Chapter 41: You go!

At the same time, Li Tai in the Literature Pavilion was complaining to Su Xu with a look of grievance:

"Uncle, Big Brother is too much! He actually mocked me in public.

If I can't get the opportunity to compile books, I don't know how he will look down on me in the future."

"We have to snatch it!"

Su Xu nodded slightly: "The Prince of Jin already has the support of Zhangsun Wuji and Li Shiji. We cannot let him get the support of the scholars in the world.

Now we have to go see the Crown Prince to see if he has any regulations for book compilation."

"He won't give it to me; what's the use of going!"

"Isn't he wanting Master Yan to help? Just use this to exchange with him.

Your Highness, wait a moment. I'll be back soon. I will definitely make the Crown Prince take the initiative to hand over the regulations."

"Good! I'll wait here for Uncle's good news."

Su Xu felt a bit uneasy in his heart. He always felt that this matter wasn't a coincidence, but everything looked like a coincidence.

Li Xin did offend Li Jue, the casino did set up a gambling game, and the fact that the Hongwen Hall couldn't recruit people to compile books was also a fact.

Going to find Li Chengqian this time was also to test him and see what Li Chengqian was thinking.

Coming to the Eastern Palace this time, Su Xu didn't see Li Chengqian fishing, but lying on a strange bamboo couch, with a cattail fan covering his face.

Even when Su Xu approached, Li Chengqian didn't show any intention of getting up. He didn't care about etiquette at all.

"Second Uncle, sit as you please!"

Su Xu didn't care about Li Chengqian's rudeness and found a place to sit down:

"Is the Crown Prince not planning to fight anymore? Didn't you have quite a bit of confidence last time?"

"Are you here to mock me? Congratulations, you succeeded!"

"No!"

Su Xu shook his head slightly: "Your subject is here to ask for the regulations for book compilation, or rather, your subject wants to know what problems will be encountered in book compilation."

"There is indeed a big problem, which not only you didn't discover, but even Zhinu didn't discover.

However, I won't say it. Qingque wanting to compile books is just a dream."

Su Xu's expression didn't change: "Why doesn't the Crown Prince listen to our conditions?"

"No conditions will work!"

"Tomorrow the Prince of Wei will invite Master Yan to the Eastern Palace. Is this okay?"

Li Chengqian lifted the cattail fan, and his eyes slowly opened:

"Not enough!"

"What if I pretend not to know that the clansmen of the Jingzhao Du clan are going to Taizhou?"

Li Chengqian sat up straight suddenly, his eyes staring fixedly at Su Xu:

"You actually planted people on my father-in-law's side. This doesn't look like brothers.

Even in the struggle for the throne, I didn't plant people around Qingque.

But it doesn't matter. You don't understand what I'm doing anyway. So what if you know!"

Su Xu frowned. He really didn't know what Li Chengqian wanted to do, and the people in Taizhou didn't know what the Du clan members wanted to do either.

"Although I don't know what Your Highness wants to do, I think I can still find some trouble for the Crown Prince."

Li Chengqian sneered: "You go! It's not that I look down on Qingque. If he had the guts, he would have become the Crown Prince long ago."

"The Prince of Wei might not have enough guts, but what about Zhangsun Wuji?

Your Highness should know that your subject has ten thousand ways to let Zhangsun Wuji know."

Li Chengqian lay back down. Although he was panicked, his tone was as flat as ever:

"The Hongwen Hall has already been dissolved. Do you think Uncle will kill me all, or rather, does he dare to?"

"Second Uncle, threatening me is useless. If you want the regulations, show some sincerity; otherwise, even if you get the right to compile books, you will never finish it."

Su Xu lowered his head, a sharp light flashed in his eyes. After talking for so long, he finally waited for the opportunity:

"What does the Crown Prince need?"

"Medical prescriptions!"

Li Chengqian sat cross-legged and looked at Su Xu earnestly:

"Tell Qingque, I want medical prescriptions, including those treasured by various aristocratic families and Daoism.

Don't tell me there aren't any. During the Jin Dynasty, metaphysics was prevalent, and all major aristocratic families raised Daoists. For the sake of longevity, they would stop at nothing. There must be alchemy prescriptions and medicine prescriptions."

"Your subject agrees! If the Prince of Wei doesn't come forward, your subject will sacrifice this face to collect medical prescriptions for the Crown Prince."

"Remember! Not just aristocratic families, but also Daoism and the people."

"Okay!"

After agreeing, a look of suspicion appeared on Su Xu's face:

"Book compilation already includes medicine. Why does the Crown Prince have to do this extra work?"

"Do you think that just by saying the imperial court wants to compile books, all the aristocratic families in the world will take out their treasured books?

If it was before, it wouldn't matter. There's no difference between hiding it in the imperial court and hiding it at home.

But now that the gazette has been reformed, are they afraid that Qingque will also publicize their hidden books?"

Speaking of this, Li Chengqian reached out to the teacup, took a big gulp, and then continued:

"It's fine if there are no annotations or sentence breaking, but those that are left at home with sentence breaking and annotations are experiences summarized generation after generation. Will they hand them over easily?"

"The Wugong Su clan has been prominent for six generations and must have a different inheritance. Will you hand it over?"

Su Xu frowned: "Is this why the Crown Prince said in the court that book compilation is just copying books?"

"Exactly!"

Li Chengqian admitted directly: "This is not the most difficult part. The most difficult part is the crafts. Good crafts are mastered by those doctors. They pass them down from generation to generation, but there are no books. Each generation relies on crafts to live.

If you want them to hand over their crafts, it's equivalent to cutting off their livelihood.

Paper, pen and ink, copying personnel, compilation tools, places to hide books, etc. —everything is difficult.

Although there are many troubles, if this monumental work is really completed, leaving a name in history is considered light.

Even after thousands of years, as long as this masterpiece is mentioned, all scholars will know who compiled it.

Anyone who participates in the compilation can be written on a separate page by historians, which can be called the ultimate honor."

After speaking, Li Chengqian shouted to a place not far away:

"Wang Qi, go get the book compilation regulations."

"Second Uncle, go back and tell Qingque, if I don't see the medical prescriptions within a year, I will make him withdraw from the struggle for the Crown Prince in advance."

"Heh!"

Su Xu chuckled: "Can the Crown Prince do it? Most of the officials in the court are on the side of the Prince of Wei."

"You can try!"

Li Chengqian wasn't lying. The moment Li Tai was tempted by the book compilation, he had already lost hope of ascending the throne.

Li Zhi was the same, but the difference was that Li Chengqian had already arranged a retreat for Li Tai, while Li Zhi hadn't arranged it yet.

Su Xu's movements were fast. Early the next morning, as the Director of Works in charge of royal construction, Yan Lide specifically put down his work and came to the Eastern Palace at the request of the Prince of Wei.

Compared to his younger brother Yan Liben, Yan Lide's reputation wasn't big. Li Chengqian only knew there was such a painter after crossing over, and he was also Li Tai's father-in-law.

"Your subject, Director of Works Yan Lide, pays respects to the Crown Prince."

"Master Yan, please sit!"

"Thank you, Crown Prince!"

Yan Lide didn't stand on ceremony. After sitting down, he spoke slowly:

"I don't know what important matter you have for finding me?"

"Take the Prince of Qi to build palaces, let him eat and live with those commoners, and leave all the hard and tiring work to him."

?????

Yan Lide was dumbfounded. He began to suspect that something was wrong with his ears:

"Crown Prince, you said let the Prince of Qi participate in building palaces?"

"Yes!"

Li Chengqian sighed: "There's no other way. Everyone knows what he did. I had to throw away my face to save his life.

But being kept under house arrest in Taiji Palace will inevitably lead to resentment. A few days ago, he was still cursing Father in the palace.

This time, I threw my own face on the ground and stepped on it to save his life.

Letting him go outside to be punished is better than staying in the palace and causing trouble." ===== CHAPTER 42 =====