After finding the little rhinoceros, Li Er went mad.

Inside the Ganlu Hall, the emperor and his ministers decided on national policies.

After Fang Xuanling and Wei Zheng left, Li Shimin was still wide awake.

He stood alone in the hall, his gaze sometimes looking at the deep night outside, and sometimes at the sky screen hanging high in the air, which was playing the scene of the celestial realm in real time.

Above the sky, it was the scene of Little Rhinoceros holding up that peculiar painting, presenting it as a treasure to the river.

"A pink auspicious beast?"

Li Shimin couldn't help but smile as he listened to his daughter's childish voice.

But soon, that smile froze, replaced by a deeper contemplation.

Auspicious!

He keenly grasped the meaning of that word.

Since ancient times, the appearance of the Qilin and the cry of the Phoenix have been omens of great peace and prosperity for the world.

Why do the auspicious omens beside the immortals look like this?

Its entire body is pink, a color of celebration.

It resembles a fat pig, and the character for "home" (家) contains the radical for "pig" (豕). In the mortal world, pigs have always represented wealth and prosperity.

More importantly, the way the immortal and the princess treated it... it was a heartfelt affection and intimacy, a leisurely and carefree state of mind amidst abundance and comfort.

Li Shimin's heart skipped a beat.

He understood instantly!

This is no ordinary "pink auspicious beast"; it is clearly the immortal showing him the final picture of the "sheep-raising" strategy in another way!

The immortal was telling him: If you can govern the Tang Dynasty well and make all the people in the world like this "auspicious omen," with enough to eat, warm clothes, carefree lives, and peaceful and prosperous lives, then the entire Tang Dynasty will be filled with auspicious omens!

"I...understand!" Li Shimin slammed his fist into his palm, his eyes blazing with an unprecedented determination. "Rest assured, Immortal Master, I will not let you down!"

At this moment, he no longer hesitated for a moment about the impending storm of reform.

He was willing to pay any price for the peace and beauty of the sky!

The next day, it was dawn.

The entire city of Chang'an was still asleep, but a huge political storm had already swept out from the Censorate.

Wei Zheng, the remonstrating official who wielded the sword of execution before reporting to the emperor, did not convene any court assemblies, nor did he even inform the three departments and six ministries.

He led dozens of the most elite officials of the Censorate directly, like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath, straight into the heart of the Tang Empire—the Ministry of Revenue!

"By His Majesty's decree, a thorough investigation of the national treasury accounts is ordered! Effective immediately, all warehouses and account books of the Ministry of Revenue are to be sealed off, and no one is permitted to touch them without authorization!"

Wei Zheng stood in front of the Ministry of Revenue, his face ashen and his voice as cold as ice.

Inside the Ministry of Revenue, chaos erupted instantly.

Qian Kun, the Minister of Revenue, a member of the Guanlong aristocratic family with deep roots in the court, was awakened from his sleep by his servants. He hurriedly put on his official robes and rushed over. Upon seeing this scene, his face immediately turned ashen.

"Lord Wei! What do you mean by this?!" Qian Kun shouted angrily. "The Ministry of Revenue is the nation's purse, with complex accounts. How can you shut it down just like that? Without the decree of the Secretariat, what authority does your Censorate have to act so presumptuously here!"

"I am acting on His Majesty's orders, and even more so on the divine decree of the immortals!" Wei Zheng stared coldly at him, unyielding. "Lord Qian, if you have a clear conscience, you should cooperate with the thorough investigation to prove your innocence. If you insist on obstructing this... don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"You!" Qian Kun was so angry that he trembled all over.

He knew what Wei Zheng was talking about; the news of the divine oracle had already spread throughout the court yesterday.

But to his utter surprise, Wei Zheng's sword was aimed at him the very first time!

The Ministry of Revenue is a murky place with far-reaching implications. Once it is investigated, pulling out one radish will bring out another, and who knows how many people will be implicated!

"Wei Xuancheng, don't push your luck! I..."

Qian Kun wanted to say something more, but Wei Zheng was too lazy to waste words with him.

"Guards!" Wei Zheng waved his hand. "Minister Qian is overworked and delirious. He is to return to his residence to rest. Any resistance will be considered obstruction of official business! The rest of you, immediately seal the treasury and inventory the accounts!"

"Yes!" The officials from the Censorate pounced on them like wolves and tigers.

"Rebellion! Rebellion!" Qian Kun shouted angrily, and the officials from the Ministry of Revenue rushed forward and began shoving and pushing the people from the Censorate, and the scene fell into chaos.

Just as tensions were about to rise, a majestic voice, like a thunderclap, came from the end of the street.

"Who dares to make a sound here!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and were all horrified.

At the end of the street, Li Shimin, dressed in ordinary clothes, was riding towards them under the protection of a hundred riders.

His face was expressionless, but his hawk-like eyes burned with a raging fury.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty!"

Qian Kun's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.

All the officials in the Ministry of Revenue knelt on the ground, silent as if trembling in fear.

Li Shimin dismounted and walked straight to Wei Zheng's side, not even glancing at Qian Kun on the ground, but simply asking in a deep voice, "Xuancheng, is there any obstruction?"

Wei Zheng bowed and said, "Your Majesty, there are some rats causing trouble, but it is nothing serious."

"Alright." Li Shimin nodded, finally turning his cold gaze to Qian Kun and the group of trembling Ministry of Revenue officials behind him.

"I only received the Immortal Master's teachings yesterday and resolved to mend the leaks in my Great Tang Dynasty. And today, someone dares to jump out and block my hand from mending those leaks!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it sent a chill down everyone's spine.

"I'll say it again!" Li Shimin's gaze swept across the entire room, "What Wei Zheng did was what I did! He was acting on my orders, and even more so, on the will of Heaven!"

"Anyone who dares to obstruct me is an enemy of me! An enemy of Heaven!"

"Qian Kun, for dereliction of duty and obstruction of official business, is hereby dismissed and brought back to the Court of Judicial Review for severe interrogation! All those in the Ministry of Revenue who do not cooperate will be punished equally!"

"I want to see whether the strength of my Great Tang Dynasty is greater than the backbone of you parasites!"

After he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

Everyone was completely stunned by Li Shimin's ruthlessness and determination to overthrow the court.

They knew that this emperor was serious.

A political storm sweeping across the entire Tang Dynasty officially began in front of the Ministry of Revenue in the most brutal way.

Jiang He yawned and stood up from the sofa.

Playing with children is a happy thing, but it's also physically demanding.

He rubbed his rumbling stomach and prepared to go to the kitchen to make a bowl of instant noodles.

Before leaving, he glanced at the sky unconsciously.

All he could see was the "Historical Comments" section on the screen, which was frantically refreshing with classical Chinese texts he couldn't understand.

[Your Majesty is wise and sagacious! Your divine might is awe-inspiring!]

Wei Zheng was truly a sharp blade of the nation!

Qian Kun deserves to die! Such corrupt officials should have been investigated long ago!

[Did you see that? Just now, His Majesty was in a state of divine wrath, and the auspicious omens in the sky became even clearer!]

Jiang He scratched his head and, through the system's rudimentary translation, roughly grasped the words "Your Majesty," "Wei Zheng," and "auspicious omen."

"I don't understand... these ancient people, why are they always so energetic?"

He muttered something, then turned and went into the kitchen.

The sound of boiling water being poured into the dough quickly drowned out the overwhelming worship and awe that came from 1,300 years ago.