Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

The princes Li Yuanjing, Li Yun, Li Yuanjia, and Li Yuanxiang spent at least 100 million strings of cash on weapons and equipment.

If we deduct their money, we can make an extra profit.

Du He smiled and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I believe that the princes will send the money over tomorrow once they know that you are the one who won 50 strings of cash."

"Besides, they've won a lot of money, so even if they lose money, they won't lose much."

Leaving aside the wealthy merchant families in the countryside, the total amount wagered by those important officials in the imperial court alone was no less than 4 strings of cash.

Even if the winnings of the princes were not 400,000 strings of cash, they would have been at least 200,000 to 300,000 strings.

"it is good."

Li Chengqian nodded.

He instructed Du He, "Besides celebrating for Father Emperor and collecting debts, when you go to Yuhua Palace, also talk to Father Emperor about the research and development of steam engines and trains, so that he can live a few more years."

"Once the steam engine and the train are built, we'll travel west together by train!"

Although he had never seen a train before, Du He's detailed and detailed explanation filled him with anticipation.

Previously, when he personally led an expedition against Goguryeo, the bumpy journey and the torment of riding in a horse-drawn carriage made him suffer greatly.

Not only are trains comfortable, but you can also sleep on them.

Isn't this a moving palace?

With his father passing the throne to him, he no longer hopes for his father's early death, but rather wishes for him to live to be a hundred years old.

With his father's support, he felt more at ease handling important matters.

Du He cupped his hands in greeting and replied, "Alright!"

Just as the two were talking, Lai Ji strode in to report.

"Your Majesty, King Han, ten cartloads of generous gifts are ready and can depart at any time."

"General Xue Rengui also led 500 imperial guards to wait outside the main hall. Later, General Xue will escort King Han to Yuhua Palace."

Upon hearing about the arrangements for coming to Jinan, Li Chengqian and Du He both nodded in satisfaction.

As expected of someone who served the retired emperor, his consideration of issues is more comprehensive than that of ordinary servants, so they don't need to worry about him at all.

Du He said to Li Chengqian, "Your Majesty, I will go to Yuhua Palace first."

"it is good."

Li Chengqian nodded.

...

An hour and a half later.

Under the escort of Xue Rengui and a group of imperial guards, Du He arrived at the foot of Yuhua Palace.

The guards of Yuhua Palace received Xue Rengui and a group of imperial guards, while Du He, led by an eunuch, walked towards the Ziwei Hall at the front.

After a cup of tea.

Du He walked to the main gate of the Ziwei Hall and heard a lively conversation coming from inside. It sounded like everyone was having a good time.

Li Shimin's voice, in particular, was full of hearty cheerfulness.

"Having a new baby makes all the difference."

"Even Li Shimin's laughter sounded more joyful than usual."

Du He sighed for a moment, then strode into the main hall.

When the princes, princesses, and concubines saw Du He walk in, they all turned their gazes to her, their faces filled with strange expressions.

This king, who was not of the same surname, wielded far more power than their sons.

Moreover, they also learned from their respective sons that Du He, as the head of all officials, was in charge of the court's subsequent conquests of the country.

If they could curry favor with Duho and get their sons to attack fertile lands with abundant water, they could enjoy a life of luxury in their fiefdoms for the rest of their lives.

Du He strode into the center of the hall and bowed respectfully.

"Greetings to the Emperor Emeritus and Your Majesties."

Li Shimin smiled and said, "Du He, sit down and let's talk."

Guided by the eunuch, Du He was led to the seat of the deputy head, just a few steps away from Li Shimin.

Moreover, several dishes of exquisite food were placed on the table in front of him.

Du He cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations to the Emperor Emeritus on the birth of your two beloved sons. Your Majesty has specially ordered me to bring ten cartloads of generous gifts to celebrate the birth of your two young princes."

If the officials and the people knew, they would surely be happy for the retired emperor.

Upon hearing Du He's congratulatory words, Li Shimin's expression changed slightly, and he looked somewhat unnatural.

He never imagined that at 50, his beloved concubine would become pregnant.

Thinking about how his two youngest sons were younger than his group of grandsons, his face flushed slightly.

After gathering my mind.

Li Shimin frowned and asked, "Du He, you and Li Chengqian have a secret relationship."

"What has that rascal Li Chengqian been up to lately? Why is there so much digging and construction going on everywhere in Chang'an?"

"Does this mean they're going to do a major overhaul of the mansion and palace?"

Now the court has a large number of new dukes and prefects, and most of these new nobles have not yet been granted mansions. Could it be that Li Chengqian is sending people to build luxurious residences?

Thinking of Li Chengqian, that spendthrift son, Li Shimin felt a sharp pain in his liver.

Du He explained, "Your Majesty, the Emperor Emeritus, is expanding Chang'an and plans to transform it into a metropolis that can accommodate three to four million people."

"Moreover, of the 108 wards in Chang'an, apart from the wards where the powerful and wealthy lived, the wards where ordinary people lived were dirty and chaotic."

"His Majesty ordered the expansion of the city in order to improve the living environment of the people."

There was a pause.

Du He continued, "Apart from the prisoners, the artisans and common people of the Tang Dynasty who participated in the expansion of Chang'an City received wages every day, and were also provided with three meals a day."

"The people not only had no complaints, but they were also very enthusiastic about their work."

Previously, when ordinary people in the Tang Dynasty performed corvée labor, they not only did not receive wages, but they also had to bring their own food to cook.

Who would be willing to do this for a long time?

The imperial court paid the workers silver and provided three meals a day, so the people were eager to do the work.

"Pay wages?"

"Three meals a day are included?"

Li Shimin frowned and said, "Du He, with such high daily expenses, can the national treasury's meager funds sustain this?"

"You brat, you didn't even try to dissuade Li Chengqian!"

In addition to expanding Chang'an, the imperial court continued to build the Daming Palace, issue birth subsidies and rewards, construct official roads and reservoirs, and dredge rivers and canals.

Every major project requires a lot of money.

The other princes and concubines also looked at Du He with worried expressions, fearing that the imperial treasury would run out of money.

Du He smiled and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, the wealth that the court has plundered from neighboring countries is enough to last for hundreds of years, even at the current expenditure level."

"In addition to the plundered wealth, the taxes collected by the imperial court last year were 30% higher than in previous years."

"Before the imperial court unifies the world, it will not worry about not having enough money."

Leaving aside the national treasury's revenue, the money from those corrupt officials and temples alone is enough to squander for one or two decades.

Hearing Du He say this, Li Shimin nodded in relief.

He discovered that after handing the Tang Dynasty over to Li Chengqian, that rascal became extremely aggressive and took big leaps in his actions.

Fortunately, the imperial court had a huge amount of wealth to support it, as well as millions of prisoners to drive it.

An ordinary imperial court would not have been able to sustain itself for two years.

Li Shimin waved his hand at the group of concubines and children: "You may all leave. I have important matters to discuss with Du He."

Everyone stood up, bowed, and then quickly left the main hall.

A moment of silence.

Li Shimin laughed and scolded, "Du He, you rascal, the Academy of Natural History has produced so many treasures, but you didn't show any of them to me before I abdicated!"

"I've been so good to you, yet you're still suffering!"