Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 40 His Highness Returns to Loyal Chang'an
"Did you really say that to Hou Junji?"

Before class, Fang Xuanling expressed shock at Li Ming's outrageous behavior in the Dali Temple prison in recent days.

As the prime minister of a country, it was impossible for him to teach in primary school every day. The rest of the time, scholars from Chongwenguan took his place.

What shocked Fang Xuanling even more was that Hou Junji didn't even try to deal with this little mosquito that came to bother him every day.

As to whether Hou Junji was truly persuaded to repent, or this cunning mosquito carried Hou Baolin with him as a shield, he remained in the dark for the time being.

Li Ming touched his head awkwardly:

"Originally I just wanted to get to know him, understand the situation, and reunite Pauline with her grandfather.

"But that greedy guy actually thought corruption was justified and made a very convincing argument. I was so angry that I just..."

If you think about it calmly, what Hou Junji said is not completely unreasonable.

The Tang army was a powerful force, but not a civilized one, and they committed many acts of looting and massacre.

It’s cool, but it also lays a hole for future governance.

After the Anshi Rebellion, they even looted their own cities.

The saying “bandits pass by like a comb, and soldiers pass by like a rake” describes this kind of old-style army.

It's definitely a systemic problem.

In a sense, Hou Junji can be said to have been partly blamed for this institutional problem.

Fang Xuanling smiled and shook his head:

“Your Highness has done very well.

"Although Hou Junji is talented, you can see that he is too greedy. Just like a double-edged sword, if it is not carefully maintained, it is easy to hurt the user. However..."

He took a sip of tea and paused: "You can't use this method to scare the next one."

"Next one?" Li Ming was stunned.

"It's okay." Fang Xuanling changed the subject:
"Your Highness, don't forget that Hou Junji's son-in-law is an official in the Eastern Palace. Since Your Highness wants to keep a low profile, aren't you afraid of being classified as a member of the Crown Prince's faction?"

Li Ming said helplessly:

"I accidentally mediated between my father and the crown prince, and uncovered the conspiracy behind the Li Xiaogong case. I have long been labeled as a member of the crown prince's party. I am so tired that I can't stop."

This is also the real reason why he brought Chang Sunyan with him.

It's not because all the information about Hou Junji was provided by Changsun Yan, it's not impolite.

But it is because, after Changsun Yan is Changsun Wuji, and Changsun Wuji is undoubtedly a member of the prince's party.

He was making his feelings clear to one of the big bosses: I am a friendly force, don't fire!
At least don't fire until you grow up.

"And." Li Ming added:

"Furthermore, after these two incidents, my father's attention to me has also increased, which has made me attract more attention.

"Since my father is afraid of Hou Junji, I will definitely pull Hou Junji out and take the initiative to reduce the heat."

If the emperor paid too much attention, he would arouse jealousy, but if he paid no attention at all, he would easily lead to his own death in silence.

Li Ming felt that his situation was really difficult, like he was walking on a tightrope.

No, I was the one who put Hou Junji in there. Your father probably wants to release him too... Fang Xuanling held back and opened the textbook.

"Your Highness, please return to your seat and prepare for class."

Li Ming showed a cunning smile:
"The investigation of the Hejian County Prince case seems to have hit a bottleneck, and the three courts cannot find the source of the arsenic.

"I will take my brothers to visit every household in the West City to investigate."

You actually used my trick against me, Your Highness... Before Fang Xuanling knew it, the classroom was empty.

All his students followed the leader and ran away.

"Mr. Fang, please take a rest today. Hey, Your Highness, wait for me!" Wei Daijia hurriedly chased after him.

Fang Xuanling looked at the empty classroom and slowly packed up his textbooks:
"I, an old minister, must also work harder in the court."

…………

The ministers reappeared in the arena and marched towards the West Market in a mighty force.

"I wonder how our porridge stall is doing." Yuchi Xunyu muttered loudly.

Chang Sunyan said angrily: "It is all because of the treacherous officials in power, their lackeys are blocking my wise plans, and making the people suffer!"

The ministers seconded: "Yes, yes!"

Wei Daijia, the henchman of the treacherous minister, sneezed.

"Why don't we go and take a look?" Li Ming suggested.

"Yeah."

In less than a second, the children forgot about "investigating the case" and swarmed towards the shop left by the Western merchants.

"Hey, this is different from what we agreed on... Oh, forget it!"

The minion Wei Daijia is lying down, I just hope these guys won't cause any trouble.

As soon as we arrived at the place, as expected—

Crowded with people, but in good order.

Since the young masters' help was no longer there, the helpers in the porridge shop could finally focus on their work. Their efficiency was greatly improved, and more and more poor people came here to get porridge.

Even this "Prince Li Ming's Porridge Stall" is so famous that it attracts many charity-loving men and women to join in the fun.

They give food, firewood, clothes, etc. to the poor here, which in turn attracts many vendors, forming a peculiar "Li Ming Economic Zone".

The children were silent as they watched their careers flourish after they left.

"It's all because of the treacherous officials in power that the people are living in misery, and more and more people have to accept handouts!" Chang Sun Yan said angrily.

The ministers immediately seconded the proposal: "That's right!"

The Tang Dynasty lost again from a different perspective.

Amid the calls for clearing out the imperial court, the children returned to their loyal soup kitchen.

The sharp-eyed refugees immediately spotted the familiar little figure and shouted in surprise:
"Your Highness! His Highness Li Ming is here!"

"His Highness has come to see us in person!"

"Amitabha, please bless my youngest son to get well soon..."

All the poor people knelt on the ground in unison and cheered like thunder.

Li Ming walked into the crowd very naturally, helped the people around him up, and said modestly:

"No, no, it's all thanks to the helpers. You should thank them."

He said this sincerely, and the people were truly grateful to him.

If it weren't for Prince Li Ming taking the lead, those people above would never have even glanced at these exiles and lowly people who could not collect taxes.

Wei Daijia stared at him in amazement. Wherever he went, the people gave him a heartfelt welcome. He had only read about this scene in Confucian classics, which always described him as a righteous teacher or a famous emperor throughout history.

But what I saw with my own eyes was actually happening to a naughty kid who made me hate him so much...

He was stunned for a long time before he suddenly remembered his duty. He squeezed into the crowd with all his might to protect Li Ming who was greeting the poor people.

"What are you doing?" Li Ming shook his hand away in disgust.

Wei Daijia panted and said, "Too many people are dangerous. I am here to protect your safety!"

Li Ming glanced at him and said with a wry smile:
“Thank you for your kindness, but how could I be in danger when I am among the people who support me?
“The real danger is where you think you’re safe.”

Wei Daijia understood half of what he said.

He has been confused by the recent conversations between His Highness and Mr. Fang.

He suddenly realized that he didn't know this little prince who he had been with day and night at all...

Most of the members of the Fourteenth Party squeezed through the crowd and arrived at the door of their own store.

Very good, the helpers have been cleaning all the time and the store is spotless.

There was a secret door on the floor, and more than 16,000 copper coins were safely hidden in a jar, without a penny missing.

"Very good. Everyone has done a good job and nothing went wrong during my absence." Li Ming crossed his arms and nodded approvingly:

"Just one question -

“Why is this guy hanging in my store?”

The children looked up and saw a familiar, wretched, rat-looking boy with his hands and feet tied with ropes, hanging on a beam.

The guy named "Lai Junchen" was about to cry:

"Brother Ming, you're finally here! I didn't do anything, and those idiots want to beat me up!"

"Bah! You must have done something bad secretly!" Di Renjie reflexively retorted to him.

Li Ming's face was a little dark:

"Put him down. What happened?"

The helper reported truthfully:
"That guy comes here every day to eat, drink and get money, not to mention he also spreads rumors about Your Highness..."

"What do you mean by free food and drinks? Brother Ming promised me that you would come to eat every day!" Lai Junchen retorted.

"Yes, yes, that's the rumor he made up."

"I%￥#@&!"

Li Ming smoothed his twitching mouth corners: "This kid didn't lie, he is my little brother, don't worry about him in the future. You are very responsible and deserve to be rewarded."

He took out several strings of cash and distributed them to the helpers. Everyone knelt down to thank His Highness for his generosity and threw themselves into their work with great joy.

Lai Junchen grumbled and moved his shoulders, then immediately moved closer to Li Ming with a playful smile:

"Brother Ming, so you are still a prince?"

He had been hanging around here for so long that he naturally knew what this porridge stall was all about.

However, this wild wolf was born rebellious and had no natural respect for the royal family.

Otherwise, this guy would not have killed the royal family member Li Xuyin and exterminated the prime minister Le Sihui.

Professional counterpart belongs to yes.

"What's wrong?" Li Ming felt a chill on his scalp.

Does this cruel official want to use my skull as a bowl?
"Nothing, nothing, just asking." Lai Junchen smiled awkwardly:

"You are such a high-ranking official, can you give the Chang'an County Magistrate to..."

He made a guillotine gesture.

"No." Li Ming was speechless.

Last time it was a report, this time it was a direct salvation.

What did the Chang'an County Magistrate do wrong? Why was he persecuted like this?

"Oh."

Lai Junchen didn't care. He stuffed a whole steamed bun into his mouth and walked out as if nothing had happened.

"Where are you going?" Li Ming called him.

"I'll make a living here and earn money elsewhere." Lai Junchen was quite frank. He joked incoherently while swallowing the dry cake:

"Or, Brother Ming, are you going to support me forever?"

Li Ming curled his lips:
"I can't afford a few dog bones? There's no such thing as whether it's okay or not, only whether it's worth it or not."

The emperor and his ministers were startled, and immediately smiled and bowed obsequiously, like a dog that was doomed to die a miserable death.

This is what the wolf tribe is like.

"Hey, Brother Ming... No, Master Ming! You are my master, I will definitely do everything for you beautifully!"

His acting skills need to be improved... Li Ming commented objectively, pointing outside the door:
"Find a few smart kids among the refugees. They must be smart."

"Okay!"

Lai Junchen went out excitedly.

After arranging the slick thugs, Li Ming faced the idle officials and cleared his throat:

"Mr. Fang has been giving lectures for a while, right? Since everyone is here, I'll test your knowledge.

What?
The children were shocked by the sudden attack of Sui and Tang test.

Didn't we skip class? And it was you, Brother Ming, who led the way!
You actually betrayed the revolution!

Even Wei Daijia was surprised.

What kind of fun is this?
Since you have to study, why skip classes?

It's the body's instinct, right?

"The content of the exam is policy essay."

Li Ming ignored everyone's complaints and crossed his arms seriously.

At the same time, the brain is racing to plan the next actions.

Fang Xuanling's words made sense, but that didn't mean he had to trust the old silver coin blindly.

It is not a chess piece that moves only when pushed by the old silver coin.

He first used the Li Xiaogong case as a breakthrough point and gradually gained freedom of movement.

When a dragon enters the sea, the sky becomes vast.

Next, Hou Junji had his own plan on how to salvage the food.

(End of this chapter)