Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

The impression Du He has given people over the years is that of a playboy who does all kinds of bad things.

In recent months, he has done just a few good things and completely changed many people's views of him.

Li Chengqian had been a wise crown prince for more than ten years, but he did a few rebellious things that did not affect the country and the people, so he was impeached by the ministers of remonstration and disliked by Li Shimin.

Seeing Yan Shigu hesitant to speak, Du He couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Master Yan, do you have something to discuss with me?"

Yan Shigu nodded gently and said, "Du Shaojian, the Mid-Autumn Poetry Festival will be held on August 15th in a few days. This year's poetry festival will be particularly grand. It will be coordinated by a group of princesses and implemented by the Ministry of Rites."

"Not only scholars from all over the country participated, but even concubines from the palace came to participate."

For most of the scholars who participated in poetry meetings, poetry meetings were not for showing off, nor were they just cultural exchanges.

It is an important stepping stone to becoming a Jinshi.

If one can write a famous poem at a poetry meeting, he can be directly awarded an official title and bring honor to his family.

Of course, not everyone has the opportunity to participate in the poetry meeting. The invited scholars must be at least somewhat famous in the local county, even if they are not well-known.

Du He's daughter-in-law Li Yi was one of the main organizers of this poetry meeting.

They would often talk about poetry gatherings during their conversations, so Du He was quite familiar with them.

Du He nodded and asked in confusion: "Then what?"

Yan Shigu rubbed his hands together and said with a look of anticipation, "His Majesty told us after the court meeting that if anyone from the nine temples, five prisons, three provinces and six ministries wins the top three in the poetry competition, the funding for the department next year will be increased by 10%!"

"The poem you gave to Duke Weiguo was of a very high standard. I would like you to represent the Secretariat to attend the poetry meeting."

The Secretariat is a low-income government agency, and its expenses are generally among the lowest compared to other departments.

Now that there is such a great opportunity, he must seize it.

Du He was stunned for a moment when he heard Yan Shigu's words.

Is Li Shimin so generous?

Du He asked curiously, "Lord Yan, it's just a poetry gathering, why would His Majesty promise such a huge reward?"

For scholars without any official title, poetry meetings are a place to stand out.

But for the imperial court, poetry competitions were not only a way to select talented people, but also a way to showcase the culture of the Tang Dynasty.

Yan Shigu also shook his head in confusion: "We don't know what your majesty is thinking, but the reward has been decided, so it would be a waste if we don't take it."

Du He smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go join in the fun."

He had previously promised Li Yi to attend the poetry meeting, and now he was just a representative of the Secretariat.

Hearing Du He's agreement, Yan Shigu smiled and said, "Great! With you, Du Shaojian, taking action, how can other tribes compete with us!"

Yan Shigu is now mysteriously confident in Du He.

After that, he waved to Du He and said, "Master Du, let's go to my office and talk in detail."

...

Princess Changle's Mansion.

A group of princesses gathered under the pavilion again.

They had a final discussion about the upcoming poetry reading.

Princess Chengyang Li Yi picked up the registration list for the poetry meeting and looked at it.

She frowned and said, "The number of people who signed up for the poetry gathering is nearly five times more than we originally planned."

"I'm afraid the place where we originally held the poetry reading is no longer big enough."

They originally planned to hold the poetry reading in a garden in Pingkangfang so that the people of Chang'an City could also watch the reading.

But now there are nearly 1,500 people who have signed up for the poetry reading, and the garden is totally not enough to accommodate them.

Princess Gaoyang pouted and said, "It's all my father's fault. Originally there weren't so many people attending the poetry gathering, but I didn't expect that my father asked people from the court to join in the fun, so the number of people increased."

"Why don't we go to the palace to find our father and ask him to find a new venue for us."

Hearing Gao Yang's words, Li Lizhi, Li Yi and others all frowned.

In the previous poetry reading promotion, they had already written down the time and place of the event.

Now that the poetry reading is getting closer, temporarily changing the venue will have a significant impact.

If it were held in the vicinity of Pingkangfang, it would be fine. However, if it were held somewhere a little further away, it would cause great trouble to the scholars participating in the poetry meeting, and they would inevitably be subject to rumors.

Just when the princesses were struggling, a maid suddenly came over and reported to Li Li.

"Your Highness, the King of Wei is here to visit you."

Li Lizhi, who looked a little pale, forced a smile and said, "Quickly invite Fourth Brother in."

Not long after, Li Tai, with a smile on his face, walked in, led by his servants.

Li Tai saw all the sisters were there and greeted them with a smile: "Good afternoon, all the royal sisters."

A group of princesses also greeted Li Tai.

"Cough cough."

Suddenly, Li Lizhi coughed violently twice.

Li Yi, who was standing by, quickly helped her from behind.

I don’t know what’s wrong with my sister these past two days. She’s been coughing non-stop and often feels chest tightness.

Exactly the same as the queen mother back then.

The medicine prescribed by the imperial physician was of no use and she was almost driven to death by anxiety.

Slowed down for a moment.

Li Lizhi turned her head and said softly to Li Yi, "Yier, sister is fine."

Looking at her sister's pale face, Li Yi's face was full of worry.

But there were so many sisters here, so she didn't say anything else.

Li Lizhi smiled and asked Li Tai curiously, "Fourth brother, is there something you need today?"

His elder brother was usually busy competing for the throne with his eldest brother and basically never came to the princess's mansion.

I definitely didn't come here today to visit her.

Li Tai did not hide anything and said straight to the point: "I heard that the number of people participating in this Mid-Autumn Poetry Festival far exceeded your expectations. The garden in Pingkangfang is too small and not suitable for holding a poetry festival."

"It just so happens that my father gave me Hibiscus Garden last month. It has a spacious venue with a beautiful environment, and it is not far from the originally scheduled poetry gathering venue."

"Why not change the venue of the poetry gathering to Hibiscus Garden?"

When the princesses heard Li Tai's words, their faces brightened.

I was just dozing off and then a pillow came.

Seeing that everyone was interested, Li Tai smiled even more and continued.

"It just so happens that I have renovated Furong Garden and built three huge viewing platforms next to Qujiang Pond, which is perfect for holding a poetry gathering."

"I will also prepare the pens, ink, paper, and food you will need for the poetry gathering."

Hearing that Li Tai had thought so carefully, the princesses all turned their eyes to Li Lizhi.

Li Lizhi is the one who makes the final decision, and such an important decision requires her nod.

Princess Gaoyang said directly: "Sister Lizhi, Fourth Brother has made such thorough preparations, let's change the venue of the poetry gathering to Hibiscus Garden."

Princess Nanping, Princess Qinghe, Princess Baling and others also spoke out.

"I think so too. Furong Garden has a beautiful environment and is located in a prosperous area."

"The Ministry of Rites said that most of the scholars participating in the poetry gathering stayed in the area around Pingkangfang, so changing the venue to Furong Garden would not have much impact."

"Besides, Fourth Brother has also prepared the things needed for the poetry gathering, so we can save some worries."

Hearing her sisters say this, Li Lizhi was also somewhat tempted.

She and Li Yi looked at each other and saw Li Yi nodded at her.

Li Lizhi also made a decision in her heart.

"Fourth brother, thank you for your help."