"Old Book of Tang" Benji·Taizong II: In the autumn of the 13th year of the lunar calendar, in the eighth month of the twelfth year of the lunar month, there was an eclipse of the sun.
After handling the government affairs that day, Li Chengqian had nothing to do, so he took a few guards to pay a private visit incognito.
After becoming the foreman of the cabinet, he calmed down and was no longer as impetuous as before.
In order to look more mature, he even grew a beard.
He was not running around, but heading south of the city.
He built a lonely garden, a nursing home and an orphanage, modeled after Emperor Wu of Liang, in a civilian area in the south of the city.
It houses nearly a hundred lonely elderly people and orphans, as well as some disabled young people.
The reason why it is placed in the south of the city is that these people have relatively low status. If they are placed in the north of the city, they will inevitably be looked down upon.
The south of the city is a civilian area, and they will feel more comfortable living here.
Well-informed people in Chang'an City all know that he built this lonely garden, and they are not afraid of anyone coming to trouble him.
He would come over every once in a while to check on the situation of Solitude Garden in person. Before he became the foreman of the cabinet, this was the only place where he could feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
Even though he is now the foreman of the cabinet and can intervene in government affairs, he still maintains the frequency of coming every once in a while.
Instead, they come randomly every time because they are afraid that the manager of Lonely Garden will bully these poor people.
However, this time he was not in a hurry. Instead, he wandered aimlessly on the streets to experience the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.
Especially when he heard others talking about the emperor and the prince's fatherly kindness and son's filial piety, he would stop and listen, and his mood would become even happier.
Because Li Shimin gave up power to the prince in advance, not only did his own reputation catch up with that of the Ancient Sage Emperor, but Li Chengqian also gained a wave of popularity.
It can be said that his status as prince is becoming more and more stable. As long as he does not rebel, no one can shake his position.
Even Li Shimin can't do it, unless he fights for his own reputation and shakes his foundation.
This also made Li Chengqian feel more relaxed than ever before, at least he no longer had to worry about being replaced as before.
While walking around, I unknowingly came to the southern boundary of the city, not far from Lonely Garden.
Looking at the familiar surroundings, he couldn't help but laugh.
Crossing a small puddle on the road, he walked toward Solitude Garden.
Just halfway through, I suddenly saw two masked men rushing out of the park. One of them had a girl of about ten years old under his arm.
An old man in his 50s or 60s chased her wildly, shouting: "Help, someone is robbing a good girl."
However, how could he, an old man, catch up with these strong men? Moreover, everyone who heard the shouts along the way got out of the way, and no one dared to step forward.
Seeing that the distance was getting farther and farther, his face showed a look of despair.
Li Chengqian still didn't understand what happened. He was so angry that he said to the guards: "Catch them and don't let them escape."
"This..." The guards hesitated. Their mission was to protect the prince. If something happened to the prince after he left, their end would be tragic.
"What, what, what I say is useless? If you let them run away, I will ask questions of you." Li Chengqian said angrily.
"Here." The guards did not dare to disobey him, so they left two of them to protect him, while the rest went to surround the two strong men.
A group of well-trained Ouchi guards surrounded the two gangsters, which everyone thought was a matter of success.
However, what was unexpected was that these two people were like loaches, rolling around and lying around and actually escaped from the encirclement of the guards.
And it just so happened that the direction they were escaping from was right next to Li Chengqian.
Li Chengqian was so angry that when he saw the gangster was about to escape, he subconsciously stepped forward to intercept him without much thought.
The gangster who was clearing the way in front also saw that he was with the person who was intercepting him. He cursed and kicked Li Chengqian hard on the ankle.
Li Chengqian felt a sharp pain coming from his feet, screamed and fell to the ground holding his feet.
The guards who saw this scene were so jealous that they no longer cared about whether they would be injured or not. They rushed forward and quickly captured the two gangsters, exchanging injuries for injuries.
Just as they were about to check Li Chengqian's injuries, they suddenly felt the sky darken, and then heard panicked screams from the people around them.
"If you lick the dog and eat the sun, a big disaster is coming."
The guards were startled. They raised their heads and saw a horrifying scene. The sun was blocked by a black disk.
…
Royal Palace.
After about seven or eight minutes, the 'round cover' that covered the sun began to shift. The sun gradually showed its golden edge, the sky began to turn from dark to bright, and the starlight gradually disappeared.
All these signs occurred in just one or two minutes.
If you can get rid of the superstitious elements and simply look at it from the perspective of appreciating astronomy, it can indeed be called a wonder.
Anyway, Chen Jingke was so happy watching it that he forgot to release Xiao Sizi in time, and was looked at by Changsun Wugou and the others.
"Oh!!!" Gao Yang and Cheng Yang deliberately prolonged their sounds and screamed strangely, while Xincheng looked at them curiously.
Xiao Sizi buried her head in Chen Jingke's arms in shame and did not dare to lift it up.
Chen Jingke hugged her and gave the two men a threatening look.
Changsun Wugou also thought it was funny, but considering that his daughter was precocious, he was afraid that she would not be able to show it on her face, so he said:
"Okay, okay, you two, please stop making fun of me. Be careful of her making fun of you when you are with your beloved Qingquan in the future."
The two of them didn't dare to make trouble upon hearing this, not because they were afraid that Xiao Sizi would seize the opportunity to tease them in the future.
But Fang Yiai and Du He did not have the right to enter and leave the palace freely. They were princesses who had not left the palace, and they could not enter and leave the palace at will.
Usually if they want to contact each other, they can only go through Chen Jingke, but they don't dare to offend the messenger too much.
Little Sizi still didn't dare to show her head. Changsun Wugou knew that she was thin-skinned, so he winked at Chen Jingke, stood up and said:
"It's getting dark, let's go inside and stay for a while."
Chen Jingke said: "You go ahead. Solar eclipses are rare. I will watch them for a while."
Changsun Wugou said: "Okay, then you see, we are going back first."
After saying that, the former held Xincheng's hand and walked into the house. Gao Yang and Xincheng reluctantly followed behind and left.
After everyone had left, Chen Jingke put his chin on her shoulder and said softly: "Xiao Sizi."
"Huh?" Xiao Sizi responded shyly.
Chen Jingke gently rubbed her little face with his cheek and said, "It's so good. I really hope it can continue like this forever."
Xiao Sizi didn't answer, but the arms around his neck added a little more force in response.
Chen Jingke couldn't help but strengthen his arms.
Neither of them spoke anymore, they just sat quietly.
After a long time, Chen Jingke saw Gao Yang poking his head in the distance and knew it was time to go back.
Then he let go of his arms and said, "Okay, let's go back and play with my aunt and the others."
"Yeah." Xiao Sizi reluctantly let go of his arms.
Although her face was still blushing, she was no longer as shy as before.
Chen Jingke took her hand and returned to the hall, and everyone seemed to be talking and laughing about happy things as if nothing had happened.
Because the solar eclipse has not completely passed, lights were lit inside the temple, which was brighter than outside.
Changsun Wugou and Chen Jingke chatted for a while, and for some reason the topic turned to Gao Yang's marriage.
"After the New Year, Gao Yang will be fourteen years old and it's time to get married. I don't think even the prime minister can't wait."
Chen Jingke smiled and said: "I think Fang Erlang is more impatient, haha... With Sister Gao Yang's temperament, she will definitely keep Fang Erlang in check after marriage."
Gao Yang said with some embarrassment: "Who is being cruel? Don't dare to slander me just because you think it's your brother."
Chen Jingke laughed and said: "Haha... This is not self-inflicted. But I think we should make a suggestion to the prime minister, build another house for Fang Erlang, and let the two of them live there alone after they get married.
Already."
Changsun Wugou thought he was joking about Gao Yang's fierce wife, so he didn't care. Instead, he said: "Either build another princess mansion, or live in the old house and be filial and break it. How can I live by myself? It's unreasonable."
Chen Jingke said, "Which etiquette stipulates that this cannot be done?"
Changsun Wugou really couldn't explain that etiquette, but what surprised her even more was Chen Jingke's attitude, asking: "What do you want to say?"
Chen Jingke said: "I am against the construction of a princess palace. Our wife is married to live a happy life, not a slave who can sleep with her."
"If they live in the princess's mansion, what will happen to the consort? Will the relationship between husband and wife be good? Maybe those consorts don't dare to say anything, but they will always have complaints in their hearts over time."
The eldest grandson Wugou objected: "The Princess Mansion is afraid that our wife will be wronged if she gets married."
Chen Jingke retorted: "How can there be a couple who doesn't quarrel or quarrel? The beating is kissing and scolding, and it's love. When the kiss is not enough, you kick. The little Sizi kicks me every day, and I am happy with it."
Xiao Sizi's face suddenly turned red again, but he still said bravely: "No, how could I kick my brother?"
Chen Jingke touched her head and said, "It's okay... On the other hand, if one day Xiao Sizi and I have a tantrum and say some harsh words to her, wouldn't it be okay?"
"How can there be such a truth in the world? If it doesn't work, who would dare to marry a wife? Did our wife marry her husband, or did she find a coward and a loser?"
"And what is the identity of our wife? Princess of the Tang Dynasty, who dares to bully them for no reason? Is there no one in our royal family?"
"He was really bullied. If our wife doesn't want to live with him, we will divorce him and then bring this unscrupulous guy to justice."
"As long as our wife's character is good, I don't believe she can marry a good man."
Changsun Wugou was speechless by what he said, but he was still unwilling to give up on the princess mansion:
"As long as little Sizi is willing, you can build a princess mansion in the future. Xiangcheng has not been built, and she will live with Xiao Xiang and his wife."
"But you can't force other princesses to give up the princess mansion like you, right?"
Chen Jingke decided to give her a hard time and asked: "Do you think the Tang Dynasty's consort would be happy living in the princess's mansion?"
Changsun Wugou said: "For the sake of the princesses, I can only wrong them."
Chen Jingke asked again: "Who are the consorts of the Tang Dynasty?"
Changsun Wugou didn't know what he wanted to say, but he still replied: "The princess has a noble status, so naturally she can only marry a noble son."
Chen Jingke said: "Yes, the Tang Dynasty selected all outstanding people as consorts. But if the relationship between their husbands and wives is not harmonious, will these outstanding people be of the same mind as the court?"
"These noble children have families behind them. Will their poor lives affect the family's view of the court?"
"If things continue like this, who is really capable and dares to marry a princess? Is this really conducive to the long-term stability of the court?"
Changsun Wugou was finally shaken and said with a wry smile: "No wonder the saint has been persuaded by you several times, you are really good at talking."
Chen Jingke said proudly: "That's because what I said makes sense, not because I know how to say it."
Changsun Wugou shook his head and asked: "Then why do you still let Fang Erlang and Gaoyang branch live in another place?"
Chen Jingke said: "As you said, our girl is a royal princess. She doesn't marry a man to be angry, but to live a good life."
"If he is the eldest son, then he really cannot ask others to divide the family. This is not in line with etiquette and law."
"But Fang Erlang is the second son, and he cannot inherit the title of Liang Guogong, so we should separate him as soon as possible and establish his own family."
"Let the young couple live their lives on their own, and maybe they will make a name for themselves in the future."
"Just like Du Qingquan, he is now a general in the East Palace and will be a general and prime minister in the future."
"Although Fang Erlang is a simple and honest man, he is not stupid at all, and he listens to Gao Yang's words very much. With her behind his back, he will also be a general of the Tang Dynasty in the future."
"Of course, if anyone wants to imitate Princess Xiangcheng, that is their freedom.
"Anyway, our rules are set here. If the eldest son marries a princess, there is no need to divide the house."
"If the second son marries a princess, he must live in a separate house and establish his own family."
Changsun Wugou couldn't help but nodded and said: "What you said is quite reasonable and well-founded. Okay, I will talk to Erlang later and see what he means."
Chen Jingke said: "With the character of your Majesty's daughter... ahem, she loves her daughter, she will definitely not agree. You must make up your mind on this matter."
Changsun Wugou said helplessly: "Okay, I will make my own decision."
Then she sighed again: "Hey, you are the one who said this. If the consort had said this, I would have dragged him out and beat him to death with sticks."
Chen Jingke said proudly: "If it were another consort, they wouldn't have the guts to say that. Let's see if Fang Erlang and Du Qingquan dare."
Changsun Wugou said jokingly: "Oh, are you bragging about how brave you are?"
Chen Jingke directly chose Congxin and said: "I am very timid, but I am brave only in front of my aunt. Because I know that you love me the most, and I will definitely not be angry."
"Ugh..." Gao Yang and Chengyang both made signs of nausea and vomiting.
Changsun Wugou said happily: "Haha, you can make me happy."
A few people were chatting happily when they suddenly saw Sun Fucai running in from outside in a panic and said: "Your Majesty, your Majesty is not well. His Highness the Crown Prince was injured in an attack in the south of the city."