Chapter 152: Fun Man Li Xiang (asking for monthly ticket)
Li Tai and Li Zhi did not go to Li Xiang to find out the doubts and gossip in their hearts.

As a child, he certainly won't talk about such things on his own initiative.

After Li Chengqian finally let Li Xiang leave, Li Tai and Li Zhi squeezed over with shamefaced looks.

Li Chengqian wiped his eyes and pretended to be blinded by the wind and sand: "Qingque came at the right time, my eyes were blown by the wind, it seems that my eyelids have gone in, can you help me blow them out."

Li Tai:......

Normally, he would definitely mock Li Chengqian now.

But there are more important things to do now, so Li Tai blew on Li Chengqian perfunctorily, and Li Chengqian also perfunctorily said "ah" and rubbed his eyes.

"Brother, something big has happened!" Li Tai said very seriously.

"Yes, something big has happened!" Li Zhi said from the side.

"What's going on? Why are you being so mysterious?" Li Chengqian was stunned: "You two have been in the East Palace the whole time, how could you know what big news is?"

Li Zhi stepped forward and asked, "Brother, didn't you notice just now?"

"Pay attention to what?" Li Chengqian asked puzzledly.

"Hey, brother is busy playing the role of a hen, what can he pay attention to?" Li Tai pouted and complained.

Li Chengqian gnashed his teeth and looked at Li Tai: "Who are you calling the old hen?"

"Just now, Fubao was behind Xiang'er, holding a small cloth bag in his hand." Li Tai said with a wink.

Li Chengqian still didn't understand what was going on and was completely confused: "Little cloth bag? How could this be a big deal?"

"There is a plum blossom embroidered on that cloth bag." Li Zhi began to reveal the answer impatiently: "My second brother and I were just saying that it must have been given to Xiang'er by a girl."

"Girl?" Li Chengqian raised his eyebrows.

Yes, Xiang'er is fifteen years old this year, right?

When I was his age, he was running all over the place!

He immediately became interested, after all, it was his son's lifelong event.

"Do you know whose daughter this is?"

"How can we know?" Li Tai said, "We can't get any definite information even if we discuss it privately. It would be better for us to go out of the palace and ask Li Zhi or Gao Yang. Speaking of which, this kid is much closer to his aunts than me and his uncle. He really deserves to be beaten."

If Li Xiang knew this, he would definitely mutter, "It's better than hanging out with a fat guy like you, right?"

"What are you asking? I won't ask." Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "Your children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. Don't be a slave to them. If Xiang'er really has that intention, he will definitely tell me."

Who would have thought that just one sentence from Li Tai would make Li Chengqian so upset and defensive.

"I think he's more likely to tell Aye."

No matter what people say or what people say, we must always take Li Xiang's lifelong affairs into consideration.

But since Li Tai knew about this, it meant that Li Shimin also knew about it.

One day, after the Flying Falcon sent a letter, Li Shimin came to the side hall with the letter. Looking at Li Xiang who was learning calligraphy with Li Mingda, he hummed and asked, "Xiang'er, I heard from your second uncle that you have a favorite girl?"

Li Mingda raised his eyes to glance at Li Xiang inconspicuously, moved his ears and began to listen carefully.

"Ah?" Li Xiang was stunned: "When did this happen? How come I don't know about it?"

"You're still pretending?" Li Shimin smiled and stroked his beard and said, "Qingque told me that a few days ago, the daughter of the Pei family gave you twenty pairs of wool socks!"

At the end, Li Shimin even joked: "No wonder you recommended Pei Xingjian to join the navy. It turns out there is such a relationship?"

When Li Mingda heard that Pei Xueqing gave Li Xiang wool socks, the corners of his lips curled up slightly.

"Grandfather, you are talking nonsense. Pei Xingjian is indeed a talented person, and I just admire him." Li Xiang sighed and said, "As for Sister Pei..."

"Ha!" Li Shimin pointed at Li Xiang and laughed, "You're still saying no, but you're calling me so intimately."

"Tell me, when did you two meet?"

Li Xiang had no choice but to explain it to Li Shimin in detail.

Li Shimin nodded and said, "Well, she is three years older, and she is three years older than me, so she is rich..."

"When a woman reaches the age of thirty, she will give her country to him." Li Xiang added casually.

Li Shimin kicked him and scolded him with a smile: "You kid, you are full of nonsense, but I think this Pei girl is okay. If Xiang'er likes her, then marry her."

No, so casual?
"Don't worry." Li Xiang smiled and said, "We have to see if our personalities are compatible."

"You're right." Li Shimin nodded, then looked at Li Mingda who was eavesdropping and asked, "Sizi, what do you think?"

"My daughter also thinks that the daughter of the Pei family is very good." Li Mingda glanced at Li Xiang.

"Oh? Why do you say that?" Li Shimin asked with interest.

Li Mingda smiled and said, "I just think that after Yeye and Xiang'er go to Luoyang, my daughter wants to summon the daughter of the Pei family to the palace from time to time to help Xiang'er examine her character. What do you think, Yeye?"

"Of course." Li Shimin nodded.

"Thank you for your hard work, aunt." Li Xiang bowed to Li Mingda in a funny way.

On the 27th day of the first lunar month, envoys from the Tang Dynasty went to Goguryeo together with envoys from Goguryeo to persuade Yeon Gaesomun to stop the fighting.

However, after the envoys arrived in Goguryeo, the Goguryeo side treated the Tang envoys warmly and politely, but just refused to agree to the conditions of the Tang Dynasty.

Of course, the Goguryeo envoy also told Yeon Gaesomun about the Tang Dynasty's intention to send troops to personally help Silla, but Yeon Gaesomun remained unmoved and remained stubborn and refused to stop the fighting.

In desperation, on February 20th, the Tang envoys had to leave Goguryeo and prepare to return to Chang'an to report the news to Li Shimin.

On March 16, the Tang envoy returned to Chang'an and told Li Shimin in detail why Goguryeo rejected the Tang's proposal for a truce.

Li Shimin's rejection of the proposal to stop the fighting was not unexpected. After all, the war had already begun and it could not be stopped just by Yeon Gaesomun's order.

Even if he advocated a truce, the opposition in Goguryeo might not agree.

On March 17th, Li Shimin officially moved to Luoyang.

At that time, Luoyang was not yet the eastern capital of the Tang Dynasty.

But after all, there was a ready-made palace, so Li Shimin would occasionally come here to stay for a while.

Luoyang Palace was built in the first year of Daye, when Emperor Yang of Sui issued an edict to move the capital to Luoyang, and the construction of Ziwei City, the imperial palace of the Eastern Capital, began.

It was planned and designed by Chief Architect Yuwen Kai, and supervised by Imperial Guards Liu Quan and Secretary Wei Wanqing. 700,000 soldiers and laborers were deployed to build the city wall, and it was completed in only 60 days. It was the fastest construction speed in all imperial palaces of all dynasties.

A total of 1.7 million workers were employed, and more than 100,000 more were employed to build the palace foundations and walls within the city. The earthwork supervisor alone often employed 800,000 people, while carpenters, bricklayers, metalworkers, and stoneworkers employed more than 100,000 more. This was a full million more than the 700,000 employed in the Qin Efang Palace, the largest number in world history.

When building the Eastern Capital, Yuwen Kai "knew that the emperor wanted grandeur, so the system of Tokyo was extremely magnificent." And he was also extremely ingenious, so the Ziwei City "was built in a very extravagant and splendid way, unmatched by any capital city in previous dynasties," becoming the most magnificent palace complex in the world at that time.

In the fourth year of Wude, Li Shimin conquered Wang Shichong and saw the magnificence of Luoyang Palace. He sighed, "Indulging in extravagance and satisfying poor desires, how can one achieve nothing!" He ordered the burning of Qianyuan Hall, Yingtian Gate and Ziwei Temple, on the grounds that they were too extravagant.

Of course, the boomerang would hit himself. In the third year of Zhenguan, he wanted to rebuild the Luoyang Palace again, but was stopped by Dai Zhou's advice.

In the eleventh year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin came to Luoyang Palace for the first time and summoned Wu Meiniang into the palace and made her a talented lady.

Luoyang officially became the Eastern Capital of the Tang Dynasty only after Li Zhi issued the "Edict on the Establishment of the Eastern Capital", changed the name of Luoyang Palace to the Eastern Capital, and implemented the two-capital system.

Li Zhi upgraded Ziwei City from a temporary palace to the main palace of the empire and used it as the eastern residence.

Today, Luoyang’s status is somewhat similar to Shijiazhuang, and it is a hub city on the Grand Canal.

What Li Chengqian did not expect was that Li Shimin did not abandon him in Chang'an, but brought him, the basic team of the court, as well as Li Tai, Li Zhi and Li Mingda, all to Luoyang.

After learning that he did not need to part with his eldest son, Li Chengqian happily asked people to pack their luggage and head to Luoyang together.

Li Xiang was not surprised. After all, in history, Li Shimin personally led an expedition against Goguryeo, and Li Zhi was the regent in Luoyang as the crown prince.

He muttered to himself in his heart, Uncle Yao, it's for your own good if you don't come here to bring disaster to the Tang Dynasty!
The first thing Li Shimin did after entering Luoyang was to summon the local officials and local dignitaries who were guarding Luoyang to warn and appease them.

Of course no one dared to argue in front of the powerful Khan. Everyone behaved like a donkey following a horse's tail, and whatever the emperor said was what it was.

When they heard that the emperor had arrived in Luoyang and was preparing to lead an expedition against Goguryeo, the enthusiasm of the people in Luoyang was no less than that in Chang'an.

What's more, as the capital during the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui, many people in Luoyang City followed Emperor Yang of Sui to conquer Goguryeo and lost their lives there.

The new and old grudges combined together were like a raging fire, igniting the raging flames of revenge among the people of Luoyang.

Goguryeo?
I have endured this humiliation for more than 30 years!
Countless white-haired old men sent their sons and grandsons to the gate of Luoyang Palace, knelt on the ground and begged the emperor to allow their children and grandchildren to join the army and follow His Majesty to conquer Goguryeo.

Even if we don't want military pay or military merit, we just want to avenge our ancestors!

There were even elderly people who said that although they were too old to fight in the battlefield, they were willing to follow the baggage train and transport military rations to do their part.

Li Shimin stood on the palace, looking at the people below who were asking for war with tears in his eyes, his heart surging with emotion.

"See? This is the will of the people." Li Shimin turned around and said to Li Chengqian and the other two, as well as Li Xiang.

Li Xiang leaned against the battlement and looked down.

This is the sense of family and country that has existed in Han culture since ancient times!
The Luoyang people's request to fight not only moved Lao Li's family, but also shocked those who were concerned.

Many people thought that Li Shimin's attack on Goguryeo would definitely cause unrest among the people.

After all, it had only been a short time since Emperor Yang of Sui launched his three expeditions to Goguryeo, and many elderly people were still alive.

The previous lesson of Emperor Yang of Sui's failure in Liaodong and the waste of huge amounts of manpower and material resources was not far away. The people must have been strongly opposed to the expedition against Goguryeo.

However, the people's actions left them dumbfounded.

Those who had originally been dissatisfied with Li Shimin's decision to lead the army in person, and even wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble, all gave up their thoughts.

Let’s wait until we have conquered Goguryeo and then decide based on the situation!
After pacifying the people, Li Shimin thought of someone.

This person was none other than Liu Rengui.

Li Shimin had a very deep impression of Liu Rengui. After all, when he was only a county lieutenant, he dared to kill a lawless fourth-rank lieutenant.

Old Li was very angry at the time, but after summoning Liu Rengui and chatting with him for a few words, he thought that Liu Rengui was resolute and upright, so he not only did not punish him, but promoted him to the position of Xianyang County Magistrate.

In the autumn of the 14th year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin prepared to go hunting in Tongzhou.

The autumn harvest had not yet ended, and Liu Rengui submitted a petition to dissuade them.

Old Li then issued an edict to comfort him, saying: "Although your position is humble, you have served the country wholeheartedly. I highly appreciate what you have said."

Afterwards, Liu Rengui was appointed as the magistrate of Xin'an County.

Xin'an County was under the jurisdiction of Luoyang. From the first moment he arrived in Luoyang, Li Shimin thought of Liu Rengui.

When he heard that it was Liu Rengui, Li Xiang's humorous nature came out.

Of course he had heard of Liu Rengui, who fought in the Battle of Baekgang River and defeated the armies of Goguryeo, Baekje and Japan.

In fact, except for the Qing Dynasty, all feudal dynasties since ancient times have won against the Japanese invaders on the Korean Peninsula.

Even if he was as bad as Emperor Wanli, he could still beat the Japanese.

Li Xiang certainly knew that Liu Rengui and Su Dingfang did not get along well.

Or... why not put Liu Rengui into the navy and let him hang out with Su Dingfang?
The conflicts in the previous life will definitely not affect this life.

I don’t know what kind of chemical reaction will happen when these two people get together.

Li Xiang is really looking forward to it...

Moreover, this person had a long life, living until the first year of the Wu Zhou Dynasty's Chuigong period, at the age of eighty-four, which was enough for Li Xiang to use for a very long time.

After summoning Liu Rengui, Li Xiang told Li Shimin about this matter.

"How do you know he is suitable for the navy?" Li Shimin asked with interest.

"My grandson thinks Liu Zhengze is a talented person. It would be bad to let him waste his time as a county magistrate. It would be better for him to follow my grandson and make achievements in the navy." Li Xiang said with a smile.

Li Shimin glanced at Li Xiang and always felt that this grandson was like a chipmunk in autumn, who liked to hoard things.

Never mind. Anyway, the Tang Dynasty will eventually be passed on to you, so there’s nothing wrong in training some talents in advance.

Thinking of this, Li Shimin looked at Liu Rengui and asked, "Zhengze, do you agree with what the Prince of Hengshan said?"

Liu Rengui had just been looking at Li Shimin with longing. With all he had learned, he certainly hoped to have a chance to show his talents on stage.

What Li Xiang said was exactly what he wanted.

After hearing Li Xiang's assignment, he was unwilling to do it and immediately said excitedly: "I am willing!"

Li Shimin pondered for a moment and said, "Okay, then you will follow the Prince of Hengshan for the time being. When the navy training is completed, you will join the army to conquer Goguryeo!"

"Your Majesty, I am Liu Rengui. Thank you! Thank you, Prince Hengshan!" Liu Rengui said excitedly.

(Second update sent)

(End of this chapter)