My father, Li Shimin, requests Your Majesty to become the Retired Emperor.

Chapter 29: Master Kong rebukes the Crown Prince, Changsun Wuji recounts past events.

morning.

The Eastern Palace.

Li Chengqian was standing in front of the three old houses, watching the craftsmen carry out the construction.

You don't know until you build a house that repairing a house is a very troublesome thing. All kinds of stones, wood, bricks, tiles and so on must be carefully selected. Li Chengqian tried his best to not waste money, but also to make it high-end and grand, at least to match the specifications and style of the East Palace.

After calculation, Li Chengqian found that after deducting the costs of materials and craftsmen's wages, he would still have about five thousand taels of silver left.

Sure enough, there was a profit of about half.

He thought to himself, "No wonder so many people have loved engineering projects throughout history; there's money to be made in it!"

A typical example is Emperor Yang of Sui, who built Luoyang City and Xianren Palace, constructed the Great Wall, and dug the Grand Canal, with no end in sight.

"Chengqian, what are you doing?"

At this moment, an old man walked over shakily, and his voice could be heard from afar.

Li Chengqian turned his head and saw that the old man who had come was none other than Kong Yingda.

He hurried forward, bowed, and said, "Teacher, you've arrived!"

Kong Yingda's face was ashen, his beard twitched, and his hand trembled as he pointed at the craftsmen: "Stop! Stop now!"

The craftsmen, unaware of what had happened, had no choice but to stop their work and look at Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian waved his hand, and all the craftsmen came down from the house and hid at a distance.

Li Chengqian looked around and realized that his teacher was angry. But what had he done wrong to make the old man so angry?

Kong Yingda angrily said, "You have disappointed your teacher greatly. You have gone too far in this matter!"

"Why do you say that, sir?"

"Since ancient times, whether one is a monarch or a crown prince, one must set an example by governing the country with diligence and frugality, and never be extravagant or wasteful!"

The Eastern Palace is so big, isn't it enough for you to live in?

Why bother repairing these few houses?

"No, teacher, this house is too dilapidated; it affects our image."

"If you really think it's dilapidated, just tear it all down, haul away the trash, and that'll solve the problem, right?"

This will free up some land where we can plant flowers, trees, and shrubs, creating a nice, bright environment.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian frowned: "I am merely repairing three dilapidated old houses, how can you speak of 'large-scale construction'?"

Kong Yingda was so angry that he trembled all over, his old face as red as a pig's liver: "You're still trying to argue!"

"I have heard that you used ten thousand taels of silver from the national treasury to repair these three houses, is that right?"

"Yes," Li Chengqian admitted frankly.

Do you know how much 10,000 taels of silver is?

Let me put it this way: a farming family, with several members, can't earn more than ten taels of silver a year from tilling the land. In other words, ten thousand taels of silver is equivalent to the annual income of a thousand middle-class farming households. If this isn't extravagance and waste, what is it?

Hearing this, Li Chengqian didn't say anything more, as it seemed that ten thousand taels of silver was quite a considerable sum.

"In the seventh year of Emperor Gaozu of Han, Xiao He built Weiyang Palace on the foundation of Qin Zhangtai. Weiyang Palace was huge and extremely luxurious, which set a bad precedent."

Fearing that Liu Bang would reprimand him, Xiao He advised, "The emperor considers the whole world as his home. If the palace is not luxurious and magnificent, it will not be enough to show your prestige, and your descendants will not be able to surpass its scale."

How absurd!

If I remember correctly, didn't Wu Qi say to Marquis Wu, "The strength of a state lies in its virtue, not in its natural defenses"?

"In response to your question, Master, Wu Qi did indeed say such a thing to Marquis Wu: he said that if a ruler does not cultivate virtue, even those who are on the same boat as him will become his enemies."

"Yes! So, Chengqian, as the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty, you must carefully consider your words and actions, and you cannot act recklessly according to your own whims."

If you insist on repairing these three rooms, then I will definitely go to your father, the Emperor, to argue with him. This will also show that I have failed in my teaching, and how can I have the face to come to the Eastern Palace to teach you your studies?

"I'll resign from my official post and return to my hometown to farm. Let your father find someone more capable."

When the old man got angry, he flicked his sleeves, shook his head and sighed repeatedly, and stormed off.

At this moment, the simulator's voice rang in Li Chengqian's ears again: [Ding! Host, the system has detected that the opponent is on the verge of anger, has broken down, and is experiencing abnormal emotional fluctuations. Simulation options are now activated:]

First, catch up with him, offer kind words of comfort, and give him gold and silver;

Second, do as he says;

III. Let him go; Please choose!

Li Chengqian thought to himself that Confucius was so aloof, he probably wouldn't accept gold and silver from him; on the contrary, Confucius would think he was vulgar.

Therefore, the first option cannot be selected;

As for the second point, if I do as he says, wouldn't my entire plan fall apart?

Therefore, the second option cannot be selected either;

"I'll choose the third option."

[Incorrect answer! The consequences are severe. Would you like to change your answer?]

Hmm? Wrong again. Should I choose the second option?

Li Chengqian shook his head: "No need to change it!"

Li Chengqian thought to himself that such a good plan had been ruined by Master Kong. If the house was not repaired, where would the five thousand taels of silver come from?

How can the monthly allowances for palace maids and eunuchs be paid if there is no money?

Without money, how can I win over and gain the hearts of those ministers?

Without money, how can we support Chengxin and those ten Turkic warriors?

Does this mean I have to return the ten thousand taels of silver?

What... what should we do?

night.

The Eastern Palace.

Li Chengqian was restless. He was about to get the five thousand taels of silver, but he was at a loss. He knew Kong Yingda's stubborn temper. If he said he would go to his father to reason with him, he would definitely do it.

Just then, Su Wan walked in from outside with a cheerful smile.

"Your Highness, what do you think of the idea I gave you? Have you made any money?"

Li Chengqian was already annoyed and didn't say anything.

"Oh, Your Highness, why do you look so pale?"

Didn't I hear that you've already approved the grant of ten thousand taels of silver?

Has the house renovation already started?

Isn't this a good thing?

Why do you look so unhappy?

Who upset you?

Li Chengqian sighed and then told her about Kong Yingda's interference.

After hearing this, Su Wan crossed her arms and said, "Oh, I see. I've long heard that this Mr. Kong is a bookworm, though he doesn't admit it. But you can't call him a bookworm, because I heard some news about him."

"What news?"

"I heard that once, he went to your father to ask for an increase in his salary, but your father did not agree, so he refused to leave."

Your father was forced into a corner by him, so he rewarded him with ten catties of gold, and only then did he leave reluctantly.

"Listen carefully, that's gold, not silver."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian thought to himself, "Master Kong, you're really something. Aren't you just allowing officials to set fires while forbidding ordinary people to light lamps?"

Oh, you're short of money, so you know to ask your father for money. Well then, with such a large Eastern Palace and such huge expenses, how can we manage without money?

Besides, you are a descendant of Confucius, so noble and aloof, how could you do such a vulgar thing?

Your salary is quite substantial.

That's really surprising!

"Now you know, right? His aloofness was all an act. That's how intellectuals are; they're obsessed with saving face."

Li Chengqian rested his chin on his hand, lowered his head and thought for a while, then said, "Let's not talk about him now, let's talk about what to do with these ten thousand taels of silver."

Should this old house be repaired or not?

"If it's not repaired, wouldn't I have to send the money back?"

Su Wan pouted: "Are you stupid? Why would you give back money you've already got?"

"If we don't send them back, what can we do? Master Kong absolutely refuses to allow those houses to be repaired."

"So what exactly does he mean?"

He said that repairing the house was too extravagant and that it would be better to just tear down the houses and clean them up.

"Did he really say that?"

"yes."

Su Wan's eyes darted around, and she smiled gently: "Since he wants you to demolish the house, then go ahead and demolish it."

"What if I demolish the house? What will happen to the ten thousand taels of silver?"

"You might as well do this: you can turn the three rooms into three flower beds, and then plant a few precious trees in each flower bed, such as the mulberry tree, which is also known as the Emperor Tree, and its heartwood can be used to dye dragon robes."

The price of this type of tree is opaque, and it's difficult to compare prices on the market.

Li Chengqian thought to himself that Su Wan's mind worked quickly, and he laughed, "That's indeed a good idea! Let's do it that way!"

Therefore, Li Chengqian submitted another memorial, recounting Kong Yingda's opposition to the house renovation, and then proposed his own rectification plan.

Li Shimin thought the plan was quite good, so he readily agreed.

Within a few days, the flower bed was completed, and Li Chengqian planted several mulberry trees on it, which looked quite beautiful and beautified the environment of the Eastern Palace.

Li Chengqian calculated that a total of four thousand taels of silver had been spent, which meant he had earned six thousand taels of silver, a thousand taels more than he had earned from repairing the house. All of this was thanks to Su Wan.

morning.

At the residence of Changsun Wuji.

Li Chengqian came to visit his maternal uncle, Changsun Wuji.

After the two exchanged greetings, Li Chengqian presented his gifts.

Changsun Wuji laughed and said, "I'm already very happy that you came to see me, so why did you bring these gifts?"

"My uncle works hard for the country, so this gift is nothing. I'm just expressing my gratitude."

Li Chengqian saw that Changsun Wuji was sitting at the desk, writing the "Zhenguan Code".

Changsun Wuji was skilled in both literature and martial arts, possessed exceptional strategic acumen, and was also adept at poetry, prose, and law.

Li Shimin felt that some of the laws of the Sui Dynasty were no longer suitable for the current situation, so he asked Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling to compile the "Zhenguan Code".

"Does your uncle write this book every day?"

"I have resigned from my position as prime minister and have nothing to do at home. It just so happens that your father entrusted this matter to me and Fang Xuanling."

However, Fang Xuanling is now the Grand Secretary of the court and has too many things to do, while I have more free time. Therefore, I will do more and do my best to handle this matter well.

"The Zhenguan Code represents the latest laws of our Great Tang Dynasty and will be implemented throughout the country. This is a very important matter. It can be seen that the Emperor still trusts his uncle very much."

Changsun Wuji smiled and said, "It's just that I usually enjoy writing and painting."

Li Chengqian thought for a moment and said, "There is something I don't understand. Please enlighten me, Uncle."

"What is it?"

"I heard that the Emperor appointed you as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, but you voluntarily resigned from the position. Why is that?"

Changsun Wuji put down his work and sighed, "There's a saying that goes, 'The moon wanes when it's full, and water overflows when it's full.' Your father has already shown me too much favor."

Don't forget that your uncle is a maternal relative. Your mother is well-versed in history and classics, and she knows better than I do about the fates of maternal relatives throughout history. For example, when Empress Lü was in power, the Lü clan rose to prominence, but later, after Empress Lü died, Lü Lu, Lü Chan, and others were all killed by Zhou Bo, Chen Ping, Liu Zhang, and others.

Wei Qing was also a relative of the emperor. He was the half-brother of Empress Wei Zifu. He fought against the Xiongnu and won seven battles in a row. He rose to the rank of general based on his military achievements. However, he was later suspected by Emperor Wu of Han and died in depression.

Huo Guang was also a relative of the emperor. He was Huo Qubing's half-brother. When Emperor Wu of Han was dying, he appointed Huo Guang as one of the four regents. Huo Guang was loyal to the Han court, but in the end, the entire Huo family was executed.

There are far too many examples like this, therefore, your mother advised me to resign from the position of prime minister and give it to someone more capable.

Li Chengqian sincerely praised, "My uncle's indifference to fame and fortune and his carefree attitude are truly admirable."

"Isn't my life pretty good now?" Changsun Wuji said with a smile.

"My uncle looks to be in good health."

Changsun Wuji looked at Li Chengqian: "You didn't come here today just to see me, did you?"

Li Chengqian gazed in the direction of the Eastern Palace and said, "I don't know why, but I feel a bit oppressed here in the Eastern Palace."

Changsun Wuji personally poured Li Chengqian a bowl of green tea and calmly said, "Today, your uncle will tell you a story, which may ease your mind."

"Uncle, please speak."

"To be honest, we also took a huge risk that day during the Xuanwu Gate Incident. We only had eight hundred men, while Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji had several thousand men."

No one wants brothers to kill each other, but when things get to that point, it's either you die or I live. Not only will your father not survive, but even your uncle won't survive.

Li Chengqian picked up his teacup, gently blew on the tea leaves floating on top, and slowly said, "I've heard that Father Emperor's ultimate victory in the Xuanwu Gate Incident was inseparable from Uncle's strong support!"

Changsun Wuji stroked his beard and said, "Now that my sister has married your father, then your father and I are in the same boat."

"I heard that after that incident, you and Fang Xuanling forged a deep bond and became sworn brothers."

"Yes, back then, he and I could be called brothers who would share life and death. In some ways, we were even closer than blood brothers."

But Chengqian, don't forget that there are only eternal interests, not eternal friends.

Then was then, now is now. He is now the Grand Secretary, while I am just a leisurely person.

Different identities lead to different perspectives on issues.