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

"Ha ha ha ha......"

Li Chengqian's hearty laughter echoed along the lakeside inside Yangcheng Palace.

Wang De, standing to the side, also smiled broadly.

"Your Highness, Prince Wei's move not only made Feng Deyi work honestly, but also provided a handy weapon for those tax-evading merchants in Guannei Circuit and Henan Circuit."

"That's truly killing two birds with one stone!"

Li Chengqian nodded repeatedly, reading the handwritten letter from his younger brother over and over again.

The smile on his face grew even wider.

"Qingque was able to straighten out the chaotic and unclear political situation in Chang'an right from the start, and even re-establish a standard cabinet. I have to say, this kid has really learned a lot about governing Luoyang..."

As Li Chengqian was speaking, the fishing rod in front of him suddenly twitched slightly.

Before Wang De and the others could exclaim in surprise, Li Chengqian had already grabbed it with one hand.

After a brief struggle.

"Wow!"

"Hahaha! Good, today is truly a good omen!"

A lively, plump golden carp, still struggling after being caught, splashed water everywhere, even soaking Li Chengqian.

This, however, caused the latter to burst into laughter.

"Go and tell Chu Dahai to add braised carp to my lunch!"

Wang Dexin carried the fish basket and hurried towards the imperial kitchen.

Just as Li Chengqian was about to strike while the iron was hot, hoping to catch a few more fish as the bait he had prepared earlier had finally attracted a school of fish, Gao Hai quickly walked over.

"Your Highness, Lord Wei Zheng requests an audience."

Li Chengqian was taken aback, then his expression became dazed for a moment before he realized what was happening.

It was time for Wei Zheng to depart for his post in Baikal County.

"Bring him here. Tell the imperial kitchen to prepare several of their signature dishes for lunch today..."

Gao Hai: "Yes!"

When Wei Zheng, who had gained weight in just one month and whose eyes were brighter and sharper than before, reappeared before Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian chuckled and pointed to the seat next to him.

He gestured for the other person to sit down.

"Hehe, one is you, and the other is Kong Yingda. One of you went into the imperial prison and fattened up, while the other went into the imperial prison and amassed ten thousand taels of gold... It seems that next I should let that guy Qian Lou restore the prestige of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

A joking remark perfectly illustrates Li Chengqian's changed attitude towards Wei Zheng.

During this period, while he was handling government affairs, Wei Zheng, who was living in the imperial prison and studying and preparing to govern Baikal County, frequently wrote to him, which were then forwarded to him by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

I asked a lot of questions about the policy adjustments.

Wei Zheng looked ashamed and coughed awkwardly.

He cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness is so benevolent that you not only pardoned my previous disrespect but also gave me the opportunity to do something truly meaningful for the Tang Dynasty... I am deeply grateful!"

Li Chengqian waved his hand.

"I didn't really have any good candidates. Actually, it wouldn't make much difference whether I chose you or Kong Yingda. If you want to express your gratitude, you should tell Kong Yingda before you leave. He compiled a lot of the things you saw during your time in the prison."

Wei Zheng's expression hardened, and he bowed again, saying, "Your subject understands!"

The two exchanged words, but there was no particular formality between them.

We stayed there, fishing and chatting, until lunchtime.

"I don't usually drink, but today we part ways, and I don't know when we'll meet again. The North Sea is bitterly cold and often attacked by foreign tribes and wild beasts, making it extremely dangerous. I'll offer you a cup!"

"May you, for my Great Tang Dynasty, for my China, firmly establish your territory in the land of the North Sea!"

Lunchtime.

As Li Chengqian raised his wine cup, several princes at the table, including Li You, Li Yun, and Li Zhi, also raised their cups and nodded solemnly to Wei Zheng, whose hands were trembling with excitement.

He then drank it all in one gulp.

"Hiss..." The mellow and strong Fenjiu slid down their throats, causing Li Chengqian and Wei Zheng to gasp involuntarily.

Wei Zheng, his eyes red, raised his cup once more.

"Your Highness, I have always harbored some resentment towards you regarding the Xuanwu Gate Incident, which was nothing more than a matter of ethics and morality. However, the fact that the Tang Dynasty is now in such a prosperous and glorious state shows that I have misjudged Your Highness... The throne is a hundred times, a thousand times better in the hands of the Prince of Qin's lineage than in the hands of the Crown Prince's lineage!"

"Your Majesty, this cup is both an apology and a toast to you on behalf of all the people of the world!"

Although Baikal County is called a county today, it actually has no large-scale cities.

Secondly, there is no stable population.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that a magnificent fortress of the Tang Dynasty should be built beside that vast freshwater lake.

The basic living standards in the early stages were bound to be very difficult.

That's why, at lunchtime, Crown Prince Li Chengqian personally served Wei Zheng food and rice.

This moved Wei Zheng to tears.

When lunch was over and the caravan was ready to depart, Wei Zheng was helped into the carriage by Li Chengqian. The latter then suddenly forced himself to stand up straight.

Standing at the carriage door, he bowed respectfully to Li Chengqian.

"Your Highness, I will certainly not fail your trust!"

There were no oaths or vows, no scenes of kowtowing and shouting that one would rather die than betray the divine grace.

However, looking into Wei Zheng's earnest and resolute eyes, everyone knew very well that under such treatment, Wei Zheng was already prepared to be buried in the North Sea for the rest of his life.

Li Chengqian opened his mouth.

Just as Wei Zheng was about to lift the curtain and step into the carriage.

He suddenly spoke.

"Wei Zheng!"

Wei Zheng turned around.

"The Crown Prince of Tang hopes you can conquer the land of Beihai for the Tang Dynasty, but... Li Chengqian hopes you can return alive!"

Wei Zheng's pupils trembled, and a faint smile appeared on his trembling lips.

Step into the carriage.

Watching the massive convoy, personally escorted by Donggong Liu and another commander, Lü Shiheng, slowly travel north along the official road.

Standing beside Li Chengqian, Li Yun saw his elder brother so sad.

Suddenly, he spoke in a deep, comforting voice.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, once the steel forging plant in Zhenbei Road is on track, we can build a railway directly to Beihai. If anything happens, we can arrive in a few days at most!"

Li Chengqian turned his head, took a deep breath, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Then I'll have to rely on our future Minister Li of the Ministry of Railways!"

Li Yun blushed.

Li Chengqian didn't think much of it, even though with the Imperial University's large investment of funds and manpower, the knowledge related to railways and steam engines had become increasingly systematic and detailed.

However, how easy would it be to build a railway from the Tang Dynasty directly to Lake Baikal, or even further?

This would have been a massive undertaking in his previous world.

This not only tests a country's infrastructure capabilities, but also its management team's ability to consistently invest so much time, manpower, and capital...

However, at this moment, Prince Jiang Li Yun, who noticed that his elder brother, the Emperor, clearly had great hopes and eagerness for the railway construction, secretly clenched his fists.

If we had railways!

My brother won't have to be imprisoned in Taiyuan Prefecture anymore, spending his days fishing and hunting to relieve his stress.

The emperor will also be able to see how beautiful the country is under his rule.

He could see how many people across the country, thanks to his daily hard work, were able to live the good life they longed for...

......

"Your elder brothers are so busy every day, always thinking of ways to help His Highness the Crown Prince, so why haven't you made any progress at all... Li Zhi, are you really His Highness the Crown Prince's younger brother?"

The Duke of Ying's Mansion.

Li Zhi, who had been listening to Wu Zetian's previous sentence while lying on the table, looked utterly bored.

After hearing that question.

In an instant, her fair face turned bright red.

"Wu Zetian! Let me tell you, you can joke around all the time, but this time you've really stepped on my landmine! If you don't apologize to me today... I'm in for a tough time!"

He looked at Li Zhi, who stood on the stone bench, glaring angrily at him as if he had been greatly insulted.

Wu Zetian merely pursed her lips.

He didn't even stop the rapid clicking of the abacus in his hands.

"Hmph! You make it sound like I'm so happy to have you sticking to me like a leech every day. Well, since Your Highness Prince Jin is angry, I won't keep you any longer."

"Someone come..."

"Wait!" Li Zhi interrupted.

Li Zhi jumped down from the stone bench, then suddenly placed his hands on the stone table, staring intently at Wu Zetian with a serious expression.

"Do you think I'm a good-for-nothing who spends my days indulging in pleasure?"

Wu Zetian rolled her eyes and tapped the abacus beads even louder: "You said it yourself!"

Li Zhi gritted his teeth, and suddenly his gaze fell on an account book in Wu Zetian's hand.

How much money do we still need?

Wu Zetian rolled her eyes again.

Li Zhi sneered: "Your father is the president of the Royal Bank, and he is being watched openly and secretly by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Furthermore, the Censorate conducts inspections every few days. The obstacles you face in starting a business are far greater than you imagine."

He glanced again at the account book that Wu Zetian was covering, looking at her stubborn, baby-like face.

"If you're still hoping to attract investment from other chambers of commerce, I advise you to give up that idea as soon as possible. The people who are giving you money may not ask for anything now, but in the future..."

Wu Zetian's pretty face immediately hardened: "I'm not stupid! Of course I won't take their money..."

"Then where will you get the money? Heh, the initial investment will be at least 300,000 guan, not to mention there will be a shortfall of at least one million guan afterward."

Wu Zetian scoffed, "As if you could conjure up money..."

She suddenly seemed to have thought of something, and her face turned even colder.

"I won't take Murong Yu's filthy money!"

Li Zhi pursed his lips, straightened up, and suddenly a cold smile appeared on his lips, a smile that was almost identical to that of the three generations of the Li imperial family.

"If I can provide you with the funds to support your venture into equity trading, how will you thank me?"

Noticing that Wu Zetian was about to retort as usual, Li Zhi pressed a finger directly onto her mouth.

"The money is guaranteed to be legitimate; it's my own money! And it has absolutely nothing to do with Murong Yu! Now tell me how you intend to thank me!"

Wu Zetian frowned, reached out and slapped Li Zhi's hand aside.

"You bring it!"

Li Zhi's smile deepened, and he leaned closer to Wu Zetian's ear...