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

Li Shen watched as Xi Xi skipped away, and the smile on his face vanished.

He didn't care about the three hundred glass cups his daughter broke. Not to mention three hundred, even if there were three thousand or thirty thousand, Li Shen wouldn't care.

What might be priceless to others is just glass to Li Shen.

The reason there was no large-scale production was mainly because it was a rare commodity, and scarcity drives up the price; he still needed to make money from glass.

Actually, glass isn't expensive. Besides, even if it breaks, the fragments can be recycled and reused at the glass workshop.

It's just a waste of some human and material resources.

He was so serious because he was unsure whether these servants were using the young Xixi to line their own pockets.

You should know that any one of these glass lamps could easily fetch tens or hundreds of strings of cash, and some glass cups could sell for thousands of strings of cash.

Three hundred items—did Xixi break them all by herself? Perhaps someone secretly kept a few, or even a dozen, and then included them all in the list of glass lamps Xixi broke.

This way, no one will know, since they are all broken pieces anyway, and in the end, no one will be able to find out whether anything is missing.

“My lord, you suspect someone…” Upon hearing Li Shen’s instructions, Lu Dingniang immediately understood what Li Shen meant.

She is no longer the young lady next door who has just come of age; she is now the Princess Consort of Ji, and the world's number one conglomerate is in her hands.

"Yes, I did have that guess, but I don't think so. These maids are from the palace, so they should know the rules better than the maids in the front courtyard."

Li Shen nodded, but he hoped he was wrong and that the maids in the backyard were all released from the palace.

To demonstrate his benevolence, Emperor Taizong of Tang would release some of the palace maids every year.

Some of these people were selected from various regions, while others were female relatives of convicted officials, selected from the inner palace.

These people were very well trained in the palace and were extremely disciplined.

Li Shen took in some palace maids who were homeless or had no family, giving them a way out. This was something Li Shimin had instructed Li Shen to do.

Because Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun felt sorry for these people.

The same goes for the eunuchs. Otherwise, how could Li Shen have dared to accept so many eunuchs without authorization?

"Since you have some doubts, why don't you replace the maidservant next to Xixi?" Lu Dingniang suggested softly after hearing this.

Li Shen shook his head:

"No rush, let Shi Tou investigate first. Xi Xi is still young, and she's already had a different maid once."

If it's not absolutely necessary, we shouldn't change her a second time; it's not good for her development.

When Xixi made a mistake last time, the maids didn't stop her, so Li Shen replaced all the maids around Xixi, leaving only the wet nurse.

However, there was a reason for that, and it had to be replaced.

The result of doing so was that Xixi cried for several days. The maid who had been taking care of her stayed by her side every day, and she had gotten used to it and regarded these people as family.

The sudden change made Xixi very uncomfortable, and she couldn't sleep well at night.

Li Shen was afraid that if they changed her again, it would cause some trauma to Xi Xi's young mind, since it had taken her a year to adapt.

"My lord, do you really like daughters?" Lu Dingniang suddenly asked.

"Hmm? Why do you say that, my wife?" Li Shen was taken aback and turned to look at his wife.

"Because the young master's attitude towards Xixi is completely opposite to his attitude towards Yangyang. He is always very serious towards Yangyang."

But his treatment of Xixi can no longer be described as mere affection; it's downright doting.

Therefore, I think my lord prefers daughters. Lu Dingniang had wanted to ask this question for a long time.

Since Xixi came along, our house has been in complete chaos every day. This isn't an exaggeration; it's literally in complete chaos.

A three- or four-year-old child was able to ride a big dog all over the palace.

But Li Shen, the father, didn't care at all, and at most gave a few perfunctory reprimands.

Sometimes Li Shen would even join Xi Xi in her madness, turning the Prince Ji's mansion into a chaotic mess.

Whatever Xixi asks for, her prince will do his best to fulfill it. He'll give her anything she wants, from the stars to the moon.

In contrast, Li Shen's attitude has changed now that the Jiang family has had two sons, which is why Lu Dingniang asked this question.

"Hehe, my wife, what are you saying? I love all my children."

However, sons are different from daughters. Sons will inherit the family business in the future. They are members of the royal family and must live up to their status.

To achieve great things and uphold the family's honor, we must be strict. Their father, I, built this family fortune with great difficulty, and I cannot let it be lost.

Daughters are different; they will get married and live with us for no more than ten or twenty years.

As her father, I naturally cherish this fleeting time, for perhaps after her marriage, we will never see each other again.

Li Shen had chuckled twice, but as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a lump in his throat and a tightness in his chest.

Li Shen felt uneasy whenever he thought about his daughter getting married in the future.

In this period, married daughters were treated differently than in later generations. Once married, they were no longer considered part of the family.

If her maternal family is powerful, things will be easier, and she can come back to visit her elderly father whenever she has free time.

However, if the man is powerful, it is really difficult for the woman to go home after marriage. Taking money home will only invite gossip, accusations of being a traitor, and contempt from others.

Just as Li Shi was grieving, he noticed that Lu Dingniang beside him had fallen silent. Li Shen turned his head and saw that Lu Dingniang's eyes were a little red.

After thinking about it carefully, Li Shen immediately guessed that it must have been his words that had provoked Lu Dingniang:

"My dear wife, how about I accompany you home tomorrow to visit your parents?"

Li Shen knew that Lu Dingniang was homesick because of what he had just said.

Although they were both in Chang'an, due to traditional values, even though Li Shen had said that Lu Dingniang and Wu Meiniang could go home to visit their families at any time,

Lu Dingniang and her ilk still adhered to traditional wifely virtues and rarely returned to their parents' home to visit their relatives.

Li Shen, due to his status, rarely visited his father-in-law's house. The difference in their social standing was too great, and neither Li Shen nor his father-in-law knew what to say to each other.

Li Shen didn't understand matters of the court, nor did the other party understand matters of merchants. Poetry and songs were too refined, so Li Shen found them uninteresting.

Upon hearing Li Shen's words, Lu Dingniang immediately looked up, her face beaming with joy. Who wouldn't want their husband to accompany them back to their parents' home?

This represents one's status and position after marriage.

(Deeply saddened by the lone crane's distant boat, I sigh at the long road of parting amidst the green mountains. I let my tears wet my handkerchief as we part, and raise another cup to toast our farewell.)