Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 112 Goguryeo! I'm in Pingzhou, where are you?
"So, I'm leaving for Liaodong tomorrow."

That night, Li Ming returned to Lide Hall after a long absence. He chewed the familiar rice mixed with millet and said goodbye to his mother, sister, aunts, and the loyal old eunuch.

This was his first time traveling far away, and the place he went to was the bitter and cold land of Liaodong, which most people of the Tang Dynasty had never set foot on.

The family members had already been mentally prepared, and when the old eunuch heard that the young ancestor was going to such a far place, he secretly hid away and wiped away his tears.

Even Aunt Wang, who was from the Wang family of Taiyuan and had always been jealous of Yang, smiled insincerely and served as the first military governor of the Tang Dynasty.

"Be careful on the road." Yang said lightly, as if the child was just going out for an autumn outing.

Li Ming knew all the precautions, so there was no need to explain. Yang had already prepared the travel supplies.

All that remains is to hide the inner anxiety and reluctance and give firm support to her son.

"Wow, wow, little brother Xiao Ming, I can't write about you..."

Li Mingda cried beautifully.

While crying, she did not forget to put food into Li Ming's bowl.

Just after hearing from her grandfather that brother Xiao Ming would leave tomorrow, she started to get angry and ran to the harem.

Li Shimin had originally wanted to come, but something unexpected happened in Pingzhou and he couldn't get away.

"I'm not going to be a fiefdom. I will be back before the New Year..." Li Ming smiled bitterly.

Suddenly I remembered that in history, A Sizi died early due to a sudden illness.

This could be a farewell forever...

He couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness in his heart.

"You should eat more vegetables, fruits, meat, eggs and milk, eat less greasy food, exercise regularly, tell Grandpa if you feel any discomfort, and write to me often..."

Li Ming held sister Mingda's hand and gave her careful instructions, as if she was the one going on the long journey.

The four Li Ling sisters looked at this scene of sisterly friendship and brotherly respect and coughed dryly:
"In just one or two months, we will get married."

Li Ming looked up in surprise, looking at the sisters who had accompanied him throughout his childhood.

"Don't be so lonely." Li Ling forced a smile:
"We are in Hebei, which is closer to your Liaodong.

"When you are free, you can come over and visit me. I will treat you to donkey meat hotpot."

Li Ming didn't know what to say.

The oldest of them is only sixteen years old, which is the age for high school.

However, they have already married and are used as tools for political marriages.

Just for him...

"I told you to go to Liaodong a long time ago, why are you leaving today?"

Seeing her son's expression change, Yang thought that the kid wanted to stay in Chang'an for a few more days, so she changed the subject.

"Well, it's a long story. If it weren't for the sudden incident in Pingzhou, I would have wanted to stay a few more days and wait for Sun Simiao." Li Ming sighed.

"Sun Simiao? I've heard of him, he's a miracle doctor. What do you want to see him for?" Yang frowned.

"Well, grandpa also asked Dr. Sun to prescribe some prescriptions for me to regulate my body. Xiao Ming, what difficult and complicated illness do you have?" Li Mingda asked with concern.

My sisters and aunts also pricked up their ears curiously.

"Come on, distinguished guests, please make way for us. We have some freshly picked bean sprouts today." The old eunuch also came up with some dishes on the table.

"My friend Awei has kidney deficiency. I'll ask for him."

Li Ming used the "I have a friend" trick to evade the topic.

He didn't want his family to know that he was still investigating the conspiracy behind the Jiucheng Palace incident.

If there is a hidden hand behind Ashina Jieshelu, then there is no doubt that this invisible hand must have great power in the palace.

This is just like Cthulhu, the more you know, the more dangerous it is.

So, this matter has to be kept secret.

"Go to bed early, we have to go on a long journey tomorrow."

At Yang's reminder, the farewell banquet ended early.

…………

A corner of Chang'an city at night.

"Oh? The governor has already contacted Dr. Sun?

"It's really... tricky to keep that child."

The man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, lit the oil lamp, and unfolded a piece of parchment.

Before picking up the pen to write the letter, he sneered:
"Fortunately, our friends in the grasslands found a way to Liaodong, and finally got 'that' little prince to take action.

"The goal has been achieved. The emperor's attention has shifted to the northeast. It will be dangerous to continue this drama."

He quickly wrote a short message in Turkish and whistled out the window.

A gust of wind blew in the dark night sky.

A goshawk flew onto the windowsill.

"The rough grassland is not without good things."

The man had a scornful smile on his face:

“Send my message to my friends on the grassland.

"Tell their friends in the dense forests of Liaodong to stop for a while, gather their strength, and patiently wait for my instructions."

…………

Early the next morning, His Royal Highness Li Ming, the governor of Liaodong, officially set off for his hometown, which he had never seen before.

There were no welcoming or seeing off, no farewell banquets or poems, and no climbing up high platforms to worship ancestors.

They travelled light, with only a carriage and a few mounted attendants.

First stop, Pingzhou.

The journey from Chang'an to Pingzhou is more than 4,000 miles.

Although the journey is long, it is safe along the way as it is in the core control area of ​​the Tang Dynasty.

Moreover, with the golden royal exclusive pass, food, clothing, housing and transportation are not a problem at all.

Therefore, there is no need for a large group of people following behind.

“This trip is mainly to understand the local situation, so we must keep a low profile.

"After I figure out what happened in Pingzhou, I will write to my father and ask him what adjustments should be made to the local officialdom."

In the carriage, Li Ming gave detailed instructions to Hou Junji and Wei Daijia who were accompanying them.

Although Li Shimin gave him a loophole, he could choose local officials in Pingzhou and Yingzhou within the bureaucratic system of the Tang Dynasty.

But Li Ming rationally decided not to rush to exercise this power and randomly place his own people there.

Even though he had already appointed two governors of different states, Li Ming was not in a hurry to let Wei Daijia take office.

Before changing people, we must first find out the bottom line of Ping and Ying states.

Otherwise, if you hire the wrong person or trust the wrong person, you might end up in trouble.

Not only did they hurt themselves, but they also brought suffering to the local people.

"Okay, Brother Ming, I get it. I will keep a low profile!" The little brat Fang Yize was so excited that he couldn't sit still.

Li Ming's face was full of disgust:

"Tsk, your grandfather sent you here like this? Why doesn't he come himself?"

Not everyone is a child prodigy like him, so why would he need a burden?

Fang Xuanling, this old fox, sent his son here to gild his reputation, right?

This old guy doesn't want to work for the party and the country, but he wants to show off his presence in front of the leaders of the 14 parties. He has really figured out the political science of slacking off.

Fang Yi smiled awkwardly and said:

"My father is old and it is inconvenient for him to travel, so he asked me to accompany him..."

"Ah... Be careful, follow us closely, Liaodong is not like Chang'an, and..."

Li Ming gave Fang Yize earnest advice like an older brother.

Although he is much shorter than Fang Yize.

Wei Daijia defended his boss's boss by saying:

"Your Highness, please don't blame Mr. Fang.

"Prime Minister Fang is the core of the Ministry of Chancellery. If he is not here, the court will be paralyzed by half. Your Majesty will not let him leave the capital."

Li Ming pouted unhappily:
"What about Li Dao Zong? Has the imperial court degenerated into a world of impolite barbarians without him in the capital?"

He was very upset that the core figures of the 14 parties could not attend.

"Li Dao Zong went to Dingxiang City in Yunzhou." Hou Junji said:
"Ashina Simo led the Turks to migrate northward, and he, as the Minister of Rites, went there to set up an altar for sacrifice and to sign a covenant with the Turkic tribes."

Let a Minister of Rites, whose hands are stained with the blood of the Turks, talk about etiquette to the Turks.

Well, that makes sense.

It can definitely make the other party speak reasonably calmly.

"Stop talking, everyone is busy, please be busy..."

Li Ming sighed lonely, just like the old man left behind in the village.

The corner of Wei Daijia's mouth twitched.

Your Majesty has been giving Li Ming face by releasing them.

Asking the dignified Minister of Personnel and the two provincial governors of good family background to condescend to visit two remote and inferior states, is that not enough?
Do you want to move half of the court team here and set up a new central government?
Hou Junji snorted coldly:
"One is a dead bone in a grave, and the other is a blockhead. Without those two, we can do things more easily."

As soon as he left the political center of Xijing, Lao Hou couldn't wait to show his anti-traitor style.

Who can control this dangerous guy except His Majesty and His Highness... Wei Daijia huddled in the corner, trembling.

God knows what Hou Junji is doing behind his back...

"Hey, Brother Ming, don't be discouraged. Grandpa asked me to bring you a great plan."

Fang Yize smiled and patted Li Ming's shoulder to comfort him.

Among the four people present, he is the most heartless.

As long as you don’t have to memorize assessment KPIs, business trips are just about sightseeing.

"Oh?" Li Ming's eyebrows moved slightly.

Although Fang Xuanling is a cunning old man, his advice cannot be ignored.

"Look!"

Fang Yi ran to the back of the carriage and opened the built-in box panel under Li Ming's puzzled gaze.

This low-key, luxurious and meaningful carriage comes with its own "trunk".

"That's all!" Fang Yize smiled and took out piles of books from the trunk.

Haha, this treasure bag is quite big... Under Li Ming's speechless gaze, Fang Yize moved out almost half a person's height of information.

"These are the human geography of Pingzhou and Yingzhou, historical account books, population registers, dam construction, military deployment, etc. They are all top secret information that cannot be shown to outsiders."

Fang Yize spoke mysteriously and reached his hand deep into the box.

I touched something soft and warm.

Soft?
Fang Yize was stunned and put his little head into the box.

Inside, I met two pairs of sparkling little eyes.

There is a young gentleman as gentle as jade, and a little black-haired boy.

The two uninvited guests simultaneously put their fingers to their mouths:

"Shh~"

"Hehe, hehe, hush..." Fang Yize's eyelids were twitching.

then.

"Ahhhh!!!"

…………

"So, Chang Sunyan, Yuchi Xunyu, you two hid in the carriage without telling the adults, and wanted to go to Liaodong with me?"

Li Ming tapped the window.

Lao Fang had to leave a little brat for him to take care of, which already gave him a headache.

This time there are two more.

What do you think of him, the great governor?

Kindergarten teacher?
Wei Daijia stood beside him with a blank expression on his face, and even wanted to laugh.

His Highness Li Ming can finally experience the bitterness of a naughty child firsthand.

"We have already left Chang'an..." Yuchi Xunyu smiled awkwardly.

"It's dangerous along the way..." Chang Sunyan said with a look of "since we're here already".

Snapped!Snapped!
Li Ming gave each of the two cunning boys a slap on the face.

"I'll let the guards take you back!" he said without question.

Yuchi Xunyu's face immediately turned dark, and even darker, and was simply ignored by Li Ming.

Chang Sunyan sighed and said disappointedly:

"Brother Ming, my brothers all suspect that I am not loyal to you."

The young men of the Fourteen Parties were all brothers who had worn the same pair of pants since childhood.

But after all, we are not living in a fairy tale world.

The world of adults will inevitably have an impact on their relationships.

The children had all heard more or less from their grandfathers and grandfathers that Changsun Wuji had been making things difficult for Mingge in some way, both overtly and covertly.

There are even rumors that Hou Baolin's father-in-law was almost burned to death in Jiucheng Palace by Zhangsun Wuji.

And Changsun Yan is the grandson of Changsun Wuji.

Because of this relationship, Chang Sun Yan was gradually isolated.

The elementary school students are fine.

Lai Junchen and other wild kids who changed their ways lately did not tolerate Chang Sun Yan at all and openly gave him the cold shoulder.

This caused the young man to suffer a lot of grievances and he encountered a major setback for the first time in his smooth life.

“So I want to prove to everyone that Aung is Aung and I am me!

"I am absolutely reliable, more reliable than them, more reliable than any of them!"

As Chang Sunyan spoke, he couldn't help but clench his fists.

Li Ming put his hand on his shoulder:
"Don't doubt the people you employ. Don't worry about other people's opinions. I believe in you."

“Brother Ming…!” Chang Sun Yan was so moved that his nose was about to burst.

"So you don't need to prove anything to me, so get back here now!"

Li Ming's face changed, and he used his little fleshy hands to pinch the naughty kid's shoulders hard, making him grimace.

"And you, have you also been bullied by your friends?" Li Ming turned to Yuchi Xunyu.

Little Black Charcoal Head scratched Black Charcoal Head:

“Well, I just happened to see Chang Sunyan trying to get into the carriage, so I wanted to pull him out.

"As they kept pulling, they followed along..."

Li Ming didn't know what to say to this little strong man whose nerves were thicker than his arms.

"Both of you get back here!"

Hou Junji had a different idea. He patted Li Ming on the shoulder:

"Your Highness Li Ming, it is not a bad thing for Master Changsun and Master Yuchi to remain in our hands."

"Is that so?" The Minister of Personnel spoke for them, and Changsun Yan and Yuchi Xunyu's eyes suddenly lit up.

But Li Ming was too familiar with Hou Junji's character and was keenly aware of the words this guy used.

What does "keep it in our hands" mean?
What does "You are in our hands" mean?
"Why don't we write a letter and tell Lord Changsun and Lord Yuchi about this in person."

Hou Junji looked at the two children with a fierce and greedy gaze as if he was looking at two hostages.

"This will prevent Lord Changsun from making things difficult for us along the way. Otherwise, hehe~"

When Hou Junji's cold gaze swept over them, the two children became silent as if they were deer being stared at by a tiger.

I knew it would be like this... Li Ming was helpless, looking into the eyes of the two children.

"Even so, you two are going to insist on following?"

Chang Sunyan and Yuchi Xunyu swallowed their saliva and nodded firmly:
“Yes!”

Fang Yize also pleaded:
"Brother Ming, since they are here, they can serve as companions to me."

You're still making sarcastic remarks... Li Ming suddenly had the urge to kick the three naughty kids out of the car.

He took a deep breath and said helplessly:

"彳庍口巴."

The three little ones cheered softly.

Wei Daijia covered his mouth and laughed secretly.

The cycle of justice has paid off, and Your Highness has also met his day...

Li Ming glanced at him and said:
"Wei Daijia, you are the one who will take care of these three brats."

"Cough cough cough!" Wei Daijia was caught in the crossfire.

"Stop coughing, stop coughing."

Li Ming became serious, picked out basic information from the pile of books, and threw one book to each person.

“During these few days on the road, we should carefully study the materials that Prime Minister Fang left for us and learn about the local conditions and customs of Liaodong.

"Don't run away, the three of you. I will test you when the time comes."

"Ah?~" the children wailed.

Li Ming's voice suddenly rose eight degrees and he yelled at them:

"If you don't want to study, get out of here and go back to Chang'an!"

The children had sad faces and were forced to immerse themselves in the heavy "jin" bag of tricks.

…………

It has been months since then.

We hurried along the way and arrived at Pingzhou in October.

After passing Linyu Pass (Shanhai Pass), the scenery along the way is much more desolate than that in the Central Plains, but it is still relatively peaceful.

On one side is the tranquil Bohai Sea, and on the other side is the continuous Yanshan Mountains.

Between the mountains and the sea, farmers have harvested wheat on a narrow strip of land and are now planting vegetables.

A peaceful farm scene.

There was absolutely no tense atmosphere of chaos and impending disaster as described in the urgent reports.

Not only that.

In the counties and prefectures they passed through, Li Ming and his party did not hear any news of any unusual movements in Goguryeo in the northeast.

Hou Junji originally planned to mobilize some troops from the nearby Zhechoufu to escort the convoy into Pingzhou.

However, Liaodong was calm and there was no need to mobilize anyone.

"what is going on?

"Is the intelligence received by the court false news, or is Goguryeo planning a big one?"

Li Ming withdrew his gaze from the window and sought advice from the wise men.

Many people expressed their opinions, but the central idea can be summarized as follows:

I don’t know.

"Forget it, let's talk about it when we get to Pingzhou."

The carriage passed smoothly into Pingzhou and arrived at the Pingzhou government seat.

Lulong County.

When passing through the city gate, Li Ming curiously asked the guard:
"Have there been any barbarian invasions recently?"

The guard had a dark face:
"I am a barbarian, a Khitan."

"Oh, I have a strong southern accent." Li Ming coughed lightly:
"I'm asking, has the river overflowed recently?"

What kind of question is this... The guard really doesn't want to bother with this naughty kid.

But the golden pass handed over by the entourage and the low-key, luxurious and meaningful carriage made him vaguely aware of it.

There must be an important person in the car who is not to be messed with.

Based on the principle of less trouble is worse than more trouble, he answered patiently:
"The Luan River, which flows through the county, had a major flood a month ago.

“At the time, there were rumors that Goguryeo was about to invade, so no one repaired the dam.

"But later, Goguryeo suddenly withdrew its troops, so the dam was built and the river no longer overflowed."

what?
This news made Li Ming feel like he was stood up.

Goguryeo! I'm in Pyeongju! Where are you? !

(End of this chapter)