Pei Shuying looked at the babbling baby with pity and tried to stretch its arms and legs. She leaned over and kissed her, with a real smile on her face.
But this smile definitely revealed the wrinkles on her face, which was... a bit dazzling in the eyes of Li Dewu who had just walked in.
"My husband is back."
"How good is Dalang today?"
"You're very well-behaved. I only cried twice." Pei Shuying stepped forward to change her husband's clothes. "Is the county office still so busy today?"
"I have to go out of the city every day to count the number of refugees and the supply of grain and rice. It's complicated and complicated." Li Dewu stretched his waist, "But after more than ten years of idleness, I am still willing to move."
Pei Shuying ordered her maid to make tea, and then said with a smile: "Li Qianyou, the magistrate of Chang'an, is a younger brother of the Danyang family of the Li family in Longxi. How do you get along with your husband?"
"It's quite friendly." Li Dewu turned his head and didn't want to see the wrinkles on his wife's face, "By the way, do you know what this is?"
Pei Shuying looked at the wooden furniture on the table curiously and tried to poke the wooden beads on it, "I've never seen it before."
"This is an abacus." Li Dewu flipped it proudly, "In the past, counting with abacus was quite complicated, but with this thing, it is extremely fast."
Pei Shuying was not interested in these and just asked casually: "Who made it?"
"Li Qianyou's handiwork." Li Dewu felt that he was not speculating, "It must be the secret technique of the Li family in Longxi, and it was made public for some reason."
In fact, Li Dewu was not well-informed. Within half a month, although the abacus had not yet spread among the people, it was not a secret and had already become popular in Chang'an.
Chengqian Hall.
Li Shimin tried to use it and said with a smile: "It is indeed much more convenient. Was it really created by Li Shan?"
Changsun Wuji nodded dullly but said nothing.
"At a young age, I am not yet a weakling, but my knowledge is very mixed." Li Shimin pondered for a while, "Let my nephews give it a try. It will be quite useful in handling government affairs and calculating food and grass in the future."
In addition to Changsun Wuji, those present today were Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui. They looked at each other, and the latter said in a more serious tone: "Why doesn't His Highness want to summon Li Shan to Prince Qin's palace?"
Li Shimin avoided answering and said with a smile: "Is Li Shan so stingy that he refuses to teach?"
"Half a month ago, Chang'an ordered Li Qianyou to praise Li Shan for his proficiency in calculation and summon him to the county government to calculate grain and rice." Fang Xuanling sighed: "His son Li Zhaode is familiar with Li Shan."
"Do you remember that Li Qianyou is the chief secretary of Sanhu Mansion?"
Li Shimin thought it was a bit funny. He was sure that his fourth brother definitely didn't know Li Shan's identity.
After all, Pei Ji was close to the East Palace, and Pei Shiju also served as the prince Zhan Shi. If the fourth brother knew the truth, he would never recruit Li Shan.
After a moment of silence, Changsun Wuji slowly spoke, "Although Li Shan has talents, he cannot put them to great use at the moment. Why do he keep making comments on this matter?"
"The assistant thought someone was doing it for Li Shan's child?!" Du Ruhui stood up suddenly, "Everyone knows that His Highness likes to accept heroes and talents, but why has he closed the door to them in recent years?"
"Li Shan has been praised by His Highness many times, but he refuses to recruit him." Fang Xuanling also stood up and sighed: "Many people doubt His Highness's mind."
Li Shimin's face darkened, but he did not reprimand him.
Du Ruhui's words became even more intense, "In the past, as a concubine, all the guests of the Pingyuan King went away. Is it possible that Your Highness will make the same mistake again?"
Zhao Sheng, Lord of Pingyuan, was one of the four great princes of the Warring States Period and had three thousand followers. His concubine mocked the courtiers, but Zhao Sheng didn't take it seriously, and the followers gradually dispersed. Later, Zhao Sheng beheaded the concubine, and the followers returned.
This metaphor is not appropriate, but we can also see Du Ruhui and Fang Xuanling's dissatisfaction and disappointment with Li Shimin's choice.
Changsun Wuji smoothed things over and said: "Since I have been recruited by King Qi, this matter is still..."
"He has not been recruited by the King of Qi yet." Fang Xuanling interrupted with a rare interruption and explained: "Keshi Li personally said that Li Shan only used arithmetic to help with the accounts and had not invested in the Prince of Qi's palace."
Changsun Wuji had nothing to say and turned to look at his brother-in-law. Ever since his eldest son, Changsun Chong, reconciled and became friends with Li Shan, although he is still angry, he does not want Li Shan to join Prince Qi's palace.
"Are there any dissatisfaction among the sons of the family?" Li Shimin asked softly: "Could it be that Li Keshi's son...Li..."
"It's his fourth son, Li Kai, whose courtesy name is Demou."
"Li Kai didn't persuade him a few words?" Li Shimin said with a smile: "Cheng Chumo is okay, Yuchi Baolin is just afraid..."
Fang Xuanling smiled bitterly and said, "If it weren't for Cheng Chumo's drag, the elder brother of the Yuchi family would have gone to Li Shan to start a fight."
There was a faint smile on Li Shimin's lips, "Don't worry about Yuchi Baolin, let Li Kai, Changsun Chong, and the Gao family, by the way, Xuanling, Ke Ming, your son... don't break up.
Just contact.”
Seeing Du Ruhui's eyebrows raised, Li Shimin added: "Li Shan has other plans. There is no rush to do this."
"Your Highness has thought carefully." Fang Xuanling took the initiative to change the topic, "Today we are discussing Hebei affairs. Liu Heitai has conquered several continents. Does Your Majesty intend to send His Majesty to the expedition?"
Li Shimin didn't speak for a moment, and a sneer gradually appeared on his face. After a while, he said: "The Prince of the East Palace led 30,000 elite troops, swept through the 4,000 Turks in the pass, and beheaded 300. It can be called a great victory."
Yesterday, Li Shimin was so angry that he almost vomited blood during the Liangyi Hall meeting. He won three battles in Hedong Road, beheading nearly 7,000 people and capturing more than 3,000 horses, but Li Yuan scolded him for being too aggressive.
However, Li Jiancheng only beheaded 300 people, but he was praised highly by Li Yuan... I had known that the East Palace also had talents.
Li Shimin couldn't figure it out. Could it be that the Turks were willing to give up and make peace because they were defeated by Li Jiancheng and beheaded three hundred people?
Pei Ji was still adding fuel to the fire, saying that before Li Shimin arrived in Puzhou, Xiao Wei, the governor of Fenzhou, defeated the Turks... The implication is that this military achievement cannot be counted against you Li Shimin.
On the head.
Li Jiancheng, on the other hand, went into battle in person, led his army to defeat the Turks, entered the battle himself, and beheaded several Turkic soldiers and generals.
How could Li Shimin not vomit blood?
He was ordered to go to Hedong Road. Although he did not personally lead the troops, Xiao Wei, the governor of Fenzhou, was his serious subordinate. His military exploits had nothing to do with him?
Li Jiancheng personally participated in the battle, and as a result, 30,000 elite soldiers faced off against 4,000 Turks, and only 300 of them were beheaded... He was actually stronger than me?
Li Shimin's heart felt cold. He remembered that in the Luoyang War last year, he was besieged twice by Zheng's army. He rushed out of the formation and killed more than a hundred soldiers with his own hands. Later, in the battle of Hulao Pass, he personally led the Xuanjia Army to charge into the formation and penetrated the formation.
And out.
Thinking of this, Li Shimin slammed the table, "We must not let the East Palace send troops to Hebei!"
Changsun Wuji and the other three people all nodded in agreement. Everyone knew that the advantage of the Qin Palace lay in military merit and penetration into the army.
If the prince is allowed to go to Hebei, as long as he is not defeated...well, as long as he is not defeated, the saint will definitely allow Donggong to extend his hand into the army. This is tantamount to breaking the foundation of the Qin Palace.