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

Chapter 242 My national treasury is almost empty!

"This list..."

Looking at the names he had written down, Xu Jingzong suddenly felt a pain in his back molars.

If the names of these people reported by Chai Zhao are submitted, the Six Ministries will surely face a major purge.

Even Wen He was somewhat surprised upon seeing these names.

These lists include many people from aristocratic and gentry families.

He couldn't understand why these people, who were well-off and had no worries about food and clothing, would still try to plunder the money of the poor.

They all deserve to die!

Wen He slammed his fist heavily on the table.

Xu Jingzong, who was standing to the side, was startled.

"It's not that bad, young master. The laws of our Tang Dynasty are not that harsh." He chuckled dryly twice, sighing helplessly in his heart.

'Wen He's bloodthirstiness is truly astounding; no wonder His Majesty appointed him to the Hundred Riders. Alas.'

So many people have been uncovered from just one Jingzhao Military Commandery; who knows how many more people will be implicated across the ten circuits and hundreds of prefectures throughout the land.

Hsu Ching-tsung, who was initially thought to be involved in a corruption case similar to the previous one at the Ministry of Civil Affairs, is now in a precarious situation.

Because he saw many of his old friends and fellow villagers on this list.

Wen He glanced at Xu Jingzong. Although she didn't know what he was thinking, she could tell something from his expression.

He didn't blame Lao Xu for having other ideas; unless someone is a saint, who doesn't have selfish motives?

He wasn't sure he would show favoritism if there were people he knew on the list.

"Lock them all up. I'm going to find His Majesty. Old Xu, you take them back to the Hundred Cavalry."

Since Xu Jingzong was in a difficult position, Wen He took on the task himself.

Anyway, given his status, even if someone resents him, it won't make a difference.

As long as Li Shimin is alive, and the next emperor is Li Chengqian, then he will have no worries.

The worst-case scenario is that we take Xiaorou out to sea.

But if he doesn't do this, he will never have peace of mind for the rest of his life.

"Jiaying, sigh, never mind, go ahead."

Xu Jingzong wanted to call him back, but remembering his temper, he sighed helplessly and let him go.

Seeing this, Zhang Wenxiao led a dozen or so riders to escort Wen He.

Not long after Wen He set off, he saw Gao Yue arrive with several Imperial Guards.

"His Majesty has gone to Gejiazhuang and left me here to wait for the county magistrate."

"Didn't you return to the palace?"

Wen He thought that with such a big incident, Li Shimin would return to the palace in a fit of anger.

I never expected him to be so determined to go to Gejiazhuang.

Gao Yue let out a long sigh and said.

"Although His Majesty was furious, he was still concerned about the harvest of Gejiazhuang, as it was a matter of great importance to the people of the world."

Is he expressing his sympathy for Li Shimin for having worked so hard?
Wen He couldn't help but chuckle. After exchanging pleasantries with him, she led her people to Ge Family Village.

at the same time.

Inside Gejiazhuang.

"This is Wen He's previous residence?"

Standing in front of a simple farmhouse, Li Shimin looked at the drafty house in front of him with surprise.

Half of the fence had collapsed, a third of the rammed earth walls of the house inside had crumbled, and part of the thatched roof had long since disappeared.

If it rains again, the whole house will collapse in an instant.

Li Shimin stood there silently.

The village head who brought him here was somewhat taken aback.

He didn't know Li Shimin's identity; he only thought he was Wen He's relative.

"Wen He and his sister are quite lucky. It's said they were taken in by relatives in Chang'an to live a good life. Hey, esteemed guests, could you perhaps be his relatives in Chang'an?"

The village head had noticed long ago that these people were dressed in fine clothes.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to lead the way in the first place.

Especially the man beside him, who looked exceptionally heroic, was particularly generous.

He simply led the way and gave him a string of cash.

"So-and-so is his father-in-law."

"Oh my, I see. Wen He is really lucky." The village head was greatly surprised.

I felt envious and jealous.

What incredible luck Wen He had to marry into such a wealthy family.

Although being a live-in son-in-law is looked down upon, at least he will be able to live a life free from worries about food and clothing in the future.

Hearing this, Changsun Wuji chuckled inwardly, but when he turned his head, he noticed a hint of sadness in Li Shimin's eyes.

He stepped forward and said.

"My lord, thanks to your good fortune, young Master Wen is now living a life free from worries about food and clothing."

"I'm not thinking about Wen He, but about all the young people in the world like him. Sigh."

Looking at the dilapidated house where Wen He used to live.

Li Shimin couldn't help but think of those who had suffered the same fate as him.

Wen He was indeed lucky; he possessed memories from the future, which caught his eye, and from then on, he rose rapidly in rank.

But what about ordinary families?
In the old man's village, he had seen several orphans whose parents had passed away.

The children's fathers all died on the battlefield, and their mothers either remarried and abandoned them, or simply ran back to their parents' home.

Or they died of illness.

Changsun Wuji was taken aback upon hearing this.

There are too many such cases; even if His Majesty were willing, it would be impossible to change them.

The imperial court doesn't have that much money.

He didn't know how to answer for a moment.

However, there was someone behind him who had the answer.

"Young Master Li, the world is vast and the people are numerous. If we want to change things, it cannot be done overnight. We still need the court and His Majesty to govern diligently."

Li Shimin knew without turning around that the speaker was Wei Zheng.

Only he dared to step forward at this time.

“Xuancheng is right.”

Li Shimin nodded.

The village headman standing to the side looked on, completely bewildered.

Who are these people? How dare they discuss politics so openly?

"After tidying up this place, I will stay here for the day."

"No!"

Before Li Shimin could finish speaking, Changsun Wuji excitedly stopped him, saying, "Young master, you are of noble status. How can you stay here overnight? It's still early. Why don't you go back to Chang'an?"

"No need, I will wait for Wenhe here."

Li Shimin rejected the idea.

Li Shimin felt uneasy that Wen He had been gone for so long.

For more than three hours, no news came at all, and Li Shimin began to have some suspicions.

"Is this your home?"

Inside the carriage, Li Ke lifted the curtain and looked outside.

Wenrou rested her chin on her hand and looked outside, a hint of melancholy in her eyes: "The house still collapsed. The roof, which my brother said he would fix, was never repaired."

There had been several heavy rains in Chang'an before, and Wenrou guessed that it must have collapsed during that period.

When she left, the fence and the outer walls of the house were in good condition.

Li Ke turned around and was stunned for a moment when he saw her sad appearance.

After a long while, he came to his senses and looked at Wenrou earnestly, promising, "When I grow up, I will build you a beautiful courtyard here."

Wenrou looked at him with her big, bright eyes after hearing this.

"Ah."

"Your Highness, Lady Wen, His Majesty requests your presence."

As the two were talking, a palace attendant suddenly came over.

For safety reasons, Li Shimin did not let them get off the carriage earlier.

The imperial guards accompanying him had already scouted the surrounding area, and it was almost lunchtime, so Li Shimin sent someone to invite them. Li Ke got off the carriage first, holding onto Wenrou's small hand.

"This is?"

Seeing this scene, many people's eyes flashed with a strange light.

"His Highness the Prince of Han seems to be getting quite close to Consort Wen."

Someone deliberately moved closer to Changsun Wuji and asked in a low voice.

Although Wen He's status and position are not prominent now.

But His Majesty the Emperor values ​​him highly.

His future status is self-evident, and naturally, Wenrou's future marriage will attract a lot of attention.

Changsun Wuji glanced at the speaker and replied in a low voice, "His Majesty has already taken a liking to the Su family of Yongzhou, so you need not be nervous."

After saying that, he gave a soft hum.

These people seemed to be trying to find out about Li Ke and Wenrou's relationship.

What they are actually more worried about is that another one of him will appear.

That's why he was so displeased.

Wenrou led Li Shimin on a tour of the surroundings.

It's really just a bunch of random objects and a few rammed earth walls.

There's nothing interesting about it at all.

Li Tai and Li You had been yawning with boredom for a while.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves was heard.

Everyone couldn't help but turn around to look.

At this moment, the Imperial Guards were already hidden in the shadows outside. If anyone rode up on horseback, they would certainly be stopped.

This person, however, had no obstacles whatsoever.

That means he must be someone in the imperial court.

Li Shimin took out his binoculars and looked in the direction from which the sound of horses' hooves came. When he saw Wen He, the smile on his face vanished instantly.

"What's wrong with Uncle Li?"

Li Ke had previously reminded Wenrou not to address the emperor as "Your Majesty".

That's why Wenrou called him Uncle Li.

"It's alright. It's your elder brother who's here. You and Sanlang go have dinner first. Your uncle and your brother have some important matters to discuss."

"Hey, Wen He's here?"

The village head, who hadn't left yet, asked in surprise, standing on tiptoe to look outside.

"Ge Er just came back and said Wen He can help resolve a problem in Ge Laosan's family. I wonder if it's true or not?"

"Old Ge, what happened to Old Ge's family?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin frowned.

Seeing this, Li Ke grabbed Wenrou's sleeve and led her away first.

Upon hearing this, the village head's eyes lit up as he looked at Li Shimin.

"Yes, you are a noble person in Chang'an. Wen He said he can solve it, so you must be more capable than him."

Li Shimin couldn't help but chuckle, but he nodded: "That's true. If that brat can handle it, then I certainly can."

"Alas, that Ge Laosan is also pitiful. Both of his sons went to Huizhou. One came back alive, and the other stayed there. But the military command has not yet paid the soldiers' salaries. His second son is almost twenty years old now, and he doesn't even have the money to find a wife."

The expressions of those in the courtyard changed drastically, and Yuwen Shiji and the others all turned their gazes toward Li Shimin.

Lu Chengqing, the Vice Minister of War, felt his legs go weak and quickly found something to support himself so that he wouldn't lose his composure.

He just wants to find an excuse to get back to Chang'an as soon as possible.

What happened today was truly terrifying.

I just went to the old man's village, and all I saw were disabled soldiers or orphans without parents.

Although His Majesty the Emperor did not say anything to him.

But he could foresee that this time when he returned to Chang'an, he would probably not be able to stay in his position as Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

"Ziyu."

Li Shimin suddenly called out to him.

Ziyu is his courtesy name.

He swallowed hard, then forced himself to step forward and bow, saying, "My lord, I am here."

"I remember not long ago you told someone that the chaos of the Sui and Jin dynasties caused widespread devastation and a dwindling population. What are your thoughts on what you have seen and heard today?"

Li Shimin asked casually.

Those around couldn't help but gasp.

No one gloated, because they didn't know if this incident would affect innocent bystanders.

"In my opinion, he should be severely punished!"

At this point, Lu Chengqing could no longer care about others. He came from the Lu family and had to consider the interests of himself and his family.

"Hmm, not bad, he should be severely punished."

Li Shimin nodded with satisfaction, and then had his attendant bring over a folding stool.

Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but feel uneasy.

They all knew that Li Shimin was waiting for Wen He to arrive.

The only one present who didn't understand was the village head.

Before long, Wen He appeared outside the courtyard.

"Who demolished my house?"

Seeing that the original owner's home was now in ruins, Wen He was shocked.

He had lived here for a while, so he had developed some attachment to the place.

I never imagined that this place would be almost in ruins after only six months of being away.

"Oh, Wen He."

They saw him there and immediately went to greet him warmly.

"Your partner?"

“I am Ge Dabing, the village head of your area. Don’t you remember me?” The village head came to Wen He’s horse and eagerly took the reins for him.

Looking at the soldiers following behind Wen He, he couldn't help but feel envious: "Wen He has really made something of himself. He even has guards by his side. The horses these people are riding must cost at least a dozen strings of cash."

Little did he know that these were horses raised in the Forbidden City, each costing at least a hundred strings of cash.

"Ge Dabing? Oh, I remember now, you're the one who came to my house with the steward from the Prince Qi's mansion to collect a debt?"

Wen He remembered.

But Ge Dabing was taken aback.

He himself had forgotten about it.

Thinking he was there to curry favor, he forgot that when the steward of the Prince Qi's residence couldn't find his way, it was he who personally led the way.

"It's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. I was threatened at the time," Ge Dabing quickly explained with a smile.

But Wen He didn't have time to bring up past grievances with him at that moment. He had the hundred riders carry him off his horse and went straight to find Li Shimin.

Ge Dabing tried to step forward to curry favor, but Zhang Wenxiao blocked him from entering: "Take another step, and you're dead!"

The gleaming sword was drawn, its cold light causing Ge Dabing to turn deathly pale.

"Did he bully you?"

When Wen He walked up to Li Shimin, the latter glanced at Ge Dabing and asked.

"That's all in the past."

"Xiao Rou doesn't seem to recognize him?"

“At the time, I was afraid that Xiao Rou was in danger, so I locked her in the room. She didn’t know… Your Majesty, what happened before was a small matter, but this is the big one.”

Ge Dabing was just a nobody, and Wen He didn't take him seriously at all.

He took a scroll out of his sleeve.

at this time.

At least seven or eight eyes were fixed on him.

"what is this?"

Li Shimin took a deep breath, but did not take the scroll from Wen He's hand.

"This is evidence of corruption committed by the Jingzhao Military Command from the sixth year of the Wude era to the present, totaling 763,625 strings of cash. Chai Zhao alone implicated 26 officials, including three dukes and two members of the imperial clan."

"Good, good, 763,625 strings of cash, my national treasury is almost empty."

Li Shimin, instead of being angry, smiled and glanced at the officials present.

boom!
(End of this chapter)