When Li Po returned to Chang'an, the autumn harvest was almost coming in the north.
It's just that the emperor's trip started in mid-May and came back in mid-July, which can be regarded as a quick trip and quick return. In fact, it was mainly because he traveled lightly and did not waste too much time on the road.
Moreover, the road from Chang'an to the north of Yulin is indeed not far. If the horse is galloping all the way, you can get there in two or three days. The reason why Hu people rarely choose this place when they go south is as mentioned before.
The Central Plains dynasty only had to use the tactic of strengthening the wall and clearing the country, so it would be a very stupid move for the barbarians to enter the Great Wall from Yulin.
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Li Bi led the ministers to welcome the emperor's return to the south. When the couple met, looking at her husband's swarthy face and exhaustion, Li Bi moved forward with distress to brush the dust off her husband's shoulders.
He was still muttering, "My husband is the same. You look like you have just returned from a war. You don't know how to take care of your body. You are not young at all. How can you be so brave and come back on horseback like this?"
Li Po was not happy. Now he couldn't hear the word age. Mainly because in the past two years, some of his aging ministers had died of illness or resigned from office, which made him have some thoughts about aging.
obstacle.
In addition, Ashina Yang Huan and Ashina Mudan are both very old now, and they haven’t seen each other for only three years. Ashina Yang Huan, who was very charming at the time, has obvious crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes and a lot of white hair on her head.
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This made Li Po truly realize that no matter how prominent his position is, his years will never stop for anyone.
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Li Po patted his wife's hands and paws away, hugged her, picked her up and weighed her in front of the public. The woman turned out to be overweight again. She seemed to be eating and sleeping well, and she was not worried about her husband at all.
What kind of hardships have I endured outside, what dangers have I encountered, and how can I live a happy life?
Li Bi was shocked for a moment, and then she struggled desperately to push her husband away. Her face was already red with embarrassment, and she raised her eyebrows and looked around.
Most of the ministers around me turned their heads to indicate that I didn't see anything.
Only a few people who didn't know what to do looked at him blankly, with shock on their faces. They probably instinctively felt that the emperor was too Meng Lang and was unbecoming.
Li Bi's eyes dug into them, and they hurriedly looked away after realizing it, but it was already too late, and Li Bi remembered them all in their hearts.
Li Po couldn't help laughing when he saw his wife's furious look, "Why don't you lead an army on an expedition without leading an army? This time I go out as an army of one million people. It's just autumn. Get ready. I want to sacrifice to the heaven and the earth."
The emperor's words were confirmed, and the ministers immediately agreed to the Spring and Autumn Festival. Isn't it almost the time for the Autumn Festival?
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Under Li Bi's resentful eyes, Li Po jumped onto his horse.
Soon, the team entered Chang'an City in a mighty manner. Chang'an was still so prosperous. More than two months was not a long time, but after going back and forth from the windy and sandy land outside the Great Wall, Li Po felt as if he had left here for a long time.
Li Po did not enter the palace directly from the north gate of Chang'an, but chose to detour through the south gate and pass by Zhuque Street. He wanted to see the market in Chang'an.
Zhuque Street is the main road of Chang'an, almost dividing Chang'an city into two.
From the beginning of the construction of this street, the families living on both sides of the street were destined to be either rich or noble.
The news of the emperor's return south was not publicized by the government, but Zhuque Street, which the emperor passed through, was temporarily under martial law. Some people realized something was wrong and watched the excitement on both sides of the street.
When I saw the emperor's ceremonial guard, I realized that it was the emperor who had returned to Beijing. So wherever the ceremonial guard passed, people bowed down and saluted, and occasionally you could see some Japanese slaves prostrate themselves on the ground.
Most of the Japanese who were able to stay in Chang'an City and work as lowly servants were of relatively high status among the Japanese, but not too high. There were thousands of men and women.
They are scattered in Chang'an City. Some young women have entered the church. Some of the remaining people are cleaning the streets in the city, some are transporting the city's filth outside the city, and some are doing odd jobs in the Ministry of Works. Those who are paid the best are
The boys and girls were bought by the nobles to show their appearance.
This was the beginning of the slave trade in the Tang Dynasty. After more than two years, it was no longer uncommon in Chang'an.
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Li Po looked left and right on his horse, looking at the rows of buildings beside Zhuque Street. His mood gradually calmed down, and he couldn't help but sigh in his heart. His old nest is still reassuring...
"One day let's go out to the palace for a walk. Since we came to Chang'an, I haven't visited any market."
The ministers were following behind at this time. When they were outside the city, the emperor's behavior was too inappropriate, but the ministers would not mindlessly argue with the emperor.
The husband and wife have been together so far, and they have a deep relationship. They have not seen each other for a few days, which is actually a good thing for the people of the world. His somewhat outrageous behavior is also reasonable. After all, he is the founder of the country. He cannot use the emperor's behavior in peacetime.
Standards come to the emperor.
So after entering the city, all the ministers could hide and hide, leaving room for the emperor and the empress to talk privately to prevent further embarrassment.
Living with eight people in the house and being surrounded by people was a normal thing for Li Po, but now it is the fireworks in the market, which is quite attractive.
This guy just wants to know what he wants...
After going out for a walk, Li Po knew that in the near future... well, it would probably take two or three years, he would have to be more honest. Regardless of the advice of his ministers, the emperor really shouldn't travel often.
His trip this time was relatively simple, but he also directly mobilized tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. Soldiers and horses from Lingzhou, Liangzhou, Daizhou, Liangzhou, Kuizhou, and even Youzhou were mobilized. All these measures cost
The manpower and material resources are just an unattractive number.
The treasury of the Tang Dynasty was not full, and no one could bear to come here two or three times.
Next year, troops will be sent to Gaochang, and with the East China Sea army reorganizing, the pressure on the Tang treasury will be huge, and we have to hope that this year's autumn harvest can replenish some.
In fact, the result of military mobilization was a chain reaction. Once the national treasury was emptied, prices in various places would continue to increase until the court could no longer bear it and began to increase taxes arbitrarily, passing the pressure on to the farmers.
Then came a series of collapses, a fact that has been verified in the pre-Sui Dynasty and at the end of all dynasties.
Otherwise, it would be unsustainable to resort to militarism. In fact, this is what we are talking about.
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Li Bi is in a good mood. She has been in power for more than two months. She is not so comfortable. She is busy with government affairs and has more big and small affairs than three years ago. In addition, she has been too comfortable in the palace in recent years and has lost the vigor of her early years. Time
After a long time, she felt exhausted both physically and mentally.
Now it was better, her husband returned to Beijing, and she immediately felt relaxed.
Although her husband was too enthusiastic when they met, which made her a little embarrassed, but a breakup was better than a wedding. After not seeing each other for more than two months, she was really missed.
Her husband's unusual behavior actually made her very happy.
"This is a good idea...but my husband often leaves the palace, how can he say he has never visited Chang'an Market?"
Li Po said: "It's not like you don't know. When I leave the palace, I only go to a few places. Usually I don't go out to wander around for fun. But Li Chun and the others have probably visited all the good places near Chang'an.
Bar?"
Li Bi nodded. Her husband's words were true. Every time he went out, he had a clear purpose. He usually left the palace in the afternoon. No matter where he went, he would have dinner at Li's Mansion, and then most of them would sneak to Mrs. Chu's Mansion.
overnight.
I don't go often, only two or three times a month. If I get busy, I might not be able to leave the palace once a month. It's considered very restrained.
"Alas, the people in the past planted trees and others enjoyed the shade. They were protected by you and me, and they lived naturally and happily... Li Chun was about to give birth, and her husband came back early, otherwise he would miss the birth of the child again.
Not long ago, Mr. Xu Maogong came to the palace and wanted us to give the child a name. Please don't forget it, husband."
Well, it wasn't Li Bi who mentioned it. Li Po had indeed almost forgotten about it. He was thinking about national affairs all day long, so he naturally neglected to take care of his family affairs.
Li Po... was not interested in naming his nephew or niece, so he said perfunctorily: "You are more knowledgeable than me, so I'll pick one up and ask the imperial doctor to be on call at any time to make sure nothing goes wrong."
Li Bi shook her head, "What do you think? I have already given the order, and I went to her place yesterday to have a look. My mother is in good health. She probably won't... It's her first time giving birth, so she needs to be careful.
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The Xu family is actually more worried than us, the whole family is hoping that she will give birth to a boy so that he can inherit the Xu family business."
Li Po said with a smile: "Boys and girls are the same. Why not be reborn? It would save her the trouble of going around and causing trouble. Look at this year, hasn't she become a lot more honest?"
Li Bi also laughed, "If my husband's words reach my aunt's ears, she may be sad. It's better for you to say less."
As he spoke, the Suzaku Gate was already in sight in the distance.
The team had almost dispersed. After entering the Zhuque Gate, the middle-level officials of the imperial court were waiting here. Seeing the emperor's arrival, they immediately bowed and said in unison: "Your Majesty is welcome back to the capital."
The emperor's honor guard did not stop here, but went straight through the palace city and entered Chengtian Gate. The ministers took their leave and went back to their respective offices, while the emperor's honor guard returned to the palace.
Arriving in front of the palace gate, Li Po got off his horse, and the concubines, led by the third lady, respectfully welcomed the emperor back to his throne.
Li Po had no intention of having a big banquet. When he returned to the Manlu Palace, the food and wine were ready. Li Bi led the concubines to surround the emperor and enter to greet him.
Li Po was not busy listening to the chirping of his harem. He first returned to the inner hall and washed himself comfortably under the service of Wang Qi and Wang Zhen before returning to the front to eat and drink.
The emperor's return to the capital did not cause much disturbance in Chang'an. The daily lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Chang'an were not easily disturbed. Whether the emperor was in the capital or not did not make much difference to ordinary people.