Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 244: The Wise King of Chang'an
On the way back to Chang'an, Changsun Wuji and the other man discussed ways to persuade the military.

After listening to Changsun Wuji's idea, Changsun Quan frowned and said, "If you do this, will some corvée labor still be retained?"

Changsun Wuji said: "Everything must be done step by step. For example, the land system reform cannot be achieved overnight."

Chang Sunquan pondered for a moment and said, "I'm afraid Your Majesty won't agree."

Changsun Wuji said, "Tomorrow during the hunting trip in the Forbidden Garden, you can take the opportunity to mention this matter to His Majesty. If His Majesty agrees, that would be great. If not, you and I can find another solution."

Chang Sunquan nodded and said, "That would be best."

After finding solutions to several major problems, Changsun Quan felt much better. He opened the car curtain and looked out the window at the street.

Suddenly, he saw a commotion in the street and heard someone asking, "Is this really the wise king?"

"Of course! He's wearing the same clothes as us, sitting on Qinrenfang South Street, drinking tea."

"Then we must go and have a look!"

"Go quickly, maybe you can have a few words with him."

As they were talking, all of them headed towards Qinrenfang.

Chang Sunquan frowned and said, "Brother, when did a wise king emerge from Chang'an?"

Chang Sun Wuji didn't look outside the car, and said leisurely: "They should be talking about Li Yuanjia, the King of Han."

Chang Sunquan's heart moved, and he said, "Yes, the King of Han has always been known for his virtue. It should be him."

Changsun Wuji smiled and said nothing.

Zhang Sunquan looked out the window and said, "Brother, do you think Li Yuanjia is a true virtuous king or a false one?"

Zhang Sun Wuji was slightly surprised. He glanced at him sideways and asked, "Why do you ask that?"

Chang Sunquan was silent for a moment, then said, "I was wondering, if he really was on a secret tour, how could he have caused such a big commotion?"

Zhang Sun Wuji laughed heartily and said, "After two years in another county, you have made great progress. This young man is teachable!"

Chang Sunquan was shocked and asked, "You mean to say that he is really pretending?"

Changsun Wuji lowered his voice a bit, narrowed his eyes and said, "Among all the kings, this man has the deepest scheming mind. Even I cannot see through him."

King Han Li Yuanjia was wearing brown clothes and sitting in a tea stall.

Although his brown clothes were also made of coarse linen, they were washed very clean and had no patches on them. He looked very energetic and was discussing the affairs of Mobei with several merchants.

"Hehe, Your Highness, you don't know that the Yanran Protectorate has issued a notice. Not only does it not prevent people from setting up pastures in Mobei, it also encourages everyone. The public inspection procedures are also very simple. After the New Year, I also plan to go to Mobei to open a small pasture." A burly businessman said.

Li Yuanjia smiled and said, "Isn't this great? Such a large grassland should naturally be given priority to the people of the Tang Dynasty."

The burly merchant said happily, "You are absolutely right. We are making money, which is also good for everyone. In the past two months, the prices of mutton, horses, and felt clothes have all started to fall."

Li Yuanjia smiled and said, "The people are the foundation of the country. Only when the people live a good life can it be truly good!"

When everyone heard him say this, they were very happy, and several people rushed to pour tea for Li Yuanjia.

Suddenly, a tall and thin businessman said, "By the way, Your Highness, there is something you can tell His Majesty about."

Li Yuanjia smiled and said, "Go ahead. As long as it's not against the law or discipline, I will definitely help you convey it."

The tall and thin merchant said, "Recently, the number of Hu tribes in Mobei has suddenly increased a lot. This is abnormal. How can they reproduce so quickly?"

Another merchant slapped his thigh and said, "Look, I've always felt something was wrong!"

Li Yuanjia frowned and asked, "Could it be that some Tiele people have quietly returned?"

The tall and thin merchant said, "I don't know, but since they've moved west, they shouldn't be allowed to come back. If they all come back, won't Mobei become theirs again?"

Li Yuanjia nodded and said, "What you said makes sense. I will raise this matter with His Majesty."

The tall and thin businessman said happily, "Thank you very much. Oh, it would be great if you could stay in Chang'an forever."

"Who said it wasn't?" everyone exclaimed.

Before I knew it, there were more and more people around me.

Li Yuanjia looked around, stood up, and said with a smile: "I am traveling incognito, and it is a bit inappropriate to cause such a big commotion. Everyone, goodbye." He left quickly.

Just as everyone was about to follow, the burly merchant shouted, "Everyone, please stop and don't cause trouble for His Highness. Disperse!"

Seeing that Li Yuanjia was walking very fast, everyone really didn't want to follow him, so they had to disperse.

Li Yuanjia quickly left Qinrenfang and got on a carriage at the gate.

A man was already sitting in the car and smiled at him, "Brother, you work so hard walking back and forth every day, even if you win the favor of the common people, it's useless."

Li Yuanjia said calmly, "Whether it's useful or not, we'll know later. And the more you interact with them, the more you'll find that they're genuine and simple, and it's actually quite easy to deal with them." Li Lingkui touched the jeweled ring on his finger and smiled, "That's because you're patient. I can't stand them; they have a strange smell."

Li Yuanjia was too lazy to argue with him and called to the driver, "Go to Prince Chen's Mansion."

Li Lingkui frowned and said, "Why go to Prince Chen's Mansion? We are uncles. If Li Zhong doesn't come to visit us, why should we go to visit him?"

Li Yuanjia glanced at him and said, "You're the only one who talks too much. Remember, we'll need to deal with Li Zhong frequently in the future."

Li Lingkui was stunned and asked, "Why?"

Li Yuanjia whispered a few words into his ear.

After listening to this, Li Lingkui grinned and said, "Brother, your trick is good. Let them fight, then we will have a chance."

Li Yuanjia glared at him and said, "Don't forget this is Chang'an. Be careful with your words."

"Haha, I'll remember that, little brother."

The two soon arrived at Prince Chen's mansion. After the doorman informed them, Li Zhong came out to greet them personally, bowing and saying, "Greetings, my two uncles."

Li Yuanjia took his hand and said with a smile, "We're family, so why be polite?" He looked behind Li Zhong and said with a smile, "The King of Wu is here too."

Li Ji hurriedly greeted him and said, "My nephew greets my uncle."

He had a very good relationship with Li Zhong. After paying his respects to the crown prince, he went directly to Prince Chen's mansion to pay New Year's greetings.

King Han and King Lu were quickly invited into the hall. Because they were elders, Li Zhong asked them to sit in the first seats.

Li Yuanjia was not polite. After sitting down, he drank some hot tea and exchanged a few pleasantries before saying, "Prince Chen, Prince Lu and I came to see you. Besides paying our respects to the emperor, we also have something to tell you."

Li Zhong had long guessed that something was wrong with him. After all, the two sides had no previous friendship. If he was being attentive without any reason, it would be suspicious.

"Uncle, please speak."

Li Yuanjia said slowly, "I have been visiting the people these days and have heard feedback from them that the number of tribes in Mobei has increased. This is a major hidden danger, so I hope you can report this to His Majesty."

Li Zhong was stunned for a moment and said, "Eleventh Uncle, why don't you report this to father yourself?"

Li Yuanjia was silent for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty is benevolent and generous, but because of Li Yuanjing, he has some grievances against us, the uncle princes. My words of advice were not very effective."

Looking up at him, she said, "I've heard from the people of Chang'an that among your majesty's sons, Prince Chen is the most benevolent and filial, and the most favored by your majesty. Therefore, I would like to ask Prince Chen to speak a few words on behalf of the people."

Li Zhong was surprised and delighted when he heard this. He laughed and said, "They are talking nonsense. Father favors the Crown Prince and Qilang the most. How could it be me?"

Li Yuanjia smiled and said, "A bystander sees more clearly; the people have the sharpest eyes. Your Majesty favors the Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince simply because they are young, but it's different with Prince Chen. You have both deep trust and high expectations of him, so naturally, you are more strict with him."

Li Zhong was overjoyed when he heard this and said, "Don't worry, uncle. I will definitely tell father about this."

Li Yuanjia smiled and said, "Thank you very much." He picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea, and suddenly asked, "Prince Chen, what books have you been reading recently?"

Li Zhongdao: "I am reading the Book of Changes."

Li Yuanjia praised him, "You're already reading the Book of Changes at your age, which shows your intelligence. It's also a good coincidence that I stumbled upon an ancient book, a model of the Five Classics, written by Liu Biao of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It explains the meaning of the Five Classics in detail, which should be helpful for your study."

Li Zhong asked curiously, "Uncle, is Liu Biao the Liu Biao of Jingzhou during the late Han Dynasty?"

Li Yuanjia smiled and said, "That's exactly him. He's a remarkable man. His only shortcoming is that he's not very good at choosing an heir."

Li Zhong became even more curious and asked, "Why can't he choose an heir?"

Li Yuanjia said, "His eldest son, Liu Qi, was intelligent, studious, calm, and reserved, but his second son, Liu Cong, lacked exceptional talent. This was because Liu Qi's mother died young, and the second son was born to his second wife, Cai. Cai hated Liu Qi and often spoke ill of him in front of Liu Bian. She nearly killed Liu Qi, and Jingzhou ultimately passed to Liu Cong."

After listening to this, Li Zhong was stunned and silent, as if he was lost in thought.

Li Yuanjia drank tea silently and did not disturb him.

Wu Wang Li Ji suddenly said, "Brother, can I go with you to the palace to meet my aunt tomorrow?"

Li Zhong was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course."

A gleam of light flashed in Li Yuanjia's eyes.

He mentioned Liu Qi just now because he hoped Li Zhong could see his own shadow in Liu Qi.

Li Ji's casual words seemed to remind Li Zhong that he was different from Liu Qi. He still had a mother and lived well in the palace.

Li Yuanjia glanced at Li Ji and wondered, "Did this guy do this on purpose, or was it just an accident?"

Li Yuanjia chatted with Li Zhong for a while, and showed his concern for him during the conversation.

An hour later, Li Yuanjia and Li Lingkui got up and said goodbye.

(End of this chapter)