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

Everything has rules, or you could say unspoken rules.

Although Li Shen knew nothing in his previous life, he had still been here for over ten years.

He gradually learned some lessons from what he saw and heard, after all, he held a high position.

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness. I have finally understood." Wang Xuance was a smart man and understood immediately.

"Well, it's not my fault if you don't understand, because you haven't reached this level yet. You'll understand as you go out with me more often in the future."

Li Shen raised his chin smugly, speaking in a lecturing tone.

Wang Xuance was unaware that these principles were also things Li Shimin had told Li Shen over the years when he had nothing else to do.

It can also be considered a father teaching his son how to be a person.

Li Shen acted recklessly and arbitrarily, doing whatever he pleased. Li Shimin had to teach his son a lesson, reminding him that he should also follow the rules.

Li Shen then realized that he had gone too far. The reason he hadn't been attacked by the masses was entirely because of his emperor father.

If it were Li Zhi or Li Tai, their lives would be in danger.

"Your Highness, shall we continue with our plan?" Wang Xuance asked.

"Of course we will proceed. I have been preparing for this for over a year, and I cannot return empty-handed."

It's still our original plan: what other merchants are there outside?

I may not need to deceive them with a contract, but I should at least teach them a lesson so they know that there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Since the aristocratic families want to leverage our influence, we can't just let them do it for nothing. I'll have Wang Hongfu secretly follow the aristocratic families to sell spices.

Anyway, our spices are free, and there's only a small transportation cost, so we'll make a profit no matter how many we sell.

Let's make a quick buck off him first.

Li Shen thought about it and decided to earn a small fortune first. Even if the aristocratic families didn't fall for it, there were still so many gentry and wealthy merchants.

They need to be taught a lesson so they'll understand the dangers of the world.

“Yes, that way we can earn even more.” Wang Xuance nodded.

Li Shen spoke again:

"Xuan Ce, I'm giving you a task: send people to keep an eye on all the aristocratic families and see if they've had any contact with the people from the Western Regions."

Send people to keep an eye on all the ports, including Dengzhou, Fuzhou, Quanzhou, and Guangzhou.

If we're lucky, we might be able to make a big bet.

By the way, send a message to the Du family: if there are any unusual movements from the aristocratic families, be sure to inform me immediately.

Tell Du Gou that I will compensate him for his losses, and tell him not to give himself away.

There's one more thing. I'll give him some advice because I'm so glad he's done so well. If he doesn't want anything to happen to the Du family, he should keep an eye on his younger brother, Du He.

Don't let Du He associate with unreliable people; it will harm the Du family.

Um...that's all.

Li Shen thought about it and realized there was nothing else to discuss.

Li Shen reminded Du Gou only because Du Gou was pragmatic; otherwise, he wouldn't have done so.

Du He is a typical person who has high aspirations but little ability.

He has talent, but not much, yet he always feels like his talents are going to waste.

He's currently just a minor clerk in the Crown Prince's residence, and that's only because Li Shen promised Du Gou to speak on his behalf to the Crown Prince—it's a deal.

In order to avoid revealing their relationship with the Prince Ji's residence, they almost exclusively exchanged messages and never met in person.

Du He was also afraid of being attacked by other aristocratic families.

"Yes, Your Highness. After I return, I will write a secret letter to them. Your Highness, I have heard that Du Gou already has two children."

He must be extremely grateful to the prince.

It was all thanks to the prince's magical powers that Du Gou was able to have an heir.

Wang Xuance sincerely praised him, although he did not know how Prince Ji had done it, but Du Gou really did have an heir.

This must be a magical technique for him; how could human beings actually have offspring?

"Hmm... Next time he holds his 100-day celebration, have Uncle Wei send two gifts on my behalf. I missed the 100-day celebration for my first child last year because I was away for more than half a year."

After thinking it over, Li Shen decided to send something. Du He was the first person in the Tang Dynasty to perform circumcision, and the surgery was very successful.

He had made two preparations at the time: if he failed, he would kill Du Gou to avoid damaging his own reputation.

"If there is nothing else, then I shall take my leave."

Wang Xuance stood up.

"Okay, go ahead." Li Shen nodded, and Wang Xuance bowed before leaving.

Li Shen thought for a moment and then instructed the stone:

"Send someone to fetch Wang Hongfu."

Since the powerful families have changed their strategies, he should also change his.

Stone agreed and went out.

Fifteen minutes later, Wang Hongfu came running in, panting.

"Your Highness, I pay my respects. May I ask what Your Highness wishes to do for me?"

"Please sit down. Help yourself to the tea."

Li Shen looked up at Wang Hongfu. It was obvious that this guy was faking it; there wasn't a single sweat on his big head.

However, Li Shen did not expose them. As long as they could get things done for him, Li Shen would not mind praising them a few times.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Wang Hongfu immediately sat down and poured himself a cup of tea.

"Take a look." Li Shenyi reached out and took out the intelligence report, which Chunxiang handed to Wang Hongfu.

Wang Hongfu picked up the intelligence report and read it aloud carefully, then said solemnly:

"Your Highness, the powerful families are deliberately avoiding us and taking action against their subordinates."

Unexpectedly, Wang Hongfu saw through the aristocratic family's intentions at a glance, which made Li Shen very gratified. Wang Hongfu could be considered as someone he had personally cultivated.

Li Shen would often share his business experience with him, including some cases he had heard about in his previous life.

To broaden Wang Hongfu's horizons and break his fixed mindset was also for his own good.

If someone wants to be a hands-off manager who doesn't care about anything, then they need an experienced person to take their place.

Wang Hongfu is the best candidate because he is loyal. Whether he can do the job is a matter of ability, and whether he will do it is a matter of attitude.

Abilities can be cultivated, but attitude is a person's inherent nature and cannot be cultivated.

Wang Hongfu was loyal to Li Shen, and Li Shen didn't mind training him properly. Even when Wang Wencheng caused such a big incident, Li Shen didn't punish him severely, only deducting his salary for a year.

It seems that the training was worthwhile.

“You’re right, that’s what I was thinking too, but why aren’t you surprised?” Li Shen asked.

"Your Highness, I am not surprised because I know that this is how aristocratic families have always operated."

For thousands of years, whenever aristocratic families had the opportunity, they would annex each other to strengthen themselves.

Just like the Cui family's brewing techniques and the Lu family's textile and embroidery skills, weren't they all stolen, yet now they've become their own exclusive recipes.

Wang Hongfu knew far more than Wang Xuance. These kinds of things weren't discussed in official circles, but they were in the business world.

Many secrets are passed down by word of mouth, and it's not so easy to erase them.