My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 14: One Man Destroys King Xuan Ce
Gunpowder is a good thing.

However, Li Chengqian does not plan to develop vigorously now.

First, secretly develop the formula and train craftsmen who can make firearms.

Making ice with saltpeter is simple, direct and convenient.

The weather in September is still a bit hot, but maybe it will cool down in a few days.

Li Chengqian asked Hua Guan to get more saltpeter to make ice cubes.

Then he called the temple secretary to come and asked him to make the Sushan.

I ate one portion before, but it didn’t satisfy me, so I have to make more this time.

The Eastern Palace is home to three temples and ten government offices.

The Prince's Household Order Temple is in charge of food and warehouse storage.

Li Chengqian sent a eunuch to inform the Crown Princess to invite his two sons to have dinner together.

"Your Highness, the Young Master wants to see you."

Wen Zhong said cautiously.

The Prince's Secretariat was like the Secretariat in the imperial court, managing the Eastern Palace, the three temples and the ten prefectures.

The highest official was the Prince's Secretary, Fang Xuanling, who held the position concurrently and basically never came.

Then there is Shao Zhanshi.

Li Chengqian's Junior Secretary was Zhang Xuansu, a well-known minister of remonstrance in the Tang Dynasty. He was upright and incorruptible. He was almost killed by Li Chengqian before, but he did not change his style.

"Let him in."

Li Chengqian knew why he came. It was naturally because of the matter of the male favorite. He had just heard the news and came to persuade him.

"I've met the prince."

Zhang Xuansu walked in slowly, with a strong aura, neither humble nor arrogant, and then bowed.

"Why would Mr. Zhang want to see me?" Li Chengqian asked directly.

Zhang Xuansu said, "I heard that the prince has a male lover."

"Your Majesty has already punished me with a horsewhip." Li Chengqian interrupted directly.

Zhang Xuansu was silent for a moment, and then continued, "It is only natural that Your Majesty should blame the Crown Prince for his mistakes. The Crown Prince should learn from this lesson and not do such ridiculous things again."

"The prince is the emperor's prince, and even more so the prince of the Tang Dynasty. As a future saint, he should be more careful in what he says and does."

"It is said that the Emperor has no relatives, only virtue is his support. If one violates the way of heaven, both humans and gods will abandon him. If the prince indulges in pleasure blindly, his virtue will inevitably be compromised."

"If one's moral conduct is lacking, one will lose support. If one loses support, how can one shoulder the responsibility of the people of the Tang Dynasty?"

Zhang Xuansu's voice was sonorous and powerful, and his momentum was majestic.

Although it may sound unpleasant, it is indeed honest advice.

If it were the Li Chengqian of the past, he would definitely be very impatient.

But now Li Chengqian thinks it’s not bad.

"Mr. Zhang's heartfelt words are shocking and enlightening. I have learned a lot."

"After being punished by Your Majesty, I have come to my senses. My previous behavior was indeed too arrogant and absurd. I will never act like that again in the future."

When Zhang Xuansu heard this, he was a little surprised at first, and then he was surprised.

He had given advice so many times and almost lost his life, but he didn't expect that this time the prince would accept his advice.

"The prince suddenly came to his senses and turned back to the other side, which is a great blessing for the country."

"I hope that the prince will read more books in the future, learn from the teachings of ancient sages, and improve his own moral character."

"Only in this way can we better govern the Tang Dynasty, convince officials, and win the hearts of the people."

Li Chengqian thought for a moment and asked, "Does Mr. Zhang want me to read history books and learn from past history how to be a qualified crown prince?"

Zhang Xuansu nodded and said, "Yes."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "The first crown prince of the Tang Dynasty was my uncle. Master Zhang, do you want me to learn from my uncle?"

Zhang Xuansu took a breath and said, "Of course not."

Li Chengqian nodded and continued, "My uncle's father was the crown prince Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty. Does Mr. Zhang want me to learn from him?"

Zhang Xuansu immediately shook his head: "Of course not."

"That's Yang Yong?" "No, it's not."

Zhang Xuansu's head was shaking like a rattle.

Li Chengqian continued, "Looking back at the emperors of the past, none was better than Emperor Wu of Han in expanding the territory."

"His legitimate son, Crown Prince Liu Ju, is so similar to me."

"Does Mr. Zhang want me to learn from Crown Prince Liu Ju?"

The corners of Zhang Xuansu's mouth twitched, and he didn't know how to answer.

Li Chengqian sighed: "This history book makes me feel more and more dizzy the more I read it. In a trance, it seems that..."

Zhang Xuansu hurriedly said, "Prince, you should read less history books in the future."

Li Chengqian nodded: "Mr. Zhang is right."

After teasing Zhang Xuansu, Li Chengqian felt relaxed both physically and mentally.

This is a memory that comes from the body. In a way, it can be considered revenge.

Next, it’s time to get down to business.

"Today, His Majesty summoned me to the Western Inner Courtyard. The King of Wei told me that in Tianzhu, there is a magical medicine called White Jade Paste that can cure my leg disease."

Zhang Xuansu snorted coldly and said, "It's ridiculous. Prince, please don't believe him."

"If there really is such a magical medicine, the King of Wei would have blocked the news first, so that not a single bit of it would be leaked."

"Such behavior is clearly intended to harm the prince."

Although Zhang Xuansu had been admonishing the prince, he never resented him, just like a teacher who does not dislike poor students.

Especially in terms of posture, the butt is very straight.

"Zhang Gongming, the King of Wei's move is nothing more than a weasel paying New Year's greetings to a chicken. There is no good intention in it."

"But Mr. Fang said at that time that there might be a famous doctor with good bone treatment prescriptions in Tianzhu, and we could send an envoy to that place."

Zhang Xuansu also agreed with this statement.

"This is also a hope for the prince."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Your Majesty asked me to form a delegation to India."

"As for the guards, it's easy. We can just dispatch them from the Ten Rates Prefecture. But we don't have a choice as to who will be the chief."

"It is also due to my past shortcomings. The Chongxian Hall has lost its talent and there are only a few people who know Indian language."

"I'll leave this to Mr. Zhang. See if you can find a master envoy to come."

Zhang Xuansu thought about it carefully and said, "There really is such a person, Wang Xuance, the magistrate of Huangshui County in Rongzhou."

"He was from Luoyang, the Eastern Capital. He was once quite famous in Chang'an. He liked to study various countries and was proficient in various languages."

"I was originally supposed to serve in the Honglu Temple, but later I heard that my moral conduct was flawed, so I was sent to Huangshui County in Rongzhou to serve as a county magistrate."

Li Chengqian asked: "If he is not virtuous, why did Mr. Zhang recommend him?"

Zhang Xuansu sighed and said, "Although I haven't investigated carefully, I have seen Wang Xuance before. He is an upright person and would never behave like a villain. He was probably framed."

Li Chengqian said: "Since it was recommended by Mr. Zhang, he must be good. It must be him."

"I will send the Crown Prince's edict later, ordering Wang Xuance to come to Chang'an as soon as possible."

Zhang Xuansu didn't expect the prince to make the decision so directly. He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your trust, Prince."

Little did he know that Li Chengqian had already been planning on targeting Wang Xuance.

One man destroyed an entire country. How could we not recruit such a talented general?

I was originally planning to spend some time on it, but I didn't expect Zhang Xuansu to recommend it directly.

It makes sense. There must be a reason why Wang Xuance was elected as the chief envoy in history.

"I should thank Mr. Zhang for solving a difficult problem."

After Li Chengqian finished speaking, he called the eunuch Wen Zhong to bring three portions of Sushan as a reward to Zhang Xuansu.

Seeing Sushan, Zhang Xuansu wanted to refuse, but he also wanted to let his children at home try it.

All he could do was to bow and say, "Thank you, Prince, for the reward."

(End of this chapter)