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

"Dead?"

Everyone was shocked. Even Chen Huai'an was a little surprised. Feng Deyi, who had just been chatting with him, was dead just like that.

To be honest, he wasn't just making things up; everything he said was true.

However, Feng Deyi concealed this matter very well, and the former confidants of the Crown Prince probably only knew a little bit about it.

Chen Huai'an didn't guess it from casual conversation with Wei Zheng; he learned it from historical records.

The matter of Feng Deyi was not fully exposed until the seventeenth year of the Zhenguan era.

Li Shimin was furious, but unfortunately Feng Deyi had already died by then, so Li Shimin couldn't cause him any trouble. He simply gave Feng Deyi a bad posthumous title.

But now, Feng Deyi is dead?

Was he scared to death by Li Shimin?

"Your Majesty, Feng Pu She was angered to death by Duke Anguo and his men!" said the official who was checking on Feng Deyi's condition.

Chen Huai'an: ? ? ?

"My mother..."

He stopped himself from uttering the insults that were on the tip of his tongue.

It's impossible for him to die of anger himself; Feng Deyi is already quite old, and I've heard he's ill.

How could I possibly die of anger?

However, after he exposed his embezzlement, it was also revealed that while he outwardly supported Li Shimin, he had secretly been working for Li Jiancheng.

The calmer Li Shimin's expression, the angrier he was inside.

Feng Deyi clearly knew this.

Rather than saying he was so angry with himself that he died, it would be more accurate to say he was so terrified by Li Shimin.

But that's hard to say...

You can't exactly say that Li Shimin scared the man to death, can you?

Li Shimin was also very surprised. He immediately summoned the imperial physician, who examined Feng Deyi repeatedly and confirmed that he had indeed lost his pulse and breathing and was truly dead.

Li Shimin almost lost his composure.

Damn it, he was scared to death just like that?

Is it really that fragile?

Seeing the strange, almost imperceptible, looks directed at him, Li Shimin felt incredibly frustrated.

That bastard, even in death he'll still cause trouble.

Li Shimin's mind raced. Looking at Chen Huai'an, Wei Zheng, and Xiao Yu, he coughed and said, "Minister Chen, Minister Wei, Minister Xiao, you three should watch your mouths from now on."

Xiao Yu: "..."

Wei Zheng: "..."

Chen Huai'an: "..."

"Guards," Li Shimin waved his hand dismissively, "take Feng Deyi away and investigate him thoroughly to see if he has truly committed embezzlement!"

"Yes."

Two imperial guards came in and carried Feng Deyi away.

Li Shimin sat back on his throne and gave Chen Huai'an a deep look: "My dear minister, you believe it is not advisable to send troops this year. When would be the right time to do so?"

Chen Huai'an paused for a moment, then uttered two words: "Next year."

"Next year?" Li Shimin seemed a little surprised. He thought Chen Huai'an would say several years later, but he didn't expect it to be next year.

Why next year?

Chen Huai'an pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, Feng Deyi's words make some sense. As the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, he is in charge of the Six Ministries and naturally knows how much money and grain the Ministry of Revenue has."

"Plus, everyone was holding their breath, and Feng Deyi capitalized on this to gain the support of so many colleagues!"

"But having money doesn't mean you can spend it recklessly or without any scruples."

"The imperial court must have sufficient risk resistance capabilities; otherwise, if natural disasters occur one after another, the Tang Dynasty itself will suffer heavy losses."

"Simultaneously implementing work relief and sending troops to subdue the Turks put too much pressure on the national treasury."

"My idea is to prepare the borders, continue to incite internal strife within the Turkic Khaganate, and at the same time accumulate sufficient wealth."

"It's a bit too hasty to send troops this year. Wait until next year, when ironware, refined salt, and paper are widely available and the national treasury revenue has increased significantly. That will be the right time to send troops."

Many people in the court fell silent.

Chen Huai'an's words were already quite considerate of everyone, giving them a good way out, and upon closer reflection, what he said made a lot of sense.

"Risk resistance..." Li Shimin pondered these words, nodded slightly, "We'll discuss this matter later; let's leave it at that for today."

"Court adjourned!"

"..."

What happened in the court today caught many people off guard.

But after realizing what had happened, many people suddenly realized something.

The important issue now is no longer whether or not to send troops to fight the Turks.

Rather, it was because Feng Deyi had died that the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel became vacant!

After the court session, Wei Zheng walked with Chen Huai'an and said frankly, "Mr. Chen, there are only a handful of people in the court who are capable of competing for that position."

"Xiao Yu, Changsun Wuji, Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling, and... you, who holds the position of Minister of two ministries."

"In terms of seniority, Xiao Yu should be the best; in terms of merit and friendship, Changsun Wuji should be the best, followed by you, Du Ruhui, and Fang Xuanling, who are roughly equal."

"Mr. Chen, aren't you going to try and make an effort?"

"Only someone with a screw loose would fight for that position." Chen Huai'an curled his lip. He was willing to become the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Works because both positions were closely related to his future plans.

That's why he accepted it without the slightest hesitation.

But this doesn't mean that Chen Huai'an is really power-hungry. For him, things are already good enough. He doesn't want to go any further and has no interest in becoming a prime minister.

Instead of wasting time, you should teach Li Chengqian and go home to spend time with Xiao He.

"I knew you weren't interested." Wei Zheng wasn't surprised at all. He was the first person to become acquainted with Chen Huai'an. Although the two often bickered, they had a very good relationship.

"However... just because you're not interested doesn't mean others aren't." He lowered his voice and said, "Xiao Yu, Du Ruhui, and Fang Xuanling probably won't be persistent, but it's hard to say about Changsun Wuji."

"What does that have to do with us?" Chen Huai'an chuckled. "If they're interested, let them fight over it. Or are you, this country bumpkin, interested and asking me to come and garner their support?"

Wei Zheng's face immediately darkened: "You're the country bumpkin! Your whole family are country bumpkins!"

Chen Huai'an curled his lip: "This is not what I said, but what His Majesty said. If you don't believe me, go ask Du Ruhui and the others yourself. They all know about this."

"His Majesty has always called you 'Old Countryman' in private."

"Really?" Wei Zheng asked with some doubt.

Chen Huai'an said in a serious tone, "People from Chang'an don't lie to people from Chang'an!"

Wei Zheng immediately fell silent, his eyes gleaming as he clearly pondered something.

Chen Huai'an curled the corners of his mouth, looking rather pleased with himself for his cunning scheme. He patted Chen Huai'an's shoulder and changed the subject: "Alright, stop thinking about this. What prime minister or anything like that, it has nothing to do with us."

"By the way, His Majesty's original words were, 'I should have less contact with you, Wei Zheng, you country bumpkin. You're no good.'"

"..."