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

"what?"

Shen He looked up incredulously at Changsun Wugou's words.

"Huh?"

Changsun Wugou calmly said, "It's just a mortgage. Mr. Chen's business will definitely make money, there's no doubt about that. We can just redeem it when we make money in the future."

"Go ahead, do as I say!"

"Yes...yes."

Shen He dared not refuse, so she quickly agreed and left.

After the outsiders left, a trace of heartache finally flashed in Empress Zhangsun's calm eyes.

Despite her current glamorous life, she is destined to become the Empress of the Tang Dynasty, the mother of the nation.

But... she really didn't have much money to spare.

Most of the money he had painstakingly saved up in the past was used to help Li Shimin win over his subordinates and take care of the families of his soldiers.

She has always lived a very frugal life.

The reason she had Li Chengqian give Chen Huai'an the ten gold ingots earlier was not because she was very rich; others used copper coins, but she used gold.

On the contrary, it was precisely because she didn't have much money.

Those ten gold ingots were seized by Li Shimin from elsewhere during his previous battles, and a small portion of them were given to her.

After spending so many years, there's not much left.

"Mother, I will definitely help you redeem your jewelry!" Li Chengqian did not object to her mortgaging her jewelry, but instead made such a promise.

Upon hearing this, Empress Zhangsun's face softened: "Mother believes in Chengqian."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian nodded vigorously, then brought up another matter, "Mother, I just remembered a question that the teacher asked me."

"What's the problem?"

"The gentleman asked me, 'If for the next few years, natural disasters and man-made calamities are constant, the borders are surrounded by enemy countries, and locust plagues, droughts, and floods strike one after another, and countless people wither away like autumn leaves every day.'"

"When the cries of grief and indignation are deafening, when the wails of lamentation resound through the heavens and earth, when the color of despair covers the entire land, can I remain unmoved?"

After speaking, Li Chengqian paused and added, "As you know, the gentleman lives alone. With his salary, he can at least live a life of luxury, if not gourmet food. He is not short of money..."

Upon hearing this, Empress Zhangsun was first startled, then her eyes sharpened, and she began to ponder deeply.

They were certain that Chen Huai'an was not short of money and most likely didn't care much for it.

Previously, she had been wondering why Chen Huai'an, who was clearly not short of money, would go to such great lengths to do business with Li Chengqian and the others.

Moreover, even if they did it, they would have preferred to give up some of the profits when there were better options available, options that could have maximized their gains, in order to amass the most wealth as quickly as possible.

Li Chengqian's words have gradually given her a sense of understanding.

"Is Mr. Chen really speaking hypothetically?"

Li Chengqian felt that his usually gentle mother was somewhat frightening, giving off a strong sense of oppression, which made him a little scared. His tone weakened: "I...I don't know, but I felt that the teacher at that time seemed to be asking me more than just questions."

"It's not just about asking you..." Empress Zhangsun pondered these words carefully, recalling what Li Shimin had said to her that day, and closed her eyes.

"Guanyinbi, Chen Huai'an and Wei Zheng reminded me that the Turks will definitely take advantage of the internal strife in the Tang Dynasty and my lack of complete power to march south with all their might. He also said that Luo Yi will definitely sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight."

"Do you think I should believe him?"

Empress Zhangsun advised Li Shimin to believe her.

Because she could tell that Li Shimin himself already believed it, but at the time he was somewhat confused and found it difficult to make a decision, so he asked her, hoping to get a confirmation.

At first, Empress Zhangsun did not pay much attention to it, believing that Li Shimin could handle everything.

Therefore, she did not associate this incident with Chen Huai'an's business dealings.

Upon reflection, Empress Zhangsun suddenly had a terrifying thought.

Chen Huai'an felt that Li Shimin might not be able to stop the Turks from advancing south.

If we can't stop it, what will happen?

The answer is self-evident.

It's impossible for the Turks to seize the Central Plains; they can only demand large amounts of compensation, including money, goods, women, and so on. It's even possible that they could take the opportunity to treat them as a vassal state and make them pay tribute every year!

Faced with this situation, Li Shimin had no choice but to pay compensation.

If the decision is made to lose money, it won't just be a matter of a few hundred or a few thousand strings of cash; it will be an astronomical figure that will cripple the Tang Dynasty.

She dared not imagine what the world would think of Li Shimin if he encountered such a thing right after ascending the throne.

so......

Empress Zhangsun said with both admiration and sorrow, "It is not Mr. Chen who needs money, but the Tang Dynasty, and your father!"

"He wants to cover for us!"

Li Chengqian was unsure why Empress Zhangsun had suddenly said that, or what she meant by those words. He cautiously asked, "Mother, was the question the teacher asked me really just a hypothetical?"

"Will there really be many natural and man-made disasters in the future?"

Empress Zhangsun remained silent and said, "I don't know about natural disasters, but Mr. Chen has already pointed out man-made disasters."

"This is very likely to happen!"

"Chengqian, Mr. Chen was indeed asking himself as well as you!"

"Ask yourself?" Li Chengqian tilted his head.

Empress Zhangsun forced a smile: "Yes, ask yourself."

"Your husband is a Zhuge Liang of our time, his calculations are flawless!"

"It's not about calculating based on celestial phenomena or divination, but rather relying on one's intellect, as well as various conditions and clues."

"He foresaw that natural and man-made disasters would continue in the future, but he only wanted to be a teacher and did not want to get involved in the affairs of the court and the world, so he was very confused."

"Mr. Chen's reason told him that these things should have nothing to do with him, but his conscience made it impossible for him to sit idly by and remain indifferent."

"So when he asks you, he's also asking himself!"

Li Chengqian pondered for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up: "So, the master wasn't indifferent; he led us in business, hoping to make a lot of money to save a lot of people?"

"No." The more Changsun Wugou thought about it, the more shocked she became: "He didn't save anyone. The ones who would have saved people were the eldest son of the Duke of Su, the fourth son of the Duke of Ju, the eldest son of the Duke of Ying, and... most importantly, you!"

As she spoke, Empress Dowager Changsun earnestly said to Li Chengqian, "Mr. Chen taught you how to make money, the importance of craftsmanship, the existence of the curved plow, the importance of commerce, and how to use commerce to save people."

"He has taught you everything, and paved the way for you!"

Li Chengqian could no longer maintain his adult-like demeanor. He opened his mouth slightly in a daze, but couldn't speak for a long time.

"Chengqian!" Empress Zhangsun exclaimed, "How fortunate you are!"

"..."

PS: During the verification period, only two updates per day are allowed. I updated one chapter at midnight last night, and now I can only update one chapter.

I'm really out of ideas, please forgive me.

Let's move on to the official recommendation shortly.