After hearing what Changsun Wuji said, Li Xiang's face was full of question marks. He had experienced similar situations in the past, and basically he had to rest at home for a while. Now the emperor directly summoned him to the palace. Could there be something else going on?
"I'd better ride back on horseback. I've been on the battlefield for so long that I'm really not used to riding this thing. Besides, this is my grandfather's thing. If I ride it, it would be disrespectful."
Li Xiang did not walk over, but got on his horse again. Changsun Wuji also heard all this in the sedan chair and nodded silently.
Although this was a gift from the emperor, it was indeed a bit excessive. If Li Xiang went up like this, it might be used as a handle. No one would say it for the time being, but someone would say it after a long time. Then, when some people spread it in a confusing way, it might become that Li Xiang forced Li Shimin, or that Li Xiang was too crazy to bear it. Anyway, there were all kinds of things waiting for him.
"The Emperor is unhappy with the Beiting Protectorate and has lost his temper several times in the past few days. You should be careful when you go there."
Li Xianghu heard Changsun Wuji say a few words beside Changsun Wuji's sedan chair, and then the curtain of the sedan chair was lowered. Li Xiang knew what was going on. He didn't expect that two months had passed, and why was he still so angry?
Li Shimin couldn't be blamed, actually. He'd suffered a loss in the Wu Wang incident, and now he'd suffered another loss in Li Xiang's brother's case. Both times he'd fallen off his horse. How could such a coincidence happen? Even if you were looking for an excuse, you should have at least shown some consideration.
Not only the court ministers, but also the common people were talking about it. Li Xiang had already controlled some of the people's voices, but as for the people in Chang'an City, Li Xiang really had no way to control them. The main reason was that there were too many people from all walks of life in Chang'an City, and everyone had a big business behind them.
Take this incident for example, some people say that he really fell off a horse.
Some people say that he was going against the emperor. Although His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had made countless contributions, all his merits could be wiped out just by the fact that he was going against his own grandfather. It is not worth mentioning that he is unfilial.
Some people say the emperor is senile and confused. The young have long ruled the world, and Li Xiang is in charge of all matters outside. So the emperor can't just delegate someone else. How old is the second young master of the Eastern Palace? Does he have the ability to manage the northern grasslands? If nothing goes wrong, it's fine. But if something does go wrong, it will have a huge impact on the Tang Dynasty.
Li Xiang finally took over the northern grasslands, which means that the northern grasslands no longer pose a threat to us. The last time such a feat occurred was during the Han Dynasty. In the more than two hundred years since the Han Dynasty, there have been no major wars in the northern grasslands. Isn’t this the credit of the Beijing grasslands?
If that kid from the East Palace loses the grassland, or if something goes wrong during the management process, who can take responsibility for it? This is a matter for the entire nation, not just one or two families.
Generally speaking, public opinion in Chang'an City is still on Li Xiang's side. After all, Li Xiang's achievements are real. If he only had a good mouth, there probably wouldn't be so many people standing in front of him.
When Li Xiang entered the city, the streets were quiet and Chang'an City was still as prosperous as before, but no one knew that Li Xiang was back, so there was no decent welcome ceremony.
"Your Highness...are you really back?"
As soon as Li Xiang entered the city, a lieutenant guarding the city recognized him.
This man once followed Li Xiang in the expedition against Tuyuhun, but because of physical injuries, he had to withdraw from the army. However, he had no other skills except being a soldier. With the help of Li Xiang, he joined the city defense army of Chang'an and now guards the city gate.
Before Li Xiang could answer his question, several soldiers nearby looked over, and even some vendors nearby also looked over.
"Oh my, who else could this be but His Highness?"
An old lady probably had seen Li Xiang before. When his voice was uttered, hundreds of people around heard it. In the entire Chang'an City, there were many people who could be called "Your Highness", but the only one who could be called "Your Highness the Crown Prince" was probably the one in front of them.
"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince..."
As soon as the first person knelt, a large group of people knelt on the road, and people from far away were also attracted. Everyone was greatly taken care of during this period, especially the goods coming from the northern grasslands. They were much cheaper than before, and businessmen felt that their business was easier.
In addition, the tense labor situation in Chang'an City has also been alleviated. More than 80,000 people were transported back from Goguryeo. These 80,000 people only need to be fed, and they will work for you all the time. It is precisely because of these people's behavior that the entire Chang'an City has been renewed. What needs to be repaired is repaired, and what needs to be replaced is replaced. Anyway, we have free laborers in our hands.
All of this was brought about by Li Xiang. Of course, the most important reason was Goguryeo's immigration policy. Almost every household in Chang'an City had one person leaving, mainly because they could not survive here, so they had to go to other places to make a living. If it were not for Li Xiang's settlement policy, these people would still be poor after arriving there.
But now every household has received letters from their relatives. Not only have they been allocated houses in the local area, but they have also been allocated several people to help with the work. These people do not need to be paid any money, they just need to ensure that they have food to eat. According to their relatives, when the grain is harvested, every household will be able to send back grain. In short, the problem of food has been solved.
Changsun Wuji was soon shocked by the scene before him, because more and more people ran out from the surroundings. They clearly chose a street with few people, so even if someone recognized them, there couldn't be too many people.
But at this moment, there were already more than one or two thousand people on the street. Li Xiang's guards were already a little nervous. Where did these people come from? Just now, the whole street was empty.
"Your Highness, may you live a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand thousand years..."
Similar names were heard everywhere. Not only was Zhangsun Wuji somewhat surprised, but some officials passing by were also surprised. He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world...