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

"Brother, rest assured, with me here, none of those corrupt officials and traitors will get away with it..."

“Brother, you don’t need to worry about my reputation. I am just a Prince of Wei. You will be the emperor in the future. Bingzhou has already killed enough people. Let your younger brother clean up these scum for you.”

"Brother, I know you don't care about your reputation when you ascend the throne, but I do!"

"Those who gossip, those who try to obstruct the new policies, those who are lazy and negligent in their duties, and those who still want to restore the so-called glory of the aristocratic families—I, your younger brother, will make sure they all eat bullets!"

"Alright, Your Majesty, you don't need to worry about me... Li Ke and Li Yin can help you sweep away those foreign enemies like the Japanese and Goguryeo. I can guarantee that when Your Majesty ascends the throne, the whole world will only shout 'Long live the Emperor!' and there won't be any other sounds!"

The King of Wei's fierce voice rang out in the Ganlu Palace late at night.

Every now and then, you could hear Li You and Li Zhi whispering something unintelligible.

Wang De and the others guarding the door exchanged glances.

They all sighed softly and shook their heads.

Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the officials are truly blessed to have an emperor like you...

That night, Crown Prince Li Chengqian was present.

The remaining documents sent by the cabinet were also processed very quickly, which is quite remarkable.

King Chu, Li You, and the others returned to their respective residences in the palace. However, Li Chengqian, Li Tai, and Li Zhi, his younger brother from the same mother, all spent the night at Ganlu Hall.

Early the next morning.

The officials, who already knew that His Highness the Crown Prince had returned to the capital, came to court with trepidation and nervousness.

When everyone saw the figure of Crown Prince Li Chengqian on the dragon throne in the Taiji Hall, some of the Crown Prince's supporters, like Zheng Jiang, couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince. May Your Highness be well!"

Li Chengqian nodded, responded softly, and waved to signal everyone to dispense with formalities.

Noticing the tension and anticipation in their eyes, he smiled faintly.

"Yesterday, the Zhenguan steam train officially opened. I just happened to be on the train and came back. From now on, the King of Wei will continue to oversee the country in Chang'an. I hope that you will continue to provide your strong support."

Li Tai stood beside the dragon throne with his arms crossed.

He stared at several officials in the crowd with a half-smile, their expressions clearly showing a hint of panic.

Nothing was said.

This immediately made those people's hearts skip a beat.

Wang Ming and other officials who had returned to Chang'an with him were not present at today's court assembly.

After all, hearing "two days off" from the mouth of Li Chengqian, the workaholic crown prince, is harder than finding gold on the roadside.

"Today I have something to announce..."

As Li Chengqian spoke, Wang De, who was standing next to him, immediately took out a Crown Prince's edict that had already been stamped with the Imperial Seal of the State.

"By the grace of Heaven and the decree of the Crown Prince"

"The Seventh Prince, Prince Jiang, Li Yun, is of pure and good character, and is very steady. He excels in his studies at the Imperial University's School of Mechanical Engineering and has made great contributions to the construction of railways and machinery in our Great Tang Dynasty."

"Given his keen intelligence, loyalty to the emperor and the country, his talent as a national hero, and his lasting contributions to the nation."

"Promote Prince Jiang, Li Yun, to the title of Prince of Yan!"

"Rename Youzhou in Hedong Circuit to Yanzhou and grant it as your fiefdom!"

offstage.

Li Yun, who never expected this to happen, was stunned on the spot.

The other ministers also turned to look at each other in astonishment.

Li Chengqian smiled faintly as he looked at his seventh brother, who hadn't yet reacted.

"Hehe, what's wrong, Seventh Brother? Don't you like Youzhou? If you want any other fiefdom, I'm not unwilling to grant it..."

Only then did Li Yun realize what was happening and quickly step forward.

"Your Majesty, I dare not!"

Shock, elation, emotion, and a bewildered look as if in a dream all appeared on Li Yun's face at this moment.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..." Li Yun was too excited to speak.

The naturally taciturn man was only present in the imperial court today because of Li Chengqian's orders; otherwise, he would have preferred to work with the officials in charge of operations at the Chang'an Railway Station.

Let's discuss matters concerning the future management of the train station.

Wang De approached the other party with a smile and handed over Li Chengqian's edict with both hands.

"Your Highness, receive the decree."

Li Yun's hands trembled, and tears streamed down his face from emotion.

He carefully accepted the decree with both hands.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace! I will certainly live up to your teachings and trust!"

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Alright, one decree is one thing, two decrees are another..."

He then gave the King of Wei a meaningful look.

The latter nodded and took out a decree.

"Seventh Prince, Prince Yan, Li Yun, hear the imperial decree..."

"The railway is a matter of national destiny for our Great Tang Dynasty. It is a necessary national policy for the future development of our Great Tang Dynasty. The benefits of trains are incomparable to ordinary carriages and horses. If our Great Tang Dynasty has a railway that can traverse the world, the national strength of our Great Tang Dynasty will surely shine brightly in China and shake the past and present."

"Now, I, the King of Wei, with the authority of the Regent, appoint Prince Li Yun of Yan as the first Minister of Railways of our Great Tang Dynasty. I hereby grant special permission to raise 30,000 troops for railway protection and security, and to establish dedicated departments for iron smelting and steelmaking, transportation machinery manufacturing, railway engineering, and railway training."

"We must prepare for the construction of the next railway trunk line and the mass production of the Zhenguan train as quickly as possible."

"The Prince of Yan is required to report to the Crown Prince every six months regarding his duties..."

"hiss!!!"

moment.

A collective gasp immediately filled the entire Taiji Hall.

Even the most trusted ministers of the Tang Dynasty, including the six ministers, looked up in horror at Crown Prince Li Chengqian and Prince Wei, Li Tai, on the platform.

Then someone turned to look at Prince Yan, Li Yun, who was also in a state of bewilderment and astonishment, with burning eyes.

If we say that the so-called Youzhou, oh no, now called Yanzhou, was a fiefdom...

Li Yun is highly likely not to go to his post directly, but will instead assume the power of the Prince of Yan remotely.

At this moment, the Minister of Railways truly wielded an iron fist.

It is real power!

Being able to smelt iron and manufacture steel, and having a quota of 30,000 soldiers, would have been an extremely dangerous situation in other dynasties.

The "Transportation Machinery Manufacturing Department," "Railway Engineering Department," and "Railway Training Department" mentioned in the imperial edict can be considered as independent entities, similar to the Six Ministries of the imperial court.

Such terrifying power has now fallen into the hands of Li Yun, a prince whose maternal family has absolutely no influence.

It can only be said that both His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Prince of Wei have extreme trust in this Seventh Prince...

Li Yun had no say in the thoughts and feelings of his officials.

Realizing he had been given far too much power, he felt immense pressure weighing on his shoulders.

He immediately wanted to plead with his elder brother and the others to rescind the appointment and choose someone else who would be more suitable.

however.

Having long anticipated that he would be this kind of person, Li Chengqian would never give him that opportunity.

Smile lightly.

He simply waved.

"Alright, stop refusing. I know your capabilities. Giving you this much power is indeed a bit too much, but I'm not completely ignoring you... If you need anything, I am your elder brother."

The eldest brother, Li Chengqian, had a face full of warm encouragement for his younger brother.

Prince Li Tai of Wei, who was standing to the side, also nodded.

"Seventh Brother, don't worry. Railway construction is a huge project, not just a matter of construction. It's a new industry that requires specialized training of talent. I will help you."

"What you need to do is to work diligently and not let down your brother's trust in you!"

Hear the words.

Now Li Yun opened his mouth, but no matter how worried he was, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.

Gritting her teeth, she forced back the tears of emotion that welled up in her eyes.

He solemnly accepted the imperial decree.

"Your Majesty, I will certainly not disappoint you!"

.......

The seventh prince, Li Yun, who had always been unremarkable and whose maternal family had no power whatsoever, was promoted to Prince of Yan by His Highness the Crown Prince.

They even made the former Youzhou their fiefdom!

This news came after the court session ended and all the officials left the court.

It quickly spread throughout the aristocratic circles of Chang'an, and even among the common people.

In no time, the name of Prince Yan, Li Yun, was quickly and earnestly remembered throughout Chang'an.

Just moments ago, Li Chengqian was chatting with his mother and Chang Le in the Imperial Garden about interesting things happening in Taiyuan Prefecture.

Among Li Er's many concubines, Wang Shi, who had no notable achievements other than giving birth to a son, excitedly brought Li Yun here.

As soon as he entered the Imperial Garden, he made a gesture to kneel before Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian, quick-witted and agile, hurriedly helped him up.

"Oh dear, why is Consort Wang going to such lengths? You're going to get my mother to punish me..."

He stared wide-eyed at Li Yun, who looked embarrassed and helpless to the side.

"Seventh brother, didn't I already tell you? There's no need for this, this..."

Consort Wang was visibly excited and waved her hands repeatedly.

"Your Highness misunderstands. It was not Yun'er's intention. I only meant what I felt personally. I never expected Your Highness to bestow such a high position upon Yun'er and grant her such power. I..."

Consort Wang then turned to look at Empress Zhangsun, who was smiling beside her.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince's reward is too great. The fact that Yun'er received the title of Prince of Yan is already an act of immense benevolence from the Crown Prince. And what about the Minister of Railways..."

Before she could finish speaking, Li Chengqian shook his head helplessly.

“Wang Zhaoyi, you seem to have misunderstood something… Even if you were to decline my decree, you could only decline the fiefdom and title of the Prince of Yan. The position of Minister of Railways was one I had already decided long ago.”

"It has to be the seventh brother!"

Empress Zhangsun smiled and stepped forward to help Consort Wang to sit down.

Knowing that the other person was timid and disliked conflict, she gently comforted her.

“Sister, don’t be nervous. Since Gao Ming and Qing Que have both decided on it, it must be because Yun’er is an outstanding child who can shoulder this responsibility.”

"Besides, the decree has already been issued. If we refuse again, that would really put Gao Ming and the others in a difficult position."

Upon seeing this, Consort Wang, with tears welling in her eyes, gratefully thanked the emperor for the reward.

Chang Le, who witnessed this scene, couldn't help but let out a clear laugh.

"Seventh Prince, I'm afraid you'll be getting a lot of marriage proposals from families in Chang'an lately... Prince Yan, Yan Prefecture will surely become another prosperous place like Bing Prefecture and Chang'an in the future."

Li Yun blushed.

However, being quick-witted by nature, he hurriedly spoke up.

"My third brother and the others are not engaged yet, so I don't need to rush."

These words successfully gave Empress Zhangsun and the others a new topic to discuss.

Consort Yang, standing to the side, then furrowed her brows at the opportune moment.

"Well, that's true. The Crown Prince has already arranged several marriages. Yin'er isn't in a hurry, but Ke'er... he can't possibly run into some Japanese woman in Japan, can he?"

"Your Highness, the Prince of Han of the Great Tang Dynasty, this is the most outstanding daughter of the head of our Mononobe family, she..."

Japan, Fukuoka Port of the Great Tang Dynasty.

Inside the city lord's mansion, before the guy who claimed to be an envoy of the Mononobe family could even finish his makeup, which was supposed to be a Han Dynasty style but had turned out to be a mess, he was seriously trying to imitate it.

The woman, dressed like she was attending a funeral, was introduced as the most beautiful pearl of Japan.

Li Ke's cold voice had already interrupted the other party.

"This one incident alone is enough to bring about the downfall of your Mononobe clan!"