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

Throughout May, a locust plague raged.

Fortunately, the Yellow River repair project was in full swing, and the first batch of people who were conscripted had already set off. On the day Zhang Peng left, Chen Huai'an personally went to see him off.

Because only a small portion of the people conscripted from Chang'an and its surrounding areas were from other regions, the locust plague, though severe, did not render the people unable to survive.

In early June, Chen Huai'an had already begun preparations for the second group of people to go and repair the Yellow River.

Li Shimin took this matter very seriously and ordered his trusted advisors Wen Yanbo and Sun Fujia to go to the Yellow River region with different groups of people to manage it.

Wen Yanbo was a veteran official with outstanding abilities and was highly valued by Li Shimin. Sun Fujia was no less capable; in popular parlance, he was once a top scholar in the imperial examination.

That day, Chen Huai'an sat in the Ministry of Revenue, looking at the account books sent up from below, as well as the estimated expenses that he had ordered Liang Bingyi to compile.

All I can say is that it's a headache to look at.

Chen Huai'an rubbed his temples: "Has the June court report been prepared yet? And how far has its scope expanded?"

"Reporting to the Minister," Liang Bingyi said, bowing. "The imperial report for June should already be being prepared. Although that incident happened in May, the people still attach great importance to such a major undertaking as the Yellow River repair."

"In June, we can have the higher-ups emphasize in their official reports that they have begun recruiting a second batch of workers for the Yellow River repair project. In that case, the locust plague will be no longer a concern."

"Yes, but we must control grain prices!" Chen Huai'an said seriously. "This is a big problem. People have money in their hands, but no grain, which will give many grain merchants an opportunity."

"In the first year of the Zhenguan era, the national treasury was empty, and I had no choice but to do that. Now the national treasury is full and there is no shortage of grain, so grain prices must be well controlled."

"I allow it to raise prices, but not too much!"

"Understood." Liang Bingyi paused. "The current price of grain in Chang'an is thirteen coins per dou (a unit of dry measure). In other regions, it is slightly higher or lower, but overall it is around ten coins."

"As the work-for-relief policy continues to be implemented, people will have money in their hands, and grain prices will definitely rise. I have a feeling that they may rise to fifteen to twenty coins in the future."

"That is, 150 to 200 coins per stone."

"Alright." Chen Huai'an instructed, "You personally oversee this matter, both above and below, make sure you keep a close eye on it. Open up the imperial grain shops, and sell grain at different prices according to different regions, but no more than twenty coins per dou, which is two hundred coins per shi!"

Liang Bingyi pondered and said, "Minister, if we do this, the national treasury's grain reserves will be further depleted. We will be preparing to send troops to the Eastern Turks next month, and the national treasury's grain reserves... may only last until the end of this year."

"You're calculating this based on no income, aren't you?" Chen Huai'an scoffed. "While spending money, the court still makes money in many ways. Don't worry, have Chang Gui and Ouyang Shu come over; I need to talk to them."

"Yes, Minister." Liang Bingyi dared not delay and immediately gave the order.

Soon, Chang Gui and Ouyang Shu rushed over.

"Minister, you were looking for us?"

The two men cupped their hands in greeting.

Chen Huai'an asked calmly, "How's the glasswork I asked you to prepare in secret coming along?"

Mentioning this, Chang Gui was incredibly excited: "Reporting to the Minister, everything is ready, all sorts of things. If we were to take it all out, some people would probably go crazy."

Ouyang Shu remained silent. Although most of the glass items Chen Huai'an had them prepare were ordinary bowls and cups, many of them were lifelike animals, even mythical beasts.

If someone who doesn't know the truth sees this, they'll absolutely go crazy.

"Very good." Chen Huai'an finally smiled. It's relatively easy to make glass into bowls or similar shapes, but it's quite difficult to make lifelike animals in this day and age. It really tests the craftsman's skills.

Therefore, it is only now that we are officially ready.

But it doesn't matter, this thing can only make you a quick buck. Once there's more glass, it will naturally become worthless.

It's perfect for getting through these years of natural disasters.

"Was it done according to my requirements?" Chen Huai'an asked again.

This time, it was Ouyang Shu who answered: "Your Excellency, everything was done according to your requirements. I basically ordered the craftsmen under my command to make a glassware of various styles for wealthy families in the north and south, based on the information you provided."

"Even wealthy businessmen are included!"

"We make more small items, targeting those who aren't too wealthy."

"Haha." Chen Huai'an couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. Chang Gui and Ouyang Shu also laughed. Only Liang Bingyi silently mourned for the major families and wealthy merchants.

He knew about the glass.

If Chen Huai'an were to make and sell glass normally, then of course there would be nothing wrong with it.

But Chen Huai'an had no intention of playing by the rules. He directly asked Li Shimin to provide information on the major families in the north and south, and then specially commissioned a piece of glass for each of them.

They planned to send people to sell everything to these people at the same time, in exchange for food and money.

This is tantamount to reaping the benefits from all the powerful families and wealthy merchants.

Liang Bingyi didn't even dare to think about how much money he could make.

"I will inform His Majesty, and proceed according to plan." Chen Huai'an was in an extremely pleasant mood.

This piece of junk is very valuable in the Tang Dynasty, especially since the glass he makes is more transparent and the colors are more vibrant, and it is specially made for various families.

He didn't even dare to imagine the effect if he presented it to them.

Apart from families like the Yan family, who are really poor and rely entirely on their salaries and farming to make a living, all wealthy families are within his reach.

Since these powerful families are just keeping their money buried underground anyway, they might as well take it out and get the stagnant economy of the Tang Dynasty flowing again.

"Go and make preparations. I'll go talk to His Majesty now and get ready to collect the money!"

Chen Huai'an made a quick decision and stood up to leave.

The three of them quickly bowed.

Halfway there, Chen Huai'an remembered something and turned to Ouyang Shu, saying, "You should have received the notification by now, right? Once the canal transport between the Central Plains and Lingnan is opened up, you will be appointed as the Lingnan Transport Commissioner, a third-rank official."

"However, I must remind you that the Transport Commissioner of Lingnan is replaced every three years, just like the relationship between the Ministry of Works and the Directorate of Works. Whether you can advance further in the future depends on how well you perform in the next three years."

"You should prepare yourself well."

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Shu knew who had given him everything, and bowed deeply, saying, "This humble official understands!"

"good......"

"......"