I am Li Shen and Li Shimin, the free kings of the Tang Dynasty

Li Chengqian paused halfway through his sentence, looking at Li Shen with a smile.

Li Shen felt extremely uncomfortable under their gaze.

"Brother, just say what you want to say, and I'll do as you say."

As long as it doesn't require me to accompany them, I'm willing to spend some money.

"Hehe, Tenth Brother, don't panic. It's nothing serious. Don't you have a group of spies in the city?"

What I mean is that I would trouble you, my tenth brother, to send someone to keep an eye on them and see if they make any unusual moves.

There's nothing else to do; if anything goes wrong, the armed guards will naturally step in.

Li Chengqian said with a smile that he knew Li Shen's fourth spies were the hooligans in Chang'an.

They were specifically responsible for spreading rumors and occasionally gathering information.

He didn't know the exact number, but since they were able to suppress the rumors for him, there must have been quite a few. After all, there were 108 wards in Chang'an, and if each ward had ten people, that would amount to more than a thousand people.

Having these people keep an eye on the diplomatic missions of various countries demonstrates the demeanor of a major power without hindering their freedom.

It can also effectively monitor the movements of these people, achieving two goals at once.

Even if they are discovered, these people are from the Prince Ji's residence, and it is the Prince Ji's personal behavior, which has nothing to do with the imperial court.

After hearing this, Li Shen stared at Li Chengqian with a strange look, his eyes conveying the message that Li Chengqian was truly brilliant.

He thought to himself, "You really know how to use people. Even my father has never used my people so directly. You're really not being polite."

"Tenth Brother, what kind of look is that?" Li Chengqian looked down on Li Shen.

"Brother, it's New Year's Day, a time for family reunions. Can't you let people have a proper New Year's Day instead of ordering them around at this time?"

"There are so many people in the Southern Office, couldn't they just have them disguise themselves and keep watch?"

Li Shen said somewhat reluctantly, "Although these people are not even considered peripheral members of the Prince Ji's mansion, they are still serving the Prince Ji's mansion."

After a long year, people finally get a break, enjoying a warm home with their wives and kids. Why do you insist on making them work overtime? Isn't that exploitation?

"Tenth brother, please don't be offended. I originally had the same idea, but the Imperial Guards, being soldiers, are not good at this and it would be easy for them to be discovered."

Your family members are more suitable for this matter, and this is also for the sake of the court. I hope my tenth brother will not refuse.

Li Chengqian spoke sincerely, at least not as forcefully as Li Shimin.

If it were Li Shimin, he would have given the order directly, and Li Shen would not have complained at all.

"Brother, how about I give all these people to you? You can have them do things for you from now on."

Li Shen thought for a moment and then said.

"Tenth brother is joking. That's not what I meant. Why would I want your things?"

Li Chengqian quickly refused.

"No, no, no, brother, I mean it from the bottom of my heart. Brother needs a team like this in Chang'an to help you with some things."

Although these people are all hooligans who don't do proper work, they are still capable of getting things done.

My brother initially took them in to prevent them from causing trouble in Chang'an.

Li Shen also said sincerely that he was not lying, and that he really did think that way at the time. It was impossible for such a large city as Chang'an to be full of rich people.

Because the imperial city was in the north, the further south you went, the worse the economic conditions became.

Most of the nobles and ministers lived near the imperial city, which made it convenient for them to attend court every day.

The city of Chang'an stretches twenty miles from north to south. If you live in the southern part of the city, you have to leave for work half an hour earlier every day.

Therefore, every market town has its share of local thugs and ruffians.

Li Shen's actions can be seen as reducing trouble for the people.

Looking into Li Shen's sincere eyes, Li Chengqian remained silent.

"Brother, please accept it." Li Shen said solemnly.

After a long while, Li Chengqian finally spoke a few words:

"I can't afford to support you, brother."

"Pfft~~" Li Shen spat out his drink. After thinking for a long time, he realized that was the reason.

You're a prince, can't you be a little more magnanimous and arrogant?

Why are you always so petty?

In fact, Li Chengqian was also very depressed. He often wondered if he was the poorest crown prince in history.

The crown princes of the previous dynasty were either indulging in sensual pleasures or living extravagantly. Even my uncle back then wasn't as miserable as I was.

He relied on his meager annual salary to make a living, but when he tried to acquire some property, the entire court impeached him.

It's as if I've committed some heinous crime, something that would incur the wrath of both gods and men, something that heaven and earth cannot tolerate.

If it weren't for my mother taking pity on me and occasionally helping me out, I probably wouldn't be able to afford to eat.

The Crown Prince's salary was indeed quite substantial, but he had a large Eastern Palace to support, as well as many impoverished scholars in the Chongwen Academy, so there were too many places where money was needed.

He can afford to eat a lot of meat and fish, but he is powerless to support a thousand spies and would rather give up.

I do want to, but I don't have the money.

Li Shen really wanted to say something like, "Look at your pathetic self," but then he remembered that the other person had tens of millions of dollars in assets to inherit.

Li Shen swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

That guy is the real foolish son of a landlord, simple-minded but rich.

"Sigh... Alright, I'll take this on, but only for one day, Yuanzheng."

Li Shen sighed and reluctantly agreed. These people were indeed difficult for Li Chengqian to support; each person cost several hundred coins per month, which amounted to several strings of cash per year.

With thousands of people, that adds up to several thousand strings of cash a year, while Li Chengqian's annual salary was only a small fraction.

Li Shen suddenly thought to himself, "It's fucking good to be rich."

Upon seeing Li Shen agree, Li Chengqian immediately smiled and said:

"Haha, my tenth brother is truly wise and understanding. I thank you for your help. If you ever need anything in the future, I will do my best to help you."

"Tch, it's better to go directly to Wang De than to you." Li Shen curled his lip in disdain. As it turned out, Li Chengqian was nothing now.

My dad always cleans up my messes, and when I get beaten up, this guy can't help me at all. When I'm punished to kneel in the ancestral temple, this guy doesn't say a word and doesn't even plead for me.

He's more eager than anyone else to get benefits, and it seems Li Chengqian won't be an easy person to deal with in the future.

"Wang De? You actually compare your elder brother to Wang De? Really... really..."

Li Chengqian was utterly speechless. Li Shen's words were too harsh; he actually said that he was not even as good as Wang De.

"Alright, don't forget our business. I'm off now."

Li Shen didn't want to get entangled with Li Chengqian any longer, so he stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and turned to leave.

"Huh? You're leaving already? Aren't you going to chat some more?"

Li Chengqian got up and chased after him.

"What's there to talk about?" Li Shen left the Liangyi Hall without looking back.

Li Chengqian stood on the steps and looked down at Li Shen, shouting:

"Don't forget what you promised your brother."

Li Shen turned around and shouted at Li Chengqian in the same way:

"Brother, rest assured, I will never forget our secret plot."

After saying that, he turned around and ran away.

"A conspiracy?" Li Chengqian stared blankly at Li Shen as he walked away, and after a long while, he cursed:

"Damn it, they framed me again!"

(What's wrong with the internet these days? There's so much taboo stuff. You have to say "eight plus one" for alcohol, and "dead" for death.)

I don't understand. It's almost eight plus one. Eight plus one meeting a close friend, a thousand cups are not enough. Since ancient times, who hasn't had this?