Volume 1 Princess Taiping Grows Up Chapter 4: Master Selection
Li Yuechen played the role of a caring little girl very seriously. Firstly, family affection was what she longed for. Secondly, it was because she was afraid of death.
In feudal society, especially in the imperial family, taking a wrong step could result in the loss of one's life.
So in front of Li Zhi and Wu Zetian, Li Yuechen always looked like a cute and obedient child, trying her best to make a good impression on herself.
I remember some information I read online before, which said that it seemed like a tradition for the royal family of the Tang Dynasty to kill each other and fight against each other.
It was not just that Wu Zetian killed people like rivers when she came to power, but the Li Tang Dynasty was already branded with this mark since Li Er killed his brother at Xuanwu Gate. It spread like a curse, passed down from generation to generation.
Li Yuechen was not sure whether this statement was true or not, and he had not checked it carefully.
However, it is better to believe it than not, so it is better to be cautious!
Li Zhi picked her up and turned her around, then squatted down and looked for the tatami with squinting eyes.
He originally had vertigo, and when it attacked he couldn't see. Now it seems that he might also be nearsighted!
But this must be an old problem. When I was young, I reviewed memorials under candlelight every day at night. It would be strange if my eyes were in good condition.
Now Li Yuechen only reads and writes during the day, and only in a sunny place to protect his eyes.
Li Zhi knelt on the tatami, put Li Yuechen on his legs, gently rubbed her little face and asked: "Chen'er, what are you doing here today?"
Li Yuechen grabbed his dragon robe and hung it on him, grinning and saying, "I want to learn martial arts! Please find me a master, Grandpa!"
Upon hearing her answer, Li Zhi and Wu Zetian, who was reviewing memorials next to her, were both stunned.
But before the old man could say anything, Wu Zetian's face fell: "As a girl, you should study hard and be a good princess. Why do you have to fight and kill?"
It was normal for Wu Zetian to be angry. Women in the Tang Dynasty were obviously different from those in other dynasties.
Most women of this era are too manly. They wear low-cut clothes and are proficient in riding, archery and polo.
The palace maids would even hold activities like Cuju during their rest time... In short, from a woman's perspective, although the Tang Dynasty was still a feudal society and the status of women was not very high, compared with other dynasties, there was always a feeling of being out of place.
From Emperor Wen of Sui Dynasty to the present day, fear of one's wife seems to have become a social trend, and even many ministers are notoriously afraid of their wives.
However, Wu Zetian did not seem to want her daughter to become such a man. Instead, she wanted her to become a well-educated, virtuous princess. So when she heard her say that she wanted to learn martial arts, her first reaction was anger.
Li Zhi, however, still had a doting smile on his face: "Why does Chen'er want to learn martial arts?"
Li Yuechen replied with a cute little voice, "My brothers are all studying hard, I just want to learn martial arts and protect grandpa and mom in the future!"
As if they did not expect a three-year-old child to give such an answer, Li Zhi and Wu Zetian looked at each other subconsciously and then laughed at the same time.
Both of them were in a good mood having such a filial daughter.
Over the past few years, Li Yuechen has come to deeply understand .
I remember seeing someone else talking about this in a group before, saying that these two people were more like partners than a couple, and there was actually no love between them.
However, three years after coming to this world, Li Yuechen dares to swear on his life that these two are definitely true love!
Wu Zetian was reviewing memorials here, and Li Zhi, who was not feeling well, was resting beside her and listening, and he would give her some water from time to time.
You know, he is the emperor! How could others get such treatment?
In addition, just a few years before Li Yuechen was born, Wu Zetian was almost deposed.
The edict had already been drafted, but Wu Zetian ran over and started crying. Li Zhi immediately sold out his teammates and put the blame on Shangguan Yi, resulting in the loss of a capable general!
It would be weird if you say this isn’t true love!
After being forced to eat a handful of dog food, Li Yuechen felt that the air around him was filled with sour smell, and he secretly wondered whether there was gasoline in this era.
Wu Zetian still had a gloomy face, but Li Zhi stroked his beard and suddenly smiled: "Well, if Chen'er wants to learn martial arts, let her go..."
"Zhi Nu, this..."
There was no one else in the Purple Palace now. Even the chief eunuch Zhang Chengxin was waiting outside, so Wu Zetian did not address him as "Your Majesty".
Li Zhi, however, waved his hand with a smile on his face, and said casually: "The Tang Dynasty was founded on military power. In the beginning, we did suppress military generals for a period of time in order to demote and kill Zhangsun Wuji, but this is the foundation of the country and should not be forgotten!"
"This..." After hearing what Li Zhi said, Wu Zetian could only nod her head, "In that case, I will obey you."
Speaking of this, she seemed to recall the days when they fought side by side, and a smile of reminiscence appeared on her face.
At that time, Zhangsun Wuji was the most powerful official, and it was no exaggeration to say that he had absolute power.
Li Zhi was completely sidelined. Even if he wanted to issue any orders, the imperial edict could not even leave the Menxia Province!
It was under such circumstances that the couple worked together and successfully brought it down under tremendous pressure.
Now when I think back to the glory of the past, I still feel a little nostalgic.
Seeing that my mother agreed, Li Yuechen hugged Li Zhi's neck with both hands and kissed him on the face: "Thank you, Grandpa!"
Wu Zetian, who was standing behind him, immediately frowned: "What about me?"
Li Yuechen quickly jumped out of Li Zhi's arms, then ran over and slapped her on the face: "Thank you, mother!"
Seeing her mischievous appearance, Wu Zetian couldn't get angry anymore. She stretched out a finger and pointed at her head: "You... who do you want to learn from?"
Li Yuechen had never thought about this.
She herself didn't know much about history, and the only generals she knew about during the Tang Dynasty were those from the reign of Emperor Taizong.
For example, Cheng Yaojin, Xue Rengui, Su Dingfang, etc.
But it is not appropriate to say it out in this situation. I only know the names and don’t know the specifics. It is even unknown whether these people are still alive.
So he stood up, stepped on the chair, put his chin on Wu Zetian's shoulder, and blinked his big eyes: "Please recommend me, mother."
Hearing her say this, Wu Zetian did not speak immediately, but turned to look at Li Zhi: "Does Zhinu have a suitable candidate?"
"I think Pei Xingjian..."
As soon as Li Zhi said a name, Wu Zetian raised her eyebrows, and she looked like she was about to get angry.
Seeing her like this, Li Zhi, who was already an old couple, just shut up.
Pei Xingjian was a civil official who came from a military background, and could be said to be both civil and military.
However, because of the battle with Changsun Wuji in the previous few years, he did not stand on Li Zhi's side.
So in order to weaken Zhangsun Wuji's power, the couple threw him directly to Turpan to eat raisins.
However, gold will shine everywhere. In recent years Pei Xingjian has talked a lot about principles to the countries in the Western Regions. After listening to his principles, they all expressed their willingness to submit to the Tang Dynasty.
Therefore, in the second year of Linde, he was promoted to the position of Anxi Protector.
But one thing is for sure, even though Wu Zetian is now the queen, she still doesn't like him very much.
"Then why don't you, Mei Niang, make the recommendation." Li Zhi understood what she meant, smiled and let her make the decision herself.
Wu Zetian then laughed, lowered her head and thought for a while, then took a sip from the teacup: "In my opinion, Liu Rengui, the current deputy chief military commander of Liaodong Road, is not bad. He is also good at both civil and military affairs, and he will definitely not teach Chen'er to be a reckless man."
Li Yuechen didn't know who Liu Rengui was, but since he was recommended by his mother, he shouldn't be an ordinary person. He should have a lot of practical experience.
Li Zhi also nodded: "Yes!"
Then he reminded: "But Chen'er, he is still in Liaodong now. If you want to be his apprentice, you have to wait until he comes back!"
Li Yuechen bowed cutely and agreed: "Yes!"
Seeing her little girl imitating the way adults respond, Li Zhi and Wu Zetian both laughed happily.
In fact, Li Yuechen also felt awkward. In today's language, the pronunciation of "喏" is "也".
Although it is pronounced three times, as long as you agree a little faster, it always feels like the English "yeah".
Li Zhi and the others didn't think it was a big deal that they didn't understand English, but Li Yuechen always felt a strong sense of incongruity.
After relaxing with Li Zhi and Wu Zetian for a while, Li Yuechen saw that there were still a large number of memorials on the table that had not been reviewed, so he very sensibly prepared to leave.
"Grandpa, Mom, I don't dare to disturb you too much, so I will go back now."
"Well, you still have to study hard during this period and don't slack off." Wu Zetian reminded.
“Yes!”
After agreeing, Li Yuechen left the Zichen Hall, waved goodbye to Zhang Chengxin outside the door, and then went back with Eunuch Fu.
Zhang Chengxin didn't know what the little princess meant, but he still bowed and said, "Farewell, Your Highness!"
On the way back, Li Yuechen walked side by side with Eunuch Fu. As they walked, they looked at the snow-covered Daming Palace. Suddenly, they felt that it was time to put their plan on the agenda.
As a person living in a civilized society more than a thousand years later, many things are actually inconvenient when traveling back to ancient times.
Let’s not talk about the issues of the Internet and entertainment, just the issue of personal hygiene is very troublesome.
For example, brushing your teeth.
In fact, the prototype of the toothbrush already existed in this era. Simply put, it was a wooden handle inlaid with wild boar bristles, which was basically the same as the toothbrush many years later.
However, only high-ranking officials and nobles would use this thing. Ordinary people basically just kept some willow branches soaked in water at home.
When you get up every morning, bite it open with your teeth and it will spread out like a brush.
The key issue is toothpaste. In this era, families with some high-ranking officials or royal families would also add some crushed Chinese medicine.
To be honest, it's a bit bitter, and I don't know if coptis root or something like that is added to it from time to time.
This kind of toothpaste can actually be improved, but Li Yuechen doesn’t know how to do it!
As an extreme athlete, he only knows how to play and play. It can be said that he knows nothing about things related to industry and chemistry, but it is still quite troublesome for him to make them by himself.
And she wanted to make more than just these things, including shampoo, faucets and other things.
It’s hard to understand things that are too high-tech, but you can start with these simple things first.
But she is only three years old now...oh, the ancients counted the age by the lunar calendar, so she is four.
Now she is only four years old, even if she wants to do something...
Li Yuechen raised her little hands and looked at them. It was not the right time yet.
Instead of thinking about these things, it is better to go back and read more books and learn more about the situation of this era.
Even now she cannot read the obscure classical Chinese text for a long time because she cannot concentrate and it is too difficult to understand.
After returning to his palace, Eunuch Fu replaced the charcoal fire with a new one and waited at the door.
Li Yuechen tightened his cloak and finally sat down. Now, he should think about how to study first.
…
In the blink of an eye, it was already the end of the year, and the army had not returned yet, but good news from the front had already been reported.
After all, there were so many people present when the court was in session, and Wu Hou, who was responsible for delivering the message, ran all the way to the hall, so the news could not be concealed.
Li Yuechen also received news from Eunuch Fu that the Tang army had completely captured Pyongyang and captured Nan Jian and his brother Nan Chan alive!
From now on, Goguryeo can be wiped off the map!
After hearing the news, Li Yuechen smiled and said a few nice words. After Eunuch Fu left, she let out a deep breath.
Finally it was taken down!
By reading books every day during this period, her knowledge of this era has gradually improved. In the past, I always thought that Goguryeo was Korean.
Only after coming to this era did I understand that they were actually the country of the Buyeo people entrenched in the northeast. Since Emperor Yang of Sui, they have been regarded as a major threat by subsequent generations of emperors.
Not only did Emperor Yang of Sui fail to conquer the country, he also ended up destroying himself.
Emperor Taizong Li Er failed to conquer the city, and instead many soldiers froze to death due to the weather.
His father, Li Zhi, originally wanted to lead the army in person, but gave up due to health reasons.
After my mother Wu Zetian took over the government for several years, she finally conquered the country this year.
In fact, in Li Yuechen's opinion, luck played a role this time.
What is different this time from previous times is that this time it was the Goguryeo people who led the Tang army to fight their own people!
After the death of Yeon Gaesomun, the powerful minister of Goguryeo, his eldest son, Nanshe, should have inherited his position, but it was snatched away by the second son, Nanjian.
So this time it was actually the boy who asked the Tang Dynasty for help. He served as a guide and led the Tang army to attack Goguryeo, hoping to take back power from his second brother.
Regardless of the reason, Goguryeo is now gone, and the major threat entrenched in the northeast has disappeared.
This was indeed something to be happy about, and Li Zhi was in such a good mood that he gave his ministers three consecutive days off.
Normally, people in the Tang Dynasty had a rest period of ten days.
That is, hold a morning meeting every ten days to report on work, go to work on time, and have one day off every ten days.
It was only after Li Yuechen came to this world that he realized that court sessions were not held every day, nor did they end after the session.
Those who attend the court are usually the leaders of various departments, which means that a meeting is held every ten days to report on work and performance.
There are many clerks under these department leaders. They do not attend court and cannot meet the emperor directly, but they need to work in different departments.
