Li Shimin faked his death? Then I will be powerful enough to conquer the world!

"Long live His Majesty! If these three crops are true, it is truly an auspicious sign for the Tang Dynasty!"

Fang Xuanling bowed slightly, and his solemn court robes swayed gently with his movements.

His voice rang out in the quiet court, with a hint of excitement, and his eyes flashed with anticipation for the unknown, like a child who saw a treasure.

The atmosphere in the court was slightly shaken by his words. The ministers around him nodded and started talking among themselves. Their voices buzzed in the empty hall.

Li Chengqian sat upright on the dragon throne, his eyes as deep as the abyss, making it difficult for the ministers to understand.

He glanced at Fang Xuanling, his eyes calm and majestic. His gaze was as real as substance, instantly quieting the noisy court, like a gust of cold wind passing through a bustling market.

"Prince Fang, there is no auspicious sign in the world. It is all in the hands of man."

Li Chengqian's voice was deep and powerful, echoing in every corner of the court.

Fang Xuanling's slightly excited tone was completely different.

His words made the ministers look at each other in bewilderment. Many of them lowered their heads in thought, trying to guess the deep meaning of His Majesty.

Some ministers thought, "What does your Majesty mean? Doesn't he value this auspicious event? It seems your Majesty only likes practical things, not empty talk."

"Mr. Qi, explore coal mines across the country, establish mines, recruit people to work, and provide compensation tailored to local conditions."

Li Chengqian turned slightly and glanced at Mr. Qi. Mr. Qi felt Li Chengqian's gaze and hurried out of the line, bowing slightly.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

His voice was steady and his expression was solemn.

Fang Xuanling had just finished praising Li Chengqian. When he heard these words, his eyes widened in astonishment, as if he had heard a fairy tale, which formed a sharp contrast with his previous composure.

He thought to himself, "The coal mines were banned during the time of the previous emperor due to numerous disasters. Why is Your Majesty reopening them now? And on a large scale, the risks are too great. Compared to the previous emperor's caution, your boldness is a blessing or a curse."

Then his brows furrowed tightly together, and the wrinkles on his forehead deepened a little, like ravines, carving his worry on his face.

His intelligent mind was stuck in a quagmire at this moment, and he couldn't figure out the intention of His Majesty's action.

His lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but swallowed it back, completely different from his usual eloquent self.

If only Lao Du were still here! Fang Xuanling sighed slightly in his heart.

"Your Majesty! I have a doubt!"

Fang Xuanling finally couldn't help it and took a step forward. His official boots made a slight sound on the smooth ground.

His eyes were full of confusion and worry, and he stared at Li Chengqian intently, completely ignoring the fact that this might anger His Majesty. This was in stark contrast to those ministers who were keeping a low profile and keeping silent.

He was well aware of his responsibilities as a minister and could not stand by and watch decisions that might be detrimental to the country being implemented, even if it might offend the emperor.

Many ministers secretly worried for Fang Xuanling, thinking: "Prime Minister Fang is speaking out against the emperor. I wonder how His Majesty will react. If it were us, we wouldn't have the courage to do that."

Li Chengqian frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes, and he gave Fang Xuanling a cold look. His eyes were like frost in the cold winter, making the air around them seem a little colder, forming a sharp contrast with the enthusiasm in Fang Xuanling's eyes.

"Please go ahead, Prime Minister Fang, but this is the last question."

There was a hint of warning in Li Chengqian's tone, his voice was low and cold, which made the ministers in the court shudder.

"I've said before, I raise questions, and you only need to solve them, not question them."

The ministers were startled and dared not speak again. In contrast to the previous whispers, the court fell into silence in an instant.

"Yes, I understand. Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Fang Xuanling hurriedly lowered his head, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead, sparkling in the sunlight, making him look a little more embarrassed compared to his usual calm image.

Even though he angered the new emperor, he was still worried about the coal mine issue, which was completely different from those ministers who kept aloof from the matter.

"Your Majesty, are you aware of the saying that burning coal is poisonous?"

Fang Xuanling slowly raised his head and spoke solemnly. His eyes swept over the ministers in the court. His voice was steady and slow, and every word was clearly heard by everyone.

"Throughout the dynasties, countless people have lost their lives in cold winters due to using coal for heating."

"In my dynasty alone, in the third and fifth years of the Zhenguan reign, two major coal-related murders occurred in Chang'an. One resulted in the deaths of 83 people, and the other resulted in the deaths of 112 people. At that time, the city was filled with wailing, and every family was in mourning. The scene was horrific."

"The late emperor, deeply distressed, issued a decree banning coal consumption within Chang'an. Even so, many impoverished people, unable to endure the harsh cold, repeatedly stole coal, often resulting in the deaths of entire families. This tragedy continues despite repeated bans."

"Your Majesty, I would like to ask you, exploring coal mines across the country, encouraging the people to dig, and paying them wages, this initiative not only consumes a huge amount of manpower and material resources, but also yields only a few coal. How does this benefit our Tang Dynasty? I am truly confused, and I hope Your Majesty can explain my confusion."

As Fang Xuanling spoke, he shook his head and sighed, his eyes filled with sorrow for the tragic fate of the people and worry about the country's decisions, in contrast to those officials who only cared about their own interests.

His voice echoed in the court, and the ministers fell into deep thought. Some of them looked reluctant, thinking about the suffering of the people and could not bear to add to the disaster. Compared with those indifferent officials, they had more compassion.

Some of them frowned, wondering what good plan Your Majesty had to deal with the toxicity of coal, in contrast to those blindly optimistic ministers.

Li Chengqian's face was as gloomy as water. He slowly stood up and flicked his sleeves, in contrast to the awe of the ministers.

He took two steps forward, staring intently at Fang Xuanling, his eyes revealing an unquestionable dominance. His gaze pressed down on Fang Xuanling like a substance, forming a strong sense of confrontation with Fang Xuanling's sincere questioning.

The ministers didn't dare to breathe and watched the scene nervously, like a flock of sheep waiting for the storm to come.

"Prime Minister Fang, are you trying to accuse me of wasting money and manpower?"

Li Chengqian's tone became heavier, and his voice exploded in the court like thunder, shocking the ministers' hearts.

"Since I've issued this order, I have a plan for dealing with it. How could I not know that coal is poisonous? I've already ordered someone to research a solution that will ensure its safe use and keep the people warm. What I'm planning is for the long-term well-being of the Tang Dynasty. How could you easily understand it?"

Many ministers secretly admired His Majesty's foresight, feeling that His Majesty was far-sighted, in contrast to their own short-sightedness, but some ministers still had doubts, wavering between trust and suspicion.

Hearing Li Chengqian say this, Fang Xuanling was shocked and quickly knelt down, his body trembling slightly, which was a sharp change from his previous argument.

"I apologize for being rude."

Fang Xuanling's voice trembled slightly. He knew very well that his words had touched the bottom line of His Majesty. He lowered his forehead to the ground and did not dare to look up.

Despite this, he did not regret it. His Majesty had said before the court that he only had to give orders and the court officials had to carry them out. However, if he did not understand, he would ask clearly. This was a major matter concerning the people's livelihood. As a prime minister, how could he, Fang Xuanling, act in a muddled way?

Li Chengqian glanced at Fang Xuanling, waved his hand slightly, and his expression relaxed a little.

"It's alright, Prime Minister Fang. Get up now. I know you're doing this for the Tang Dynasty, but just be careful in the future. Remember, I won't be wrong!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Fang Xuanling, as if granted amnesty, quickly rose and returned to his seat. He vowed to himself that he would be more careful with his words and actions in the future, saying that Your Majesty was not the late emperor.

"It just so happens that the next thing needs to be arranged by you, Fang Xiang."

Li Chengqian sat back on the dragon throne, his gaze fell on Fang Xuanling again, with a hint of expectation in his eyes.

"I want to measure the land of the whole country and count the population of the whole country."

Li Chengqian's voice rang out again in the court, like a heart-shaking drum, and every word carried an irresistible power.

Upon hearing this, the ministers gasped, and the court fell into silence again. Each minister had his own thoughts. Some thought, "This is a major project involving the interests of many parties. I'm afraid it will stir up a storm, which is much more complicated than the previous coal mine incident."

Others expressed concerns: "Can the imperial court sustain such a large-scale operation? Compared to the implementation of previous smaller-scale decrees, the difficulty is incomparable."

Fang Xuanling frowned, a trace of worry flashed in his eyes. He knew very well how difficult these two tasks were.

He raised his head slightly and looked at Li Chengqian. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but then he hesitated, which was a change from his previous boldness in speaking out his advice.

"Your Majesty wishes to survey the entire nation's land and census its population. Does this include the land owned by aristocratic families and officials, as well as the tenants they contract?"

Fang Xuanling asked cautiously, his voice was low but clearly audible in the quiet court.

He knew the sensitivity of this issue. Once the interests of aristocratic families and officials were involved, it would inevitably cause an uproar. Compared with some insignificant issues, the seriousness of this issue was self-evident.

He glanced around the court and saw that many officials' faces became nervous.

The ministers' hearts were in their throats, and they nervously waited for His Majesty's answer, like prisoners awaiting trial.

"That's the way it is."

Li Chengqian spoke in a firm tone, his eyes revealing a determination to fight to the death. He looked straight into Fang Xuanling's eyes without any intention of retreating, as if two flames were burning in his eyes.

The ministers were shocked, knowing that there was no turning back in this matter, as His Majesty had already broken off relations with the aristocratic families.

"Your Majesty, this approach is unlikely to succeed. Those aristocratic families and local officials are so powerful they will certainly resist the imperial decree. Not only will they pretend to obey but secretly disobey, but the manpower and resources the court will have to spend will be staggering."

Fang Xuanling advised earnestly, his eyes full of worry and the wrinkles on his forehead deeper.

He took a few steps forward and bowed to Li Chengqian.

"Your Majesty wants to open a mine, survey the land, and count the population. I'm afraid the court's money is far from enough."

The ministers nodded one after another, feeling that Fang Xuanling was right.

Wei Zheng also stood up at this time. He looked serious and was wearing red court robes, which made him look even more upright.

His eyes were filled with loyalty and integrity as he looked at Li Chengqian, thinking, "Your Majesty may be ambitious, but you must not act impulsively. I must offer my advice!"

"Your Majesty, we have three kinds of sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn. Even if your Majesty has to break with the noble families, you can still take your time. After three to five years, when the treasury is full, it won't be too late to reform then."

"During the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui, it was because he was too ambitious and wanted to do too many things at once that the treasury of the Sui Dynasty was empty, the people suffered terribly, and eventually the country fell into chaos."

"Your Majesty is a holy ruler. You must not repeat the mistakes of Emperor Yang of Sui."

Wei Zheng spoke earnestly.

He hoped that Li Chengqian would consider it carefully and not bring disaster to the Tang Dynasty because of a momentary impulse.

He knew that His Majesty had made up his mind and these things had to be done, but given the current state of the national treasury, the Ministry of Revenue would certainly strongly oppose it.

As a minister, he had the responsibility to let Li Chengqian know the interests involved. After all, governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. It is simply not feasible to implement all policies in one go.