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

In the midsummer of the fourth year of Xianheng, the chirping of cicadas in Chang'an penetrated the layers of eaves of the Daming Palace, weaving a boiling wave of sound between the gilded gargoyles.

The scorching sun baked the vermilion walls of Danfeng Gate hot, and the air was filled with the mixed scent of camphor and tar. The entire imperial city seemed like a boiling glass furnace.

Inside the Linde Hall, the mermaid gauze curtains hung low like flowing clouds. Wu Meiniang was half-leaning on the golden nanmu dragon couch. Her moon-white mermaid gauze dress slipped off her shoulders, and the hairpin composed of twelve round oriental pearls swayed gently with the movements of the baby in her arms.

The newborn Li Xian was giggling while clutching the pearl necklace on his wrist. His chubby little arms, like lotus root nodes, fluttered happily in the bright yellow satin swaddling clothes, and every wave of his arms made a crisp sound like a string of silver bells.

Li Zhi dismissed the palace ladies, and the corner of his dragon-patterned robe brushed against the blue bricks under the coiled dragon pillar, making a slight friction sound.

He leaned over and personally tied a pearl pendant carved with a dragon pattern to the swaddling clothes. The dragon's eyes contained cinnabar, and tiny luminous pearls were embedded between its scales. The pearl tassels hung beside the child's pink cheeks, trembling gently as the little hands grasped them, reflecting the flowing light and shadows in the hall, as if the stars had fallen into the world.

&34;This Chilong is taken from the ancient jade of Zhongnan Mountain, and the Dongzhu is collected from the bottom of the Songhua River.&34;

Li Zhi spoke in a very soft voice, fearing to wake the young child in his arms. His warm breath brushed against the child's soft hair. "My dear son, I hope you will be like this Chilong, inheriting the legacy of our ancestors and protecting the vast land of the Tang Dynasty."

His eyes were full of expectation. In addition to tenderness, Wu Meiniang's eyes when looking at the child also hid a hint of depth that others could hardly detect.

Before he finished speaking, there came a sudden thunderous roar of "Long live the Majesty" from outside the hall. The sound waves hit the white marble railings and bounced back into the hall, making the copper bells under the eaves buzz.

It turned out that it was the attendants who brought the good news to the court. The white-haired old ministers leaned against the jade steps and red pillars, and their turbid tears dripped onto the faded patched robes, staining the python and crane patterns.

A seventy-year-old official, leaning on an ivory tablet, shouted in a trembling voice: "God bless the Tang Dynasty! May the dragon vein continue!"

In the wine shops and tea houses on Zhuque Street, people toasted to celebrate, and amber wine was splashed on the bluestone slabs, attracting flocks of sparrows to peck at it.

Street performers beat the羯盘, dancers waved their sleeves, and the entire city of Chang'an was immersed in the ecstasy of the prosperous dragon vein.

Even the camel caravans traveling through the market beat turquoise-inlaid hand drums, and the music mixed with Persian blessings floated into the sky.

Persian merchant Alimu excitedly said to his companions: "With the birth of the new prince, the Tang Dynasty will surely become more prosperous, and our business will also get better and better!"

While Chang'an was immersed in the joy of the birth of the new prince, Jiangning City, three thousand miles away, was being drenched by the plum rain.

Deep in Wuyi Lane, the faint aroma of Longjing tea wafted from Lin Dafu's residence, mixed with the smell of rust from the copper bells on the eaves that had been wet by the rain.

This wealthy businessman reclined on the Xiangfei bamboo couch, his round belly wrapped in a moon-white satin gown, and the peony pattern embroidered with gold thread trembled with his laughter.

He was picking his teeth with an ivory pick. The jade ring on his finger was so green that it was almost eerie. He took out a piece of mutton-fat jade pendant from the rosewood box and played with it. The jade color actually glowed warmly in the rain.

"Old Qi, stop worrying about it! Isn't it just someone buying a pair of earrings worth 22.3 million taels?"

He suddenly sat up straight and slapped his fat palm on the small table beside the couch, causing ripples in the Longjing tea in the celadon teacup.

"Merchant ships are constantly on the canal day and night. Persian glass and Tang Dynasty spices fill up the West Market of Chang'an. One piece of brocade from the south of the Yangtze River can be exchanged for ten BMWs!"

"Now that Your Majesty has expanded the territory, and the barbarians from all over the world are paying tribute, what else can this be but a prosperous age?"

He said this while showing off the jade pendant in his hand, "Look at the quality of it! Even the treasures in the palace may not be comparable to it!"

After saying that, he pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his sleeve, on which were densely written the profits of several recent big deals, and waved it proudly in front of Mr. Qi.

Mr. Qi's knuckles turned white as he gripped the bamboo cane, and veins bulged out like dead vines beneath his loose skin.

His eyes swept across the mottled painting of "Qianwu River Control" on the wall. In the painting, the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and the oxen were moving slowly forward in the fields.

"You only care about money!" Mr. Qi suddenly slammed his bamboo stick. The sound of the stick hitting the blue bricks echoed in the hall, startling the baby birds in the swallow's nest on the beam and making them chirp in panic.

"Rice prices in Jiangning have risen by 30% in the past three months. To secure a minor official position, students at the academy are offering ten dan of rice to the chief examiner! When resources are concentrated in the hands of a few, the people who can't afford to eat will sooner or later rise up in rebellion!"

&34;Stop, stop!&34;

Lin Dafu hurriedly stuffed an ingot of gold into his hand, patted his old friend's shoulder with his fat palm, and his greasy beard almost brushed Mr. Qi's face. "Isn't it just that someone bought a pair of jade earrings worth 34 million taels? Which noble lady in Chang'an doesn't have a few treasures hidden away?"

"Besides, the quality of the jadeite that person bought was so good. To be honest, I used to play with it. How can this be considered extravagance?"

"Besides, isn't housing in Chang'an about two or three million taels? Even a good carriage costs that much."

"Let me tell you, the cat's eye stone that the Persian merchant sold to the Queen last month is what you call..."

"Shut up!" Mr. Qi stood up suddenly, and the teacup fell over. The brown tea flowed like a river on the blue bricks and soaked the carpet.

"Houses in Chang'an are where the people make their living, and carriages are their means of livelihood. But those earrings! They're enough to feed three hundred families for three years! When the playthings of the powerful are more valuable than the basic needs of the people, isn't this putting the cart before the horse?"

"You, think about it carefully. A house worth 2.3 million taels, a carriage worth 2.3 million taels, and earrings worth 2.3 million taels."

“Will the people who buy these three things be the same?”

"You once controlled the world's wealth. Don't you understand this?"

"These are three different classes of people, Fatty!"

Lin Dafu looked at his friend's violently heaving back and finally stopped laughing.

He glanced at the unopened secret letter on the desk, and the cloud brocade emblem on the wax seal was faintly visible, and suddenly a sense of uneasiness arose in his heart.

The edge of the secret letter curled up slightly, revealing half a yellowed corner of paper inside, on which were written the words "Commercial Tax Boycott Plan" in cinnabar.

He subconsciously reached out to take it, then retracted his hand. "Lao Qi, what do you think about this world..."

Mr. Qi slammed the brush on the table, causing the candle flame to shake violently and shadows to dance on his wrinkled face.

The rain outside the window suddenly got heavier, and the raindrops hitting the banana leaves made a drum-like sound.

There was a dull rumble of thunder in the distance, as if foreshadowing the coming storm.

"The world has never belonged to a few people!" Mr. Qi's voice was shattered and reassembled by thunder. "If we allow the wind of extravagance to erode the court and the disparity between the rich and the poor to tear apart the people's hearts, then even if the territory is vast and the treasury is rich, it will be nothing but castles in the air! Your Majesty..."