Tang Dynasty: Feeding Chang Le, Emperor Li Er exclaimed that she was a true immortal!

The matter of the Immortal Mirror caused a huge uproar in the Taiji Hall.

After the court session ended that day, Li Shimin issued an oral edict.

The wedding will be postponed and discussed later.

No deadline was given, nor was any reason provided.

But everyone knew perfectly well that the mirror had completely changed Li Shimin's attitude.

A treasure that surpasses the limits of Tang Dynasty craftsmanship, an "immortal" of unknown origin, and a princess whose illness has miraculously improved.

With these three things piled up, no emperor with a brain would make a decision easily.

Moreover, Li Shimin immediately put that mirror into a secret room in the Ganlu Hall, forbidding anyone from approaching it.

He himself stared at that mirror for a full hour.

According to the personal eunuch Zhao Dequan's recollection, when His Majesty looked in the mirror, he would touch his face and pluck his beard, his expression extremely complex.

The marriage was thus forcibly postponed.

But Changsun Wuji was not one to suffer losses.

He remembered the embarrassment he suffered in the Taiji Hall.

What concerned him even more was what was behind that mirror.

That night, at the Changsun residence.

Only one oil lamp was lit in the study.

Changsun Wuji sat behind his desk, his fingers slowly tapping on the table.

Changsun Chong stood opposite him, his face ashen.

The embarrassment he caused in court during the day is still fresh in his mind.

"Father, that mirror—"

"It's not a problem with the mirror."

Changsun Wuji interrupted him.

"The mirror is just a starting point. The real question is, where did that thing come from?"

Changsun Chong remained silent.

Changsun Wuji stood up and walked to the window.

"The Imperial Physician said that the princess's illness was cured overnight, using a miraculous elixir never seen before. Now, a mirror that the Tang Dynasty could not produce has also appeared. All these things were taken from the princess's palace."

He turned to look at his son.

Do you believe that immortals truly exist in this world?

Changsun Chong hesitated for a moment: "Father means..."

"Regardless of whether there are immortals or not, there must be an unseen power behind the princess. This power possesses a level of creation far surpassing that of the Tang Dynasty. And His Majesty has already been drawn to this power."

Changsun Wuji's eyes flickered uncertainly in the lamplight.

"If we don't do something, this marriage will probably never happen."

"So what do we do?"

Changsun Wuji did not answer immediately.

He sat back down at his desk and wrote several letters.

"Go and send these letters out tonight. Deliver them to the Cui family in Qinghe, the Lu family in Fanyang, the Zheng family in Xingyang, and the Wang family in Taiyuan."

Changsun Chong took the letter, glanced down at the name on the cover, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

"Father, are you going to unite the five surnames and seven noble families?"

Changsun Wuji did not look up.

"Li Shimin may disregard my dignity, but he cannot disregard the powerful clans of the land."

He dipped his brush in ink, his voice as faint as a stagnant pool.

"Controlling salt means controlling the lifeline of Chang'an. I'd like to see if that immortal can conjure salt up."

Five days later.

The price of salt in Chang'an City increased tenfold overnight.

The news came from the largest salt shop in the East Market.

The price of a pound of coarse salt has increased from five coins to fifty coins.

Next came the West Market, the market in the south of the city, and the streets and alleys in the north of the city.

On the same day, at the same time, all the salt shops simultaneously put up new prices.

The people have gone mad.

What is salt?

That's fate.

Without salt, vegetables are inedible, meat cannot be cured, and people will feel weak and unable to work.

Salt costing fifty coins a pound was enough for an ordinary family to earn more than half a month's worth of food.

At the entrance of the East Market, an old woman selling steamed buns squatted and cried in front of a salt shop.

"Why?! It was five coins the day before yesterday, and today it's fifty! You're trying to drive people to their deaths!"

The salt shop owner huddled behind the counter, expressionless, and didn't say a word.

He was simply following the instructions from above.

Public resentment escalated rapidly within three days.

The discussions in the teahouse grew louder and more unpleasant.

"Have you heard? The imperial court has offended some big shot, and in a fit of anger, they've cut off the salt route!"

"What big shot? I bet it's the Changsun family! Who doesn't know that those few powerful families control 60% of the Tang Dynasty's salt mines?"

"I wouldn't dare to say such things... But I heard that Princess Chang Le rejected the marriage proposal from the Changsun family, which led to this trouble."

"Why should we commoners suffer when the princess refuses the marriage?"

"Shhh-keep it down!"

Rumors are the best weapon.

Changsun Wuji was well-versed in this principle.

He doesn't even need to personally spread any rumors; as long as the price of salt goes up, the people will naturally find the reason.

Ultimately, the investigation points to two directions:

Either it points to the emperor.

Either point to the princess.

This is the trump card of the gatekeepers.

They may not have an army, but they control the most basic necessities of life in the Tang Dynasty.

Salt, iron, silk, and grain.

The distribution channels for these items are largely controlled by the Five Surnames and Seven Families.

With a flick of a finger, the entire city of Chang'an could be thrown into chaos.

Li Shimin certainly knew who was manipulating all of this behind the scenes.

But knowing this doesn't mean you can do anything about it.

In the imperial study of Ganlu Hall, three inkstones were broken.

"This is outrageous!!"

Li Shimin slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup to bounce up and smash to the ground, breaking into seven or eight pieces.

Zhao Dequan knelt in the corner, huddled up, not daring to even breathe loudly.

"The salt mines are entirely controlled by those powerful families. They can stop production whenever they want, and I don't even have a replacement!"

Li Shimin's chest heaved violently.

It's not that he didn't want to take action.

Given his personality, he would love to send the Imperial Guards to raid the Changsun residence right now.

But he can't.

Valuation is not a matter for individual households.

If the Changsun family is harmed, the Cui, Lu, Zheng, and Wang families will all jump out.

By then, the imperial court will be paralyzed, local areas will be out of control, and the Tang Dynasty, which has only been stable for two years, will immediately fall apart.

This is what makes powerful and influential families so terrifying.

They don't need to rebel; they just need to cut off the resources, and the emperor will have to kneel down and beg for peace.

Li Shimin sat back in his chair, closed his eyes, and the veins on his temples throbbed.

He gritted his teeth and squeezed out each word: "Go... summon the Minister of Revenue to see me."

Zhao Dequan got up and ran out.

Half an hour later, Dai Zhou, the Minister of Revenue, walked into the Imperial Study, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

The news made Li Shimin's face darken even more.

"Your Majesty, the national salt reserves are only enough for Chang'an for fifteen days. If supplies cannot be restored within fifteen days..."

Dai Zhou knelt on the ground, head bowed, not daring to continue.

Li Shimin finished speaking for him: "The people will cause trouble."

"Yes."

"My court will be seized by others."

"……yes."

Li Shimin suddenly stood up and kicked over the stool next to him.

Then he stood in the empty imperial study, his chest heaving for a long time before finally calming down.

"Step down."

"Yes……"

Dai Zhou felt as if he had been granted a pardon and staggered out of the imperial study.

Li Shimin sat alone under the lamp, looking at the broken inkstone and teacup scattered all over the floor, unable to utter a single word.

Chang Le Palace.

Chang Le learned about the soaring salt prices from Cui Wei.

"Your Highness, there's a huge commotion outside. Rumors are circulating that the Changsun family retaliated by cutting off the salt route because you rejected their marriage proposal..."

Cuiwei stopped midway through her sentence.

Because Chang Le's face was so pale it was completely bloodless.

"It's all because of me..."

Her voice was trembling.

If she marries Changsun Chong, the people of Chang'an will not have to suffer this hardship.

If she hadn't defied the imperial decree and refused the marriage, her father wouldn't have had to endure such pressure.

Was she selfish?