Tang Dynasty: Taking the Empress Dowager to a brothel, Father Emperor, what a coincidence!

Li Shimin took out another stack of paper slips from his small cloth bag.

He originally thought it was some top-secret file sent back by Li Chengqian.

When he flipped to the top page, he was so angry he almost fainted.

"I owe His Highness the Crown Prince a cotton-padded coat, valued at 500 strings of cash. Debtor: Changsun Chong."

There was also a red handprint pressed in the lower right corner of the paper.

Li Shimin couldn't understand it at all.

Did my unfilial son go to Liaodong to fight a war, or did he go to Liaodong to buy goods?

Unconvinced, he continued flipping through the pages.

"Debtor: Fang Yi'ai, 500 guan. Note: If you are short even one wen, I will break your leg when you go home."

"Debtor: Yuchi Baolin, 500 strings of cash. Note: I bought it voluntarily, I wasn't forced."

"Debtor: Du He, 500 guan..."

A thick stack of papers, at least dozens of sheets.

All the prominent sons of noble families in Chang'an left their fingerprints here.

Li Shimin's cheeks twitched.

He wanted to laugh, but there was still anger burning inside him.

This caused the civil and military officials below to be terrified.

Is His Majesty driven mad by the Crown Prince's battle report?

Changsun Wuji was originally figuring out how to gloss over the matter in Pingzhou.

Upon seeing Li Shimin's reaction, a brilliant idea suddenly flashed in his mind.

Brilliant! Brilliant! You brought this on yourself.

Then you can't blame me, your uncle.

"Okay, very good."

Li Shimin grabbed the stack of IOUs and threw them down the steps.

"Duke of Qi, look at the mess your good son has made on the front lines."

Changsun Wuji was stunned.

What does this have to do with my son?

He quickly went over and picked up the top piece of paper.

Upon seeing the handwriting, Changsun Wuji felt his blood pressure surge to the top of his head.

Five hundred strings of cash to buy a cotton coat?

Is this garment made of gold? Or dragon skin?

"Your Highness... His Highness the Crown Prince is going too far."

Changsun Wuji couldn't catch his breath and fainted.

"Duke of Qi"

"Quickly, someone come! The Duke of Qi has fainted!"

The court was thrown into chaos.

Fang Xuanling picked up an IOU from the ground with a puzzled look. After reading it, he almost fainted on the spot.

He usually wouldn't even spend money on drinking and carousing in Pingkangfang, but this spendthrift son actually spent 500 guan on a piece of clothing.

Yuchi Jingde, who couldn't read, picked up a piece of paper and held it up to Hou Junji, asking:

"Old Hou, what does it say here?"

Hou Junji glanced at it and said with a wicked smile:

"Old Hei, your Baolin owes His Highness the Crown Prince five hundred strings of cash, saying it's for buying cotton-padded clothes."

"What the heck?"

Yuchi Jingde roared,

"Five hundred strings of cash? Has my Baolin lost his mind? Where did this unfilial son get the audacity to sign such a humiliating and treasonous document?"

Inside the main hall, all the officials whose sons had gone to Liaodong were now completely distraught.

Li Shimin looked down at the group of old foxes.

Looking at their faces, which showed signs of unbearable pain.

He suddenly felt a surge of secret pleasure.

These old bastards are scheming against themselves, the emperor, and the national treasury every day, constantly finding new ways to feign poverty.

Now look what's happened, they've all been dealt with by their own son.

"Shut up, all of you."

Li Shimin slammed his hand on the imperial desk.

The entire hall fell silent instantly.

"Cough cough..."

Changsun Wuji, who had been awakened by the imperial physician pinching his philtrum, slowly regained consciousness.

"Your Majesty, you must do justice for me! His Highness the Crown Prince is extorting me; he's forcing me to my death!"

Li Shimin sneered:

"Extortion? It's clearly stated in the battle report."

The weather in Liaodong is freezing cold, and the soldiers don't even have winter clothes to wear. The Crown Prince obtained some miraculous items to keep warm, and your son bought them voluntarily to save his life.

"I ask you, do you want these five hundred strings of cash or your son's life?"

Changsun Wuji dared not speak.

"But... five hundred strings of cash is too much..."

Changsun Wuji felt so frustrated that he wanted to bang his head against the wall.

"Alright."

Li Shimin waved his hand, directly interrupting him.

"The Crown Prince said in his letter that the soldiers at the front were fighting a bloody battle, and the expenses were enormous."

Consider this money as a donation from you elders to the army.

Tang Jian's eyes lit up instantly when he heard the words "military supplies".

He's been worried about the lack of money in the national treasury these past few days.

Tang Jian walked directly out of the queue and shouted loudly:

"Your Majesty is wise! His Highness the Crown Prince's actions are truly a way to relieve the nation's burdens. Your humble servant will immediately send someone with the IOUs to collect the debts from the various officials' residences."

"Anyone who has the nerve to default on their payment will have their entire fortune seized by this humble servant."

The courtiers were furious when they heard Tang Jian's words.

They wished they could tear Tang Jian apart on the spot.

But once Li Shimin gave the order, who would dare to disobey?

"As for what the battle report said..."

Li Shimin surveyed the entire scene.

"To annihilate three thousand elite troops with zero casualties and capture their commander alive is somewhat unbelievable. The Ministry of War must immediately send someone to Liaodong to verify this. If there is even the slightest falsehood, I will not let them off lightly."

Although Li Shimin said this, he already believed it to a great extent in his heart.

Since his son dared to return the IOU to demand money, it meant that the situation on the front lines was completely under his control.

......

Liaodong Camp.

Li Chengqian's camp.

"Uncle Du, Uncle Qin, please don't be shy, make yourself at home."

Li Chengqian casually kicked away the charcoal brazier at his feet, and ordered Xiao Shunzi to lead his men to retreat ten steps away to guard it.

Du Ruhui and Qin Qiong exchanged a glance, both seeing a deep sense of unease in each other's eyes.

Before setting off, the two of them had agreed with the Crown Prince that they would not show up in the military camp unless it was for something important.

Only a few days later, the Crown Prince summoned the two of them.

"Your Highness, has something happened in Chang'an?"

Du Ruhui looked at Li Chengqian and asked.

Li Chengqian shook his head:

"With my grandfather watching over Chang'an, nothing bad will happen. I've called you here to discuss the future."

Qin Qiong breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this:

"Your Highness's great victory at the Liao River resulted in zero casualties and the complete annihilation of three thousand elite enemy troops. With such military achievements, your position as Crown Prince will surely be as secure as Mount Tai upon your return to Chang'an."

"stable?"

Li Chengqian scoffed.

"Uncle Qin, you've served my father for so many years, don't you understand him? He only sees two kinds of people: obedient tools and potential threats."

Du Ruhui's eyelids twitched, but he didn't say anything.

"This time, I kidnapped the eldest sons of all the civil and military officials and brought them to Liaodong. I also swindled a large sum of money from Changsun Wuji and the aristocratic families. I also demonstrated the might of the Tang Dynasty in Liaodong."

Do you think my father, the emperor, thinks I'm capable, or that I've become beyond his control?

A brief silence fell inside the tent.

Du Ruhui sighed deeply:

"His Majesty is a man of deep thoughts. The more skillful Your Highness is in handling matters, the deeper His Majesty's fear will become."

"That's right."

Li Chengqian lowered his voice and said

"Therefore, I cannot simply wash my neck clean and wait for him to chop it off. I must prepare myself to prevent my father from discarding me after I have served my purpose."

"Clatter".

The teacup in Qin Qiong's hand fell to the ground.

This man, who had fought his way through the Tang army, was so startled that he almost jumped up.

Is the Crown Prince planning to rebel against his own father?

Will the Xuanwu Gate Incident happen again?

"Your Highness, this..."

Qin Qiong gave a bitter smile.

"Your Highness pulled me back from the brink of death. I will die ten thousand times over wherever Your Highness's sword points."

Du Ruhui hurriedly advised:

"Your Highness, this matter must not be rushed."

"At most, the Crown Prince's palace only has three hundred Shadow Guards who are completely loyal to you. Even if you secretly recruit several thousand more men for this expedition, controlling Chang'an and forcing the palace into the inner palace is nothing but a pipe dream."

"Need more staff?"

Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow and asked.

"It lacks the absolute support of military leaders."

Du Ruhui pointed out incisively,

"The Imperial Guards and the Sixteen Guards—these are the lifeblood of Chang'an. Relying solely on two dead men, myself and the Duke of Yi, is simply not enough to maintain order."

Li Chengqian stroked his chin and looked at Du Ruhui, asking:

"What if... I could get Li Jing on board with me?"