Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 189 I know what's urging you, but it's not time yet.

"Ten thousand shi!"

A loud shout came from downstairs from a Turk.

Li Shimin, who was holding a teacup on the second floor, suddenly stopped and turned to look at Wen He: "How much is this tea per shi (a unit of dry measure)?"

"Ten strings of cash, plus a thousand catties of wool," Wen He said with a smile.

"Do you know what the price of grain is in Chang'an now?" Li Shimin asked, somewhat taken aback.

I haven't really looked into Wen He recently.

"One hundred and fifty coins for a dou, and one shi is only one guan and five qian."

Li Shimin's eyes seemed to be shining, as if he had seen a mountain of gold.

Ten thousand shi of tea would amount to one hundred thousand guan.

This is just the amount for one person.

Wen He smiled helplessly and said, "Your Majesty, I can't even produce 10,000 shi a year now, and that Turk can't come up with that much money."

The Turk downstairs was just bluffing; when Qi Song announced the price, he immediately felt embarrassed.

"The master has made it clear that each person is limited to purchasing ten shi (a unit of dry measure) of tea the first time. The amount you can purchase will be linked to the amount of wool you bring next time. One thousand jin (a unit of weight) of wool can be used to purchase one shi of tea."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Turks looked at each other in bewilderment.

They really didn't understand what these Han people wanted that wool for.
On the grasslands, there is an abundance of wool, and every summer they have to worry about how to deal with it.

Wool removed from sheep without special treatment has a strong, pungent smell.

The Turks and people in the Western Regions did make clothes out of wool, but that was because they couldn't afford leather clothes and could only wear wool.

But they all knew that even the poorest Han Chinese in the Tang Dynasty couldn't stand the stench.

They didn't think that the people of the Tang Dynasty would use wool to make clothes.

"May I ask, what do you need the wool for?" a Turk asked impatiently.

Li Shimin, on the second floor, also pricked up his ears, wanting to know what Wen He needed so much wool for.

Qi Song smiled and uttered two words: "Keep it a secret."

The Turks were taken aback.

Li Shimin, standing on the second floor, glanced at me coldly, then chuckled lightly, "You wouldn't tell me it's a secret, would you?"

"Uh, no, how could that be? Wool can be used to make warm clothing."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Shimin frowned.

However, the latter did not rush to ask questions, but listened patiently.

Seeing his expression, Wen He knew what he wanted to say, and smiled and said, "Your Majesty knows that the wool has a strong smell and is difficult to weave into yarn, but Your Majesty still has a way to clean out the impurities inside. Winter is coming soon, after all."

Li Shimin's gaze remained flat and unmoved.

Because Wen He's words made no difference whatsoever.

Of course he knew that Wen He was resourceful. From the fact that he said that wool could be woven into thread, he knew that there would definitely be wool clothing in the future.

But this brat is hiding things from me; he didn't even tell me the time.
Noticing Li Shimin's unusual gaze, Wen He immediately guessed his thoughts and explained with a smile, "Your Majesty, the things here are very complicated, and I still need to experiment with them first. But if you want to know, I can tell you about them."

"For example, to clean wool, you need to first remove the grease on it, which requires potassium carbonate and lime water."

"What armor?"

Potassium carbonate, also known as wood ash.

"Wood ash is just wood ash, why are you talking about something like 'A'?"

"My bad, my bad."

Wen He pursed her lips helplessly.

For an ancient person who didn't even know what chemistry was, explaining how to remove wool was such a painful process.

"I see."

After he finished speaking, Li Shimin nodded slightly.

But Wen He could tell from his intelligent gaze that he hadn't understood at all.

However, if he understood, that would be terrifying.

Meanwhile, the Turks downstairs rushed up to buy the goods.

Because of the tea purchase restrictions this time, they are worried that they won't be able to buy any in the end.

This wasn't just about making money; it also concerned their ability to gain access to the upper echelons of the Turkic nobility.

If they take the tea back with them, they will surely become honored guests of those nobles in the future.

"Trade, huh?"

Looking at the frenzy below, Li Shimin pondered to himself.

"What if I were to reopen the trade markets?" Li Shimin suddenly asked.

He saw the wealth of the Turks.

The Turks were poor; the vast majority of them couldn't afford to eat and even ate pasture like livestock.

But the Turks were also very wealthy; they possessed a large amount of gold, silver, and copper coins that they couldn't spend, some of which they had plundered from the Tang Dynasty.

Some of them were also seized from the Western Regions.

Therefore, it would be more accurate to describe the Turks as a group of bandits rather than a single state.

“No good,” Wen He replied.

Before he could explain, Li Shimin smiled and nodded: "That's right, I thought you were blinded by the scene before you."

"The Turks are stronger than the Tang Dynasty now. A powerful person will not buy the good things of a weak person; they will rob them."

This is why Wen He did not suggest that Li Shimin learn from the Song Dynasty's practice of opening border markets.

Firstly, given the strength of the Tang Dynasty, there was absolutely no need for it to consolidate peace with the Turks through such appeasement.

The Turks were not the Liao Dynasty.

It could be said that during the Northern Song Dynasty, the relationship between the Song and Liao dynasties was less one of peace and more of a competition of who was worse.

One who thinks he is invincible will settle for pleasure.

The other, feeling that his country was prosperous and well-governed, was constantly embroiled in internal strife.

Then the Jurchens slapped both countries hard across the face and wiped them out.

Secondly, trade would involve the interests of powerful figures in the court. If the Tang Dynasty were to wage war against the Turks, some people would certainly try to stop or even sabotage it for their own benefit.

Therefore, the Tang Dynasty did not need mutual markets or border markets.

“However, the Tang Dynasty could consider trade,” Wen He suddenly changed the subject.

Li Shimin shook his head again: "I know what you're in such a hurry for, but it's not the right time yet. However, I am considering collecting commercial taxes."

Wen He's actions today made Li Shimin suddenly realize something.

If such a small tea-frying business can generate such huge transactions, then what about those aristocratic families?
They controlled salt, iron, furs, cloth, and a large number of caravans from the Western Regions.

The Tang Dynasty only levies taxes on goods entering and leaving the country, but does not collect any taxes on ordinary transactions.

"what?"

Wen He was surprised.

He never expected that Li Shimin would suddenly take action against those people.

But will they agree?

Two-thirds of the court officials were their people.

“I know they won’t agree, which is why I need you to bring out paper and printing technology as soon as possible. They care more about education and land than money.”

Li Shimin took a small sip of tea, closing his eyes to savor the sweet aftertaste that followed the bitterness.

On a whim, he even composed a poem.

Gao Yue, who was standing nearby, immediately took notes.

However, Wen He had no time to appreciate his poems at the moment.

He was reflecting on what Li Shimin had just said.

He learned about paper and printing, and what the land was.
He pondered for a long time, until all the merchants downstairs had left, when he suddenly remembered something.

"Does Your Majesty intend to include compost in the government's sales?"

"There are also curved plows, hoes, and waterwheels, as well as the Ring King grain seeds that are currently being transported back."

Wow! That's like having farm tools and seeds all in your hands.

"What if they counterfeit it privately?" Wen He asked tentatively.

Li Shimin's lips curled up, and he gave a meaningful laugh: "If they break the law, then it's not that I'm being heartless."

He was practically saying he'd confiscate their property and exterminate their entire family.

If any other emperor of the Tang Dynasty, even Li Yuan, had said such a thing, Wen He would have thought he was bragging.

But this emperor was the most powerful emperor of the Tang Dynasty, without exception.

It would be incredibly foolish for the Guanzhong region and the gentry to regard him as Yang Guang.

Moreover, at this time, the Guanzhong Plain and the aristocratic families had become adversaries, and the two forces were no longer a united front.

Li Shimin only needed to win over some groups, defeat others, and divide the rest to stabilize the situation.

"Although it was a government-run sale, the price was set by the imperial court, and each household was allocated a share to sell. After all, the imperial court was not a merchant and would not compete with the people for profit."

Li Shimin effectively silenced those people as well.

Wen He was stunned.

Seeing his surprised expression, Li Shimin chuckled and said, "What's there to be so surprised about? These are all from the knowledge you taught me. I'm just applying what I've learned."

"That was just theoretical; if I were to actually do it, I definitely wouldn't do it well."

Li Erfeng truly lives up to her name.

In the novels I read in my previous life, how did those time travelers manage to outwit the emperor?
Why is it that when it comes to him, I always feel that he is amazed by Li Shimin?

Seeing his troubled expression, Li Shimin couldn't help but smile and felt secretly pleased.

'What this brat taught Gao Ming before truly astonished me; now that he's been shocked as well, we're even.'

Shortly after, Qi Song, who had finished organizing the order slips downstairs, went upstairs.

"Your Majesty, young master, this is the invoice."

"Thirteen thousand strings of cash?!"

Upon seeing the numbers, Li Shimin dropped his teacup.

In just half a day, this brat has made so much money?
And this is just the beginning.

"It's not much. Three thousand strings of cash are for Gao Ming and the Empress, some will be sent to the tea gardens in Hangzhou for the tea pickers, and the rest will be used to bribe the officials at the border and open up smuggling routes."

Wen He casually put the order away.

He looked up and saw Li Shimin's menacing gaze.

"Give Gao Ming and the Empress three thousand strings of cash?"

"Well, he gave me 100 strings of cash before, oh, and the Empress also gave me 300 strings of cash, which can be considered as an investment. Your Majesty, I'm just earning some hard-earned money."

Wen He knew that Li Shimin was after her hard-earned money.

"You scoundrel, if there were such benefits, why didn't you invite me? And didn't you say that this smuggling would benefit me?"

Li Shimin's eyes widened, looking like an angry Vajra.

Wen He retorted indignantly, "That's what I said before, but wasn't it something you yourself looked down on?"

"I!"

Li Shimin was taken aback, recalling his previous words, and was speechless for a moment.

But then his eyes lit up as he remembered something.

"The money for Gao Ming is given by me."

Shameless!

The mighty Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty was shameless!

"Then go talk to Gao Ming. I don't know anything," Wen He said, pursing her lips.

Li Shimin didn't take his disdain to heart at all.

"Then it's decided. From now on, the portion of tea belonging to Gaoming will be sent to me. I'm being considerate of you, so I'll give you five thousand strings of cash, as you mentioned, what kind of share."

"Thank you so much, Your Majesty!"

Wen He practically spat out those words through gritted teeth.

As expected, none of the emperors have any sense of shame.

Wen He looked indignant, while Li Shimin was somewhat amused and exasperated, and said...

"Alright, alright, this investment won't be for nothing. I'll send someone to smooth things over with those border officials for you. That'll save you a lot of money, won't it?"

"Really?"

"A gentleman's word."

"Your Majesty is wise! No wonder you became one of the greatest emperors in history. People of later generations take you as their role model. Compared to you, Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Bang, Liu Xiu, and Yang Jian are simply insignificant..."

"Shut up."

Li Shimin pointed at Wen He with his hand, clearly annoyed.

That's why this brat is so shameless and boastful.

However, why do people of later generations like to compare me with Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han?

Am I really that tyrannical?
This brat doesn't even know how to praise someone properly.

"It's getting late, let's have dinner at your residence."

"Uh, there aren't many pigs left at home."

"You brat, that pig was raised by Qingque, what's wrong with me eating a little!"

Li Shimin raised his hand and slapped Wen He on the head before striding away.

Li Shimin was extremely satisfied with the lunch.

Only Li Tai, clutching a pig's leg, wailed, "Jieli, you died so sweetly!"

The name he chose made Li Shimin whip him several times with a rattan whip.

A few days later.

Wen He was dragged into the palace to learn swordsmanship from Li Shimin.

Then he was dragged to court by the latter.

Today is the grand court assembly, and all the officials from the capital have come.

The first thing to do upon entering the court was to bestow titles upon those who had participated in the Battle of Huizhou.

After enduring hardship, Li Jing finally became the Duke of Dai.

The other dukes were granted additional fiefs and rewarded with cloth, money, cattle, sheep, and the like.

Even Wenhe gained an additional 150 households of fiefdom.

How much of a fief does he have now?

Oh well, he doesn't care anyway.

After the court assembly ended, everyone else went to congratulate Li Jing and the others, while Wen He took the opportunity to secretly prepare to slip away.

Otherwise, who knows if Li Er will conscript us later?

He just wants to go back and catch up on his sleep.

"Wenxianzi, please wait!"

Just as he was about to leave, someone called out to him from behind.

Wen He pretended not to hear and quickened her pace.

But to his surprise, the person behind him moved with incredible speed and overtook him in the blink of an eye.

"Wenxianzi, please wait."

The person who came looked to be in his thirties or early forties. He had a refined appearance and the demeanor of a scholar.

Wearing a scarlet round-necked robe, he must be an official of at least the fourth rank.

However, Wen He had never seen this person before.

"Wenxianzi is really fast; I almost couldn't catch up with him," he chuckled.

Wen He couldn't help but feel embarrassed, and then laughed.