Ji Tang

Chapter 1508: Time flies~
A great emperor passed away, an emperor who had influenced the Tang Dynasty for decades. As the news of Li Shimin's death spread, the whole country was shocked. The people cried and the officials mourned.

This was an era of transition from chaos to order, an era of passing down achievements for generations, and the era of Li Shimin.

He left, but he left behind a vast territory that stretched from the ocean in the east to Persia in the west, from the North Sea in the north to the Strait in the south. The population of the country doubled from 20 million in the early Tang Dynasty to more than 50 million today.

He has millions of armored soldiers, generals like clouds, and counselors like rain. He is loved by the people, respected by the officials, and submitted to by all nations.

On the day of the burial, the people of Chang'an bid farewell in silence, without crying, but watching in extreme silence. They did not want to wake up their beloved Majesty, but only wanted him to leave in peace.

Princes Li Chengqian, Li Tai, Li Ke and others escorted the coffin, followed by hundreds of officials and tens of thousands of soldiers on standby. This was not like a funeral procession, but more like escorting their emperor to war.

When the coffin was brought into the mausoleum, cries resounded through the heavens and the earth. Hundreds of thousands of people wept, as if even the heavens felt the sadness, and a light rain began to fall.
In the south of Haozhi County, at Ji’s Manor, a bamboo forest covering hundreds of acres sways slowly in the evening breeze.

In an open space, there is a two-story bamboo building, not big but very exquisite. On the second floor of the bamboo building, an old man with white hair and beard is holding a book made of unknown animal skin.

Faintly, the three words "Classic of Mountains and Seas" jumped into my eyes.

"The first kings of Shu were Cancong, Baifu, Yufu and Kaiming. At that time, people wore topknots and wore left-side lapels. They did not know writing and did not have rituals or music. From Kaiming to Cancong, a total of 34,000 years have passed."

An old and clear voice sounded, speaking slowly and unhurriedly, as if it would not be moved even if the sky fell.

slap~
After closing the book, the other person's face was finally revealed. His hair and beard were as white as winter snow, but his face was rosy as if he was in his thirties or forties, making it difficult to tell his age from his appearance.

"Time flies so fast!"

Ji Song put his hands behind his back, looking at the empty sky with a complicated expression, as if he saw familiar faces, and as if asking: Why don’t you come yet?
"It's almost there, it's almost there, just wait a few years"

Thirty years passed in a flash. Last year, his children celebrated his 88th birthday. He finally reached the age that he envied when he was young. He could do whatever he wanted, and no one could force him to do anything he didn't want to do.

"Grandpa, why are you here again? Didn't I tell you that this place is too poor and you are old? If it were your grandson..."

Snapped! ~
Ji Song slapped the other person in annoyance, looked at him with a squint, and said in a tone that could make people angry to death: "Control, control, control. When I was young, I listened to your grandmother and ancestors. When I was in the court, I listened to your grandfather and foreigners. Now I have finally lived to an age where no one can control me. What? Do I still have to listen to you now?"

Ji Shuo said with a wronged look on his face: "Isn't my grandson worried about your health?"

"Bullshit, when I was young, your grandfather was an invincible commander on the battlefield. Now those Western barbarians tremble when they hear your grandfather's name. If they knew that I have to listen to the children at home, wouldn't they laugh at me?"

"Okay, tell me, what do you want from me?"

Seeing Ji Shuo, who was already in his thirties and still depressed by what he said, he asked.

"Oh, there's news from the palace. His Majesty is afraid..." Ji Shuo said with a sad face.

Ji Song was stunned. How long had it been since he and Li Chengqian last saw each other? The last time was several years ago. No one expected that Li Chengqian could live so long. He must be eighty years old, right?

He had abdicated ten years ago, and when Li Jue succeeded to the throne, he began a decade-long tour of the world. According to him, he had been trapped in Chang'an for 90% of his life, so of course he wanted to go and see his own world when he got old.

Therefore, except for a few years when he came back to recuperate due to illness, he spent the rest of his time touring the country. From time to time, you can hear about the incident of an official in a certain year and month in a certain place.

This scared the officials in various places. Although he was no longer the emperor, he was even scarier than when he was not the emperor. When he was in power, he used cruel officials, and many corrupt officials were frightened by him.

This was a man who would not tolerate any injustice. During his more than 50 years in office, according to statistics, more than a thousand officials were questioned, an average of about per year, and these were all officials above the fifth rank. As for those below the fifth rank? Haha, they were not worthy of being questioned by the emperor himself.

Therefore, in recent years, the administration has been clean and honest, the people have lived and worked in peace and contentment, there have been no foreign threats, and the national strength of the Tang Dynasty has been growing day by day.

The Tang Dynasty was not the Ming Dynasty. The salaries of officials might not be as high as those of the Song Dynasty, which used the whole country's strength to support the literati, but compared with other dynasties, it can be said to be unique.

Even if one is not greedy or corrupt, it is enough for the whole family to live a rich and decent life. If one has outstanding political achievements, it would be amazing. The rewards at the end of the year would be much higher than the salary.

Compared with the Zhenguan period, the territory of the Tang Dynasty did not undergo much change during Li Chengqian's reign. At first glance, the surrounding forces were either obedient little brothers or were so frightened by the Tang Dynasty that they dared not move. Even if they wanted to fight, it was hard to find a reason.

However, although the land has not changed much, the ocean is indeed changing with each passing day. The route between the north and south Yinzhou has been completely established, and it only takes half a year to make a round trip. Now some people have begun to explore the route in the southern hemisphere. Perhaps it will not be long before it will succeed.

"Grandpa, Grandpa," Ji Shuo called softly.

"Hmm? Oh, go tell the person who comes that I will go to the palace tomorrow. Don't make any fuss. It makes me upset!" Ji Song said.

That's right, one year after Li Shimin's death, Li Chengqian recounted his achievements in the court and conferred him the title of Prince. After Li Jue ascended the throne, he was conferred the title of King of Zhou. So, now he is a legitimate king of the Tang Dynasty. He is the most powerful official in the country.

"Grandson understands. I'll tell the messenger right away!"

Ji Shuo left, and Ji Song slowly came to the depths of the bamboo forest, where there were also several tombs.

"Dad, Mom, are you all right down there?"

Twenty years ago, my mother passed away peacefully without any pain. Her only request was to be buried with my father.

Turning his head to look at the other tombstones, one of them was larger because half of it was prepared for him, and the other half was for his wife Youning.

"You are free, but I am left all alone in the world. How cruel!" The wife left with a smile. When she learned that her grandson who lived overseas would come back to see her after getting married, she was too excited for a moment and couldn't recover. She fell ill and passed away soon after.

The other graves are those of Xiaozhu, Xiaoqing, and Qinglian.

All the people who had accompanied him throughout his life were gone, leaving him alone as an old man living in the world, reminiscing about the past day after day.
(End of this chapter)