Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 207 As long as he is not the deposed prince, we are not afraid! [Seeking monthly votes]

Taiyuan, in the courtyard of Jinyang Palace.

Li Yuan lay lazily in a rocking chair, wearing special sunglasses and basking in the sun.

Next to him was Concubine Sun who was cutting fruit for him, and children playing and chasing each other.

Although he had promised Li Shimin to return to Taiyuan to worship his ancestors, he did not let Li Shimin's men follow him, so even if he returned to Taiyuan, he would still be free.

This feeling made him very satisfied.

However, whenever she thinks of the days she spent with Li Chengqian, she feels a little lost from time to time.

Because the days he spent with Li Chengqian were some of the happiest days in his life.

"Ugh!"

Whenever he thought of Li Chengqian, he couldn't help but sigh and frown.

At this moment, Concubine Sun, who was cutting fruit nearby, seemed to notice his abnormality and quickly leaned over to him, saying softly, "Grand Emperor, is there something bothering you? Please tell me about it and I will share your concerns!"

When Li Yuan heard what Concubine Sun said, his brows furrowed even tighter: "What worries can you share with me?"

"I"

Concubine Sun was embarrassed for a moment, then looked up at Li Yuanchang who was playing around and said with a smile, "How about having Yuanchang come over and give the Emperor a leg massage? Don't you like him giving you leg massages the most?"

Li Yuan did not answer, but just raised his hand and snapped his fingers, and the two guards behind him brought a huge parasol.

Another palace servant came over with a glass of iced fruit wine.

Li Yuan sat up, skillfully took a sip of the fruit wine with a straw, and immediately felt refreshed.

Soon, the boredom caused by missing my grandson was swept away.

Concubine Sun: “.”

"You said before that Yuanchang was very close to that kid Li You?" Li Yuan suddenly asked.

Concubine Sun replied, "Because of the incidents involving Concubine Zhang and Concubine Yin De, His Majesty conducted a strict investigation of the harem. We, the concubines of the retired emperor, should support each other with His Majesty's concubines and reduce expenditure. I happened to be in contact with Concubine Yin, and through these interactions, Yuanchang became familiar with Li You."

"Ah!"

Li Yuan laughed, and then said calmly: "What are your plans for the future?"

"I am just a woman, so naturally I should follow the emperor. His future will be my future!" Concubine Sun leaned her head on Li Yuan's arm and said softly.

Li Yuan glanced at her sideways and was about to give her some advice when he suddenly heard a voice from afar: "Your Majesty, General Du has an urgent matter to discuss with you!"

"Ok?"

Li Yuan frowned, and Concubine Sun beside him immediately understood. She immediately called the playful children and tactfully left the courtyard.

Soon, Du Caigan hurried to the courtyard at Li Yuan's summons.

"The Great Emperor!"

"What happened?"

"Reporting to the Emperor, news has come from Chang'an that His Majesty has stripped Pei Sikong of his title and official position and sent him back to his hometown in Puzhou!" Du Caigan reported directly.

Li Yuan was slightly taken aback when he heard his report. He immediately took off his sunglasses with a look of disbelief and said in a deep voice, "What's going on? How did Pei San offend Erlang?"

“It is said that”

Du Caigan reported to Li Yuan in detail what had happened recently in Chang'an.

After hearing this, Li Yuan's expression changed again and again. Finally, he sighed helplessly and said, "It seems that Erlang still can't forget the incident with Liu Wenjing!"

"If Pei Ji hadn't slandered Liu Wenjing in front of the Emperor, he wouldn't have ended up like that!"

Du Caigan said disdainfully, "It's all his own fault that he has ended up like this!"

"Oh, so according to you, I deserve what I have today."

"no!"

Du Caigan was startled and quickly explained: "I didn't mean that. I just felt that Pei Ji..."

"okay!"

Before Du Caigan could finish his defense, Li Yuan interrupted him with a wave of his hand, mocking himself: "Now that things have come to this, what's the point of saying all that? I don't think I did anything right before!"

"This"

Upon hearing this, Du Caigan scratched his head in embarrassment, not knowing how to respond.

But then Li Yuan asked again: "Is Cheng Qian doing well in Chang'an?"

"It is said that His Majesty has crowned him and given him the former Prince Qin's Palace as the Crown Prince's Palace!" Du Caigan replied.

Li Yuan couldn't help but feel a little surprised: "Is this still the Erlang I know?"

"To be honest, your Majesty's actions are indeed somewhat different from the Majesty we know!"

Hearing this, Li Yuan laughed: "I guess it was Cheng Qian who changed him! Look, I'm different now, right?"

"Yes, the Emperor has become younger and younger since he went to Jiangling with the Crown Prince!"

Du Caigan flattered Li Yuan, then suddenly remembered something and changed the subject: "However, the Crown Prince has been having a lot of trouble in Chang'an recently!"

Li Yuan's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but ask with curiosity, "What did that kid do again?"

"It is said that he severely punished the officials of the aristocratic families and personally beheaded several officials from the Five Surnames and Seven Families!"

"Is this true?"

Li Yuan's face darkened. "Did that brat really kill several officials from the Five Surnames and Seven Families?!"

"Yes! It's said that it caused quite a stir! Even His Majesty went!"

"This"

Li Yuan was speechless for a moment, then frowned and thought deeply. After a long while, he said thoughtfully, "It seems that boy is going to make a move on the aristocratic family!"

"what?"

Du Caigan was surprised: "Are they all the aristocratic families?"

"if not?"

Li Yuan glanced at him sideways, then said calmly and indifferently, "Why do you think that kid went to Jiangling?"

"But the power of all the aristocratic families cannot be underestimated!"

"Of course I know that he shouldn't be underestimated, but can we really underestimate that kid's power?"

"This"

Du Caigan was also speechless.

But then Li Yuan added, "Actually, we don't need to worry about him. Even if his power isn't enough to take on all the powerful families, with Erlang here, he won't have any problems. Erlang and he share the same goals, and I have more experience with this."

"Uh,"

Du Caigan's mouth twitched, and he thought to himself that when it comes to father-son relationships, yours is the most bizarre. He steps forward when he needs you and steps backward when he doesn't, or he just crosses the river and then demolishes the bridge.

When it comes to father-son relationships, no one is more experienced than you.

However, he didn't dare to say what was in his heart, so he awkwardly changed the subject and said, "According to the news from Chang'an, His Majesty really seems to be letting the Crown Prince do nothing!"

Li Yuan sneered, then said with disdain, "Do you know why I hesitated between Jiancheng and Erlang? It's because when Erlang and I have the same goals, we can always get things done. But when our goals don't match, many problems arise. But between Jiancheng and me, there aren't so many problems."

"So, Erlang is a man who can share adversity but not wealth."

"But His Majesty did not massacre the ministers who followed him!"

"He is a rebellious son who killed his brothers and forced his father to abdicate. How dare he kill meritorious officials indiscriminately? Isn't he courting death?" Li Yuan glared at Du Caigan angrily.

Du Caigan smiled awkwardly, then couldn't help but ask, "Then will Your Majesty and the Crown Prince turn against each other sooner or later?"

"Who knows?"

Li Yuan casually said this, then picked up the glass of iced fruit wine and drank it all. Then he stood up from the rocking chair, stretched himself and said, "Have you found Xiangshi Yuan?"

"found it!"

Du Caigan nodded and said, "It is said that His Majesty also sent Kui San to find him!"

"Oh?"

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, then, with his hands behind his back, he walked towards the courtyard pond step by step. When he saw his reflection in the pond, he said solemnly, "This man's physiognomy is truly remarkable. I wonder what Cheng Qian's face looks like?"

"Then what the Emperor meant was..."

"After the ancestor worship is completed, take him back to Chang'an!"

"promise!"

Du Caigan nodded in agreement, and at the same time he felt very excited.

In fact, it was not him who found Yuan Tiangang, but Yuan Tiangang who came to find him himself.

As for the purpose of looking for him, it was exactly the same as Li Yuan's idea.

All for the purpose of reading Li Chengqian's face.

Although he didn't know why they wanted to read Li Chengqian's face, he thought it must be complicated.

Just as Li Yuan decided to take Yuan Tiangang back to Chang'an, Li Shimin was chatting with Li Chunfeng about the newspaper article "Approaching Science: The Biography of the Holy Monk in Journey to the West." Li Shimin sighed, "I've read the stories in Journey to the West at least ten times. Does such a thing really exist? Can eating the flesh of the holy monk really grant immortality?"

"hehe."

Li Chunfeng smiled noncommittally and said, "The stories in the newspaper are indeed bizarre, but stories are just stories after all."

"Does the art of immortality exist in this world?"

"This"

Li Chunfeng hesitated for a moment, then sighed, "The so-called art of immortality is actually a way to defy fate. But defying fate is not easy. Even if you escape a disaster, there may be a greater disaster in the future. How can humans defeat heaven?"

"Too."

Li Shimin nodded calmly, but he still felt a sense of loss in his heart.

However, given his current state, he wasn't in a rush to pursue immortality, so he changed the subject and said, "You previously petitioned me to modify the armillary sphere. I've thought about it and think it makes sense. With the constant occurrence of natural disasters, accurately observing celestial phenomena would also help alleviate suffering for the people."

"Your Majesty cares about the people of the world, so I will naturally do my best." Li Chunfeng said with a smile and bowed.

Li Shimin glanced at him and said, "I heard that you are proficient in the study of yin and yang and have done quite a bit of research on physiognomy. Do you know Yuan Tiangang? He is also proficient in physiognomy, divination and other metaphysics!"

Li Chunfeng was slightly stunned when he heard this, then said modestly: "My knowledge is relatively shallow, and there is still some gap between me and Master Yuan!"

Li Shimin smiled and said, "If there's a chance, I'd like you to compete with me!"

"Uh, this."

Li Chunfeng was embarrassed and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

At this moment, a voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Your Majesty, the Minister of Revenue Wei Jin requests an audience!"

"What's the matter?" Li Shimin frowned.

But then he heard a report from outside the door: "It is said that food prices have risen sharply, and the food supply in the disaster area has decreased instead of increased. The Ministry of Revenue has been unable to receive donated grain, and there is no food left for disaster relief!"

"That's unreasonable!"

When Li Shimin heard the report, he slammed the table in anger and said in a deep voice, "Let him in!"

"promise!"

There was a response from outside the door, and soon, Wei Jin walked into the hall with great trepidation.

"His Majesty."

"Humph!"

Before Wei Jin could give the details, Li Shimin interrupted him with a cold snort, then said solemnly, "Wei Jin, why is it that every time I ask you to do something, you can't do it well? Last time there was a snowstorm, you were like this, and so were the droughts. Now there's a locust plague, and it's the same again. I ask you, can you still do this as the Minister of Revenue?"

"I"

Wei Jin opened his mouth, but hesitated to speak.

But then Li Shimin continued, "I am very clear about the relationship between your Wei family and the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Houses, but I want to remind you that you must distinguish clearly between the interests of your family and the interests of the country!"

"His Majesty!"

When Wei Jin heard this, he fell to his knees with a thud.

Li Shimin gave him a cold look, then stood up from his seat and said to himself, "I once said that greedy people don't know how to cherish money."

"Officials of the fifth rank and above, for example, hold high positions and receive generous salaries, earning a vast sum of money each year. If they accept bribes, the sums are only a few tens of thousands. However, once their misdeeds are exposed, they will be dismissed from their positions and salaries. How can this be considered thrifty? Do you agree?"

"Yeah!"

Wei Jin nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice, while beads of sweat oozed out of his forehead.

Li Shimin slowly walked towards him and spoke slowly, word by word, "Greedy officials often lose more than they gain. In the past, the Prime Minister of Lu, Gong Yixiu, loved eating fish, but he never accepted fish offered to him. This allowed him to enjoy the delicious taste of fish for a long time."

"A greedy ruler will surely lose his country, and a greedy minister will surely lose his life."

"The Book of Songs says, 'A strong wind blows fiercely, and a greedy person ruins his family.' Don't you agree?"

"Yes, yes, your Majesty is absolutely right!"

Wei Jin only felt that his back was wet with sweat.

This was the first time he had seen Li Shimin like this.

Although every word Li Shimin said had nothing to do with him, every word was like a loud bell, shocking him so much that his scalp numbed.

However, Li Shimin had not finished speaking.

Then he continued solemnly, "In the past, King Huiwen of Qin wanted to attack Shu, but he wasn't familiar with the roads. So he had a stone ox carved from a five-ton ox and placed gold behind it. The people of Shu saw it and thought the stone ox could excrete gold. The king then ordered five strong men to drag the stone ox to Shu, thus opening a road from Qin to Shu. The Qin army then followed and destroyed Shu."

"During the Han Dynasty, Tian Yannian, the Minister of Agriculture, accepted a bribe of 30 million and committed suicide after the incident. There are countless examples like this. I am now using the King of Shu as a warning, and you should also take Tian Yannian's example as a lesson. Do you understand?"

"I, your humble servant, acknowledge my guilt."

Wei Jin's face turned pale and he collapsed.

Li Chunfeng next to him was stunned.

This time he finally saw what the true character of an emperor was.

It was obvious that what Li Shimin said were warnings, but in the end, Wei Jin was frightened into confessing.

How powerful is this?
But then Li Shimin said calmly and majestically: "Come here! Take him to the Dali Temple and let Dai Zhou investigate thoroughly!"

"promise!"

There was a response from outside the door, and soon, several imperial guards took Wei Jin, who was as limp as a puddle of mud, away.

At the same time, Li Shimin set his eyes on Li Chunfeng and asked calmly, "Lord Li, do you know how I knew there was something wrong with him?"

"This"

Li Chunfeng hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I don't know how you know people, but I just looked at his face and read his fortune, and it's not a good omen."

"Oh, so your physiognomy is also very powerful!"

Li Shimin smiled and teased Li Chunfeng, then put his hands behind his back and said, "In fact, when I see the strengths of others, I feel as if they were my own.

But a person has not only strengths but also weaknesses. If I can see the strengths of others, I can also see their weaknesses!"

"Wei Jin definitely has his strengths, but the abilities he demonstrates are all flaws. Is this normal? It's obviously not normal!"

"So, I think he has problems, and the facts have proven that he does have problems."

"This"

Upon hearing this, Li Chunfeng couldn't help but look admiring.

It would be hard for an emperor who can discover the strengths of his ministers and knows how to judge their shortcomings not to be a wise ruler.

At the same time, in the Prince’s Mansion.

Cen Wenben looked a little anxious as he held the newspaper that was about to be sold.

Li Chengqian next to him looked relaxed and even drank his homemade milk tea.

After a while, Cen Wenben finally couldn't suppress his anxiety anymore and said to Li Chengqian with a bitter face, "Your Highness, isn't our Tang Dynasty Rich List a bit exaggerated?"

"Gululu!"

Li Chengqian sipped his milk tea and jokingly said, "Why, is Lord Cen scared?"

"To be honest, I haven't been afraid since I decided to follow the Crown Prince."

"Then what are you worried about?"

"I'm worried I'll stir up a hornet's nest."

Cen Wenben said in a somewhat strange tone, "Once this newspaper is published, if those ministers start making a fuss, even His Majesty will be wary. Isn't Your Highness afraid that this will become a big deal and difficult to deal with?"

Li Chengqian thought for a moment and said, "Before I saw the contents of the newspaper, I was indeed a little worried."

"but."

As he spoke, he put down his milk tea and changed the subject: "Think about it, what is the worst possible outcome? Would they dare to rebel? Of course not, my father is still here! What would they do then? They would simply impeach me! So, the worst possible outcome would be my father scolding me!"

"But."

"Why, will my father abolish me because of this?"

"That's not the case!"

Cen Wenben flatly denied it, "Your Majesty also wants to deal with those aristocratic families, and he certainly won't treat the Crown Prince like this!"

"That's right, as long as he's not the deposed crown prince, we have nothing to fear!"

Li Chengqian smiled and shrugged, then said confidently, "As the saying goes, if an enemy comes, we must fight him; if a flood comes, we must block it with earth. They don't know how to deal with me yet, but I've sent them to the grill."

Having said this, he restrained his smile and solemnly instructed Cen Wenben:

"Remember, when we go to court tomorrow, no matter what they say, we must first force them to donate grain. As long as we force them to donate grain, we will be halfway to success!"

"Okay, okay."

When Cen Wenben heard what Li Chengqian said, he swallowed subconsciously, nodded heavily, and then turned around and went to the newspaper office.

The next morning, a newspaper that would go down in history was released.

　[Please give me a monthly pass, please give me a monthly pass, please give me a monthly pass]

　　
　
(End of this chapter)