Chapter 256: Li Xuan's Gift at the Qianqiu Festival
In the blink of an eye, the Qianqiu Festival is here.

The court was closed during the Qianqiu Festival, but the officials were even busier.

Princes, ministers, princes and princesses presented gifts to Li Longji early in the morning and wished him a long life.

There was a huge crowd of people in front of the Hua'e Xianghui Tower in the Xingqing Palace.

Of course, the ministers who could attend the Qianqiu Banquet were all ministers of the fifth rank or above in the capital.

Gifts sent by local officials could only be accepted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Li Longji usually wouldn't go to see it, unless someone from the Ministry of Internal Affairs found something rather peculiar, such as the "Snow-clad Lady".

As the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, he controls all the resources in the world. No matter how rare the treasures offered by local officials are, there is an 80% chance that they will be in the imperial palace.

Even most of the gifts from fifth-rank ministers would be put aside.

Because there were ministers who claimed to be clean and were truly upright, the gifts they offered were generally ordinary, and some might be worth only one month's salary.

Li Longji had all the wealth in the world, so it was impossible for him to blame his ministers for this.

Ministers were allowed to bring their wives to the banquet.

In addition to Li Shi, Li Xuan's sister Li Yuying also came to Xingqing Palace, because she was now the Princess of Yunyang County and was eligible to attend the banquet.

After Li Xuan arrived at Xingqing Palace, he handed a jar to the eunuch.

His gift would be delivered to Li Longji personally.

Li Shizhi, Li Xun and others threw the gold objects bestowed by Li Longji to the supervisor of ceremonies.

"Mr. Li, your gift is quite simple!"

Li Xuan saw that Li Xian only presented a piece of silk to the supervisor and said with a smile.

Li Xian is the youngest son of Li Yi, Prince of Xin'an. He is currently serving as a deputy minister of the Ministry of Revenue and a household registration and sex worker. All of them were recommended by Li Xuan.

"Even if I take out ten pieces of silk, it is just a drop in the ocean for the saint. The saint lives forever, and a piece of silk is just a token of his heart. Serving the country wholeheartedly is the greatest gift!"

After Li Xian bowed to Li Xuan, he spoke slowly.

"Well said, Mr. Li has the demeanor of Prince Xin'an."

Li Xuan praised Li Xian.

"I dare not compare myself with my father."

Li Xian said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

The King of Tianshui in front of him will be crowned king soon. Even his father cannot compare to him.

Li Xuan recommended Li Xian, which made many ministers think that Li Xian was Li Xuan's man.

"What do you think of the new policy I proposed in the court two days ago, Mr. Li?"

Li Xuan asked Li Xian.

Li Xian was a wise prime minister proven by history. He was appointed prime minister five times in his life and was always upright and incorruptible.

Li Longji only gave a piece of silk as a birthday gift, which was consistent with Li Xuan's impression of Li Xian. Because in history, when Li Longji was traveling, officials vied to curry favor with him and gave him rare treasures, but Li Xian gave nothing.

Li Xian was even rated higher than Liu Yan and was the talent that Li Xuan wanted to win over.

"Excuse me, how can we ensure that the elderly and children will not be injured or killed during the migration? If this can be handled, the large-scale migration will be a good thing. Filling the border with Han people to ensure safety is also a strategy for guarding against the Hu people since ancient times."

Li Xian did not answer, but asked Li Xuan a question instead.

"I have dispatched 30,000 horses and 30,000 carts from the Longyou Herdsman, carrying enough food and tents. The elderly and breastfeeding women can sit in the carts and take the official road all the way to Longyou."

Li Xuan replied to Li Xian.

"King Tianshui, such a migration will cost a lot, and some ministers will impeach you!"

Li Xian said to Li Xuan.

"The price is high, but the lives of the people and the territory we saved are priceless. If someone insists on measuring it by this, it is extremely foolish."

This was a strategy that Li Xuan had already decided on, and after finding a judge, he was ready to implement it.

Migrating people might involve traveling thousands of miles in wind and rain, which would be very unfriendly to the elderly if there were not a large number of carriages and horses.

Li Xuan had the power to mobilize horses, and he would transfer some carriages from Hexi Changxing, apply for some from the court, and borrow some from the public.

"Therefore, the Tianshui King's plan to relocate people will surely proceed smoothly as long as the powerful families do not obstruct it."

Li Xian said to Li Xuan, and bowed to Li Xuan again: "The establishment of the government-run Charity Hall, the achievements of King Tianshui are comparable to those of the Buddha, and his merits are immeasurable!"

Li Xian believed in Buddhism and Taoism, and even planned to become a monk.

When he was 20 years old, he studied Buddhism with the great Zen Master Yi Fu in the Ci'en Temple in Chang'an. He had great ambitions, practiced hard, and wanted to stay in the Ci'en Temple.

But Yifu told him: "You should do your best for the country. Your destiny is not here."

Li Xian had no choice but to leave Ci'en Temple.

His calmness, his integrity and selflessness, and his righteousness are all closely related to his Zen practice in his youth.

So after Li Xuan proposed the suggestion of Ciyutang, Li Xian's eyes lit up in the middle of the court.

But his position allows him to only agree and not take the lead in making decisions.

"Just postponing the marriage of a man and a woman will cause dissatisfaction not only among the rich and powerful but even among the common people."

Li Xian reminded Li Xuan about this.

"I know that the people are dissatisfied because of suffering and burdens. If we can reduce their burdens and make them deeply understand the harm of premature birth to women, they will gradually accept it because they are also their children. Many reforms will have birth pains, which is inevitable in history."

Li Xuan nodded. How could he not have expected this?

"I am a lowly person with little influence, so I can only agree with your suggestion in the court. However, I am just one of the hundreds of civil and military officials in the court."

Li Xian hinted to Li Xuan that he should win over more court officials to support him.

"The Analects of Confucius says: 'Virtue is never alone; it must have neighbors. How can I not have like-minded people to help me when I do what is just? Some greedy wolves disguise themselves as docile dogs, shouting about justice but actually pursuing their own interests. These evil spirits are destined to be blown into the endless abyss by the wind of history."

Li Xuan held Li Xian's hand.

Countless eyes were always on Li Xuan.

The King of Tianshui, who could become a prime minister at any time, was holding a Yuanwailang, which shocked everyone.

Li Xian was just preparing to attend a banquet, but he was already labeled as Li Xuan's close friend.

Soon after, people believed that the moment Li Xuan grabbed Li Xian's hand, the "Reform Faction" was formed.

There is no doubt that Li Xuan was the leader of the "reform faction".

Li Xian did not struggle to break free from Li Xuan's hand. He just smiled faintly, as calm as an ancient well.

Anyone facing this situation would feel stressed.

He is the only exception.

“General Li… No, now I should call you King Tianshui.”

The Sage is about to arrive at the Qianqiu Banquet, so Li Xuan is not in a position to say too much to Li Xian.

When Li Xuan and Li Xian separated, An Lushan greeted Li Xuan with a smile on his face. Halfway through his speech, he slapped his mouth as if unintentionally and called Li Xuan "King of Tianshui".

An Lushan rode at full speed and only arrived in Chang'an yesterday, almost missing the Qianqiu Banquet.

"General An, you are even more elegant!"

Li Xuan responded with a smile, this guy seemed to have gained a lot of weight.

I don’t know if I can still dance the Hu Xuan dance now.

"No way! Even if there were ten thousand of me, I couldn't compare to your elegance!"

An Lushan spoke seemingly straightforwardly.

In fact, An Lushan was extremely jealous. Last year, he and Li Xuan fought at the same time.

Li Xuan was faced with the full force of the powerful Tubo.

He was facing the Khitan and Xi tribes. Although he won, he was very dissatisfied with the results.

The main forces of the Khitan and Xi tribes are still there!
Li Xuan captured the Zamp in one battle, nearly destroying the country. When he was in Fanyang, he could imagine that Li Longji favored Li Xuan even more.

He already knew that Li Xuan's appointment as prime minister was almost a foregone conclusion.

In fact, he was still very happy, because Li Xuan had 300,000 border troops under his command, and the four towns could summon hundreds of thousands of Hu troops, which was too scary.

"Too modest."

Li Xuan didn't want to talk much with An Lushan, as this man had too low a bottom line. Out of the corner of his eye he suddenly saw Yang Zhao surrounding the beautiful Yang sisters, and he seemed to have said something sweet, making the three Yang sisters smile beautifully.

Seeing this, Li Xuan's eyes turned and he said to An Lushan: "Next to Lady Guo, Lady Qin, and Lady Han is Yang Zhao, the Deputy Minister of Finance. He is a great talent. He has only been in the capital for more than two years, and he has achieved this high position."

"He is just a man who got his position by relying on women, and that's all he can do."

An Lushan said with disdain.

He knew Yang Zhao and had always thought that Yang Zhao was a flatterer. When he saw Li Xuan praising Yang Zhao, he became rebellious and made a sarcastic remark.

"From the Chupu, we can see that Yang Zhao is good at calculations. He will definitely make achievements in financial management in the future."

While Li Xuan was speaking, he pointed at Yang Zhao.

"King Tianshui thinks too highly of him. For him, wearing a scarlet robe is already the limit."

An Lushan also pointed at Yang Zhao. He never thought that Yang Zhao, who usually bowed and scraped to him in Xingqing Palace, would rise to prominence in the near future.

Even if there was someone in the Yang family who was richer, it should be Yang Jian and Yang Qi. How could it be Yang Zhao's turn?

At the same time, Yang Zhao suddenly saw Li Xuan and An Lushan both pointing at him, as if they were talking about him, and he didn't understand what was going on.

"General An, please do as you please. I won't accompany you."

Li Xuan left after saying a few words.

The flesh on An Lushan's face twitched, but soon calmed down.

He prepared to present Li Longji with carefully selected treasures.

At the Qianqiu Banquet, Li Xuan could clearly feel that some court officials were distancing themselves from him.

It was mainly because of what Li Xuan did that made the ministers so angry.

Fortunately, Li Xuan has quite a few people.

People like Yang Shenjin and Yang Yan had leverage over them in Li Xuan's hands, so even if Li Xuan infringed on their interests, they had to work for Li Xuan.

There are also people who were promoted by Li Shizhi in the past. As long as Li Xuan does not cause public outrage, they will support Li Xuan in the court.

Li Xuan's glorious deeds are bound to attract a group of fans who want to get close to him.

Under such circumstances, Li Xuan kept in mind all the officials who showed goodwill to him.

Although Wang Wei, Wu Daozi, Xi Yu, Cui Hao and others did not have factions, Wang Wei always supported Li Xuan.

Given Wang Wei's status as the "poetry and prose school" in the court, other poets would inevitably be interested in Li Xuan.

After the court session yesterday, Li Xuan had already spent the whole day playing with Wang Wei, and today they only needed to be polite to each other.

Li Shizhi seemed unaffected by Li Xuan's politics and chatted with Prince of Runan and others.

Li Yuying didn't have many acquaintances at this kind of banquet. When she saw Chongniang standing alone, she took the initiative to talk to her. When she learned that Chongniang was the daughter of Li Longji, she was very surprised and thought Chongniang was a princess.

But Chong Niang said that she was not a princess, and her father asked her to manage the Taoist temple in the palace.

Li Yuying and Bug Lady were chatting and couldn't stop talking...

"King Tianshui..."

Li Xuan had just finished talking to a doctor when Yang Zhao came up.

He had his own plans for his rise to prominence. Although Li Xuan seemed to be going against many ministers, Yang Zhao knew that as long as the emperor favored Li Xuan, he would be the most powerful minister in the world and no one could do anything to him.

Every word Li Xuan said beside Li Longji had a great influence on Li Longji.

"Yang Duzhi, I wish you a promotion!"

Li Xuan said to Yang Zhao.

From a military officer to a deputy minister of finance, the promotion is quite significant.

"Compared to you, I am like a small pearl to the sun. I am very lucky to receive your congratulations."

Yang Zhao once again displayed his ability to flatter.

"By the way, do Yang Duzhi and General An have any grudges against each other?" Li Xuan smiled and suddenly asked Yang Zhao.

"General An? An Lushan? I have only met him a few times, how could there be any hatred between us?"

Yang Zhao was very puzzled. In Xingqing Palace, he had even flattered An Lushan and asked An Lushan to say a few good words for him.

"Oh? Just now An Lushan said that you are a villain who relied on women to get to the top. I thought he had a grudge against you!"

Li Xuan spoke to Yang Zhao slowly.

"This bastard! How dare he say that to me? King Tianshui, you are a noble descendant, you cannot believe the lies of a bastard!"

Yang Zhao was narrow-minded, and thus developed hatred towards An Lushan.

He just saw An Lushan pointing at him, so he believed what Li Xuan said.

In fact, this is indeed the case. Under the guidance of Li Xuan, An Lushan showed his disdain for Yang Zhao.

Not only An Lushan, but any normal minister would dislike Yang Zhao's style of flattering and fawning on others all day long, and even licking everyone he met.

The key is that Yang Zhao was promoted very quickly.

The scholars gathered in Chang'an City now have studied hard for ten years just to become Jinshi.

Passing the imperial examination only qualifies one to become an official, and many people failed the selection by the Ministry of Personnel.

There are even scholars who have spent decades studying hard, with gray hair, but still have not passed the imperial examination to become a Jinshi.

"There is no need to get angry at the Saint's birthday banquet. If there is a rift with An Lushan, mediate in time!"

Li Xuan said something to Yang Zhao again and then left.

There was no way Yang Zhao would mediate. He kept this account in mind and was determined to teach that fat guy An Lushan a lesson when he became rich.

"The Saint has arrived..."

Just after six quarters in the morning, Li Longji sat on the dragon chariot and came to Xingqing Palace with Yang Yuhuan.

The attendants and female officials came forward to escort Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan out of the carriage.

"Meet the saint!"

"Greetings to the imperial concubine!"

At the banquet, thousands of people saluted in unison.

"Everyone, please don't be restrained..."

Li Longji asked everyone to stand up.

"May the saint live forever!"

"May the saint live forever!"

The left and right prime ministers presented gifts to Li Longji and sent birthday wishes.

The left and right prime ministers represent civil and military officials, and the other ministers just need to watch from the side.

Li Longji's time was very precious, so he didn't have the leisure to watch his ministers giving him gifts one by one.

Unless Li Longji specifically asked to see the gifts given by the ministers.

After the prime minister, it was the crown prince, the princes, the princesses, and the prince consorts who paid great tribute to Li Longji.

This is the younger generation performing the ceremony.

When Li Longji accepted the gifts from the princes and princesses and knelt down to pay homage to them, Yang Yuhuan's eyes flickered. The banquet venue was too large, and before the arrival of the saint, everyone gathered in groups of three or five. Even so, she could still see Li Xuan's position at a glance.

Ten feet away from her, he stood out like a crane among chickens.

"Where are Qilang and Lushan?"

After the princes and princesses had finished their ceremony, Li Longji heard that both Li Xuan and An Lushan had carefully prepared gifts for him.

Since he is so dedicated, he must watch it at the birthday party.

An Lushan gave Li Longji too many gifts, but he was not interested in them.

And it seemed that Li Xuan only sent a colorful parrot.

What did he expect Li Xuan to give him?
"I pay my respects to the saint and wish him immortality and immortality."

An Lushan held his gift and bowed to Li Longji. His words of congratulation were also very special, as if they were spoken casually and looked extremely sincere.

"Lushan has a heart."

Li Longji looked up and smiled after hearing this.

"This is the ginseng I found in the mountains when I was conquering the Khitan. This ginseng is larger than ordinary ginseng and is estimated to be hundreds of years old. I heard that ginseng can prolong life, so I immediately thought of the saint."

An Lushan opened the box and revealed the ginseng, which looked much larger than ordinary ginseng.

Ginseng is not rare, there are plenty of them in Li Longji's palace. He also drank something similar to this one, mainly because An Lushan was so filial, which made him very happy.

"Saint, this is the Golden Arrow of the Tibetan King. It is said to have been made by Songtsen Gampo. It can mobilize thousands of Tibetan troops. I offer it to you now. I wish you good fortune as vast as the East Sea and a long life as long as the Southern Mountains."

Li Xuan gave the Golden Arrow of the Zamp to Li Longji as a birthday gift.

Li Longji took the golden arrow of the Zamp, and holding it in his hand, he felt as if he had Tubo in his control. This feeling made him feel great.

Just when Li Longji was about to praise Li Xuan, Li Xuan presented another birthday gift.

Li Xuan waved his hand, and a eunuch came to Li Xuan holding a jar.

"Your Majesty, there are several fish from the Baihai Sea in this jar. I will cook them for your birthday banquet. How is the difference between tasting the fish from the Baihai Sea..."

Li Xuan introduced the contents of the jar to Li Longji.

He ordered people to erect a large stele recording "The Great River Preface" at the source of the Yellow River, and then caught hundreds of Baihai carp.

We changed the water frequently along the way, but most of the fish still died.

The carp in Bai Hai is of special significance because it represents Li Longji's rule over new territories.

Eating new fish in the new year is also a way to show off Li Longji's achievements.

(End of this chapter)