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

Under Di Rengui's command, Li Shimin's carriage quickly arrived at the main road in the city.

Then it turned directly towards the west of the city.

"Dangdangdang~"

From the direction of the Imperial University, a magnificent bell tolled from the enormous clock tower, visible even from inside the carriage.

There were significantly more pedestrians on both sides of the street.

Even while sitting in the carriage, Li Shimin could still smell the rich aroma of food wafting through the air.

Having arrived in Taiyuan Prefecture without having eaten anything, his stomach began to protest. His mood, which had been somewhat volatile due to the fervent support of his son, was now in turmoil.

And finally, at this moment, it seems that a different point of focus has been found.

"When I was in Chang'an, I heard that Bingzhou cuisine was very famous. Several restaurants in Chang'an were said to have the recipes from Taiyuan Prefecture. I tried them all, and they were indeed excellent."

The somewhat withdrawn Li Shimin finally found a new topic to talk about.

Upon hearing this, Di Rengui and his younger brother Di Renquan both let out a good-natured chuckle.

"If that's the case, then you nobles will surely have to stay in Taiyuan Prefecture for a while longer."

"Oh? Why is that?"

Empress Zhangsun was curious.

Di Rengui chuckled and said, "Madam, you may not know this, but the reason why Bingzhou dares to say that all other dishes in the world, except for Bingzhou cuisine, are not worthy of being served at the table is precisely because our Taiyuan Prefecture has a Crown Prince who loves gourmet food."

"Nowadays, almost all the dishes in Bingzhou Road are from Yangcheng Palace."

"It was Master Chu, the imperial chef serving His Highness, who researched and developed this method under the guidance of the Crown Prince."

"In addition, the grain harvest in Bingzhou is now abundant, and every household has surplus grain. His Highness in the North has also pacified the Turks and is developing large-scale animal husbandry and livestock farming, producing mutton, pork, and even beef."

"Nowadays, in order to increase the income of the local people, officials in various places have even followed His Highness's instructions to build fish ponds, chicken coops, and duck sheds...tsk tsk tsk."

"My esteemed guests, if you also enjoy food, then coming to Bingzhou Road has definitely been the right decision," Di Rengui said with a smug look.

"Nowadays in Bingzhou, whether it flies in the sky, swims in the water, or runs on the ground, you can find whatever you want to eat, and the ways of cooking it are novel, and the taste is absolutely wonderful..."

It was precisely in the act of speaking that he achieved this.

The carriage finally turned from the main road onto the side road.

In front of the magnificent Bingzhou Pavilion, as soon as Fan Qi's entourage stopped, servants responsible for welcoming guests and parking came up to greet him.

Di Rengui and his younger brother jumped off the carriage.

"These are all VIPs; they need to stay at the hotel and also have meals."

"Please follow me..."

Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun stepped down from the carriage.

On the other carriages behind them, Consort Yang, Consort Yin, and the others, who had been riding in carriages all day and felt sore all over, also got off with their personal maids.

So many people of extraordinary birth and illustrious family background appeared.

This immediately attracted many merchants passing by the Bingzhou Pavilion, who stopped to observe.

Fan Qi was a little nervous, while Qin Qiong and the imperial guards dressed as bodyguards around him had already taken their positions and were protecting Li Shimin from all angles.

“Distinguished guests, commerce is booming in Bingzhou, with countless merchants from all over the world. If you do not wish to be disturbed, it would be best to go in as soon as possible…” Di Rengui whispered a reminder.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin immediately led Empress Zhangsun and a group of concubines into Bingzhou Pavilion.

Welcome to Bingzhou Pavilion!

As the servant at the door opened it, two beautiful, tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed women from Central Asia appeared on either side and immediately spoke in unison in perfect Mandarin.

Li Shimin: "......"

He had seen Hu Ji before; he was once the Second Prince of Li and a general of the Heavenly Strategy Army.

He has done his fair share of bringing glory to the country and giving pointers to foreign powers.

But... this outfit is truly wonderful...

"hiss!!!"

Empress Zhangsun looked at her emperor husband, whose mind was starting to wander again, with a half-smile. From an angle unseen by others, she twisted her two jade-like fingers, which were strong enough to easily break a pencil.

Behind him, several concubines, including Consort Yang, Consort Yin, Consort Yan, and Consort Wei, all smiled.

Di Rengui and his companion were clearly quite familiar with this place; even the receptionist at Bingzhou Pavilion clearly recognized them.

As they approached Li Shimin, they respectfully prepared the guest room information.

"Distinguished guests, this is the room information for my Bingzhou Pavilion. The rooms you see now are still available. In addition, the hotel also offers hot spring baths and massages, as well as a Bingzhou cuisine restaurant."

Li Shimin nodded and casually turned to a page.

Before me was a color illustration, clearly hand-painted. The artist's skill was superb, depicting the room's layout, as well as some of the furnishings and facilities, with remarkable clarity.

And right there, the price of this room was clearly displayed.

"Seventeen strings of copper coins per day, Ya Ting Ju Business Suite"

"Twenty-five strings of copper coins per day for a deluxe room at Tingyu Residence"

"Fifty strings of copper coins per day, VIP suite at Nafeng Residence"

"..."

"500 strings of copper coins per day, Tianyi Residence Supreme Suite"

Li Shimin was a man of the world, but having also experienced the hardships of military life, he was still so shocked by the prices listed in the booklet that he was speechless for a long time.

What kind of room costs 500 strings of cash for a night?

What does 500 strings of cash mean?

It's always one thousand coins!

Nowadays, the price of grain on the market is only 8 to 12 wen per dou.

One night's stay in this room could buy enough food to feed an entire village for a year and a half...

Seeing that Li Shimin had turned to the last page and was now frozen in place, Di Rengui quickly spoke up in a low voice.

"Your Excellency is here for leisure. The reason why Tianyi Residence is so expensive is that it allows you to make connections with different people. There are business opportunities everywhere in Bingzhou, which is why there is a constant stream of wealthy merchants coming and going."

"If you don't intend to bother with these mundane matters for the time being and simply want to relax and enjoy your trip, these VIP suites will suffice..."

Li Shimin came to his senses.

Even though he knew the other party was also thinking of him, he couldn't help but think about how the other party had shown no respect for him, the emperor, throughout the journey in the carriage.

He couldn't help but snort in annoyance.

Your crown prince is powerful, isn't he?

No matter how powerful he is, he still has to settle his father's score!

"We'll take this Tianyi Residence, and also twenty more of these VIP suites!"

"Oh, by the way, tell your restaurant to make room for us in a few private rooms! I want to try the Bingzhou cuisine and see if it's really as amazing as they say..."

Young Master Li Er stepped onto this land of Taiyuan Prefecture, arriving at the territory of his own son.

That truly meant there were absolutely no worries left.

If you spend too much in Chang'an, you'll be constantly nagged and persuaded by those old fogies like Wei Zheng and Fang Xuanling.

Now, it is finally my crown prince's turn to show his filial piety to me.

"Hmph..."

Li Shimin smiled smugly.

However, seeing such a lavish guest, who even arranged top-class luxury rooms for his grooms and bodyguards, was quite astonishing.

The staff at the front desk became somewhat nervous.

While processing the paperwork for the other party, he secretly and hurriedly asked his companion to notify the hotel manager.

“Guanyinbi, let’s rest for a while and have a meal. Then we’ll have a good time to explore Taiyuan Prefecture. Hahaha! This Bingzhou Pavilion is so magnificent that even my Taiji Hall and Ganlu Hall can’t compare. Yet it’s that rebellious son’s property.”

"Heh, no wonder this kid isn't going back to Chang'an...tsk tsk tsk, he's probably having too much fun to remember home~"

......

"Zhao'er, what do you think of this outfit?"

The Duke of Ying's Mansion.

Since Wu Shiyue was appointed as the first president of the Royal Construction Bank, with a rank directly equivalent to that of the Vice Minister of the Six Ministries of Bingzhou, the gates of the Duke of Ying's mansion have been almost trampled apart.

however.

If it were back when Wu Yuanqing, Wu Yuanshuang, and Xiangli were in the mansion...

There would inevitably be a lot of trouble, but now, under Yang's management, those who came to deliver gifts were all turned away at the door.

In Wu Shun's boudoir, Wu Zhao looked at his elder sister speechlessly as she wore clothes that resembled those of a palace maid.

Still a little girl, she couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Sister, I meant for you to act more normally, like the most ordinary young lady from a noble family, elegant and dignified, but also giving people the impression of being honest and obedient. You... do you want His Highness the Crown Prince to think that his invitation was sent to a palace maid who serves tea and water?"

Wu Shun's pretty face stiffened as she looked in the mirror and saw herself looking exactly like a palace maid.

All I could do was nod.

He started rummaging through a pile of clothes boxes again.

Seeing that the other party couldn't find a suitable outfit, Wu Zetian finally couldn't help but speak again.

"Sister, haven't you ever wondered why, out of so many female officials in His Highness the Crown Prince's secretariat, he chose you after Wang Yuyan?"

Wu Shun asked in confusion, "Isn't it because of Father?"

Wu Zetian was almost driven to tears by her older sister's stupidity.

"Father's official position was obtained through the Emperor Emeritus and Master Yuan. Now, there are countless people eyeing his position. My sister, how can you believe that His Highness would specially invite you out of respect for Father?"

"Wang Yuyan's father, Wang Ming, was one of the earliest governors of Bingzhou to follow His Highness in implementing the new policies, and he was also a member of the Wang clan of Taiyuan."

"Hou Junji was one of the earliest generals to follow Your Highness and helped you to guard Yanmen Pass, while Hou Qianya also made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion."

"What is our father compared to those two?"

"Cough cough..."

Wu Zetian felt that it was a hundred times more difficult than instructing her elder sister on how to deal with the competition from the women around them, or even compared to the subjects taught in the First Official Academy.

A few coughs could be heard from outside the door.

Wu Zetian's expression changed slightly.

When Wu Shun opened the door, he saw his father, Wu Shiyue, dressed in official robes, standing at the door.

She glared at her clever second daughter, who had been intelligent since childhood.

He then waved to the servants behind him, ordering them to bring in two boxes.

"I bought you some clothes and new jewelry. Listen to your sister and dress up nicely. Don't overthink it. Since the Crown Prince has invited you to the banquet, just go obediently and behave yourself."

"Don't overthink it..."

Wu Zetian raised her little hand: "Sister, that's what I mean. Our family definitely can't compete with the Hou and Wang families right now..."

Samurai Yu glared at her.

"You talk too much! How about I beg the Emperor Emeritus to send you to His Highness the Crown Prince as well?"