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

Chapter 209: Father and son go into battle, he is so cooperative [ask for monthly ticket]

Li Shimin's words had just fallen.

The officials of the Eastern Palace behind Li Chengqian stood up one after another.

They rushed to shout:
"Your Majesty! I am willing to donate 500 dan! If the grain is insufficient, copper coins will make up the difference!"

"Your Majesty! I don't have much food at home, but I'm willing to donate it all!"

"Your Majesty! I will donate everything! I will leave nothing behind! To preserve the fruits for the people and to relieve Your Majesty's worries! My Lords, please do as you please!"

"hehe."

Although the first people to donate grain were not his own people, Li Shimin was not angry at all. Instead, he smiled happily.

Because he felt that since the officials of the Eastern Palace were busy with donations, the other ministers would feel embarrassed to donate less than them.

After all, the officials of the Eastern Palace had mocked them harshly outside the palace before.

As the saying goes, a man lives by his face and a tree lives by its bark. These ministers are all prominent people and they should not give up this opportunity to gain face.

So, he felt that there would be a great harvest next.

"Well, very good! Very good! I can already feel your patriotism and loyalty to the emperor!"

Li Shimin smiled and nodded, then looked around at the ministers again and asked, "What about the others? How much do you plan to donate?"

Hearing this, Fang Xuanling, who was standing in the first row, felt a little upset.

Although the donations from the officials of the Eastern Palace were not much, they all reached the moral high ground.

Nowadays, the person who donated the most should be Cen Wenben. He is the right son of the Eastern Palace, and I used to be the right son of the Eastern Palace. So how much should I donate?

Eight hundred? It seemed a bit painful. Although the food reserves of his own tribe were more than eight hundred, if he donated eight hundred directly, there would definitely be a lot of opinions among the tribe.

But Cen Wenben donated five hundred in one go. If I don’t donate more, how will His Majesty view me in the future?
After much deliberation, Fang Xuanling gritted his teeth and immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty! I will donate one thousand dan!"

Good guy!
Good job, old house!

Didn't you say you'd donate 800 yuan? Why did you suddenly donate 1,000 yuan?!
Du Ruhui, Changsun Wuji and others beside him looked at Fang Xuanling in surprise.

No one seemed to expect him to be so hardworking!
However, when Li Shimin showed a satisfied smile, their desire to lower the standards completely died.

Zhang Sun Wuji said with a stiff upper lip, "Your Majesty! I will donate nine hundred shi!"

"Ok?"

Du Ruhui's eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "Your Majesty! I will donate 800 shi!"

At the beginning, Li Shimin's face was full of smiles, but at the end, the smile on Li Shimin's face disappeared.

Because after a rough calculation, he found that the total donated grain was less than 20,000 shi.

This amount of food is a drop in the bucket for the disaster-stricken areas affecting dozens of states.

It is obvious that the ministers who donated later, especially those from the Five Surnames and Seven Families, could not be compared with the ministers who donated at the beginning. They only needed to be compared with the ministers who donated before them.

If the previous donation was fifty shi, he would donate forty-nine shi.

As a result, the number of ministers who donated money increased, but the amount of donations became lower and lower.

It was even as low as a few stones for each minister.

Li Shimin was so angry that he almost stood up and lost his temper.

However, when he set his eyes on Li Chengqian, he found that Li Chengqian was very calm.

It seemed as if he had expected this to happen.

So he suppressed the anger in his heart and watched his ministers donate grain with an indifferent expression.

Only after the last minister had donated did he calmly nod and say, "Well done! I am deeply gratified by your generosity. Crown Prince, do you have anything to say?"

"Your Majesty, I feel that the previous newspaper did have some mistakes, so I want to re-check the grain reserves in the homes of all officials and send a report to clarify!" Li Chengqian stepped forward and said.

Li Shimin's heart moved, and then he smiled: "Your Highness is right, it should indeed be re-verified. In addition, I think the list of grain donations and the amount should also be announced publicly to calm public opinion!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

"His Majesty!"

Upon hearing that Li Shimin not only agreed with Li Chengqian's opinion but also wanted to make the list of donated grain and the amount public, Wang Gui quickly shouted, "Your Majesty, I request that the court regulate the newspapers. If we leave the opinions published in the newspapers alone, I'm afraid the country will be in turmoil!"

"Yes, Your Majesty! Things like newspapers that influence public opinion should not become the private property of certain people. If everyone can distribute newspapers, wouldn't the country be in chaos?" Lu Chengqing stood up and echoed.

After seeing the power of newspapers, other officials from aristocratic families also came out to agree.

"That's right! If everyone trusts newspapers instead of imperial decrees, how will the imperial court govern the country?"

"Your Majesty, please control the newspapers!"

"Your Majesty! We second the motion!"

Hearing these voices of agreement, Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes slightly.

It was obvious that this was a premeditated advice.

In just a few days, these aristocratic families united together.

No wonder Li Shimin spent his entire life fighting against the aristocratic families.

It is indeed difficult to completely deal with them.

Moreover, Li Shimin also intended to take away the right to distribute newspapers from Li Chengqian.

So, when the ministers petitioned the court to regulate newspapers, he did not immediately express his opinion. Instead, he once again fixed his gaze on Li Chengqian and said calmly, "What do you think, Crown Prince?"

"Your Majesty, I think what you ministers said makes sense. Newspapers should indeed be regulated!"

Li Chengqian said calmly.

"What!?"

When the ministers heard his words, they were slightly surprised and wondered what was going on and why he was so cooperative.

Even Li Shimin was a little surprised and couldn't help but ask, "Then what the prince means is that the court can control newspapers?"

"of course can!"

Li Chengqian said this very seriously, then suddenly changed the subject: "However, the court must establish a new government office, such as a News Department, to specifically manage newspaper distribution, content review, and public opinion across the country."

"This"

The ministers looked at each other, confused as to what Li Chengqian was up to.

Li Shimin frowned and asked, "Establish a News Department? Who will be the head of it?"

"I propose that Cen Wenben be appointed Director of the News Department, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites, and have the same rank as the Minister of Rites!"

When the ministers heard Li Chengqian's proposal, they were immediately furious.

"Your Majesty, this is unacceptable! Cen Wenben is an official of the Eastern Palace and has no merits. He does not meet the court's standards for employment!"

"Yes, Your Majesty! Officials who are promoted to high positions need to be evaluated. Cen Wenben has no achievements, so how can he be promoted to a high position?"

"His Majesty."

Seeing the ministers' strong reaction to Li Chengqian's proposal about Cen Wenben, Li Shimin couldn't help but frown.

Seeing this, Wushe, who was standing by, immediately shouted, "Silence!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall became silent, like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

But Li Shimin said solemnly: "The imperial court must indeed follow the imperial procedures when selecting officials, but the prince is just making a proposal. Why are you so excited?"

Upon hearing this, the ministers looked at each other but did not speak again.

Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian again and asked, "Why did the Crown Prince propose that Cen Wenben be appointed Director of the Information Department?"

"Because no one understands public opinion better than him! He manages all of Jiangling's paper mills, printing workshops, and newspapers across the country! May I ask, Father, among all the ministers present, who is more qualified than him to be the Director of the News Department?"

"This"

When Li Shimin heard this, his pupils suddenly shrank and he looked at Fang Xuanling and others in surprise.

Originally, he wanted Fang Xuanling to arrange one of his own to be the director of the News Department, but he didn't expect Cen Wenben to be so capable.

He actually managed newspapers all over the country.

"Your Majesty! I think Cen Wenben is worthy of being the director of the Information Department!" Wei Zheng suddenly stood up at this time.

Li Shimin frowned and glanced at him, then at Li Chengqian. He felt that there was no need to compete with his son for power at this time, so he made a quick decision and said, "Okay! Pass on my decree. Let Cen Wenben, the Right Secretary of the Eastern Palace, be appointed Director of the News Department!"

"His Majesty!"

"Okay, it's settled. From now on, all newspapers in Datang will be under the jurisdiction of the News Department, and the content of the newspapers must also be reviewed by the News Department!"

Li Shimin interrupted Cui Renshi's speech without hesitation.

Although the newspaper is still under the control of the prince.

But the prince is standing with me after all.

You of the five surnames and seven families, why do you think I will hand over the newspaper to you for control?

Do you know what father and son fighting together means?
Seeing that Li Shimin directly interrupted his speech, Cui Renshi retreated angrily without saying a word.

Soon, the court meeting ended in silence.

And the action against the aristocratic families is far from over.

Because what follows is the real intense war.

"Everyone stop what you are doing, I have a few things to tell you!" Li Chengqian stopped everyone as soon as he returned to the Prince's Mansion.

But he said bluntly: "All our efforts depend on this period of time. If we win, we will have meat to eat in the future. If we lose, we will be like our grandson, suppressed and unable to raise our heads!"

"I believe you all want to eat meat, so I won't waste any more words. First, Ma Zhou, it is now your turn to dispatch the Jiangling Consortium to the disaster area and short the grain price!"

"Yes!"

Ma Zhou responded excitedly.

Li Chengqian continued, "Second, Cen Wenben, you will gather the people from the Xingtang Chamber of Commerce and notify newspapers across the country to publish the detailed list of grain donations made by officials in the imperial court today, especially those in their family's territories. You must publicize their actions!"

"Let everyone know that they don't care about the lives of the disaster victims!"

"Yes!"

Cen Wenben responded excitedly.

Li Chengqian continued, "Third, Sun Fujia, the time has come to exterminate the locusts. I want you to lead the Eastern Palace Guards to exterminate the locusts in the name of the Crown Prince's Mansion, according to my plan!"

"As ordered!"

Sun Fujia responded respectfully.

Soon, everyone started a new round of crazy work.

At the same time, at Cui Renshi’s residence.

Several family heads from the five surnames and seven families gathered together.

Although they failed to let Li Shimin's plan succeed, they successfully saved their family property.

But Li Chengqian is still a sword hanging over their heads.

Especially Li Chengqian, who took control of the News Department with full legitimacy, made them feel that their situation was getting worse and worse.

Wang Gui sighed and said, "Now that Minister Wei and those twenty-odd officials from the Jingji Province are under investigation, our influence in Guanzhong has been severely damaged. It will be difficult for us to fight the Crown Prince in Chang'an!"

"Humph!"

Li Zhen snorted indignantly and said, "Then what should we do? Are we just going to sit there and wait for death?"

"That's right! The prince killed our nephews and dared to be so arrogant. We must find a way to deal with him. Otherwise, the fate of our nephews and nephews will be our fate!" Li Shushen said with a stern face.

Zheng Shanguo, who was standing by, glanced at him, stroked his beard, and said, "The Crown Prince and His Majesty are on the same side. If we deal with the Crown Prince, we will be going against His Majesty. This is not going to be easy!"

"Not easy to handle?"

Li Zhen sneered and said, "He was just lucky last time, but it might not be the same next time!"

"What are you going to do?" Lu Chengqing couldn't help but ask curiously.

Li Zhen thought for a moment, then said viciously, "If he really pushes us to the limit, the worst that can happen is that both of us will be destroyed. I don't believe he can be so lucky every time!
"You mean, to ask Shouzhuolang again?"

Cui Renshi narrowed his eyes slightly, and the others also held their breath.

But Li Zhen smiled faintly: "I mean, we are really pushed to the limit. Isn't it time yet?"

"What's more, this matter still needs to be carefully considered. We can't be like last time, without any preparation!"

"Well, that makes sense."

Li Shushen nodded in agreement, "It's best not to go down this road unless it's absolutely necessary!"

"So what should we do next?" Lu Chengqing looked around at everyone.

Cui Renshi pondered for a moment, then said thoughtfully: "Wei Jin lost the position of Minister of Revenue. We must arrange someone to take his place, otherwise it will be difficult for him to gain a foothold in the court in the future!"

"But today we have offended His Majesty. Will he agree to let our people serve as the Minister of Revenue?" Wang Gui asked worriedly.

Cui Renshi glanced at him, then suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, "Master Wang is now the teacher of the King of Yue. I wonder how the King of Yue is doing lately?"

"This"

Wang Gui hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "The King of Yue is smart and studious, and is proficient in poetry and songs, but he is still young."

"Isn't the prince two years older than the King of Yue? Look at him, he is like a monster, not like a nine-year-old child at all!" Li Shushen couldn't help but complain.

Wang Gui said somewhat embarrassedly, "Although the King of Yue is not as good as the Crown Prince, he is not much behind. It is said that the King of Yue has recently become interested in mountains and rivers and wants to write a book on them."

"Oh?"

Cui Renshi's eyes lit up. "Does the King of Yue really have such intentions? Our Cui family does have quite a few books on mountains and rivers!"

"Yes! The King of Yue has always wanted to compile the Zhenguan Encyclopedia, but it was too expensive, so His Majesty put it on hold. So, he wanted to start with the geography of mountains and rivers and compile the Zhenguan Encyclopedia later!"

"Well, this is a good idea! If there were no crown prince, the King of Yue would be the best among the princes!" Zheng Shanguo nodded with a smile.

Cui Renshi's eyes rolled, and he continued, "Since the Crown Prince can build a Prince's Palace outside the palace, why don't we support the King of Yue and build a Prince of Yue's Palace outside the palace?"

"No! Your Majesty will never agree to this!"

Wang Gui shook his head and said, "Although His Majesty favors the King of Yue, have you forgotten what happened some time ago? In order to balance the power between the Crown Prince and the King of Yue, His Majesty granted the Crown Prince an additional 28 states. This has never happened in any dynasty!"

"From this, it can be seen that Your Majesty favors the Crown Prince far more than the King of Yue. It is absolutely impossible for Him to cause trouble for the Crown Prince and allow the King of Yue to enjoy the same treatment as the Crown Prince!"

"This"

Cui Renshi was speechless.

But Lu Chengqing beside him said thoughtfully: "If we build an academy similar to the Hongwen Academy instead of the Yuewang Palace, Your Majesty would probably agree, right?"

"What does Patriarch Lu mean?" Wang Gui asked with some confusion.

Lu Chengqing smiled, then looked around meaningfully at everyone and said, "Doesn't the King of Yue want to compile a book about mountains and rivers? Let's help him build an academy to attract talents from all over the world. By then, the King of Yue's reputation will rise. If anything happens to the Crown Prince, won't that be our chance?"

"hiss"

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but gasp.

But he soon showed an excited look on his face.

"good idea!"

Cui Renshi was the first to speak: "Let's help the King of Yue build a school and support him in his fight against the Crown Prince!"

"But the prince is now holding on to us. How can we get rid of him and support the King of Yue?" Wang Gui still said with some worry.

"This"

Everyone looked at each other.

But Li Zhen said angrily, "This guy is really despicable! What deep hatred do we have with him? Why is he always picking on us?!"

"What's the point of saying this now? The most urgent thing is to solve the problem!"

Cui Renshi glanced at them coldly, then picked up the tea on the table and took a sip. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind: "Jiangling's products! Why didn't I think of it?"

"What do you mean?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked towards Master Cui Ren with puzzled expressions.

Cui Renshi held out the teacup to everyone and said with a smile, "Everyone, look at what this is?"

"Tea!" Li Zhen blurted out, "Jiangling's Tuanhuang tea!"

"Yes! How about this tea?"

"Not bad, it's better than the tea we drank before!"

"If this tea is poisonous, would you still dare to drink it?"

"poisonous?"

Li Zhen was slightly startled and subconsciously looked at the others.

The others also looked surprised.

But Zheng Shanguo said in surprise, "Master Cui, do you mean to muddy the tea?"

"No, not only this tea, but also other Jiangling products must be mixed up!"

Cui Renshi sneered, "Doesn't the Crown Prince think he's the only one who can manipulate public opinion? We can do the same. After all, the News Department has only just been established, so we have a lot of room to maneuver!"

"Since we want to confuse all the goods in Jiangling, why not confuse the grain as well!" Lu Chengqing's eyes flashed with a sinister look, and he said in a deep voice: "His Majesty is forcing us to donate grain, so we might as well sell all the grain and see how he forces us!"

"what?!"

When everyone heard this, they were shocked again.

"Are you crazy? Selling grain at this time would only help them, wouldn't it?!" Li Shushen said in surprise.

Lu Chengqing glanced at him and sneered, "Selling it to them is a blessing, but what if I sell it to someone else? Is that still a blessing?"

"what do you mean?"

Cui Renshi frowned and asked.

"Let our grain merchants compete with each other and drive up grain prices, creating the illusion of a bottomless food pit in the disaster area. This will attract other families to rush in and sell at high prices! Make a killing!"

"Wonderful!"

Everyone's eyes lit up when they heard this.

I agreed to the plan immediately.

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

　　
　
(End of this chapter)