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

In front of the Lizheng Hall.

The moment Li Chengqian entered the Lizheng Hall, his originally upright back slumped.

His eyes were slightly red as he jogged inside.

"Mother Empress."

That scream was incredibly heart-wrenching.

Empress Zhangsun raised her head abruptly upon hearing the shout.

She saw her precious son, looking utterly aggrieved, bury his face in her arms.

"Mother! Your son was in Liaodong... and almost didn't make it back to see you."

Empress Zhangsun could not bear this.

Her eyes reddened, and tears streamed down her face.

She cupped Li Chengqian's face in her hands.

"She's gotten darker and thinner than usual..."

Empress Zhangsun gently wiped away the tears from the corners of Li Chengqian's eyes.

"But you've gotten much stronger. Gaoming, you've suffered."

If an outsider heard this, they would probably roll their eyes.

They've gotten even fatter than when they went to war, so how could they have suffered?

Li Chengqian took the opportunity to rub his hand against Empress Zhangsun's palm.

"Mother, you have no idea how cold it is in Liaodong. The snow is higher than a person. The soldiers are so cold that they can't even hold their swords."

The son was fighting desperately against the Goguryeo people in front, while someone was stabbing him in the back.

The military rations were transported there, and the top layer was rice, while the bottom was all sand and rotten chaff. The 100,000-strong army almost starved to death in the freezing cold.

"If your son hadn't prepared fried noodles in advance, you would only be seeing his memorial tablet now."

Empress Zhangsun's expression changed drastically when she heard the word "sand".

Of course she knew that it belonged to the Cui family of Qinghe.

But she knew even more that without her good brother Changsun Wuji's behind-the-scenes support, the Cui family wouldn't have had such audacity.

"Good child, your mother knows everything."

Empress Zhangsun held Li Chengqian tightly in her arms, gently patting his back.

"Don't worry, Mother has kept a record of this debt for them."

Li Chengqian nodded obediently.

Just then, his stomach suddenly growled.

Empress Zhangsun burst into laughter through her tears and quickly gave instructions to those outside the hall:

"Akizuki! What are you standing there for?"

"Quickly have the imperial kitchen prepare the braised pork knuckle, the Crown Prince's favorite dish. Also, go to my private treasury and bring out all the ginseng and snow lotus; give the Crown Prince a good nourishing treatment."

Qiuyue, who was outside the door, quickly responded and ran off to make the arrangements.

Then Empress Zhangsun pulled Li Chengqian to sit down.

She took out the folding paper that Xiao Shunzi had given her and slapped it on the small table.

"Gao Ming, tell the Empress Dowager what's going on?"

Li Chengqian glanced at the gift list and feigned a look of panic.

"Mother, this is... this is something my uncle insisted on giving me outside the city."

He lowered his head, twisted two fingers together, and spoke softer and softer.

"The entire city's inhabitants were watching, and the entire court of civil and military officials were also watching."

The uncle cried his eyes out, insisting that this was a small token of his appreciation to welcome his son.

"I've refused several times, but he just won't take it back."

Li Chengqian raised his head and looked at Empress Zhangsun pitifully.

"I was thinking that if I refused in public, my uncle would be embarrassed, which would damage your relationship with him."

I was afraid that my mother would be caught in the middle, so I reluctantly accepted it.

If Your Majesty finds this inappropriate, I will immediately send someone to return it to my uncle.

With that, Li Chengqian stood up and started to walk out.

"stop."

Empress Zhangsun grabbed him.

"Send it back? On what grounds should we send it back?"

Empress Zhangsun pointed to the gift list,

"Look at what's written on this."

Two pairs of blood corals, ten luminous pearls. And ten thousand acres of irrigated land outside the city.

Back then, when the Turks were at the Wei River, your father was so desperate to raise funds for the army that he even melted down the gold and silver utensils in the palace.

The imperial treasury is empty, and your father, the emperor, has called on all officials to donate. What did your dear uncle say?

He ran to Ganlu Hall and cried poverty. He said that the Changsun family had many members and high expenses, and they had to sell everything they owned to scrape together 500 strings of cash.

Five hundred strings of cash!! Is he giving money to a beggar?

Now, in order to please you and keep his official position, he can easily pull out a fortune that rivals that of a nation.

How much did Changsun Wuji, a former Minister of Revenue, earn in annual salary? Where did he get so much money?

Empress Zhangsun closed her eyes.

She had thought that her previous outburst at the Changsun family's ancestral hall, in which she had taken Changsun Wuji's clan head seal, would make him repent and return to the right path.

It seems a leopard can't change its spots.

Changsun Wuji still only had power and wealth in his eyes.

For the sake of this power, he was willing to push his own nephew to his death.

For this power, he was willing to use all the wealth he had embezzled to fawn over others.

"Mother, please don't be angry. It's not worth ruining your health."

Li Chengqian quickly stepped forward and patted Changsun Wugou's back.

"My uncle was just confused for a moment. Besides, isn't the money in our hands now? Consider it a pension for the soldiers in Liaodong."

Empress Zhangsun sneered:

"A moment of confusion? He's quite shrewd."

He's only paying to buy peace because he sees your great merit in destroying a country and your high prestige; he's afraid you'll come after him later.

Empress Zhangsun turned and shouted towards the outside of the hall:

"Wealth and prosperity."

Fu Gui, who was standing outside the hall, quickly ran inside.

"What are your orders, Your Majesty?"

Empress Zhangsun grabbed the gift list and threw it directly in front of Fugui.

"Take this form to the Ministry of Revenue. Go find Tang Jian."

Tell him that this is evidence of corruption submitted by Duke Changsun Wuji of Qi.

Tell him to immediately send someone to the Duke of Qi's residence to investigate every single item for me.

"Investigate thoroughly how much of the people's wealth Changsun Wuji has embezzled over the years."

Fu Gui asked hesitantly:

"Your Highness, this...this is the Duke of Qi's residence. Does Minister Tang dare to go there?"

"He doesn't dare?"

Empress Zhangsun glared at her with her phoenix eyes.

"Tell Tang Jian that if he can't find out the truth today, I will personally go to the Ministry of Revenue tomorrow and sit in the main hall to watch him investigate."

Fu Gui dared not say another word and hurriedly ran out.

Li Chengqian watched Fugui run away, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

He refused to believe that Changsun Wuji would escape unscathed this time.

At that moment, Tang Jian, the Minister of Revenue, was looking at a pile of account books on the table with a worried expression.

When the Crown Prince led his army back to the capital, the rewards, accommodations, and military pay all came at a cost.

The meager grain reserves in the national treasury aren't even enough to fill a tooth gap.

Fu Gui rushed in, panting, and slammed the gift list in front of Tang Jian.

"Minister Tang, Her Majesty the Empress has issued an edict."

Tang Jian was startled and immediately stood up to receive the imperial decree.

Fu Gui repeated Changsun Wugou's words verbatim.

Tang Jian was stunned after hearing this.

He picked up the gift list with trembling hands.

But after just one glance, Tang Jian was so excited he almost jumped up.

"Two pairs of blood coral. Ten luminous pearls. Ten thousand acres of irrigated land."

Tang Jian's mouth was practically watering.

"Good heavens. Has the Duke of Qi confiscated the Dragon King's entire fortune?"

"I was just worried about not having enough money to reward the soldiers in Liaodong; this is truly a godsend!"

Tang Jian, his earlier dejection gone, roared outside:

"Someone! Go to the Dali Temple to borrow someone. Go to the Hundred Cavalry Division to report."

Today, this old man will dig three feet into the ground of the Duke of Qi's mansion.