Chapter 27

"Enough, both of you, calm down! In the presence of the court, what kind of decorum is this?" Emperor Li Yuan was very troubled. Ever since that presumptuous and sickly grandson of his, Li Kuan, brought the matter to light, the situation had become increasingly complicated. Now, in the court, in front of all the officials, these few young men dared to confront each other so openly. If it were in private, they would probably fight to the death. Thinking about this, Li Yuan wished he could have the young man dragged out and executed at the Meridian Gate.

But he could only think it in his heart; he knew what kind of people his sons were. The eldest, though he held the legitimate position, was indeed inferior to the second son. Over the years, Li Yuan had been wavering between appointing the eldest and the most capable. When he first established the Tang Dynasty, he rashly appointed his eldest son as the crown prince. However, not appointing the eldest and instead choosing the second son would be unjustifiable, and although the eldest son, Li Jiancheng, had not achieved much in recent years, he had also not committed any faults!

The more he thought, the more his headache worsened. Looking at the two standing in the center of the hall, he felt a surge of anger: "Listen to me, both of you, step down now! Shimin, find Sun Simiao, the divine doctor, as soon as possible; he might be the only one in the world who can cure Pingyang! As for Yuanji, you stay put and don't cause any trouble during this time. Don't think I don't know about your misdeeds!" Li Yuan couldn't care about keeping family matters private anymore. Although he had been trying to be more composed since becoming emperor, he, a man of martial origins, could never truly master that.

"Your subject obeys the imperial command!" Li Shimin and Li Yuanji bowed and retreated.

"Alright, let's continue the discussion! Does any of you have matters to report?" Li Yuan sat on the Dragon Throne, looking at all the officials.

However, at this moment, all the officials were pondering the conversation between the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Qi, their expressions uncertain. No one was thinking about state affairs! The few words exchanged between the two princes had revealed some alarming information: first, the two princes had directly confronted each other, without the usual diplomatic niceties, indicating that the two major factions had already torn off their masks and no longer cared about each other's dignity. This forced most of them to choose sides! Second, the serious injury of Princess Pingyang, which was no small matter. Who was Princess Pingyang? She was the emperor's most beloved princess and the leader of the famous women's army. The legendary female general had been seriously injured while saving the Prince of Qin, and it seemed she could not be cured, which made many people's scales tip in one direction.

The expressions of the court officials were rich and varied, a true reflection of human nature, leaving one in awe. Among those who had supported Li Shimin, a few had uncertain expressions, indicating they were wavering. Li Shimin stood to one side, silently observing, sighing inwardly because some of these people he had always trusted were now wavering. Indeed, human hearts are hard to fathom!

Since Li Shimin entered the Taiji Palace, Li Jiancheng had not spoken a word, standing at the front of the officials with a calm expression, revealing nothing of his thoughts. Li Shimin felt a complex mix of emotions towards his elder brother. From childhood admiration to mutual trust during the uprising, to the current bitter rivalry, Li Shimin couldn't express his feelings.

"Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trivialities, but is the fratricide really a triviality?" Li Shimin asked himself, finding no answer.

"Since there are no other matters, let's adjourn the court!" Li Yuan knew that today's grand assembly was no longer necessary. All the officials were weighing their own gains and losses, who cared about the state of the nation? This was the nature of the aristocratic families. In this era of impending peace, these people, who had come from bloodshed, were first and foremost concerned with their own families. Their philosophy was to have a family before having a country.

"Your Majesty, this old minister, Xiao Yu, has something to report!" At this moment, an elderly man with white hair and beard stepped forward from the ranks of the civil officials.

"What is it, Minister Xiao? Speak quickly!" Li Yuan was somewhat relieved to find someone still cared about the state, rather than just their own affairs, so his voice softened a bit.

"Your Majesty, since winter began, heavy snow has fallen in the Hebei region, causing a disaster. I hope Your Majesty will open the national treasury to provide relief to the disaster victims!" Xiao Yu's voice was earnest, and he looked at Li Yuan with hope.

Li Yuan did not expect Xiao Yu to bring up such a matter. The snow disaster concerned the lives of millions of people, a major issue! The empire was not yet stable, and if a peasant uprising were to occur, it would be a disaster on top of a disaster! Li Yuan pondered, well aware of the state of the national treasury. There was some money, but it was far from enough to provide relief. Where else in the Tang Dynasty could there be spare funds? The chaos had left the empire poor, with little money and even less grain.

Another headache! Li Yuan's brows furrowed deeply, and he pulled at his beard, causing a sharp pain.

"Minister Cui, how much money and grain does the Ministry of Revenue have left?" Li Yuan asked the Minister of Revenue, Cui Xiang.

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue currently has 150,000 strings of coins and 100,000 dan of grain, after deducting the planned provisions for the armies for the first half of next year. To provide relief to all the people in the Hebei region, it would be like a drop in the bucket. However, the army's provisions cannot be touched, as a military mutiny would be far more dangerous than a peasant uprising!" Cui Xiang had no choice; the Tang Dynasty was poor. The wealthy had hidden their wealth, and even Cui Xiang's own clan, the Cui family of Qinghe, had stockpiled a large amount of copper coins. But these matters could not be spoken of, as they were the traditional practices of these powerful families. During times of chaos, they hoarded grain and money, and when peace returned, they continued to enjoy their high status, using their wealth to buy land from the people, expanding their family's power.

Li Yuan was aware of these practices, as he was also a member of one of these powerful families, the Li family of Guanzhong. The Li family also engaged in such activities, but as a family with a thousand-year history, they had to follow the rules. Even if the Cui family and others were hostile to the royal family and might make the royal family look bad in the new "Sizu Zhi" (Register of Clans), Li Yuan could not break these rules.

Feeling increasingly frustrated, Li Yuan was at a loss.

At this moment, the crown prince, Li Jiancheng, who had not spoken, stepped forward: "Father, I believe the snow disaster in the Hebei region does not need to use the national treasury!"

Li Jiancheng's words drew everyone's attention. This was not just a state, but a region. The Tang Dynasty had 360 states, and the Hebei region alone had 24 states and a protectorate. The amount of money and grain needed was astronomical. He claimed it did not need to use the national treasury, did he have the ability to turn stones into gold?

"What is your plan, Crown Prince? Speak quickly!" Li Yuan was curious.

"In fact, this time, my second brother led the army against the Turks, and the Prince of Qi, Chai Shao, suppressed the Tuyuhun. The spoils of war were far more than what the national treasury has. At least, I know that my second brother brought back wealth worth no less than 100,000 taels!" Li Jiancheng's words placed Li Shimin in the spotlight.

Li Yuan also looked at Li Shimin with a stern expression: "Well! After a war, you have become rich, but the national treasury is empty! You alone have 100,000 taels, and your generals, numbering over ten, must have at least a million taels in total. Add to that the rewards for the soldiers." Li Yuan didn't dare to think further, but he couldn't understand why Li Shimin's wars were so profitable. He himself had led armies before, but had only spent money.

Li Shimin knew this must have been leaked by a spy Li Jiancheng had planted. He couldn't help but smile bitterly. This time, they had indeed gained no less than a million taels. When they encountered Tuli, the Turkic Khan, he had just returned from raiding a commercial city on the Tang border, carrying the spoils of his raid. All of this was seized by Li Shimin. However, the compensation for the fallen soldiers and the provisions for the army were all deducted from this money. After the long journey into the grasslands, from the time they left the Jade Gate Pass, Li Shimin's army had not received any supplies, and had to plunder or buy from passing merchants. By the time they returned, only about 130,000 taels remained.

Li Shimin didn't dare to say there was only this much, as no one would believe it. How could his army not have received any supplies? No one would believe that, as Li Shimin knew the one who had spoken was his elder brother. Since he dared to speak, he must have been well-prepared, even having the transfer documents ready, and the recipient was the exposed spy.

Li Shimin was secretly angry. Although he had expected to be attacked after the confrontation, he didn't expect it to come so quickly and so fiercely.

"Indeed, this time I have seized a considerable amount of wealth, but it has already been distributed to my soldiers and the women's army. I am willing to donate my share, 130,000 taels, to help the disaster victims. However, I cannot make decisions for my soldiers, as this is what they have earned with their lives." Li Shimin directly donated what he had left and found an excuse to avoid donating the rest.

This move was clever, but it was not all of Li Shimin's strategy. Just now, Li Shimin had truly become disheartened. His brother was no longer, and now he faced two enemies driven by power, who wanted to see him dead. So he began his first counterattack in years.

"I have made my contribution. As the current crown prince, my elder brother has lived in the prosperous capital for a long time and has received many rewards from Father. I wonder..." Since you have betrayed me, you must also contribute! Li Shimin directly pulled Li Jiancheng in, making him also bleed.

Li Jiancheng, in his attempt to strike his opponent, also hit himself. Under Li Shimin's gaze, he had no choice but to donate the 150,000 taels he had accumulated over the years, as he was the crown prince and had to be at least a step above the Prince of Qin.

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