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

It is common knowledge that those who can establish connections and cooperate with Prince Ji are now making a fortune and living a life of luxury.

The first group of纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy and powerful families who indulged in pleasure-seeking), then the four brothers of the Wei family's Yun Gong branch, and later the Li family among the five prominent families...

Princess Dingxiang, the half-sister of Prince Ji.

Many smaller families were able to establish connections with the Prince Ji's mansion and made a fortune in their localities.

Just like Wei Baobao's husband's family, they are now purchasing tea for Prince Ji's mansion.

Although I was only in charge of one area, I earned much more than before.

Now, in Chang'an, from the emperor down to the eunuchs, there isn't a single person who doesn't want to do business with Prince Ji.

Now that they heard that Prince Ji had taken the initiative to come to them, Li Boyi and Li Fengci were overjoyed and somewhat flattered.

What goes around comes around, and today it's finally their turn.

"Haha, Your Highness, what are you saying? It is our good fortune that you have taken a liking to us."

"There's no question of willingness or unwillingness. As long as His Highness Prince Ji speaks up, the two of us will go through fire and water without hesitation."

Li Boyi burst into laughter, even changing his form of address, now using honorifics to address the junior, Li Shen.

The table was full of members of the imperial clan, and Li Shen was the youngest in both age and seniority.

Li Shen felt a little embarrassed by what his two uncles had said to him.

Seeing this, some others felt contempt for Li Boyi and his companion, while others thought it was nothing special. After all, in terms of titles, the other was a prince, while they were dukes.

However, everyone was secretly very envious.

"Prince Ji, what kind of business do you want to do with us? To be honest, we are short of money and probably can't afford it."

However, if it comes to contributing, we can do our part, however small.

"Then Prince Ji will only need to give us a smaller share."

Li Fengci was relatively clear-headed. Doing business definitely requires investment, but what could they do if they didn't have the money?

Then let me run errands for Prince Ji.

Prince Ji must be running a big business. Even if they only get a small share, it would still be tens of thousands of strings of cash. Even the sons of Li Daozong and others earn tens of thousands of strings of cash a year.

Upon hearing this, Li Boyi realized they had no money and quickly nodded in agreement.

"Yes, yes, we can help Prince Ji, and we'll get a share of the profits."

Prince Ji may not know this, but neither of us holds an official position; we only receive a salary, which is not enough to cover our daily expenses if we indulge in a little luxury.

We don't know how to do business; we've tried several times and failed each time, losing a lot of money in the process.

Li Boyi began to complain, hoping to elicit sympathy from Li Shen so that they could make money together.

In their eyes, Prince Ji was a god of wealth; everything he did made money.

Hearing their words, Li Shen's expression darkened, and he sighed.

"Alas, I never imagined that my two uncles would be living in such dire straits. As members of the royal family, it's all the fault of the clan for not taking good care of them."

It must be that the clan chief neglected his people.

"No, no, no!" As soon as Li Shen finished speaking, Li Boyi and Li Fengci immediately shook their heads, waved their hands, and stood up to deny it.

Good heavens, King Ji is really bold. Isn't the patriarch of their clan the emperor?

It started with the late Emperor Li Yuan, and after his death, it became the current Emperor Li Shimin.

Prince Ji actually dared to openly criticize the emperor; this little fellow is too audacious.

They were unaware of how Li Shen usually played with Li Shimin.

“Prince Ji, please be careful with your words. His Majesty has treated us well and often bestows money upon us. It’s just that we spend money extravagantly, and it has nothing to do with His Majesty.”

Li Fengci emphasized that if this were to reach His Majesty's ears, the two of them would be doomed.

"Yes, Prince Ji, let's get back to the main topic and not talk about anything else."

Even Li Xiaogong was a little scared.

They're actually talking about His Majesty in private at this table—isn't that utterly disrespectful?

Regardless of who said it, they were there.

"I was just saying that casually," Li Shen muttered to himself.

“You can’t just say whatever you want; we can’t stand it,” Li Daozong warned.

Seeing that things were not going well, Li Boyi quickly changed the subject:

"Prince Ji, what business do you want with us?"

"What do you two uncles think of the spice business?" Li Shen asked, looking up.

"Spice?" Everyone was taken aback.

“Your Highness, spices are indeed in short supply right now, and prices are constantly rising. But if Your Highness wants to do business in spices, you at least need to have spices.”

"Could it be that Prince Ji has spices?" Li Fengci asked curiously, though he didn't believe Prince Ji possessed any spices.

Many people overheard the conversation between Prince Ji and Prince Wei on their way here.

King Ji also wanted to trick King Wei out of the spices he possessed.

Li Shen shook his head:

“I currently have no spices on hand, which is why I'm seeking cooperation from you two uncles.”

"This... I don't know how we can cooperate?" Li Shen's words only confused the two of them more.

How can you do the spice business without spices?

“I need my two uncles to go out and buy spices at high prices, whatever the price may be. I will provide the funds; you only need to handle the purchases.”

The spices you receive are handed over to me, and I then process them and sell them at a high price.

"When the time comes, I will certainly not treat you two uncles unfairly. This deal will make each of you at least tens of thousands of strings of cash."

Li Shen shared his thoughts.

"Really?" Li Boyi's eyes lit up. This was a risk-free business opportunity.

Prince Ji's explanation was simple: they would be responsible for the acquisition, and then the Prince Ji's residence would handle the sales.

If it were anyone else, they would think, "If I can acquire it, why don't I just sell it myself?" But these two are different.

Even if someone were to sell spices, they couldn't afford them; they were poor and had no money.

This is equivalent to the Prince Ji's mansion giving them money to do business; all they need to do is find someone to collect the money.

“My two uncles, how could I possibly bully you? We are of the same clan and lineage. If I were to deceive you, would I still be human?”

Besides, I wouldn't dare lie to you, otherwise I wouldn't be able to explain it to my father.

Li Shen said with a smile, his face full of sincerity.

Upon hearing this, the two men immediately beamed with joy. Indeed, they were penniless; what did they have that would be worth Prince Ji deceiving them about?

Besides, they have the emperor behind them; they were childhood playmates who grew up with the emperor.

No matter how dissolute and idle they were, the emperor tolerated them.

With that in mind, the two immediately made up their minds not to let this opportunity slip by. Whether they succeeded or not, at least they could establish a connection with Prince Ji.

If Prince Ji gives them a little help in the future, how could they not earn several thousand strings of cash?

“Since Prince Ji has said so, we naturally believe you and are willing to help Prince Ji acquire spices.”

The two immediately agreed, since they didn't have to pay anything, they were just contributing their labor.

Besides, they don't need to go in person; they can just send someone.

(Oh no, it's become a habit, I'm rushing like this every day.)