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

"Well, here's the situation. As you've seen, faking my death wasn't my intention. I originally thought I was going to die, but I didn't manage to die, did I?"

In the backyard, everyone sat together, and the food and wine on the table had been changed. Chen Huai'an explained again.

Li Shimin didn't speak, but glanced at Chen Huai'an sideways.

He believed the first part was true, but later Chen Huai'an planned to turn the tables and didn't tell him the truth, making him think that Chen Huai'an was really dead. He cried so many times and was really angry!

Chen Huai'an knew exactly what Erfeng was thinking, so he coughed and said, "How about this, I won't take the title of Duke. Your Majesty, please don't be angry. Come, let's drink."

"Heh..." Li Shimin sneered, "Isn't there still Wang Bai?"

"He joined you in deceiving the emperor."

"It was all my idea, my idea, please don't blame me, Your Majesty." Chen Huai'an chuckled dryly. "How about this, I'll take another fifty strokes of the cane, and Wang Bai will be imprisoned for thirty years."

"I only beg Your Majesty to spare his life."

Li Shimin, neither impressed by Li Shimin's appearance nor his mannerisms, reluctantly agreed.

He was ultimately happy that Chen Huai'an hadn't died.

"Then we'll do as you say. Your official position will remain unchanged, but your title and associated fief will be stripped. You'll be given fifty strokes of the cane, and Wang Bai will be imprisoned for thirty years."

"Okay." Chen Huai'an readily accepted; this was the best outcome.

Anyway, it's nothing to me.

A title of nobility is something many people dream of, but for them, it's something they can easily give up and then regain.

Chen Huai'an only found it troublesome.

"Your Majesty, the aristocratic families have really been dealt a terrible blow by you this time," Chen Huai'an said, changing the subject at the opportune moment.

It would have been better if he hadn't said anything. Once he mentioned the aristocratic families, Li Shimin's eyes were full of disdain: "Rather than saying that the aristocratic families were ruined by me, it would be more accurate to say that they were ruined by you, kid."

"You're living the high life at home, while people are dying every day. If they found out you're still alive, I don't know how angry they'd be."

"Actually, I didn't want to either," Chen Huai'an said, spreading his hands. "I really had no choice. Why did they have to try to poison me?"

"I didn't mean to cheat them. What's happening now is less because of me and more because they're reaping what they sowed."

"However..." Chen Huai'an pondered, "The imperial report was sent out a bit too hastily. Although the effect was better than expected for various reasons, the scope was not large, only in Chang'an City and a few surrounding counties."

"The most important thing right now is to try to publish the second edition of the Morning Post as soon as possible, to expand its influence, and at the same time clarify that I am not dead."

Du Ruhui laughed: "Isn't the last point the most important?"

One sentence made many people laugh.

For Chen Huai'an, isn't the last point the most important?

Now everyone in Chang'an knows that Chen Huai'an is dead. If he suddenly came back to life, people might think he had risen from the dead.

Fang Xuanling couldn't help but exclaim, "Your heart is truly black!"

"The Lu family and the Zheng family are almost ruined by you."

Chen Huai'an raised an eyebrow: "Wouldn't that be perfect? ​​I'll play them to death, and I don't believe they'll still dare to ask for such a high dowry. Then you all can marry daughters of noble families, right?"

One sentence caused a moment of silence in the room, and Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, and others looked somewhat uneasy.

Li Shimin's expression turned cold: "Yes, these families have been manipulated by Huai'an. I don't believe they can still shamelessly ask for such high dowries."

"Xuanling, Xuancheng, you can now find a wife for your son!"

"Or... take a look at those people who have been killed, and see who you fancy. I will personally issue an edict to marry your sons to them. That would also save that woman's life, wouldn't you say?"

"No, no, no." Fang Xuanling dared not agree and quickly refused, "No need, Your Majesty. My son can just find a good girl. A noblewoman... I didn't mean that."

"Is that so?" Li Shimin sneered, "You'd better think this through. Before, when you wanted to marry them, you couldn't afford the betrothal gifts. Now, they're probably begging you to marry them. Whether or not you need betrothal gifts is another matter entirely."

"If you miss this opportunity, you'll never have another chance to regret it."

Fang Xuanling resolutely refused, saying, "That's perfect. I really don't want to get involved with them. It's just that my son was infatuated with a noblewoman before. I'll teach him a lesson later."

"Your Majesty's kindness is appreciated, but I will not marry a woman from a noble family."

"And what about you?" Li Shimin asked Wei Zheng.

Wei Zheng gave almost the same answer as Fang Xuanling; in short, he didn't want to get married.

They weren't stupid; they understood that Chen Huai'an was bringing this up now to clear things up, give them a chance to explain, and incidentally distance himself from the situation.

Isn't the situation obvious now?

Li Shimin and Chen Huai'an had clearly clashed with a group of powerful families, so who would dare to align themselves with them at this time?

Don't you die?

Chen Huai'an smiled but didn't say anything.

At the beginning of the Zhenguan era, Wei Zheng and Fang Xuanling wanted their sons to marry women from prominent families, but they couldn't afford the betrothal gifts.

A high-ranking official of the third rank couldn't even find a wife for his own son.

It sounds ridiculous, but it's true.

Do you think Fang Xuanling and Wei Zheng were poor?

impossible.

Leaving aside their salaries, just considering their fiefdoms, their annual income was already very high. Add to that all sorts of other things, as well as the rewards Li Shimin gave them during festivals, how could the two of them possibly be poor?

The reason they couldn't afford to marry was simply because the powerful families demanded too much.

The cost of just one household allowance would be at least a thousand strings of cash.

What is "accompanying wealth"?

The Shandong aristocratic families, proud of their prestigious lineage, looked down on officials like the Fang and Wei families who rose to power through the imperial examinations and military achievements.

The term "accompanying family" refers to the practice of newly rich people using money to complement and compensate for the shortcomings of their family background.

Converted to later times, one thousand strings of cash would be roughly equivalent to several million.

This is just the dowry; the betrothal gifts and other expenses haven't even been calculated yet.

"..."

"I've done my best now, and I've even sacrificed my reputation," Chen Huai'an said tactfully. "After a while, the situation will basically stabilize. The Lu and Zheng families will be severely weakened. They'll not only be unable to sit at the table, but they've also lost most of their voice."

"The only thing to be careful about is the growing power of the Cui family of Boling, the Wang family of Taiyuan, and the Li family of Zhaojun. Therefore, I must focus my attention on the locust plague that is about to arrive."

Li Shimin understood the implication.

Chen Huai'an was simply saying that he had done everything he was supposed to do, and now it was up to him to figure out how to balance things and how to reap the benefits.

He just stopped caring.

Li Shimin paused for a moment, raised his cup to clink with Chen Huai'an's, said nothing, and downed his drink in one gulp.

Although he didn't say anything, it was as if he said everything.

Chen Huai'an smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I have a small request..."

"..."