hsntnovel Chapter 2758 The Tang Dynasty
Chapter 2758 The Tang Dynasty
The others were also very curious about what was on the carriage, but unfortunately it was covered with cloth and they couldn't see it at all.
After a row of carriages unloaded their goods and left, Li Shimin led his men into the Ganlu Hall only after the last carriage had departed.
However, as soon as they entered the entrance, they found that the Ganlu Hall was a mess, and there were craftsmen digging at the floor.
"Nonsense! What are you doing? Are you trying to tear down the Ganlu Palace?"
Seeing this scene, Li Shimin roared in anger once again.
"Father, the ground is uneven and needs to be leveled. Father, let's go to the study and wait. It should be finished in an hour."
Li Shen explained.
Li Shimin frowned, remaining motionless as he watched the craftsmen inside hammering and tinkering, causing damage in many places.
Seeing this, Li Shen spoke again:
"Don't worry, Father. If you are not satisfied later, I will have the floor of Ganlu Palace paved with gold bricks again."
"You said it yourself, I didn't force you."
Li Shen's words were indeed effective. As soon as Li Shen finished speaking, Li Shimin looked at Li Shen with shining eyes.
Li Shen nodded helplessly. Why was his father so greedy for money? He was nothing like an emperor. His grandfather wasn't like that either. Who did he take after?
After Li Shen nodded, Li Shimin led his men in through a side door.
Upon entering the study, Li Shimin asked everyone to sit down. Li Shen, however, acted as if he were at home, taking off his shoes and going straight to the couch. He then leaned back on the cushion like a grandpa.
Everyone was stunned, because they found that Prince Ji and His Majesty's actions were almost exactly the same: one took off his shoes and got onto the couch, leaned against the cushion, and then crossed his legs.
However, neither Li Shimin nor his son Li Shen noticed this.
"Gao Ming, brew tea for all my ministers," Li Shimin instructed.
"Yes, yes, brother, hurry up and make some tea, I've already drunk it all." Li Shen nodded in agreement.
However, he was met with a disdainful look from Li Chengqian and a kick from Li Shimin that knocked his crossed legs off.
"Your Highness, this old minister is very curious. What kind of congratulatory gift did Your Highness present to His Majesty that warranted such a grand gesture?"
Ma Zhou then spoke up and asked.
He took a look just now, and it seems to be something metallic, but he couldn't see what it was.
"As I said, you'll find out soon enough, gentlemen. Please don't be impatient. This is something I carefully prepared for Father."
Li Shen shook his head; the mystery had to be maintained.
Li Shimin ignored Li Shen and instead looked at Li Chengqian, who was brewing tea:
"Gao Ming, what are you discussing with these gentlemen?"
"Reporting to Father, I was discussing with the officials what my tenth brother said, how to inherit the culture of our Great Tang, and how to turn foreigners into people of our Great Tang."
Li Chengqian answered while brewing tea.
"Oh? Can we come up with a solution?" Li Shimin asked.
"Your Majesty, it is largely the same as what Prince Ji said. The court plans to build academies in various places this year to teach foreigners the Tang language and the script of our Great Tang Dynasty."
And I told them about the customs and festivals of my Great Tang Dynasty, etc.
Within the Tang Dynasty, the instructors of the Imperial Academy subtly and gradually instilled in the students a sense of belonging to the Tang people, eventually influencing the general populace as well.
Changsun Wuji rose, bowed, and replied.
"Yes, this is not something that can be done overnight; it will take time. But as Lao Shi said, it will benefit the present and future generations."
And these gentlemen will be recorded in history and revered by future generations.” Li Shimin nodded; no previous dynasty had ever considered such an idea.
They were also groping in the dark, and Li Shen was the first person to put forward such an idea.
"Um... have you all thought about what's missing?" Li Shen asked hesitantly, raising his hand.
"I wonder what Your Highness Prince Ji thinks we are lacking?" Ma Zhou asked immediately, as he had a good impression of Prince Ji.
Ma Zhou came from a poor family, and the Ji Prince's Mansion has always strived to give opportunities to students from humble backgrounds.
"Gentlemen, our Tang Dynasty has reign titles, but not a specific country name. Shouldn't we come up with a name first?"
Li Shen looked at everyone.
"Your Highness Prince Ji, do you not know our country's name?" Changsun Wuji asked in return.
Li Shen nodded:
"Of course I know that our country's name is Tang. I'm referring to the name used externally. Some people call us the Great Tang, while others call us the Tang Kingdom."
In foreign books, we usually only write "Tang".
I find it lacking in imposing power and inspiring spirit. A unified national name can unite people and foster a sense of belonging.
Li Shen had actually wanted to say this for a long time. The name of the Tang Dynasty was Tang, just one character, but there were many different names for it.
The Western Regions were called the Great Tang Kingdom or the Tang Kingdom, and were also referred to as the Great Tang. Officially, it was mostly written as Tang.
Even in Journey to the West, it says that the humble monk comes from the Tang Dynasty in the East, and has no imposing name at all.
Everyone pondered what Li Shen said; it was indeed true that different people had different names for the Tang Dynasty.
Even ordinary people in China don't know the exact name of their country.
"Clap!" Li Shimin clapped his hands.
"Indeed, what Prince Ji said makes sense. I suddenly feel the same way. Some official documents refer to me as the Prince of Tang."
Some people refer to him as the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, while others call him the Emperor of the Tang Kingdom.
Although they all convey roughly the same meaning, they just don't seem quite as solemn.
It seems that Li Shimin also agrees with Li Shen's words.
He was the emperor, yet someone still called him king. If that person were in front of him, Li Shimin would have killed him.
Seeing that His Majesty had agreed, the others nodded in agreement as well.
"It was our oversight, Your Majesty. We beg Your Majesty's forgiveness." Changsun Wuji led the way in rising to bow and apologize.
These people were the top leaders of the Tang Dynasty; it could be said that they were the ones who made the decisions about everything in the Tang Dynasty.
Now that a child has pointed out their mistake, they naturally want to say something.
"It's alright. I've been on the throne for over twenty years and have never thought about the name of the country. You gentlemen are busy with countless affairs of state; how could you have the leisure to consider such things?"
"National prosperity and peace are what you gentlemen truly desire." Li Shimin shook his head with a smile.
Li Shen rolled his eyes. Who are you talking about? Who are you saying has nothing better to do?
"Then what name does Your Highness Prince Ji think we should give the country?" Yu Zhining asked.
Li Shen remained silent, knowing that speaking would only make him look like he was bored.
The result was that I got kicked:
"Speak quickly, since all of you ministers are here, we can discuss this together."
Li Shen took a deep breath. If this wasn't his own father, he would have strangled him to death. Who did he think he was, kicking him all the time?
"Gentlemen, our country is called Tang, so let's take Tang as our country's name, and our emperor is called Emperor, so let's call it the Great Tang Empire. What do you think?"
It's actually a very simple name; it's just that nobody used to call it that before.