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

"Speak if you have something to report, otherwise the court may adjourn."

With a distinctively accented voice from Eunuch Sun, the court assembly in the Taiji Hall began.

The drawings from a dozen or so documents sent by the Bingzhou New Policy Reform Office, along with the honeycomb briquette stoves forged from them, made the hall warm and cozy.

This made some elderly ministers, who were already old and could not withstand the cold, feel grateful for the Crown Prince's virtue.

Everyone remained motionless.

Li Shimin's face immediately fell.

"What? Is I, the emperor, no longer of any use?"

"Wei Zheng!"

The expressions of all the court officials present changed, and Wei Zheng, whose name was called, even trembled and hurriedly stepped out of the ranks.

"Chen is here!"

Li Shimin stared intently at the other person.

What is your current position?

Wei Zheng bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, I am an advisor."

"Bang! How many absurd things have I done and how much have I neglected state affairs in the past few months?!"

"Why have we never heard of you impeaching anyone?!"

"What use is a remonstrating official like you to me?!"

Emperor Taizong's angry shout caused the ministers present to look at each other in bewilderment. Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui exchanged a glance, as did Duke Wei, Pei Ji, and Duke Song, Xiao Yu.

Has His Majesty neglected state affairs?

His Majesty's stamping efficiency is quite high.

Wei Zheng's old face was wrinkled, his heart filled with indescribable bitterness and helplessness.

"Your Majesty, I... I have recently been studying the reform of the salaries of officials in Bingzhou Province under His Highness the Crown Prince. Some of the policies involved are truly astonishing..."

"boom!"

A loud, angry slam of the hand on the table.

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, Pei Ji and Xiao Yu's groups, immediately exchanged almost imperceptible nods.

The truth has come to light.

His Majesty's presence at court today must be because he was provoked by His Highness the Crown Prince.

Otherwise, the court currently has no new policies to discuss, nor any policies to implement, and is encountering policy obstacles that require Emperor Li Shimin to personally listen to the issues and make decisions on the direction.

They work diligently, and His Majesty stamps documents conscientiously—isn't that good enough?

"Fine! Fine, Wei Zheng! I've given you the high-ranking position of Grand Counselor, and you still complain that your salary is too low?"

"You say the Crown Prince is increasing the salaries of officials in Bingzhou? What? Are you, Wei Zheng, planning to seek a better position elsewhere?"

Wei Zheng's expression tightened instantly.

He hurriedly knelt down on the ground.

"Your Majesty, I had no such intention. I was merely stating the facts. I have neglected to supervise Your Majesty these past few days, which is my dereliction of duty. However, I am not being passive or negligent. In fact, His Highness the Crown Prince's policy on Bingzhou is truly a panacea for corruption in the officialdom of our Great Tang."

Wei Zheng hurriedly explained.

"His Highness the Crown Prince published an article in the *Great Tang New Gazette*, arguing that the salaries of officials in our Great Tang Dynasty are indeed too low. This has led some officials who are actually quite capable to be forced by circumstances to compromise their conscience and start taking bribes. Over time, this has created a climate of corruption."

"As an advisor, I have led my colleagues in the Censorate to impeach countless corrupt officials. However, recently I have been reviewing their official records."

"When they first took office in local government, they were all high-ranking officials, but within just three to five years of the founding of the nation, they all became parasites on the country."

"While there are indeed those who fail to uphold the fundamental principles of officialdom, ultimately, the problem lies in the low salaries of officials in our Great Tang Dynasty, which are frequently reduced due to tight national treasuries."

Li Shimin looked at Wei Zheng, who was stiff-necked and could talk endlessly about the strategy for becoming crown prince.

If the occasion weren't so inappropriate, I would have loved to confront the other person on the spot.

"Have you forgotten who held a knife to your throat in that cage back then?!"

Li Shimin took a deep breath and stared at the other person with a forced smile.

"Does Wei Zheng intend for me to raise the salaries of officials as well?"

Wei Zheng hurriedly shook his head: "Your Majesty has misunderstood me. I only said that His Highness the Crown Prince's policy is a good policy for the country, but I didn't mention that the Tang Dynasty's treasury is now sufficient to increase officials' salaries, and..."

He paused, and at that moment, Li Shimin's expression finally softened slightly.

however.

next moment.

"His Highness the Crown Prince said that while this policy can encourage and ensure that some officials remain steadfast in their principles, officials are also human. Simply increasing their salaries is like adding fuel to the fire; the greed of the human heart can never be satisfied."

Wei Zheng cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Majesty, I am still waiting for the next issue of the *Great Tang New Gazette*."

Li Shimin: "......"

Li Shimin clenched his fists tightly beneath his dragon robe. It was that good crown prince of mine again!

His gaze was fixed on Wei Zheng, who still appeared to be completely convinced of the Crown Prince's authority, and his lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

In the end, he just snorted coldly.

He took a deep breath and looked at his trusted advisors, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui.

"Minister Fang, Minister Du, tell me, do you have any good strategies that I need to decide?"

Fang and Du exchanged a glance.

Slight hesitation.

It's almost the end of the year, and everything that needed to be decided has already been finalized.

To bring up something that needs to be determined later is no different from deceiving the emperor.

Suddenly.

"Your Majesty, Jieli and Tuyong will soon be escorted to Chang'an, and General Li Jing and the others should also be returning from Hedong Road. Your Majesty should determine the rewards and punishments based on their merits."

Li Shimin: "......"

I have no need to ask!

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jiang, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, who was standing among the officials, and some censors from the Zheng family of Xingyang stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince has rendered unparalleled service to our Great Tang Dynasty by annihilating the Eastern Turks. This is an unparalleled achievement that could destroy a nation!"

"Your Highness has won the hearts and minds of the Turkic people, who have voluntarily submitted to us and are now willing to serve the Tang Dynasty. From now on, they will identify themselves as children of the Turkic people of the Tang Dynasty. This is the result of your education and guidance!"

"Furthermore, the new policies implemented by His Highness the Crown Prince in Bingzhou have been widely praised by the people. As far as I know, His Highness the Crown Prince has only been in Bingzhou for half a year, yet he has created thousands of workshops of all sizes, providing jobs for hundreds of thousands of people in our Great Tang Dynasty."

"The official roads throughout Bingzhou were extensively repaired, and waterways were expanded, which facilitated people's livelihoods and also generated substantial commercial tax revenue."

"His Highness the Crown Prince's policy of exempting agricultural taxes and collecting commercial taxes has already shown initial results!"

"Your Majesty, this is all thanks to His Highness the Crown Prince's excellent governance!"

"Throughout history, I have never heard of a prince of such a young age who has accomplished such extraordinary feats!"

"Your Majesty, this is a blessing from Heaven upon our Great Tang!"

"Your Majesty, I, Zheng Jiang, Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, request that Your Majesty reward the Crown Prince handsomely!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a large number of people in the crowd knelt down.

"Your Majesty, I, Wang Deyi, the Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, request that Your Majesty reward the Crown Prince handsomely!"

"Your Majesty, I, Xiao Yu, beg Your Majesty to reward the Crown Prince handsomely!"

"Your subject, Pei Ji..."

In the blink of an eye, apart from the military generals who had followed Li Shimin in conquering the country and looking at each other in bewilderment, the civil officials had already knelt down in large numbers.

Li Shimin opened his mouth, looking at the current court situation with a look of astonishment.

His face was full of disbelief.

Among the five surnames and seven prominent families, several, including the Lu family of Fanyang, had already been expelled from the court and fled to Goguryeo.

The only remaining members of the Wang family of Taiyuan and the Zheng family of Xingyang in the imperial court have become complete supporters of Crown Prince Li Chengqian.

And then look at those veteran officials who upheld martial virtue.

Pei Ji's son, Lawyer Pei, is now in charge of legal affairs at the Bingzhou Dao New Policy Reform Department.

Xiao Yu's son, Xiao Rui, is currently the Director of Commerce at the Bingzhou Road New Policy Reform Department.

The officials, both high and low, represented by these two individuals are a force to be reckoned with.

Not to mention, their own good crown prince, after conquering the Eastern Turks, also rescued Xiao Yu's sister, the former Empress Xiao.

These two families must also follow the Crown Prince's lead.

Are you looking at yourself?

Hou Junji is now in cahoots with the Crown Prince at Yanmen Pass.

Cheng Yaojin's two sons are now both in Bingzhou, and his eldest son, Cheng Chumo, is even serving in the Eastern Palace.

And the sons of those two old men, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, were also in the Eastern Palace...

"hiss!"

Li Shimin gasped inwardly, for it suddenly occurred to him.

His brother-in-law, Changsun Wuji, had gone to Bingzhou to inspect the area that day. He brought back 50,000 elite iron soldiers and armor, but he also left his two sons, Changsun Chong and Changsun Huan, in Bingzhou...

Seeing that Li Shimin did not react for a long time, the ministers looked up to check, only to notice Li Shimin's unpredictable and strange expression.

Zheng Jiang turned around and glanced at the current situation in the court. He immediately felt a sense of unease.

however.

It's too late to say anything now.

Li Shimin's gaze swept over the crowd with a deep, unsettling look: "Oh? A generous reward for the Crown Prince. Do any of you officials have any suggestions? Feel free to speak up?"

"I am all ears!"

His deliberate, measured tone made everyone present realize their own impulsiveness.

They immediately fell silent.

Li Shimin snorted coldly. His initial desire to be diligent in government affairs, which had been aroused, was now as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on him.

"Court adjourned! Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, come with me to the Ganlu Hall!"

Watching Li Shimin's indignant departure, Zheng Jiang beat his chest and stamped his feet in frustration.

"Alas! It was my mistake. Such a good thing was ruined by me. If the Crown Prince hears about it, won't he blame me..." Zheng Jiang's expression was full of worry and distress.

He had thought that even if he brought up the matter himself in court today, he would be able to get away with it.

Apart from the Zheng family of Xingyang and the Wang family of Taiyuan, who have already openly raised their banners as members of the Crown Prince's faction, it is almost impossible for them to receive any other support. After all, the Crown Prince's achievements have always required careful consideration.

Especially during the emperor's prime.

however.

The overwhelming support from nearly half of the court officials caught them off guard and made Li Shimin feel a tremendous threat.

Ganlu Temple.

"Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, are you two going to serve as officials for my Crown Prince?!"

Li Shimin was furious and immediately began to question the emperor upon entering the Ganlu Hall.

"thump!"

Having anticipated that His Majesty, the Supreme General of Heavenly Strategy, would question them in this way, the two immediately knelt on the ground.

"Your Majesty, I have served you since you were still the Prince of Qin. How could I possibly have any disloyal intentions!"

"Your Majesty, we have always been devoted to the country. Even when the Crown Prince and Prince Qi threatened us with swords and axes, and tempted us with high positions and generous rewards, we still stood firmly by Your Majesty's side. Why does Your Majesty doubt us so much today?!"

Tears welled up in their eyes instantly.

He looked heartbroken, as if he were suspected by the monarch and wished he could kill himself by crashing into a pillar on the spot to clear his name.

Instantly, the atmosphere in the Ganlu Hall froze.

Li Shimin sat in the grand master's chair, but he felt that the chair designed by his own crown prince was quite uncomfortable to sit in.

He then stepped onto the soft couch beside him.