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

Chapter 224 Don’t wait, your youth will be in vain! [Seeking monthly votes]

In the Zongzheng Mansion, Li Chengqian was sitting quietly in a chair, holding a cup of tea, in a daze.

The current result was not beyond his expectations.

Moreover, he got to know Li Shimin better.

Although he felt before this that Li Shimin was not the nearly perfect Emperor Taizong of Tang described in history books, being able to understand Li Shimin's temperament so clearly was still very helpful to his future ascension to the throne.

Of course, this is also related to the price Li Chengqian paid.

If Li Shimin had no regard for the father-son relationship at all, he would have been executed for all the things he did, including the historical rebel Li Chengqian.

You know, Li You and Li Chengqian were both plotting rebellion, but Li Shimin executed Li You without hesitation and spared Li Chengqian.

This is enough to show Li Shimin's feelings for Li Chengqian.

However, this feeling is not unconditional, and the premise is that Li Chengqian will not threaten his rule.

Once the crown prince Li Chengqian threatens his rule, it is not impossible that the cruelty of launching the Xuanwu Gate Incident will be repeated.

This is also the reason why Li Chengqian used the example of Emperor Wu of Han to remind him.

That is, I know you are cruel, but I am not afraid of you at all.

I am not Liu Ju.

Nor is he the original Li Chengqian.

"How's it going, kid? Do you know you're not easy to mess with now?"

A hearty voice interrupted Li Chengqian's thoughts. The person who came was none other than Li Xiaogong.

"Cheng Qian meets Uncle Wang!"

Li Chengqian put down the teacup, jumped off the chair and saluted.

"Alright, alright, sit down. Now that you're here with Uncle Wang, don't be so pretentious. Show your true, powerful side!" Li Xiaogong waved his hand carelessly, sat down at his desk, and then smiled at Li Chengqian, "Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, you're the first prince to enter the Imperial Clan Affairs Office!"

"Ah!"

Li Chengqian laughed: "Why do I feel like Uncle Wang is gloating over someone else's misfortune? There aren't many princes in the Tang Dynasty!"

"Stop bullshitting me! You're out of breath after I told you you're fat? If you keep acting so cynical, I'll punish you!"

Li Xiaogong looked scare, but he still looked quite impressive.

But Li Chengqian was not afraid at all. He smiled and said, "I didn't have time to thank Uncle Wang before I moved to the Prince's Mansion. Let's thank him all at once this time!"

After saying that, he took out a silver note and handed it to Li Xiaogong, saying, "Take it and spend it as you like!"

"What the hell? You're giving me a piece of paper to spend as I please?" Li Xiaogong took the banknote with a puzzled look on his face, examined it curiously, and then said lightly, "The pattern on it is quite beautiful. It's worth a thousand taels. What does it mean?"

"This is a silver note issued by the Jiangling Bank. One thousand taels equals one thousand strings of cash. With this note, you can go to any bank in Jiangling and exchange it for one thousand strings of cash!"

"What!?"

Li Xiaogong was surprised when he heard this. It was not because Li Chengqian gave him a thousand strings of coins, but because this piece of paper could actually be exchanged for a thousand strings of coins.

"This is real?"

Li Xiaogong asked in disbelief, "This piece of paper, no, this silver note, can really be exchanged for a thousand coins?!"

"Of course!"

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Uncle Wang, if you don't believe me, you can go to the Jiangling Bank in the East Market to withdraw money. They will definitely give you a thousand strings of cash. Moreover, the Jiangling Bank not only allows you to withdraw money, but also allows you to deposit money. You can deposit your family's money there, and the bank will give you silver notes. From now on, you can use the silver notes to withdraw money wherever there is a Jiangling Bank across the country. It's simple and convenient!"

"This"

Li Xiaogong opened his mouth in surprise when he heard this, but he quickly reacted and said with a straight face, "Are you trying to cheat me out of my money? I deposited my family's money in the bank just for convenience. What if you don't pay me back?"

"It's not all for convenience. My bank will give you a certain amount of interest based on the proportion of your deposit. Your money at home won't make money, but it can in a bank. For example, if you deposit 1,000 strings of cash and don't withdraw it for a year, you'll earn 20 strings of cash in interest. That's equivalent to earning 20 strings of cash without doing anything!"

"what?"

Li Xiaogong was surprised: "I can earn 20 strings of cash without doing anything? Is this true?"

"of course it's true!"

Li Chengqian smiled. "Nowadays, almost all merchants in Jiangling keep their money in banks. They don't need to carry money with them wherever they go. When they do business, they just take their banknotes to exchange for cash. It's hassle-free and convenient!"

"This"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaogong felt as if his three perspectives had been overturned. After a long pause, he finally picked up the banknote in his hand and said in surprise, "This is a good thing! Can I not take it out? Let it stay in there and earn interest?"

"sure!"

Li Chengqian smiled and nodded, "It was originally given to Uncle Wang, so Uncle Wang can do whatever he wants with it!"

"Okay, okay! You have a conscience, kid!"

Li Xiaogong nodded repeatedly in satisfaction, then stroked his beard and said, "You have a conscience, so you can live here with me without worry. Although it's not as comfortable as your Prince's Mansion, it's still quiet!"

"Uh,"

Li Chengqian's mouth twitched. He thought, "This isn't a good place. Who would go to a prison and live there without worrying about anything?" If I hadn't planned this long ago, I would have run away!
"Hehe, Prince, don't think my words are harsh. If you keep going like this, you'll come and live here permanently sooner or later!"

Looking at Li Chengqian's depressed look, Li Xiaogong said with a servile smile.

When Li Chengqian heard this, he immediately became unhappy: "Give me back my banknotes! Who would curse your nephew like you?!"

"What's given to me is mine. You want to take it back? No way! Silver notes are such rare things. I haven't seen anyone using them in Chang'an!"

Li Xiaogong dodged Li Chengqian's outstretched hand with a smile, then said seriously:
"I'm not afraid to tell you. Just before I came here, His Majesty specifically instructed me not to let you step out of the Zongzheng Temple or contact anyone. This is clearly to teach you a lesson. If you give in, everything will be easy. If you don't, you'll probably suffer. Are you ready?"

"As long as he doesn't kill me, I won't give in!"

"Ha! Good boy, you're quite courageous! But I just can't understand why you're so young and capable, why are you in such a hurry?"

"I won't say much else. I'll just give Uncle Wang a message: Don't wait until your hair turns grey!"

"This"

When Li Xiaogong heard this, he was slightly stunned, then he looked at Li Chengqian deeply, patted his shoulder without saying a word, and stood up and left.

There was no way. When Li Shimin launched the Xuanwu Gate Incident, he had secretly persuaded Li Shimin, but it was of no use.

The personalities of this father and son are actually similar.

He was too lazy to waste any more words and just let them do whatever they wanted.

No matter how much trouble they cause, the Tang Dynasty will not perish because of them.

And I can always be a leisurely prince, living a happy and carefree life.

On the other hand, as the Double Ninth Festival Banquet was getting closer, Li Shimin was still unable to get Jie Li from Li Chengqian, which made him so angry that he kept losing his temper in the palace.

Everyone who served him was so frightened that they kept silent and walked on thin ice.

"How ridiculous! How ridiculous! Is there nothing I can do about him?"

Li Shimin paced back and forth in the Liangyi Hall, looking annoyed.

Wushe, who was standing by, looked at him cautiously, then suggested, "Why not tell the Queen about this? Perhaps she can persuade the Crown Prince."

"no!"

Li Shimin flatly refused, saying, "The Queen has just given birth to Zhinu and is still very weak. I cannot trouble her with this matter!"

"How about calling the Secretary of State and the others over to discuss this further?"

"Ok?"

Li Shimin frowned.

Although he was very unhappy when he heard Wushe's suggestion, because it felt like someone was telling him how to do things, but in the current situation, there seemed to be no other way except to summon Fang Xuanling and others to discuss it.

After a moment of silence, Li Shimin gave a cold order: "Then call the Secretary of State and the others over!"

"promise!"

Wushe nodded in agreement.

Not long after, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui and Changsun Wuji arrived at the Liangyi Hall.

"I will see you, Your Majesty!"

"No need to be polite, please stand up and take a seat!"

It was done in one go, and the three of them sat down as instructed.

Li Shimin was the first to speak: "The Crown Prince has been stubborn and stubborn until now. Do you have any good ideas to make him hand over Jie Li?"

"This"

The three of them exchanged glances, and Fang Xuanling was the first to speak: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is young and impulsive, and his words may have been inappropriate, but he is, after all, the heir to the throne of the Tang Dynasty. I hope Your Majesty will prioritize the greater good and not let a momentary anger hurt the father-son relationship!"

"Humph!"

Li Shimin snorted coldly and said, "I know he's the crown prince, but his actions don't even remotely resemble one like a crown prince. He dares to embarrass me time and again, accusing me of being too ambitious. He's completely disrespectful to the emperor and his father!"

Du Ruhui listened to the conversation between Fang Xuanling and Li Shimin and hesitated for a moment before finally expressing his thoughts. "But Your Majesty, I think the Crown Prince's two conditions are acceptable. First, Ma Zhou is indeed talented. Second, as the Crown Prince, there's nothing wrong with hosting the Chongyang Banquet. Furthermore, Jie Li was captured by the Crown Prince's men, and his contribution is the greatest!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin was immediately filled with righteous indignation and said, "What do you mean his contribution is the greatest? Without Li Jing defeating Jie Li's army, how could Yu Gushe, with his small number of men, capture Jie Li? He was just using underhanded tactics, not really a real skill!"

"Alright! Even if the Crown Prince's contribution wasn't the greatest, Jie Li is indeed in his hands. No matter how much Your Majesty denies the Crown Prince, you must acknowledge this fact, right?"

"So what?"

Li Shimin narrowed his eyes.

Du Ruhui's expression straightened. "Since Your Majesty has acknowledged this fact, then it's easy to deal with. It's just an exchange of interests! The Crown Prince will use Jie Li in exchange for the two conditions he wants!"

"This"

Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, then looked at Changsun Wuji.

But then Zhangsun Wuji said thoughtfully, "Actually, your majesty is worried about the Crown Prince's power division. If it were just an ordinary Crown Prince, your majesty wouldn't have to worry. Even if the Minister of Personnel were the Crown Prince's men, it wouldn't matter."

"But Cheng Qian's abilities are obvious to all. The position of Minister of Revenue may seem like it only manages the country's finances, but a country's development is inseparable from finances and grain. Your Majesty naturally doesn't want to hand this position over to the Crown Prince, and I understand that!"

"But."

He then changed the subject and continued, "The court has become quite smooth after reducing the number of officials, but this is not without its drawbacks. For example, our biggest headache is taxation. Although Your Majesty mentioned the use of a poll tax, the poll tax also has many problems that need to be addressed."

"Your Majesty, why don't you utilize the Crown Prince's talents to resolve these problems?"

"This"

When Li Shimin heard this, his heart moved.

When it comes to other abilities, Li Chengqian may make him wary, but he still highly recognizes his ability to solve problems.

But he pondered and said, "You mean, let Ma Zhou be the Minister of Revenue first, and then depose him after he solves the problem?"

"No!"

Zhang Sun Wuji shook his head and said, "If Your Majesty does this, your relationship with Cheng Qian will only get worse and worse. The gains will not outweigh the losses."

"Then what do you say we should do? Do you want me to watch him control the country's financial and grain power?" Li Shimin said with a stern face.

Zhangsun Wuji looked at him helplessly, then glanced at Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, and sighed, "Hasn't Your Majesty long had the idea of ​​reforming official positions?"

"This"

Li Shimin's pupils suddenly shrank, as if he had been enlightened, and he woke up instantly.

What does it mean when a person is in a position of power but is confused? This is what it means when a person is in a position of power but is confused.

Perhaps it was because it was his son who was competing with him for power that he almost lost his mind.

Now that Changsun Wuji reminded him, he suddenly realized that he had so many means at his disposal that he didn't need to be afraid of a position at all.

"Hahaha!"

Li Shimin, having figured out the key, couldn't help but laugh heartily. Then, with a smile on his face, he praised Zhangsun Wuji and said, "Wuji, you are indeed resourceful! The Tang Dynasty is lucky to have you!"

"hehe."

Changsun Wuji smiled without comment, but said nothing more.

Fang Xuanling, who was standing by, gave him a strange look and also remained silent.

Only Du Ruhui seemed to recall something and asked, "Then does Your Majesty agree to the conditions under which the Crown Prince wants to host the Chongyang Banquet?"

"This"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin stopped laughing instantly and looked hesitant.

At this moment, a voice suddenly came from outside the palace: "Your Majesty, the Minister of the Right, Wei Zheng, requests an audience!"

"Ok?"

Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "Call him in!"

"promise!"

There was a response from outside the hall.

Soon, Wei Zheng walked in from outside the hall and saluted respectfully, saying, "Your Majesty, I am Wei Zheng, here to see you!"

"Oh! The Shangshu Youcheng is back. I believe the case in Hebei Province has been investigated thoroughly, right?" Li Shimin asked with a smile.

Wei Zheng glanced at Fang Xuanling and the other two, nodded, and said, "I have fulfilled my mission and have investigated everything!"

"Okay! Tell me the details of the situation!"

"As ordered!"

Soon, Wei Zheng reported the case in Hebei Province to Li Shimin in detail.

After hearing his report, Li Shimin felt very uncomfortable.

Another aristocratic family!

These damn aristocratic families!
Simply looking for death!
"Let me ask you! Have all those corrupt officials been apprehended?"

"Your Majesty, he has been apprehended and is currently being held in the Dali Temple jail, where the case is being tried by the Dali Temple Minister."

"Well, you did a good job. I will reward you at the court meeting tomorrow!"

Li Shimin smiled and nodded, then prepared to send Wei Zheng away and continue discussing Li Chengqian's matter with Fang Xuanling and the other two.

But Wei Zheng had no intention of leaving. He just stood there blankly without saying a word.

"This"

Li Shimin looked at him puzzledly and asked, "My dear, is there anything else?"

"Your Majesty, don't you have anything to say to me?" Wei Zheng asked calmly.

Li Shimin, Fang Xuanling and the other two looked at each other, then said with a mixture of laughter and tears: "Why, have I done something to offend the world again?"

"That's not the case. It's just that some time ago, His Majesty sent a message to me, saying that whatever I do in the future, I should keep it secret and not let anyone find out!"

"Uh, I said that, what's the matter?"

"I think Your Majesty is wrong again!"

Wei Zheng suddenly said with a serious face.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin raised his hand to his forehead and asked, "How could I be wrong again?"

"I believe that rulers and ministers should abide by the same precepts. I have never heard of anyone setting aside justice and acting in a veiled manner. If both rulers and ministers acted in this way, wouldn't the fate of the people of the world be in jeopardy?"

"This"

When Li Shimin heard this, he was immediately embarrassed, and then he admitted his mistake helplessly: "You are right, now that I think about it, I regret saying those words!"

"Whether you are the emperor or a minister, no one behind the scenes can do anything that goes against justice!"

"Your Majesty is so understanding and righteous, and your kind words of advice are well worth it!"

Wei Zheng nodded calmly and said, "I have dedicated my life to my country and will act in accordance with justice. I dare not deceive or conceal anything, only then can I live up to my conscience. Therefore, I remind Your Majesty again that I hope Your Majesty will treat me as a good minister, not a loyal one."

"Good minister, loyal minister, I'm quite familiar with these words. You've said them more than once!"

Li Shimin smiled, then looked around at Fang Xuanling and the other two, then changed the subject and said, "But you've put it too simply. Could you explain to me more about what a loyal minister is? What is a good minister?"

"A good minister chooses his master and serves him, then devotes his utmost to his service, earning a good reputation for himself and passing it down to his descendants. A loyal minister, on the other hand, knows that he shares the same voice and sentiments with his sovereign. His fate is closely tied to his sovereign's. If his sovereign falls on hard times, he will be left without a home or a country, leaving behind only the reputation of a loyal minister."

Wei Zheng explained: "The two are very different. Your Majesty should not confuse them."

"Yeah, well said."

Li Shimin nodded with satisfaction.

But Wei Zheng said solemnly, "Then may I ask, Your Majesty, why did you imprison the Crown Prince? Is it because he compared you to the vainglory-loving Emperor Wu of Han? Or is it because you are vainglory-loving and still think you are right?"

"presumptuous!"

Li Shimin suddenly stood up from the throne: "This is a matter between the prince and me, you don't need to interfere!"

"The Crown Prince is the heir to the throne. He assists the Emperor in governing the country, and is involved in everything. I am a good minister, and I know that Your Majesty has done something wrong, so why can't I intervene?"

"Besides, I don't think there is anything wrong with what the prince said."

"Wei Zheng!"

Li Shimin rushed over, glared at Wei Zheng and said, "Get out of here!"

"I will not retreat unless Your Majesty releases the Crown Prince!"

"How dare you threaten me?!"

Li Shimin's face immediately turned dark.

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(End of this chapter)