Zhenguan Xiaoxian Wang Li Shen Li Shimin

Li Shen understood long ago what it meant for "when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."

Since he became rich, his father also became wealthy and even built a two-story house.

From the initial tens of millions of strings of gold, plus annual dividends from various businesses, his father invested almost nothing.

However, Li Shen didn't care. Firstly, he was his father, and secondly, his father could provide him with protection.

That's equivalent to paying protection money.

However, saving money where possible is preferable, and Li Shen naturally cannot extend his hospitality indefinitely.

If we're talking about who was the richest person in the Tang Dynasty, my own father was definitely the richest man in the world.

All the assets in his private treasury were worth at least thirty million strings of cash.

Ten years of continuous spending on building the palace resulted in no reduction in expenses, yet Li Shen was already heavily in debt.

“Father, the entire palace is so big, these glass pieces could fetch at least five million strings of cash if sold. I’m only charging two million strings, which is already at cost price.”

Li Shen didn't expect his father to agree to the two million offer; it was just an excuse for him to refuse.

He only installed glass windows in the Empress's and Consort Wei's quarters; Li Shen had no intention of installing them in the rest of the palaces, including the Shenlong Palace.

If you want to enjoy the glass windows, you either need to go to the Daikichi-den or the Rissei-den.

Li Shen learned from Lu Dingniang that his father rarely goes to Daji Palace nowadays, and even when he visits the Empress, he only stays for a short while before leaving.

At present, the most favored concubine in the harem is Xu Hui, also known as Consort Xu. At the age of twenty-one, Xu Hui is beautiful and intelligent, well-educated and reasonable, and proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

His calligraphy, in particular, was praised by Emperor Taizong of Tang, and he was also known for his understanding, gentleness, and thoughtfulness.

They made Li Shimin, a fifty-year-old man, extremely happy, as if he were experiencing a second spring.

This made Li Shen very unhappy, and he tried to find a way to get Li Shimin to go to the Daji Hall.

If you were to ask which place in the palace was the most luxurious, it would undoubtedly be the Daji Hall, the entire hall of which was renovated with money funded by Li Shen himself.

The luxurious and elegant study and tea room are complemented by an ultra-luxurious glass sunroom, and the Four Treasures of the Study are all rare and precious items.

There are also many unique pieces of calligraphy and paintings by famous people.

Good tea and good wine are stored in the Daji Hall. If you want them, just go and get them yourself. Li Shen has tried every means possible.

"Two million is too expensive. I could build another palace." Li Shimin shook his head upon hearing this.

"Then there's no way around it. Father won't let his son pay two million strings of cash, will he? Right now, his son already owes a huge debt of four million one hundred thousand strings of cash."

"How about you wait a few more years, Father, until I've paid off my debts and am financially secure, then I'll install stained glass windows throughout the entire palace?"

Li Shen helplessly shrugged and offered his opinion.

"You owe four million strings of cash?" Li Chengqian asked, somewhat surprised.

"Owes four million strings of cash? Who is so wealthy as to come up with so much money?" Tang Jian was equally astonished.

"Is Prince Ji going to sell the palace?" Cheng Yaojin added.

Four million strings of cash—that was about the amount of tax revenue the imperial court collected in a year more than a decade ago. And yet, Prince Ji is now so indebted.

Only Li Shimin was not surprised. He knew everything about the Ji Prince's Mansion. Last year, Li Mengjiang lent Li Shen 1.5 million strings of cash, and not long ago she borrowed another 2.6 million strings of cash from the bank.

However, Li Shimin knew that with the capabilities of the Prince Ji's mansion, they could repay the debt in a year once the road to that important city in Qinghai was repaired.

He was thinking about Li Shen's promise to install glass windows for him in two years.

He will abdicate in two years and move to Luoyang, the eastern capital. What does the installation of glazed windows have to do with him? It will only benefit Li Chengqian.

"How about installing glazed windows on the Divine Dragon Palace? That shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

Li Shimin opted for a less desirable option, deciding to install only the Shenlong Hall, since he usually stayed there anyway.

Unfortunately, Li Shen still shook his head; he simply wouldn't press the button.

"Forgive me, Father. Even the Dragon Palace requires tens of thousands of strings of cash for glass. I am now burdened with debt, and the Ji Prince's Mansion is already destitute."

Now we can barely afford to eat. Look at your grandchildren, they look pale and thin.

The son was even planning to borrow some money from his father to barely make ends meet.

Li Shen spoke so pitifully that it didn't seem like he was lying.

But Li Shimin understood Li Shen's refusal. This rebellious son didn't want to settle his affairs.

"Your Majesty, Princess Linchuan and her husband, Commandant Zhou Daowu, are requesting an audience outside."

Just then, a servant outside reported this.

"Let them in quickly!" Li Shen shouted to the outside before Li Shimin could speak.

A moment later, Princess Linchuan and Zhou Daowu walked in.

"Daughter greets Father and Brother."

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty and Your Highness the Crown Prince."

The two bowed.

"Yes, no need for formalities, come and sit down." Li Shimin nodded; his daughter was still very easy for him to take care of.

Li Mengjiang had beautiful handwriting from a young age and was highly praised by Emperor Taizong of Tang (Li Shimin). His name was the same as the courtesy name of Wang Xizhi's daughter.

After expressing their gratitude, the two sat down.

"Why have you two come here?" Li Shimin asked.

“I sent someone to inform my sister to come over. Isn’t it time to distribute the dividends? I’ve been borrowing money from my sister for a year now, so today is the perfect time to pay it back.”

Li Shen began to explain.

“Shen’er, there’s no need for that. You are destined for great things. There’s no rush to repay this money. My household doesn’t need it right now either. You can keep it for emergencies.”

When Li Mengjiang heard that Li Shen wanted to return the money, she immediately shook her head.

Her princess residence doesn't need money now; she can't even spend all of her annual dividends, and sometimes she even gives some to the Zhou family.

Li Mengjiang knew that her younger brother was destined for great things; even just building roads was a great thing that would benefit the country and its people.

When her younger brother is in trouble, as his older sister, she should naturally lend a hand, especially since all of this was given to her by her brother.

Li Shen waved his hand:

"Sister, you don't need to be so polite. It's only right to pay back debts. And your money will be left to my nephew in the future."

Pay it back now if you have the money, otherwise you won't have it next year. It's better than having someone hold a grudge against you.

As he spoke, Li Shen secretly glanced at someone.

I happened to meet someone's sharp gaze, and quickly looked away.

"Hehe, look at what you're saying. Boyu is still young, why do we need to prepare for him? You are destined for great things, it would be more useful for you to keep this money."

Princess Linchuan smiled gently. Her son, whom she had just given birth to, was only two years old. It would be more than ten or even several decades before he inherited the family business.

While the siblings chatted, the others present were somewhat shocked that Princess Linchuan, who was so wealthy, was able to lend so much money to Prince Ji.

Although the exact number is unknown, judging from the 4.1 million strings of cash mentioned by Prince Ji, it should be quite a lot.

How come everyone associated with Prince Ji has become so successful? Is Prince Ji really the reincarnation of the God of Wealth?