Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

"Dang~dang~dang~"

As Li Chengqian's convoy entered Taiyuan Prefecture through a specially designated city gate, it followed the convoy.

Lifting the carriage curtain, Li Chengqian and the people in the caravan who were visiting Taiyuan Prefecture for the first time immediately turned their gazes involuntarily toward the direction from which the sound came.

A towering bell tower, several tens of meters high, or even nearly a hundred meters tall, with a style different from that of the Tang Dynasty, but full of the beauty of both square and round shapes, suddenly came into view.

The top of the clock tower is square.

A lightning rod is mounted on the pointed top, and carvings such as bluebirds can be seen extending down the surrounding eaves.

These are things that cannot be seen clearly for the time being.

But at the top of that tower, there was something that looked like it had a white jade base, with a clear black engraving, and two pointer-like things in the middle.

But it is the source of the voice that is speaking out right now.

"Wow, the Imperial University's School of Architecture and Engineering is incredibly fast! I never imagined it would actually be completed!"

For once, Li Chengqian showed a hint of excitement on his face.

He praised it.

Meanwhile, a few people who had switched to horseback riding before entering the city, in order to get a clear view of everything, all crowded around.

"Your Highness, what is the purpose of that tower? And why does it chime?"

Prince Lu, Li Yuanchang, was just a young man of the same age as Li Chengqian. Since entering Taiyuan Prefecture, the light in his eyes had never stopped.

He was allowed to accompany Li Chengqian to Taiyuan Prefecture.

Despite the intervention of the retired Emperor Li Yuan, it still far exceeded the expectations of other members of the Tang Dynasty's royal family.

"Hehe, Seventh Imperial Uncle, haven't you thought about what time it is now?" Li Chengqian smiled faintly.

The latter was taken aback, while Wang Ming, standing to the side, stroked his beard with considerable self-satisfaction.

"Your Highness Prince Lu may not know this, but this tower is actually called the Clock Tower of the Great Tang Empire University. It was personally selected by His Highness the Crown Prince and is a landmark building within the university, as well as a landmark building of our city of Taiyuan."

"The white jade pieces facing the four cardinal directions are the new timepiece proposed by His Highness the Crown Prince and designed and manufactured by the Mechanical Engineering Department of the Imperial University, also known as the Twenty-Four Hour Clock..."

Li Chengqian did not stop the old man from showing off in front of Changsun Wuji and the others.

To some extent, even Li Chengqian, looking at Taiyuan Prefecture which had undergone earth-shattering changes, couldn't help but reveal a look of pride in his eyes.

Half a year!

Only half a year has passed.

However, nowadays, construction sites for urban redevelopment and new building construction can be seen almost everywhere in Taiyuan.

A large number of hotels, restaurants, and even some workshops run by ordinary people to produce small items were established and registered with the Taiyuan Prefectural Bureau of Industry and Commerce.

The constant flow of merchants made this the city where the Tang Dynasty imperial family rose to power.

It seems that at this moment, the shadow cast by Chang'an has been erased, and new vitality has been restored.

The carriage convoy was heading towards Yangcheng Palace.

Behind Li Chengqian's carriage, beside Wang Ming, his son Wang Qingyun, the Sima of Bingzhou, also followed.

"Duke Zhao, Taiyuan is not like Chang'an. Everything here is governed by rules and regulations. Oh, of course, I'm not saying that you lack manners, Duke Zhao. I'm just saying that there are many things in Taiyuan that you still need to learn..."

"Take Bingzhou Road for example, with its 24-hour system. Bingzhou is now a hub for merchants, and various workshops are springing up like mushrooms after rain. As long as the people are not lazy, not only can they eat their fill and stay warm, but they can also build new houses and get married."

“We have been implementing the ‘Labor Law of the Great Tang Empire’ as required by His Highness the Crown Prince for more than two months now. The workshop managers must have an accurate sense of time. Look at that time.”

"Workers start work at eight in the morning and work until eleven in the morning, with a three-hour break for lunch. They start work again at two in the afternoon and work until six in the afternoon."

"The workshop wants to increase production? Need workers to work longer hours? Sure, overtime pay is double the regular wage..."

"Duke Zhao, you mustn't treat the people of Bingzhou with the same mindset you use for corvée labor, or they'll gossip about you behind your back, and His Highness the Crown Prince would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen in Bingzhou..."

Changsun Wuji's old face was gloomy, and his eyes were filled with sinister intent as he stared at Wang Ming, the governor of Bingzhou, who made no attempt to hide his smug and petty nature.

His eyes scanned the other person's head.

He pondered which head felt better to the touch, this one or Cui Mingan's.

"Hehe, thank you for your guidance, Patriarch Wang. I will pay attention..."

However, he hadn't finished speaking.

Suddenly, Wang Ming let out a long sigh, turned around on his horse, and looked Changsun Wuji up and down with a look of disappointment.

"Duke Zhao, what head of the Wang family? There is no head of the Wang family here. Duke Zhao, when working, you should address me by my title. This is also the rule of Bingzhou Road. We are all working for His Highness the Crown Prince. You should call me by my name, or call me Governor Wang."

"Where is there any Wang family head? There is no Wang family in Taiyuan Prefecture! There is only the imperial family!"

Changsun Wuji's lips twitched as he looked at this fellow as if he was afraid that Li Chengqian in the carriage wouldn't hear him.

He deliberately craned his neck toward the carriage ahead and raised his voice.

His lips twitched involuntarily.

Five surnames and seven clans! They are indeed a bunch of shameless scoundrels skilled in scheming, flattering superiors, and bullying subordinates!

Now that I've come to Bingzhou, I will absolutely not allow you, you scoundrel, to act arrogantly and domineeringly on the foundation that His Highness the Crown Prince has worked so hard to build!

Li Chengqian was unaware that his uncle already harbored the intention to "purge the court of corrupt officials."

At this moment, the carriage entered Yangcheng Palace.

Returning to this familiar environment, he stepped off the carriage and a cheerful smile appeared on his face.

"Hahaha, this is right!"

The air in Taiyuan Prefecture, after the snowfall, still carried a damp chill.

However, Li Chengqian felt as if he had been brought back to life after just taking a deep breath.

"Your Highness, lunch has been prepared for you..."

Chu Dahai, the imperial chef, who had arrived in Taiyuan Prefecture ahead of the convoy, came to report in person.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian immediately led everyone towards the palace where they would be dining.

"Master Kong, Master Li, Master Yu, I've troubled you all these days since I left Taiyuan."

As the food and wine were laid out, the group, who had attended royal banquets more than once and witnessed the culinary skills of the imperial chefs, were still astonished by the fact that the lunch before them far surpassed the imperial cuisine of the Chang'an Palace.

Li Chengqian raised his wine cup and bowed respectfully to Kong Yingda, Li Gang, and Yu Shinan, who were sitting to his right.

This is not just politeness.

He left Taiyuan for the New Year and returned to Chang'an, which meant he was away from Taiyuan for at least a month.

However, this is all the things I arranged before I set off.

Not only was everything well-organized, but the progress of various projects within the city also exceeded his expectations.

Li Chengqian would not believe that Kong Yingda and the other two did not contribute.

Upon hearing this, Kong Yingda and the other two dared not put on airs as teachers and raised their glasses.

"Your Highness is too kind. We were just doing our duty. It is all thanks to the talented and capable people at the Imperial University that we are truly admirable. Your Highness has not yet had the chance to visit the Imperial University campus since you returned."

"Right now... if I may speak disrespectfully, the Imperial Academy is truly not even worthy of carrying the shoes of this Imperial University!"

Kong Yingda was visibly excited.

He was indeed a successor of Confucianism, but the most direct manifestation of the new learning's impact on the empire's national strength and the people's living standards was that even he, as a successor of Confucianism, dared not go against the tide and selfishly criticize the new learning.

If it weren't for the fact that the statement "The Imperial College is nothing compared to the Imperial University" was considered undignified.

He probably already blurted it out by now.

"Your Highness, now that the Imperial University has been built, the number of students wishing to enroll in its various colleges has exceeded two thousand. With careful nurturing, the Imperial University will surely become another holy land of the Tang Dynasty within two or three years!"

Li Gang continued, his gaze falling on his disciple Li Chengqian, who was now displaying remarkable vigor.

His eyes were full of light.

After finishing their duties, the surrounding officials came to Yangcheng Palace to pay their respects to the Crown Prince. The Taiyuan officials who were invited to dine with him also nodded in agreement.

The praise made Li Tai, Li Ke, Li You, and Li Yin, who were sitting next to Li Chengqian, all look proud.

"Ahem, I'll accept your praise for now, but I must say that everything we've achieved so far is just the beginning, nothing to boast about..."

Li Chengqian had barely finished speaking.

The Taiyuan officials sitting at the other two tables, as well as Wang Ming and his son Wang Qingyun sitting at Li Chengqian's table, had already tacitly put down their chopsticks.

Upon seeing this, the four newly arrived princes, Li You, Li Yin, Li Yun, and Li Zhen, as well as Prince Lu, Li Yuanchang, paused, their hands, which were about to pick up food, still pausing.

They hurriedly followed suit.

"Now, after half a year, all the main official roads in my Bingzhou region have been repaired and the waterways have been cleared and widened. Especially near Taiyuan Prefecture, even in mild rain or snow, traffic remains unimpeded."

"The golden age for the true development of Bingzhou Road is just beginning..."

"Wang Ming!"

As soon as Li Chengqian spoke, Prefect Wang Ming immediately stood up.

"The situation in Taiyuan Prefecture is very good right now, and we can begin the next phase of production and construction. Take note of this, and I will make the following arrangements!"

Changsun Wuji was still somewhat stunned.

Wang Qingyun, sitting next to his father, quickly pulled a small notebook out of his pocket.

Then he took out a pencil that had been sharpened beforehand.

He handed it to his father at the same time.

I was also busy helping him memorize.

"The winter wheat in Bingzhou Road has not yet been harvested, and the yield is unknown. Since the official roads and waterways have been expanded and improved, we should start to encourage merchants to go to other places to collect grain."

"Goguryeo, Japan, Baekje, Silla, Lin-yi—as long as it's grain, Bingzhou Road will take it!"

"Secondly, we need to expand animal husbandry. We should recruit veterinary talent from among the Turkic herders, and assign them some scholars. We should establish a systematic veterinary training and work system, modeled after the Imperial University..."

Li Chengqian spoke at a fast pace, and some of his words were even unfamiliar to Changsun Wuji, who never stopped reading the "New Tang Dynasty Gazette".

At this moment, Wang Ming and his son Wang Qingyun showed no signs of confusion in their hands.

even.

Changsun Wuji and the others clearly noticed that some officials from Taiyuan Prefecture at the other two tables were also carrying those little notebooks with them.

Right now, I'm quickly taking notes on commands that might be related to my work.

"The scale of breeding also needs to be increased. We should not only expand government-owned breeding farms, but also encourage private breeding and provide subsidies. In particular, we need to find ways to reduce people's concerns about veterinary diseases and encourage them to try breeding."

"The subsequent acquisition and processing of pigs, sheep, and poultry involve the fourth point I want to make."

"We need to expand the scale of commodity production in Bingzhou Road. Right now, our Great Tang is not short of money, but rather lacks goods for trade. Even in the more distant future, this shortage of resources will be a key issue that needs to be addressed."

"The steel mill has started to generate a surplus, and I plan to set up a cannery to process all the meat and even dairy products for long-term preservation, so we can sell them to more distant places."

"Merchants will also be more willing to buy."

"Fifthly, the Tang Dynasty Royal Selection Chamber of Commerce will be established to review and evaluate the chambers of commerce registered with the Bingzhou Dao Bureau of Industry and Commerce. Chambers of commerce with good business performance, good reputation among the people and business community, and no illegal records will be awarded royal gold plaques as encouragement and reward for their honest business practices."

"From now on, this evaluation will be conducted annually. Any chamber of commerce that previously held a gold plaque but has been found to have oppressed the people and workers or violated the law will have it revoked!"

Li You, Li Yin, Li Yun, Li Zhen, and Li Lizhi at this moment, all watched their elder brother, Emperor Li Chengqian, as he issued orders.

Their eyes lit up and they swallowed hard.

In his mind, he couldn't help but fantasize that one day he could be as outstanding as his imperial brother.

See this.

Finally, after handling some matters in Bingzhou, he led his men to Dengzhou in Hebei Province and Luoyang in Henan Province to meet the brothers Li Ke and Li Tai.

They couldn't help but exchange a smile.

At last.

Just as these officials thought Li Chengqian had finished speaking...

Li Chengqian hesitated for a moment.

His gaze fell upon Wang Ming and Changsun Wuji.

“Prefect Wang, Prefect Changsun, tell me, if I want to build a great city in Yunzhong, I will rename it Datong City.”

"And what do you think about building a magnificent city in Zhenbei Road and naming it Jiuyuan?"