Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 464 The Crown Prince's Little Secret
East Palace, Lizheng Hall.

Li Hong sat at the head of the table, engrossed in reading the memorials.

He was skilled in his movements and quick-witted in his thinking. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he could review three memorials and write his comments.

Although he is only thirteen years old, he has been involved in government affairs since he was seven. In addition, he is intelligent, diligent and eager to learn, and is now able to handle a part of the government affairs with ease.

Two other rows of officials from the Eastern Palace sat on either side of the main hall, also engrossed in reviewing memorials.

These officials were divided into three groups, each responsible for different tasks.

The first batch of tasks involved handling minor administrative matters, most of which were trivial and did not require Li Hong's personal attention.

The second group was responsible for handling some complicated administrative matters. These matters were quite complex and difficult for Li Hong to handle at his age, so they were given the task to take a look at at the end.

The last group of officials checked the memorials that Li Hong had already reviewed, and after confirming that they were correct, sent them to the Secretariat.

In the main hall, there was only one person who was most at ease, and that was Yu Zhining, the Crown Prince's tutor. He was sitting behind the first table on the left, and was dozing off with his eyes closed.

There's nothing we can do about it; after all, he's over seventy years old, and it's already quite an achievement that he manages to come to the East Palace every day.

Li Hong also specifically reminded the officials that when the Grand Tutor was sleeping, everyone should keep their voices down so as not to disturb his sleep.

Before long, Li Hong reached out and found that he had touched nothing; the day's official business had already been completed.

Looking up, the sky was still bright, and the water leak in the corner indicated that it was only just past noon.

Li Hong stretched and got up to leave the main hall.

"Your Highness, where are you going?" a secretary asked.

Upon hearing this, Yu Zhining immediately woke up, glanced around, and then looked at Li Hong.

"Your Highness, have you finished dealing with all your official duties for today?" he asked.

Li Hong cupped his hands and said, "Reporting to the Grand Tutor, everything has been taken care of."

Yu Zhining said, "Then let's read the Yonghui Commentary on Politics again."

"Yonghui Shuzheng" is a classic book compiled by the Secretariat under the order of Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi), which records all the political reforms he promulgated and implemented after ascending the throne.

Li Zhi hoped to fully integrate the new policies into the Tang Dynasty court, solidify its foundation, and gain the approval of both the court and the public, so as to prevent anyone from overthrowing the new policies immediately after his death.

Yu Zhining knew that for the Crown Prince's position to be secure, he had to be completely aligned with the Emperor politically.

Therefore, whenever Li Hong had free time, he would instruct Li Hong to take a look at the "Yonghui Memorial".

Li Hongdao said, "Grand Tutor, I would like to practice archery. My father said that I must exercise regularly to improve my physical fitness."

Yu Zhining, however, was not so easily persuaded, his gray eyebrows furrowing into a deep frown.

"It's still early. You can practice archery after you've had dinner."

Li Hongdao said, "My mother sent someone yesterday to order me to have dinner at the Lizheng Hall tonight. After dinner, she may test my studies, so I'm afraid I won't have time to practice archery."

Seeing that there was no fault with this reason, Yu Zhining had no choice but to agree.

"Alright then, go ahead. But be careful not to hurt yourself while you practice."

Li Hong agreed and quickly left the main hall. As he walked along the corridor outside the hall, a smirk appeared on his lips.

Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him. Startled, he turned around abruptly, but saw nothing.

Li Hong didn't think much of it and took small, quick steps towards the arrow tower.

The so-called arrow tower is a two-story building. Originally, it was a viewing tower, spacious and open, with ventilation on all sides, used to enjoy the view of a garden to the north.

Because Li Hong was busy during the day and practiced archery mostly at night, which could easily lead to accidents, Wu Meiniang ordered the building to be renovated and a shooting range to be set up on the second floor. With wall lamps installed, he could practice archery at night.

There is also a hot spring on the first floor. After practicing archery, Li Hong would often sweat profusely, which would be perfect for taking a bath and changing into clean clothes, so he wouldn't easily catch a cold.

After Li Hong entered the arrow tower, he quickly went up to the second floor, where several eunuchs were cleaning and wiping the wooden floor until it shone.

Li Hong called out to one of them, "Little Pear, did you buy the goods?"

A young eunuch with a pockmarked face chuckled and hurried over.

"Your Highness, we bought it. We're keeping it warm in that little stove so it won't get cold." He pointed to a small stove set up in the corner.

Li Hong was overjoyed and rushed over, reaching out to take the stove lid.

Little Pear hurriedly reminded you, "Your Highness, be careful, it's hot. Let me get it for you."

He walked over quickly and was the first to lift the stove lid.

Inside the oven were several thick, rolled-up foods, open on both sides, wrapped in thin dough, and fried to a golden brown, revealing a hint of green filling inside. This dish was called "Biluo," a very famous folk delicacy, which could be filled with various meat fillings. The Biluo in the oven was filled with crab roe, and as soon as the lid was lifted, a fragrant aroma of crab roe filled the air.

Li Hong couldn't wait to grab one and stuff it into his mouth to eat.

Little Pear, standing nearby, asked, "Your Highness, is the taste as you'd like?"

"Although it doesn't taste as good as freshly fried, it's still delicious!" Li Hong said with a satisfied look.

Just then, a loud shout came from the stairwell.

"Well, Your Highness, how dare you steal fried food? Aren't you afraid of Her Majesty the Empress's wrath?"

Li Hong was taken aback. The half-eaten glutinous rice ball fell to the ground. He turned to look at the stairwell, but couldn't see anyone. The person seemed to be hiding in the stairwell.

"Who...who is it?" he asked urgently.

Suddenly, a man darted out of the stairwell, hands on his hips, grinning, and said, "Brother, it's me!" The man was none other than Li Xian.

Li Hong breathed a sigh of relief and complained, "Sixth brother, why did you scare me?"

Li Xian walked over quickly and chuckled, "Brother, Mother and Father both told you to be careful with your diet, especially not to eat fried food, otherwise you might get lung disease. How about I take care of these dumplings for you?"

He reached out, grabbed one, stuffed it into his mouth, and began to chew it heartily, praising it repeatedly: "Delicious!"

Li Hong sat cross-legged on the ground, looking miserable, and said, "Why are they only strict with me, but you are unrestrained and can eat anything!"

Li Xian picked up another one and stuffed it into his mouth, laughing, "Because you are the crown prince, your body is naturally much more precious than mine."

Li Hong lowered his head and remained silent.

When Li Xian grabbed the third one, he didn't put it in his own mouth, but handed it to Li Hong.

"Liu Lang, what's wrong with you...?"

Li Xian laughed and said, "Look how pitiful you are. Here, have one. I won't tell your father and mother."

Li Hong was overjoyed and quickly took a bite of the glutinous rice cake. As he ate, he suddenly burst into tears.

Li Xian was shocked and said, "Brother, why are you crying? Didn't I give you all of it?"

Li Hong wiped away his tears and said, "I... I just thought it was so delicious."

Li Xian rolled his eyes and said, "You're exaggerating. This stuff may be delicious, but it can't compare to the pastries my mother makes by hand, can it?"

Li Hong shook his head and said, "I only like fried food. No matter how well-made the cakes and steamed dishes are, I don't like them."

Li Xian laughed and said, "No wonder you dared to deceive Grand Tutor Yu for a bite to eat."

Li Hong's face flushed slightly as he asked, "Did you hear everything?"

"Yes, I originally came to find you. When I arrived outside the palace, I heard you talking to the Grand Tutor, and I guessed that you were lying. That's why I followed you all the way here, wanting to see why you were lying!"

Li Hong muttered, "How do you know I'm lying?"

Li Xian laughed and said, "Because Mother didn't send anyone over last night to deliver an imperial decree for you to come over for dinner."

How do you know there isn't?

"If Mother had already issued the decree yesterday, why would she have sent me here today?"

Li Hong asked in surprise, "Did your mother send you here?"

"Yes, you seem to be on the same wavelength as Mother. She wants you to come back to the palace for dinner tonight, and Father will be there too. Hey, brother, you're eating pretty fast while you're talking to me, there are only three left!"

Li Hong said with a smile, "You can eat it anytime you leave the palace, so just let me eat it all."

Li Xian pouted and said, "I'm afraid you'll eat too much and won't be able to eat dinner later, and Mother will notice something's wrong."

Li Hong hurriedly said, "No, no, I'll practice archery for a while and I'll get it. Liu Lang, you should practice with me too."

The two brothers then practiced archery together in the arrow tower.

Li Xian is naturally active and enjoys all kinds of sports, including archery.

However, he only had a fleeting enthusiasm for everything, and once that enthusiasm wore off, he would turn his attention to something else.

In archery, he was inconsistent, while Li Hong was persistent, which is why the two brothers had a big difference in their archery skills.

Li Xian only hit the target with three or four out of ten arrows, while Li Hong hit the target with all of them, and even hit the bullseye with two of his arrows.

Around dusk, the two brothers, covered in sweat, went to the bathhouse on the first floor for a soak, changed into clean clothes, and headed towards the Lizheng Hall.

(End of this chapter)