My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 438 Sending the Princes Abroad
Taiji Side Hall.

The brazier was burning brightly, and the sandalwood incense from the bronze crane incense burner was rising gently, but it could not dispel the tense atmosphere in the hall.

Li Shimin sat listlessly at his desk, his fingers unconsciously stroking the camel model on the sand table.

That was a sand table ornament presented as tribute by a small kingdom in the Western Regions.

On the table lay the "Memorial on New Policies for the Imperial Clan," which Li Chengqian had just sent. The most eye-catching sentence was: "Princes may travel overseas to study and engage in business in foreign lands, so as to see the vastness of the world and develop their ability to help the world."

He circled it again and again with a vermilion pen, until the ink smudged.

"He's trying to drive Qingque and Zhinu to the ends of the earth!"

Li Shimin slammed the vermilion brush down on the table, the ink splattering onto the bright yellow mat like specks of blood.

Zhang Anan, who was standing to the side, was so frightened that he lowered his head and dared not say a word.

These past few days, rumors have been circulating in Chang'an that the Crown Prince intends to change the old system of vassal kings, no longer allowing princes to guard their fiefdoms, but instead sending them overseas.

Everyone with a discerning eye thought it was a good thing, praising the Crown Prince for his magnanimity. But in Li Shimin's eyes, it was clearly a different way of eliminating the threat at its root.

With the new policies in place and tariffs sufficient, the Ministry of Personnel was overflowing with talented individuals from humble backgrounds, and Li Chengqian's power had long since grown.

The reason we kept Qingque the young servant in the past was to avoid the reputation of killing my brother.

Nowadays, people are sent away under the guise of studying abroad and doing business. The sea routes are treacherous, and the foreign lands are wild and untamed. A storm or an epidemic could easily cause the two sons to "die unexpectedly".

At that time, the whole world will praise the Crown Prince for valuing the education of the imperial clan. This intention is even more ruthless than directly wielding a knife!

"Your Majesty, please calm down. His Highness the Crown Prince may truly be thinking of the princes."

Zhang Anan tried to persuade him in a low voice, but before he could finish speaking, Li Shimin glared at him and told him to stop.

"Consideration?" Li Shimin sneered, his voice tinged with self-mockery. "Do you think I can't guess what Li Chengqian is thinking? For the sake of his new policies, who wouldn't dare to kill him?"

"Qingque treated him like that when he was vying for the throne, and Zhinu has an affair with Consort Wu. Can he tolerate these two potential threats? This study tour is a death warrant!"

As they were talking, the palace door was gently pushed open, and Li Chengqian walked in, dressed in casual clothes, his black brocade robe stained with some dust.

Seeing that the "Memorial on the New Policies for the Imperial Clan" on the table was covered in marks, Li Chengqian knew that Li Shimin was angry, but he did not rush to explain. Instead, he poured him a cup of hot tea.

"Father seems irritable today, perhaps because the stove is too hot." Li Chengqian pushed the teacup in front of Li Shimin. A few pieces of Xinhui tangerine peel floated in the tea, which was a new tribute from Lingnan.

"Should I have someone replace the stove with a smaller one?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin snorted coldly.

"No need!"

The next moment, Li Shimin waved his hand and knocked over the teacup, the crisp sound of the celadon shattering echoing in the hall.

"Tell me, what is the meaning of this 'Memorial on New Policies for the Imperial Clan'? Are you sending your brothers overseas because you think the swords in Chang'an aren't sharp enough, and you want to use the storm to kill them?"

Li Chengqian's gaze fell on the broken porcelain shards on the ground. He frowned slightly, but did not get angry.

He knew Li Shimin would overthink things, after all, power struggles in this world have always been a matter of life and death.

But his plans were completely different from Li Shimin's.

He had witnessed the chaos of later generations of feudal lords seizing power, and the decadence of royal family members trapped in their fiefdoms, living off their inheritance. What he wanted was not to eradicate them completely, but to truly bring these precious members of the royal family to life.

"Does Father Emperor think that I killed the son of the former Sui governor to vent my anger?"

Li Chengqian spoke slowly, his voice calm: "No, it was because he smuggled ironware to aid the enemy, undermining the foundation of the new policies. I executed Abdullah because he smuggled sulfur, endangering the safety of the Tang Dynasty. I always act according to the rules, not personal grudges."

Li Chengqian bent down to pick up a piece of broken porcelain, his fingertip was cut and blood seeped out, but he didn't care at all.

“If the Prince of Wei and the Prince of Jin had remained law-abiding in Chang’an, I would never have considered taking action against them. But Father should also understand that the old system of vassal kings guarding their fiefdoms should have been changed long ago.”

“In the past, the royal family members were confined to their fiefdoms, either raising private armies and causing chaos, or living a life of debauchery, which was of no benefit to the country and the people. I sent them overseas, not as exiles, but to let them see the world.”

"See the world?" Li Shimin sneered. "The sea routes are thousands of miles long, the winds and waves are unpredictable, and foreign barbarians surround us. What do you want them to see? How they will die?"

Li Chengqian took out a nautical chart from his sleeve and spread it out on the table. Fifteen ocean routes were marked on the chart in red ink, from Guangzhou to Malacca, from Mingzhou to Japan, and the local customs and products along the way were written in dense detail.

“See how the trading posts of the Abbasid Caliphate connected the three continents, see how the brocade weaving techniques of Silla were improved, and see how Persian mathematics was used to master accounting.”

"I had the navy compile a 'Record of Travels to Foreign Lands,' which records the glassmaking techniques of the Abbasid Caliphate, the sugar-making methods of India, and the shipbuilding techniques of Byzantium. Can these things be learned while confined to the palaces of Chang'an?"

Li Chengqian pointed to the Arabian port on the nautical chart: "Let the Prince of Wei go to Arabia to study. He loves reading and can go and see their mathematical classics. When he comes back, he might be able to help the Ministry of Revenue with tax calculations."

“Let Prince Jin go to Jiangnan to learn business. He is meticulous and can travel with the merchant caravans of the Ministry of Finance a few times. Perhaps he can understand how Tang notes circulate.”

"If they can return after completing their studies, they will be a great help to the Tang Dynasty. Even if they fail to complete their studies, opening a trading post overseas and doing some silk business is better than engaging in infighting in Chang'an."

Li Shimin stared at the shipping routes on the nautical chart, his fingers trembling slightly. He was no stranger to ocean-going merchant ships and knew that the Haihu warships in Guangzhou Port could communicate with the Arabs, but sending a prince to such a distant place... he still couldn't believe it.

"What if they don't go?" Li Shimin asked in a deep voice, his tone carrying a final probing.

Li Chengqian answered decisively: "If I'm not going, then I won't go."

“I wrote clearly in my memorial that ‘those who voluntarily travel to study or do business will be provided with boats, funds, and guards by the court; those who wish to stay in Chang’an can enter the school to learn practical skills or take up a sinecure, with their salaries paid as usual.’”

Li Chengqian paused, his gaze falling on Li Shimin's graying temples, his voice softening: "Father, I am no longer the crown prince who had to fight for the throne with swords and spears."

"The key to a stable new policy and a peaceful world lies not in killing brothers, but in ensuring that everyone has their place. If members of the royal family can use their talents, even if they only earn some copper coins overseas, it is better than becoming vassal kings who bring disaster to the country."

Li Shimin looked into Li Chengqian's eyes and saw a frankness that contained no trace of ruthlessness, only a certainty he had never felt before.

It's as if they foresaw the chaos a century later, and that's why they're laying the groundwork today.

He recalled the changes in the new policies over the past two years, how the drafts of the Ministry of Revenue could reach the Western Regions, how the black flag of the Inspection Department had suppressed smuggling, and how the number of foreign merchants in the West Market of Chang'an had increased by 30%... What Li Chengqian did was indeed more "profound" than what he had done back then.

Sending his son to such a faraway place, his heart as a father was always filled with worry.

"The sea route is treacherous, and the escorts must be the most elite of the navy."

Li Shimin turned his face away, his voice softening almost imperceptibly: "The ships given to them must be newly built watertight ships from Mingzhou, and they must have enough provisions and a full complement of medical officers."

A hint of a smile flashed in Li Chengqian's eyes as he bowed and said, "I have made all the arrangements. Naval Captain Cai Yu will personally select the guards, and the ships will be the most stable kind built using the 'New Techniques for Ship Construction,' with even the compasses on board being 30% more accurate than those on ordinary merchant ships."

The sandalwood incense in the hall gradually dissipated, and the fire in the brazier also weakened.

Li Shimin gazed at the withered branches outside the window and suddenly sighed, "Your temperament is just like your mother's; once you've made up your mind, nothing can change it." Li Chengqian didn't reply, but silently tidied up the broken porcelain shards on the table.

Sunlight streamed through the window, falling on the shipping routes on the nautical chart like golden paths.

Li Chengqian knew that Li Shimin had not completely gotten over the hurdle in his heart, but at least the misunderstanding about the new system of vassal kings had finally been cleared up.

Whether the King of Wei and the King of Jin ultimately choose to leave Chang'an is their business.

What he could do was to give them a different path, a path that would allow them to avoid trouble and actually accomplish something.

Ultimately, we must look forward to the future.
-
The summer of the twenty-third year of Zhenguan was like a palette of colors overturned by God, half of it was turbulent waves and the other half was scorched earth.

Just over half a month into summer, Henan Province was hit by torrential rains, causing the Luo River and Bian River to swell simultaneously, and the dikes collapsed overnight.

The next morning, when the people of Zhengzhou and Bianzhou awoke from their sleep, their homes had been turned into a vast expanse of water. Large tracts of farmland were submerged, and the victims struggled in the floodwaters, clinging to door panels. Their cries carried for miles along the water's flow.

Meanwhile, in Longyou, a thousand miles away, it had been three months without rain. The tributaries of the Wei River had dried up, and the wheat fields were cracked so badly that a fist could fit inside. Old farmers knelt on the ridges of the fields, kowtowing to the scorching sun, their foreheads bleeding, but they could not beg for a single drop of rain.

Even more terrifying were the chain reactions following the disaster. In mid-July, just as the floodwaters receded in Henan Province, an epidemic began to spread in the hot, humid mud. First, children suffered from vomiting and diarrhea, and then the disease spread to the resettlement sites for disaster victims. Every day, people collapsed in the thatched huts, and even the doctors' medicine boxes were empty.

When the news reached Chang'an, the morning market on Zhuque Street became somewhat deserted. People carrying vegetable baskets discussed, "I'm afraid we're going to suffer a great calamity. It was like this at the end of the Sui Dynasty. After floods and droughts, there will always be great chaos."

This time, however, Chang'an's response was so fast that it caught everyone off guard.

On the same day that Li Chengqian received the report from Henan Province at the Eastern Palace, he ordered the bronze bell of the Ministry of Revenue to be rung directly, without waiting for the Ministry of Revenue to submit the regulations.

Half an hour later, the chief officials of the Ministry of Revenue, the Tang Dynasty Bank, the Inspection Bureau, and the Navy had gathered in the side hall of the East Palace. On the table were maps of Henan and Longyou, with the affected prefectures and counties marked in cinnabar.

"The Great Tang Bank immediately allocated five million strings of cash, with two million each allocated to Henan and Longyou, and one million reserved for emergencies."

Li Chengqian pointed to Zhengzhou on the map: "Use the bill of exchange to send it through the express post station. It must be delivered to the local officials within three days so that they can open the granaries and release the grain. In areas where there is a shortage of grain, the grain can be transferred from the Jiangnan Circuit to supplement it."

The manager of the Tang Dynasty Bank looked troubled: "Your Highness, five million strings of cash represent thirty percent of the bank's reserves. If we touch them..."

The reserves held by money shops are naturally the deposits of wealthy individuals.

"The lives of ordinary people are more important than copper coins."

Li Chengqian interrupted him, his tone resolute: "The new policy of establishing money shops was originally intended to 'connect those in need and relieve those in urgent need,' and now is the time to use them."

"The Ministry of Revenue issued a document to the Jiangnan grain transport authorities, ordering them to suspend grain ships bound for Chang'an and instead send 200,000 shi of coarse rice to Zhengzhou first."

"The navy will dispatch ten sea hawk warships to take inland waterways to transport salt and medicinal herbs from Yangzhou to Henan. The ships must be fast, and the inspection department will send people to escort them along the way, and no officials are allowed to embezzle."

The powerful, autocratic crown prince cannot tolerate any other voices.

No one dared to voice a dissenting opinion.

This matter was not brought to the imperial court; Li Chengqian issued the order directly.

One after another, Taoist edicts were issued from the Eastern Palace, like a fine net, instantly spreading to every corner of the Tang Dynasty.

Unlike before, these orders were not passed around through layers of government offices, but were delivered directly to the prefectural and county officials.

This was thanks to the "Six Departments of the County" system implemented under the new policy. Each county had a "Ministry of Civil Affairs" specifically in charge of disaster relief. The head of the ministry was directly appointed by the Ministry of Personnel. The performance evaluation law clearly stated that "those who fail to perform their duties in disaster relief will be dismissed immediately," so no one dared to delay.

The disaster victims in Henan Province were the first to feel the changes.

When Wang Xuan, the governor of Zhengzhou, received the imperial edict from the Crown Prince, he was looking at the empty granaries with worry.

On the afternoon of the third day, a courier from the express post station delivered a draft from the Tang Dynasty Bank. He took the draft to the branch of the Huitong Department in Bianzhou and cashed it in half an hour.

What amazed him even more was that on the morning of the fifth day, the grain transport ships from Jiangnan arrived at the ferry. The ships were flying black flags that read "Supervised by the Inspection Department". The naval soldiers escorting the ships directly carried "three-dimensional slips" to him for verification: "200,000 shi of coarse rice, 5,000 jin of salt, and 3,000 packets of medicinal herbs. Please sign if the verification is correct."

At the disaster relief site, the county clerks used arithmetic books to register the population and distributed grain according to the standard of "two liters of rice per day for the elderly, weak, women and children, and one and a half liters for able-bodied men." The numbers on the book were clear, and no one could get more than that.

Some disaster victims suspected that officials would embezzle funds, but the inspectors came to check the accounts every day, even weighing the remaining grain in the rice bins. They discovered that a minor official had secretly hidden two bags of rice, and he was immediately stripped of his official position and sent to Chang'an. The notice was posted at the entrance of the resettlement site, which frightened anyone into not daring to do anything.

The drought relief efforts in Longyou Prefecture demonstrated the effectiveness of the new policy in "resource allocation".

Li Chengqian transferred not only grain from Guanzhong, but also newly built "dragon bone waterwheels" from the Ministry of Works and Jinshi graduates from the Practical Affairs Department.

These young people, carrying blueprints, taught farmers to dig irrigation ditches on the dry riverbed and used arithmetic to calculate the optimal irrigation route.

More importantly, Datang Bank provided "disaster relief loans" to farmers in Longyou, interest-free for three years, so that they could buy new rice seeds to replant drought-resistant crops.

The governor of Qin Prefecture wrote in his report: "In the past, when we fought drought, we had to wait for grain from the imperial court and donations from the local government. Now, the bills of exchange are cashed as soon as they arrive, and water carts are available whenever needed. Although the disaster victims are suffering, there is no major chaos."

The most difficult problem is the epidemic.

Li Chengqian transferred thirty medical officers from the Imperial Medical Bureau in Chang'an, along with medicinal herbs purchased from Lingnan, which were delivered to Henan Province in five days by fast naval ships.

Following the Crown Prince's instructions, the medical officers dug isolation zones outside the resettlement sites, burned mugwort for disinfection, gave the disaster victims boiled medicinal soup, and even taught them the methods of "washing hands before meals and burying filth deep."

The Huitong Division also posted a notice: "Anyone who reports concealment of illness will be rewarded with ten strings of cash; anyone who cures a patient will be commended by the county government."

In less than ten days, the spreading epidemic was brought under control.

This severe flood, drought, and epidemic was like a sudden test, revealing the true capabilities of the new policies.

Merchants in Chang'an's West Market discovered that the drafts issued by the Huitong Company were more effective during years of famine.

In the past, when transporting grain to disaster areas, there was always the worry that local officials would default on their debts. Now, with the "Supervision Order" issued by the Crown Prince, one can exchange the grain for money upon arrival at the prefecture or county. The Inspection Office even sends ships to escort the grain, and even bandits dare not approach.

The impoverished scholars from Luoyang distinguished themselves in the disaster relief efforts. They used arithmetic to verify accounts and blueprints to plan irrigation canals, making them ten times more efficient than the old officials who could only quote classics. The red approval for "meritorious disaster relief" on the performance evaluation list quickly promoted them to higher positions.

The most shocking thing is to ordinary people.

When Li Erzhu, an old farmer in Zhengzhou, received his relief grain, he looked at the booklet in the clerk's hand, which was filled out with entries one by one, and couldn't help but ask, "In the past, during years of famine, the grain would take three months to arrive and would be deducted at every level. How come it's so fast now?"

The clerk smiled and waved the "three-dimensional report" in his hand: "This is His Highness the Crown Prince's regulation. Orders from Chang'an go directly to the county, and money from the banks goes directly to the granary. No one can withhold any of it!"

Even Li Shimin gleaned the key points from Zhang Anan's retelling.

"The medicinal herbs from Henan Province will arrive in five days, transported from Lingnan?"

He touched the flight path on the sand table and said, "During the Sui Dynasty, it would take half a month for a dispatch order to travel from Chang'an to Lingnan. Now, medicinal herbs can travel faster than news?"

Zhang Anan nodded: "The post stations of the Huitong Division have used new fast horses, the navy's ships are traveling on inland waterways with urgent speed, and with the Inspection Division clearing obstacles along the way, they can truly travel a thousand miles a day."

(End of this chapter)