Chapter 35: You better have a reason

"You better have a reason, otherwise I'll throw you into the lake to feed the fish!"

Looking at Li Chengqian's murderous face, Li You swallowed his saliva:

"B-Big Brother, didn't you call me to come find you?"

"Hehe!"

Li Chengqian revealed a sinister smile: "I told you to come, but I didn't tell you to come this early.

The dawn drum at Chengtian Gate, the main gate of Taiji Palace, hasn't even sounded yet,...?"

"Dong! Dong! Dong..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of drums rang out, spreading in waves from the inside out.

The more than one hundred temples in Chang'an City also began to strike their morning bells, the impassioned, jumping drumbeats intertwining with the deep, distant bells.

Hearing the sound, Li Chengqian knew that the major gates of the imperial palace, the major gates of the government office area (Imperial City), and the gates of each ward would open in sequence, and he couldn't sleep in either.

Compared to Li Chengqian's look of regret, Li You was overjoyed:

"Big Brother, the drums have sounded; I came at just the right time."

"Smack!"

Li Chengqian grabbed a scroll of books and smashed it onto Li You:

"I don't care if the drums sound or not. You disturbed my beautiful dream today, and this matter won't end like this.

After eating, come with me to the Guozijian."

"What are you going there for? Are you preparing to make me study? I won't go even if I die."

"Study my ass!"

Li Chengqian was full of irritation at this moment, and his tone was also very harsh:

"If I wanted you to study, I might as well have sent you to the battlefield."

"Then what are we going to the Guozijian for? Those are all poor pedants; I don't want to get involved with them."

"I told you to go..."

Before he could finish, Li Chengqian realized he was indeed a bit irritable. After taking three deep breaths, he spoke to the door:

"Wang Qi, bring a basin of clear water!"

"Yes!"

Before long, Wang Qi brought a basin of clear water. Li Chengqian buried his head in the water and only started wiping his face after he had calmed down.

"Phew..."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, signaling Wang Qi to take the water away, and only then did he continue:

"When we get to the Guozijian, keep what you see in your mind, the more detailed the better.

I know you don't like reading and like hunting, but you are an Imperial Prince. Since you enjoy the power and wealth brought by being an Imperial Prince, you must do something for Great Tang.

From now on, you are working for Great Tang, not for Big Brother. I will help you find your own positioning.

As long as you work hard, you will surely not live this life in vain! You will surely make Yin Fei proud of you!"

"Understood!"

Li You looked listless; he had no interest in this at all. He thought his Big Brother was taking him to practice military formations, but who knew it was to the Guozijian.

"Big Brother, let's eat quickly. Let's go early and return early, and we can go see the Turkic military formations on the way."

"Everything that should be known about the Turkic situation is already known. I won't go looking for the Turkic people for the time being."

A look of confusion appeared on Li You's face: "What do you mean? Didn't you like two armies fighting each other, which is why you looked for those Turkic people?"

Li Chengqian shook his head and didn't answer this question:

"Let's go! Let's eat first. I'll explain it to you properly on the way to the Guozijian!"

The original owner did indeed like two armies facing off, and because of this, many soldiers died, but Li Chengqian couldn't admit it. He had to find a reasonable explanation for his previous actions.

At the same time, in Yongle Ward, Yuwen Ding sat with several young men, his eyes glancing from time to time at the shirtless Hu person.

To be precise, he was glancing at the freshly baked sesame Hu flatbread.

"Gulp!"

The Hu boss clearly heard this sound and looked up at Yuwen Ding and the others:

"Young masters, do you want spicy or sour for the Bo-tao soup?"

"Spicy!"

"Sour!"

"Sour!"

"Alright!"

Before long, the Hu boss brought the flatbread and soup and placed them in front of Yuwen Ding and the others.

Several people didn't hesitate at all and reached out directly to grab the Hu flatbread.

"Phew, phew, phew!"

"Brother Yuwen, the food here is really good, especially coming here in winter to drink a bowl of Bo-tao soup. I wouldn't trade this life even to be an immortal."

"Even eating can't block your mouth!"

Yuwen Ding spoke indifferently: "After eating, let's go to the Guozijian to take a look later. I don't know if we can get in."

"We definitely can't get in! We aren't students inside, and we don't know anyone inside."

Yuwen Ding was full of regret: "I've visited most places in Chang'an City, even the Wei Wang Pond, and only the Guozijian is left."

"I'll take you!"

A young man put down the Hu flatbread in his hand and grinned:

"Brother Yuwen, I am from Shanyin, Kuaiji. My uncle is a Director of Studies at the Guozijian. I'll go beg him later."

"Oh?"

Yuwen Ding said in surprise: "Guozijian Director of Studies Ding Qing is your uncle?

Oh right! You also have the surname Ding!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yuwen Ding suddenly stared fixedly at the young man opposite:

"The Ding clan of Shanyin, Kuaiji Commandery is also a great clan. Why are you mixing in the marketplace and telling me you have no money?"

Ding Quan touched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed: "I was tired of reading, so I ran to Chang'an to play.

Recently, my money ran out, and I didn't want to go find my uncle, so I looked around to see where I could make money."

"You're really something! Eat quickly; after eating, we'll go to the Guozijian."

After speaking, Yuwen Ding turned his gaze to another young man:

"Yang Xian, don't tell me your hometown is in Hongnong."

Yang Xian shook his head repeatedly: "No! Like Brother Yuwen, I have nothing to do with those aristocratic families."

"That's good! That's good! Eat quickly!"

An hour later, Ding Quan took Yuwen Ding and the other two to the Guozijian and soon met Ding Qing.

"Unfilial descendant! You haven't contacted your family for half a year. Are you trying to anger your father to death?"

As soon as he saw Ding Quan, Ding Qing scolded him sternly:

"While parents are alive, one should not travel far; if one travels, one must have a destination. Do I need to repeat such a simple principle?

If you hadn't appeared, I would have almost gone to beg the Jingzhao Prefecture government to post a notice."

"Uncle, didn't I come to find you? And there are outsiders here; can you give me some face?"

Ding Qing then noticed Yuwen Ding and the other two. Seeing Ding Qing look over, Yuwen Ding hurriedly bowed:

"Yuwen Ding pays respects to Director Ding!"

"Yang Xian pays respects to Director Ding!"

'Yuwen? Yang?'

Ding Qing instantly thought of the Guanlong Yuwen clan and the Hongnong Yang clan, and his expression couldn't help but improve:

"Since the two virtuous nephews are friends of Ding Quan, I suppose you are also scholars. It is good to visit the Guozijian.

However, the Crown Prince is at the Guozijian today, talking with Libationer Kong next door.

You should be careful and not offend the Crown Prince."

"Yes! We..."

"Pedantic! Pedantic!"

Before he could finish, a roar resounded all around, and the students nearby reading books all showed looks of confusion.

"Libationer Kong, is this how you understand 'reviving extinct states and continuing severed lineages'?"

"What is a state? It is the territory where the people gather! To revive an extinct state is to revive the people within the territory; to continue a lineage is to continue the culture of propriety and righteousness! It is benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust!

If there is no inheritance, how can future generations revive it? And how can they continue the concepts of the sages?"

Facing Li Chengqian's questioning, Kong Yingda didn't retreat at all:

"Your subject has no intention of blocking Your Highness's wish to compile books, but the Guozijian students cannot participate.

Where does learning begin? Where does it end? It is said: Its number begins with reciting the classics and ends with reading the rites;

Now the students haven't even mastered the classics, so how can they participate in compiling books? If they misinterpret the classics and write down their own wrong concepts, it will affect future generations."

"No annotations needed! As long as they seek truth from facts, future generations will naturally understand the words of the sages."

"Breaking sentences is annotation!"

Kong Yingda looked calm: "With the talent of the Guozijian students, they are not yet capable of taking on such a great task.

Moreover, what is taught in the Guozijian is Confucianism; the various schools of thought like Daoism, Mohism, and Legalism are not involved, let alone crafts, medicine, etc." ===== CHAPTER 36 =====