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

Two days before the Reunion Festival.

After a long and arduous journey, Li Shimin finally arrived at Taiyuan Prefecture, which he had longed to visit.

"Continue! Why stop here?"

As the carriage came to a stop, Li Shimin lifted the curtain, but the displeasure on his face froze instantly after he saw everything outside.

"This, this is Taiyuan Prefecture?!"

Eunuch Fan Qi sat in front of the carriage, looking somewhat nervously and bewildered at the flags with arrows and different colors that were being raised on the newly heightened city walls in the distance.

"Ding ding ding, ding ding ding!"

Behind the convoy, where the lane was blocked, the coachmen frantically rang the bells on the eaves above their heads, urging Li Shimin and his convoy to move forward.

At the emperor's request, they "entered the city quietly, without firing a shot," changed into bodyguard uniforms, and dispersed their cavalrymen to conceal their identities.

The Duke of Yi, Qin Qiong, who was left behind with only a few dozen elite soldiers following on both sides of the caravan, also looked bewildered.

He escorted His Majesty and the Empress to Taiyuan Prefecture on this trip, not without having deliberately inquired about the rules of Bingzhou Road and Taiyuan Prefecture.

For example, some lanes are off-limits to stopping, some lanes charge a fee, or there are designated areas within the city for horse-drawn carriages, and those bringing horse-drawn carriages into the city need to pay a city security management fee, etc.

However, the flag on the city wall before him, which clearly represented some kind of meaning, was something Qin Qiong had not expected.

Noticing the look in Emperor Li Shimin's eyes, Qin Qiong dared not delay and hurriedly spurred his horse toward the urging carriage behind him.

A stack of copper coins was stuffed into the coachman's hand.

"Brother, we are from out of town escorting distinguished guests to Taiyuan for sightseeing. Taiyuan has changed so much. Could you tell us what the meaning is of the flags that are raised and lowered on the city wall?"

The coachman wasn't surprised that Qin Qiong and his companions were from out of town and were asking about these things.

After receiving the money, the impatience on his face disappeared.

However, upon seeing the car approaching from behind, he hurriedly waved his hand.

"Please move aside and don't block the road. If the road administration officials on the city wall see you, these ten or so coins won't even be enough to pay the fine..."

The old man cracked his whip, turned the carriage around, and led Qin Qiong, Li Shimin, and their entourage—a total of twenty or thirty carriages—to a parking lot on a cement road.

Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun, both exuding an air of nobility, still managed to make the old groom tense up despite having changed into casual clothes.

“Old man, don’t be alarmed. We come from Chang’an. We’ve heard that there are many novelties in Taiyuan, so we came here to visit. I used to live in Taiyuan for a long time, but now that we’re just outside the city, we don’t recognize anything.”

Li Shimin said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the old man nodded.

Pointing to the towering city wall of Taiyuan Prefecture, there were several platforms where people were moving around.

"My esteemed guests, please look over there. Those people on the city wall who keep looking down are from the Taiyuan Prefecture Road Administration and Transportation Department. They are responsible for the construction and planning of roads within and around the city, traffic control, and some accident judgments."

"This is the South Gate of the city. It has three gates, each leading to one of the three main thoroughfares in the city. The Left Shengdi Gate leads directly to Desheng Street in the west of the city; the Middle Shengtian Gate leads directly to Yangcheng Palace, the residence of the Crown Prince in the north of the city, which is Longmen Street; and the Right Shengren Gate leads directly to Wusheng Street in the east of the city..."

It was clear that this wasn't the first time the old man had told outsiders about these things in the city.

"Exit through the south gate is not permitted; only entry is allowed. This is because the three main streets within the city need to be managed to prevent congestion of carriages. Not only on the city wall, but also at some intersections, high platforms are set up to manage traffic if dignitaries enter the city."

"If you want to leave the city, you need to go through the west and east gates."

The old man pointed to the red flag that was raised in the middle of the city wall, below a straight arrow.

"See that red flag in the middle? When that red flag is raised, the carriages heading towards Longmen Street can no longer proceed and must stop and wait."

"The city gates on both sides leading to Desheng Street and Wusheng Street are marked with green flags, so you can pass through. However, remember that once inside, you cannot turn around unless you see a sign that allows you to turn around."

"If an accident happens, not only will you be fined, but you could also face lawsuits and even jail time..."

"O distinguished guests, once the traffic thins out, you may return to the main road and wait along the way to enter the city. I still have goods to deliver, so I will not linger here."

After the old man took his leave, Qin Qiong gave him some more copper coins.

Li Shimin, however, stroked his chin, gazing thoughtfully in the direction of the city gate.

"Hehe, the Gate of Victory over Heaven, the Gate of Victory over Earth, the Gate of Victory over Man."

“Longmen Street, Desheng Street, Wusheng Street... My crown prince is certainly not hiding his true strength.”

Qin Qiong remained silent to the side.

In his heart, he couldn't help but grumble to himself, "The Crown Prince doesn't hide his sharpness, but Your Majesty, do you still have the sharpness of the first generation of General Tian Ce?"

"Your Majesty, let's enter the city as soon as possible," Empress Zhangsun urged from the side.

She was somewhat dissatisfied with her emperor husband's insistence on having him travel incognito.

Nowadays, everyone says that the Crown Prince is wise and that Bingzhou is prosperous.

What matters require an emperor like you who never cares about anything to inspect? Even if you discover problems in Bingzhou, in the end, it's always me, Chengqian, who has to deal with them.

"Cough cough, into the city, into the city..."

Li Shimin felt somewhat embarrassed by the resentful gazes of the concubines around him.

Two dry coughs.

Just then, several bodyguards stopped the two boys.

"Distinguished guests, are you here for sightseeing? Would you like a guide?"

He spoke standard Mandarin, and his voice alone conveyed a confident and dignified air.

Li Shimin turned his head.

Two clean-looking boys, each carrying a crossbody bag, stood to one side of the guards, bowing respectfully in their direction.

Li Shimin beckoned and ordered the two men to be released.

"You're guides? You know everything about Taiyuan City?"

Upon hearing this, the boy, who was clearly bolder and looked a year or two older, patted his chest.

"My esteemed guests, I am not boasting, but in Taiyuan Prefecture, apart from the Northern Garrison Office of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Imperial Prison, I can at least give you some information on everything you ask, and I guarantee it is not false information!"

Li Shimin curled the corners of his lips: "Oh? So, you also know about the matter at Yangcheng Palace?"

The boy was taken aback, but then nodded.

“What could possibly happen at Yangcheng Palace? His Highness the Crown Prince has a very regular schedule. He is either handling state affairs at Shougong Hall or practicing martial arts in the palace. If you, Nobleman, stayed in Taiyuan Prefecture for a while and lived in the northern part of the city, you would surely understand.”

"The Crown Prince is upright and honorable, and his daily affairs are nothing more than military and political matters."

"To put it somewhat disrespectfully, it's incredibly boring..."

Behind him, the younger boy's expression changed, and he hurriedly tugged at his big-mouthed older brother.

The boy also came to his senses and quickly coughed twice.

"Would the distinguished guests require a guide?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin could clearly see, in his eyes, that there were still quite a few teenagers dressed like this coming and going in the huge parking lot.

"Sure, how much do you charge?"

The boy was overjoyed and quickly held up five fingers: "Fifty coins a day. One person... Don't underestimate my brother just because he's young. He knows the prices of goods in every market in the city and where the big merchants live."

"If you happen to be buying something as well, the time and money I save you will certainly be worth far more than fifty coins!"

Li Shimin nodded: "Alright, get in the carriage and come into the city with me."

As he spoke, Qin Qiong readily pulled out a string of coins and handed it to the two of them.

Soon, under the guidance of the two young guides, Fan Qi immediately led the caravan back to the main road and entered Taiyuan City through Shengtian Gate, which leads to Longmen Street.

Li Shimin had already lifted the carriage curtain.

As they passed through the deep city gate tunnel, light reappeared overhead, and Li Shimin was instantly utterly shocked by what he saw.

The main road is twice as wide as Zhuque Avenue in Chang'an, with auxiliary lanes on both sides reserved for turning and changing lanes, and a large number of newly renovated shops on both sides.

At the entrances of various shops with different signs, such as taverns, teahouses, and inns, waiters were calling out to attract customers.

"Should we find a place for our distinguished guests to stay first?"

Inside the carriage, Li Shimin had already learned the identities of the two boys through questioning.

The older brother was named Di Rengui, while the younger brother was named Di Renquan.

They are students from the first official school and village school class in Taiyuan Prefecture.

Empress Zhangsun wanted to say something, but Li Shimin gently squeezed her hand.

"Hmm, what's the best hotel in Taiyuan Prefecture?"

Di Rengui pondered for a moment.

"Merchants who usually come to Taiyuan to do business will mostly choose to hold meetings at Heaven on Earth or at the Longmen Hotel on the north side of Longmen Street, which is closer to the Commerce Department."

"Officials from other places who come to inspect, study, or conduct business will be accommodated at the Taiyuan State Guesthouse and several guesthouses under the Ministry of Commerce."

"As for someone like you, sir, who is mainly here for sightseeing and has brought your wife and family, I suggest you go to Bingzhou Pavilion in the west of the city. It was originally the property of the Wang family of Taiyuan, but the Wang family of Taiyuan sold it to the government and His Highness the Crown Prince ordered it to be rebuilt."

"Its scale is in no way inferior to the State Guesthouse or the Heaven on Earth, and it is right next to what is now Bingzhou Road, and even the highest institution of learning in the Tang Dynasty, the Imperial University..."

When the Imperial University was mentioned, both Di Rengui and Di Renquan clearly had longing in their eyes.

"In addition, there is an inland river ferry crossing in the west of the city with cruise ships. Nearby there is also a newly built tea street, a street of ready-made clothing shops, and some shopping streets that ladies and young women often visit."

Di Rengui cleared his throat, lowered his voice, and spoke cautiously.

"My esteemed guests, if I may be so bold, then to put it bluntly, Taiyuan Prefecture has everything that Chang'an has, and even things that Chang'an doesn't have... and things that Taiyuan Prefecture has that Chang'an might not have in the future!"