Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

In Chang'an City, a piece of gossip spread quickly.

"The Crown Prince and his consort Du He organized 55 scholars from the Chongwen Academy to compile books that will benefit the country and the people!"

Brothels, taverns, teahouses, markets...all the people were talking about this matter.

In Pingkangfang, inside a teahouse called Panmanke.

The storyteller, who is nearly 70 years old, kneels on the cushions on the high platform and tells the hottest news of the moment in a vivid way.

"Dear readers, it is rumored that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is doing something big!"

"And it is the most earth-shaking event since the Three Sovereigns established the country and the Five Emperors opened up the territory."

"If this is accomplished, it will definitely benefit the present and future generations!"

"People all over the world..."

Seeing that the storyteller had not gotten to the point for a long time, the tea drinkers in the teahouse became unhappy and started to urge the storyteller to stop.

"Sir, stop talking nonsense and get to the point."

"Every storyteller in a teahouse says the same thing at the beginning of this paragraph. Is there anything new?"

"If the stories you tell are the same as those told in other teahouses, then why should we listen to them? We've already heard them till our ears are callused."

"That's right. We all came here because of your fame, sir. You'd better not ruin your reputation."

The tea drinker's remarks gradually turned into doubts, and he even had the urge to get up and leave.

In a hidden corner of the teahouse, the pot-bellied shopkeeper quickly winked at him, asking him to comfort the guests.

Business has been lukewarm for some time, but now because of the prince compiling a book, we have finally got some customers, and we can't drive them away.

The storyteller's expression tensed, he grabbed the wake-up stick on the small table and knocked it hard.

"touch~"

The huge crash suddenly quieted the noisy tea drinkers.

The storyteller looked around and said quickly.

"Don't worry, my version of this story is definitely different from what is being said outside."

"You know, my great-uncle's grandson's brother-in-law's nephew works at the East Palace Chongwen Pavilion. He knows the news firsthand."

As soon as the storyteller said this, all the tea drinkers straightened up instantly and stared at him intently.

Wow, he is worthy of being a famous storyteller in Chang'an, his connections are really strong.

Compared with other cookie-cutter storytellers, he is extraordinary.

There was a hint of anticipation in the tea drinkers' eyes.

The storyteller swallowed his saliva and began to tell the made-up story to the tea drinkers.

"It is understood that the Crown Prince is compiling a great prehistoric work and has mobilized 55 scholars from the Chongwen Academy. They cannot leave the Eastern Palace during the compilation period."

"It is said that there is a purple aura above the East Palace every day, and the spirit of literature is surging..."

The more outrageous the storyteller's words were, the more excited the tea drinkers listened.

After the story was told, the tea drinkers were still not satisfied and asked to hear it again.

"Okay, I'll tell you again."

"Dear readers, it is said that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince..."

The storyteller started from the very beginning, and this time no one urged him on.

With this version of the story beginning, storytellers in other teahouses in Chang'an City racked their brains to modify various versions in order to avoid losing their jobs.

As the news spread from mouth to mouth, the people of Chang'an City and surrounding counties all knew about it.

...

Inside the Manna Hall.

"Crack~"

"Whoever spread the news that the crown prince compiled a book, I will ask the Dali Temple to investigate it strictly!"

"Find out who is behind this, no matter who it is, take him directly to the East Market and behead him!"

Li Shimin slammed the memorial heavily on the table, his chest heaving violently. He was very angry at the moment.

The person who spread the news had ulterior motives and was trying to flatter the prince to death.

If it is discovered that the prince is fooling around, his reputation will be completely ruined.

Although he was skeptical about the prince's actions, he was his own son after all, and he still hoped that he could follow the right path of a wise ruler.

"Follow the order."

The eunuch in charge of delivering the message bowed and left.

At the bottom of the hall, Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling looked at each other, and then Fang Xuanling spoke.

"Your Majesty, the news has been spread. The most urgent thing is to find the prince to understand the situation."

“If a book is actually being written, that would be great and we would strongly support it.”

"If the prince is making trouble, we have to find a way to clean up his mess and write something to shut up the people."

"Otherwise, it would be a loss of face for the royal family."

Fang Xuanling was Li Shimin's most trusted adviser and was also loyal to Li Shimin.

What he said was completely from Li Shimin's perspective.

Zhang Sun Wuji continued, "Your Majesty, the prince is emotionally unstable right now. Asking him to enter Ganlu Palace is like questioning him. I'm afraid he will have wild thoughts."

"The book was compiled by the Crown Prince and Du He together. Why don't we ask Du He?"

As Li Chengqian's uncle, although Changsun Wuji did not take sides, he still had affection for his nephew in his heart.

If Li Chengqian came to power, he, as his uncle, would still be trusted and reused.

In the end, Li Chengqian could not become emperor, so he had to support Li Tai and Li Zhi.

Li Shimin calmed down and then gave instructions to Wang De.

"Send someone to the East Palace and call Du He over to me!"

"Yes, sir!" Wang De bowed respectfully and hurriedly left Ganlu Palace.

The Eastern Palace, inside Chongwen Hall.

Dozens of people sat in front of their own small tables, each of which was covered with several tall piles of books.

While flipping through the books, this group of people quietly recited the pinyin of the words they were looking for.

Those who found the right words were overjoyed and immediately wrote them down on a piece of paper filled with words with the same pronunciation.

Even the crown prince Li Chengqian opened an ancient book and looked up some words.

As the person in charge of dictionary compilation, Du He is only responsible for building the framework of the dictionary outline and coordinating the work.

The specific text review and filling, as well as the review and modification of the content, are all completed by the scholars of Chongwenguan.

"Your Highness, a new version of the song has been released in the teahouses in Chang'an City. Would you like to listen to it?" Du He came to Li Chengqian and said with a wink.

Du He had to attend court every day and go back to the princess's mansion to eat and rest, so he naturally knew about the rumors that were growing in intensity in Chang'an City.

Although they were all praising the two of them, Du He and Li Chengqian knew it clearly in their hearts.

These compliments are all flattery.

Especially those storytellers who want to attract attention, the more they tell stories, the more outrageous they become.

According to the latest version, it is rumored that Li Chengqian is the Ziwei Star God who has descended to earth, and Du He is the Wenqu Star God who has descended to earth.

The two reincarnated star gods are here to benefit the people of the Tang Dynasty.

Their reputation and fame among the people skyrocketed.

"Du He, these flattering remarks are meaningless. It would be better to speed up and compile the dictionary as soon as possible."

"When Pinyin and the Chinese Dictionary come out, those who want to laugh at us will regret it."

"It's a waste of effort to enhance our reputations."

Li Chengqian spoke in a steady tone without raising his head.

Since the compilation work began, he has spent all his time in Chongwenguan except for eating and sleeping.

There was no time to think about anything else, and his restless heart became calm.

In particular, the dictionary compilation work progressed rapidly under Du He's command, which gave him hope.

"Knock knock knock~"

"Captain of the Imperial Consort's House, His Majesty summons you to the Ganlu Palace."

Xi Junmai's voice came from outside the room.