Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4730: Heaven Does Not Give Years
When Emperor Li II was alive, he regarded Princess Jinyang as the apple of his eye. The reason why Princess Jinyang was favored was not only because she was sickly since childhood and made people feel sorry for her, but also because of her kind and intelligent character, which earned her a transcendent status.

Now that Emperor Li II is gone, if she is determined not to marry, even Li Chengqian will be helpless. It would be better to follow her wishes and let her become a nun. The little girl has an impetuous personality and a shallow mind. Perhaps in a few days she will not be able to bear the hard life of a nun and will turn back to Chang'an to enjoy wealth and glory.

Otherwise, the more you force her, the more likely it is to arouse her rebellious psychology...

Gao Yang thought this was a good idea and said happily, "Let His Majesty build a small temple for her. The facilities are simple and there are only three or two servants. She has to do everything from diving to cooking and washing clothes by herself. I don't believe she can hold on for long! Let's do it! I will go to the palace to see the queen and implement it immediately!"

Looking at Gao Yang walking out in a hurry, it was obvious that he had been upset for a long time because of Sizi's insistence on becoming a monk. Now that he had a solution, he was eager to put it into practice.

Fang Jun remembered something and hurriedly warned loudly: "Don't tell anyone that it was my bad idea, especially Princess Jinyang! Remember this!"

If Princess Jinyang knew that it was his idea, especially since the temple was run-down, with only a few servants and a hard life, she might come to his house to settle the score...

……

By today, the permanent population of Chang'an has exceeded one million. Every day, countless amounts of grain, oil, rice and flour are transported from the Yellow River into the Wei River to Chang'an. The docks of the Wei River, Ba River and other rivers are filled with boats and oars to supply the population of Chang'an.

The rivers were blocked and porters were like ants. The food and daily necessities transported from the canal could not keep up with the huge consumption. The huge city of Chang'an was overcrowded. If the central government had not issued a strict order to increase the prices of various daily necessities and the censors had not been constantly enforcing the law, the prices of rice, flour, grain and oil would have risen three times a day.

The construction of the Eastern Capital was in line with the times and was urgent. The savings in water transport alone were enough to unite the court. Even the nobles and wealthy businessmen with their roots in Chang'an were reluctant to give up their family business as it was about to depreciate, but they had to go with the flow.

The trend is irreversible.

The morning light began to paint the entire sky from the top of Mount Li, and the darkness was slowly dispelled. Ships had entered Guanzhong from Tongguan, speeding along the river, their bows breaking through wisps of mist, and quickly sailing into the Weishui, Bashui and other rivers, heading straight for the dock.

The dock is already bustling with people, with shop assistants purchasing goods, shopkeepers doing accounts, porters transporting goods, and breakfast shops selling steaming food... It is chaotic and noisy, filled with the aroma of the world.

When the red sun rose and the mist dissipated, the river was already filled with densely packed ships. The prosperous scene made many Hu merchants marvel and feel sad. Such an empire with rich wealth and vast territory was enough to dominate the world, but under the attack of the Tang army, how many Hu people were frightened by the horses' hooves, and how many Hu people howled in the cold wind and rain outside the Great Wall?
As one grew stronger, the other declined. As the Tang Dynasty became more and more prosperous, all the Hu tribes had to crawl under the feet of the Tang Dynasty and struggle to survive.

A speedboat with a white sail, a pointed bow and a narrow body came from a distance. The long and narrow hull shuttled flexibly on the river where boats were like clouds. The soldiers standing on the boat kept shouting loudly for the boats in front to make way. The dragon pattern printed on the white sail was clearly visible under the morning sun. So the densely packed boats on the river quickly moved to both sides, leaving a gap in the middle for the speedboat to pass through. The merchants watched helplessly as the speedboat took advantage of the gap and rushed towards the dock at lightning speed.

"Whose ship is this? Why is it so arrogant?"

"Are you blind? Can't you see the dragon pattern? The only ship in the world that dares to fly such a flag is the Royal Navy."

"So he is Fang Er's subordinate, no wonder."

"May I ask, since this is a ship of the Royal Navy, is there something wrong in the open sea that is rushing to deliver the battle report to the capital?"

"Haha, it's urgent, of course, but not to deliver the battle report, but to deliver the seafood from the East China Sea to the palace. After all, it's thousands of miles across the water, and if we're late, the seafood will die and become no longer fresh."

"This is outrageous. A ship like this is only used to transport seafood. Is there no one to stop Fang Er from being so extravagant? Are those censors just sitting there doing nothing?"

"You are such a weird person. The Royal Navy is the Royal Private Army and it doesn't cost the national treasury. What they are willing to give you has nothing to do with you? Besides, Fang Er has plenty of money and is willing to send some seafood from the East China Sea to the little princess. The Censor-in-Chief can't interfere!"

"Ah, this... Could it be that between Fang Er and the little princess..."

"That's not something you can say. Back then, the little princess was weak and sickly. Immortal Sun said that eating more sea fish is good for the body, so Fang Jun ordered the navy to deliver fish to Chang'an every day. It has been many years."

"What can't be said? Let me tell you, this is the secret that Fang Er and the princesses have to tell..."

The dock was noisy. Seeing the navy ships docked at the dock, the soldiers took out crabs, sea cucumbers, prawns, yellow croakers and other seafood from the cabins one by one. Some people who like to gossip inevitably want to show off what they know, see and hear. Some of them are true, some are false, some are hearsay, and some are exaggerated...

The soldiers put the seafood on a horse-drawn carriage, went ashore from the Weishui Wharf and headed straight for Xuanwu Gate. When they arrived at the foot of Xuanwu Gate, the eunuchs from the palace were already waiting there. After the delivery was completed, the soldiers returned to the wharf, and the eunuchs delivered the seafood from the Xuanwu Gate to the palace.

It was still early, so the seafood was sorted out in the imperial kitchen. The sea cucumbers were cleaned, gutted, and chopped up before being stewed in porridge. The prawns were peeled, deveined, and then greased with oil and steamed. The yellow croaker was stewed at dinner time, and the crabs were thrown into the pool to make bubbles and eaten together in the evening...

When the porridge was ready, the shrimps were served on a plate with a dipping sauce made from rice vinegar and sent to Princess Jinyang's bedroom.

After washing and changing her clothes, Princess Jinyang was kneeling in a side hall, listening to Princess Chengyang's magic voice filling her head, while she was fiddling with a peony in the vase with her two slender jade fingers out of boredom.

"Are you crazy, girl? How can you, a beautiful girl who has not yet enjoyed life, spend the rest of your life sitting in a temple with a Taoist scroll and reading a book? If my father and mother were still alive, they would probably beat you to death!"

"Even if the sons of the nobles in Chang'an are coarse and reckless and are not worthy of your attention, there are still the sons of the noble families in Shandong, and even the young men of the Jiangnan gentry who are well-dressed and handsome. Aren't they up to you to choose?"

"Sister, please believe me. There are many good men in this world. You just need to walk around and look around more, and you will always find someone you like. Why would you be so obsessed that you have to hang yourself on Fang Er's crooked tree?"

Princess Chengyang held Princess Jinyang's arm and chattered incessantly, trying to persuade Jinyang to give up the idea of ​​becoming a nun.

The two sisters were born of the same mother. Before Chengyang married Du He, they lived together all day long and had a very deep relationship. When she heard that Jinyang did not want to get married and wanted to become a nun, she was frightened and hurried to the palace to dissuade her.

Jinyang rolled his eyes at Chengyang, somewhat dissatisfied: "I have become a monk since then, what does it have to do with my brother-in-law?"

Cheng Yang was indignant: "There are more than 20 of us sisters, and except for Fang Er, you have never called any prince consort to be your brother-in-law. My husband is very jealous of this."

Jinyang stopped talking.

Chengyang was so angry. This girl looked well-behaved and docile, but in fact she was soft on the outside but strong on the inside, had very righteous ideas, and was very difficult to deal with.

The maid brought breakfast over, and Jinyang took Chengyang's hand and said, "Sister, let's eat together. Today we have seafood sent from the East China Sea. Try it and see if it tastes good. I heard there are also crabs, but they are not too fat in this season. Take some with you when you leave."

Sea cucumber porridge and steamed prawns were served, and the rich aroma filled the air. Chengyang snorted, very dissatisfied: "Who in the entire Chang'an City can keep seafood from the East China Sea all year round? Fang Er is obviously not well-intentioned. I have never heard of anyone doting on their sister-in-law so much. If he didn't have bad intentions, why would he do this?"

Without stopping, he picked up a large shrimp, put it in his mouth and took a bite, nodding repeatedly: "Hmm, hmm, it's really fresh and delicious."

He ate several prawns before even having the porridge.

After drinking a bowl of sea cucumber porridge, he licked his lips with the tip of his tongue and glanced at Jinyang with disdain: "This Chang'an City is full of nobles and wealthy people, but only a handful of people can enjoy such luxury. Fang Er dotes on you so much, and you actually say that he has no other thoughts about you? Can't you feel it, or don't want to admit it?"

Jinyang held a spoon between his two fingers, sipped the porridge with his eyes downcast, and said softly, "Of course he has other thoughts."

Cheng Yang looked as if he had expected this, and warned, "It's good that you know it! Women should respect themselves, and not be as arrogant and domineering as the princesses of Emperor Gaozu. You should draw a clear line with him, and don't let him succeed! You don't know how bad his reputation is now, and the words 'good princess' and 'good wife sister' are simply unbearable to hear."

"It's not what you think." Jin Yang put down the spoon, took a bite of a shrimp, and said softly, "The reason why he has been doting on me for so many years is not only because he treats me as his sister, but also because I don't know how long I will live. I may die one day, so he has more pity for me."

Chengyang's eyes widened, and he grabbed Jinyang's wrist, and asked anxiously: "Master Sun, haven't you cured your illness in all these years?"

Many people in the palace knew that Taoist Sun had diagnosed Sizi with "congenital damage and difficulty in growing up", but so many years have passed, and the "little Sizi" has grown into "Princess Jinyang", so everyone has forgotten about the patient. Now that Jinyang suddenly mentioned it, Chengyang immediately panicked.

Jinyang didn't take it seriously. He swallowed the shrimp and smiled gently, "Since it's 'congenital damage', how can it be cured by acquired means? It's just that Taoist Sun's medical skills are superb and he prescribed the right medicine for the symptoms. In addition, he has taken good care of himself over the years, so he hasn't had a relapse. But the lesion is still there, and no one knows if it will relapse in the future. If it doesn't relapse, it's fine. Once it relapses, there is no way to save it."

Princess Chengyang panicked, tears streaming down her face, and she asked anxiously, "What should I do? What should I do?"

I wanted to ask the imperial physician to treat it immediately, but when I thought about how even the immortal Sun Simiao was helpless and had no way to treat it, I knew that this disease was probably incurable and had no medicine in the world...