My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 107 Li Shimin: Let the Prince of Jin stay in Chang'an

Talk about martial arts hall public house.

Li Jing was concentrating on making tea, and sitting opposite him was the emperor's eunuch Zhang Ananda.

The tea making technology in the Tang Dynasty had been greatly improved, mainly focusing on the production of cake tea. The production of cake tea requires many processes such as picking, steaming, pounding, patting, roasting, threading, and sealing. The production process is sophisticated, ensuring the quality and taste of the tea.

Ever since he handed over all his military power, Li Jing has fallen in love with drinking tea.

What is in front of you is the most premium Yangxian tea in the Tang Dynasty.

"Lord Wei, how am I supposed to report this to His Majesty when the Crown Prince trains his troops like this?"

"Who would have thought that the prince would have such a talent in training soldiers?"

Zhang Ananda took a sip of tea and said with some embarrassment.

The prince's military training was naturally carried out under their noses.

From being disorganized at the beginning to being well-organized, and then to the strict military appearance now.

Both of them are knowledgeable about military affairs and know how difficult it is to reach the current level.

The most important thing is that it took only more than ten days to achieve such results.

In time, not all of these brigade commanders became the prince's men, but perhaps almost all of them have now.

Upon hearing this, Li Jing calmly poured tea for Zhang Ananda, and then said, "It's not as exaggerated as Zhang the eunuch said."

"The prince's military training is indeed unique, but to be honest, it's just for show."

"You have seen that the prince has been practicing walking and standing these days."

"Give them rules on how to stand and how to walk so that they look better. This is all about saving face, isn't it?"

"In a battle, victory is not determined by who walks the best."

"The road is rough, not every place is as flat as the school field."

"Speaking of training soldiers, how can they become the prince's soldiers? If I go to train them, will the soldiers under me not obey me?"

"Once they leave the Military Academy, they are the commanders of their respective prefectures and brigades. How can they be associated with the Crown Prince?"

Zhang Ananda widened his eyes and looked at Li Jing with a look full of disbelief.

I suspect you are fooling me, although I have no evidence.

After a brief silence, Zhang Ananda nodded and said, "Mr. Wei is right. The prince trains his troops with an emphasis on appearance."

"It's just that there are too many people in this military academy."

Li Jing laughed and said, "How can there be so many fools?"

Zhang Ananda also laughed: "Mr. Wei is right."
-
Taiji Palace, outside the Liangyi Hall.

Li Zhi looked back, his face looking somewhat distressed.

"Yi Fu, tell me, what exactly does father mean by what he said to me?"

"I didn't quite understand."

Li Yifu, historically, had been by Li Zhi's side since he was still the Prince of Jin, so he was loyal to Li Zhi.

Later, after Li Zhi ascended the throne, Li Yifu became Li Zhi's trusted minister.

"Your Majesty's intention may be to let the Prince of Jin live in Chang'an for a long time." Li Yifu was also in the hall at the time and expressed his opinion.

Li Zhi frowned and said, "Like Fourth Brother?"

Li Yifu hesitated and said, "Perhaps your majesty has other ideas, but for the Prince of Jin, staying in Chang'an will provide more opportunities."

Li Zhi smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "Chang'an is a place of trouble. My eldest brother and fourth brother are fighting openly and secretly now. What's the point of me staying here?"

"Return to Jinzhou, and you'll be safe no matter what."

Although Li Zhi was also born of a legitimate wife, he was far inferior to the King of Wei or the Crown Prince.

In Chang'an City, he has no power of his own.

It is better to leave and protect yourself than to stay and get caught in the whirlpool.

It is not so easy to participate in this fight for the throne.

Li Yifu shook his head and said, "If your majesty is determined, it may not necessarily allow the Prince of Jin to leave."

Li Zhi was very distressed when he heard this, this was the root of the problem.

"Let's go visit Master Mao first."

"Maybe Master Mao can show me a way."

The Master Mao mentioned by Li Zhi was Li Ji.

Li Ji, also known as Xu Maogong, served as the chief historian of Li Zhi's Jin Palace when Li Zhi was still living in Chang'an City. He was considered Li Zhi's teacher.
-
East Palace.

After the training, Li Chengqian brought Li Yuanchang back for lunch.

The staple food for lunch is mutton sandwich and mutton hotpot.

In addition, there is the latest version of braised pork.

Pork was seldom eaten in the palace, and mutton was the main meat eaten. But how could Li Chengqian forget this dish of braised pork?

Frying lard and using an iron pan aren't really that big of a problem.

Although the sugar produced by the Eastern Palace was not as refined as that of later generations, there was no problem with the sugar color.

As the crown prince, Li Chengqian only needed to open his mouth and the chef would naturally take care of the cooking.

"Is this pig meat? It's so sweet."

Li Yuanchang took a piece of braised pork and put it in his mouth, feeling delicious.

He is also a foodie and can easily taste that it is pork.

"So, you've come back to Chang'an at a great time. I've got a lot of new delicacies in my East Palace. I guarantee you won't want to leave after you eat them."

Li Chengqian said with a smile, which seemed to have some other meaning.

Li Yuanchang said, "I don't want to leave, but after the New Year, His Majesty has ordered me to return to Liangzhou."

Speaking of Liangzhou, Li Yuanchang was very unhappy and complained to Li Chengqian how bad the place was.

How boring it is over there.

Finally, he sighed: "Chang'an is still the best, it's lively and has everything."

Li Chengqian said: "I will go talk to my father and ask him to let you stay."

Li Yuanchang was surprised and delighted: "Really? Will His Majesty agree?"

He really wanted to stay, as there was nothing much to develop in Liangzhou.

Li Chengqian was speechless and said, "What did you do in Liangzhou? Don't you think His Majesty doesn't know?"

"I've moved you to several places, but you still can't find peace. It's better to let you stay in Chang'an so that you can harm others."

This was not polite at all, and Li Yuanchang didn't care.

He laughed and said, "I'm just bored and looking for some fun."

"If I could stay in Chang'an, I wouldn't be like that."

"It is me, the King of Han, who is quitting. You have to arrange some good job for me."

If Li Yuanchang wanted to stay in Chang'an, he could only give up the throne and join the Tang royal family, which was equivalent to lowering his status.

Li Chengqian said: "It's a good job, of course it is a good job, my East Palace just needs a Right Internal Rate."

"If His Majesty does not arrange it for you, you can come to my East Palace."

Li Yuanchang laughed loudly: "That's a good feeling. I might as well just stay in the East Palace with you. No other place can be as interesting as yours."

From a prince to the right inner rate of the fourth rank, the gap here is a world of difference.

Li Yuanchang is not stupid either.

As long as you follow the prince closely, why would you worry about not having power in the future?
Besides, he really didn't have many friends, and his best friend was Li Chengqian, with whom he grew up.
-
Puningfang.

This place is close to Kaiyuan Gate of Chang'an City.

Li Ji's mansion is here.

Li Zhi and Li Yifu came to pay a visit. Upon hearing the news that the Prince of Jin was coming, Li Ji went out of the palace to greet him personally.

"teacher."

Li Zhi watched from afar, bowed and saluted to show his respect for Li Ji.

"How dare I trouble King Jin to do this?"

Li Ji took two steps at a time, walked up to Li Zhi and helped him up.

"In front of Master Mao, I am a disciple."

"When a disciple sees his master, he should be polite."

Li Ji was very moved and quickly invited Li Zhi and his party to come in.

Then he took out the best Guzhu purple bamboo tea to entertain them.

"I haven't seen you for a year. Prince Jin looks even more handsome than last year."

"I heard about the King of Jin in Chang'an. Many officials who came back from Jinzhou said that the King of Jin was kind and fair."

"Your Majesty heard about the King of Jin's affairs in Jinzhou and praised him highly."

"Except for the King of Wu, among the other princes, the King of Jin is the one that pleases Your Majesty the most."

Li Ji sighed.

In fact, in his heart, even King Wu Li Ke only began to restrain himself and gradually change his behavior under the supervision and advice of Quan Wanji.

In the past two years, Quan Wanji was transferred to Qi Wang Li You to serve as the chief historian of the royal palace. Who can tell what the current Wu Wang Li Ke is like?

Prince of Jin Li Zhi was different. He was gentle and humble since childhood, kind, filial, generous, intelligent and studious, with a relatively stable personality and dignified behavior.

Among the many princes, he was particularly outstanding. Even the Crown Prince Li Chengqian and the Prince of Wei Li Tai were not as good as the Prince of Jin Li Zhi.

"Master Mao, you are too kind. I am just doing my duty."

Li Zhi responded modestly.

Li Ji was more optimistic about his humbleness.

I sighed in my heart, it's a pity that Li Zhi was born a few years later. If he could have been born earlier and become the crown prince, it would have been such a great thing for the Tang Dynasty.

But he forgot that the former crown prince Li Chengqian was also like this.

After some greetings, Li Zhi also talked about the purpose of his visit.

"Today I met with my father, the Queen, and he told me to let me stay in Chang'an for a while."

"You don't have to rush back to Jinzhou after the New Year. You can take part in the expedition against Goryeo, which will help you gain some experience."

"But I heard that the eldest brother Chang'an and the fourth brother are now competing with each other, which is really a matter of right and wrong."

"So I would like to ask Master Mao if he can give me some pointers on how to escape from this vortex."

Li Zhi had no intention of seizing the throne, even though he was the legitimate son and had the right of inheritance.

The King of Wei has the support of the King of Wei Party and the Five Surnames and Seven Affiliations.

The prince is the legitimate heir of the Tang Dynasty.

What about him? What does he have? Nothing.

What can I use to fight?

The fight for the throne was the most brutal. Li Zhi, who loved reading history books, understood that if he was not careful, he would be crushed to pieces and there would be no recovery.

There was no such thing as brotherhood back then.

Li Zhi’s current idea is to avoid this fight and be a good King of Jin.

Li Ji frowned slightly, and after a moment's silence, he said, "Prince Jin's idea is correct."

"The struggle between the King of Wei and the Crown Prince has gradually intensified. The entire government and the public are at risk of being dragged into it."

"It would be best to avoid it at this time."

"However, since Your Majesty has said this to the King of Jin, I'm afraid it won't be so easy to get away."

Li Zhi couldn't help but ask, "Why did the emperor want me to stay? What can I do about my elder brother and fourth brother's affairs?"

Li Ji sighed, "It is precisely because the Crown Prince and the King of Wei are fighting too much that His Majesty wants you to stay and ease the situation."

Hearing this, Li Zhi said helplessly: "How could my eldest brother and fourth brother listen to my advice? How can I be so virtuous and worthy of such a favor?"

Li Zhi was the ninth son of Li Shimin and was not considered to be fifteen years old until after the New Year.

Li Chengqian will be twenty-three next year, and Li Tai will be twenty-two, only one year younger than the crown prince.

Even though he is calm beyond his age, he still lacks experience.

In front of Li Chengqian and Li Tai, he is just a younger brother.

Li Ji was also somewhat helpless and said, "Your Majesty, just don't need the Prince of Jin to persuade the Crown Prince and the Prince of Wei. The Prince of Jin is your Majesty's legitimate son. You only need to let the Prince of Jin stay in Chang'an. Even if he does nothing, the Prince of Wei and the Crown Prince will be wary."

"They will not dare to go too far in some matters because they are concerned about the existence of King Jin."

"Besides, the Crown Prince is now so powerful that the King of Wei can hardly resist him. If the King of Jin is left here, the Crown Prince will have to think twice before taking any action."

In fact, when Li Zhi told him that His Majesty wanted him to stay in Chang'an, Li Ji had already guessed His Majesty's intention.

Although the King of Wei seems to be very powerful, he is actually inferior to the Crown Prince in every way and is unable to cope with him in all aspects.

Especially with the current matter of the Military Academy, after watching the Crown Prince training his troops, Li Ji knew that this would make His Majesty even more wary.

Most of the three hundred brigade commanders were based in the vicinity of Chang'an or within the Sixteen Guards.

Once military merit is gained through the conquest of Goryeo, the impact in the future will be extremely far-reaching.

Not to mention that the Military Academy will continue to operate.

It’s just that Your Majesty is wary of the Crown Prince’s behavior. As a subject, I just need to understand it in my heart and must not say it out loud.

If Your Majesty wants to check and balance the Crown Prince, leaving behind the Prince of Jin who has the right of succession is obviously the most appropriate thing to do.

"Master Mao, is there any other way? I really don't want to stay in Chang'an and get involved in this dispute."

After hearing this, Li Zhi felt a little bitter.

On the contrary, Li Yifu, who had been very quiet nearby, had a look of eagerness in his eyes as he lowered his head slightly.

Li Ji thought seriously for a long time, and finally said: "It is very difficult to persuade Your Majesty."

"But there is one person who, if she is willing to speak up for you, there may be hope."

Li Zhi couldn't help but ask, "Who is it?"

Li Ji said slowly: "I am the eldest princess of the Tang Dynasty, Princess Tong'an."

Li Zhi's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said, "Aunt."

Li Ji said: "The Princess of Jin is the niece of the Grand Princess. With this relationship, if the Prince of Jin asks the Grand Princess to say something, I think His Majesty might change his mind."

Princess Tongan was the sister of Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan.

During the Sui Dynasty, Princess Tong'an married Wang Yu, the son of Situ Wang Bing, who was from the Taiyuan Wang family.

After Li Shimin ascended the throne, Princess Tong'an was promoted to Grand Princess.

She was Li Shimin's aunt and was very old, so Li Shimin treated her with special respect.

A few years ago, the son-in-law Wang Yu had a niece who was beautiful and docile. Princess Tong'an mentioned her to Li Shimin, and Li Shimin ordered Li Zhi to marry her to the Princess of Jin.

"If my aunt is willing to help me persuade my father, he will definitely not force me to stay in Chang'an."

Li Zhi suddenly felt that he saw hope.

It's not just because of the relationship with Prince Jin, the Princess of Jin is also very much favored by my aunt, otherwise I wouldn't have specially arranged a matchmaking for her back then.

Li Zhi understood that if he took the Princess of Jin with him to explain his power, Princess Tong'an would definitely be willing to go to the palace to lobby her father.

My father values ​​family ties the most, so it is very likely that he will agree.

At this time, Li Ji added: "Prince Jin needs to be careful when he goes to the Grand Princess's mansion."

"Recently I heard news that the Grand Princess and her grandson Wang Fangyi had a big conflict."

(End of this chapter)