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

Double happiness!

After several days of rest and relaxation, coupled with the arrival of the steam engine and this great gift, Li Chengqian's accumulated negative emotions vanished in an instant.

Instead, it has become a surge of power.

"Five million three hundred and seventy thousand strings of cash... No wonder it's a monopoly. The money earned from just two years of salt production is actually such a figure..." Li Chengqian murmured with a smile.

Back then, in a deal with his cheap father, he gave away almost all the profits from sea salt and salt.

Now, after all this time, who could have imagined that their father had only been away from Chang'an for a few months, and all this money had been sent over by their grandfather?

Qianlou bowed.

"Your Highness, because the items being transported are too valuable, they were transported to Taiyuan Prefecture by waterway along with the grain purchased in Linyi. Now, even some jewelry and ancient royal items from His Majesty's private treasury have been packed up and sent here by the Emperor Emeritus."

"In addition to these supplies, the Emperor Emeritus also sent a contingent of the Chang'an Imperial Guard, and the documents for the transfer of their military status have been prepared..."

Li Chengqian was taken aback.

"Completely empty?!"

He was just looking at the receipt in his hand, never expecting that his grandfather, the emperor, would be so ruthless.

They emptied Li Er's private treasury in one fell swoop.

Could this be considered a case of "it's hard to guard against a thief within the family" in some sense?

Qianlou rarely had a smile on his face.

"I heard from the Imperial Guards in charge of the transport that the Emperor Emeritus originally only planned to transport three million strings of cash because of the obstruction of the Prime Ministers Fang and Du. But who would have thought that His Majesty would stay in Taiyuan for more than three months?"

"The retired emperor dealt with those memorials every day, and Chancellor Fang and Chancellor Du were also exhausted, so..."

Qianlou didn't say anything more after that.

Li Chengqian was naturally aware of this, and a hint of amusement crept onto his face.

Looking at the list of imperial funds in his hand.

"Hehe, Father, what were you thinking... Now look what's happened, we're back to square one."

Li Chengqian smiled and shook his head.

Originally, they were planning to return to Yangcheng Palace, but now they have changed course and headed directly towards Fenhe Bay Wharf in Taiyuan Prefecture.

Even at night, the Fenhe Bay Wharf remains bustling with activity.

The lights were bright, and the clanging of bronze bells, carrying special instructions, directed the ships entering the dock to berth.

A large number of stevedores were waiting here early in the morning.

However, among these people now, there are clearly many faces that are not from the Tang Dynasty.

With the new policies in Bingzhou under the Great Tang Dynasty, as long as one is not lazy, one can make money anywhere.

Furthermore, Bingzhou has a labor policy specifically for foreign workers, which has now attracted a considerable number of laborers from neighboring countries.

Western Turks, Tuyuhun, Gaochang.

Even after news of the Tang Dynasty's annihilation of the Eastern Turks and its defeat of the Tuyuhun reached the plateau, many Tibetans came to work for the Tang Dynasty.

One after another, cargo ships bearing the insignia of the Tang Dynasty government came ashore.

The porters, who were originally planning to swarm forward, all stopped in their tracks after seeing the sign clearly.

really.

Soon, elite soldiers in armor disembarked from these cargo ships.

The Six Guards of the Eastern Palace and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, whose existence was known to everyone in Bingzhou, immediately sealed off the surrounding area.

"Your Highness, all the goods being transported this time, loaded onto 27 ships, have arrived here!"

Li Chengqian alighted from the carriage.

Immediately, a young man dressed in the uniform of the Imperial Guard Commander strode over.

Li Chengqian nodded, his gaze lingering on the other person for a moment, before boarding a cargo ship.

"Open!"

At Li Chengqian's command, a guard immediately stepped forward and pried open a sealed wooden box.

"Wow!"

Under the firelight, the gold in the wooden box seemed to be tinged with a reddish glow, causing the surrounding guards to lower their heads and avert their gazes.

Gold bricks were stacked in this unassuming wooden box.

Then they opened several more boxes in succession.

When Li Chengqian even saw a box filled with gems and gold jewelry, he inexplicably felt a little guilty.

Li Er is a bit of a scoundrel.

But as an emperor, surely he can't be so poor that he won't even have money to reward his servants?

This sense of guilt made Li Chengqian decide almost instantly that all the wealth should be used for great things that would benefit the country and its people.

"Seal them all up for me, prepare carriages, and notify the Royal Bank to organize people to count and deposit them into the treasury!"

On the dock.

After receiving a warning, the stevedores were given the job, which paid them three times their usual wages.

Just as the horse-drawn carriages provided by Fenhewan Wharf began to be loaded with goods.

Li Chengqian's gaze then turned to the Imperial Guards who had followed him.

Those who can serve as imperial guards in the palace not only need to have a clean background, but also need to be formidable in terms of strength and combat ability.

How many people came in total this time?

"Your Highness, including your subordinates, there are a total of eight hundred people!"

Eight hundred... Well, it seems that it's just the guards protecting the imperial treasury and the palace storehouse. My grandfather is now the "Regent Emperor," so he still needs some security.

Li Chengqian was slightly disappointed.

He nodded: "What's your name?"

"Your subordinate is Wang Xuance!"

"Who?!" Li Chengqian, who had just taken a step to get onto the carriage, almost missed his foot.

He was caught by Gao Hai, who was quick-witted and agile.

He turned to look at the commander of the Imperial Guards beside him, his face filled with astonishment.

Wang Xuance felt uneasy under the Crown Prince's gaze and wondered if there was something special about his name.

However, at this moment, they simply bowed again.

"Your subordinate is Wang Xuance!"

"Where are you?"

"I am from Luoyang!"

Li Chengqian: "......"

They almost did something as foolish as buying the box and returning the pearl!

A smile appeared on Li Chengqian's face, and he withdrew his foot that had been stepping onto the carriage.

He carefully looked the young man up and down.

His name was Wang Xuance, and he was from Luoyang.

It's pretty much true, but historically this powerful figure wasn't particularly outstanding in his early years, and it seems he was serving as a county magistrate in a local area.

Unexpectedly, he has now become the commander of the Imperial Guard.

And in this way, it appeared before me.

Including Xue Rengui, who is still in the Bingzhou New Army, Li Chengqian has, in a way, unintentionally collected another SSR card.

"Has Your Highness heard of my name?"

Wang Xuance was somewhat surprised and uncertain, and asked cautiously.

Li Chengqian waved his hand: "I guess I heard it somewhere before, but I can't remember who mentioned the name... Your military status has now been transferred to my Bingzhou Circuit, right?"

Wang Xuance looked somber.

"Although Your Majesty is kind and discerning, as the guard of the Imperial Treasury, it is my dereliction of duty that I was unable to stop it. I can no longer serve as a guard. I hope Your Highness will not despise me in the future and will give Xuan Ce and the brothers a job!"

As he spoke, he suddenly knelt down in front of Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian looked at him.

He glanced again at the guards not far away, who were also watching him nervously.

He pondered for a while.

Suddenly, he spoke up: "Would you like to go to the battlefield?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xuance looked up in shock, and then, seeing Li Chengqian's serious expression, his face flushed with excitement.

A bow.

"Your Highness, what do we soldiers have to fear on the battlefield?! If given the chance, we would gladly die on the battlefield!"

"I am willing to die for your Highness!"

Wang Xuance was excited and bowed again. If there was any way to advance in the world, it was this:

That was definitely on the battlefield.

If there is any place in the Tang Dynasty where one could possibly achieve military merit, it would undoubtedly be under the command of this ambitious and enterprising Crown Prince.

Li Chengqian nodded.

"Alright, you are responsible for escorting these supplies into the warehouse first. After you have completed the military registration procedures, come to Yangcheng Palace to see me, and I will personally make arrangements for you!"

"Your Highness, is that Commander Wang a talented individual?"

The carriage wheels whirred and turned.

On the way back to Yangcheng Palace from Fenhe Bay Wharf, Gao Hai, who was driving the car, cleared his throat and broke the silence after seeing that his crown prince was not resting and had nothing else to do.

Li Chengqian propped his head up with one hand and leaned against the carriage window.

Looking out at the dark streets of Taiyuan Prefecture.

Hearing this, he smiled faintly.

"He is a promising talent, but how far he can go in the future depends on his own destiny."

Gao Hai chuckled obsequiously, nodding repeatedly.

"To be able to gain His Highness's favor is already quite a blessing."

Because of the delay at Fenhe Bay Wharf, by the time Li Chengqian returned to Yangcheng Palace it was already close to the hour of Yin (3-5 AM).

however.

"His Highness the Crown Prince is back!"

Li Chengqian was stunned by the lively scene unfolding in his palace.

Amidst the piercing cries of agony, Li Zhi was bound to a long bench, his buttocks being whipped by Li Shimin with a board. Judging from the manner of the beating, it seemed to have been going on for some time.

There were also eunuchs serving tea to attend to them at any time.

the other side.

Empress Zhangsun, Consort Yang, Consort Yin, and several others were playing mahjong over there.

The pavilion was surrounded by screens and had a stove burning. At this moment, laughter and the sound of people calling out cards, along with Li Zhi's screams from the other side, filled the air.

Li Chengqian: "......"

"Gao Ming is back?" Empress Zhangsun saw Li Chengqian and immediately walked over.

Despite his doubts, Li Chengqian quickly took a few steps to the other party's side.

"Mother, it's already this late, aren't you going to rest?"

Empress Zhangsun smiled and said, "It's alright, Mother just took a long nap today..."

As he spoke, he grabbed Li Chengqian's hand and winked at Li Shimin, lowering his voice.

“Your father has truly admitted his mistakes these past few days, and he sincerely wants to be a good emperor. He has come to apologize to you today... You should give him a chance.”

Li Chengqian turned his head.

He then saw Li Shimin not far away, looking visibly embarrassed and ashamed to face him.

He then gave Li Zhi's buttocks a few more hard slaps.

She was loudly scolding him, as if it were deliberately meant for him to hear.

"You dare to steal food from my Crown Prince, your elder brother?! I'll beat you to death today!"

"Clap clap clap!"

"Waaaaah!" Li Zhi broke down and wailed.

However, Li Shimin seemed to be encouraged by something and struck the blows several more times.

"You dare to impersonate my crown prince and call yourself 'I'?! Why don't you take a good look at yourself in the mirror? With your pointy mouth and monkey-like face, how much of an imperial bearing do you possess? My crown prince is not someone you can covet!"

"Clap clap clap!"

Li Zhi: "!!!"

I'm innocent!