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

"Li Er!"

Chen Huai'an replied matter-of-factly, "Aren't you surnamed Li? Aren't you the second child in your family? Isn't this how we in the Tang Dynasty address each other?"

"Calling him 'Second Son of the Li Family' is too specific. It's best to keep the address short. 'Li Er' is just right!"

Li Shimin opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but he didn't know how to refute it.

What they said makes sense; that's how it was commonly called in the Tang Dynasty, for example, the eldest son of the Zhao family and the second son of the Sun family.

Calling him Li Er... seems like it would be fine.

"It would be better to call me Brother Li!" Li Shimin said with a dark face. For some reason, he really disliked being called Li Er.

I always felt like I was making fun of him.

After all, he shot and killed Dalang!

A hint of a smile flashed in Chen Huai'an's eyes: "Don't waste time, Li Er, we should set off immediately."

"Hmph!" Li Shimin snorted coldly, urging Li Junxian, the commander of the Imperial Guards outside, to set off immediately.

"Since Father is Li Er, then I am..." Li Tai listened to their conversation, counting on his fingers, "Li Si?"

"Hahahaha..." Chen Huai'an couldn't help but burst out laughing when he heard about Li Si.

Li Shimin immediately cast a cold glance at him, and Chen Huai'an suppressed his laughter, but he still said, "Yes, Your Highness Li, that is correct."

Li Tai scratched his head and muttered, "I have a feeling you're lying to me, but I have no proof."

"But your father is right here. You can ask your mother later if you really are Li Si. That's right," Chen Huai'an said, suppressing a laugh.

"Father, is that so?" Li Tai asked earnestly.

Li Shimin's face was dark, and he nodded reluctantly.

From any perspective, Li Tai is indeed Li Si.

"Oh~" Li Tai said with a smile, "Then I'll be Li Si from now on, that sounds good, like Father's younger brother..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Shimin glared at him fiercely, and Li Tai immediately fell silent.

Chen Huai'an almost couldn't hold back.

Li Shimin was extremely sensitive about his younger brother.

Well, how should I put it?

Li Shimin felt so guilty that he couldn't eat whenever he thought about killing his elder brother Li Jiancheng, but he could eat two big bowls of food with relish when he thought about killing his younger brother Li Yuanji.

"Enough with the nonsense, let's get going!" Li Shimin snorted.

"..."

When Li Shimin suddenly made this move, Chen Huai'an thought that Li Shimin was going to take him out of the city.

Unexpectedly, Li Shimin only took him to the slums of Chang'an.

That's not quite right; it should be called a former slum.

After getting off the carriage, Li Shimin looked at the street in front of him with a somewhat sentimental expression.

This place used to be dilapidated, with leaky mud-brick and thatched houses on both sides. Refugees and beggars who couldn't make a living could be seen everywhere on the street, and the whole place was lifeless.

But things are very different now.

The streets were swept clean, and most of the houses on both sides had been repaired. Although they weren't exactly tidy, at least the roofs didn't leak and the walls could block the wind and provide shelter from the rain.

Occasionally, passersby would see eyes that were no longer numb and desperate, but instead showed a bit of vitality and hope.

"How is it? Does it feel familiar or unfamiliar?" Li Shimin asked, turning his head.

"I'm neither familiar nor stranger to you, and I'm proud of it!" Chen Huai'an said without any politeness. "Li Er, you should be even more proud!"

Li Shimin: "..."

The words sounded very pleasant, but the way he was addressed felt a bit out of place.

Shaking his head, Li Shimin didn't pay much attention to this trivial matter and led Chen Huai'an and his children inside.

It's already deep winter, and there aren't many people around, not just here, but even on Zhuque Street.

However, you can still see some scattered ones.

"Hey, papa, there's someone selling steamed buns over there," Li Tai said, pointing to a small stall.

The group looked in the direction he pointed and saw a woman of about thirty years old with a weathered face, who had set up a simple cloth tent and a steamed bun stall, with steam rising from the steamer basket.

They are indeed selling steamed buns.

Li Shimin became interested: "Let's go take a look."

Seeing someone approaching, the woman quickly stood up: "Sir, would you like to buy some steamed buns? I have steamed bread, as well as homemade vegetable buns and meat buns."

"Give me five meat buns," Li Shimin said.

"Okay." The woman replied happily. "Guest, it's almost New Year's Day, so meat prices are a bit high. My meat buns are two coins each, or ten coins for five. They're all clean mutton buns."

"No problem!" Li Shimin waved his hand, and Li Junxian immediately took out a piece of silver and handed it over.

The woman's expression changed: "Sir, this is too much."

The main currency of the Tang Dynasty was copper coins, but that doesn’t mean silver and gold couldn’t be used. Gold and silver could be used anywhere, they just couldn’t become the main currency.

Even though this piece of silver doesn't look big, it's more than enough to buy all her steamed buns.

"It's alright," Li Shimin said gently. "You should be able to tell that I'm not short of money. Besides filling my stomach, I also have some things to ask you about."

"I'm just curious about the situation here. I remember... it wasn't like this before."

The woman hesitated for a moment, but ultimately accepted the money and quickly wrapped five steaming hot meat buns in oiled paper and handed them over.

"Whatever questions the guests may have, I will tell them as long as I know the answer."

Li Shimin casually took them, gave one to Li Tai and one to Li Lizhi, and the other two to Chen Huai'an and Li Junxian, and then took a bite without hesitation.

He chewed for a moment, then paused. The bun tasted much better than he had imagined.

Li Shimin didn't pay much attention to that, but instead asked, "I remember there used to be many... refugees here, and they didn't live very well."

"It seems much better now."

The woman laughed upon hearing this, and the weariness on her face lessened somewhat: "Guests can speak frankly. This used to be a slum in Chang'an, where most of the people were refugees from all over the country, living a precarious life."

"You could say this is a den of beggars."

"As for now..." she paused, a strange light flickering in her eyes, "it's because we've met a good man and a good emperor."

Li Shimin smiled: "The official you're referring to, is it that official surnamed Chen in the Ministry of Revenue?"

"The guest knows?" The woman's eyes lit up, then she nodded. "That's right, who doesn't know Minister Chen these days?"

"It is because of him, and with the current emperor's wisdom, this place is no longer a slum. Everyone's life has gradually improved, and we are finally able to make a living."

Li Shimin glanced at Chen Huai'an and said with interest, "You speak highly of this Minister Chen, is it merely because he allowed you to survive?"

"Yes and no." The woman touched her stall, her tone carrying a hint of inexplicable satisfaction.

"He did more than just keep us alive."

"It's because he allows us to live like human beings!"

"..."