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

Chapter 209 Your Majesty, the national treasury is empty of money and grain.
"Come here, see the guests off!"

Wen He didn't give the little wild horse a chance to speak at all.

The Japanese devils must have something to ask for if they suddenly send such a big gift.

He was determined to shut him up and make him suffer.

Upon hearing this, Wen Zhong immediately walked over and gestured "please" to the little wild horse.

The latter was taken aback and was about to speak when Wen He suddenly exclaimed, "Oh dear, I really forgot. I have to go to the palace to meet the Emperor today. Wen Zhong, why didn't you remind me?"

Wen Zhong had no idea about this, but when he heard Wen He say that, he immediately realized what was going on.

"This servant almost forgot! Someone, quickly prepare a horse for the young master!"

After saying that, he stood in front of the little wild horse.

Watching the master and servant putting on an act, Little Wild Horse couldn't tell if it was real or fake.

But he didn't dare to stop them.

If he really delayed Wen He's entry into the palace, he was afraid that the former would take her anger out on him.

'Never mind, I'll wait until next time. Anyway, we've already improved our relationship.'

He received the news from Japan a few days ago.

Empress Suiko has officially decided to send an envoy to the Tang Dynasty.

At that time, even Soga no Emishi will come along.

With Minister Soga here, dealing with Ono no Ha is a piece of cake.

As Little Wild Horse thought to herself, she led the craftsmen away.

He had just arrived at the door when he saw Wen He getting into the carriage.

Only then did he realize with certainty: 'So the magistrate of Gaoyang really wasn't lying to me; he really did go to the palace.'

"That little devil deserves to die. Of all things to do, he had to give me such a big pearl. If he had given me even a little gold, I wouldn't have given this thing to Li Er."

Wen He muttered to herself.

He looked at the shiny bead in his hand with a pang of regret.

This thing, let alone being passed down to later generations, would have been priceless even in the Tang Dynasty.

Buying a courtyard house in Chang'an would definitely be more than enough.

The carriage arrived at Xuanwu Gate, and Wen He walked to Lizheng Hall.

Upon reaching the entrance, he sent a eunuch in to report.

Soon after, Gao Yue came out with small, quick steps.

"I have met the magistrate of Gaoyang County."

"Hehe, I've met a high-ranking official."

Wen He and he exchanged greetings and then headed towards the Lizheng Hall.

Unexpectedly, Gao Yue suddenly stopped him.

"Young master, please wait a moment. His Majesty is currently seeing someone else."

"Uh, I've come at an inopportune time. Alright, then please help me pass this on to His Majesty. I'll be going now."

As she spoke, Wen He was about to hand the box containing the pearls to Gao Yue.

The latter quickly stepped back to avoid him, and smiled at Wen He, saying, "His Majesty has asked the young master to wait here; he wants to see you."

"Uh, okay."

Wen He sighed helplessly, looked around, and saw a stone bench. She walked over and sat down casually.

Upon seeing this, Gao Yue headed towards the Lizheng Hall, but before leaving, he specifically instructed the guards beside him.

"If the scion of Gaoyang County wants to leave, you must stop him."

If it were anyone else, Gao Yue wouldn't have needed to do this; none of them would have had the guts.

But this man from Gaoyang County is different; if he gets angry, he can just leave without warning.

As Gao Yue approached the Lizheng Hall, she glanced back somewhat uneasily.

Wen He was resting her chin on her hand, leaning against the stone table, looking drowsy. Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief.

Stepping into the main hall.

Li Shimin looked up at him.

He nodded slowly, indicating that Wen He was still outside.

The former gave a faint "hmm" and turned his gaze to the person in front of him.

The visitor was none other than Changsun Wuji.

“There is a shortage of laborers everywhere. With the autumn harvest just around the corner, 40% of the irrigation canals and wells have not yet been built, and the national treasury is already empty.”

"I think it would be better to stop here, let the Ministry of Civil Affairs prepare for the drought, collect grain, and then provide disaster relief when the drought comes."

During this period, Changsun Wuji almost lived in the Ministry of Civil Affairs because of the water conservancy project in Guannei.

But this is far from enough.

The Tang Dynasty's corvée labor period was only twenty days, which might not even be enough for all the common people within the pass to complete the next year's corvée labor.

Most importantly, the autumn harvest is approaching, and according to past practice, corvée labor will cease at this time in all places.

Let them go home and harvest the grain and fodder, so that there will be no grain left before winter.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Changsun Wuji went to the palace to offer his advice.

He didn't even tell Fang Xuanling about this.

If it were someone else, then that would be a violation of the unspoken rules of officialdom.

But who could blame him but Changsun Wuji, Li Shimin's brother-in-law?

"Even if the autumn grain is delivered this year, I'm afraid it will be of no use."

Li Shimin's face was grim.

He hadn't expected that the national treasury was even emptier than he had imagined.

They didn't even have the money to build canals and wells for the interior, let alone lay waterwheels later.

No wonder that when Yang Guang built the Grand Canal, it exhausted the national fortune of the Sui Dynasty.

"What if we hire them?"

"what?"

Changsun Wuji looked at Li Shimin in disbelief.

He thought he heard wrongly.

“My meaning is to hire,” Li Shimin repeated.

Changsun Wuji was somewhat taken aback.

He even wondered if he had misheard. He remembered clearly saying that the national treasury was out of money and grain, and they couldn't even afford the meager compensation for corvée labor, let alone hire people.

The corvée labor in the Tang Dynasty was not done for free; those who performed corvée labor received daily rations.

This amount of money is negligible when divided among individuals, but when added together by all of them, it becomes an astronomical figure.

Li Shimin ignored his shock and said to Gao Yue, "Let that brat in."

"Here."

Gao Yue nodded, responded, and bowed as she left the Lizheng Hall.

When he reached the door, he looked towards Wen He and couldn't help but laugh and cry.

Wen He was fast asleep, lying on the stone table.

“It’s chilly today, why don’t you find a blanket to cover the young man?”

He glared at the nearby Imperial Guards and strode forward.

Wen He wasn't sleeping very deeply, so when she heard a noise, she looked up.

The moment he opened his eyes, he was startled to see a face smiling like a blooming chrysanthemum.

"Ah, has His Majesty finished his business?"

Wen He wiped the wet corners of her mouth with her sleeve.

Gao Yue chuckled and said, "Your Majesty, please invite the young master inside."

"Ah."

Wen He responded and stretched lazily.

"This table isn't comfortable to sleep on. How about we build a couch here so I can sleep more comfortably next time I come?"

He kept complaining, and Gao Yue, who was leading the way, was both amused and exasperated.

They entered the Lizheng Hall.

Wen He was still a little dazed, and lazily bowed and greeted Your Majesty: "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."

"You brat, you've fallen asleep outside?" Li Shimin frowned when he saw him like this and scolded, "It's getting cold today, aren't you afraid of catching a cold? Gao Yue, go and get a bowl of ginger soup."

"No way, that stuff doesn't taste good."

"You have to drink it even if it doesn't taste good. What will you do if you get sick?"

Li Shimin pointed at him and scolded him angrily.

Seeing this, Changsun Wuji felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

Not long ago, Wen He was just an outsider. How come after such a short time, His Majesty has actually started to treat him like a nephew?

"Oh, Brother Changsun is here too."

Wen He then noticed Changsun Wuji.

They haven't seen each other for a long time since what happened with Li Chengqian.

However, Wen He had not forgotten that this scheming fellow had previously tried to sow discord between him and Li Shimin.

Changsun Wuji's face darkened, and before he could speak, Li Shimin laughed and scolded him.

"Nonsense! Call me uncle!"

“Well, Your Majesty, since we are all officials in the same court, why don’t we each do our own thing? What do you think of Brother Changsun… Yes, Uncle.”

Seeing Li Shimin raise the brush washer, Wen He immediately changed her mind.

A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle. It's just calling that cunning old man "uncle," it won't cost you anything.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin put down the brush washer in his hand, coughed lightly, and got to the point.

"I summoned you here to ask you whether the silver from Japan has arrived."

"Yes, they've all arrived. Your humble servant plans to send them to the palace later," Wen He replied.

"No need, just send it directly to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Also, I have something else to ask you, regarding your..."

Li Shimin glanced at Gao Yue beside him.

The latter was taken aback, then realized that he was being superfluous.

He quickly bowed and then said to the other eunuchs and palace maids, "All of you, get out."

Before long, only Li Shimin, Wen He, and Changsun Wuji remained in the Lizheng Hall.

"I ask you, in future generations, if the court is short of manpower, what good solutions are there?"

not enough people?

Wen He glanced at Changsun Wuji curiously.

No wonder they sent the silver to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

It seems there's been trouble with the irrigation canal repairs.

"Outsource it."

“Outsourcing, what is outsourcing?” Changsun Wuji turned around and looked over.

Li Shimin also looked curious.

"To be precise, this is called a bidding process, where the imperial court assigns merchants to be responsible for construction..."

"absurd!"

Before Wen He could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Changsun Wuji. Just as he was about to scold him, Li Shimin said, "Fuji, this is something that has been verified by later generations, so there is no need to question it."

"Well, Your Majesty, why don't you let him question it?"

Wen He was eager to try, as he had hardly encountered any embarrassing situations since arriving in the Tang Dynasty.

We're just waiting for them to question us.

Li Shimin seemed to see through his thoughts, picked up the brush washer, and stared at him with a fixed gaze.

"Hey, hey, no, there's no need to question it."

"This bidding process involves merchants competing for prices and submitting construction plans. After the imperial court approves the plans, it sends people to supervise the process. If the project is completed, the payment is settled. If it is not completed or there are any problems, the person will lose their head."

As Wen He finished speaking, he made a beheading gesture.

Of course, he exaggerated in the latter part.

If people could really be executed, there wouldn't be so many shoddy construction projects.

"This seems feasible."

Li Shimin stroked his beard and hesitated.

Changsun Wuji was taken aback. He realized that Li Shimin didn't seem to care about him at all.

In the past, if His Majesty encountered something he was hesitant about, he would consult him. But now that he is right here, His Majesty doesn't even ask him.
Li Shimin did not notice Changsun Wuji's surprise.

After a moment's hesitation, he looked at Wen He and said, "If you were to do this, are you confident in your abilities?"

(End of this chapter)