Since coming back, Li Xiang has not had a good talk with Li Chengqian. Perhaps because of what happened last time, Li Chengqian still has some resentment towards Li Xiang.
Seeing Li Chengqian in front of him, Li Xiang didn't know what to say. Xiao Xiazi had just reported to him that several young and beautiful women had come to the Eastern Palace, but the Imperial Hospital had already prepared medicine, and these women were destined to never have children in their lives.
There was a reason why Li Xiang did this. If he really gave birth to a bunch of sons, he would also encounter the confusion of Li Shimin. When Li Yuan was sent to the harem for recuperation, Li Yuan wanted to cause some trouble for Li Shimin, so he gave birth to sons one after another and let Li Shimin confer a lot of princes on him.
If these people were useful to the court, Li Xiang would not mind conferring a large number of princes, but these people were just living off the court's treasury and were of no use to the entire court. Keeping these people would simply be a deduction for the court.
Apart from this, Li Xiang did not want any changes to happen. If there were any changes, the chances of internal friction would increase. Li Xiang was the person who hated internal friction the most. If everyone had the energy to work together and go outside to expand territory, why would they have to fight in Chang'an City?
When they arrived at the square in front of the palace, Li Xiang saw Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji strolling there. They should be going to meet the emperor together, so Li Chengqian and Li Xiang hurried down. When facing others, they could stay in the sedan chair, but when facing these two people, Li Chengqian felt that he could not sit still because one of them was his uncle.
After the four people greeted each other, Li Chengqian felt a little redundant. It was obvious that these two people had no desire to talk to him, so Li Chengqian left first, and Li Xiang stayed to accompany the two old ministers for a stroll.
Looking at his nephew, Changsun Wuji shook his head. He was still a little impatient. In such an occasion, even if no one talks to you, you have to follow around. You are still not magnanimous enough. Your son has become a successful person and overshadowed his own brilliance. Do you still want to care about it?
However, in such a situation, Changsun Wuji could not treat his uncle with disdain, after all, the uncle had a biological father above him. Although it was natural for an uncle to educate his nephew, this nephew was the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty. In addition, Li Xiang's power had soared in recent times, and his power as the crown prince had also risen with the tide. If he wanted to call the nephew over to give him a lecture as before, Changsun Wuji felt that it was a bit too much, so he simply let it go. Fortunately, Li Xiang was a sensible person.
"Your two cousins have caused you trouble in the south. Don't give your youngest cousin too high a position. You know exactly what kind of person he is. Although he hasn't made any mistakes along the way, he's been causing trouble in Chang'an for more than ten years. If you rashly give him too high a position, you'll be the one who suffers."
In front of Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji had nothing to hide. Everyone knew that his youngest son was useless and had been doing whatever he wanted in the entire Chang'an City, even doing the most outrageous things. If it weren't for Changsun Wuji's old face, that kid would have been beaten to death countless times.
"Uncle, don't judge me with such a stale mind. My cousin did a great job with the letter from the Prince of Zhennan. It's a shame he was ambushed by the thieves from the Tianlong Temple. Otherwise, this would have been a great achievement. However, our Tang Dynasty court emphasizes clear rewards and punishments. Even though there were mistakes later, the merits he made earlier cannot be erased."
Li Xiang's painting made Changsun Wuji very comfortable. In fact, Changsun Wuji had already received the news a long time ago. In Li Xiang's memorial, Changsun Ze's name was also listed. Although he could only be promoted to a small level this time, he was also included in Li Xiang's camp.
As the patriarch of the Changsun family, Changsun Wuji couldn't just stand on the wrong side at this time. If he did, the emperor's punishment might come at any time. But it was different for his sons. Both of his sons were on Li Xiang's side, so it was better not to talk about his daughter's affairs...
"Your Highness, the Emperor has finished his breakfast..."
Originally, the three of them wanted to talk about something else, but Wang De had already come over from a distance. Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling looked at each other. Wang De, this lackey, also had his eyes and eyebrows raised. If it were normal times, this guy would just ask a little eunuch to run over. His own legs were very heavy, but this time Li Xiang came back, and this guy came over to show off his cleverness.
Because it was not a morning court today, Li Shimin did not call many people. Apart from Li Xiang and his son, there were only Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling. According to Li Shimin, there was no point in calling those people. If there was anything to ask, he could just go to them. Anyway, they were not needed to discuss things.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
After many days, Li Xiang came to the Qinzheng Hall again, and what caught his eyes was a magnificent scene. You have to know that the Tang Dynasty court had no money before, so even the place where Li Shimin lived was a little shabby. But now the taxes from all over the country have returned, and the fiscal revenue is nearly doubled than before, so Li Shimin became generous in spending money.
Take the palace lanterns in front of us for example. They were originally made of brass, but now they have become pure gold. Of course, it doesn’t matter if the things used by the emperor are made of pure gold. According to Li Xiang, as long as the emperor doesn’t cause trouble in the rear, even if you cover the entire palace with gold foil, we will find a way to get it for you.
"Thank you for your hard work in Nanzhao. The Tang Dynasty has gained another territory, which is also another contribution of yours."
Li Shimin was indeed very happy at this moment. Yesterday, the historian had already recorded this in the history books.
Eighty percent of the article talks about Li Shimin's contributions, fifteen percent talks about Li Xiang's contributions, and the remaining five percent records Su Dingfang and others.
Li Xiang understood this very well. No matter what era it was, half of your achievements would be taken away by your superiors. Being able to even talk about your achievements was already quite difficult. Some people simply wouldn't even mention it. How could you resist? If you dared to resist, you would lose your head.
"It was my grandfather who planned and directed everything from behind the scenes. I, your grandson, was just following the rules."
Li Xiang also gave a typical flattery, and the relationship between the grandparents and grandchildren was very happy.
