The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

"You have another way?" Li Shimin was inexplicably pleasantly surprised. "Tell me quickly."

The other officials remained silent, but were secretly alarmed.

"Uh..." Chen Huai'an said tactfully, "I know a few people who have ways to buy grain at low prices from grain merchants in other places... Your Majesty is also aware of this matter."

"My idea is that I can act as a go-between with the officials of the Ministry of Revenue to purchase grain from these people. Even if it's not at the previous grain price, it will still be much cheaper than the grain on the market now."

What do I know?

Li Shimin almost blurted out those words, but then he suddenly remembered something Empress Zhangsun had mentioned to him in the ninth year of the Wude era.

Chen Huai'an stopped taking a cut of the profits from the sale of alcohol and ordered his men to continuously purchase grain from other places and transport it back to Chang'an.

With so much time and money invested, Chen Huai'an has long since stockpiled an unknown amount of grain.

Realizing this, Li Shimin swallowed back the words that almost escaped his lips, feigning surprise: "Oh, you mean them?"

"Okay, that's certainly possible."

"Grain prices outside are really too high right now, so buying from them is definitely much cheaper."

"In that case, you will act as the middleman and purchase the grain from those people as soon as possible."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Chen Huai'an understood immediately.

The two, the emperor and his minister, reached a tacit understanding in an instant.

In the court, most people felt somewhat bewildered. The so-called solution... was that all?

But Cheng Yaojin, Li Shiji, and Tang Jian suddenly realized what was happening, and their eyes gleamed with a sharp light!

"..."

After the court session, Chen Huai'an followed Li Shimin to the Eastern Palace.

After the two sat down, they stared at each other in silence for a long time.

A moment later, Li Shimin suddenly burst out laughing, pointing at him with his finger: "Chen Huai'an, Chen Huai'an, you're abusing your position for personal gain!"

"And it happened when the country was in crisis."

"You've got some nerve!"

Chen Huai'an smiled and said, "Your Majesty misunderstands. How could I be abusing my power for personal gain during a time of national crisis?"

"I am doing this to save the Tang Dynasty, to help the court, and also to help you."

Li Shimin snorted, "Don't think I don't know. Aren't those people you mentioned your subordinates?"

"Back in the ninth year of the Wude era, you ordered people to start stockpiling grain. Now you probably have... around 100,000 shi of grain, right?"

Chen Huai'an modestly replied, "180,000 shi of grain isn't much!"

Li Shimin: ? ? ?

"Damn it, you call this not much?" Li Shimin roared in fury. "Eighteen thousand shi of grain and you still think it's not enough?"

"How much money do you want to make from the imperial court?"

Chen Huai'an said innocently, "Your Majesty, it's not about how much money I'm making from the court, but how much money His Highness the Crown Prince is going to make from the court."

"After all, His Highness the Crown Prince is the one who takes the lead, or rather, His Highness the Empress behind His Highness the Crown Prince."

"It has nothing to do with me."

"I see..." Li Shimin coughed lightly, "In that case, I will not punish you."

"Tell me, at what price did you buy all this grain, and how much do you plan to sell it for?"

Chen Huai'an pondered and said, "These grains were all purchased from grain-producing areas throughout the Tang Dynasty. The transportation costs were quite high, and by February, they were already unavailable. The cost price of one shi (a unit of dry measure) of millet was 150 wen."

"It's currently selling for 350 coins outside, and the price continues to rise. Is it unreasonable for me to sell it to the court for 160 coins?"

Li Shimin, expressionless, said: "That's excessive!"

Chen Huai'an: ?

"Damn it, you've been buying grain from all over the Tang Dynasty for months, and the cost price is already 150 coins, yet you're only selling it for 160 coins?"

"Go, there are many temples in Chang'an. Go and tell that Buddha to get up, then you go up and sit there!"

"Do you really think you're some kind of living bodhisattva?"

"Listen to my orders, sell for two hundred coins!"

Chen Huai'an: "..."

Li Shimin patted Chen Huai'an on the shoulder earnestly: "Huai'an, it's certainly a good thing to have a conscience in business."

"But you can't let yourself get taken advantage of, can you?"

"Let me tell you, the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue are wealthy!"

"You'll get a share of the profits from that deal, right? Keep it safe and spend it however you want."

"As for the rest, don't worry about it."

Chen Huai'an: "...Yes, Your Majesty."

From these words, he roughly understood that Li Shimin's main purpose in doing this was definitely to make his private treasury a little fuller.

In addition, this extra money can also be considered a reward.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have said something like, "Let him spend it however he wants."

Chen Huai'an readily accepted these suggestions.

In fact, his arrival really changed a lot of things.

Although the Wei River Alliance was not concluded, the imperial court did not suffer a major financial loss, and the national treasury was not emptied.

However, Li Jing and Li Shiji originally planned to return to Chang'an in September or October of the ninth year of the Wude era.

However, because they did not establish the Wei River Alliance, they remained stationed on the border until the conflict between Tuli and Jieli, which had been sown apart, began to emerge and the pressure on the border decreased sharply. Only then did the two return during the New Year's Day court assembly.

Therefore, a lot of food was consumed.

Nevertheless, compared to the original history, both the imperial court and Li Shimin were in a much better situation.

Otherwise, how could Li Shimin still be smiling now?

The two then discussed many other matters. As Chen Huai'an was about to leave, Li Shimin, unable to contain his curiosity, asked:

"Huai'an, it seems you foresaw this drought long ago and made far too many preparations for it, stockpiling food, building granaries, repairing water conservancy projects, and storing snowmelt for winter... Each and every one of these things tells me that you were already aware of everything that is happening now."

"How exactly did you anticipate this?"

"Could it be... that you could even predict this?"

Chen Huai'an waved his hands repeatedly: "Your Majesty is joking. I don't have such ability. I just like reading history books."

"Both the Western Han Dynasty's 'Fan Shengzhi Book' and the Eastern Han Dynasty's 'Four Seasons Ordinances for the People' clearly state that if there is too much rain and the soil is too wet in autumn, there is a high probability of drought and lack of rain in the following spring. Therefore, it is required to deeply plow and dry the soil after the autumn harvest to conserve soil moisture and make preparations for drought resistance in advance."

"Han Dynasty apocryphal texts also state that 'abundant autumn rains lead to drought and barren spring crops.'"

"Official history also records this situation: In the autumn of the twenty-fourth year of Duke Zhuang of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period, a large-scale autumn flood broke out in the State of Lu, and the following year it suffered a severe drought."

"Last year, there was far too much rain in our Great Tang Dynasty, and the snowfall in winter was also too light."

Chen Huai'an smiled and said, "Therefore, I have made some more plans. Anyway, there is no loss. It would be good if the drought did not come, but if it does, at least we will be prepared."

"I see." Li Shimin suddenly realized, "You have truly taken the concept of 'learning by doing' to its extreme."

"I am ashamed. I have read and remembered all that you have said, but I never thought of it and never paid attention to it before."

"Huai'an, having you is a blessing for the Tang Dynasty!"

"..."