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

"Old Li, take a look at this report. What does it mean? Wasn't the Royal Grain Reserves Bureau set up by Chengqian to stabilize grain prices?"

"How did you get involved with this brewery?"

late at night.

The secretariat in the side hall was completely empty, but in the main hall, Li Shimin was still frowning as he faced the endless stream of documents before him.

Li Gang, who had just picked up a cup of ginseng tea and taken a sip, heard Li Shimin's question.

He sighed inwardly, realizing that compared to the Crown Prince, the Emperor seemed more like his student.

In contrast, the Crown Prince mostly used him as a deputy, making use of his eighty years of experience.

We need to review and correct some of the irrationalities in the new policies.

"Your Majesty, Bingzhou Province currently has three major government-run departments: the Royal Grain Reserves Department, the Bingzhou Infrastructure Department, and the Bingzhou Medical Department. These three departments have made invaluable contributions to Bingzhou Province's current prosperity, but..."

Li Gang sighed and pointed to a line of numbers on the document in Li Shimin's hand.

“These three government-run offices are also the three largest deficits in Bingzhou Province, and they need the Commerce Department and Yangcheng Palace to make up for them and provide support every time.”

"Today, the yield of Tianbao Gold Seeds is extremely high. The people of Bingzhou who originally grew sorghum and millet have all switched to growing wheat. At other times of the year, they also grow some vegetables in their fields. The sorghum that the Royal Grain Reserves Department has collected needs to be processed as soon as possible..."

Li Shimin immediately nodded in understanding.

"So the Infrastructure Department and the Bingzhou Medical Bureau have been running deficits without any way to turn things around?"

Li Gang fell silent, and he and Yu Shinan, who had stopped reviewing documents, stared at the bewildered emperor with strange expressions.

After a long while, it was Yu Shinan who broke the awkward atmosphere.

He spoke softly.

"The National Medical College in Datong has been completed. His Highness originally planned to have it officially operational before this year, to solve the problem of poor medical care in the Tang Dynasty, and at the same time, to make the government-run medical institutions' income and expenditure balanced as much as possible..."

Li Shimin: "......"

I was just being nosy and asked!

They worked late into the night, and just as Yangcheng Palace was about to close, Li Gang and Yu Shinan exchanged a glance and finally stood up to bow to Li Shimin.

"Your Majesty, we will return now."

"Alright, Elder Li and Elder Yu, please take care on your journey. Fan Qi, go and see them off..."

Li Shimin immediately spoke.

Just after the two left, Li Shimin, who had just finished reviewing a document, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at the more than fifty documents still piled up in front of me, I felt my heart pounding especially hard.

"Sun Yi, did the Crown Prince always have to deal with this many things every day?"

Li Shimin always felt that he was being deliberately made difficult.

Unexpectedly, Sun Yi, standing to the side, looked helpless.

He pointed to the schedule that hadn't been touched all day, which was placed next to Li Shimin.

"Your Majesty, besides these, His Highness was also scheduled to inspect several other places today, which you haven't yet visited..."

Li Shimin's lips twitched, feeling both a headache and shame.

It also carried a hint of heartache and anger.

"Hasn't he even considered changing this kind of life? Is he trying to work himself to death like the First Emperor?!"

Sun Yi lowered his head, feeling happy that His Majesty finally knew how to care for His Highness, but he couldn't help but mutter to himself.

You make it sound so easy. The new policies and reforms are like crossing a river by feeling for stones. Bingzhou is being even more cautious and careful. It's nothing like Chang'an, where Your Highness is feeling for stones to cross the river.

"Your Majesty, now is the time for Your Highness to implement your new policies. There are many things that only Your Highness can decide; the officials of Bingzhou Circuit dare not act on their own..."

Li Shimin felt another wave of frustration.

Looking out at the snow-covered night, from the steps of the Shougong Hall, one could still vaguely see the lights of some government offices and government buildings in Taiyuan Prefecture still lit up.

He stood up and stretched his aching arms and back, his bones cracking as he did so.

Exhausted in both body and mind, Li Shimin truly understood the difficulties of being the ruler of the world since his ascension to the throne.

The fate of the nation and the well-being of all people rests on the shoulders of one person.

The surrounding countries lay in wait, grinding their teeth and sucking blood, hoping at any moment that the Tang Dynasty would show signs of fatigue or weakness.

Although those who oppose the new policies no longer dare to speak out, there are still many who gossip behind people's backs or do things that are outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant.

Li Shimin looked down at the pen holder on his crown prince's desk, which was engraved with two lines of the slender gold script.

"Be the first to worry about the world's troubles and the last to enjoy its pleasures."

"Alas... I am not as good as him."

Li Shimin stood there looking lost. After seeing off Li Gang and Yu Shinan, Fan Qi, who had just returned, saw that his emperor was so tired and couldn't help but speak up to comfort him.

"Your Majesty, it is already midnight. Why don't you rest for the night? Your health is of utmost importance..."

Sun Yi, who was standing to the side, wanted to say something, but in the end, he glanced at Li Shimin, whose expression was uncertain.

I silently chose to keep quiet.

Unexpectedly, the next moment, Li Shimin suddenly let out a cold snort.

"Is the Emperor's health really that important? I've only been dealing with the affairs of Bingzhou for a day, and my health is already failing?"

"My crown prince is only fourteen, yet he held on for almost two years! I couldn't even last a day? How am I supposed to face him, how am I supposed to face my son?!"

"Humph!"

Fan Qi's face turned pale, and she knelt down on the ground with a thud.

Li Shimin glared at him, looking annoyed, and waved his hand.

"Go away, go away, don't get in my way. Go and have the imperial kitchen prepare a bowl of soup for me. I'll rest after I finish these matters!"

Sun Yi lowered his head, a slight smile curving his lips.

Upon seeing Li Shimin approaching, he hurriedly stepped forward and pulled out a chair for him.

The candlelight flickered.

In the tranquil Shougong Hall, apart from the occasional gasps or muttered curses that came from Li Shimin as he flipped through documents, there was no other sound.

"Clap!"

A covered soup bowl was placed next to Li Shimin. Li Shimin frowned as he looked at a document in his hand regarding the application for adjustment of the treatment of Daoist instructors in Bingzhou. He was hesitating and wondering if the treatment could be increased.

A pair of slender, delicate hands gently rested on his shoulders and began to knead them tenderly.

Li Shimin was startled.

Turning around, he saw his empress's gentle and gratified eyes, and his old face inexplicably flushed.

"Um, Guanyinbi, why aren't you resting yet? It's already this late."

Li Er's expression at this moment could be described as disheveled.

Her facial expression control is a complete mess.

Happiness, nervousness, shame, and a distinct hint of nervousness all crept onto his face.

Empress Zhangsun had not seen him in such a state for a long time.

Looking at the documents and archives in front of the other party, the resentment in his heart dissipated somewhat.

A gentle smile appeared on her face.

"Your Majesty, I am all alone and miss you..."

Such a charming and seductive remark caused Sun Yi, who was serving nearby, to quickly and subtly retreat a few steps.

This also made Li Shimin's heart, which was not up to par, pound wildly.

Since arriving in Taiyuan, Empress Zhangsun has not allowed him to touch her even once.

Just as Li Shimin was beginning to succumb to her charm, Empress Zhangsun's alluring gaze vanished instantly, replaced by a half-smile.

"Your Majesty, are these documents to be kept until tomorrow?"

Li Shimin: "......."

Looking at Empress Zhangsun, who stood before him with an air of elegance, gentle grace, and irresistible charm, Li Shimin couldn't help but feel, for some reason, that behind her ambiguous smile, there was a figure wielding a family-style whip.

With a somewhat sinister and terrifying aura, it continued to grow larger.

He gently tapped the rattan cane in his hands.

"Father, are you tired? Why don't you rest for a while?"

"No, no, no!" Li Shimin shook his head repeatedly.

The smile that had spread across his face instantly transformed into one of righteousness and integrity.

"Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, how many tomorrows are there? How can I be so lazy?! I can wait, but the officials cannot wait, and the people cannot wait even more!"

He cleared his throat and picked up the document again.

"Guanyinbi, go and rest. I still have official business to attend to; state affairs are of utmost importance!"

Empress Zhangsun's smile softened slightly, and she nodded in satisfaction. However, she did not leave but instead sat down next to Li Shimin.

"Then I will stay here and assist Your Majesty with the paperwork. In any case, it is a matter of Chengqian's administration. Your Majesty cannot accuse me of interfering in politics from the harem, can you?"

Li Shimin looked at the Empress, whose beauty and grace were even more dignified and charming under the lamplight.

For some reason, I felt a mix of emotions.

Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed the other person's hand, his expression solemn.

"Guanyinbi, I have caused you and Chengqian heartache. It is my fault! It will never happen again!"

"As Prince Qin, Li Shimin, I guarantee you!"

Empress Zhangsun's eyes reddened slightly, but she gently shook her head.

The couple smiled at each other, and all their past grievances vanished in that moment.

Taiyuan Prefecture, next to the Kong Family Mansion in the west of the city, is the Royal Printing Bureau.

Kong Yingda kept pounding his aching lower back, looking at the still brightly lit Shougong Hall of Yangcheng Palace in the distance. His old face was full of surprise and exhaustion.

"Why is Your Highness still handling official business at this hour?"

Beside them, Kong Zhiyue and Su Jing, who had just come out of the outhouse and were in charge of compiling the "Pharmacopoeia of the Tang Dynasty," also looked distressed.

Kong Zhiyue: "Father, how about..."

"When you're at work, you use your job title. Where is your father here?!" Kong Yingda snorted coldly, clearly annoyed.

Kong Zhiyue nodded hurriedly: "Editor-in-chief, why don't we go and rest first, and continue tomorrow? If we keep going like this, we'll all die of exhaustion sooner or later."

Kong Yingda's eyes widened.

"His Highness the Crown Prince hasn't slept yet! How can we, his subjects, go to sleep?"

"How can you sleep at your age?! Go back! All of you, go back and keep working! We can only leave when the lights in the Shougong Hall are extinguished! Go!"

Kong Zhiyue sighed sadly, then turned and walked inside with Su Jing.

Suddenly, I heard a thud behind me as someone fell to the ground.

Look back.

"Holy crap! Father! We can't sleep here!"

Su Jing: "???"

Yunxian Tower.

"huhuhuhu"

The sound of someone sleeping soundly came from Li Chengqian's room.

Qian Yingying blushed and felt embarrassed, her waist held tightly by Li Chengqian's arms, which felt like pincers. To be honest, it was a little uncomfortable.

But what's even more upsetting is... Your Highness, are you really just sleeping?