something weird just by smelling it.
Zhang Elephant hesitated and said: "Let Da Su go to the Western Regions? He has never even traveled far, let alone left the country?"
Xu Jingzong consoled him: "Brother Elephant, please be patient."
Zhang Elephant paced back and forth, "This Minister Zhang is really...why doesn't he come and ask?"
Zhang Dashu stepped forward and said: "Brother, I am also the minister of the Ministry of Rites. I am willing to go to the Western Regions and visit Gaochang."
"You..." Zhang Elephant said anxiously: "Do you know that the Western Region is dangerous?"
Zhang Dashu cupped his hands and said, "With the escort of a hundred soldiers and horses from the Ministry of War, it won't be a problem."
Seeing that the two brothers were anxious, Xu Jingzong comforted him: "Now Shilang Zhang is the minister of the East Palace. It is right for him not to come and ask about the affairs of the Ministry of Rites. It is not appropriate for a minister of the East Palace to ask about the affairs of the Ministry of Rites. This matter will take a few days to prepare." , let’s find an opportunity to meet Mr. Zhang together.”
It rained for two days and two nights in Chang'an, so Li Yue and her two aunts hurriedly cut all the paper in the cart.
The family left Chang'an City pushing a small cart and hurried to the village.
Niu Chuang bought more than ten kilograms of rosin. The large ones were as big as the palm of your hand, while the small ones were only the size of a fingernail. They came in different shapes and colors.
"This rosin is not much. Some pharmacies in Chang'an City dare not sell more. Why bother to find some Green Forest Rangers and ask them to inquire. More rosin will be delivered in a few days."
Niu Chuang walked into the laboratory and explained.
This laboratory was specially prepared by the village. It is usually the same as Li Yue's study. It is one of the important places in the village. No one can enter without the permission of Zhang Yang and the princess.
Zhang Yang took a bowl of ink and burned the rosin with an oil lamp. He poured the semi-solidified fluid into the ink and stirred it patiently.
Li Yue frowned and stood quietly aside. She didn't like the smell of this ink.
With this semi-condensable substance as an additive, the coagulation properties of the ink will be much better.
Zhang Yang dipped some ink in his brush and made a few strokes on the waste paper.
The ink this time was much better than before. The shiny black ink slowly condensed on the paper. Seeing that the ink was still a little sticky, Zhang Yang said discouragedly: "I used too much rosin."
After the rosin is incorporated into the ink, the ink has better coagulation properties.
Li Yue was inspired again and took out her little notebook to record it.
After adjusting the ratio several times, it is not difficult to find the right ratio, it is just a matter of time.
"Someone came from the entrance of the village and said they wanted to see the prince-in-law." Li Yue's girl came to the door and said.
Zhang Yang put down his pen and said to Niu Chuang: "According to my experimental records, you can try a few more times."
Niu Chuang nodded solemnly.
When he walked out of the laboratory, his wife followed him. She was still writing in her notebook with a pen. Zhang Yang quietly looked up.
Li Yue quickly put away her small notebook, huh! My wife is indeed very alert.
"It doesn't matter, we still have a lot of time in the future." Zhang Yang said without changing his expression.
Seeing that her husband peeked at someone else's writing and showed no sign of regret, Li Yue raised her chin and snorted, "Husband is shameless."
"Anyway, I'm not the kind of gentleman who cares about face."
"Humph." Li Yue snorted, but felt that it was not enough to relieve her anger. She stretched out her hand and hit her husband twice. When she saw the teacher's wife was taking off her clothes, "I will go and help the teacher's wife."
"The hawthorn last time was good. I asked my wife if there are any more."
"You..." Li Yue turned around and glared, then ran to the master's side.
Zhang Yang walked all the way to the entrance of the village with his hands in his arms and looked at Xu Jingzong, Zhang Xiangxiang and Zhang Dasu with serious expressions on their faces, "Are you here to visit the teacher?"
Before the two brothers could speak, Zhang Yang looked at Xu Jingzong again, "They are here to visit the teacher, what are you doing here?"
After listening to Zhang Yang's words, Xu Jingzong looked around and whispered: "Shilang Zhang, let's take a step to talk."
The four of them walked from the entrance of the village to a secluded corner, which was at the foot of Mount Li. There was still a lot of moss on the cliff.
Zhang Elephant spoke first, "Your Majesty wants Da Su to go to Gaochang with the people from the Ministry of War."
Zhang Yang glanced at Da Su, "Are you going on a long trip?"
Zhang Dashu saluted quickly, "I am willing to go to the Western Regions."
Zhang Elephant shouted: "My father is seriously ill. He has been traveling back and forth to Gaochang for at least two months. It will be summer when you come back. If my father suddenly becomes seriously ill, you won't even be able to see my father for the last time."
Seeing Zhang Xiangxiang's excited look, Xu Jingzong whispered: "It seems that this is all Duke Zhao's intention. Why don't we discuss it with Duke Zhao and find someone else?"
Zhang Yang cleared his throat and asked, "Do you want the minister to go?"
Xu Jingzong suddenly coughed violently, "Xiaguan has been feeling unwell recently, I'm afraid he won't be able to do it."
When choosing a candidate, you must find someone you can trust to go to Gaochang. First of all, you can eliminate the stubborn person Li Baiyao.
"Brother Elephant, Da Su, you two should go see the teacher first."
"I……"
Zhang Dashu wanted to say something more, but Zhang Xiangxiang shouted: "Shut up."
The two brothers walked into the village together. Zhang Yang looked at Xu Jingzong, "What does Changsun Wuji mean?"
"Testing."
Xu Jingzong leaned against the cliff and thought.
Zhang Yang put his hands in his sleeves and looked at the scenery in the distance with a depressed expression, "The old fox is quite suspicious."
"Did some news leak out? That led to this temptation?"
"So what if the news leaks out? How can his eldest son Wuji arrest me?" Zhang Yang said disdainfully: "I am righteous, why am I afraid of him?"
Xu Jingzong was stunned and said, "Shilang Zhang is so upright and majestic, so he is naturally not afraid."
"The procedures for buying Gaochang are normal. I bought it. I have a contract here. The laws of the Tang Dynasty don't say that I can't buy Gaochang."
"There is really no such thing." Xu Jingzong smiled bitterly: "No one has ever done such a thing."
"How is your health lately?"
"It's okay."
Zhang Yang stepped forward and said, "Come and sit in the village."
Xu Jingzong nodded repeatedly.
The prince consort and the princess rarely come to the village recently. The meals arranged by the village are very rich. Today, they killed two ducks, some good fish, and fried a large pot of wild vegetables.
Naturally, Li Yuan was also at the dinner table. Even though the Supreme Emperor was amiable and approachable in the village, Xu Jingzong sat upright and did not dare to express his dignity.
Zhang Yang and the Supreme Emperor toasted and exchanged glasses, chatting and laughing.
Zhang Xiangxiang and Dasu didn't look very good. It seemed that they had not decided yet because of the matter in the Western Region.
Zhang Gongjin came with Sun Simiao.
After a while, Zhang Daan arrived late.
There is a large table of men here, and Li Yue and his wife are sitting at another table.
Li Yuan drank the wine, "I heard that your boy has now entered the East Palace and has become the servant of the East Palace?"
Zhang Yang said with emotion: "Mr. Li Gang has passed away. I don't know what he liked about me during his lifetime. Before his death, he told the prince many things, one of which was to ask me to be the benefactor of the East Palace."
Li Yuan said regretfully: "Li Gang's life has not been easy. I remember back when I had to obey the instructions of Su Wei, the Sui Dynasty minister. At that time, Li Gang was squeezed out everywhere. I also watched him go all the way..."
When chatting with the elderly, they often talk about the old days. Zhang Yang listened with a smile on his face and agreed.
After a meal, the dining table was already a mess.
Li Yuan is also used to the feeling of everyone eating around the same table.
Zhang Elephant and Zhang Dashu came to the village entrance again. Zhang Yang looked at the two of them and said, "I know it is difficult to make a decision on this matter. Please think about it again. If it is really inconvenient, it is not okay to ask Xu Jingzong to talk to Changsun Wuji." There's no room for that."
"I'll go!" Zhang Dashu said loudly.
After looking at Zhang Xiangxiang and seeing that he no longer objected, Zhang Yang said: "You must know that the journey here is dangerous. Outside the Pass is no better than in the Central Plains."
Da Su bowed and said: "We have already discussed it with my father and brother."
Zhang Yang looked at Zhang Xiangxiang, "Since you have already agreed, I won't ask any more questions. You can tell me why you insist on taking this trip."
Zhang Elephant interjected: "This guy said that when he was working in Dongtai, he had nothing to do all day long. After coming to the Ministry of Etiquette, he finally had something to contribute to. After reading so many classics about the outside world, he wanted to see the scenery outside the country and give himself to it. Gain some experience.”
Patting Zhang Dashu on the shoulder, Zhang Yang said with a smile: "The idea is good. You must pay attention to safety when you go. Safety is more important than anything else. Even if you can't reach Gaochang, you must come back safely."
"Don't worry, Mr. Zhang, don't worry, brother."
Wait for these two people to leave.
Zhang Daan then stepped forward and said, "Actually, I also want to take a look outside the customs."
Zhang Yang chuckled, "Just you? Going outside the customs?"
Zhang Daan looked at himself and said, "Can't you?"
"If you dare to go outside the customs, I will help the teacher break your legs." Zhang Yang took out the cattail leaf fan inserted in his waist and kept fanning himself.
After turning around and taking two steps, Zhang Yang saw Zhang Daan still standing in the same place and said impatiently: "Shangguanyi is still teaching in Chang'an City and hasn't come back yet. Just go and tell me that I'm waiting for him in the village."
"Why."
Zhang Daan nodded and went to do the work.
The three brothers Elephant, Dasu and Daan are all the same.
Zhang Gongjin looked at the scroll in his hand and stroked his beard and said, "I have three children, please worry about it."
"It's nothing to worry about. Teacher, please don't say that. I still hope that you will live a few more years."
Zhang Gongjin smiled when he heard this, "Recently, people from my hometown sent a letter saying that I have dug out the cemetery."
"This is because I care about you."
"I now want to live a few more years."
Zhang Yang scratched his ears vigorously, trying to confirm whether he heard correctly.
(End of chapter)
