186 Chapter 186
◎Prince. ◎
The eldest son suddenly fell ill again. After carefully inquiring about his condition, Changsun Shi complained to her husband again: "Chengqian is still young. Even if Erlang values him, he should be mindful of his health. How can you let him participate in government affairs with you?"
Li Shimin and Li Chengqian were determined to conceal the true cause of Changsun's illness. The final explanation was that Li Shimin had taken his eldest son to handle government affairs for half a day, which made the child tired. He had a fever in the afternoon and his throat was dry and choked like last time, making him unable to speak. Fortunately, the symptoms were mild this time, and he was almost well after taking medicine and resting for a while.
Li Shimin said, "I was also thinking that the imperial edict to appoint a crown prince would be issued soon, and I should also tell Cheng Qian about the political and military affairs. After this incident, I will remember it and will definitely not make the same mistake again."
It is certainly a good thing that the young master values the eldest son, but Changsun Shi always has some worries in her heart. After all, father and son are different from monarch and subject. There is no rule on how to draw the boundary between them. Thinking of this, Changsun Shi can't help but feel uneasy.
"Cheng Qian is our child, so naturally you and I love him as much as I do." Changsun smiled tenderly.
"Erlang, let Chengqian recuperate for the next few days. If you want to appoint a crown prince, you can't let the entire court see an ailing prince." Changsun stroked her eldest son's forehead. "Although the fever has subsided, he still needs to be taken good care of. Be careful not to have a relapse."
Li Chengqian held his mother's hand and said, "Don't worry, mother. From now on, I will just take care of myself and stop studying and practicing martial arts."
Li Lizhi came in holding her wet nurse's hand and happened to hear this. Without even bowing to her parents, she said, "Brother, it sounds like you're trying to be lazy, not recuperate."
"That's right." Li Tai slowed down and echoed his sister's words, "I want to be sick too, big brother, take me with you to be lazy."
Li Shimin couldn't help laughing. He stepped forward and rubbed the heads of the two children, saying, "You two silly kids! Your eldest brother is really sick. He said this to comfort your mother."
The three children looked up at their mother and saw the sadness in her eyes. They came forward and tried to comfort her. After the children's noise, Changsun no longer had time to worry.
Li Shimin was afraid that they would disturb his eldest son who was recuperating from illness, so he hurried over to stop them: "Okay, okay, talk to my eldest brother so we can go out."
Li Lizhi and Li Yuxiu ran over hand in hand, took Li Chengqian's hand and said, "Brother, take good care of yourself."
Li Yuxiu said, "We'll come back to see you tomorrow."
Li Tai, who was at the end of the line, said, "Brother, when you get better, we can do exercises together again."
Li Chengqian laughed and said, "Do you like doing exercises?"
Li Tai's face suddenly turned bitter: "I don't like it, but I see you like it."
"Thank you." Li Chengqian thanked him solemnly.
When Li Tai was young, he would indeed compete for his parents' attention, but this was just a child's instinct and there was no malice involved. If he had not been born into the royal family, even if the brothers had conflicts when they grew up, they would not have reached the point of life and death.
It's a pity that they were born into the royal family. Li Chengqian thought, I won't harm a child, but when you and I grow up and have to fight each other for life and death, I will not show mercy either.
In fact, if they had received proper education and guidance, Li Chengqian and Li Tai might not have had the same destined ending.
pity……
Li Chengqian watched Tian Khan and the children walking out while talking. How tender and affectionate they were. Who could see the swordplay that was already buried?
…
When he woke up the next day, Li Chengqian felt refreshed. Perhaps it was due to the change in his mood, or perhaps it was due to the exercise he had done some time ago, but he recovered quickly this time.
A few days later, Li Shimin issued an edict to appoint his eldest son, Prince of Zhongshan Chengqian, as the crown prince.
Because Li Shimin could only hold court in the Xiande Hall of the Eastern Palace, and the ceremony of enthroning the crown prince was also held here, but Li Yuan, who refused to give up the Taiji Hall, had to come and watch the ceremony.
The Crown Prince's formal dress was very complicated. After half a day of waiting for the ceremony to be completed, when it was time to change clothes, Li Chengqian could finally take a breath.
Li Chengqian felt no emotion at all during the ceremony of enthroning the crown prince. He thought about it over and over again but couldn't figure out what was going on.
Maybe I don’t care whether I can be the crown prince or not, Li Chengqian thought, and I am the crown prince more of a show for the world by the Khan. It is him who should have the waves, and it really has little to do with me.
After changing into another lighter suit, Li Chengqian had to attend the banquet again. Only after the banquet was over would the enthronement ceremony be officially over.
The etiquette was exactly the same before and after, but Li Shimin was still not at ease. Cheng Qian could not be taken lightly or seriously at this moment, and he had not reminded him in advance, so he was a little worried that the child's words and deeds were casual and would be found fault by the civil and military officials in the court.
Li Shimin knew very well that some officials in the court had objections to his eldest son being made the crown prince, but out of consideration for the overall situation and because the Prince of Zhongshan was still young and could be taught, they did not openly question or oppose it. However, if they caught Cheng Qian making the slightest mistake, they would probably not let him go.
Li Shimin has always believed that remonstrators are indispensable, but his eldest son cannot withstand the slightest disturbance. There are some things he cannot explain clearly to the court officials, so he can only find ways to separate them first. However, he cannot avoid today's enthronement ceremony no matter what.
Li Shimin's heart was not completely relieved until the end of the banquet. The emperor and his ministers were in harmony, and there were no unpleasant incidents. It was very good.
Because he was drunk, Li Shimin dismissed his own chariot: "Cheng Qian, you go back to see your mother first, I will walk slowly for a while."
Li Chengqian said, "I'll walk for a while too."
Li Shimin smiled and said, "Okay, Cheng Qian will accompany Aye."
Li Chengqian just wanted to go back alone, which was not good in his mother's eyes. After all, his current identity was no longer an ordinary prince, but a legitimate crown prince. He might even be scolded by his mother, but Tian Khan obviously had his own understanding.
Is this the way the greatest emperor of all time thinks? How strange.
Walking some distance from Xiande Hall to the harem, Li Shimin, noticing his eldest son's silence, spoke first, "Chengqian, for now, you should just study with Mr. Lu. Taking care of your health is your top priority. Don't worry about anything else for now."
"There is one thing, but it's not up to me to think about it. You guys need to think about it." Li Chengqian said.
"We?" Li Shimin asked, "Oh, it's me and the court officials. Does Cheng Qian have something that will benefit the country and the people?"
Li Chengqian said, "I have a plan that will benefit the country and the people, but unfortunately I can't implement it."
Li Shimin asked curiously, "What is the policy? Tell me, I will see how it cannot be implemented."
"The imperial examination was conducted with an anonymous name." Li Chengqian said.
The imperial examination system began in the Sui and Tang dynasties, but the examination papers at that time were not anonymous. The examiners could know the identity of the candidates without having to write an essay such as "My Father, the Duke".
In an imperial examination like this, the final list of admitted candidates would probably be filled with a lot of dirt.
Li Shimin was silent for a moment, then said, "Even though I have bamboo paper and printing, I can't print books on a large scale. It's the same principle."
The influence of the aristocratic families is too great. Even if the emperor has an army, he cannot kill them all. If he does that, there will be no one left in the court to do the work.
Some things have to be done slowly. Eliminating the influence of aristocratic families may not be something that can be accomplished in one generation.
Li Chengqian understood what he meant. After all, the Heavenly Khan was not Huang Chao, so he couldn't really kill people - although Huang Chao's method was really effective.
"Then let's do something else first." Li Chengqian said, "For example, farming."
Li Shimin said, "Since the end of the Sui Dynasty, there have been years of war and chaos. The people are living in poverty, the population has decreased, and farmland has been abandoned. Now we should encourage the people to farm and get married..."
"The Jiangdong plow, also known as the curved plow," Li Chengqian interrupted Tian Khan as he was about to speak. "It's suitable for paddy fields."
The curved plow originated in the early Tang Dynasty, but it has not yet been perfected and promoted, and requires the intervention of the imperial court.
Li Shimin grew up in wealth and nobility and was not familiar with farming. However, after he ascended to a high position, he devoted great attention to it. So when he heard his eldest son's words, he hurriedly asked, "What is so good about this plow?"
"It's lighter, more flexible, and saves effort," Li Chengqian said. "I'll give you the blueprints. Tomorrow you can have someone build it and try it out. You'll see the results."
Li Shimin asked, "Where are the blueprints?"
Li Chengqian said, "In my room, there are also blueprints of the waterwheel. You can take them along."
"Can the waterwheel be improved further?" Li Shimin asked excitedly. "This is truly... a timely help. Cheng Qian, I've been discussing with the court officials how to implement the 'Equal Field System' issued by the retired emperor, and how to reduce taxes and levies. You offered me the plow and the waterwheel. Cheng Qian, you've relieved my father of a great worry."
Li Chengqian avoided the excited Tian Khan for a moment and said, "Let's wait and see the results."
"I'll send someone to do it tomorrow!" Li Shimin said loudly.
Li Chengqian understood his urgency very well, because no matter how he tried to cover it up, no matter how many reasons and hardships he could find, according to the evaluation system of feudal society, Li Shimin was not in the right position, so he was eager to prove himself.
The young Tian Khan, who didn't know what historical status he would have in the future, was very nervous and uneasy when he became emperor.
The few words that Li Chengqian had said were obviously unable to comfort the young Tian Khan. Or perhaps those words made Tian Khan even more uneasy?
Li Chengqian thought about it for a while and decided that there was no harm in it.
After verifying that they were indeed effective, Li Shimin formally proposed at the court meeting that the curved plow and several improved water wheels be promoted throughout the country.
Naturally, everyone soon knew that the drawings were made by the crown prince, but of course some people still doubted the authenticity of the emperor's words.
On the one hand, the crown prince is so young and lives a life of luxury, he probably doesn't even know that food grows in the ground. On the other hand, the crown prince's reputation was previously questionable. Looking at the timing, perhaps the emperor is trying to flatter his son.
The rumors are currently only spreading among the lower classes. The important ministers of Tian Khan may be hesitant about the crown prince in the future, but their minds are still very clear at this moment. First of all, they all know the inside story of the gunpowder in front, and secondly, they also know that the emperor would not do such a thing.
At the same time, they became increasingly curious about the crown prince, who seldom appeared in public. Sometimes he was petty and harsh in his words, and sometimes he valued farming for the benefit of the country and the people. What kind of person was the crown prince?
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