I have already established my power and prestige, so how did Li Shimin come back to life?

Wherever that gaze reached, the ministers felt as if a thorn in their backs.

When the ministers heard Li Chengqian's words, they were shocked and knelt down one after another.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!" The voices were mixed, some were in panic, while others shouted it out with gritted teeth.

"Since you, my dear ministers, are not here to force the emperor to abdicate, then what is your purpose?"

There was a hint of calmness in Li Chengqian's tone, as if he was just asking about an ordinary matter, but everyone present knew that undercurrents were surging beneath the calm.

The entire court was silent and dead silent.

After a moment, Fang Xuanling was the first to speak. He raised his head slightly and looked at Li Chengqian with a determined gaze. "Your Majesty, do you know what happened in Chang'an yesterday?"

Fang Xuanling's voice was steady and powerful, and it was particularly clear in the silent court.

Li Chengqian glanced at Fang Xuanling, his eyes seemed to be full of meaning, and he said with a half-smile, "Prime Minister Fang, what happened in Chang'an yesterday?"

"Everyone, please get up. Minister Fang, you are old. Someone, please give him a seat and put a cushion on it."

Li Chengqian waved his hand slightly, signaling the ministers to stand up, and also paid special attention to Fang Xuanling.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Fang Xuanling said. He was indeed old, and just as he knelt down and stood up, he felt a sharp pain in his legs, a fatigue that penetrated deep into his bones.

The two eunuchs quickly brought a chair. The chair was made of fine sandalwood, exquisitely carved, and exuded a faint wood fragrance.

The young eunuchs carefully placed the chairs behind Fang Xuanling, then quietly retreated with light and quick movements.

After Fang Xuanling sat down on the chair, he breathed a sigh of relief. He straightened his clothes and bowed to Li Chengqian.

"Your Majesty, are you aware that yesterday, the nobles and some merchants in Chang'an inexplicably died in Chang'an? I believe these people were killed by some unsettled individuals who wanted to stir up unrest in the Tang Dynasty. Your Majesty, please conduct a thorough investigation."

Fang Xuanling had a serious expression on his face and spoke sincerely, but there was a complicated look in the depths of his eyes, as if he was hiding something.

Looking at Fang Xuanling pretending to be ignorant, Li Chengqian sighed.

He sat up slightly, his eyes sharpening.

"Prime Minister Fang, why are you covering up for me? I sent the Jinyiwei to kill those nobles and merchants."

Li Chengqian's voice echoed in the Taiji Hall, and every word hit the hearts of the ministers like a heavy hammer.

"While the imperial court was fighting the epidemic, unscrupulous merchants were aggressively raising prices for medicinal materials."

Li Chengqian frowned, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes.

"As you all know, I issued an edict granting official positions to merchants who donated medicinal herbs to the court. But what are these unscrupulous merchants doing? They would rather believe the official positions offered to them by the noble families than trust my clear edict. They sold the medicinal herbs to those noble families at double the price."

Li Chengqian said this and clenched his fist slightly.

"I don't understand, this Tang Dynasty is not the Tang Dynasty of my Li Tang, but the Tang Dynasty of these aristocratic families?"

His eyes flashed with anger.

"How can I not kill such a treacherous businessman?" Li Chengqian's voice rose a few degrees, echoing in the empty Taiji Hall with an unquestionable majesty.

At this point, Li Chengqian said in a deep voice, "Li Wei, show everyone here the quotes those noble families have given to the court. Let them see where these noble families want to put the court."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Li Wei stepped forward with a firm step. His posture was slender and his steps were steady, holding a thick stack of quotations. He walked down the aisle of the court, reading the quotations to each minister one by one.

The ministers took the quotation and looked at the shocking figures on it. Some frowned, while others gasped.

"The annual revenue of the Tang Dynasty's treasury is only over 20 million coins, which is just the supply of medicinal materials for a single epidemic. The annual revenue of the Tang Dynasty's treasury is not enough to cover the supply of medicinal materials for a single epidemic."

Li Chengqian's voice was filled with grief.