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

With a creak, the door was pushed open, and Shi Tou peeked in to check the situation inside the study.

Upon discovering that Prince Ji and his wife were both on the bed, he immediately understood why he had been so angry earlier.

"Hehe, Your Highness, your servant is back."

His sycophantic smile was plastered on his face, making him appear incredibly obsequious.

"Li Taishi has left?"

Li Shen leaned against the couch, looking at the stone with a gloomy expression.

"Your Highness, Grand Historian Li has left. Before he departed, he specifically instructed me to thank Your Highness for the reward on his behalf once again."

This servant noticed that Li Taishi was indeed living a difficult life. Even his carriage was dilapidated, and the old horse pulling it looked older than him; it must have been raised for many years.

Stone sighed; even as a servant, he felt that this official of the imperial court was somewhat down on his luck.

Li Shen sighed softly:

"Alas, soup without salt is no better than water, and a person without money is no better than a ghost. In the end, this world is all about fame and fortune."

This is nothing more than what people pursue in this world; how many can truly be like Li Taishi?

"Why is my lord so sentimental?" Lu Dingniang asked softly from the side.

Li Shen shook his head:

"It's nothing. I was just lamenting the suffering of all people in the world."

Li Shen suddenly remembered his past life. Wasn't he also one of these living beings, toiling away every day just to make ends meet?

But now he is powerful and influential, one in a million, and undoubtedly stands at the very top of the pyramid.

Suddenly, he seemed to understand the meaning of that saying: "The higher you climb, the colder it gets."

In my past life, I could have had a few close friends and we could gather together happily.

But now he doesn't even have a single close friend. Would Bo Ya have the same thought when he smashed his zither?

"Your Highness is kind-hearted and cares deeply for the people, which is a blessing to all."

If the people knew this, they would surely remember the prince's kindness and he would be revered by all.

Just after Li Shen finished his reflections, Shi Tou began to flatter him. However, Li Shen frowned and glared angrily at Shi Tou.

"You damned dog, if you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all. What use is it for me to be revered by all the people? Do you think I'm too tough and want me to die young?"

If you spout nonsense again, I'll break another leg of yours.

Good heavens, is this guy deliberately trying to frame me? Li Shen has no problem with flattering him, but these words make him sound like he's plotting a rebellion and being revered by all the people in the world.

Is this kind of admiration acceptable to me? If this gets back to my father's ears, I'll be punished again.

What if Li Chengqian takes it seriously?

"Yes, yes, yes, this servant knows her mistake, please punish me, Your Highness." Shi Tou hurriedly nodded and bowed, apologizing.

"Stone, I've noticed you're becoming increasingly tactless. Aren't you getting a little arrogant?"

Li Shen frowned as he looked at Shi Tou. This childhood friend was absolutely loyal to him.

But sometimes I'm not so bright and I always do some stupid things.

"Your Highness, how dare I be arrogant? I am just a servant by your side."

Stone felt somewhat wronged; he had only meant to flatter her, but he hadn't expected to say the wrong thing.

"You've been by my side for so many years, you should know my habits. Don't say things you shouldn't say in the future."

The lesson I'm teaching you today is this: a horse's strength lies in its legs, a person's strength lies in their words. One must learn to assess situations and act accordingly. If you don't know how to offer incense, you'll offend the gods; if you don't know how to speak properly, you'll offend people.

Li Shen genuinely wanted to mentor his childhood friend, and now that he held considerable power, the price of stones naturally rose accordingly.

But ultimately, he was still just a eunuch, a servant. If he offended those powerful figures with whom he had a grudge, they could kill him on the spot.

Even if I avenge him afterward, he'll still be gone, and it will be too late to regret it then.

"Thank you for your instruction, Your Highness. I will remember it." Shi Tou bowed and accepted the lesson. He knew that Prince Ji was teaching him how to conduct himself and how to do things. Prince Ji would never harm him.

"Yes, it's good that you understand. This world isn't all people; there are many ghosts who are even more terrifying than people. Not burning paper money will also offend ghosts."

"I don't want you to die one day under mysterious circumstances; it would break my heart."

Li Shen's true feelings were revealed; he genuinely didn't want anything to happen to the people around him.

"Your Highness, rest assured, I will not die. I will serve you for the rest of my life."

Upon hearing Prince Ji's words, Shi Tou was deeply moved, his eyes reddening slightly, and he bowed to Li Shenshen.

In his entire life, only Prince Ji treated him the best. From a young age, in order to survive and have food to eat, his parents sent him to the palace.

He never saw his parents or family again after that. The Daji Palace was his home, and the servants around him were his family.

Later, after joining the Prince of Ji's service, he became the Prince's study companion, and the Prince of Ji was like family to him.

The servants who followed the prince were relatively well-behaved, and from then on they had a powerful backer, unlike the eunuchs who worked in the palace who were helpless and oppressed.

They could also accompany the prince out of the palace and serve him at all times, without having to worry about being homeless after being released from the palace.

The King of Ji treated him like a confidant and family member, which made Shi Tou extremely grateful and even more loyal.

"Alright, enough with the crying. What kind of behavior is this? Go feed the horses." Seeing Shi Tou wiping away his tears, Li Shen curled his lip.

She can't stand missing anything; she cries and sobs like a woman.

"Huh?" The stone, which had been moved to tears, suddenly lost its sadness.

"What are you 'ah' about? You dog, it's already a mercy from me not to make you move mountains. Do you think you can escape punishment?"

Get out of here right now and clean the stables. If there's even the slightest smell, you'll have to sleep in the stables.

And my man Shifachi must be taken good care of; he is my life-saving charm.

It's worth millions of dollars; even if you sold yourself, you couldn't afford to pay for it.

Li Shen's eyes widened. This guy had interrupted his good time, and he had to be punished.

Sweeping horse manure is the least of your worries.

"Yes, yes, this servant will go clean up right away." Shi Tou immediately accepted the order and turned to leave.

"Wait, go find someone to fix the artificial hill and the rating according to Li Taishi's suggestion."

"Don't delay the prosperity of the Ji Prince's Mansion."

Li Shen called Shi Tou back. This matter had to be resolved as soon as possible. However, he was also quite relieved. Regardless of the truth, he believed it was definitely a feng shui issue and had nothing to do with his health.

"Yes, I'll go right away." Shi Tou stepped back again and closed the door.

"My wife, look, I told you, it's definitely not my problem. Even the Grand Historian Li said it's a problem with the feng shui of my Prince Ji's mansion."

Once again, only the two of them remained. Li Shen turned around and embraced Lu Dingniang, his hands still busy, preparing to commit that illicit act once more.

"My lord, the doctor said that you should rest and recuperate for a while."

Lu Dingniang gently nudged Li Shen to remind him.

(A thousand cups of wine are not enough when drinking with a bosom friend)