Chapter 3069 On the train from Tongguan to Luoyang (final chapter)
"Why, Erlang, do you really want to retreat?"
"Yes, father, Cheng Qian's methods of governing affairs are becoming more sophisticated now."
"Withdraw the roads to the prefectures and establish the system of provinces, prefectures, and counties. We can already follow the rules and regulations, and there is no need to worry anymore."
"Cheng Qian and the important ministers in the Qian Dynasty also got along well with each other. All industries in the Tang Dynasty prospered, and the surrounding countries were more respectful and paid tribute. There were no worries at home and no dangers from abroad."
"It can be said that the child has done what he should do, so he should take good care of his body and bones."
Li Yuan stroked his long beard and looked at his own son who had abruptly taken the throne of emperor from his hands.
For this position, his two sons also died for it.
But today, he was sitting next to him, with frost on his temples, telling himself that he had decided to abdicate voluntarily.
"You... don't miss me?" Li Yuan narrowed his eyes and asked slowly.
Facing his father's scrutinizing gaze, Li Shimin nodded slowly but firmly.
"The child has no regrets."
After hearing this, Li Yuan nodded and patted Li Shimin's shoulder gently with his big hand, his expression looking a little weird and authentic.
"In this case, how should you be called after you abdicate. Your father is the Supreme Emperor, and your successor Qian is the emperor.
As for Erlang, you... Well, your daughter-in-law has changed from a queen to a queen mother, so Erlang, you will become the emperor?
No, maybe the emperor sounds better. You can't be the same as the emperor as your father. The generation is wrong, don't you think so, Erlang?"
After saying these words, His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty patted his butt and stood up.
"I'm going to go for winter swimming first. Erlang, after you abdicate, take good care of your body. If it doesn't work, you can also practice winter swimming. It will strengthen your body. Don't let me give away the white-haired person to the black-haired person again..."
Li Shimin, Empress Changsun and his wife stared blankly at His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty who walked away.
"...Guanyin Maid, what do you mean by my father?"
Li Shimin wiped his face, feeling as if he was being targeted by his own father.
Empress Changsun looked at her father-in-law's back, turned her head, saw her husband's face with a hint of darkness, and suppressed a smile.
She frowned and thought hard for a long time. "Husband, I actually feel that my father-in-law is not willing to change the honorific title of Supreme Emperor..."
"Does that mean that I can't even be the emperor for your husband?"
Li Shimin's face dropped and he murmured softly, but he knew very well why his father had such a problem.
Isn't it because he had robbed his father of the throne of emperor back then? Now, his father would definitely not be willing to let him compete with him for the position of supreme emperor again.
What should I do then? Think of a higher honorific title for my biological father?
Seeing that her husband was in trouble, Empress Changsun also thought of something with her husband, and came to his side and whispered softly.
"Husband..."
"My father's words are not completely unreasonable."
A helpless and bitter smile appeared on Li Shimin's face.
"In the past, I usurped my father's throne as emperor. Today I don't dare to compete with my father. I only abdicate the title..."
After hearing her husband's words, Empress Changsun felt relieved and turned her bright eyes.
"During the Western Han Dynasty, the title of Supreme Emperor came from the Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty. Now in our Tang Dynasty, there is a Supreme Emperor. When my husband abdicates the throne, he should also be given a title.
I think that what my father-in-law just said is the emperor, or the emperor..."
Li Shimin stroked his long beard and suddenly turned his face to look at his beloved wife who had shared the joys and sorrows with him and stayed by her side.
"After my husband abdicates the throne, Maid Guanyin will also be given the title of Queen Mother. If this is the case, then I will be given the title of Tai Huang to avoid causing disgrace in my father's heart."
"I naturally obey my husband. My husband is the emperor, and I am the queen mother, so they complement each other."
"Haha, okay, okay... then it's settled." Li Shimin said with a hearty smile.
I don’t even want to be an emperor, I want to be a prince
It's not impossible for the emperor to do so. As the saying goes, time has changed, and it doesn't matter if the title changes.
How can civil and military officials still oppose it?
If they are put together, wouldn't that make her the Empress Dowager? Hey... forget it, I can't care about that much.
To use Cheng Sanlang's words, there must be a road before the car reaches the mountain. Then I will have a headache, not to mention whether there is a chance of such a headache.
No, no, the title of the Supreme Emperor will not change, but after my mother-in-law becomes the Queen Mother, my father's concubines will have to be adjusted to the previous generation, and they will all become the Crown Princess.
Li Shimin wiped his face, put aside those random thoughts, and said to his beloved wife beside him.
"When my husband abdicates the throne, I will take you with me and take you to see the world.
Now the railway from Luoyang to Chang'an is about to be laid. When the time comes, we will take the steam train that travels thousands of miles a day and never sleeps.
Go back to Chang'an and take a look at the ginkgo tree planted at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain in the early years when I prayed for my husband and Guanyin, and I don't know how big it has grown now..."
"Okay, I listen to you." Empress Changsun gently leaned her head on her husband's arms and smiled slightly.
My husband's achievements in governing these years have shown that the Tang Dynasty was so prosperous and powerful that it far surpassed the previous Sui Dynasty.
Is there anyone in history who can compare to what my husband has done over the years? I think it’s time for my father-in-law to let go.
#####
In the Yin-Shang Kingdom, the kings have now moved to a larger plain area.
The water network here is dense and the transportation is convenient. More importantly, the royal capital named Xin Yindu has been built into a large city that can accommodate tens of thousands of people.
The Yin and Shang Kingdom followed the example of the Tang Dynasty in all aspects, both in terms of the state system and the system of administrative officials.
With the aid of the Tang Dynasty and through trade, the strength and population of the Yin Shang Kingdom increased greatly in a short period of time.
Nowadays, the Yin and Shang Kingdom has a total of eight thousand elites wearing iron armor.
Moreover, the instructors were all Captain Guo Yi from the Tang Dynasty military, although this military force was nothing compared to that of the Tang Dynasty.
However, with these eight thousand elites of the Yin and Shang Kingdom, they were enough to sweep away the surrounding tribes and unify the land thousands of miles in radius.
A teller from a Han and Tang trading house had just said goodbye to a merchant from the Yin Shang Kingdom who spoke very fluent Tang Mandarin, and welcomed a new customer.
It's just that this guest's Tang Dynasty Mandarin is not very fluent, and he speaks rather stutteringly.
However, the teller of Hantang Commercial Bank still showed a friendly smile and listened patiently to the customer's appeal.
Nowadays, the Yin and Shang Kingdom has announced that Tang Mandarin will be the common language of the Yin and Shang Kingdom. In addition, Chinese characters are also fully implemented in the Yin and Shang Kingdom.
Compared with the surrounding tribes who still use stone tools, today's Yin Shang Kingdom has already put on clothes made of white cloth and silk sold from the Tang Dynasty.
They used various metal utensils trafficked from the Tang Dynasty. Even the armors worn by their soldiers were made of iron materials obtained from the Tang Dynasty through trade.
After all, although the iron ore in the Yin Shang Kingdom has been found, the mining volume of the iron ore is not high and cannot meet the needs of the entire Yin Shang Kingdom.
On the contrary, in the area currently controlled by the Yin Shang Kingdom, prospecting experts from the Tang Dynasty discovered huge silver mines and copper mines.
In addition to these silver and copper mines, which can be used as main trading supplies, the Yin Shang Kingdom also has its own special products.
For example, there are dense rubber trees growing on this land, and the amount of rubber harvested every year is an astronomical figure.
After the harvested rubber is initially processed here, almost all of it is sold to Datang.
It is said that Cheng Sanlang, the great benefactor of the Yin Shang Kingdom, especially liked this kind of treasure.
Of course, the leader of the Yin Shang Kingdom also realized that this specialty product could be exchanged for many good treasures from the Tang Dynasty.
Decided to follow the advice of Suo Gui Shang, the prime minister and chief priest, and invited Tang Guo
Send technicians.
Under their guidance, rubber trees began to be planted on a large scale in order to obtain more necessities from the Tang Dynasty.
As for the prince Li Guanhai who previously studied in Datang, he also returned a few months ago.
Now, the increasingly old king has entrusted the prince with an important task and handed over half of the eight thousand elites into his hands.
#####
"Why, you don't dare?" The slim Cheng Qibao was in the room at the moment, wiping the horizontal knife with a beautiful cloud pattern in his hand with a clean white cloth.
"How could I not dare?" Li Xiang suddenly became unhappy when he heard what the young lady said. He straightened his neck and held his head high.
"For the sake of my little sister, I dare to go back and forth several times, even if it is a sea of swords and fire."
The corners of Cheng Qibao's mouth raised slightly, and his bright eyes glanced sideways at Li Xiang.
"You dare to go through mountains of swords and seas of fire, but you don't dare to see my father?"
"Who says I don't dare? I just think, little sister, can you go with me? The main reason is that General Cheng has put too much pressure on me, and I'm afraid I might say the wrong thing then."
"Haha... If you don't go, then forget it."
"No, no, no, I'm going, I'm going now." Seeing the young lady getting up to leave, Li Xiang was so anxious that he jumped up quickly.
Then he rushed to the door, gritted his teeth, and then turned his head and smiled at Cheng Qibao, who was sitting quietly behind the desk, standing with a knife in his hand.
"Sister Qibao, no matter what, I will marry you in this life."
After saying these words, Li Xiang gritted his teeth and hurriedly walked outside with a fierce voice.
When Kankan walked out of the courtyard, he saw General Cheng with a ferocious bearded face and an expression of no emotion, and he blocked the courtyard door directly.
The moment he saw General Cheng, the courage he had mustered up suddenly deflated like a balloon that had been drained of air.
"Zhang, Zhang..."
"What is your husband's husband?"
"people……"
"Who is this person?"
"My father-in-law, please accept your respects from my son-in-law."
"..." General Cheng looked at Li Xiang, whose legs gave way and fell to his knees directly in front of him. After a while, he didn't know whether he should kick this boy's feet or help him up first.
"Your Highness, please get up quickly. Husband, don't make things difficult for the children..."
At this time, Mrs. Cui came over and looked at the grandson of the emperor who had been infatuated with his daughter for many years with a smile.
Feeling that his daughter was about to be abducted, General Cheng was so distressed that he was almost bleeding. His face dropped and he groaned.
"Child? This kid is trying to trick our Qibao? Is this what a child does?"
Mrs. Cui, dumbfounded, gave her husband a nudge.
"...The children are all grown up."
Hearing this, General Cheng chuckled and was about to carry on when he heard a low voice from the courtyard that seemed to be filled with embarrassment and anger.
"father!"
As soon as this sound came out, General Cheng couldn't help but feel sour in his heart. "Oh, forget it, I'm too lazy to pay attention to it. I just like it."
When Li Xiang saw General Cheng turning away, he couldn't help but be filled with joy and shouted loudly.
"Thank you, husband-in-law, thank you mother-in-law..."
"It's early. Your Highness, you still know that you will meet your parents and Your Majesty, otherwise..."
"Hey, don't worry, mother-in-law, my grandfather loves me the most. He has known my thoughts for a long time, and he will definitely not object. My father has such a good relationship with the master, and he will definitely be happy for our two families to get closer..."
Watching this emperor's grandson rush into the palace after hanging up his butt curtains, he has reached adulthood and is still so shameless.
Mrs. Cui shook her head helplessly, but fortunately, this boy was controlled by her daughter.
The two of them can be considered childhood sweethearts, and thinking about it, even if they marry him, their daughter will find a good match.
#####
boom
Rumble, rumble, rumble...
A steel behemoth with only five carriages drove on the rails laid on the sleepers.
This is a train bound for Luoyang from Tongguan, with thick smoke and steam billowing from the front of the steam locomotive.
Behind the front of the steam locomotive is a coal car, and behind it is a normal passenger car.
This is the eastern part of the Luochang Line constructed by Han and Tang Commercial Bank, and has been fully accepted and completed.
These two days coincided with the days of rest, and the Prince of the Tang Dynasty was invited by the Minister of Education and the Taisun Taibao.
I happily boarded the first train bound for Tongguan and felt the thrill of traveling thousands of miles.
Don't look at the steam locomotive that drives vigorously, but these passenger carriages have been carefully crafted.
Just like at this moment, the walls of the carriage where Prince Li Chengqian and the others were staying were covered with thick materials to block the entry of noise.
Even the windows on both sides of the carriage are double-glazed for sound insulation.
Therefore, I dare not say that you can hear a pin drop inside the carriage, but the sound insulation effect is definitely better than that of the old green-skinned trains of later generations.
#####
In the carriage at this moment, Li Chengqian's expression looked very serious, his eyes were solemn, and he was looking at the bamboo sign in his hand.
Cheng Sanlang and Yu Zhining sat diagonally across from each other, both of them carefully protecting their cards to avoid being seen by others.
The reason why we played cards was of course that we had already admired the scenery outside the train on the way out, and everyone started to get bored. In this case, playing a few bamboo cards could be considered a pastime.
"A pair of sevens..." After deliberation for a long time, Li Chengqian picked up two bamboo cards with his right hand and threw them on the table.
"Brother Chu Bi, my father has already planned to announce his abdication on New Year's Day..."
When Cheng Sanlang heard the news, he was not surprised at all, unless his father-in-law, who had been tied up, suddenly tied him up again.
Otherwise, after abdicating the throne, the throne of Emperor of the Tang Dynasty would definitely fall on Li Chengqian's head.
"Of course that's a good thing. I'll congratulate Your Highness here first. One pair of nine."
"One on one, I would like to congratulate Your Highness." Yu Zhining also quickly expressed his congratulations in a joking manner.
"One to two, I didn't expect that my little brother would become the first king in history to have both a king and a king."
Having said this, Li Chengqian couldn't help but grin, but then he felt something was wrong, so he quickly pursed his lips and controlled his expression.
"Exactly...this shows that only when the royal family of the Tang Dynasty was harmonious could four generations live under the same roof."
Yu Zhining also nodded in agreement and shouted out with a smile.
"This is really four generations living under one roof. If our great grandson works hard, it might be possible for five generations to live under one roof."
After hearing this, Li Chengqian couldn't help but glance at Cheng Sanlang quietly, and then looked at Yu Zhining.
Seeing the look from His Highness the Crown Prince, Yu Zhining couldn't help but wipe his face.
Looking at Cheng Sanlang, he hesitated for a long time, then cleared his throat and said to Cheng Sanlang.
"That little Taibao Cheng, how do you feel about His Highness the Grand Sun?..."
After hearing this, Cheng Sanlang raised his head, glanced at Yu Zhining, and then glanced at the prince who looked a little worried.
It seems that everyone is not used to dealing with their own father, the number one bully in the Tang Dynasty.
But it doesn't matter. He is the spokesperson of the old Cheng family who has passed down poetry and calligraphy to his family, so he has a lot of say in this aspect.
"Your Highness, you should leave this matter to your Highness yourself. Your Highness is very smart, and I have already dealt with my mother. I estimate that this matter is pretty close."
"Perhaps when we return to Luoyang, we can hear the good news about His Highness the Grand Sun."
"Okay, okay, that's going to be really hard for you, Brother Bi. Although that guy Xiang'er has been a little out of control, he is much calmer now..."
Li Chengqian, who was relieved, also breathed a sigh of relief.
, began to advertise for his evil son.
The important thing is that Li Xiang has always liked the seventh child of the Cheng family and can't stop him.
What's more, being able to get closer to the old Cheng family, both myself and my parents are happy to see it happen.
At this time, Deng Chengxin walked quickly and greeted us. Lunch was already prepared. General Fang Er and His Royal Highness the King of Qi had already started to work. They also asked a few of them to go quickly.
Fang Jun and Li Ke, who had been squatting in the dining car for a long time, had already begun to use their chopsticks.
The red soup is steaming with steam, and the white slices of meat are dipped into the boiling soup until they curl up.
Pick it up, poke it into the water made with mashed garlic and sesame oil, stuff it into your mouth, and chew it happily.
When Li Ke saw Fang Jun start to enjoy his meal, holding up his chopsticks and looking hesitant, he immediately confused Fang Jun.
"I asked Brother De, what are you doing? This one has your favorite duck intestines. Eat it quickly..."
Li Ke subconsciously moved his head, pursed his lips and gritted his teeth, and finally picked up the duck intestines and poured them into the red oil pan.
When the delicious food entered his mouth, Li Ke couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. In a short time, he had eaten a few chopsticks of duck intestines.
When I thought about taking action again, I couldn't help but hesitate when I thought of the burning and painful feeling behind me when I did what I did yesterday.
"By the way, Brother Jun, do you think eating too much spicy food will make your stomach uncomfortable?"
"Yes, not only do I feel uncomfortable in my stomach, but the main problem is that my buttocks are burning and very uncomfortable."
"Then you still dare to eat like this? Brother, I've been having hot pot every day these days..."
"Haha, for Brother De, you are so scared. Brother Chu Bi has already told me that we are going to set up an anorectal specialty hospital called Huadong in Luoyang in a while."
"Anorectal? Specialist?" Li Ke's face suddenly darkened. What do you mean?
Isn't this so special that everyone's secret diseases should be made public? Shouldn't they let people die collectively?
"What's the matter? Do you know? When I went there last time, all the anorectal departments in the hospitals in Luoyang were full. Alas... speaking of it, it was all caused by Brother Chu Bi."
Fang Jun finally looked a little sad and poked the dipping water in his bowl with his chopsticks.
Since Brother Chubi began to promote chili peppers in the Tang Dynasty, the various delicacies cooked with chili peppers have won the hearts of countless people.
But what followed was this high-end delicacy, which led to an increase in the number of patients with hidden diseases. Even his young friend, Fang, actually suffered from such hidden diseases.
In desperation, I had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask Brother Chu Bi. Fortunately, I got some advice from Brother Chu Bi.
The person he went directly to find was the chief and chief physician of the Anorectal Department of Luoyang No. 1 Hospital, who was Brother Chu Bi’s junior brother and a veteran with decades of experience in treating anorectal diseases.
I opened an ointment and squeezed it in. Instantly, the whole world became extremely cool.
"Now that I have such a treasure, little brother, I feel every time..."
"Oh? There is such a good medicine? Brother Jun, are you too unreasonable? There is such a good medicine, why don't you show it to me right away?"
"Could it be that for Brother De, you also..."
"Nonsense! Hurry up. Otherwise, I will be shocked and scared every time I eat hot pot."
"Third brother, Fang Erlang, what are you muttering about? You don't eat such good food, but you still have time to chat..."
At this moment, Li Chengqian walked over and couldn't help but feel happy when he saw these two people muttering furtively.
Li Ke awkwardly but politely said haha to get over it.
When everyone started to move their chopsticks, Li Ke approached Cheng Sanlang and asked in a low voice.
This made Cheng Sanlang, who was rinsing the intestines, unhappy.
"I said, dear brother, what are you doing? If you are sick, you must treat it. Don't hide it and learn from other handsome brothers."
"I'll ask Deng Chengxin to get you two tubes of hemorrhoid ointment later, so feel free to take them.
Don’t be stressed.”
"!!!" Brother Chu Bi's words revealed the secret of their secrets. Fang Jun and Li Ke's faces darkened instantly.
On the side, Li Chengqian and Yu Zhining, who wanted to laugh but were embarrassed, couldn't help but tighten their anus and feel uneasy in their hearts.
"Okay, okay, brother Chu Bi, eat, eat, don't expose other people's shortcomings, this is not good..."
"Yes, yes, little Cheng Taibao, come on, come on, eat meat quickly..."
The Cheng family and the crown prince's guards were standing not far away, each and every one of them had very strange expressions. They looked at the nobles who had thrown away their arms and were enjoying hot pot...
"Brother Chengxin, what...where can I buy that hemorrhoid cream that your young master mentioned?"
"Don't look at me with that strange look. I'm asking this for my friend."
"Yeah, I also have friends who are a little unhappy."