Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 462 Take the initiative
Chang'an, Jiujun Mountain, Zhao Town at the foot of the mountain.

It was breakfast time and wisps of smoke were rising from the village.

The village is filled with the sounds of children reading and playing, a peaceful scene.

Rows of luxuriously decorated houses stood in neat rows. The street, which could accommodate eight horses running side by side, had few pedestrians, so it became a place for children to play.

Many children aged eight or nine rode their family’s ponies and played polo on the streets.

A scene of peace and tranquility.

In the feudal era, this scene seemed like a dream, but it was real.

It is no exaggeration to call Zhaozhen the best town in the world.

In fact, more than 20 years ago, Zhao Town, like many towns in the world, was an inconspicuous town with a remote location, poor and small.

Until someone drew a circle on the map.

Jiuyi Mountain is full of undulating mountains and majestic, like nine dragons gathered together. It is said that one peak is abrupt, nine beams are surrounding it, it is like a tiger sitting in the north of Wei River, covering Guanzhong with its majestic appearance, nine beams are supporting it, and one peak stands out.

Emperor Taizong Li Shimin selected this place as Zhaoling Mausoleum. From then on, Zhaozhen, the town closest to Zhaoling Mausoleum, rose to prominence.

The people of Zhao Town did not have to pay taxes or perform labor service. They only had to be responsible for the tombs of all the princes and ministers buried in Zhaoling Mausoleum, as well as tidying up the mountain trails.

As for Zhaoling itself, there are palace maids cleaning it, so there is no need to worry about it.

In the feudal era, people had land and farmland, and did not have to pay taxes or perform labor service, so it goes without saying how life was.

A man in red clothes and riding a red horse entered the town, looking at the children playing polo on the street, with a smile in his eyes.

Seeing the stranger coming, the oldest child put his hands on his waist and shouted: "Who are you, madam? Why are you here? No outsiders are allowed to stay here..."

Seeing the child was so smart, Li Hongqing smiled and clasped his fists: "I am the descendant of Duke Wei. I have been away from Beijing for many years. I came to Beijing this time to pay tribute to my ancestors."

After parting with Chen Qingsi, Li Hongqing continued to mourn for the bearded guest. When the mourning period was over, he also took a boat to Dengzhou.

Li Hongqing hadn't seen her father for many years and missed him very much. Although Li Dejian had arranged the couple's marriage, the two had a big fight and things got very tense. But there was no overnight hatred between father and daughter, so she spent some time with Li Dejian.

When she returned to Suzhou, she learned that her father had been humiliated.

Li Hongqing was so angry that he almost drew his sword and killed someone, but thinking that Li Dejian never liked the underworld and couldn't stand the life of an outlaw, he secretly had someone tie him up and threw him to a senior who raised snakes in Zhoushan.

Since Zhang Ling threw her father into the pigsty, he would lock Zhang Ling in the snake cave.

With his way, he also gave his body.

After venting her anger for her father Li Dejian, Li Hongqing finally met him.

When they met, Li Hongqing noticed something unusual.

In the past, Li Dejian was very disgusted with showing up in public as a girl. She thought the right thing to do was to learn music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry and songs, and to marry into a good family.

This is also the reason why father and daughter have always been at odds.

But when she returned home this time, Li Hongqing found that her father not only did not blame her too much for being away from home for a long time, but instead asked her what she had done outside and who she had met over the years.

Li Hongqing was not good at lying. He just picked out the key points and told them briefly. He was comfortable with such an important matter as protecting Chen Qingsi.

Although Li Hongqing said it lightly, Li Dejian still heard some ambiguity in it.

Li Dejian did not disapprove of Chen Qingsi. With Chen Qingsi's current achievements, it would be hard to find another one in the Tang Dynasty. He just didn't want his daughter to be a concubine. After all, he was the eldest son of Li Weigong, the military god of the Tang Dynasty. Although the title of the Li family had been passed on to his younger brother, he was still proud of this identity.

But if Li Hongqing fell in love with him, wouldn't it be a heinous crime if I tried to break them up?
Thinking this way, Li Dejian also told Chen Qingsi how Chen Qingsi had obtained amnesty for him and helped him vent his anger.

When Li Hongqing came back, Zhang Jiake had already controlled public opinion. No one mentioned the possibility that Li Dejian had a relationship with Chen Qingsi anymore. All they talked about was the stupid thing that Li Dejian had done by taking Wu Shi San.

Therefore, Li Hongqing didn't know that Chen Qingsi was involved in this. From what she heard from her father, there were doubts and a hint of matchmaking, which made her feel anxious and embarrassed.

After spending time together in Baekje, Li Hongqing understood her own feelings. However, she was too proud to be someone's mistress and didn't know what to do as she had the dignity of being the daughter of Li Weigong.

Li Dejian's words irritated Li Hongqing.

"In fact, with my daughter's personality, it is more than enough for her to marry an ordinary man, but if she wants to marry Mr. Chen, she is not up to the task. If you really want to be in love with each other, as long as Mr. Chen can treat you equally and not let you suffer any grievances, your father can accept it."

What is Red Lady's personality like?

You won't give up until you reach the wall.

Li Hongqing felt that she and Chen Qingsi were not destined to be together, and that she arrived a little late. If they had met earlier and understood each other's feelings earlier, why couldn't she be Mrs. Chen?
The more Li Hongqing thought about it, the more dissatisfied she became.

Li Dejian said, "No matter what the decision is, Mr. Chen has rescued my father from the cage, and it is reasonable for me to come and thank him. My father does not want to go to Chang'an to see his old friends, so you should go there on his behalf to repay his kindness. My father was banished from the capital and trapped here. My father died of illness, and I was unable to fulfill my filial piety. When you go to the capital, you should first visit the Zhaoling Mausoleum in Jiujun Mountain and burn incense and kowtow to your grandfather on my behalf."

Li Hongqing thought about it and it made sense, so she took this opportunity to make things clear.

Li Hongqing did not go north immediately, but thought of telling the news of Qiu Ran Ke's death to several elders who stayed in Jiangnan first, and then traveled around Jiangnan before setting off for Beijing. According to her father's order, she came to Zhaoling to pay homage first.

When the child heard that Li Hongqing was actually Li Jing's granddaughter, his eyes were filled with admiration, and he said, "So you are the descendant of Lord Wei. I am so sorry for your disrespect. I will take you to see my grandfather now. Lord Wei is my second admirer... Madam, please tell me about Lord Wei."

Li Hongqing herself did not have a deep impression of Li Jing, after all, she was still young when Li Dejian was banished from the capital. Most of the information about her grandparents came from Qiu Ran Ke.

However, just from these few words, you can tell how great your grandfather was.

In this child's mouth, it is only ranked second?

Li Hongqing rode forward and asked, "Who is the first one?"

"Of course it's Mr. Qingxi Chen Qingsi!" the child said as a matter of course.

Li Hongqing felt a little hot in her ears for some reason and asked, "Is Mr. Chen more powerful than Li Weigong?"

The child said, "That's not true. At first, I admired Li Weigong the most. Later, I felt that Mr. Chen was more genuine, so I admired him more."

The child took Li Hongqing to his home.

The child's grandfather was the village chief. He checked Li Hongqing's whereabouts and confirmed her identity before sending people from the town to guide her.

Li Hongqing looked at the clean mausoleum, the stone portraits of his grandparents carved by Yan Liben himself, read the epitaph standing nearby, and felt the glorious life of the military god of the Tang Dynasty, and couldn't help but be fascinated.

"As children of the Li family, how can we bring shame to our ancestors?"

Li Hongqing made up his mind. He kowtowed nine times respectfully and went down the mountain with a determined look on his face.

Li Hongqing planned to say goodbye to the village chief before leaving.

Before reaching the house, I saw two horses outside the village chief's house.

One of the horses was very familiar to Li Hongqing, it was the champion...

For a moment, his heartbeat quickened, he unconsciously whipped his horsewhip, and was quickly admitted to the hospital.

I heard an interesting conversation.

"Can the Dapeng really fly that high?"

"Of course I can."

"Are there really gods in the Yellow Crane Tower?" "I think there should be!"

"Is Mount Tai really the highest mountain?"

“This shouldn’t be it!”

"Then why can you reach the top?"

"Well...if you live longer, you can ask Du Fu."

“Who is Du Fu?”

"Pfft!"

Li Hongqing couldn't help laughing out loud.

Chen Qingsi felt relieved and walked out of the house quickly. Looking at Bai Yueguang's smiling face, the worry in his eyes disappeared.

Zhou Kui brought the news that Li Hongqing was coming to Beijing, and Chen Qingsi had already made mental preparations to welcome him.

As a result, after waiting for a long time, there was no sign of him, and I couldn't help but worry.

Li Hongqing has a free and easy personality and a strong sense of justice, just like her grandmother. Could it be that she saw something unfair on the road and provoked a powerful opponent?
In fact, Li Hongqing was delayed because he wanted to inform the news of Qiu Ran Ke's death.

Chen Qingsi used his connections to investigate, but only today did he learn of her whereabouts.

To avoid any more trouble, Chen Qingsi decided to go there in person, but he never expected to meet a little fan who asked all kinds of questions.

The two men said goodbye to the village chief and left Zhao Town together.

Zhou Kui followed along and waited at the entrance of Zhao Town with his guards, but did not enter the town.

After they reunited, Zhou Kui tactfully led his men away.

Li Hongqing asked, "Why are you here?"

Chen Qingsi said, "I knew you were coming to Chang'an, and I waited for a long time, but there was no sign of you, and I couldn't sleep or eat, so I sent people to inquire everywhere, and until today, I got some news. But I'm still worried, and I couldn't help but come to see you in person to make sure you are okay."

Li Hongqing felt warm in her heart, and the corners of her mouth could not help but curl up slightly, but she said: "You sent someone to follow me?"

Chen Qingsi asked, "Is there anyone following us? With your kung fu, how could you not notice it?"

Li Hongqing thought about it and it made sense.

Chen Qingsi continued, "I know your father was wronged, so I took the opportunity of the Fengshan ceremony to pardon him. I asked Zhou Kui to inform your father to avoid any accidents during this critical period. It just so happened that your father's incident happened... The Zhang family of Wujun has a high status in Suzhou. They are worried that your father will be persecuted again, so they asked people to keep an eye on him, and they also learned about your visit to Chang'an..."

He paused and said, "I know you are a skilled martial artist and nothing will happen to you easily. But I was really worried because I didn't hear any news from you. Fortunately, everything is fine..."

Li Hongqing sensed the worry in his words, and felt sweet in her heart. Thinking that her lover cared about her so much and took such good care of her father, the idea she had just made was forgotten. She said proudly, "You are still worried even though you know it. It's unnecessary."

Chen Qingsi whispered to himself, "I can't help it."

Li Hongqing's ears turned red. She felt that the beloved beside her, compared with his previous dullness, seemed to have become smarter and his mouth was filled with honey.

"Ugh!"

Li Hongqing sighed softly. How great would it be if she was not Li Jing’s granddaughter?
Chen Qingsi pretended not to hear.

He understood the rules of the game of that era. The gap between a wife and a concubine was too huge.

Even if she was a co-wife, she had to enter the house as a concubine, and then be elevated to the position of co-wife regardless of etiquette and laws, and then start the process of making her the legitimate wife.

Li Hongqing has to figure it out herself.

Chen Qingsi was tactful enough not to add fuel to the fire.

Chen Qingsi took Li Hongqing back home.

If she were a real lady, she would feel it was inappropriate at this moment.

However, Li Hongqing's personality was originally towards Hong Fu Nu, and he had followed Qiu Ran Ke in the martial arts world for a while. He was open-minded and free-spirited, not fussy about trivial matters, and did not care.

Li Hongqing was already acquainted with Xiao Miaochen, Qianyan and Qingkong, so she didn't feel strange.

But since he was her opponent, Xiao Miaochen, Li Hongqing couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

Xiao Miaochen had long known her husband's intentions and had specially consulted her about Li Hongqing's matter. At this moment, she seemed extremely generous and even closer to him than when they were recuperating from their injuries, which made Li Hongqing feel a little at a loss.

The only strangers are Chen Dalang, Chen Qian, and Chen Jingjing.

The little guy is almost seven years old. He is at an active age and is interested in learning a lot. He is interested in everything.

Chen Qingsi did not restrict his beloved son from developing his hobbies and interests. Now the son did not show any special talent in either literature or martial arts, but because he was enlightened at an early age, he was more literate than ordinary people, and he came into contact with horses earlier than ordinary people, and his riding skills were better than his peers.

Being superior to ordinary people in both civil and military affairs is an innate advantage. This is what it means to win at the starting line.

However, this advantage may not be able to be maintained forever, it depends on the future development direction.

Focus on what suits you best, and keep the other as a side job to avoid being too biased.

Li Hongqing's sharp swordsmanship successfully won the little guy's favor.

On this day, Li Hongqing was practicing sword in the yard. The slender three-foot green blade turned into a sharp sword light, which seemed to pierce and cut the air, making bursts of breaking sounds.

only……

Li Hongqing put away her sword and said nothing. No matter how sharp the sword was, it couldn't cut off the sorrow in her heart.

Sheathing her sword, Li Hongqing strode towards the back garden. She was staying in the guest room, not in the back garden, but she had the right to enter and leave the back garden.

Today is the fifteenth day, the full moon day of the month, and there will be a grand court.

Chen Qingsi left home early in the morning to attend court.

For some unknown reason, Li Hongqing came to the back garden and learned that Xiao Miaochen was reconciling accounts in the accounting office. Following Qingkong's guidance, she came to the accounting office.

Xiao Miaochen greeted her warmly, led her to sit aside, and said, "Madam Li, please wait for a moment. I will settle the accounts and accompany you later."

She returned to her seat and started clacking away on her abacus.

Li Hongqing came closer and saw the thick account book with densely written words. He couldn't help but ask, "Do you want to settle all these?"

Xiao Miaochen said: "Of course, my dear is now the Minister of War. He has military merits and is also a Grand Secretary. He has a noble title. My dear Minister of War is a third-rank official. He receives 400 dan of rice and 900 mu of official land. His monthly salary is 6 guan..."

"This is his salary as the Minister of War, and also as a Grand Secretary..."

"My dear, you are now a county lord..."

"He has military merits, so he can assign fifty officials to serve as guards... Generally speaking, officials are unwilling to work as guards. They will use Tongbao to buy their freedom. One person is about..."

Xiao Miaochen was just talking about Chen Qingsi's salary, but Li Hongqing was already a little confused.

(End of this chapter)