Time Travel: I am the idle king Li Shen and Li Shimin in the Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty had many ranks of nobility, including Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron, all preceded by the character "county". Above these ranks were Duke of a Commandery, Duke of a State, Prince of a Commandery, and Prince of the Blood.

There are nine levels in total, with the lowest level being the fifth rank, and then each level represents a major realm, culminating in the first rank of a prince.

In Li Shen's view, those with the character "county" in their names could not be considered proper nobles. There were plenty of them in the Tang Dynasty. The real top nobles should be those above the rank of Duke of a Commandery.

Li You was stripped of his princely title and demoted to county earl, belonging to the seventh rank.

“Father, since Fifth Brother is so useful, why not reward him more so that he can serve the court?”

Li Chengqian also pleaded for mercy.

“I believe what the Crown Prince said is absolutely right,” Changsun Wuji stepped forward again.

"I second that proposal," Gao Jifu stepped forward to second.

Li Shimin thought about it and finally nodded:

"Fine, then issue an imperial decree to bestow upon him the title of County Duke. His rank has been raised two levels, to the second rank. Are you satisfied now?"

Li Shimin looked at Li Shen with annoyance.

"A county duke?" Li Shen was somewhat disappointed. He thought that with so many people pleading for him, he would at least be granted the rank of prefectural duke.

"What? Are you still not satisfied? Why don't you issue the decree yourself?" Li Shimin said unhappily.

"No, no, no, I'm very satisfied. I thank Father for his kindness on behalf of my fifth brother."

As Li Shen spoke, he knelt down and kowtowed several times to Li Shimin.

So be it, I'll have a chance in the future. We're still young.

"Hmph." Li Shimin snorted, ignoring Li Shen, and began to look around.

"Tenth Brother, get up. I didn't expect you to still think of Fifth Brother," Li Chengqian said with emotion as he helped Li Shen up.

Li Shen, however, curled his lip and said in a low voice:

"Brother, your face is worthless. How come you're just like me? I begged for a level one, and you only begged for a level one."

How could your father not value your opinion at all? He doesn't take you seriously at all.

Why don't you start a rebellion?

Upon hearing Li Shen's words, Li Chengqian froze, then stared at Li Shen as if he were looking at a ghost, and released his grip on Li Shen's arm.

He stepped back a few paces, keeping his distance from Li Shen.

"Look at you, you coward." Li Shen looked down on him.

Just when Li Shen thought Li Chengqian was about to refute him, Li Chengqian suddenly shouted:

“Father, my tenth brother wants me to rebel.”

"Damn it, you idiot!" Li Shen exclaimed in shock upon hearing this, and immediately flashed to the door.

“Father, don’t listen to his nonsense. I didn’t do that. I am loyal to you, Father. The sun and moon can bear witness to that.”

Clinging to the doorframe, Li Shen showed his loyalty, preparing himself to continue running should his father get angry and chase after him.

Good heavens, others enter the palace for their future, while I enter to become a prisoner.

And that treacherous Li Chengqian, I only wanted to sow discord, but I didn't expect him to actually say it.

Isn't treason supposed to be a taboo subject? How come they talk about treason all the time now, even their own father? They don't seem to care at all.

After hearing Li Chengqian's words, Li Shimin turned around and glared angrily at Li Shen at the door, but this time he did not chase after him.

Li Shen was physically weak, and Li Shimin's pursuit of him was merely a way to train him; it was a cat-and-mouse game.

But if he kept chasing him, Li Shimin was worried that Li Shen's body couldn't take it and that he might vomit blood again.

I still vividly remember Li Shen's disheveled appearance just now.

"Get over here!" Li Shimin roared.

"No, Father, my injuries haven't healed yet." Li Shen shook his head vigorously. Only a fool would go there.

"Hmph, you're already making mistakes before your injuries have even healed. You really are incorrigible." Li Shimin snorted.

Li Chengqian winked at Li Shen and proudly raised his chin.

Li Shen could kill Li Chengqian a hundred times with his eyes. Wasn't the Crown Prince very composed before?

Why are you so unconventional now? Have you finally let loose and embraced your true nature?

The thought sent chills down Li Shen's spine. Having a father to let loose was enough; if an older brother also let loose, wouldn't the family fall apart?

"Father, I was wrong." Li Shen admitted his mistake from afar.

"Come here, I will not beat you today," Li Shimin said solemnly.

"Really?" Li Shen was overjoyed.

Li Shimin did not answer, but turned around and looked at the ground.

Li Shen then slowly walked over. As he passed Li Chengqian, Li Shen wanted to attack several times, but ultimately restrained himself.

He thought to himself, "This is the Crown Prince, this is my elder brother, let him off this time."

"Is yours accurate too?"

Li Shen came to Li Shimin's side and heard his father pointing to the ground and asking a question.

Li Shen looked down and saw that his father was referring to the north of the Tang Dynasty, from the former Eastern Turks all the way to the various Tiele tribes.

The locations of the tribes and their tents are marked on them.

Li Shen nodded:

"Reporting to Father, preparations are underway."

"What do you mean by 'currently preparing'?" Li Shimin looked up at Li Shen.

“Aye, these tribes are all nomadic peoples. They have no fixed abode, but they generally move within their own territory.”

That's why I said we're currently preparing, but I don't know when their tents will be moved.

However, I have already marked the territories of each tribe on this map, so no matter how they move, they will not go outside this circle.

Otherwise, it would be considered an invasion of another tribe's territory, which would lead to an attack, unless they were trying to seize the land.

Our responsibility, the Great Tang, is to prevent them from seizing territory, thus hindering their development.

Li Shimin nodded after hearing the explanation:

"Hmm, you make a good point. Hehe, Tenth Brother, you're so familiar with them, probably because you trade with them, right?"

Li Shen had been trading with the various Tiele tribes for many years, and Li Shimin initially thought it was just for making money.

Later, they discovered that their son was indeed a genius with grand ambitions, and had actually gained control over the lives of these people.

The attack on Chebi Kingdom was carried out without losing a single soldier; the surrounding Tiele tribes subjugated Chebi.

Now we're just waiting for the Tang army to arrive.

"Replying to Aye, that is precisely the reason. Many Tiele tribes are far away, so our Jiwang Mansion also organizes caravans to go deep into the northern grasslands to trade with various tribes and purchase their cattle and sheep."

We've gotten a pretty good grasp of the situation there over the years, and this year we're preparing to set up an office there.

Li Shen nodded. Anyway, it wasn't exactly a secret.

"Alright, now explain your map to me and all my ministers."

Li Shimin stepped aside.

"Yes." Li Shen acknowledged the order and walked to the coast, then spoke:

“Father, and everyone else, look here. This is Japan. Actually, you all think they are far away by sea.”

But looking at it this way, do you think it's still far away?

This is our Liaodong Circuit, now called the Andong Protectorate. This is the Yalu River. This area is the remnants of Goguryeo. Below is Baekje, and this is Silla.

From Silla to Japan, it's just a short distance.

(The grass on the plain grows lush and green, withering and flourishing each year.)