A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1254: There is a Palace on Mount Li

There is a palace on the high Mount Li, with three levels of red buildings and purple palaces.

The Hot Spring Palace is 60 miles away from Chang'an, facing the Wei River and backed by Mount Li.
"It is said that this place was a tourist destination of the Zhou emperor thousands of years ago during the Western Zhou Dynasty. The hot springs at that time were called Xingchentang."

Wei Zheng looked at the pleasant scenery of Mount Li and couldn't help talking about history.

"According to the Records of Three Qins, in the early years of the First Emperor, a stone building was built and named Lishan Tang. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty embellished it. In the fourth year of Tianhe reign of Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, he ordered the Grand Chancellor Yuwen Hu to build the Huangtang Stone Well. In the third year of Kaihuang reign of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, thousands of pine and cypress trees were planted and houses were built,"

"During the Zhenguan period, the emperor ordered Jiang Xingben and Yan Lide to renovate the palace, add palaces and pavilions, and named it Tangquan Palace."

After the Tangquan Palace was rebuilt, the emperor went to Jiucheng Palace in Qizhou to escape the summer heat every summer and autumn, and visited the Lishan Hot Spring Palace in autumn and spring.

Today, Mount Li not only has the Tangquan Palace, the emperor's temporary palace,
Because the emperor often came here, a large number of officials, palace ladies, and imperial guards accompanied him every time, making this place particularly lively. Gradually, Mount Li has become a very lively town.

Mount Li is shaped like a horse and its color resembles black, so it is called Mount Li.
The peaks and ridges on both sides of Mount Li are as beautiful as clouds, hence the name Xiulingya.

At this time, the sun sets.

The verdant mountains are colorful in the afterglow of the setting sun. This is the Sunset on Mount Li, one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Chang'an. Many literati and poets have left poems for this beautiful scenery.

It is only sixty miles east of Chang'an.

This distance and this beautiful scenery have made countless Chang'an dignitaries rush to build villas and manors in Mount Li in recent years.
In fact, the Wu family also has a manor in Mount Li.

There was even a house granted by the emperor in the town at the foot of the mountain outside the Tangquan Palace.

The most famous thing about Mount Li is, of course, its hot springs.

Li Yuan used to come to Mount Li often to soak in the hot springs.

Taking a hot spring bath in Mount Li in winter is indeed a great way to spend your vacation.

The Wu family's Lishan Manor also has hot springs, but they are real natural hot springs, not boiled water.

Tangquan Palace faces south and was built according to the terrain of the mountain. There is a gate on each side of the palace, the Nanyang Zhaoyang Gate. There is a road leading to the mountain through this gate, so it is also called the Mountain Gate.

The west gate is Wangjing Gate, and there is a Wangjing Tower on the mountain outside the gate. Standing on the tower, when the weather is fine, you can see Chang'an sixty miles away.

Jinyang Gate is the main gate of Tangquan Palace. There is a trench outside the gate and a bridge over the water, which is called Wangxian Bridge.

On the left and right of the bridge are the Lecture Halls, where the emperor lectured on military tactics with his guards, and where the imperial guards were stationed.

Behind the bridge are the left and right court halls, and behind them is the Hongwenguan.

The scale of this place is no less than that of Jiucheng Palace, and it can even be said that it can become a temporary imperial center at any time.

The emperor's bedroom is Feishuang Palace, and behind the palace is the hot springs used exclusively by the emperor, Jiulong Soup, and Furong Soup used by concubines.

To the west of the palace are the Seven Saints Hall and Yaoguang Tower, which are prepared for the crown prince and the concubines of the Eastern Palace.

The emperor's Nine Dragon Pool has a circumference of several feet. The pool is lined with white jade, and various patterns of dragons, phoenixes, fish, birds, etc. are embossed on the stone surface.

This was Wu Huaiyu's first visit to the palace after its reconstruction. Seeing this magnificent and luxurious palace, he could not help but sigh.

The Tang Dynasty has indeed become wealthy in recent years.

It was very luxurious for the emperor to build a palace for himself to practice.

Although Wei Zheng had advised the emperor about these issues many times before, Li Shimin still built many palaces such as Jiucheng Palace, Daming Palace, Luoyang Palace, Tangquan Palace, etc. over the years. Some of them were repaired, while others could be said to be rebuilt.

But Wu Huaiyu felt that he could understand.

He has built many villas and manors over the years. He has cash in his hands and he spends it when necessary. Even a farmer in the country would consider building a house if he has a good harvest in a good year.

From an economic perspective,
Money must circulate, especially among the upper class. The Matthew effect will make money continue to gather in their place. If they don't circulate the money,
The economy will become stagnant.

As long as Li Shimin had allocated his own or the country's finances reasonably, instead of forcibly conscripting craftsmen and laborers to build a palace and then allocating wood and stones to the local areas, that would have been a waste of money and manpower.

The emperor had saved some money, and he could use some of it to build a palace. He could hire laborers and craftsmen, and buy the necessary materials at market prices. In this way, it would no longer be a waste of money and labor, but would instead stimulate domestic demand and increase people's income.

Normal circulation of money and reasonable redistribution.

Only people like Wei Zheng would not tolerate the emperor's better life. They would criticize him if he ate better, used better things, and lived better.
It seemed that they would only be satisfied if the emperor was an ascetic.

He himself didn't care much about money. After all, the house in Chang'an was a reward from the emperor. Later, the emperor felt that Wei Zheng's house was too shabby, so he used the remaining materials from repairing the palace to renovate Wei Zheng's house.

Wei Zheng has been concentrating on being a human mirror and criticizing the emperor these years, and has not paid attention to other financial matters, but he is indeed not short of money. As a prime minister, his salary is good, and various benefits are increasing every year.
He also had some extra income, which was from Weigongjia Wine and writing epitaphs for people, both of which were very profitable. In fact, this was also money earned from the influence brought by his high position and power.

The sunset pavilion on the mountain,

It is a perfect location to watch the sunset of Mount Li.

Here you can enjoy the beautiful scenery very well.

"The sun has set and the wind has become a little cold. Lord Wei, let's go down the mountain and soak in some warm water. It will be good for your health if you soak in some warm water more often.

If you can swim every day, it is actually a very good way to keep fit.”

Although Wei Zheng had often criticized the emperor for building the Tangquan Palace in the past, at this moment, while sitting in the Wanzhao Pavilion, he could look around and see the mountains, rivers, palaces, and the beautiful scenery of Mount Li.

Beautiful.

The only regret is that the sun is about to set and this beautiful scenery is short-lived.

He thought of himself, and his own death, which was about to end. He felt so much regret and was reluctant to leave.

The entire Mount Li Palace is composed of the palace city, the Mianshan Forbidden Garden and the small city. The small city is where the residences of the officials who accompany the emperor are located. There are also many government offices in charge of the palace affairs.

The small town is about the same size as a block in Chang'an, covering an area of ​​more than 600 acres.

The emperor granted Huaiyu a mansion in the small town, covering an area of ​​17 acres, which was already the largest mansion granted to a noble here.

The area is 17 acres, one-third of which is occupied by houses, one-fifth by water, and one-nineth by bamboo. There are islands, trees, bridges and roads between them.

The Wu family spent a lot of time and energy on the decoration and construction. The 17-acre garden is still very charming. There is also a hot spring inside.

Wei Zheng was also given a house in the small town, but it only had five acres of land, and he did not build anything special. He kept it the same as when the emperor gave it to him. He sent a few old servants to look after it, as a way of providing for their old age. His wife and children would occasionally come to stay here in the winter and spring, but Wei Zheng seldom came.

There are several hot spring pools in Huaiyu's Ci Di.
The pool he invited Wei Zheng to join him was the largest one, which was suitable for guests. It was very large and shaped like a crabapple flower. There were tiers of platforms on the inside of the pool. The first tier was two and a half feet deep, twelve feet long, and nine feet wide, and was built with sixteen arched stones. The second tier was one foot and eight feet deep, ten feet long, and seven feet wide, and was built with eight arched stones. The bottom of the pool was paved with bluestone slabs.

There is a waterway connected to the hot spring water source.

It's early February and the weather is cold.

The hot spring in the hot spring room has clear water and a comfortable temperature. When you soak in the hot spring water, your pores open and your nerves relax.
The whole person feels very relaxed.

It is very pleasant to soak in the hot spring and drink tea to replenish water.

Wei Zheng also enjoyed it very much. His terminally ill body could really be recuperated by taking a bath in this cold February.

"Duke Wei, you can't soak for too long. Just soak for about a quarter of an hour."

Wu Huaiyu is strong and healthy, but different.

He soaked in the hot spring pool for a quarter of an hour, and then went to the cold water pool for a swim. The alternating hot and cold water soaks were like doing gymnastics for the blood vessels.

Soak in hot water for a quarter of an hour, wipe your body clean after coming out, soak in cold water after three or four minutes, repeat several times.

Finally, a full body massage.
Combined with early morning mountain climbing, the Eight Vajra Exercises in the morning and the Eight Longevity Exercises in the evening, this is the fitness method taught to Wu Huaiyu by the old Taoist priest when he was studying in the mountains. The old Taoist priest lived for more than a hundred years and had never suffered from any illness.

The old Taoist priest took hot and cold baths all year round, which kept him healthy. He even told him that this could also enhance a man's sexual abilities.

The Wu family has dedicated masseurs. These people are engaged in serious projects and even have serious backgrounds. They studied medicine and specialized in acupuncture and massage.

A massage, I feel so refreshed.

Wei Zheng had been suffering from various diseases for the past six months, including gout and lung cough, which made him miserable. He had not had a good night's sleep. However, after soaking in the hot spring and having a massage, he actually fell into a deep sleep.

Sleeping soundly,

Although this was only temporary, it did allow him to gain this rare peace.

Wu Huaiyu felt full of energy after the massage.

"Alang,"

study,

Kunlun slave Tang Fengxiao was already waiting for him.

"News came from the Western Regions that civil unrest had broken out in An State. The Turkic king of An State, Zhao Wusha, arrested and executed Buhar Hudahalinga on the grounds of treason, which aroused the dissatisfaction of the Sogdians in An State. Many Sogdian nobles raised the flag of rebellion.

An Lushan, the instructor of the Unity Camp of Parthia, raised an army and, under the banner of revenge for his sworn brother Helingjia, attacked the royal city and killed Zhaowu in the chaos.

Now, the Sogdian nobles of Anguo have won the hearts of the Turkic nobles of Anguo. They wrote to the Tang Dynasty requesting that the son of Holinga be appointed as the new King of Anguo and Governor of Parthia, so as to restore their Sogdian royal lineage of Anguo.

In their joint petition, they also requested the court to let An Lushan serve as the deputy governor of Parthia and the commander of the militia to take charge of An Lushan's state affairs, on the grounds that Helingjia's son was young.

Wu Huaiyu was very calm after hearing this and did not show much surprise.

When he arranged for An Lushan to go to Anguo, he had expected this day to come. However, he did not expect this guy to be so impatient. He took action only half a year later.

He believed that Zhao Wushe was the victim in this matter. If An Lushan and He Lingjia had not pressed him too hard, Zhao Wushe would not have dared to fight to the death.

Unfortunately, both of them died in the end, which benefited An Lushan.

Now An Lushan had the support of the Tang Dynasty, and in his hands was the 5,000-man Parthian Unity Camp that he had recruited and trained. Next to him was Shi Shouxin, the king of the Shi Kingdom, who was his sworn brother.

The Sogdian nobles in Anguo knew who to support at this time.

Supporting An Lushan, purging the Turkic nobles in the country, and redistributing the interests they had seized over the years was also a good compensation. As for An Lushan, an outsider, becoming king,
This is not without precedent. When the Western Turkic Khan conquered Persia, he sent his son Yehu to be the King of An.
Now it has simply been replaced by a Tang person, who at least calls himself a Sogdian, a descendant of the royal family of An State who migrated eastward.

Fatty An is very ambitious. Once he got to the river, where the sky was high and the land was vast, he became even bolder.

But this is not a bad thing. As long as he doesn't become too arrogant, being the regent of Anguo now and becoming king himself in the future is also a good result.

"Immediately dispatch some people to support Zhu'er, help him to stabilize the situation." Huaiyu finally instructed, "Contact Xiao Shitou, and ask him to pay more attention to Anguo and be ready to support at any time."

"There is another piece of news,"

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince who is staying in Chang'an, has transferred General Su Lie, the governor of Yaozhou, to be the governor of Yingzhou and the protector of Andong. This matter has been approved by the Political Affairs Hall and will probably be submitted to the Saint for approval soon."

Hearing the news, Huaiyu frowned.

In recent years, Cheng Yaojin, Xue Wanshu, Zhang Jian and Cheng Mingzhen have successively served as governors of Yingzhou, and they all concurrently served as the protector-general of Andong.

At the end of last year, the court transferred Cheng Mingzhen to be the governor of Youzhou and demoted Wu Huaiyu to be the governor of Yingzhou and the protector of Andong. As a result, he was assassinated in Luoyang on the way and was recalled to the court to resume his position as prime minister.

The positions of Governor of Yingzhou and Protector of Andong have remained vacant.

Su Dingfang is fully qualified for this position in terms of both qualifications and ability, but it is a bit inappropriate for the crown prince to make this appointment.

Su Dingfang originally served as the Prince's Right Guard Commander, but was dismissed by the emperor a few years ago.

Everyone knows that Su Lie is Li Jing's eldest disciple and Wu Huaiyu's senior brother.

The prince was a little too anxious.

"Any other news?"

"I heard that Uncle Changsun and Zhang Liang had a quarrel in the government hall, and it was quite fierce."

Wu Huaiyu read the news one after another, asking a few questions from time to time.

(End of this chapter)