Chapter 54: Zhangsun Chong

Li Shimin sighed: "I have already asked; he does not want to give it up, and Su Xu and the others will not let him give it up.

In their view, the greater Qingque's reputation, the easier it is to ascend the throne.

Because no matter which dynasty or generation, talents are needed to govern the country, and the hearts of scholars are more important than anything else.

But they forgot that too much is as bad as too little; if you hold the sand in your hand too tightly, it will slowly flow away."

"Holding and filling it is not as good as stopping. The Crown Prince is using Laozi's words to make the Prince of Wei give up the throne himself."

Li Shimin nodded slightly: "This is Gaoming's governing by Dao and ruling by virtue.

Regardless of ability or status, Gaoming is the most suitable candidate.

But look at his style of doing things. If he really ascends the throne, and everyone in Great Tang governs by virtue in the future, how should the history books record Great Tang?"

"Is His Majesty afraid that the atmosphere will change? Just like the oath of the Luo River back then, once someone starts it, with superiors acting and inferiors following, everyone will become untrustworthy?"

"Yes!"

"Since that is the case, why doesn't His Majesty test it while the Crown Prince is supervising the state?"

Li Shimin did not respond. The older he got, the more entangled he became. Originally, he was worried about brothers killing each other; now, he is worried about the inheritance of Great Tang.

Choosing Li Chengqian, he is afraid that one day the whole world will rebel; choosing Li Tai, he is afraid that the aristocratic clans will make a comeback; choosing Li Zhi, he is afraid that the Emperor of Great Tang will become a puppet.

He still wanted to choose Li Ke, but Li Ke is not a son of the Empress, and the civil and military officials of the court would not allow it.

Li Chengqian also knew about Li Shimin's entanglement; otherwise, Li Zhi would not have ascended the throne in the original history.

It was also because he knew Li Shimin would be entangled that he thought about using the conflict between Li Tai and Li Zhi.

In Li Chengqian's entire plan, everyone could be replaced; only Xuanzang and Sun Simiao could not be replaced.

If they had an accident, his plan could only be rearranged.

Sun Simiao, whom Li Chengqian was thinking about, was currently traveling at the foot of Qiyin Mountain in He Prefecture, Huainan Circuit.

The world only knows that Sun Simiao spanned the four dynasties of Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, and Tang, but they do not know his age.

Although Sun Simiao was old, he looked like a middle-aged man, and his legs and feet were more agile than a young man's.

His physical strength was even better than a human's; he didn't even pant after traveling all morning.

"No! Can't do it! Teacher, let's rest for a while!"

Sun Simiao stopped, looked up, and nodded slightly:

"Very well! It is already noon; let's eat some dry rations before setting off again."

Hearing this, Meng Shen quickly opened the package and placed the dry rations and water in front of Sun Simiao:

"Teacher, you eat first!"

Sun Simiao broke the baked cake and handed half to Meng Shen:

"I don't know how the situation in Luzhou is. Let's go to Chao County first to ask about the situation."

"Teacher, why don't you recruit more disciples? How many people can you save by yourself?"

"I am afraid of misleading disciples and harming lives. If there is even the slightest error in medicinal materials, it could harm someone's life."

"That's true!"

Meng Shen ate the baked cake and spoke vaguely: "If you encounter someone without a benevolent heart, it would be losing Teacher's face.

News came from Zhongnan Mountain a few days ago saying that the Crown Prince is looking for you everywhere; he should want you to treat his leg ailment.

Didn't the village we just passed also have people asking about your whereabouts?

If we go to Luzhou this time, it won't be long before the Crown Prince's people come to the door."

"No matter! If I can stop the Luzhou epidemic from spreading, what does it matter if I go to Chang'an?

I am afraid the Crown Prince is not doing it for the leg ailment. I went to Chang'an a few years ago, and at that time, I already told His Majesty and the Crown Prince that I am powerless regarding that leg."

"If not for the leg ailment, what else could it be? Surely not to consult Teacher about health preservation techniques."

At the same time, in Qianzhou of the neighboring Jiangnan Circuit, Su Jun and Chu Suiliang rarely did not break out into a scolding war.

"Prefect Su, I will inform His Majesty about the Qianzhou matter in detail. All the monks in Qianzhou will testify for me; you cannot run away."

"Hehe!"

Su Jun hung a disdainful smile on the corner of his mouth: "Go ahead! I admit I sent people to take it, so what?

You don't store grain, and you must put it in a Buddhist temple. Isn't that stupid?

Don't look at me being young; I know Northern Zhou Emperor Wu's extermination of Buddhism and the Buddhist reform during the Wude era clearly."

Chu Suiliang's face was ugly. He felt that compared to these young people, his brain was indeed not enough.

He fell into a dilemma. If he told Li Shimin, Su Jun could suggest the imperial court thoroughly investigate the Buddhist temples of the world to see if every Buddhist temple had a prefecture's worth of grain.

If he didn't say it, wouldn't he have made the trip in vain? How could he gain Li Zhi's trust after returning?

*'Forget it, forget it. It's better to use the Duke of Zhao's plan and just transfer Su Xu out of Chang'an for a period of time.'*

Thinking of this, Chu Suiliang took a deep breath, and his expression returned to calm:

"Prefect Su, since the granary is fine, I will leave first. I hope Prefect Su will not regret today's actions in the future."

"Slow walk, no send-off!"

Su Jun's mockery was not concealed at all:

"My father and Scholar Chu were both among the Eighteen Scholars of the Prince of Qin's Mansion. Why aren't you as wise as I am?

Look at the things you've done; is this something a human can do?

I am truly worried about the health of the Prince of Jin. Do you think he will be angered to the point of vomiting blood by you one day?"

"Hmph!"

Chu Suiliang then flicked his sleeves and left; he was afraid that if he listened any longer, he would be angered to the point of fainting again.

Returning to his temporary residence, Chu Suiliang went to the study to meet Daolin, the abbot of Lianhua Temple, for the first time.

"Master, Prefect Su does not admit it was his doing. I ask Master to accompany me to Chang'an!"

"Amitabha!"

Daolin put his hands together, his face full of compassion:

"That was grain used to treat believers during a disaster year. Prefect Su truly shouldn't have forcibly plundered it while we were exchanging at the Buddhist temple.

This poor monk will accompany Doctor Chu to Chang'an."

"Many thanks, Master!"

Zhangsun Wuji's plan was to use their own methods against them. Since you used Buddhist temples to force Chu Suiliang to leave Chang'an, he would also use Buddhism to force the two of you to leave together.

Not only that, Zhangsun Wuji was also prepared to pull the firewood from under the cauldron, making Li Tai completely lose the hearts of scholars.

For this reason, he sent Zhangsun Chong to the Eastern Palace. He felt that only Li Chengqian was most suitable to do this.

Regarding Zhangsun Chong's arrival, Li Chengqian was a bit surprised:

"Brother-in-law, why did you come? Do you want to go fishing with me?"

Zhangsun Chong looked at Li Chengqian, who was holding a fishing rod and lying on a bamboo couch, a trace of envy flashing in his eyes:

"The Crown Prince is truly leisurely. If one day I could be like the Crown Prince, that would be great!"

"I also envy you! Being called the Wang Xizhi of Great Tang, in the future, choosing a consort for a princess will have to be based on your standard."

Zhangsun Chong revealed a gentle smile that made people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince is joking!"

"Not joking. Among the aristocratic children I have seen, you are the most talented and have the least ambition.

Sometimes I even wonder how many good deeds Uncle did in his previous life to be able to give birth to you."

Li Chengqian was indeed not lying. Whether in history books or the original body's memory, Zhangsun Chong's character was indeed impeccable.

If there was a shortcoming, it was that he hadn't experienced the beatings of society and perhaps couldn't withstand too much pressure, just like the original body.

"What is the matter for which you seek me today? As long as it is a private matter, I will agree to all of it."

Zhangsun Chong did not hide anything and directly said:

"Father wants Your Highness the Crown Prince to help find the errors in the 'Kuodizhi'."

"Slap!" ===== CHAPTER 55 =====