Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 506 Princess Taiping's Progress

Li Zhi's imperial carriage passed through the Xuanwu Gate from the Forbidden Garden and returned to the Taiji Palace.

Li Hong, along with a group of concubines and princes, greeted the emperor. When he saw Li Lian and Li Xian following behind Li Zhi and Wu Meiniang, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After everyone finished exchanging greetings, Li Zhi went straight back to Ganlu Palace, only summoning Li Hong to accompany him.

Upon arriving at Ganlu Palace, Li Zhi inquired of Li Hong about Wei Shen's case and the outcome of the handling of the Yang family in Luoyang.

Li Hong nervously explained his decision.

Overall, he was quite lenient in his handling of the matter. Of the people who met with Wei Shen, apart from the Xiao brothers, the rest were not pursued.

In addition, he only dealt with 30% of the Yang family members of the Wei family in Luoyang, with Yang Miao as the leader.

These people all had solid criminal records. Although the other members of the Yang family were also suspected of protecting others, Li Hong turned a blind eye to them.

This was because many officials in the Eastern Palace pleaded for Yang, arguing that Yang was, after all, a member of the previous dynasty's imperial family, and that Li Hong's handling of the matter was excessive and would easily attract criticism.

Li Hong was not confident in his handling of the matter and worried that Li Zhi would object. He said nervously, "I have only dealt with it roughly. If there are any improprieties, Father, please correct them."

Li Zhi raised his hand and smiled, "You handled it very well. I have nothing to correct. Let's do it this way."

Li Hong's heart skipped a beat, and he replied, "Yes." When asked why Li Zhi had summoned Li Xian to an audience, Li Zhi casually gave a reason.

“Hong’er, it is true that listening to both sides leads to enlightenment, while listening to only one side leads to belief. However, as the crown prince, sometimes you cannot listen to others entirely. You also need to have your own ideas. Do you understand?” Li Zhi said slowly.

Li Hongdao: "I'll remember it."

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "Alright, you may leave. I still have some matters to attend to."

Li Hong took his leave.

Part of the western expeditionary force returned to the capital with Li Zhi, while another part remained stationed in Anxi.

After this victory, rewarding those who have contributed to the victory is inevitable.

Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) summoned Xu Xiaode, Minister of Personnel; Hao Chujun, Minister of War; and Shangguan Yi, Grand Secretary, to an audience to discuss matters of bestowal and rewards.

There have been constant battles in recent years, and all of them have been won.

The ministers were already adept at rewarding meritorious service, so Li Zhi didn't need to worry about it.

Before Li Zhi returned, the group had already discussed and decided to divide the merits of the generals and soldiers into four levels: first, second, third, and fourth, and to promote them according to their level.

Li Zhi listened silently, only interjecting once about the rewards bestowed upon Suoman, without raising any objections to the rest.

Shangguan Yi and the others were, after all, civil officials, and were unaware of Suoman's role in this war.

Because he did not personally lead troops to victory, he was only awarded a third-level merit, while Li Zhi promoted him to a second-level merit.

After the matter was discussed, Li Zhi asked about the changes in court affairs since he left Chang'an. The three of them picked out some important things to talk about and also carefully reported to Li Zhi on the outcome of the handling of the Crown Prince.

Li Zhi asked the three men for their opinions on the Crown Prince's handling of state affairs.

The three ministers praised Li Hong without reservation, believing that the Crown Prince was benevolent, wise, humble, and had his own ideas, but was also able to listen to the opinions of his ministers.

Li Hong now has a deep foundation in the court, and his position as crown prince is as stable as Mount Tai.

Therefore, when the ministers mentioned the crown prince, they almost always used words of praise. This was clearly to curry favor with the heir apparent and to consider the future.

Seeing this, Li Zhi did not ask any further questions. He dismissed the men and then summoned Di Renjie and Zhang Jianzhi, asking them for their opinions on the Crown Prince's handling of state affairs.

The two exchanged a glance, and Zhang Jianzhi spoke first: "Your Majesty, I believe that His Highness the Crown Prince is kind-hearted and generous, which is a blessing to officials."

This is the art of speaking.

Zhang Jianzhi appears to be praising Li Hong, but he only mentions Li Hong's benevolence and nothing else, not even a single word of praise for his wisdom.

Moreover, Zhang Jianzhi only said it was a blessing for officials, but not for the common people or the country.

The emperor could only interact with officials, so a benevolent emperor was a good thing for officials, who might even have the opportunity to control him.

However, the interests of officials are different from those of ordinary people. For example, the tax reform a few months ago aimed to allow officials to collect more taxes and reduce the burden on ordinary people.

If Li Hong were to handle this matter, all the officials in the court would surely oppose it. Would Li Hong still be able to forcefully push it through?

This shows that in Zhang Jianzhi's mind, the Crown Prince was not yet mature and had much to learn.

Although Zhang Jianzhi did not speak directly, Li Zhi understood the implied meaning in his words and then asked Di Renjie, "What do you think, Minister Di?"

Di Renjie said, "I believe that the Crown Prince hates evil as if it were his enemy, and he can distinguish between public and private matters. Although he is young, he can distinguish right from wrong, which is truly rare."

It was another round of praise, but unlike Zhang Jianzhi, it seemed that he did not point out any shortcomings of the Crown Prince.

After pondering Di Renjie's words for a while, Li Zhi quickly understood the purpose behind them.

Di Renjie's perspective on the Crown Prince was very unique, stemming entirely from the case of Wei Shen.

Wei Shen plotted treason because the Crown Prince discovered evidence of his crimes, and knowing he was doomed, he took the risk.

Li Hong was able to find Wei Shen because during a business trip to Luoyang, he discovered that a member of the Yang family was acting arrogantly and bullying others.

Li Hong had already dealt with the Yang family member, and normally there shouldn't have been any further pursuit.

But Li Hong did not give up because of this.

Over the next few months, he made various excuses to go to Luoyang to secretly investigate Yang's behavior.

This is enough to show that Li Hong, at such a young age, truly hated evil.

The Yang family was not only a member of the former Sui imperial family, but also the maternal family of Wu Zetian. Li Hong did not show favoritism, which is why Di Renjie praised him for distinguishing between public and private matters.

In the end, Li Hong investigated the case incorrectly. Under Di Renjie's guidance, he immediately admitted his mistake and did not refuse to admit it because of face-saving concerns. That is why he was said to be able to distinguish right from wrong.

Di Renjie, true to his background in law enforcement, made every statement based on the facts, earning everyone's trust. Hearing this, Li Zhi also felt that this successor was truly excellent, worthy of all the years of careful nurturing he had received.

However, Zhang Jianzhi's words cannot be ignored. Li Hong is indeed too kind and easily manipulated by his ministers, which is something to be aware of.

Of course, being kind and benevolent is not necessarily a bad thing. For example, Li Zhi himself was not as resolute and decisive as Wu Zetian in dealing with people and things.

However, Li Zhi had the foresight to see the future. When dealing with major issues, he would not make mistakes out of kindness, nor would he be swayed by his ministers.

Li Hong, on the other hand, was kind and gentle from a young age and was influenced by Li Zhi to some extent. He was gentle and refined but lacked decisiveness.

With this in mind, Li Zhi made a plan.

He ordered the two men to leave, and then issued an imperial decree instructing the Crown Prince to go to the Imperial Guard the next day to commend the soldiers on the western expedition on his behalf.

If you want to hone a person's sharpness, the military camp is the best place.

If we provide more opportunities for Li Hong to interact with people in the military, we should be able to gradually temper his character and make him more resolute.

Just as he was thinking this, Li Zhi suddenly noticed a small head peeking out from behind the door, secretly observing them.

Li Zhi smiled slightly and beckoned to the other party: "Yue'er, come in. Is there something you need from me?"

Princess Taiping skipped over, nestled on Li Zhi's lap, and looked up at him with her little face, asking, "Ya Ye, have you finished your official duties?"

"It's all done." Li Zhi touched her little face.

Princess Taiping said happily, "Then why don't you play a game of chess with Yue'er?" With that, she kicked off her shoes, climbed onto Li Zhi's bed by clinging to his knees.

Princess Taiping was very well-behaved during Li Zhi's trip and did not insist on going with him, showing that she was becoming more and more sensible.

Having not spent time with his daughter for so long, and seeing how eager she was, Li Zhi forced himself to stay alert and said, "Alright, let's play the next game then. Shall we give her a three-piece handicap again?"

Princess Taiping looked at Li Zhi with bright, sparkling eyes and laughed, "Grandpa, you'd better be careful, Yue'er is not the same as before!"

Li Zhi reached out and tapped her little nose, laughing, "You can boast after you beat Ye Ye."

After the two players guessed the pieces, the game began.

At first, Li Zhi was yawning and had a nonchalant expression.

But before long, he discovered that Princess Taiping had indeed made great progress. Her moves were very methodical, and her playing style had changed significantly. He couldn't help but perk up and concentrate on responding.

Despite his best efforts later on, he was always behind due to the handicap and a poor start.

Princess Taiping played steadily, placing her pieces while secretly observing Li Zhi's expression.

Seeing Li Zhi's focused and wary expression filled her with joy, because Ye Ye only ever showed this expression when playing chess with his mother.

She put in her best effort, was highly motivated, and played with greater caution and care, no longer making the same silly mistakes that allowed Li Zhi to catch up.

The two sides fought and roamed around the chessboard. Before they knew it, the empty space on the board was getting smaller and smaller, and the game finally came to an end.

After the match ended, Li Zhi's eyes widened in disbelief; he had actually lost two rounds.

"Hey, how about it? Yue'er didn't lie to me, did she?" Princess Taiping said with beaming eyes, her expression saying, "Come and praise me!"

Li Zhi touched his nose and said with a wry smile, "Yue'er, how old are you? Even with a three-piece handicap, I can't beat you. You don't want to become a chess player in the future, do you?"

Princess Taiping tilted her head, covered her mouth and chuckled, "Being a court attendant to Father wouldn't be bad."

Li Zhi carefully observed the chessboard, his expression becoming more serious.

"Your finishing touches have improved a lot. This is something you can't take shortcuts for. You must have been practicing a lot lately, right?"

A glint of light flashed in Princess Taiping's eyes, and she smiled, "Yes, Yue'er has been practicing almost every day lately."

Li Zhi asked curiously, "Who did you have the idea with? Jiang Yan, or the Imperial Concubine Gui and the Consort Xian?"

Princess Taiping smiled mischievously and said, "I can't tell you now. I'll tell you after I can beat Ye Ye without giving him a handicap."

When Li Zhi saw that she even had her own little secrets, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking that his daughter had indeed grown up.

"Okay, but I think it will take at least five more years."

Princess Taiping raised an eyebrow, tilted her chin up, and said, "Grandpa, don't underestimate me. It won't be long before Yue'er beats you."

Her expression bore a striking resemblance to Wu Zetian, as if she were a miniature version of her, which Li Zhi found particularly amusing.
"Okay, yeah, just wait and see," he said with a smile.

Princess Taiping snuggled in Li Zhi's arms, her big eyes blinking as she said, "If Yue'er wins against Ye Ye, Ye Ye has to promise Yue'er one thing."

"What's the matter?"

Princess Taiping pressed her little face against Li Zhi's thigh and said, "Yue'er heard from Mother that you once took her away from Chang'an, first to Henan Road, then to Hebei Road and Hedong Road, making a huge detour and playing for more than half a year. You must take Yue'er to play there sometime in the future!"

Li Zhi couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Silly child, your father wasn't there to play, but to receive medical treatment. Besides, you were with us back then."

Princess Taiping hurriedly raised her head and exclaimed, "I was less than a year old at the time, how could I remember? Please agree to Yue'er's request!"

She hugged Li Zhi's neck and acted coquettishly.

Li Zhi had no choice but to say, "Alright, I'll definitely take you with me when I go on my next inspection tour."

Princess Taiping was still young and didn't understand the meaning behind his words. She thought Li Zhi had agreed and happily said, "Father loves Yue'er the most." She kissed Li Zhi on the face a few times.

Li Zhi, exhausted from his journey and after playing a game of chess, was already extremely sleepy. He then exchanged a few words with Princess Taiping, and his eyelids began to droop.

Princess Taiping, however, persisted, asking Li Zhi about the interesting things he encountered in Shanzhou, her little mouth pouting incessantly.

Listening to her chattering, Li Zhi finally succumbed to drowsiness and fell asleep on the couch.

(End of this chapter)