Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5014: Both Virtue and Talent
Li Junxian was overwhelmed when he received the order. The emperors of the Tang Dynasty liked to make private visits and stroll out of the palace in disguise, immersing themselves in the rich and prosperous atmosphere of Chang'an and enjoying the sense of accomplishment of ruling a prosperous country. However, they did not care how many heads would fall to the ground if the "White Dragon Fish Clothes" were used.

But he could not persuade them, as he was not Wei Zheng, and did not have the courage and responsibility to speak out against the emperor. He could only select fifty elite men, lead the team himself, and escort Li Chengqian, Liu Li, and Xu Jingzong, who were wearing casual clothes, out of Xuanwu Gate.

Li Junxian wanted to send someone to Mount Li first to inform Fang Jun, but was stopped by Li Chengqian: "It's just a walk to relax, there's no need to inform in advance."

Li Junxian had no choice but to obey.

Wang Fangyi, the garrison commander of Xuanwu Gate, stood at the foot of the city to see Li Chengqian off respectfully, while Li Junxian rode in front of him and warned him, "When your majesty leaves the palace, you must guard the gate carefully."

Wang Fangyi said: "From this moment on, until Your Majesty returns to the palace, the Xuanwu Gate will be closed tightly, and no one is allowed to enter or leave!"

The group rode their horses along the road through the inner courtyard, the drizzle was very pleasant. They passed the nearly completed Daming Palace, crossed the Ba Bridge, and headed straight for Mount Li.

From afar, Mount Li is a sea of ​​indigo. When you get closer, you can see fresh green grass sprouts in the sunny places. Teams of people are systematically cleaning up the fallen leaves and silt accumulated last winter in the canals. Craftsmen are turning the huge water wheels while adding animal fats to the bearings. There are also farmers wearing bamboo hats, leading yellow cattle, and turning the soil in the paddy fields with their trousers rolled up...

In the distance, wisps of smoke were drifting away in the drizzling rain.

Li Chengqian looked at the beautiful and prosperous scene in front of him, and felt that the anger and fatigue that had accumulated in his heart for a long time were greatly relieved. As an emperor, ruling the world, while enjoying the support of the world, he naturally wanted to see the best results after his hard work in government affairs. If everywhere in the world was like Lishan Farm, he would be comparable to Yao and Shun...

A little boy was walking barefoot on the side of the road, leading an old cow. He saw dozens of horses galloping towards him with the sound of hooves. He was immediately startled and quickly moved to the side of the road, hugging the old cow's neck tightly to prevent the cow from being frightened by the horses.

The horses came closer but stopped. The leader had a dignified appearance, white skin, a little fat, a short beard, and a kind expression. He smiled and asked, "Excuse me, young man, do you know where Fang Jun is?"

When the boy heard that they were looking for Fang Jun, he turned aside and let go of one hand, pointing to a gurgling river not far away. There were several greenhouses scattered in the sunny area beside the river: "Erlang must be over there!"

Li Chengqian looked up, then pulled off a jade pendant from his waist, threw it to the boy from his horse, and shouted, "I'm giving you a little toy, don't lose it!"

The little boy caught it swiftly, grinning with his missing front teeth: "Thank you for the reward!"

"Haha! A kid from the countryside can have such foresight, not bad!"

Li Chengqian took the lead and ran towards the river from the fork in the road. Dozens of guards followed closely behind him. They crossed a stone bridge like a whirlwind and arrived at the bottom of the river.

From a distance, they look like just a few greenhouses at the bottom of the river valley. When you get closer, you will find a different world. The river meanders through the valley. There is a gently sloping open space on the north side with greenhouses next to each other. Not only are the mountains to the north blocking the north wind, but many of the greenhouses have chimneys with smoke coming out of them, and it is obvious that there are underground heating systems inside.

The group of people came in a grand manner, which had already alarmed the people here. Several strong young men came forward to ask questions. They were surprised when they saw Li Junxian. Looking at the crowd again, they immediately recognized Li Chengqian and quickly knelt on one knee to salute.

When Li Chengqian saw that these young men recognized him, he knew that they were probably Fang Jun's personal soldiers and had seen him before, so he asked, "Where is Fang Jun?"

"Erlang is in the greenhouse. I will go and report to him now."

"No need, just take me there."

"Here!"

Li Chengqian and his entourage dismounted, and dozens of imperial guards immediately dispersed to occupy advantageous terrain so that they could rush to His Majesty's side as quickly as possible to rescue him in case of an emergency.

Li Chengqian took Liu Li, Xu Jingzong and Li Junxian and entered a greenhouse with their hands behind their backs.

In March in Guanzhong, grass buds are just beginning to emerge and the weather is warm but still cold. But as soon as you step into the greenhouse, a gust of hot and humid air hits you in the face. You can see rows of rice seedlings growing vigorously, rows of cucumbers looking lush and green, and rows of leeks with fresh and tender leaves... It feels like you are in a vegetable garden in midsummer.

Fang Jun, who was wearing a narrow-sleeved, round-necked robe and a fu hat, bent down to pick a cucumber from the cucumber rack, washed it casually in the ditch, opened his mouth and took a bite, then he saw Li Chengqian and his group rushing in.

He quickly spat out the cucumber in his mouth, stepped forward to greet him and said, "Your Majesty, I am sorry for not coming to greet you from afar. Please forgive me."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "I came here on a whim without telling you. What crime has Erlang committed?"

Her eyes stayed on the cucumber in Fang Jun's hand that he had taken a bite of. Without waiting for Fang Jun to reply, she walked to the cucumber rack, picked one, washed it in the canal, and took a bite...

Li Junxian hurriedly took two steps forward, trying to stop him: "Your Majesty..."

As a king of a country, his safety is related to the country and the people. Even the meals in the palace have to undergo multiple inspections. Now that he is outside the palace, how can he eat as he pleases?
If something goes wrong, who will be held responsible?
However, before he could finish his words, Li Chengqian had already taken a bite and chewed it with relish. He even suggested: "Pick one and try it. It's fragrant, sweet, crisp and delicious. It's much better than the ones in the palace!"

Fang Jun watched Xu Jingzong and Liu Li picking cucumbers, then he came to Li Chengqian, took a bite of the cucumber in his hand, and said with a smile: "Many of the fruits and vegetables here were bought and sent to the palace by the inner court. What your majesty eats in the palace is no different from this."

Li Chengqian nodded: "So it is important that the food tastes good, but it also has to be suitable for the occasion. For example, cooking wine on a snowy day, drinking tea under the moon, and eating a cucumber in the fields are completely different from eating vegetables cooked by the imperial chef in the palace."

Fang Jun smiled and agreed. This is how eating is. It’s not only about the quality of the food, but also about matching it with the environment and mood. If the environment and mood are right, even the most ordinary food can taste delicious and sweet.

Liu Li walked in chewing a cucumber, pointed at the cucumbers on the rack, and said, "I've heard for a long time that the Taiwei is proficient in greenhouse cultivation. Even the most scarce fruits and vegetables can be cultivated in the greenhouse and then sold to the dignitaries in Chang'an. This alone can bring in a lot of income. Why not give this technology to Wen Tang Supervisor? If Wen Tang Supervisor can also cultivate these fruits and vegetables and supply them to the palace, it will save the palace a lot of expenses."

"hehe,"

Fang Jun glanced at Liu Li and said with a smile, "It's not that I am too proud to give up these technologies, but the people in Wentang Supervisor are idle and corrupt. How many of them are truly dedicated to the cultivation technology? They are just a bunch of bureaucrats. You, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, are responsible for this."

Liu Li's expression froze.

Fang Jun continued, "Besides, these skills were not acquired out of thin air. I spent hundreds of thousands of strings of money to pay for them. Now that I have made some progress, it's not right for me to make a selfless contribution, right? The Minister of the Central Secretariat should remember that the state should not compete with the people for profits."

Liu Jie: "..."

With a snort, he took a big bite of the cucumber and chewed it vigorously.

Xu Jingzong chewed a cucumber and walked to the side, pretending to look at the corn seedlings. He was afraid that he would laugh out loud...

“Don’t compete with the people for profits.” This has almost always been the advice from officials of every dynasty to the country and the imperial power. Its superficial meaning is of course correct. Once the country and the imperial power, which rely on their huge privileges, are gone, how can private businesses survive?

Monopoly is inevitable.

But in fact, since the definition of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, there are few pure merchants. All so-called merchants are agents of aristocratic families. Therefore, the so-called "competing with the people for profit" does not mean competing with "merchants for profit" but competing with "officials, aristocratic families and powerful families" for profit.

It just so happens that those so-called Confucian disciples like to say this sentence the most, in order to isolate the state and imperial power from business, making business subject to their monopoly.

While Confucianism denigrated and belittled the role of merchants, it clamored that "one should not compete with the people for profits" and at the same time arranged for clan members and cronies to monopolize business affairs and make huge profits.

Really both responsible and upright...

Li Chengqian finished eating the cucumber and threw the cucumber root aside. He also walked to the corn seedlings and looked at them. He asked, "Erlang doesn't seem to care about the imperial examination?"

Fang Jun followed closely. Wen Yan paused and said frankly, "The imperial examination was reformed after I advised Emperor Taizong. How can I not care about it? But the current imperial examination is indeed not that important."

Liu Li and Xu Jingzong both looked at Fang Jun.

Li Chengqian was surprised and asked, "What do you mean?"

Fang Jun had nothing to hide, and said, "The current imperial examination is only to promote and stabilize this national policy, making it a way to become an official recognized by everyone in the world. But your majesty also understands the current situation. Even if the examination is held a hundred times, the ones who pass are the children of aristocratic families. There are very few children from poor families who can stand out, and there will be no children from ordinary people... These children are actually of no use in becoming officials."

Li Chengqian naturally understood the meaning and nodded, "Although the method of selecting talents has changed, the people selected are still the same."

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Fang Jun sighed, "The aristocratic families have monopolized education for thousands of years. It is already deeply rooted. How can it be changed overnight?"

He picked up a sickle from the ridge beside him and squatted down to cut leeks. "The imperial examination cannot only test Confucian classics, but also increase the weight of natural sciences to the same level, so that the officials selected can have both ability and moral integrity. Confucianism focuses on self-cultivation, and only improves the morality of officials. Natural science focuses on technology, and improves the ability of officials. People with virtue but no talent may be incorruptible, but they may not be competent. People with talent but no virtue may have outstanding achievements, but they are bound to be corrupt. How to cultivate officials with both ability and moral integrity is the ultimate goal of the imperial examination... The first batch of leeks was cut the day before yesterday, and now the second batch is just right. I would like to invite Your Majesty to have hot pot."