The Flourishing Tang Dynasty: Beginning with Marrying Yang Yuhuan

Chapter 393 Tang Dynasty Bestseller

The major policies have basically been decided. We will first recuperate for two years, negotiate politically on the border, and defend militarily.

In terms of specific arrangements, Li Heng asked Yan Zhenqing to guard Youzhou, Li Baoyu and Li Baozhen to guard the states in central Hebei, Ma Sui to guard the states in southern Hebei, Zhang Xun was transferred to Henan, Li Guangbi to guard Hedong, and Pugu Huai'en to guard Shuofang.

As for Li Huaixian, Li Heng transferred him to Huainan Road to serve as governor.

Li Heng made preliminary arrangements, and the next step was to work step by step and wait for the opportunity.

Li Heng had some free time and wanted to go out for an inspection. His first stop was Luoyang.

Li Ying told his ministers about his idea of ​​going out for a walk.

This time, almost all ministers stood up to oppose.

Liu Yan is no exception.

Liu Yan said, "Your Majesty, the country has just been stabilized and the finances are tight. It will cost a lot for you to go on an inspection tour. Please wait a while before going on an inspection tour."

Li Heng said: "I don't need to bring many people with me when I go out. I only need two thousand guards."

Liu Yan said: "When the emperor goes out, he needs to be dignified. He cannot bring only two thousand guards. Everything should be done according to the rules."

Feng Changqing replied, "Your Majesty should indeed travel according to the regulations. If Your Majesty does not follow the regulations, and the rest of the world follows suit, it will become even more difficult to govern."

Liu Yan and Feng Changqing took the lead, and the others naturally followed.

Li Heng had no choice but to put it aside temporarily.

Li Ying returned to the inner palace.

Seeing that Li Heng was not interested, Yang Yuhuan asked, "What's on your mind, my dear?"

Li Heng said truthfully: "I originally wanted to go out for an inspection with a small group of people, but all the ministers were against it. Even Liu Yan and Feng Changqing did not understand."

Yang Yuhuan said: "It is precisely because they understand you that they want to oppose you. You are now the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Your words, deeds, and actions represent not only yourself, but also the Tang Dynasty."

How could Li Heng not know this? He smiled and said, "When you lived in Luoyang before, I said I would take you to Luoyang to have a look."

Yang Yuhuan was startled and said, "I have no choice."

Li Heng said, "When food was scarce in Guanzhong, the emperor often went to Luoyang to live."

Yang Yuhuan said, "During the Kaiyuan period, the emperor wanted to go to Luoyang in September, but some ministers stopped him, so he changed it to October. Now that Liu Yan has reformed the grain transport system, supplies from all over the country can be sent to Chang'an, if you go to Luoyang again, you don't have as many excuses as the emperor."

Li Ying said: "Then just listen to them."

Yang Yuhuan said, "Yesterday Xu Hezi came to tell me that she hoped I could let her leave the palace."

Li Heng said, "You can make the decision on this matter."

Yang Yuhuan said, "It's not that simple. There are more than 40,000 palace maids now, and your Excellency is not as lustful as the Emperor. Many palace maids have nothing to do, and they all hope that your Excellency can give them freedom. If you open the door to Xu Hezi, more people will come to ask for your help."

During the reign of Li Shimin, the emperor once took the initiative to let the palace maids leave the palace. During the reign of Emperor Zhongzong, on the Lantern Festival, Emperor Zhongzong let the palace maids go out to enjoy the lanterns. As a result, more than 3,000 palace maids escaped.

During the reign of Li Longji, the Tang Dynasty was at its most prosperous, and the number of palace maids reached its peak, with more than 40,000.

Many of them had already thought about escaping.

Historically, the rebels entered Chang'an and solved this problem for Li Longji. Now that Li Heng defended Chang'an, he also took on this trouble.

Li Ying thought for a moment and asked, "What do you think?"

Yang Yuhuan wanted to let the maid leave the palace, but she was worried that Li Heng would not agree. After all, as an emperor, he should enjoy himself, so she said, "This matter should be decided by my husband. Everything in this Daming Palace belongs to my husband."

Li Ying smiled and said, "I asked you what you think."

"They each have their own..." Yang Yuhuan wanted to play it easy, but seeing Li Ying's expression, she changed her words and said, "During the reign of Emperor Taizong, there was a system of simple release. I think that if there are palace maids willing to leave the palace, Your Majesty can give them freedom. This way, we can save a lot of money. Secondly,..."

Li Ying interrupted and said with a smile: "You are the queen. Since you have made up your mind, you have the final say."

Yang Yuhuan said: "There are many young people among them."

Li Ying said: "No matter how young I am, I don't have the charm you have."

Yang Yuhuan said: "Some are also very talented."

"The most beautiful dance I have ever seen was the one you performed in Tianshan, and the most beautiful music I have ever heard was the "Shou Wang Pozhen Qu" you played." Li Heng held Yang Yuhuan's hand and continued, "I sleep most peacefully when you are by my side."

Yang Yuhuan was so delighted when she heard this that she threw her head back and giggled.

Li Heng took Yang Yuhuan in his arms and said, "Life is short. I know what I value. Although wandering around flowers can bring me new happiness, there are always some things that I think are more valuable than new things."

Yang Yuhuan leaned against Li Heng's chest and said, "Twenty years have passed in a flash. I never expected to be able to talk to you like this for twenty years."

Li Ying smiled and said, "Looking at your appearance, I feel like we are meeting for the first time."

Yang Yuhuan smiled knowingly, looked at Li Heng with warm eyes, and said nothing more.

At night, the waves crashed against the shore.

……

The next day, Yang Yuhuan, in the name of Li Heng, followed Li Shimin's example and implemented a release policy. All the palace maids who wanted to leave the palace were released after being examined.

At the same time, Wang Wei and Du Fu found Li Heng and took out their latest woodblock print.

Under the guidance and support of Li Heng, the latest woodblock printing technology developed by Wang Wei and Du Fu had reached the level of the Song Dynasty and could be used to print books on a large scale.

Now that we have the technology, the next step is promotion.

Li Heng could have ordered a compulsory promotion, but he felt that it was not good to force the promotion of everything.

So he found He Jin.

At this time, He Jin was leading people to study the loom in the palace. When she saw Li Ying, she stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Ah Lang, there are still some things wrong with this loom. I always feel that there is something wrong."

Li Heng took a look at the loom in front of him and knew that this was the model of the Jenny loom.

The spinning jenny is considered the beginning of the first industrial revolution.

Li Heng was not very familiar with the Jenny loom and could not give any specific advice. He just smiled and said, "You have to lead people to study this problem yourself."

He Jin did not feel disappointed, and said, "Ah Lang is really a genius. From printing and dyeing technology to machine modification, he is more proficient than me who has been engaged in the textile industry."

Li Ying smiled and said, "Okay, stop flattering me. I have something to talk to you about today."

"What's the matter?" He Jin asked.

Li Ying said, "Wang Wei and his team have developed a new woodblock that can print a large number of books. He also has booksellers under his control. We can still cooperate as before. The booksellers will provide sales channels, and I will find someone to be responsible for printing books."

After hearing about this way to make money, He Jin did not feel happy, but rather a little disappointed.

Li Ying saw He Jin's appearance and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

He Jin said quietly, "I am Alang's, and the He family's assets are also Alang's. Now you are still talking about cooperation. Are I and my husband still just in a cooperative relationship?"

Ever since He Jin married Li Ying, she has always wanted to know what Li Ying feels for her, but she never dared to ask.

Of course, she didn't dare to ask, not because she was still afraid of Li Heng, but because she was afraid that Li Heng would say something she didn't want to hear.

Li Ying didn't know what He Jin was struggling with, so he asked, "What do you think?"

He Jin lowered her head and said, "I don't know." Li Ying lifted He Jin's head with his hands, kissed her, and asked, "Do you know now?"

He Jin was startled, smiled, nodded, and said happily: "I know."

Li Heng said: "Cooperation is a very important relationship. After all these years, if you were just needed, I should be able to replace you."

He Jin said: "If Alang doesn't tell me, how can I know?"

Li Heng asked, "How do I know that you are upset about this?"

"That's right." He Jin thought it made sense, and after thinking for a while, he smiled and said, "Then let's cooperate. I will definitely live up to your expectations."

Li Ying was deeply touched when he saw He Jin’s beautiful smile.

As an emperor, he really seemed to have whatever he wanted, but there were always some things that he seemed to have but actually had nothing.

Li Ying couldn't help but ask one more question, "Have you always had doubts since you married me?"

He Jin nodded.

Li Ying said: "This is not like your character."

He Jin said: "I don't think so either, but some things are just like that, I'm afraid I won't be able to figure it out no matter how long I live."

Li Ying asked: "Have you ever regretted it?"

"This is my blessing." He Jin said firmly.

When Li Ying heard this, he suddenly remembered a famous quote from Shakespeare: "Woman, your name is weakness."

Looking back at history till now, as an emperor, Li Heng indeed had relatively few wives and concubines.

So, no matter what future generations think of her, He Jin now feels that she has gotten what she wanted most, and that is enough for her.

And enough is enough to be happy.

Li Heng smiled slightly and said, "You have been studying this textile machine recently, so you must be tired. I will take you out for a walk and take a look at the best-selling books."

"Okay!" He Jin was so happy that he almost jumped up.

……

Li Ying would not leave Chang'an this time, so Liu Yan and Feng Changqing pretended not to know and allowed Li Ying to leave the palace in casual clothes with He Jin under the protection of Shi Shouyi and others.

After leaving the palace, Li Ying came to the West Market and found a simple bookstore to go into.

As soon as Li Ying and He Jin entered the store, the bookstore owner looked at them, then looked at Shi Shouyi and other guards behind them, and said, "I'm afraid the books here are not suitable for this noble man."

"How do you know?" Li Ying asked.

The bookstore owner said, "You are obviously rich or noble, so you must be in the best place, He's Study in the East Market."

Li Ying said, "When you open a shop to do business, everyone who comes is a guest. This is the first time I have seen someone refuse a guest. Come on, bring out the best-selling book you have and let me see it."

The bookstore owner hesitated and said, "Okay."

After that, he took out a book from the bottom of the bookshelf and presented it to Li Heng.

Li Ying took it and took a look, and it turned out to be a pornographic picture.

Li Ying was a little surprised, but after thinking about it, he felt it made sense and asked, "Is this the best-selling item here?"

The bookstore owner thought that Li Heng was dissatisfied with the quality of his books, so he explained, "I knew that you looked down on them. Our store is a small business and we cannot afford to hire a good painter, so some of them are crude and missed. You can go to He's Study. The books they have are painted by the best painters. The paintings are lifelike, and the plots in the books are also written to leave you wanting more."

Li Ying understood what the boss meant and asked, "Are you saying that the best-selling items in He's Study are also erotic paintings?"

"Of course." The bookstore owner nodded, then leaned close to Li Ying's ear and whispered, "I heard that the He family's study is personally managed by Concubine Jin in the palace. What kind of painter can they not hire?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ying glanced at He Jin who was standing beside him.

He Jin lowered his head embarrassedly.

"So, I must go and read it. I'll buy the book." Li Ying

After saying that, he turned and walked out.

Eunuch Baifu went to pay silently.

When they got outside, Li Ying asked He Jin, "Did you know that the best-selling book in He's Bookstore is also this illustrated book?"

He Jin lowered her head and said, "I will ask them not to sell this kind of books anymore."

Li Heng didn't care about this. He was thinking that if he wanted to promote woodblock printing, the best way was to let He's print the best-selling books, reduce costs, quickly seize the market, and force other booksellers to follow suit.

However, given the picture now, he definitely cannot take the lead in printing it.

It seems that we can only settle for the next best thing and print other books that are popular with the public.

Li Ying smiled bitterly, then thought of something and asked He Jin in a low voice: "Have you read the books I brought?"

He Jin was stunned for a moment and nodded.

Li Heng said: "From what I know, besides making money, your biggest interest is to hold banquets and gamble with people in the palace?"

He Jin lowered his head even more.

Li Heng sighed: "You really can drink, gamble, read books, and do everything!"

He Jin said in a voice as soft as a mosquito, "I will definitely change."

Li Ying thought about it and realized that He Jin actually spent most of his time making money and weaving, and only did he do these things when he had a little time left.

So, although He Jin's hobbies are not very elegant, they are harmless.

Moreover, it was precisely because his concubines all had their own things to do and hobbies that they had less time and energy to devote to palace fighting.

"Just calm down a bit." Li Ying replied in a low voice. After thinking for a moment, he added, "Let's take a look at the illustrated book in He's study when we get back tonight."

"Yeah." He Jin responded, then realized the second half of Li Ying's words and asked in surprise, "Ah?"

Li Ying asked, "Why, you don't want to?"

"I'm willing." He Jin blushed.

Li Ying said, "We don't need to go to He's Study. You should know which types of books sell best. Tell me about it."

He Jin paused for a moment before saying, "The people in the East Market are mostly high-ranking officials who like to show off their elegance and write poetry and songs. The people in the West Market are from all walks of life, and they prefer some secret stories and legendary stories."

The so-called secret stories are gossip, and the so-called legendary stories are cool stories.

Li Heng concluded: "So most of the people who buy books in the East Market and the West Market are not interested in national affairs."

He Jin said: "Educating the people is the government's job. Booksellers only need to cater to people's preferences. Ah Lang's original intention in promoting printing must have been to educate the people. Therefore, it cannot be guided by the market alone. It also needs to be promoted by the government. Even if it loses money, it should be done."

Li Ying suddenly realized and said, "What you said makes a lot of sense. I'll listen to you."

After that, he took He Jin's hand and said, "Let's go home. I want to see what else you have learned."

He Jin understood what Li Ying meant and his face turned red again.

(End of this chapter)