Datang: What's wrong with my fief being a billion points larger?

Chapter 168 Be obedient to me, I can choose more than just you two!

Li Shimin frowned and pondered. Although he had been preparing for a mutiny, he really didn't want to do it until the last step. The success rate was a big problem, and he had nothing to do with justice, especially now that Li Yuanji was in Lingnan and was doing a great job.

Li Shimin knew very well that if there was any unusual movement in Chang'an, Li Yuanji would get to know the news. If Li Yuanji also had this idea and stood up to avenge Li Jiancheng, all the remaining followers of Li Jiancheng would definitely turn to Li Yuanji. Then, the world would be really difficult to save.

Especially now that the Turks are eyeing them covetously, if we put our troops into the war against Li Yuanji, it will definitely give the Turks an opportunity to take advantage. If we guard against the Turks, what should we do with Li Yuanji's powerful army?

Li Yuanji now has considerable power in Lingnan, and with the addition of Li Jiancheng's power outside, the entire Tang Dynasty will be in turmoil.

But if he does not take this path now, as Du Ruhui said, he has no way out. Even if he gives up the fight, no one in the Qin Palace will agree, because once Li Jiancheng comes to power, he and everyone in the Qin Palace will inevitably be liquidated, and no one wants to face this outcome.

Now he had to fight. Although Li Shimin was unwilling to go down the path of mutiny, he knew very well that he might really have to leave. Even if he didn't leave, the people in the Prince of Qin's Mansion would force him to leave. He had no choice at all.

Just after Li Shimin had been in painful contemplation for a while, Yuchi Gong walked in.

"Your Majesty, someone has come from the palace. The Saint has asked Your Majesty to enter the palace as soon as possible. The Crown Prince has also been summoned to the palace."

Li Shimin understood in a moment what Li Yuan was going to do. It must be because of this incident that what Changsun Wuji had done in the past was now exposed.

Li Shimin felt a little regretful at this moment. If he had known that the letter must not make Li Yuanji feel the slightest bit afraid or suspicious, he would not let Zhangsun Wuji go no matter what. Now, even if Li Yuanji let go of that matter and even if the relationship was eased, it would no longer be of any use.

Li Shimin then looked at Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui.

"Wait here for me to come back. The Saint asked me and the Crown Prince to enter the palace this time. It must be for this matter. Wait until I come back and then make a decision!"

Li Yuan's attitude this time will directly determine his thoughts. If Li Yuan really pursues the matter, he can only take risky moves.

Li Yuan was meditating with his eyes closed in the Taiji Palace. There was no one serving him. Even the eunuchs, palace maids, and guards were all called by Li Yuan to the outside.

Li Yuan was extremely calm at this moment. He had already known about Li Yuanji's affairs from Cen Wenben's letter. He was disappointed and a little angry, but so what?
Now that this incident has passed, the fight between Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin is becoming increasingly difficult to control, and he does not want to add fuel to the fire. As for Changsun Wuji, losing Changsun Wuji in exchange for a balance of the situation is a good thing in Li Yuan's view.

As for Li Yuanji, he has already paid a lot, giving money, food and supplies to people. Although he gave them for other purposes, let's just say he gave them or not. Since he gave them, Li Yuanji also received benefits, and that's the end of the matter.

After a long time, Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin arrived one after another.

"My son, I will meet my father."

Li Yuan looked at the two of them, and after a moment he slowly spoke.

"Get up, you should know what the King of Qi did in Lingnan, right?
Sanlang was a very capable man. He developed Lingnan and invented many magical things, including a waterwheel that could draw water from low places and did not require any manpower, a curved plow that was more conducive to farming, a rice bucket, and many other things, including sugar, salt, and so on.

This time, Sanlang brought the production drawings of the curved plow and waterwheel. With these, the people's livelihood in the Tang Dynasty will surely be improved and get better and better. Sanlang's achievements must be recorded in the history books, and in the future Sanlang will also regularly send salt, sugar, and the newly brewed Zuixianjiu.

I think you don’t know yet, I will give you some later. Next, Prince and King Qin, you will draft a recruitment for me together and spread it to the world. The name of Sanlang must be known to everyone in the world!
At the beginning, Sanlang said that he went to Lingnan to make contributions to the Tang Dynasty. Now his contribution is so great that it must be vigorously publicized.

Prince, King Qin, what do you think? "

Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin were both surprised. Weren't they talking about that matter? Why were they talking about this? It was fine if they were all praising Li Yuanji, but they also asked them to draft the recruitment. What was the purpose?
But after a moment, the two men felt differently. Li Jiancheng felt heavy-hearted, while Li Shimin felt relieved. Now that Li Yuan said this, the signal undoubtedly indicated that Li Yuan was no longer going to talk about that matter anymore, and that matter was completely over.

The two adjusted their thoughts and spoke immediately.

"Yuanji has made such great contributions to the Tang Dynasty in Lingnan. I think that the news should be spread throughout the country to commend Yuanji for his achievements in the Tang Dynasty."

Li Shimin spoke first, and Li Jiancheng followed immediately.

"Father, this is what should be done."

Neither of them mentioned anything about rewards, except that there was nothing to be given now, and they didn't want Li Yuanji to have too much power. Even if the news spread throughout the world now, it would be enough to greatly increase Li Yuanji's reputation. If they were given real power, how would they cope?

Especially Li Jiancheng. He already has enough headaches with Li Shimin, and now there is Li Yuanji who has no idea what he is thinking. It is really too aggrieved for him as the crown prince.

Seeing that the two agreed, Li Yuan spoke again.

"Okay, then you guys will go down and take care of this later. Besides, Sanlang is now opening a college in Lingnan. You all know that Sanlang didn't bring many people with him, so it can be said that he is short of manpower. However, Lingnan doesn't have many talents either, so he plans to train some on his own.

I have already issued an edict, sending Kong Yingda and four others to help Sanlang educate talents. The two of you should divide up some of the books in your house, and Kong Yingda and the others will take them over tomorrow. This will be regarded as the thought of you two as brothers.

This isn't difficult for you, is it?"

Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin were shocked. They never thought that Li Yuanji had opened an academy in Lingnan. In their eyes, this academy was the Imperial College of the court today. The Imperial College was to train talents for the court, while Li Yuanji's academy was to train talents for himself.

The two men became even more wary of Li Yuanji. They could already imagine how much help Li Yuanji would be once his academy was established.

Now that Li Yuan asked this, what else could they do but agree. After all, they were both Li Yuanji's "good brothers".

"I agree. I will prepare the collection of books and send it to Kong Yingda after I go down."

A smile gradually appeared on Li Yuan's face, and what he said next sounded much more relaxed.

"Well, as for which books to send over, I believe you two can prepare them naturally. Just don't embarrass yourself by giving them over when the time comes." Li Yuan's words were also a reminder for the two of them not to send some miscellaneous books that were not of much use. The two of them had no choice but to agree, and Li Yuan's voice was heard again.

"Now the Tang Dynasty is in ruins, and Sanlang has made great progress in Lingnan. This time, Sanlang wrote to say that there are too many victims in the Tang Dynasty and the court is now burdened too much. For this reason, Sanlang requested that the court, which is now unable to afford the restoration of the country, could transfer some of the refugees to Lingnan.

Refugees and displaced persons near Lingnan can move in directly, and those farther away can take the water route. Sanlang said that he has prepared boats to take the refugees from the Tang Dynasty to Lingnan.

Sanlang is thoughtful. He knows that the court is in a difficult situation now. Guanzhong has suffered from a severe drought, people's livelihood is declining, and there are many refugees. The court cannot accommodate them all at once. Food prices are also constantly rising. The court's food is already seriously insufficient. At such a time, Sanlang is not afraid of the danger in Lingnan and helps the court in this way. You two should really learn more from Sanlang.

This matter is left to you, the prince, to transport the refugees to Lingnan. Since Sanlang is willing to work hard to help the Tang Dynasty, his efforts cannot be in vain. This matter must be carried out as soon as possible.

Prince, can this be done?"

Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin felt even more heavy-hearted. They knew exactly what kind of person Li Yuanji was before he left Chang'an. Now that Li Yuanji brought up this matter, it would definitely solve the food problem for the refugees.

The biggest limitation of Lingnan is that it has a small population. Now that so many people have been poured in, they dare not imagine how Lingnan will develop.

But the two were also helpless, mainly because they really couldn't solve this problem now. Li Jiancheng was okay, as the noble families around him could help him deal with a lot of problems, but those noble families would not give unconditionally, and he, Li Jiancheng, could only solve a small part of it.

Now that Li Yuan said this, they had no way to refute and could only send people to Li Yuanji. At this time, they both realized that although Li Yuan did not mention that matter anymore, he was using Li Yuanji to threaten them.

Li Jiancheng was secretly resentful in his heart, but he could only grit his teeth and stand up to agree. Even if it would cultivate Li Yuanji into a giant in Lingnan, he would accept it. The only thing that made him feel better was that Lingnan was remote, and he could slowly weaken it after he came to power.

"Father, I understand. I will start working on this matter as soon as I get down there and transfer the refugees to Lingnan as soon as possible."

Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin never expected that the ultimate beneficiary of their fierce fight here was Li Yuanji who was far away in Lingnan. Although that place was remote and could not affect Chang'an, they still felt bad seeing Li Yuanji gradually gaining power.

After hearing this, Li Yuan's smile became more obvious, but then he put away his smile and talked about important things.

"There is one last thing. Sanlang is now going to use military force against the Liao people. Those Liao people in the southwest have invaded Lingnan many times. Sanlang is determined to destroy these Liao people, so he wrote to me, hoping that Wei Yunqi can lead his army to attack and attack the Liao people together with Sanlang's troops.

I am also disgusted with those who rebel against the emperor. Sanlang has this intention, and I support it. What do you think? "

After Li Yuan finished speaking, Li Shimin did not say anything, because in his opinion, he was also a vested interest in this matter. Wei Yunqi was Li Jiancheng's man, and he could not interrupt, otherwise his intention would be too obvious. As long as Wei Yunqi led the army out, Dou Gui would be able to take sole power, and Dou Gui was his man.

Li Jiancheng was also under increasing pressure. It was obvious that Li Yuan wanted to see his attitude. Li Yuan could have issued an edict directly, but he had to ask him. The meaning was obvious enough, and Li Jiancheng could only swallow his anger.

"Father, the rebellion should be suppressed. You can let Wei Yunqi lead the army to assist the King of Qi."

Only after Li Jiancheng showed his attitude did Li Yuan smile from the bottom of his heart.

"Okay, since you agree, then it is decided. I will issue an edict later.

Now that Sanlang has made so many achievements in Lingnan, you two should also reflect on yourself. Look at Sanlang, how much he cares about me and how hard he works for the Tang Dynasty. The contributions he has made are no less than those of you two.

I hope that you two will remember to listen to me. I can choose more than just you two. You all know that Sanlang is now capable of shouldering the burden as well.

Okay, that's it, King Qin, you stay, and Prince, you go back."

The two men felt even more depressed when they listened to Li Yuan's words. Li Yuan kept calling them "Sanlang" and his favoritism was very obvious. In the end, he made it clear that he was warning them. But they had to listen. Li Yuanji, who was so powerful, could not be ignored even in Lingnan.

At this moment, both of them were very nervous, as there was a new competitor for that position.

But fortunately, the competitor is in Lingnan.

Li Jiancheng retreated alone, and Li Yuan's face immediately darkened and he looked at Li Shimin gloomily.

"Erlang, you disappoint me and make me sad. When Sanlang went to Lingnan, could you not tolerate him? You even lied to me before. Now explain to me what happened to Changsun Wuji?"

Li Yuan stared at Li Shimin with sharp eyes, but Li Shimin showed no emotion at all.

"Father, I really don't know what you mean. I didn't do those things!"

Li Shimin also stared at Li Yuan closely. He knew what Li Yuan said, but he just refused to admit it. He couldn't admit it. Most importantly, Li Yuan had no evidence. He could know it, but he couldn't punish him without evidence.

Li Yuan looked at Li Shimin and suddenly smiled.

"Haha, good, very good! You are worthy of being the King of Qin of the Tang Dynasty, my General of Heavenly Strategy. When Zhangsun Wuji comes back, I will handle it myself. Since it was not you who did it, I am relieved. Go down."

Li Shimin's pupils shrank. Li Yuan's words clearly told him that he was going to take action against Changsun Wuji. Since he was not involved, Li Yuan would not care about him. However, he could not interfere in Changsun Wuji's affairs.

Li Shimin slowly left the Taiji Palace, his heart still heavy. It was a good thing for him that Li Yuan did not pursue what happened today, but the other things were not good news for him.

After thinking for a while, Li Shimin suddenly realized that if Li Yuan wanted to deal with Changsun Wuji, he could only start from other aspects. The incident with Li Yuanji had already passed and there was no evidence. If Li Yuan forced it, no one would be convinced.

After thinking it through, Li Shimin hurried back. The matter of Changsun Wuji could only be dealt with after Changsun Wuji came back. Now that there were changes here, he had to go back to the Prince of Qin's Mansion to rethink countermeasures.

(End of this chapter)