Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 440 A Day in the Harem

"call out!"

Li Zhi shot an arrow, but missed. A black shadow flashed, and the rabbit had already disappeared without a trace.

"Sigh, as expected, archery skills will deteriorate if you don't practice them for a long time." Li Zhi shook his head.

Since Sun Simiao cured his headache, Li Zhi exercised less often and preferred to sit indoors and play chess.

With the constant reports of victories from the front lines, and Pyongyang already surrounded by the Tang Dynasty, this year was arguably the most comfortable one Li Zhi had ever experienced.

The ministers' obsession with Goguryeo was astonishing. In contrast, after Li Zhi conquered Goguryeo, his prestige in the court rose again.

The ministers kept praising him, and the concubines in the harem also tried their best to congratulate him, which made Li Zhi somewhat complacent.

Recently, he has been drinking every day and partying every night without restraint. Both Wu Zetian and Consort Zheng have advised him against it, but he has not listened.

As a result, yesterday in Xu Jin's room, he looked in the bronze mirror and found that his appearance had become much more haggard, and his face was as pale as paper, which made him suddenly wake up.

He went hunting in the Forbidden Garden early this morning, and when he drew his bow, he clearly felt that he was not strong enough.

"No, I must resume exercising, otherwise my headaches may relapse!" he warned himself silently.

After hunting in the Forbidden Garden for more than an hour, Li Zhi finally shot a wild rabbit and headed towards Xunfeng Palace with his spoils.

A clear, melodious voice came from inside the hall, as Consort Zheng was giving Li Ren his first lessons.

Li Ren was Consort Zheng's only son, so she devoted a great deal of energy to his education.

Li Ren spends most of his day reading and practicing calligraphy in the palace, and cannot play like an ordinary child.

Strangely, Li Ren was different from his other brothers; he didn't resist studying. He would study when asked to study and play when asked to play, and he never complained.

For this reason, Li Zhi did not interfere much.

It was almost noon when Consort Zheng saw Li Zhi enter carrying his prey. She then ordered someone to take the rabbit to the kitchen in the side hall to cook it.

Although the meals for every palace were sent from the Imperial Kitchen, the concubines also had their own small kitchens.

Because of Li Zhi's arrival, Li Ren was able to rest for a while.

Consort Zheng was about to tell him to go play, but Li Ren didn't move. He stood next to Li Zhi, tilted his little face up, and asked, "Father, when I was in the Forbidden Garden, I heard thunder, but there was no lightning in the sky and no rain. Where did the thunder come from?"

"What you heard wasn't thunder, but the sound of gunpowder," Li Zhi replied with a smile.

Li Zhi had always entrusted the research on gunpowder to the Ordnance Bureau and the Ministry of Works.

The Ministry of Works was responsible for studying the role of gunpowder in people's livelihood, such as blasting mountains to build roads, while the Ordnance Bureau studied the application of gunpowder in weapons.

Over the years, Li Zhi did not get involved much because the Tang Dynasty's current enemies could be dealt with without gunpowder.

Li Zhi also hoped that the artisans of the Tang Dynasty could develop the uses of gunpowder on their own, which was the way to sustain the industry, rather than him forcibly pushing it forward.

In recent years, the Ordnance Bureau has also developed many weapons based on gunpowder, such as firebirds, bamboo firebirds, rockets, fireballs, thunderbolt fireballs, smoke balls, and so on.

Their research findings are remarkably similar to those of the Song Dynasty's research on firearms.

The Thunderfire Ball already resembled a cannon in its rudimentary form, but it was launched using a catapult instead of an iron pipe.

The bamboo firebird is somewhat similar to a musket. A pile of stones is placed inside a bamboo tube, and the stones are launched using the airflow from the gunpowder explosion.

Li Zhi was only responsible for guiding the direction. Projects that went astray, such as firebirds, rockets, and smoke balls, were all cut off, and they were instructed to focus on researching thunderbolt fireballs and bamboo firebirds.

In addition, driven by the demand for firearms, smelting technology was also developing rapidly, which was also the direction that Li Zhi valued most.

Li Ren asked blankly, "What kind of medicine is gunpowder? Can it cure diseases?"

Li Zhidao said, "It can be considered a medicinal herb, but it also has many other uses."

Li Ren asked, "Why does gunpowder make a thunderous sound?"

Knowing that answering this question would elicit a barrage of "whys," Li Zhi said, "Ren'er, on the way here, I saw a frog swimming backwards in the pond. Go and take a look."

Li Ren showed a hint of joy. He loved strange and unusual things the most. He agreed and left the hall with small, quick steps.

Seeing that Li Zhi was also tired of his son's questions, Consort Zheng covered her mouth and smiled, saying, "Your Majesty, who do you think this child takes after? At such a young age, how can he have so many questions in his head?"

Li Zhi laughed and said, "This is a good thing. A child who likes to ask questions will definitely be smart when he grows up!"

Consort Zheng smiled and said with a delighted expression, "I don't ask for much from him. As long as he grows up healthy, I don't ask for anything else."

After lunch, Li Zhi took a nap in Xunfeng Hall, and then went to Lizheng Hall to handle government affairs.

There was a lot of official business at the beginning of the year. Although Gao Youdao and his team helped with a lot of it, the desk was still piled high with work.

Li Zhi was not in a hurry. Having been emperor for so long, he had long since discovered that officials would request an audience or bring up truly important matters at court meetings.

These kinds of official reports were not actually that important. The national policy was already clear, and the new policies were just minor adjustments to the old ones.

Sometimes you go too far with the changes and have to change them back, going back and forth until you find the perfect balance.

Therefore, the more policies the government issues, the better; rather, it is important to maintain a proper balance and adjust them gradually.

Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish; that's the principle.

After finishing his official duties, Li Zhi intended to sit and read for a while, but recently he had been feeling restless and unable to sit still. After reading only a couple of pages, he looked up and asked, "Fu Sheng, has the Ministry of War sent any news?"

Wang Fusheng said softly, "Your Majesty, there is still no news. Should I go and inquire?"

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "News will come when it comes, and there's no use asking if there is. No rush, Pyongyang is already surrounded, Goguryeo can't turn the tide! Let's go for a stroll in the plum garden."

Among all the plum trees in the palace, the plum trees in the plum garden east of Penglai Palace are growing the best.

In January, when the spring chill lingers, plum blossoms stand proudly in the cold wind, defying the frost and exuding a delicate fragrance.

As Emperor Gaozong was strolling through the plum garden, a eunuch came running up to him. Gaozong turned around abruptly and asked, "Has news of a victory come from the front lines? Has Pyongyang been captured?"

The eunuch was startled and quickly lowered his head, saying, "Your Majesty, it's not news from Goguryeo, but from the Court of State Ceremonies. They say that Japan has sent an envoy with important matters to report to Your Majesty."

Li Zhi frowned and asked, "What important matter is it?"

The eunuch handed over an official document, saying, "This is a memorial from Minister Dai of the Court of State Ceremonies. Your Majesty, please take a look."

Li Zhi took the letter and frowned immediately. It turned out that Queen Treasure of Japan had sent a message saying that Naka no Ōe was planning a surprise attack on Shun Province of the Tang Dynasty. She had tried to persuade him several times, but Naka no Ōe refused to listen, so she had no choice but to send an envoy to warn the Tang Dynasty to be on guard.

Li Zhi didn't mind speculating about the behavior of the Japanese from the most malicious angle.

This letter of reminder is very likely a charade orchestrated by Queen Bao and Brother Zhongda.

I fear that on the way this letter arrived, Brother Zhongda had already launched a sneak attack on Shunshu.

If we were to capture Jun Province and drive the Tang Dynasty out of Japan, that goes without saying.

If the attack fails, then all the blame will be placed on Zhongda, and if Zhongda is handed over, the Tang Dynasty will not be able to pursue the matter further.

Li Zhi, too lazy to continue their pretense, waved his hand and said, "Drive the Japanese envoys out of Chang'an, and prohibit Japanese people from entering the Tang Dynasty in the future."

The eunuch acknowledged and took his leave.

Li Zhi strolled around the plum garden and soon emerged from another exit, which faced the Jinshui River. A few days ago, the river had frozen over, but now it had thawed.

Li Zhi strolled along the Jinshui River and suddenly saw a large group of people standing on the riverbank ahead.

Most of these people were women, and the two leading them were none other than Consort Liu and Consort Zheng.

The two women knelt on prayer cushions, with an incense table in front of them displaying offerings, seemingly in the midst of prayer and sacrifice.

As soon as Li Zhi approached, a palace servant noticed him and hurriedly reminded the two of their presence.

Upon seeing Li Zhi, both women showed expressions of alarm. After a while, they walked over together, bowed gracefully, and greeted Li Zhi.

Li Zhi asked, "What are you doing?"

Empress Liu and Consort Zheng looked at each other for a while, both hoping for an answer. Finally, Empress Liu lowered her head and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Zheng and I are worshipping the River God Dragon King."

Li Zhi asked in surprise, "Why are you worshipping the river god?"

"We heard that the River Dragon King is a subordinate of the Sea Dragon King. We thought we should pay our respects to him, and maybe we can get the Sea Dragon King's blessing." Liu Chong'ai's voice was even lower.

Li Zhi frowned and asked, "What do you want the Dragon King to bless you this time?"

Liu Chong'ai whispered, "A few days ago, Zhong'er wrote me a letter. He said that the pressure of transporting grain in Laizhou has been very high recently. In order to ensure a stable supply of grain to the front, he personally went out to sea to transport grain several times."

Li Zhi was slightly surprised and said, "He could have just sent someone else; why did he have to transport it himself?"

Shipping during this period was not safe.

Liu Chong'ai said in a low voice, "Zhong'er said that as a prince and an elder brother, he should set a good example. The soldiers are working very hard and risking their lives to transport grain. He can't just hide behind and relax."

Li Zhi was silent for a while, then said, "Since he is so determined, we can't stop him. I will issue an edict to transfer the Apollo brothers from Junzhou to Laizhou. These two are good at surveying the climate. With them around, the possibility of a shipwreck will be much smaller."

Liu Chong'ai said happily, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Li Zhi then asked Consort Zheng, "Have Xiao'er and the others written back?"

Consort Zheng smiled and said, "They wrote it down. They said they were busier in Laizhou than at the restaurant, but they all enjoyed it, and His Highness Prince Chen took good care of them."

Seeing how sensible they were, Li Zhi nodded secretly, feeling even more that sending the princes to the front lines for training was a good idea. He thought that when Li Hong was two years older, he could also send him to the front lines.

……

As dusk falls, the bright moon slowly rises. Although the moonlight tonight is not as bright as that on the Lantern Festival, it is still quite bright.

Li Xiao and the other two lay on a pile of hay, looking up at the bright starry sky, and remained silent for a moment.

They didn't speak, purely out of exhaustion; since the siege of Pyongyang, the pressure on grain transport in Laiju had suddenly increased.

Because the three of them were literate, Li Zhong used them as clerks to transport grain.

Every day, I am responsible for registering the grain entering and leaving the warehouse. I am busy from morning till night, and I can only rest after 9 pm.

This experience was very novel for the three of them.

Working at Mojiaxuan is tiring, but it doesn't bring a sense of accomplishment.

Now, as they watch the grain being shipped out of the warehouses, destined for the front lines to feed the soldiers, the sense of fulfillment they feel from contributing to the war effort fills them with great satisfaction.

However, on the other hand, they were all spoiled and pampered growing up.

They did feel quite accomplished in the first few days, but as the monotonous and boring days went by, they started to feel overwhelmed.

"Sigh, I wonder how much longer we'll have to fight on the front lines," Li Lian couldn't help but complain.

He was the youngest and in the worst health among the three, and he was already feeling the strain from all the work.

Li Yong said, "Now that Pyongyang has been surrounded, it certainly won't be long before it's over. Don't forget that General Xue is also at the front!"

Li Xiao frowned and said, "General Xue is brave, but I heard that Pyongyang is extremely well-fortified. Our army has been besieging it for several days, but we still haven't been able to take it!"

Li Yong asked, "Second brother, who told you that?"

Li Xiaodao: "I asked Zhang Xiaowei about it."

Li Yong exclaimed, "I asked him too, why didn't he tell me?"

Li Lian chuckled and said, "Third brother, with your temper, you'd fight anyone who dares to say a bad word about General Xue. Would Captain Zhang dare to tell you that?"

Li Yong snorted.

Li Xiaodao: "Commander Zhang also said that Chief Steward Li has sent Quan Nansheng into the city to persuade the city to surrender, so there has been no attack on the city these past few days."

Li Yong asked, "Is it that Mo Lizhi who was driven away by his younger brother?"

Li Xiaodao: "It's him."

Li Yong snorted, "That guy is a good-for-nothing, we can't count on him. I think in the end we'll still have to rely on General Xue!"

Li Lian said, "That's not necessarily true. Goguryeo is at its wit's end. Even if Yeon Nam-geon is unwilling to surrender, don't the others want to live? I think Yeon Nam-geon has a good chance of succeeding!"

Li Xiao sat up and said, "Alright, stop worrying about these things. Let's go back inside and sleep. It's cold, and we'll catch a cold if we lie here for too long."

The two agreed, jumped off the haystack, and followed him toward the main house.

(End of this chapter)