Great Tang princess

In the weather at the end of the year, a thin layer of ice formed on the dusty concrete road, and a dusty team was moving forward.

Nearly thirty carriages carried a large amount of goods, ready to be sold to Chang'an for a fortune.

Seeing that Chang'an was just around the corner, An Dachuan, who was at the front of the team, had some expectations in his heart.

He is a Sogdian. He has lived in no fixed place since he was a child, and has been doing business with his family.

Last year, his father passed away due to illness, and An Dachuan, who was only 19 years old, joined his uncle An Fugui.

He used to go to other places with his father, and this is the first time he came to Chang'an to run a business when he grew up.

He turned his head and asked, "Uncle, how was this road built?"

Although they have never been to Chang'an, the Sogdians have been doing business since childhood, and being able to speak multiple languages ​​is a basic skill.

"Speaking of which, before I came here, this road was only paved in Chang'an City, but now it's outside the city... This place is at least 100 miles away from Chang'an." An Fugui was also a little surprised.

"When did uncle come back to Chang'an?"

"Speaking of which, it's been almost ten years." An Fugui had a look of nostalgia on his face.

An Dachuan was a little curious: "I heard that Datang has a vehicle that can fly into the sky, but is it true?"

"Yes, in Chang'an, this thing is not uncommon, you can see it from time to time." An Fugui replied.

As he spoke, he suddenly raised his head and pointed to the sky: "Look!"

An Dachuan raised his head, just in time to see a big shuttle in the sky slowly moving sideways.

Maybe it's because it's flying too high, so it doesn't look that big, it doesn't seem to be the same as imagined.

"Well, it's different from the outside of Datang's airship. It must be foreign." An Fugui looked at the painting on the outside and explained in a low voice.

"There are also other countries?"

An Fugui nodded: "Datang sold this thing to many countries. It's been a new year, and missions from all over the world use this thing to pay tribute, and it can save a lot of time."

"But... isn't Chang'an still ahead? Why are you flying there?"

"Foreign airships must land in Xianyang, and then take a car to Chang'an, otherwise they will be shot down." An Fugui explained, "This is a rule set almost ten years ago."

An Dachuan replied subconsciously: "Is this somewhat harsh?"

"Then Chang'an is where the imperial palace is located, so it's not strict. What if someone attacks the emperor?" An Fugui replied with a smile.

An Dachuan thought about it, and it seemed that this was indeed the case.

……

A distance of one hundred miles is not too short for a carriage dragging goods. Even if it is a smooth concrete road, it takes two full days to walk.

This is also because the law and order in Datang is good, and there are no robbers blocking the road now, so they can travel in the afternoon without worry and set up camp at dusk.

At dusk two days later, Chang'an City finally appeared in sight.

However, when he saw the city wall in front of him, An Dachuan was puzzled: "Is this... a war?"

The uncle next to him was also surprised, because the original gate of the city wall was gone, replaced by a huge opening more than ten feet long.

Moreover, there are a group of workers on the walls on both sides of the disconnection who are packing up their things, as if they have just finished a day's work and are preparing to go back.

"This...it wasn't like that ten years ago..."

An Fugui muttered to himself in surprise, and at the same time couldn't help but wonder in his heart, if there was a war, would he still be able to keep his several truckloads of goods?
But if you think about it carefully, it’s not right. The journey here was uneventful, and I also saw the airships of foreign envoys coming to pay tribute. It didn’t look like a war.

So he walked forward quickly for a certain distance, caught up with a Han man who was about to leave and asked, "Brother, may I ask why the city wall has become like this?"

After the man heard this, he turned his head and glanced at them, and then said: "There is no way, the space in Chang'an City is not enough now, and it is somewhat crowded. Your Majesty ordered that part of the city wall be demolished and expanded..."

After finishing speaking, he asked again: "Are you a caravan from a foreign country? Hurry up and book a room at the restaurant. There are too many foreigners coming recently, and I'm afraid there will be no place to stay if you go late!"

Everyone was relieved to hear that there was no war.

After expressing their gratitude, everyone hurriedly pulled the carriage into the city.

After entering the city, the sun almost just set.

At this moment, the street in front of them suddenly lit up, which shocked them all.

Looking up, I saw concrete poles erected on both sides of each street, and on the poles, a round object was emitting bright yellow light, illuminating the dark streets.

There are basically one pole every four feet, but the two sides of the street are spaced apart.

So in fact, there should be one every two feet to provide lighting for the street.

These bright balls are like stars, arranged in a criss-cross pattern on every street in Chang'an City.

Although the walls of many square cities in Chang'an City have been demolished, the streets are still laid out horizontally and vertically.

Looking over from here, you can clearly see those glowing balls on other streets as well.

"Uncle, this is..."

When An Dachuan asked, his voice couldn't help shaking.

The scene he saw in front of him was completely beyond his understanding, and he couldn't keep calm at all.

The uncle next to him was not much better, but luckily he could barely remember where the West Market was, so he decided to take them to find a place to live first.

I came to the place according to the route in my memory, and it was also bright here.

Although the sun has set, there are still many people hanging out here, talking and laughing with each other.

From time to time, you can see young couples walking down the street holding hands, making fun of each other, and the people around them are not surprised by it.

After looking for three restaurants in a row, there were no vacancies, so I had no choice but to choose those that looked expensive.

For example, not far away, there is an outstanding wine shop, which is five stories high!
If it is true, An Fugui doesn't want to live here, but there is no other way, there are no vacancies around.

But fortunately, it looked very professional here, and their carriages were parked firmly in the backyard.

The horses were also fed with high-quality forage, the manger was covered with white snow salt, and even a few raw eggs were added to the forage.

It is said to be free, but as a businessman, An Fugui knows very well that this part of the cost must be added to the room rate.

But it's all here, so be it.

After booking the B-size room on the fourth floor, as soon as I entered the room, I saw a glowing ball on the ceiling, illuminating the whole room.

After staring carefully for a while, I felt that my eyes were uncomfortable, so I went to the window to get some air.

However, when he looked outside through the transparent glass window, he couldn't help but take a breath of air.

Because it is relatively high here, you can see a small half of Chang'an City.

As far as the eye can see, all the streets exude bright light, so that the world's first city that never sleeps is fully displayed in front of his eyes.

It's really hard to imagine, although it was already the most prosperous city in the world when I came here ten years ago.

But in just ten years, the changes here are getting bigger and bigger, as if entering a fairyland.

While Dr. Tea came in to deliver the tea, he beckoned: "Don't leave, I came back to Datang, it was nearly ten years ago, why don't you tell me what has changed in these years!"

Dr. Cha was a little embarrassed: "Your honored guest doesn't know something, the business has been busy recently, and I really don't have time..."

Uncle took out a shiny foreign silver coin and put it on the table, grinning: "Let's chat casually!"

Seeing the shiny silver coin, the smile on Dr. Tea's face became even wider: "Oh, then... I wonder what the distinguished guest wants to know?"

"Well... let's talk about what happened in the past ten years."

"That's too much..." Dr. Cha pointed out the window, "Just say this street lamp, didn't it exist when the distinguished guests came back? It was installed five years ago, and it took two years to fill the entire street light." Chang'an..."

"Street lamp? Since it is a lamp, it has not been ignited..."

"Your guests don't know, this lamp is not used for ignition. I heard that it uses lightning, but I don't know the details. But in Chang'an today, all the high-end teahouses and restaurants, as well as people with good conditions, have installed it. Well...if a distinguished customer buys a house here, what is the name of the one under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry...the power supply bureau can handle it..." Dr. Cha explained.

"So that's it, that means this item can be sold?"

"Yes!" Dr. Cha nodded, "But if there is no thunder and lightning, it seems that it can't be used..."

Hearing that thunder and lightning should be used, An Fugui's mind was puzzled, how to use thunder and lightning?
"Anything else?"

Dr. Cha thought for a while: "Furthermore, there are several kinds of dark vehicles on the street, but those are used by the nobles, and have nothing to do with ordinary people like me. The most changed are various laws, but I don't know much, and I don't know what it means..."

Literacy is not much, that is to say, I know Braille to some extent.

An Fugui couldn't imagine that all the tea doctors in this restaurant could read and write now?
This made him feel that maybe in the next few days, he should take a good look at what this Great Tang has become.

……

The next morning, Princess Mansion, main hall.

After finishing the morning exercise, Li Yuechen sat on the rocking chair and took a pen to record something from time to time.

"Your Highness, His Highness the Crown Prince is here with the child."

"Hmm..." Li Yuechen agreed, expressing that he understood.

As soon as the words fell, the voice of a little boy who had just reached the voice-changing period rang out.

"Grandma—"

A little boy who was only in his teens ran in excitedly, and then threw himself on Li Yuechen.

"You kid, you're still so naughty!" Li Yuechen grabbed his back collar with a smile and lifted him up and put him aside.

"That's right, don't bother your aunt all the time!" A little girl who came in from behind pointed her hips at her hips and taught her a lesson.

Li Yuechen smiled: "Oh, Danyang is here too."

This little girl is only nine years old this year, and she is Li Chongrun's eldest daughter, Li Danyang.

After another 5 minutes, Li Chongrun came in from the outside, holding two boys and a girl who looked no more than five or six years old.

"aunt."

"You said you, why do you bring them with you every time you come to my place?" Li Yuechen said with a smile.

"My aunt said she likes children, so I brought them here." As he spoke, Li Chongrun sat down beside him.

"It can't be helped. When people get old, they like children more." Li Yuechen replied, while waving his hands for Xiaodong to make tea.

Li Chongrun raised his eyebrows: "Old? How does my aunt look old now? Her hair is still black, and there are no wrinkles on her face."

"Who said that?" Li Yuechen grabbed his braid and said, "Look, aren't these all white hair?"

"It's just a few, not as many as on my nephew's head..." Li Chongrun complained in a low voice.

Although Li Yuechen is now over 50 years old, there are still very few gray hairs, and you need to look carefully to see it.

It cannot be said that there are no wrinkles on the face, it can only be said that they are not obvious. Only when he smiles, the corners of the eyes will be a little bit.

Her figure remained unchanged, and she was almost indistinguishable from a 20-year-old girl if she only looked at her back.

"Speaking of which, how is your grandpa?" Li Yuechen asked.

"It's an old problem, but it's nothing. It's just that I haven't been very energetic recently. I said yesterday that I plan to abdicate..." Li Chongrun replied.

Li Yuechen nodded: "It's good to retire, and enjoy more. You have gradually taken over the government over the years, and the Ministry of War is indeed a bit busy."

"It's okay. Nowadays, most of the government affairs are handled by the cabinet, and there are not many memorials. The main thing is the Ministry of War..." Li Chongrun replied.

In recent years, the emperor has delegated more and more powers, and more than 95% of internal affairs are handled by the cabinet.

A few years ago, Li Xian suddenly fainted once, and the medical school concluded that it is best to rest more.

So Li Xian directly made his son the executive deputy emperor, and basically handed over all the memorials to him.

Under Li Yuechen's guidance, Li Chongrun began to delegate power, and gradually handed over all internal affairs to the cabinet, thus forming the current situation.

"What's the matter? Don't want to become the throne?" Li Yuechen asked with a smile.

"I'm still young after all, and I'm afraid I won't be able to convince the public..." Li Chongrun replied with some embarrassment.

"Since ancient times, there have been many emperors who are younger than you. What are you afraid of?" Li Yuechen smiled, "Besides, with your experience, you may not be able to convince the public in the court, but it is enough to be able to convince the public in the army!"

Hearing her words, Li Chongrun nodded: "I'll have a good talk with Grandpa after this matter is over."

"With your grandpa's body, it's a good thing to abdicate as soon as possible, and it's good to be the emperor. As for you... when you ascend the throne, let's organize a military parade!" Li Yuechen said.

"Military parade?" Li Chongrun was a little suspicious.

"You are from the army, and you are the emperor, and everyone in the army will obey you! Organize a military parade, not only for the court to see, but also for foreign envoys to see, to show the power of the Tang Dynasty! Save your ascension Then someone will see you looking for trouble when you are young."

Although there are almost no countries that dare to fight against Datang these days, we should try our best to avoid people making troubles in various ways.

The military parade was for Li Chongrun, the young emperor, to show off his muscles.

Tell the foreign envoys and the ministers in the court, don't look for trouble just because he is young, you must be obedient!Obedient!