Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 403 Wu Minzhi's Coming-of-Age Ceremony

After hearing Yuchi Gong's words, Li Zhi understood his concerns, pondered for a moment, and then slowly spoke.

"Minister Yuchi, I understand your concerns, but every policy has its loopholes. You are worried about the issue of military pay for recruited soldiers, but have you considered the issue of pay for the militia?"

Yuchi Gong was taken aback and said, "This old minister is dull and does not quite understand."

Li Zhi said slowly, "In the future, land consolidation will lead to people having no land to cultivate and being forced to become tenant farmers. In that case, even if they become soldiers, they will have no advantage. Will anyone still be willing to become soldiers in the future?"

This is precisely why the Fubing system collapsed.

Yuchi Gong replied, "But didn't His Majesty amend the land system to prevent land annexation?"

Li Zhi shook his head and said, "As I have said, no system can last forever. Right now, the land rental system may temporarily prevent land annexation, but in the long run, it will still not be able to stop it."

Seeing that the emperor's words showed a more far-sighted perspective than their own, the men did not object, but lowered their heads, each showing signs of deep thought.

Li Zhi continued, "In the future, as the territory of the Tang Dynasty expands and the battlefield becomes increasingly distant from the homeland, the deployment of the local militia will be difficult, which will also lead to problems."

Yuchi Gong and the others understood this point and nodded in agreement.

Li Ji asked, "Your Majesty, how many more Imperial Guards do you plan to expand this time?"

Li Zhi said, "Still 50,000. The conversion of the garrison troops to recruited troops should not be rushed. It should be done gradually. If problems arise, it can be stopped at any time, and the recruited troops can be converted back to the garrison troops."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji had no further objections and cupped his hands, saying, "This old minister has no objections."

The other three also seconded the motion.

If we had discussed military system reform a year or two ago, we would have encountered tremendous obstacles.

The fact that it was passed so easily today shows that the people involved are increasingly accepting of the emperor's military decisions.

After the meeting, Li Zhi kept Xue Rengui behind and explained some details about expanding the army to him.

After a short while, Li Zhi finished giving his instructions, and Xue Rengui also took his leave.

Wang Jishan then stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, last night, the Arab spies were operating in Huwang Street, intending to kidnap Lu Dongzan and the Grand Uncle Changsun. However, I captured them all in one fell swoop, taking three alive and shooting five dead."

Li Zhi asked in surprise, "What? There's an imperial brother-in-law here?"

Wang Jishan said, "Your Majesty, these Arabs not only want to abduct Gar Tongtsen Yulsung, but also want to kidnap the Emperor's brother-in-law to obtain intelligence about our Great Tang from him..."

He then revealed his plan to use Changsun Wuji as bait to lure the Arabs into making a move, and then wipe them all out in one fell swoop.

Li Zhi nodded and said, "I am very relieved to entrust these matters to you. There is only one thing: you must ensure the safety of the Imperial Brother-in-law in the future."

Wang Jishan responded and seized the opportunity to speak, "Your Majesty, I have an idea."

"speak."

"Could we allow the Grand Uncle Changsun to join the Inner Guard?"

Li Zhi was taken aback for a moment, then asked in surprise, "How could you have such a thought?"

Wang Jishan said, "The Inner Guard always operates in secrecy, and their official positions are also kept secret. Even if the Emperor's brother-in-law joins the Inner Guard, no one else will know."

Li Zhi glanced at him and had to admit that Wang Jishan had a very clear understanding of his thoughts.

He had always wanted to use Changsun Wuji's abilities, but he was afraid that granting him an official position would cause dissatisfaction among many people, so he could only ask him for help indirectly each time.

If Changsun Wuji were to enter the Inner Guard, no one would know, yet they could readily utilize his abilities to solve various problems, making it a win-win situation.

The only question is, is he willing to condescend to do so?

"Have you mentioned this to the Emperor's brother-in-law?"

Wang Jishan said, "I have already spoken with the Emperor's brother-in-law about this matter, and he said that as long as Your Majesty agrees, he is willing to serve the country."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "Then let's do this: set up an advisor position within the Inner Guard, with the rank of third grade. He will not be involved in any practical matters, but the Inner Guard can consult him on any problems they encounter."

This is equivalent to Li Zhi creating a new official position; even if others know about it, they won't know what the advisor actually does.

Wang Jishan was secretly delighted, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I thank you." He then took his leave.

When Li Zhi returned to Ganlu Palace, he suddenly saw a young palace maid looking around outside the palace. She looked somewhat familiar, so he asked Wang Fusheng to bring her over for questioning.

The young palace maid lowered her head and said softly, "This servant greets Your Majesty. This servant is on the orders of the two princesses to request Your Majesty to visit the princesses' residence."

Li Zhi asked, "What do they want from me?"

The young palace maid looked troubled and whispered, "You'll know when His Majesty goes down there."

Li Zhi was puzzled. If Princess Gao'an and Princess Yiyang wanted to see him, they could have just come directly. Why all the secrecy?
He didn't bother the little palace maid and immediately strode towards the princess's courtyard.

Only after arriving at the princess's residence did he finally understand the reason.

Inside the courtyard, several tables were joined together, on which sat a huge crystal plate, carved with intricate lotus roots into exotic flowers and birds, displaying exquisite beauty.

Princess Gao'an and Princess Yiyang stood on either side of the crystal plate, both with smug expressions on their faces, as if waiting for Li Zhi's praise.

Li Zhi had seen a similar crystal plate before, which was more exquisite than this one, and it was presented to him by Xu Jin.

After approaching and examining it closely, he exclaimed, "This is a skill that Consort Xian taught you, isn't it?"

Princess Gao'an laughed and said, "That's right, Aunt Xu will teach my elder sister first, and then my elder sister will teach me, that's right..."

Pointing to one of the tricolor birds, he said, "This bird was carved by Brother Ji'a."

Looking at the exquisite crystal plate, Li Zhi felt quite pleased and smiled, "You've put a lot of thought into this."

Princess Gao'an blinked and said, "Yay, do you like it very much?"

Li Zhi touched the two children's faces and said, "Of course I like things that you made yourself."

Princess Gao'an then asked, "How will you reward us?"

Li Zhi knew that after she had been so attentive, she would definitely ask for a reward. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a nine-dragon jade pendant, and handed it to her.

"At such a young age, all you know is how to ask for rewards. Here you go."

Princess Gao'an hung the jade pendant back on Li Zhi's waist, took his arm, and said, "Father, I'm not asking for a reward, I just want to ask you for a favor."

"What's the matter?"

Princess Gao'an said, "Tomorrow is my cousin Wu's coming-of-age ceremony. Brother Ji'a is going to attend. I've never seen a coming-of-age ceremony before, and I'd like to go and see the excitement."

Li Zhi didn't immediately realize who his cousin Wu was. After a moment's thought, he remembered that Helan Minzhi had been renamed Wu Minzhi.

He turned to look at Princess Yiyang and asked, "Are you going too?"

Princess Yiyang hesitated for a moment, then nodded gently.

Upon hearing this, Princess Gao'an couldn't help but glance at Princess Yiyang.

Li Zhi said, "Alright then, go and come back soon, and be careful."

Princess Gao'an was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Father is the best!"

A short while later, Li Zhi ordered his men to take away the crystal plate with the hundred birds, and he also left the princess's courtyard.

The two princesses escorted Li Zhi to the Moon Gate, and once he was out of sight, Princess Gao'an suddenly turned her head and said, "Sister, didn't you say you weren't going? Why are you going now?"

As Princess Yiyang returned to the main hall, she casually said, "I'll leave the palace with you, but I won't go to the Martial Academy. We'll each do our own thing. You have to keep this a secret."

Princess Gao'an quickly caught up, looking surprised, and asked, "Where are you going to play?"

Princess Yiyang remained silent.

Princess Gao'an exclaimed in surprise, "You're not planning to sneak off to see your mother, are you?"

Princess Yiyang was just stepping over the threshold when she heard this and almost tripped over it. She said urgently, "Don't talk nonsense. Since Father has granted us permission to see Mother once a month, how could I disobey orders and see her without permission?"

Princess Gao'an persisted, saying, "Then what are you going to do? If you don't tell me, I can't guarantee I'll keep it a secret."

Princess Yiyang had no choice but to say, "I'm going out of the palace to see a friend."

Princess Gao'an was so startled she almost jumped up, exclaiming, "Friends? Where did you get friends outside the palace?"

Princess Yiyang walked to the couch and sat down, picked up a plum and ate it, saying, "Then don't worry about it. If you behave well, I'll introduce you to her another day."

Princess Gao'an said, "That's not right. You're always with me when you leave the palace. Where did you make friends? No, you have to tell me!" Princess Yiyang was very firm this time and said, "Don't be silly. We're not children anymore. We should have our own secrets."

Princess Gao'an said aggrievedly, "But I have no secrets, I tell you everything."

Princess Yiyang said, "That's because you're younger than me. In another year or two, you'll also have your own secrets."

Princess Gao'an felt even more aggrieved after hearing this, and shouted, "So what if I'm great? I'll make a friend after I leave the palace tomorrow, humph!" She then walked away quickly.

The next day, Li Ji met them outside Chang Le Gate, only to find that the two of them came out in separate carriages.

Li Ji was puzzled. He got into Princess Gao'an's carriage and was about to ask her a question when he noticed that Princess Gao'an had turned her head to the side, as if she was throwing a tantrum.

Li Ji, unaware of the situation, thought he had offended her and hurriedly tried to coax her, but Princess Gao'an did not respond.

After the carriage left Anshang Gate, Princess Gao'an pulled back the curtain and looked outside, only to see that Princess Yiyang's carriage had already crossed the side street and headed in another direction.

Seeing that Princess Gao'an's eyes were red and she looked like she was about to cry, Li Ji asked, "Little sister, what's wrong?"

Princess Gao'an sniffled and finally spoke.

“My older sister made a friend without telling me who it was.”

Li Jiqi asked, "Hasn't she always been in the palace? How come she has friends outside the palace? Could she be a member of the Xiao family?"

Princess Gao'an shook her head and said, "No, every time we meet with Mother, it's at Aunt Xincheng's residence. Mother never brings anyone else."

Li Ji said, "That's strange."

Princess Gao'an said, "Hmph, I'm going to make a friend later too, and I won't tell my elder sister!"

Li Ji offered a suggestion: "As far as I know, among the women in the Wu family, the only one who is about your age is Helan Minrou. You can befriend her."

Princess Gao'an shook her head and said, "That won't do. My elder sister knows Cousin Minrou. I want to make a friend that my elder sister doesn't know."

Li Ji thought for a moment and said, "There should be many women visiting the Martial Academy today. Take your time to look around, and if you find someone you like, give her a gift."

Princess Gao'an patted the small pouch at her waist, exclaimed "Ah!" and said, "I was so busy being angry that I forgot to bring anything when I changed my clothes today."

Li Ji smiled and said, "It's alright." He took out a few small items from his waist pouch and offered them to her to choose from.

Princess Gao'an chose two items: one as a gift for Helan Minzhi's coming-of-age ceremony, and the other as a gift to make friends.

The two soon arrived at the Wu residence. The area outside the gate was bustling with activity, as several members of the Wu family were greeting the guests.

Princess Gao'an is now eleven years old. Before getting out of the carriage, she put on a face mask and followed Li Ji to the gate of the mansion.

Emperor Wu Yizong personally led the two into the Wu residence, assuming that Princess Gao'an was Li Ji's younger sister, and did not ask any further questions.

Before long, he led the two to the hanging flower gate and instructed a maid to take Princess Gao'an to the back hall where the female guests were.

Li Ji was still worried and asked, "Where is my cousin Minrou?"

Emperor Wu Yizong then had a maid summon Helan Minrou.

Although Princess Gao'an was wearing a veil, Helan Minrou recognized her at a glance and greeted her with a smile.

"Minrou greets Your Highness."

Princess Gao'an quickly took her hand and said, "Cousin, there's no need for such formalities."

Only then did Emperor Wu realize her identity, and he quickly paid his respects.

Before long, Helan Minrou led Princess Gao'an to the backyard, and Li Ji then asked where Wu Minzhi was.

Emperor Wu Yizong said, "He is currently talking with Her Majesty the Empress."

Li Ji was taken aback and asked, "Has Her Majesty the Empress already arrived?"

Wu Yizong said, "Yes, they arrived half an hour ago."

Li Ji did not get to see Wu Minzhi until the capping ceremony began, and was then invited to the Wu family ancestral temple, where the capping ceremony was held.

Few people are qualified to enter the Martial Academy Ancestral Temple; the lowest-ranking are all high-ranking officials of the third rank or above.

Two rows of prayer cushions were placed inside the ancestral hall. Although Li Ji was young, he was, after all, a first-rank prince, and sat in the front seat.

Besides him, most of the Li clan members in Chang'an also participated, as well as members of the Wu clan and other prominent families in Chang'an.

At this time, the Wu Clan Ancestral Temple was basically a gathering place for the most noble people in Chang'an.

At this moment, a boy of about fourteen or fifteen years old came to his side and greeted him, saying, "Cousin."

Li Ji nodded to him and asked, "Has Eighth Uncle arrived yet?"

The boy's name was Li Qia, the second son of Li Zhen, and he was studying at Chongwen Academy.

Today is the coming-of-age ceremony, and Li Zhen was also invited. He originally planned to bring Li Ji and Li Qia with him, but because Princess Gao An was also coming, Li Ji had to come separately from them.

Li Qia chuckled softly and said, "Father has been invited by Her Majesty the Empress. It seems that she wants to invite Father to be a distinguished guest."

The capping ceremony is usually presided over by the father of the person being capped, but Wu Minzhi's father had died and he had changed his surname to Wu, so Wu Shun asked Wu Meiniang to personally preside over the capping ceremony.

During the capping ceremony, a highly distinguished guest is invited to serve as the chief guest. The chief guest performs the capping ceremony and bestows a name upon the person being capped.

Wu Zetian invited Li Zhen to be a distinguished guest, clearly hoping to strengthen the relationship between the Wu and Li clans.

As the two brothers were talking, they suddenly saw a man walk in from outside. It was none other than King Li Zhen of Yue.

Li Zhen sat down at the head of Li Ji's table, and Li Ji hurriedly asked, "Eighth Uncle, weren't you a distinguished guest? Why did you come so early?"

Li Zhen smiled and said, "I recommended another guest to Her Majesty the Empress, who is more suitable than me. I will be the guest of honor later."

Li Jidun was curious, pondering the status of the distinguished guest, who was even more esteemed than Li Zhen.

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long. The master of ceremonies announced the arrival of Wu Meiniang, who walked in wearing a formal dress, followed by two other people, also dressed in formal dresses.

One of them was Wu Minzhi, the recipient of the crown.

After entering the hall, he looked around for Li Ji. When he saw Li Ji, he winked at him.

The other person was the distinguished guest of the day. When Li Ji saw the man, he was first taken aback, and then he realized what was going on.

The distinguished guest was an old man named Wang Yuangan, a great Confucian scholar of his time. In terms of official rank and title, he was not as good as most people in the hall, but in the academic world, he was a towering figure.

Having him as the honored guest would greatly benefit Wu Minzhi's reputation.

The guests quickly sat down in two rows, each with a small table in front of them, on which were placed ritual vessels and wine utensils.

The chief guest was Li Zhen. The one who gave the praise was Wu Yizong, who had gained Empress Wu's favor after Li Xian's birthday banquet.

As the host, Wu Meiniang faced the crowd and slowly recounted Wu Minzhi's experiences.

Wu Zetian didn't like to waste words. She only said a few words before announcing the start of the coming-of-age ceremony.

A mat was laid out in front of the ancestral tablets of the Wu family, and Wu Minzhi knelt on it, his hands on his knees and his back straight.

Wang Yuangan stepped forward and put the crown on Wu Minzhi three times.

Each time he was crowned, he had to stand up and change into the appropriate clothes.

The first capping ceremony was with a black cloth cap, symbolizing the power to participate in government.

The second crowning ceremony was with a leather cap, symbolizing the determination to defend the country and its territory.

The third crowning was the Juebian, which symbolized the right to participate in sacrificial ceremonies.

After being awarded the title three times, Wang Yuangan gave Wu Minzhi the courtesy name Wenyu.

From now on, Wu Minzhi will have another name: Wu Wenyu.

The capping ceremony lasted for more than an hour.

After the coming-of-age ceremony, Wu Minzhi was also to receive a noble title.

Li Ji originally wanted to attend the investiture ceremony, but Helan Minrou suddenly came to find him, saying that Princess Gao'an was bored and wanted to return to the palace, and was already waiting for him at the second gate.

Li Ji had no choice but to greet Li Zhen, go to the second gate, and ride in a carriage with Princess Gao'an back to the emperor.

(End of this chapter)