Tang Dynasty: To win Yang Guifei, they asked Emperor Xuanzong to die.

After hearing Li Mao's order.

The servant boy below the observation platform came running up.

"My lord, what are your orders?"

Li Mao gazed into the distance and said, "There are not many people in the entire city of Chang'an who know my orders."

"Send people immediately to spread the news throughout Chang'an City."

"It is because I want to make the merchants of Chang'an City prosperous that I have made the recipes public. The condition for doing so is that all the restaurants and branches should provide relief to the people of Chang'an City."

The servant thought about it carefully and immediately understood what Li Mao meant.

"Young man, let's do it right now."

After leaving, the servant summoned all the loyal and reliable people in the horse farm.

They were made to blend in with ordinary people and spread the news.

During the Tang Dynasty, the fastest and farthest way to spread news was through caravans traveling to various places.

So when they received their mission, these were the first people they found.

Overnight, the name of Prince Shou, known for his benevolence and righteousness, spread throughout Chang'an and across the Tang Dynasty.

With this foundation, it becomes much easier to open restaurants all over the world.

at the same time.

Li Mao was also pondering how to complete the task assigned to him by Li Longji.

Cleaning the silt from the river and repairing the palace can be done as long as you have money.

But how can one profit from this and plant one's own informants?

After much thought, the words "tunnel warfare" suddenly popped into Li Mao's mind.

The most difficult city to conquer was not Chang'an, but the imperial city.

The imperial city is the highest and most fortified city. If there is enough food inside, it can hold out for up to half a year.

When reinforcements arrive from all over the Tang Dynasty, our soldiers will be insufficient to meet the enemy's needs, as we will be attacked from both sides.

Therefore, we must act swiftly and decisively.

Thinking of this, Li Mao sent someone to invite Zhou Li, the Vice Minister of Works.

When Zhou Li heard that Li Mao had invited him, he was instantly flattered.

Currently, although Prince Shou is not the most favored prince, he is definitely the most capable. Moreover, he subtly vies for the prince's favor.

I quickly tidied up my clothes.

He jogged all the way to Li Mao's study.

"Your humble servant Zhou Li greets Your Highness Prince Shou."

Li Mao stepped forward, helped Zhou Li up, and said, "Minister Zhou, there's no need to be so polite."

"It is truly an honor for me to be summoned by His Highness Prince Shou."

That's absolutely true.

Nowadays, everyone in Chang'an knows that as long as you can get even a little bit of a connection with Li Mao, you're good to go.

Next time you go betting on horse races, it will be hard not to make money.

Zhou Li had also heard that many ministers' shady assets could now be used openly.

How could he not be envious when he saw the vested interests involved?

After all, he was the Vice Minister of Works, in charge of all the projects in the imperial palace.

He knows best how much of it he embezzled.

Li Mao chose him because he knew what Li Mao was thinking.

“Minister Zhou, I will not waste words with you.”

"My father decreed that I should repair the palace, but unfortunately all the profits I made were handed over to the national treasury, and I don't know anything about repair projects."

When Zhou Li heard this, he immediately beamed with joy, feeling that his chance had come.

"I understand. This is a simple matter for me."

"If Your Highness Prince Shou needs any assistance, please feel free to ask."

Li Mao smiled faintly and said, "I know that Minister Zhou is highly capable. Such a trivial matter is not worth mentioning to you."

"Therefore, I wish to cooperate with you."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Li stood up in alarm.

He quickly bowed and clasped his hands in greeting to Li Mao, saying, "What are your orders, Your Highness Prince Shou?"

"I wish to have Minister Zhou help me repair the palace, but it must be done according to my wishes."

"I wonder how Your Highness intends to proceed with the construction?"

“Build a tunnel that leads directly to the outside of Chang'an City.”

Zhou Li was somewhat stunned when he heard this.

What's the point of fixing this thing if it's perfectly fine?

If this matter were to become known to outsiders, it would be indisputable as treason.

If assassins knew about this, wouldn't they be able to use this route to reach the capital and assassinate the emperor?

If I were to actually agree to this, I fear my entire family would be implicated and punished.

"Please explain in detail, Your Highness."

Li Mao sighed deeply and said, "Nowadays, our Great Tang is declining day by day, and the regional military governors are holding onto their troops and acting independently."

“In recent years, military governors have frequently rebelled, leaving our Great Tang Dynasty devastated.”

"Now the treasury of our Great Tang is increasingly depleted. If one day the rebel army besieges Chang'an, wouldn't the imperial city be in danger?"

Li Mao paused deliberately at this point.

“Minister Zhou, I know you are a smart man. This matter is of great importance, and I will speak only with you.”

"If a second person finds out, you should know the consequences."

Zhou Li was immediately terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.

It was difficult to discern whether this statement was true or false at the time.

Prince Shou was once the most favored prince, and now he is the most capable prince.

Therefore, it is very likely that His Majesty really entrusted this matter to Prince Shou.

Li Mao secretly sized up Zhou Li. If he didn't agree today, he would be lying dead in the street tomorrow.

With the evidence he possessed, he could easily crush a mere Vice Minister of Works.

Besides, he had a hard time distinguishing between the truth and falsehood in what he said.

The fact that regional military governors frequently rebelled was undeniable; how could he not believe it?

Zhou Li stood there like a statue, without saying a word.

Such an important matter should have been addressed by a secret decree from the Emperor.

Could it be that this secret edict is in the hands of His Highness Prince Shou?

Zhou Li subconsciously asked, "Your Highness Prince Shou, is there a secret decree from His Majesty?"

"Be bold!"

Li Mao roared, startling Zhou Li so much that he almost knelt on the ground.

"This matter is of great importance. If we leave even a single word behind and it gets known to those with ulterior motives, wouldn't we be shooting ourselves in the foot?"

Do you think Father Emperor would be so negligent?

Zhou Li quickly clasped his hands in a bow and apologized, saying, "It was my foolishness that led me to this position. I hope Your Highness Prince Shou will forgive me."

"Enough, enough. I'm telling you this today, but you must not tell anyone else."

Let's begin preparations starting tomorrow.

Zhou Li replied respectfully, "Your humble servant obeys."

Li Mao looked at Zhou Licheng's fearful expression and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

It seems he believes it.

Moreover, even if he had some doubts about this matter, he didn't dare to go out and talk about it, let alone verify it casually.

Now that we've given him a good beating, it's time to give him a treat.

Immediately afterward, Li Mao patted Zhou Li's shoulder gently and said, "Minister Zhou, we can now discuss the cooperation I just mentioned in detail."

"Cooperation? What kind of cooperation is there?" Zhou Li was now completely dumbfounded.

I was terrified of hearing anything that could cost me my head.