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

Chang'an Imperial Palace.

In the Ganlu Hall, Li Tai was diligently reviewing the documents before him.

His face contorted in a ferocious tremor, causing Fan Qi, who was serving him nearby, to tremble with fear.

Fortunately, His Highness Prince Wei had his own way of handling things.

When Li Tai was feeling most frustrated while reviewing the papers, he casually picked up a teacup that his elder brother had personally made and took a delicious sip.

Drink the tea in the teacup completely.

The ferocity on his face softened somewhat.

He picked up his imperial brush again and began to review the documents.

Fan Qi quickly refilled the prince's teacup...

"Your Highness, Her Majesty the Empress requests that you dine at the Lizheng Hall..."

When Empress Zhangsun's maid came to deliver a message, Li Tai, who had come to his senses, looked up and nodded slightly.

After reviewing a document in his hand, he directly gave instructions to Fan Qi beside him.

"Send the remaining documents to the cabinet, have them review and provide their comments, and then send them back to me."

Fan Qi: "This servant obeys."

Lizheng Hall.

"His Majesty will definitely not be able to return for the Mid-Autumn Festival this year. The Emperor Emeritus is currently in a critical period in the Western Regions, so he will certainly not be able to return either. How should we prepare for the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet?"

"Why don't we invite some opera troupes? Imperial University has been putting together quite a few new pieces recently."

"I think it's a good idea, but His Highness the Crown Prince will probably be back for the Mid-Autumn Festival, right? It wouldn't be right to make it too simple."

"Forget it, the Crown Prince dislikes such festivities. If the preparations are too complicated, it will only delay his precious time to rest..."

As soon as Li Tai stepped outside the hall, he could already hear the discussions coming from inside.

Today, the glass manufacturing technology of Datang has become increasingly sophisticated, and its output has also increased significantly.

As a result, some time ago, all the palace windows in the Chang'an Imperial Palace were replaced with brighter glass, along with curtains made of new silk fabric.

This gives the palace a novel and noble feel.

"Your subject pays respects to the Empress Dowager and the other imperial consorts."

Li Tai approached and politely bowed.

Empress Zhangsun, with a beaming smile, immediately beckoned with affection.

"Alright, now that we're here with the Empress Dowager, there's no need to be so formal. Take a rest, wash up... let's begin serving the dishes."

Li Tai nodded.

A palace maid had just brought over a basin of warm water.

Suddenly.

"Whoosh—!"

A sharp, piercing cry that almost echoed throughout the entire city of Chang'an startled the palace maid so much that her hand trembled instantly.

Li Tai was immediately covered in water.

The palace maid's face turned deathly pale, and several other palace maids nearby immediately knelt down and begged for mercy.

"Wait!" Li Taiyi raised his hand.

They interrupted the words that were about to be uttered in fear.

With a pair of eyes full of surprise and uncertainty, he looked out of the hall and quickly walked out.

They strained their ears, listening intently and searching for something.

"What was that sound just now? Did you hear which direction it came from?"

Li Tai excitedly grabbed a eunuch.

The latter trembled, looking towards the direction outside the palace, but couldn't come up with a conclusion for a long time.

At this moment, a young eunuch suddenly spoke up.

"Your Highness, what I'm hearing sounds like it's coming from the west of the city."

Li Tai murmured, "West of the city..."

A glint seemed to appear in his eyes at that moment.

West of the city!

Isn't that the location of Chang'an Railway Station?!

Thinking back, his seventh brother, Prince Jiang, Li Yun, had apparently returned briefly some time ago, bringing with him the Mechanical Engineering Department of the Imperial University and some Ministry of Works personnel from Taiyuan Prefecture.

It seems to be detecting something.

Now... a bold guess couldn't help but surface in Li Tai's mind.

Before he could even say a word to Empress Zhangsun in the Lizheng Hall, he suddenly went mad and ran wildly towards the outside of the palace.

Chang'an Railway Station.

Li Yun looked at the young man in charge of driving the train with some dissatisfaction.

"Oh dear! Didn't I tell you not to honk the horn? Now the whole of Chang'an has been alerted!"

In this era without noise pollution, and without the exaggerated skyscrapers of later times, Chang'an is now a modern city.

The train's whistle was loud enough for all the people in Chang'an to hear clearly.

The young man in charge of driving the train also looked nervous and embarrassed.

"Your Highness, this is my dereliction of duty. I... I was used to the previous procedures and couldn't control myself for a moment..."

Li Chengqian waved his hand and offered a word of comfort.

"Alright, alright, it's not a big deal. You know it, you know it. Following the procedures is a good thing. The railway system of the Great Tang Dynasty is just beginning to take shape. Whether it's building railways or running trains, everything should be done according to the established procedures."

Li Yun was a little embarrassed.

He knew how excited his elder brother had been just now.

He felt that he had not given proper instructions and had disturbed his elder brother's mood.

"Hahaha, alright, everyone stop sitting here. Go back to your own homes and find your own mothers. Li Shi and Yu Shi, your residences probably haven't prepared any food either. The Imperial Kitchen has enough staff, so why don't you come to the palace with me?"

"I imagine my mother and the others also have many questions for you."

Li Chengqian enthusiastically greeted the group of Taiyuan officials accompanying him in the carriage.

Seeing the expectant looks from Qian Yingying and the others, he smiled.

"Yingying, you and the others will also come to the palace with me."

The officials at Chang'an Railway Station had no prior knowledge of the Zhenguan train's opening today. They stared at the steel monster that appeared before them, with white smoke still rising from its locomotive.

They all looked tense.

They hurried up, and what they saw was His Highness the Crown Prince arriving with a group of high-ranking officials from Taiyuan Prefecture. The leader was so shocked that his legs trembled uncontrollably.

Could it be that I have neglected His Highness the Crown Prince?!

If His Highness the Prince of Wei finds out...

Said that Cao Cao Cao Cao arrived.

"Royal brother!!!"

A loud shout, seemingly trembling, came from the direction of the entrance on one side of the platform.

Li Tai, who had ridden all the way here on horseback, was still wearing his regent's robes, which were stained with water and looked rather disheveled.

however.

Compared to his disheveled clothes, Li Tai's facial expressions were clearly even more chaotic.

"Brother Emperor!"

When Li Tai saw the most conspicuous figure among the crowd disembarking from the Zhenguan ship, his eyes immediately reddened, and tears welled up uncontrollably in his eyes.

He strode towards Li Chengqian.

"Hahaha, Blue Sparrow, I..."

"Wow!"

"Waaah! My brother, I've finally seen you again! I've missed you so much!" Li Tai rushed into Li Chengqian's arms, having not seen him for more than half a year.

Even though he knows perfectly well that his ministers and his own brothers are still here, he is still alive.

Unable to contain her excitement, she burst into tears.

Li Chengqian felt Li Tai's trembling body in his arms and remained silent for a moment.

She sighed silently and gently patted his back.

"Qingque, thank you for your hard work."

Suddenly, Li Tai's sobs grew even louder...

When Empress Zhangsun, who was waiting at the palace gate, couldn't resist having a carriage prepared so she could also go to the Chang'an Railway Station, she was about to leave.

The figure of his beloved eldest son, Crown Prince Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty, finally appeared before his eyes.

I saw.

At the front of the long procession, Li Chengqian, the Crown Prince and eldest brother, led the horse, while on horseback sat Li Tai, the Prince of Wei, who appeared visibly restrained and nervous.

At this moment, the two brothers were chatting and laughing, and Empress Zhangsun could vaguely see that Li Tai seemed to be wiping away tears.

We arrived at the palace gate.

Li Chengqian looked at Empress Zhangsun and solemnly approached her.

Kneel and bow in worship.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty. I have caused you worry these past few days."

"Good, good, it's good that you're back..." Empress Zhangsun was clearly overwhelmed with emotion, her voice trembling slightly.

She stepped forward and helped Li Chengqian up, carefully looking him up and down, as if she were any mother in the world examining her child who had been wandering far from home.

"You've lost weight again..."

Li Chengqian was speechless.

Wang De and Sun Yi, the eunuchs who knew that their prince ate enough for three or four people at every meal, were speechless.

Fortunately, Consort Yang spoke up softly from the side.

"Sister, let the Crown Prince and the others go into the palace first. Yingying and the others have also arrived. We should instruct the Imperial Kitchen to prepare more food."

"Yes, yes, I was the one who lost my composure. Gao Ming will stay for a while after he returns..."

He glanced at his elder brother, who was being pulled away by his mother.

Li Tai smugly pointed at Li You, while Li Yun and his younger brothers nodded their heads.

He snorted softly.

He handed the reins of his warhorse to his personal eunuch, Fan Qi, who was standing beside him.

"Go, have someone feed it the best fodder. From now on, it will be my mount!"

As he spoke, he didn't forget to stroke the horse's mane.

Right here in the Chang'an Imperial Palace, Empress Zhangsun was asking her eldest son, Li Chengqian, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, all sorts of questions.

Consort Yin, Li You's mother, Consort Wang, Li Yun's mother, and the other concubines who gave birth to princesses all showed their love and concern for their children.

The Chang'an Railway Station, however, was bustling with activity.

The sound of the Zhenguan ship's whistle inevitably alarmed the people and high-ranking officials of Chang'an.

Especially when Wang Ming, Xiao Rui, and other officials who had returned from Taiyuan Prefecture said that they had departed from Taiyuan Prefecture this morning and arrived in Chang'an.

All the high-ranking officials and nobles in Chang'an were immediately stunned.

They all forgot about dinner and rushed to the train station to see the Zhenguan ship in its entirety.

Lizheng Hall.

Princesses Chang Le, Qing He, Gao Yang, and others were chattering away about their experiences on the train.

Their animated expressions and the obvious changes in their demeanor, which revealed a significant improvement in their maturity and poise, brought tears to the eyes of their mothers who had raised them.

With a joyful expression.

Yin Fei, who had almost gotten used to her son Li You spending his days tinkering with crop research, was the first to think of something.

He looked at the Crown Prince Li Chengqian, who was sitting to the side with a smile, with great surprise.

"Your Highness, if that's the case, wouldn't we be able to take the train to Taiyuan Prefecture anytime?"

"After attending classes at Taiyuan University, go shopping at the shopping street, and then take the train back to Chang'an?"

Li Chengqian: "......"

Really?

The vibrant commercial atmosphere of Taiyuan Prefecture has given rise to the largest shopping street in the Tang Dynasty, and has also ignited a passion for shopping among the high-ranking officials and noblewomen of the Tang Dynasty.

However, Consort Yin was right.

To be rich, build roads first.

Only when the consumption of the upper class, such as that of Consort Yin, began to increase could the economy of the Tang Dynasty become more active.

Only then could the commercial taxes of the Tang Dynasty truly support the economy.

Only when commercial taxes could fully support the operation of the Tang Dynasty could the nationwide abolition of agricultural taxes truly begin...