Li Shimin's trip to Mount Jiuhua was not on the spur of the moment, but had been planned for a long time. Two years ago, Li Shimin had announced in the imperial court that he was going to Mount Jiuhua for summer vacation. However, an accident broke Li Shimin's plan, which was the appearance of Meton making ice with saltpeter.
To be honest, although Mount Jiuhua was a summer resort, it was only a little better than the hot Chang 'an. However, the mass production of ice made Li Shimin feel very cool even when he was sitting in the palace. Naturally, he was not willing to suffer.
In addition, Empress Zhangsun was not in good health, so the large amount of ice made the environment in the house extremely comfortable in summer. Therefore, he did not go there this year.
However, in the second year, when the Tang dynasty was conquering Tuyuhun in the west, Li Shimin needed to stay in Chang 'an, dispatch provisions, and command the overall situation, so he did not go there.
This year, the Tang dynasty had good weather, and the country was prosperous and the people were at peace. In addition, Meton and Princess Changle were on their honeymoon. Li Shimin had promised Empress Zhangsun, so he had this trip to Mount Jiuhua.
And the time was set in September. At this time, the weather was good. The autumn air was cool, and all kinds of animals were fat and healthy. It was a good time for traveling and hunting. As soon as the weather turned cold, Li Shimin could not wait to announce the travel plan.
In the Taiji Palace.
"Your Majesty, the Tang dynasty had good weather this year, and there were no natural disasters. Now that the autumn harvest has been completed, it must be another year of good harvest." In the imperial court, Fang Xuanling was bowing to Li Shimin and reporting to him.
Of course, the whole world did not have good weather. Thanks to the secret well suppression skill and flood drainage proposal provided by Meton, the Tang dynasty's ability to resist floods and droughts was greatly improved. Coupled with the method of controlling locusts, the three major agricultural disasters were no longer a big threat to the Tang dynasty.
"Good. Thank you for your hard work!" Li Shimin nodded with satisfaction. Now that the world was peaceful, he had a good reason to prepare the travel plan. Even the most picky Wei Zheng did not say anything.
"Not only good weather, but also the yield per mu has greatly increased. With the fine seeds and pesticides produced by the Mo family, this year's harvest is expected to increase by at least 20%. The people of the Tang dynasty are blessed...." The Minister of Agriculture Su Ling said excitedly...
Isn't the bountiful harvest of agriculture the credit of the Farmer's Clan? It's the Farmer's Clan's lifelong wish that the people of the world don't need to worry about food and clothing.
No matter how much the officials disliked Mo Dun, they couldn't help but nod. The Mo Clan had truly played a major role in the Great Tang's harvest.
Dai Zhou, the Minister of Civil Affairs, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Civil Affairs also has good news. Although the Guanzhong Plain has been reforested and the arable land has been reduced, the Tang dynasty's land tax has been increasing year after year. Even the business tax has increased by 50%. This year, the Tang dynasty's finances are rich and our national strength is thriving.
The prosperity of the Tang dynasty is likely to come. "Especially in Chang 'an and Luoyang, where the Mo family had the most far-reaching influence, the industrial development was rapid and the business tax had increased substantially. It even had a tendency to surpass the land tax. This year's autumn tax collection had reduced the embarrassing state of the national treasury, which made him feel much better. He did not have to envy Mister Shen anymore.
"Good!" Li Shimin immediately beamed with joy. Now that the national treasury was full, no one would make irresponsible remarks about his travel expenses.
Then, the three provinces and six ministries reported the situation this year to Li Shimin one by one. Of course, most of them reported the good news. After all, no one wanted to offend Li Shimin at this time.
Li Shimin nodded and said, "The current situation is the best since the founding of the Tang dynasty. I hope that you will continue to work together to create a prosperous state for the Tang dynasty."
"We will not disappoint Your Majesty!" The officials bowed and said.
Li Shimin looked around and nodded with satisfaction. "I am fortunate to be in Mount Jiuhua. The Crown Prince will be in charge of the imperial court. I hope that everyone will help."
"The Crown Prince will be in charge of the imperial court!" The officials could not help but be shocked. They had heard this rumor long ago. However, when Li Shimin announced it, many officials still frowned.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is young and still needs to be trained. I am afraid that he will not be able to take on the responsibility of being in charge of the imperial court. Now that the brick road from the Tang dynasty to Mount Jiuhua has been built, he can go back and forth in a day. Your Majesty can control the imperial court even if you are far away in Mount Jiuhua," Du Chuke said.
"Yes! The brick road is very convenient now. Even if there is a storm, we can arrive in time. It will not affect the imperial court at all. "Wei Zheng also bowed and said.
"Yes, if the Crown Prince was in charge of the imperial court, it would not be inappropriate. Now that the brick road is convenient and Mount Jiuhua is not too far away, the Crown Prince is still young. Your Majesty, please take charge of the imperial court."
Many officials submitted memorials to request Li Shimin to control the imperial court.
The leader of the officials, Li Chengqian, heard the objections of the officials. He could not help but grit his teeth and clench his fists. A trace of unwillingness appeared in his eyes.
Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "Back then, Emperor Yang of Sui went to Jiangnan three times but always controlled the imperial court. Because of this, he delayed many important matters of the imperial court and caused the world to fall. How can I repeat the same mistake? Furthermore, although the Crown Prince is young, when I was the same age as Li Chengqian, I had already joined the army and went to Yanmen Pass to help Yang Guang. As the saying goes, if a jade is not cut, it will not be useful. It is time for Chengqian, this unpolished jade, to be polished. Otherwise, it will not be useful in the future."
"If a jade is not cut, it will not be useful." The officials could not help but be speechless. This was the three-character classic that Mo Jiazi had just written. Li Shimin had actually used it publicly in the imperial court. It made the officials even more speechless.
"But …" The officials frowned and said.
Li Shimin saw that the officials still had doubts and could not help but laugh loudly. "Even if the Crown Prince is young, he still has your help. If there is an important matter, you can report it to me. As for other matters, the Crown Prince will decide."
"Yes!" Only then did the officials bow and accept the order.
Seeing this, Li Chengqian immediately showed a glimmer of excitement and said, "I will not disappoint Father's expectations."
Li Shimin looked deeply at Li Chengqian. Just as the officials had said, now that the brick road was convenient, it was not too much of a problem for him to control the imperial court. First, he wanted to spend a vacation away from the imperial court with Empress Zhangsun. Second, he wanted to develop Li Chengqian's political ability. As the heir to the throne, he had to be familiar with the imperial court.
Following Pande's sharp voice, Li Shimin's travel and the Crown Prince's regent were officially confirmed. "Court adjourned!"
Just as the imperial court confirmed the travel, the harem was in an uproar. For Li Shimin's trip to Mount Jiuhua this time, besides Empress Zhangsun who would definitely accompany him, there would also be a few places for other concubines. None of the concubines in the harem were excited. After all, they had been in the palace for a long time. Which one of them did not yearn for the outside world? They could not help but try their best to please Li Shimin and ask for a place to travel with Li Shimin.
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