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

Changan.

October is the busiest time for farming in the Central Plains region.

Sorghum, millet, soybeans, rice and other crops are all at the crucial time of the autumn harvest.

This year, the newly enthroned emperor exempted the grain tax and many projects that required corvée labor from being carried out. Instead, he focused on large-scale construction in Chang'an and along the official road from Chang'an to Taiyuan.

The people of more than a dozen counties surrounding Chang'an, including Wannian County, Lantian County, Xinfeng County, and Jingyang County, were mobilized on a large scale.

In front of the Manna Hall.

"Hahaha! Come on, Zhijie, put in some effort! Are you getting old?"

"Huh? Xiaogong, are you really putting in the effort? Could it be that the long journey back from Lingzhou has left you weak?"

"Yuchi Jingde, I never expected you to have such acting skills. Your face turned so red, yet you didn't exert any effort at all..."

Li Shimin stood proudly in a horse stance, his bare upper body with its bronze skin and strong muscles, which, under the sunlight, became the talk of the town among the concubines in the harem during this period.

At that moment, he was gripping a thick hemp rope tightly with both hands.

On the other side of the rope were Yuchi Jingde, Cheng Yaojin, and Li Shimin, who had just returned from Lingzhou and was appointed Minister of the Imperial Clan, responsible for managing the imperial clan of the Tang Dynasty.

however.

Today was supposed to be the day that the veteran officials of the Qin King's Palace were all looking forward to receiving their "dividends".

Everyone, including Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Changsun Wuji, rushed to the palace as soon as they were summoned by Li Shimin.

Unexpectedly, the dividends have not yet been received.

However, the faces of Cheng Yaojin and the other generals turned unbelievably red during a tug-of-war contest against His Majesty the Emperor, Comrade Li Er.

Changsun Wuji gasped in shock.

My mind couldn't help but drift to some of the legends circulating in the palace recently, since the Crown Prince's nephew left Chang'an to take charge of the new policies in Bingzhou more than a month ago.

And then there's her own younger sister, Empress Zhangsun, whose health has recently become noticeably abnormally good.

Coupled with the sudden appearance of Emperor Li Shimin, whose physical abilities far exceeded their comprehension, some uncontrollable speculations began to form in their minds.

"Wow! Your Majesty, don't be so smug, I, Old Cheng, have used all my strength!"

Cheng Yaojin glared angrily. Although Li Shimin was his superior, he, as a military general, felt that the three of them combined were no match for Li Shimin, the emperor.

Then he really needs to seriously consider whether he should continue to play the "tough guy" trick in front of His Majesty.

Cheng Yaojin, using every ounce of his strength, pulled hard on the hemp rope in his hands.

Leaning back, his waist, abdomen, and legs were taut like a crossbow bolt.

A series of barely perceptible creaking sounds began to emerge from the midst of the cursing as Li Shimin, Cheng Yaojin, and the other two began to pull with all their might.

Not far from the Ganlu Hall, in a pavilion.

Empress Zhangsun sipped her tea calmly. Her son had written a few days ago, mentioning a new way to drink tea. She had already sent someone to the place her son Chengqian had mentioned to find tea trees.

However, Empress Zhangsun still preferred the chrysanthemum tea that her husband, Chengqian, had been drinking earlier.

"Wow, His Majesty's physique is so incredibly strong and muscular?"

"How can the Empress possibly bear this..."

"Hehe, Sister Yin is quite the opportunist when it comes to caring for people. But, your drool is practically dripping from the corner of your mouth. Isn't that embarrassing if someone sees it?"

"What?! Oh! Sister Yang, you're actually teasing me?! You've changed!"

Among Li Shimin's many concubines, several of the higher-ranking ones leaned gracefully against the pavilion pillars, all of them now completely enamored with Li Er.

Empress Zhangsun, the empress of the Tang Dynasty, remained calm in the face of this.

"In that case, I will not allow His Majesty to stay overnight at Lizheng Palace tonight. As for the rest, you will have to consider it yourselves. After all, I think Sister Yang knows how difficult His Majesty has been lately."

Upon hearing this, Consort Yang, who was sitting next to Empress Zhangsun, blushed immediately.

He lowered his head and spat lightly.

Clearly, this is another taboo topic that women in the palace find quite interesting.

the other side.

With a "snap," the sound of the rope breaking came.

Comrade Li, who was prepared, instantly exerted force in his waist and abdomen, and his horse stance did not move an inch.

On the contrary, it was Cheng Yaojin and his group on the other side.

"Ouch!"

"Hiss! You old bastard Cheng, get your ass off my head, ugh..."

Cheng Yaojin, feeling dizzy and disoriented, scrambled to his feet amidst Li Xiaogong's angry curses.

For some reason, looking at Li Shimin, who was now wearing the dragon robe with the help of his personal eunuchs, a figure involuntarily appeared in his mind.

That day in front of the Xiande Hall of the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince beat those sons of military generals and nobles until they cried for their fathers and mothers!

Instantly, Cheng Yaojin, regaining his senses, let out a strange cry.

Pointing at Li Shimin, this burly man with a full beard and a robust build looked like one of the concubines in the pavilion not far away.

His face was full of resentment and grievance.

"Your Majesty, you're cheating! You weren't this powerful before, His Highness the Crown Prince must have given you some treasure again, right?"

"Could it be some kind of miraculous elixir?!"

At this point, Cheng Yaojin immediately ran to Li Shimin with a hopeful expression.

Flies rub their hands.

"Hehe, Your Majesty, look at how many years I, Old Cheng, have followed you, through wind and rain. For anything, all it takes is your nod of approval; I, Old Cheng, will always be your vanguard..."

Li Shimin remained calm, smiling and nodding.

"Yes, Zhijie, you are indeed my trusted brother."

Cheng Yaojin's eyes lit up immediately: "Then, Your Majesty, this miraculous elixir..."

Li Shimin blinked: "What kind of miraculous elixir?"

"No, Your Majesty, we were comrades who shared meals on the march back then. I, Old Cheng, know your strength best. With the strength you just showed, even the King of Chu wouldn't be a match for you."

"Your Majesty~ Well, at worst, I, Old Cheng, will not take any of the sea salt's share. Just one grain, how about you give me, Old Cheng, one grain?"

"As long as you nod your head, I, Old Cheng, will single-handedly go to the grasslands for you, capture that scoundrel Jieli, and bring him to Chang'an to perform a dance!"

Comrade Li Er wore a reserved smile.

After Cheng Yaojin launched into a long tirade, he simply replied with two words.

"no!"

Cheng Yaojin: "Oh dear~ Your Majesty~"

Li Shimin ignored the man and strode toward the Lizheng Hall.

Just then, the rapid sound of galloping hooves suddenly came from one of the palace gates.

Cheng Yaojin instantly switched into his dramatic act, stepping in front of his leader to shield him: "Your Majesty, be careful! With me, Cheng Yaojin, here, who dares to..."

"Go aside!"

Li Shimin shoved the clingy person away in annoyance.

The exhilarating feeling after showing off his martial prowess, coupled with Cheng Yaojin's clever flattery, made Li Shimin feel extremely pleased.

Upon seeing the approaching cavalrymen from the Hundred Cavalry Division, he simply waved his hand.

"Alright, bring me any reports you have."

The Hundred Cavalrymen instantly dismounted, respectfully took a thick bamboo tube from their robes, and presented it with both hands.

"Your Majesty, an urgent report from the Taiyuan Prefecture Hundred Cavalry Division!"

Upon hearing that it was an urgent report, Li Shimin was slightly taken aback, and the next moment his eyes flashed with an unprecedented blaze of fire.

Could it be that those Turkic barbarians are going to cause trouble again?

He opened the bamboo tube directly in front of his confidants.

The first thing pulled out was a roll of paper that had been carefully rolled up, with clear black writing on it, densely printed on it.

Fang Xuanling picked it up.

His brows furrowed slightly.

"The Great Tang Newspaper... What is this?"

Li Shimin's heart skipped a beat. Fang Xuanling and the others had not seen the memorial Li Chengqian had given him, but it had mentioned this thing before.

It was a tool that his own crown prince used to control public opinion and the hearts of the people in the grand plan of implementing the new policies.

He immediately took the newspaper from the other person's hand, unfolded it, and saw four neat sections, which gave him a refreshing feeling.

"The grand new policy—farmers own their land, land is exempt from taxes, and grain prices are guaranteed by the imperial court."

"With the approval of the Grand Chancellor of Bingzhou Circuit, His Highness Crown Prince Li Chengqian of the Eastern Palace has decreed that, effective immediately, officials of the surrounding counties and prefectures of Taiyuan Prefecture in Bingzhou Circuit shall cooperate to collect 20% of the land yield per mu as land tax from each household that owns more than 2 mu of land."

"For each household that owns more than 40 mu of land, the Bingzhou Dao New Policy Implementation Office will forcibly reclaim it at 25 guan per mu."

"For each household owning land exceeding the prescribed limit of 100 mu, the Bingzhou Dao New Policy Implementation Office will forcibly reclaim it at 25 guan per mu, with a maximum acquisition of 300 mu. Any land exceeding the limit will be forcibly confiscated by the imperial court."

"Starting today, a census will be conducted on the poor peasants without land or the landlords and tenants in the counties and prefectures surrounding Taiyuan Prefecture in Bingzhou Province, and every effort will be made to ensure that each household has 20-50 mu of arable land."

"After the land was distributed, the ownership of the land belonged to the Tang Empire, but the farmers who were allocated the land had the right to cultivate it for generations. The land could not be traded or sold."

"The Great Tang Bingzhou Circuit National Grain Reserve Bureau was established to determine grain prices before each quarterly harvest, guaranteeing farmers a minimum guaranteed price for their grain and ensuring that grain merchants do not maliciously lower prices or oppress farmers..."

this......

The contents of just one section were enough to give Li Shimin goosebumps all over his body.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid that the powerful clans and landlords in Bingzhou are about to cause an uproar!"

"Such forceful plundering..."

Changsun Wuji spoke excitedly, but halfway through his sentence, he suddenly felt a cold gaze fall on his face.

Li Shimin calmly looked up at him.

This immediately made Changsun Wuji realize what nonsense he had just said.

Your Highness has distributed the lands of those despicable landlords and noble families to the farmers of our Great Tang Dynasty, not only without collecting any taxes, but also by paying a large sum of money.

Can this be called extortion?!

However, despite keeping his mouth shut, Changsun Wuji, who was clearly a member of the landlord and aristocratic class in terms of social status, had an expression full of worry and complexity.

Beside him, Fang Xuanling took a deep breath, his expression solemn.

"Your Majesty, I fear that from today onwards, numerous impeachment memorials against His Highness the Crown Prince will be sent from all the prefectures and provinces throughout the Tang Dynasty... His Highness's new policies are far too radical!"

"Leaving aside the behemoths like the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families, even the tenants hidden by some small and medium-sized noble families, as well as the land they have annexed, amount to a considerable number... Your Highness may be in danger!"

Li Shimin was instantly startled: "Xuanling, are you saying that those aristocratic families in Bingzhou dare to resort to desperate measures?!"

Du Ruhui sighed, his face grim, and shook his head slightly.

"Your Majesty, it's probably not just the powerful clans of Bingzhou; the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families are likely to be furious..."

however.

The truth is, it didn't even last until the next day.

Just over an hour after Li Shimin received the urgent report from the Hundred Cavalry Commandery, eunuchs brought one after another court officials, urgently requesting an audience with the emperor.

Lizheng Hall.

Li Shimin's expression was solemn; that familiar headache had returned once again.

It finally returned to Emperor Li Er's life along with news of the Crown Prince.

"Hiss! Guanyinbi, I'm really worried now. Will that child Chengqian turn my Tang Dynasty into another Sui Dynasty...?"

"I study his memorials every day. His idea of ​​'governing the country together with the people' is undeniably bold, but I originally thought he would at least proceed step by step..."

"I underestimated my courage as the Crown Prince!"

Empress Zhangsun couldn't help but feel a little worried.

It's no wonder that these ministers couldn't sit still for even one night and all came to see the emperor today because his own son forcibly overturned the rules of the entire Bingzhou.

Tai Chi Hall.

As dusk approached, the eunuchs lit candlesticks one by one, illuminating the entire Taiji Hall.

However, at this moment, the candlelight reflected in the eyes of the noble families and veteran officials present resembled a raging war, already unfolding between the officials and the crown prince, and between the noble families and the common people.

Several imperial censors from aristocratic families stepped forward excitedly.

"Your Majesty, I impeach His Highness the Crown Prince for using the guise of the new policies to corrupt the nation, unleash his troops to commit atrocities, and seize people's property. His Highness the Crown Prince has neglected his moral conduct, causing the new policies to become completely reversed and bringing disaster to the region!"

"Your Majesty, I implore you to consider the needs of the people of Bingzhou! To consider the needs of all the people under heaven! To consider the needs of the peace and prosperity of our Great Tang Dynasty!"

"Stop the new policies, order all new policies in Bingzhou to return to their original state, return the land to the innocent people, and uphold justice and the law!"

"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince lacks virtue and talent. We humbly request that Your Majesty select another good teacher for him and allow him to return to Chang'an immediately to cultivate his character!"

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has lost his morals and disregarded the law; this is no child's play!"

"Your Majesty, we beg you to depose the Crown Prince!"

As soon as Li Shimin cleared his throat, almost half of the court officials present stepped forward to impeach him.

Even at the very end, a group of court officials led by Cui Minshi of the Qinghe Cui clan and Cui Mingan of the Boling Cui clan...

They even went so far as to call for the "dethronement of the crown prince"...