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Chapter 1091 Tang Dynasty Treasure Notes (Part )

Seeing that his daughter was still stubborn, Hou Junji patiently advised: "Don't worry about Li Ke's affairs. The emperor knows what's going on. He can't threaten the emperor. Maybe one day, the emperor will get rid of him without any warning."

"Just remember that Cen Wenben is a friend, not an enemy, so keep a good relationship with him. Keep your distance from Lord Changsun. As for the emperor, pay more attention to his daily life and less to the government. Keep the harem in check and don't cause any trouble. Go to Daming Palace more often to accompany the empress dowager."

"As long as you do these things well, the position of the queen will be as stable as Mount Tai, and no one can shake it; if the position of the queen is not shaken, the position of the elephant will naturally be stable."

Haitang knew that she was not good enough in the overall situation, but her father was doing it for her own good. Although she did not completely agree with all this in her heart, she still responded honestly: "Daughter will remember your father's teachings."

"Yeah!" Hou Junji nodded with satisfaction.

The conversation between the father and daughter came to an end. Cen Wenben, who was chatting and laughing with Li Xiang, also stopped at the right time, walked over and bowed, saying, "Empress, Grand Commandant, I have completed my mission. I still have things to do at the Secretariat."

"If Her Majesty the Queen has no other instructions, I will take my leave."

"Hahaha, thank you for your hard work, Mr. Cen!" Hou Junji nodded with a smile and then glanced at his daughter.

Haitang forced a slightly awkward smile on her face: "Mr. Cen will also take care of Xiang'er's homework."

Changing from Lord Cen to Mr. Cen was a big step for Cen Wenben to integrate into the Eastern Palace. He glanced at Hou Junji with gratitude, knowing naturally that Hou Junji must have done a lot of ideological work and said a lot of good things for him.

Cen Wenben didn't mind too much that the Queen was prejudiced against him.

Who told her to be there with her background and experience? The Queen's displeasure was all on her face, which just proved that the Queen was simple-minded and not the kind of sinister and treacherous person. Such a master was definitely easier to deal with than shrewd people like Concubine Yang and the Queen Mother.

Cen Wenben immediately accepted the olive branch, and showed a flattered and excited expression at the right time: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, Your Highness has a pure character, is diligent and studious, and respects teachers. He is a rare gem. I like Your Highness's character very much, and I will definitely do my best to teach Your Highness."

"By the way, I heard that Wu Wang Li Ke might leave Chang'an recently and won't be back for a while. I don't know if it's true or not?"

Give a peach, get a plum in return. Haitang's kindness was immediately met with a positive response.

If he were dealing with those mature and prudent colleagues in the court, Cen Wenben's frankness would certainly make people underestimate him. But this set of tactics was very much to the taste of Hou Junji, who was born as a military general, and Haitang, who was shallow-minded.

Hou Junji and Haitang looked at each other and then smiled happily. Since Cen Wenben said so, then the matter must have been settled. Li Ke left Chang'an at this time, and there was no doubt that he was out.

Cen Wenben's words were vague, and both of them thought that Li Ke might be going to the Snowy Plateau to be a vassal. In such a harsh and extremely backward place, being a vassal king was actually no different from being a local official. Once he went there, he would never have the chance to covet the imperial power again.

If the vassal states of the kings were in the Western Regions, the ministers would still have some concerns, but when they were placed in a remote place like the Snowy Plateau, no one would worry.

Cen Wenben revealed Li Ke's true feelings. In addition to making the other party no longer worry about this enemy, there was also a deeper meaning that was not made clear.

From now on, Cen Wenben will have nothing to do with Li Ke anymore and will focus on planning for the Eastern Palace.

Lian Haitang understood what he said, and she put down the heavy stone in her heart. She looked at Cen Wenben with more kindness: "Some time ago, the emperor gave a few pieces of the best Shu brocade. I heard that Madam Cen came from a famous family, and she is virtuous and gentle. I think she is very familiar with brocade weaving and embroidery."

"When she's free one day, ask her to come to the palace and help me look after the palace. We women can chat a little bit."

Cen Wenben was also relieved. If he could not get the Queen's approval, he would not be able to gain a foothold in the East Palace, which would affect his position in the Hongwen Hall. He knew that the situation of Li Shimin's sons fighting each other during his reign had ended.

The power of other princes will inevitably be broken up and disintegrated and cease to exist.

Everyone in the new dynasty will be His Majesty's people. Even if they continue to be divided into factions and fight against each other, they must all obtain His Majesty's approval on a general basis.

I was appointed as the Prince's tutor by the Emperor himself, so I was naturally on Li Xiang's side. If I really want to gain a foothold in the East Palace, I must gain the master's approval. Now this empress who showed her emotions on her face finally let go of her grudge against me.

This is a good start. If we get along well with each other in the future, we will surely gain the Queen’s true trust.

In response to the Empress' initiative to show goodwill, Cen Wenben showed a look of panic and said excitedly: "My humble appearance has caught the Empress's eye. It is really the blessing of my ancestors for several lifetimes. Thank you for your kindness."

"When I return, I will definitely ask her to go to the palace tomorrow to pay a visit to Her Majesty and pay her respects."

Haitang nodded in satisfaction, revealing a dignified and warm smile: "Sir, you are too polite. We are not strangers."

For a moment, with the willingness of both parties, the relationship between them became closer and the atmosphere became very harmonious.

Hou Junji was even happier, as he knew that Cen Wenben's talent was not inferior to Changsun Wuji's. But Changsun Wuji had grown to the point where even the emperor was afraid of him, so he could no longer be taken back to the East Palace.

Cen Wenben had fallen low enough now, so he could be easily subdued. He used to hate this man the most and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible, but Hou Junji was an open-minded general. He knew that this prejudice was ultimately because Cen Wenben's ability was far superior to his, but he joined the enemy camp and helped Li Ke, that little bastard, to deal with him.

However, he had no way to deal with the other party and could only express his emotions with hatred and helpless rage.

Now that Cen Wenben has become one of our own, the feeling is naturally different. With such strong support, the grandson's position is more secure.

He was so happy that when he saw his grandson sweating profusely, he felt distressed. He rolled up his sleeves and said, "I have been using swords and guns all my life. What I hope most is to turn swords into plowshares and let my horses go to the mountains."

"Come to think of it, I haven't been to the fields for a long time. Today, I will work on the farm with my grandson."

"Dad, are you still injured?"

Seeing this, Haitang said anxiously, "Besides, the emperor said that Xiang'er should not be allowed to rely on others. Isn't it not good for you to help him like this?"

"Uh"

Hou Junji was startled and hesitated: "My injury is fine, and tilling the land doesn't take much effort. But the emperor's order..."

"It's okay, actually."

Cen Wenben smiled and came out to help: "The emperor is afraid that Your Highness will be lazy and let the guards and servants of the East Palace do the work for him, which will lose its meaning. The emperor wants His Highness to farm like an ordinary farmer."

"It's rare for an ordinary farmer to have only one person left in his family. Usually, there are parents, wives, children, brothers and sisters to help. Besides, when you use a plow to plow the land, you need one person to pull the ox in front and one person to hold the plow in the back. Can't one person do this?"

"If it's just the general helping, I think it should be fine."

Hou Junji was like an old child. He smiled happily when he heard this: "Not bad, not bad, Lord Cen is still knowledgeable. There is no one in the common people's family who farms the land. It is reasonable for me, as a grandfather, to help."

"We agreed that none of you are allowed to come down. It's just the two of us, grandparents and grandchildren."

After saying that, he ran to the field by himself. Haitang and Cen Wenben looked at him from the side, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. They both smiled and shook their heads.

In the imperial study of Chengqing Palace, the newly appointed Minister of Finance Chu Suiliang, wearing a new purple official robe, was reporting his work to Li Yan in high spirits.

The new department had heavy responsibilities, so Chu Suiliang resigned from his job in the Menxia Province and devoted himself to the Finance Temple.

"Your Majesty, the location of the Finance Temple has been selected. It is on the east side of Hanguangmen Street in the Imperial City. A large courtyard has been demarcated from the Sinong Temple, which is close to the military headquarters of the Right Guard and the Right Guard. The security is guaranteed."

Chu Suiliang said meticulously: "Four subordinate departments have also been established. Of course, the most important ones are the Baochao Tizhu Department and the Issuing Department, as well as the Datang Asset Management Office. The East Factory is too large, and its various business operations are mostly distributed in Chang'an."

"We just moved the core management department of the East Palace, the Experience Department, to the Finance Temple for easier coordination. As for the rest, we'll just let it take its course."

"Well, that's right!"

Li Yan stretched out his finger and shook it, saying, "In the past, the emperor always regarded the East Factory as a source of royal wealth, which led to its disorderly expansion. The corresponding management and supervision may not be in place. Now I have made it a court, and based on it, I will develop it into an industry of the Tang Dynasty."

"The scale will expand several times in the future. You need to rectify it, implement the necessary supervision, and bring it under management to prevent corruption and fraud. The court will conduct annual inspections and the Censorate will also supervise."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Chu Suiliang's mind tensed up, and he quickly responded, and then hesitantly asked: "I have another matter, please let the emperor know."

"Well, tell me!"

As the saying goes, food and supplies must be sent ahead before the army moves.

Li Yan knew that as long as he had the money and food ready, the Turks in the north would launch a large-scale invasion to the south, and the Tang Dynasty would also face a comprehensive shock and turmoil, helping him to complete the concentration of power and reshape the world pattern.

Now that he saw that everything was going on in an orderly manner and the nobles were gradually falling into the net he had carefully woven, Li Yan was in a very good mood.

Chu Suiliang then asked tentatively: "Your Majesty, the East Factory and the Jinyiwei are inseparable, and it is the guarantee of the Jinyiwei's silver. Now that the East Factory is under the jurisdiction of the court, should the Jinyiwei also be handled differently and included in the Sixteen Guards?"

(End of this chapter)