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

Li Shen owned several estates, 70% of which were his fiefs, and the rest belonged to his people.

However, Li Shen's quota for fiefdoms was no longer available, which is why he was not registered in the fiefdom's place of origin.

In recent years, life in Zhuangzi has gotten better and better, and everyone has been having children to play with whenever they have free time.

Many children are seven or eight years old and old enough to start school.

Li Shen knew that there were about two thousand children of all ages in the academy of Prince Ji's mansion, and that ninety percent of them would not be able to pass the imperial examinations, let alone become officials in the court.

Li Shen wanted to find another way out for them.

Some went to teach at Li Shenxiu's academies, while others were prepared by Li Shenxiu to be his managers.

Sometimes having a stall that's too big can be a problem; too many people make it difficult to manage.

"Your Highness, rest assured, I have remembered." Wang Hongfu had no complaints about Prince Ji asking him to relinquish some of his power.

This is so that I can better serve Prince Ji.

"You've finished speaking, Xuan Ce, it's your turn." Li Shen then looked at Wang Xuan Ce.

"Your Highness, I have come to report something."

"What is it?" Li Shen asked curiously, for the matter Wang Xuance was reporting was no trivial matter.

"Your Highness, it is circulating in Chang'an that a series of official documents issued by the court some time ago were all proposed by Prince Ji."

This includes the naming of the Tang Dynasty.

It is said that His Highness Prince Ji possesses both virtue and talent, is diligent in governing and loves the people, much like His Majesty in his prime.

"What do you say?"

Upon hearing Wang Xuance's report, Li Shen immediately stood up.

Having both virtue and talent is fine, but what does it mean to be diligent in governing and love the people? Isn't that a phrase used to describe emperors? And what about His Majesty's demeanor back then?

Wouldn't that push him into the abyss? Who the hell wants to harm me?

"Have you found out who leaked the information?"

Li Shen asked coldly.

Wang Xuance shook his head:

"I have already sent people to investigate, but this time the other party did it very secretly, and we cannot find the source."

"This is outrageous! Is this an attempt to flatter me to my death?" Li Shen frowned and sat down.

"Your Highness, I have also received similar rumors. I sent people to investigate, but they found nothing. I was just about to report this matter."

Wang Hongfu chimed in from the side.

"Hmm? It's spread throughout the business world too? What are they saying?" Li Shen asked.

"Your Highness, they all say the same thing. They say that Your Highness loves the people like your own children, is exceptionally intelligent, and has great talent and ambition. They also say that Your Highness is kind-hearted and will surely achieve great things in the future."

"Oh!"

As soon as Wang Hongfu finished speaking, Li Shen smashed the teacup in his hand on the ground.

"Outrageous! Which bastard is trying to harm me?"

"Your Highness, this is clearly intentional, an attempt to flatter you to your detriment. If His Highness the Crown Prince were to hear these words..."

Wang Xuance stopped abruptly at this point.

"Indeed, this tactic is too vicious. They want to use the Crown Prince to get rid of me."

Even if the Crown Prince doesn't eliminate me, he will still harbor resentment in his heart. In the end, I will be forced to rebel in order to save my own life.

What a vicious trick!

Li Shen clenched his fists. As long as there was a rift between him and Li Chengqian, they would definitely lose trust and become wary of each other.

Li Shen didn't want to sit and wait for his death, so he only had two options: one was to leave for distant lands, whether overseas or to the Western Regions.

The other way is to follow in his father's footsteps.

But no matter which path he took, from that time on, the Tang Dynasty would never see his shadow again.

"Your Highness, I suspect this might be related to aristocratic families," Wang Xuance guessed.

“Yes, I do have a grudge against them, and this seems to be one of their methods.” Li Shen nodded.

"That's right, I think so too, but we've never been able to get inside their ranks to gather information."

Wang Xuance felt a little regretful.

"Send people to investigate this matter. Transfer a few people from No. 76 to the capital. This matter is of great importance, and I must take precautions."

We must find out who did it.

If I find out that Li Zhi was behind it, I will lead my troops to attack the Prince of Jin's residence again and beat him senseless.

Li Shen said fiercely. He had always prevented Number Seventy-Six from entering Chang'an City, for fear of causing his father to misunderstand.

There are people with powerful fathers around me, and they might leak the information, which would be impossible to explain later.

But things are different now. It concerns my life and fortune, so I have to find out the truth.

"Your Highness, I have already sent the Seventy-Sixth Man to investigate. I acted without authorization, and I beg Your Highness to punish me."

Unexpectedly, Wang Xuance had already learned of Li Shen's thoughts. He was also a little anxious. If Prince Ji fell, he would not be able to remain unscathed.

Li Shen frowned. The people of Number 76 were a secret weapon; they couldn't act without his orders.

Although he trusted Wang Xuance, Li Shen was very uncomfortable with this overstepping of his authority.

“Xuan Ce, you are busy with many matters. Let’s leave Number 76 to Shi Tou for the time being.”

Li Shen said it casually.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey." Wang Xuance knew that his unauthorized actions had displeased Prince Ji.

He could understand that superiors naturally dislike subordinates who make decisions on their own, and that he had acted hastily and without considering the consequences.

"Who will lead the team?" Li Shen asked after nodding. Having Shi Tou temporarily in charge was only a temporary measure, intended to give Wang Xuance a warning.

"Return to the Prince's residence, led by the scholar," Wang Xuance replied.

"Well, it should be fine if he leads the team. We'll see if we can place him within the aristocratic families."

Li Shen was quite pleased to hear the reading aloud. He didn't recognize most of the people in No. 76, only a few of the middle-level managers appointed when the organization was first established.

They were divided into several groups, and they didn't know each other. They were just temporary teams, and they even used nicknames.

The scholar was one of them, and he truly was a scholar.

"Your Highness, how should we suppress this matter? We can't let things escalate any further. According to our observation methods, the news has already spread to several prefectures surrounding Chang'an."

I believe it won't be long before the news spreads throughout the entire Tang Dynasty.

Wang Xuance asked with some concern.

After listening, Li Shen pondered for a long time before speaking:

"We'll use the same old method: divert people's attention by starting rice sales in a big way three days in advance."

Compile a few scandalous stories about officials appointed by the imperial court.

"Your Highness, this is probably not enough," Wang Xuance reminded him.

"Sigh..." Li Shen sighed.

"It seems I'm going to have to spend a lot of money again. Now I suspect that the Crown Prince might have deliberately spread this news so that I would spend money on him."

Li Shen felt a pang of regret after saying this; the power of public opinion was indeed formidable.

"Your Highness means..."

"Donate a batch of grain to the local medical clinics in the name of the Crown Prince, and say that His Highness the Crown Prince has a benevolent heart, governs with virtue, cares for the world, and cannot bear to see the people suffer."

Each Ji Bing Fang (a type of medical facility) receives three years' worth of food rations.

"If I find out who it is, I'll burn their house down!"

(Do you usually make your bed after you wake up in the morning? Vote below.)