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

"Your Highness, the Ministry of Revenue in Chang'an has sent another urgent letter, still requesting grain, and this time the tone seems even more urgent..."

Dou Cai, the head of the Dou family in Luoyang, handed a document bearing the official seal of the Ministry of Revenue in Chang'an to Li Tai, who was currently reviewing a report on the confiscation of property. His expression was somewhat vacant.

I heard the name Chang'an again.

Li Tai frowned and looked up.

"Again? Can Chang'an really be short of grain? Chang'an has such a large grain reserve, and there are also granaries closer to Chang'an in Guannei Circuit. Why would we need to transfer grain from Luoyang?"

His eyes revealed a coldness that chilled the entire officialdom of Luoyang, as well as the local aristocratic families.

Reach out.

Dou Cai quickly handed the document to the other party and then respectfully took two steps back.

"How much?! Fifty thousand shi?! Is Chang'an suffering from a famine?!"

Li Tai looked at Dou Cai in astonishment.

The head of the family whom he had supported after he had successively destroyed several large and small families, including the Wei family of Luoyang, hurriedly bowed.

"Your Highness, I have not heard any news of food shortages in Chang'an. I even inquired with some grain merchants, and the price of grain in Chang'an is almost the same as in Luoyang."

"That's strange, how can there be such a large food shortage?"

Li Tai's brows furrowed even deeper.

However, the Ministry of Revenue's document at this moment, apart from the rather vehement demands for grain, did not reveal any reason for the grain shortage, which made Li Tai wonder.

Could something really have happened in Chang'an?

Meanwhile, Li Tai was still wondering why Chang'an was repeatedly asking for grain.

In Chang'an, Li Shimin, Fang Xuanling, and Du Ruhui, who had just finished a hunt in the hunting grounds and were roasting a deer leg, were looking at the report from the Ministry of Revenue.

But his face was full of joy.

"Hmph, that brat Qingque, as expected, if I asked him for grain, he would refuse without hesitation!" Li Shimin casually tossed the letter into the fire.

His words carried a hint of dissatisfaction, but also a clear trace of joy.

His expression was complicated.

“Your Majesty, it’s better not to give it to us. If Prince Wei easily transports the grain, it will be difficult for us to proceed to the next step,” Fang Xuanling said with a smile.

He and Du Ruhui seemed to already see the leisurely and comfortable days of retirement in Taiyuan Prefecture beckoning to them.

Du Ruhui stroked his beard: "Now that the time is almost right, we can stop sending orders for grain. His Majesty can also set off for Luoyang to personally request the grain. As for His Highness Prince Jing, we will also have to trouble him a bit."

As they spoke, Li Shimin, Fang Xuanling, and Du Ruhui turned their gazes toward the only person standing present.

Li Shimin held a roasted deer leg in one hand and a small knife in the other.

His smile carried a chilling cruelty.

"Sixth Brother, I'm entrusting this grain transport matter to you..."

Prince Jing, Li Yuanjing: "..."

Born in the same year as Prince Lu, Li Yuanchang, and only one year older than Crown Prince Li Chengqian, he turned pale and trembled as he faced the three heartless and insane men before him.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, no! Prince Wei will kill me! He will definitely kill me!" He was on the verge of tears.

Two days ago, this imperial brother suddenly summoned him and said he would reward him with an even larger royal mansion.

At first, he thought that his now wealthy elder brother had finally remembered him, his half-brother who was still in Chang'an.

He had just happily welcomed his subordinates to move into the new palace.

They haven't even had time to hold a housewarming party yet.

A single transfer order left him bewildered and helpless, assigning him the job of a grain transport officer—and it was even a secret decree from His Majesty the Emperor.

He was allowed to transport away nearly 80% of the grain stored in Chang'an Granary and several other large granaries in the surrounding area.

The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became, and finally knelt down on the ground with a thud.

Tears welled up in my eyes from fright.

"Your Majesty, please spare me! I don't want the Prince's mansion or the gold and silver bestowed upon me. Please, give me a way to live."

"I, your humble servant, truly cannot bear the charge of embezzling and reselling such a large amount of grain!"

Li Shimin sneered, "You can't handle 50,000 shi, but you're quite enthusiastic about 10,000 shi, aren't you?"

Li Yuanjing trembled all over.

"Hmph! Either you handle this matter carefully and transport the grain to the place I designate, or... do you think you have enough heads to chop off if the Crown Prince finds out you're guilty of secretly colluding with officials and privately selling government grain?"

Li Yuanjing's body trembled even more violently, and he seemed to hear the calls of his third brother, the former Prince Qi, Li Yuanji.

"Sixth brother, it's so cold down here. My eldest brother and I are so lonely..."

Seeing that His Majesty the Emperor had finished speaking, Fang Xuanling cleared his throat.

"Ahem, Your Highness Prince Jing, His Majesty only wants to leave Chang'an and lead troops in battle. What he lacks is a candidate to oversee the country. Since His Highness the Crown Prince is unwilling to return, we can only turn to His Highness Prince Wei to act as oversee the country."

"If things go smoothly for us, and with His Majesty's allocation of grain as a cover, your crime of privately selling 10,000 shi of official grain will not have reached the Crown Prince's knowledge. You have solved the Crown Prince and His Majesty's predicament, and they will naturally remember your kindness."

Du Ruhui chuckled and continued the conversation.

"The price of grain in our Great Tang Dynasty is not high now, but His Highness Prince Jing is so short of money that he has to resort to selling grain privately... Your Highness, do you know how much profit Prince Lu's Real Estate Chamber of Commerce is making now, as Prince Lu is working for the Crown Prince?"

"Hehe, if I may say something that displeases His Highness Prince Jing... you must never let His Highness Prince Lu know that you actually sold government grain privately for that little bit of money."

"This will make him a laughingstock of His Highness Prince Lu for the rest of his life!"

Prince Jing, Li Yuanjing, immediately began to struggle.

"But, but if the King of Wei were to oversee the country, and he found out that I had plotted against him, wouldn't I be in deep trouble?"

Li Shimin: "That's easy! At worst, after it's done, you can rush to Taiyuan Prefecture!"

......

"Your Highness Prince Wei! Your Highness Prince Wei! His Majesty! His Majesty has arrived!"

"what?!"

When Li Tai, who was still at the Luoyang Commerce Bureau inspecting the collection of commercial taxes for the month, heard the news, he was momentarily stunned.

It wasn't until he arrived at the Prince's Mansion with his men that he saw Li Shimin, Fang Xuanling, and the others.

He then took a small breath and accepted the fact.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty. What brings you to Luoyang...? Has something happened?"

He immediately thought of the grain urging document sent by the Ministry of Revenue in Chang'an a while ago, and couldn't help but become secretly vigilant.

"Ahem... Qingque, you surely know the purpose of my visit. I've already had the Ministry of Revenue request grain from you several times. What? Are you no longer planning to acknowledge me as your father?!"

Li Shimin looked indignant, which made Li Tai quickly bow and say that he dared not.

"Your subject would certainly not dare, but... what exactly happened in Chang'an that necessitates the transfer of grain from Luoyang? If it were just a normal grain shortage, wouldn't it be more convenient to transfer grain from granaries within the Guannei region via official roads?"

Li Tai was puzzled. He was no longer the same as before, and when he asked this question, he kept his eyes fixed on the changes in his father's expression.

In that brief moment, I caught a glimpse of the unnatural and angry expression that flashed across Li Shimin's face.

With his keen mind, he had already determined that something must have happened.

And it was something even his own father, the emperor, didn't want him to know...

"You don't need to worry about that. When I came here this time, I saw that the Yiluo Plain was a fertile field, and the wheat ears were all full. In another month or two at most, there will be another bumper harvest around Luoyang."

"You must first provide me with 50,000 shi of grain; I must take it back to Chang'an immediately!"

Upon hearing this, Li Tai hesitated for a moment.

In the end, he nodded and respectfully agreed.

That night.

Li Shimin did not choose to stay at Li Tai's residence, but instead stayed at the Luoyang Grand Hotel, the largest hotel in Luoyang.

At night, by the window of the room.

As if sensing something, Li Junxian nodded slightly to Li Shimin in the room.

"Phew~ In this way, my sixth brother's deficit has been completely covered." Li Shimin seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Du Ruhui's voice followed immediately.

"Yes, after all these twists and turns, who would have thought that His Highness Prince Jing would be so bold as to not only sell government grain privately, but also dare to steal the grain that His Highness the Crown Prince had purchased from the Kingdom of Linyi."

"Alright, alright, this matter must not be known to His Highness the Crown Prince. After all, the Prince of Jing is His Majesty's brother and His Highness the Crown Prince's uncle. Once the deficit is made up, this matter will be considered settled."

"What?! Are you sure you heard me?!"

In the Prince of Wei's residence, Li Tai's angry voice echoed from the study.

A slender, night-clothed spy, a member of the King of Wei's personal guards, nodded solemnly.

"Your Highness, I am sure I heard you clearly."

Li Tai's eyes were icy as he looked at Dou Cai beside him.

Dou Cai bowed and said, "Your Highness, at the Luoyang docks, His Majesty's fleet has been waiting to load cargo. Even though there's nothing to move, they've still hired three or four hundred porters to wait..."

"Fine! I knew it, ha!" Li Tai laughed in anger.

"I knew it! How could the entire Chang'an and the entire Guannei Circuit not be able to urgently gather 50,000 shi of grain? Well then! Prince Jing... Sixth Imperial Uncle, I underestimated you!"

"You even dare to touch my brother's things!"

"Bang!" Li Tai slammed his fist on the table, his eyes filled with fierce killing intent.

The rest of the people in the study remained silent, trembling with fear.

"Dou Cai!"

"Chen is here!"

"My royal brother is certainly waiting for that batch of grain. Immediately open all the granaries in Luoyang, gather 100,000 shi of grain, and load it onto the ships! I... will personally escort it!"

The next day, when Li Shimin received the news that the fleet was fully loaded with cargo, he rushed to the dock with Fang Xuanling and the others.

Just as they were about to board the ship, they were stopped by Li Tai's personal guards.

Li Tai's figure appeared on the deck.

His gaze was calm as he looked down at his father, Emperor Li Shimin, and his entourage who were "harboring criminals" on the dock.

"Father, you must be tired. Please stay in Luoyang for a few more days. You can also take a look at the city I govern... I will help you send this batch of grain back to Chang'an."

Li Shimin's expression immediately changed drastically.

"No, no, no, Qingque, you have plenty to do in Luoyang too. This kind of thing is unnecessary for you. I..."

"It's alright. I haven't seen my mother for half a year. It's a good time to go back and keep her company."

Li Tai interrupted him directly, too lazy to waste any more words with his father.

Amidst Li Shimin's shouts, cargo ships loaded with grain sailed directly away from the Luoyang dock.

"Qingque! You don't need to go, Qingque!"

"Stop the ship! Stop immediately!"

"Qingque, I..."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Prince Wei has left!" Du Ruhui excitedly grabbed Emperor Li Shimin, who was still on the dock, waving and shouting at the fleet that had sailed hundreds of meters away, putting on an exaggerated performance.

The latter's face immediately contorted into a distorted smile, a result of his desperate attempts to suppress it.

"Hahaha, cough cough! Quick, Xuanling, Keming, we need to get moving too! This Chang'an... I've escaped!"

.......

In Chang'an, at the Lizheng Hall.

Empress Zhangsun looked at the letter that Li Shimin had finally delivered to her several days later.

Looking at Fan Qi, who was trembling, pale, and almost fainting.

Finally, his cold eyes flickered twice, and he let out a cold snort.

"Go down!"

Fan Qi felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He hurriedly wiped a few drops of cold sweat from his forehead and scrambled out of the Lizheng Hall.

Empress Zhangsun looked at the imperial edict for overseeing the country that had been sent along with the letter.

"Alas... Bluebird, oh Bluebird..."