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

It's no wonder Li Shimin thought that way; Chen Huai'an's words were simply too clever.

He only pointed out the financial problems, without mentioning taking them back, almost brushing off the sensitive points of the royal family.

As the Minister of Revenue, his words were reasonable and based entirely on considerations of the Ministry of Revenue and the Tang Dynasty's system; no one could find fault with them.

Let's talk about the Hexi Salt Lake.

Chen Huai'an was not only the Minister of Revenue, but also the Minister of Works.

Why did Chen Huai'an clash with the aristocratic families before? Wasn't it because of salt?

The proposal put forward some time ago that the government should produce, approve, and sell the salt was unanimously approved. It is also reasonable for the Ministry of Works to take those abandoned salt ponds to produce refined salt.

However, the problem cannot be viewed from its surface.

Chen Huai'an pointed out the chaotic financial situation in Liangzhou. What was his purpose? Of course, it was to reclaim the finances and prevent border officials like the Prince of Changle from continuing to control them.

Isn't this exactly what Li Shimin wanted? To regain control of the military and finances, and get rid of the situation where the border generals were too powerful to control.

But Chen Huai'an had never mentioned this matter before, yet he gave a perfect reason and directly handed the knife to him.

What Chen Huai'an had to do was to check the accounts, make suggestions on salt administration, and calculate the financial accounts.

All the bad reputations against the imperial family had to be borne by Li Shimin.

"..."

Li Shimin's face twitched slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "Such a thing actually happens? Besides Liangzhou, which is under the jurisdiction of the Prince of Changle, what other places have such chaotic accounts?"

Chen Huai'an replied, "Your Majesty, the amount is not small. Since I took office as Minister of Revenue, I have begun to promote the new accounting method, and we are currently unifying the accounting and auditing processes."

"If Your Majesty requires it, I'm afraid I'll have to order the Ministry of Revenue officials to compile statistics on this matter before I can give an answer."

Li Shimin's face darkened for a moment: "Then investigate. After you find out, send all the account books from various places that are in disarray to me."

"As for the matter of the Hexi Salt Lake, we will proceed as you have suggested."

"Your subject obeys!" Chen Huai'an replied with a smile in his eyes.

Li Shimin wanted a reason, and he provided one himself.

However, it's not feasible to both weaken the power of the feudal lords and avoid suffering the consequences.

Chen Huai'an can't just suffer himself, can he?

So all that could be done was to pity Li Shimin.

"Court adjourned!"

"......"

"Mr. Chen, that's brilliant!"

After the court session, Wei Zheng and others gathered around, saying, "We haven't gotten into any trouble, and we've even managed to take over the salt lakes in Hexi."

"However, His Majesty's expression seems rather unpleasant."

Chen Huai'an glanced at him: "You have the nerve to say that? When His Majesty is with me, at least most of the time he has a smile on his face."

"But every time you open your mouth, His Majesty's expression never turns pleasant."

Wei Zheng, in his dreams, slays dragons; in reality, he tames them.

The main theme is someone who can't stand being with dragons.

Wei Zheng coughed lightly, looking somewhat awkward.

Du Ruhui shook his head and chuckled, then said, "Mr. Chen, why do I feel that your purpose is not so simple?"

"Once the Prince of Changle dies, the Hexi Salt Lake will be taken back sooner or later."

"What you said today still carries some risk."

Chen Huai'an shook his head, looked around, and finding no one else, whispered, "I've checked. In Liangzhou, the salt ponds in Wuwei and Jiuquan have mostly been abandoned. The traditional methods of salt production yield little and the taste is mixed. The border troops and civilians mostly rely on private merchants from within the pass to transport salt."

"Before refined salt became available, who do you think supplied salt to Li Youliang? Who profited immensely from it?"

These words shocked Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling, and Changsun Wuji.

Changsun Wuji asked, "You mean... the aristocratic families are involved?"

Du Ruhui frowned: "Isn't that impossible? The aristocratic families could easily sell salt via the Silk Road; why take this risk?"

Chen Huai'an replied, "Things can't be viewed that way. The Silk Road was indeed profitable, but the problem is that it wasn't easy to travel. A caravan would take anywhere from six months to a year to return, and even then, there was no guarantee of a safe return."

"In comparison, supplying salt only to Li Youliang is low-risk, quick-return, and highly profitable, isn't it?"

"Anyway, even if something happens, it's just Li Youliang who dies. They're just selling salt. Who Li Youliang sells the salt to is none of their business."

Fang Xuanling's expression turned solemn: "If that's the case, it seems that's indeed the case."

"So, Mr. Chen, your involvement was entirely due to the Shandong gentry? But even if you found evidence that they supplied salt to Li Youliang, what then?"

"Just like you said, they only sold salt to Li Youliang. It was Li Youliang who actually sold the salt and other supplies to the Turks."

Even if they find it, it won't cause them much trouble.

Chen Huai'an laughed: "A thousand-mile dike can be breached by an ant hole. I'm looking for this not because I want to cause them a lot of trouble all at once."

"They poured dirty water on my fine salt, so why can't I?"

"His Majesty wants to weaken the power of the princes; this is an open secret. Li Youliang is doomed. Once he's dead, many things... won't become unclear?"

Upon hearing this, the others immediately understood and their expressions turned strange.

To be honest, Chen Huai'an is still holding a grudge. Even though the mastermind was brought out to help you vent your anger, you still wouldn't let it go.

This is an example of using someone's own methods against them.

When it comes to being ruthless, Chen Huai'an is the one!

Wei Zheng couldn't help but say, "This year, I feel like a lot of things have come together at once. Luo Yi and others rebelled, and there is unrest in various places. You are forging iron, making salt, and there have been conflicts with aristocratic families. And now, the disaster has not yet been relieved."

"Now, His Majesty has begun to reduce the power of the vassal states."

"Isn't this too hasty?"

Du Ruhui refuted this, saying, "That's not how it works. In fact, His Majesty's move to reduce the power of the vassal states was not entirely aimed at reducing their power."

Ultimately, it all comes down to military power and finances.

"Moreover, now that His Majesty is in power, we should win over those who should be won over and eliminate those who should be eliminated without hesitation."

"Don't forget, there's also the great threat of the East Turkestan Khaganate outside."

"The Turks and our Tang Dynasty are in an absolute conflict of survival, with no possibility of easing tensions."

"If we cannot quickly and comprehensively control the military, politics, and finances, we won't even be able to quell internal strife, let alone fight against external enemies."

Wei Zheng and Changsun Wuji felt a pang of regret.

The tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease.

If possible, nobody wants so many things to be squeezed together, but nobody has any other choice.

Whether it's the power struggles at the lower levels, the political infighting in the imperial court, or the efforts to reduce the power of regional princes and reclaim fiscal and military control, none of these actions seem to be stopping.

"Don't overthink it," Chen Huai'an said casually, his hands behind his back. "Anyway, His Majesty is in charge. What's there to worry about?"

With a single sentence, the group understood each other perfectly and exchanged a knowing smile.

"..."