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

Luoyang, the ancestral home of the Cui family in Qinghe.

"Useless! He's an utterly hopeless idiot."

After reading the letter sent by Wang Gui, Cui Mingan was so angry that he smashed up his study.

The second son, Cui Minyuan, was forced to sign a contract of servitude in Chang'an, which not only created a debt of 850,000 guan out of thin air, but also mortgaged the silk trade route between Luoyang and Chang'an owned by the Cui family of Qinghe.

That's not all; the reputation of the aristocratic family, built up over a century, has plummeted to rock bottom.

The butler beside him cautiously advised:

"Master, please calm down. The Second Master was forced into a corner. His Highness the Crown Prince's methods are truly insidious."

"Stop making excuses for that idiot."

Cui Mingan pointed at the butler and began to curse.

"Even if he dies in the Dali Temple prison, he can still leave the Cui family with a good reputation for sacrificing his life for righteousness."

Now look what's happened! They sold off their entire fortune and now all the people of Chang'an are chasing their carriage and throwing rotten eggs at it.

It was written very clearly in the letter.

Now, nobody in Chang'an cares about the 1.7 million strings of cash in taxes anymore; the streets and alleys are filled with gossip about the private lives of powerful families.

Using brocade to wipe one's bottom, the old patriarch's human screen, kidnapping his widowed sister-in-law, digging up ancestral graves...

These shabby accounts, usually hidden in the gutter, were all turned into storybooks and bawdy jokes, and sung eight times a day in teahouses and taverns.

Cui Mingan closed his eyes, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over him.

He had been a powerful figure in the imperial court for decades; what kind of open and covert attacks hadn't he seen?

I've never seen such a despicable and thuggish fighting style before.

Li Chengqian doesn't talk to you about the laws of the Tang Dynasty or quote classical texts; he just throws excrement on your ancestral graves.

"go!"

Cui Mingan suddenly opened his eyes.

"Use my calling card to summon all the officials in charge of the Cui family of Boling, the Li family of Zhao County, and the Zheng family of Xingyang in Luoyang."

"If anyone dares not to come within half an hour, don't blame me for turning my back on them in the future."

The butler hurriedly ran out.

An hour later, at the Cui family mansion.

Representatives from several prominent families in the Kanto region were all present.

Li Chong, the head of the Li clan of Zhao County, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and asked:

"Master Cui, have you all seen the news from Chang'an?"

The Crown Prince has really gone all out this time. Our families' reputations in Chang'an are now completely ruined.

The representative of the Cui clan of Boling roared angrily:

"This is an insult to scholarship! An insult to scholarship indeed!"

He, the crown prince of the great Tang Dynasty, actually used such despicable and vulgar methods to tarnish our family's century-old reputation.

If this gets back to Luoyang, how will we ever face our clan members again?

"It's only a matter of time before the news reaches Luoyang."

Cui Minqian spoke with a cold face.

The moment those words were spoken, the lobby erupted in chaos.

If this fire were to spread to their old stronghold in Guandong and hollow out the foundation of the "moral tradition" that these aristocratic families have maintained for hundreds of years, then how would they control the scholars of the world in the future?

What makes ordinary people respect us?

Without prestige, a noble family is nothing more than a fat pig, which the imperial power can slaughter at any time.

"We must fight back. Submit a petition to impeach them."

"It's no use! His Majesty is just hoping to see us make a fool of ourselves. He readily accepted the 1.7 million strings of cash in taxes."

"What can we do? Just stand by and watch that dog... that prince dump shit on our heads?"

Everyone started talking at once, but the more they talked, the more panicked they became.

"Shut up, all of you."

Cui Mingan slammed his fist on the table and roared angrily.

Everyone fell silent.

Cui Mingan looked around:

"You think Li Chengqian is throwing a tantrum? You're wrong."

He is undermining our foundation in the court.

"Could you win a verbal battle with a mad dog in Chang'an?"

Everyone fell silent.

No one can out-argue a scoundrel.

"Strike the snake at its vital point. What is the Crown Prince's greatest asset right now?"

Cui Minqian sneered.

"It's not the few hundred guards of the Eastern Palace, nor the gossipy hooligans in Chang'an, but Liaodong."

Li Chong frowned and asked:

"Liaodong? That's territory conquered by an army of 100,000. He now holds the position of Grand Commander of Andong, controlling both military and political affairs. This place is impenetrable; how can we even begin?"

"If water can't get in, then don't try to get in. Just cut off his food supply."

Cui Mingan stood up and walked to the map of the Tang Dynasty's territory hanging in the lobby.

He picked up a bamboo pole and slammed it down on the Liaodong Peninsula.

"Gentlemen, have you done the math?"

Cui Mingan said with a vicious look on his face.

"The Tang expeditionary force, along with the surrendered Goguryeo and Baekje soldiers, and hundreds of thousands of local refugees and slaves—how much grain did they consume every day just for food?"

Everyone looked at each other.

Those are hundreds of thousands of mouths crying for food.

"Although the imperial court left behind a batch of military rations, those surrendered soldiers and civilians still need clothes, salt, and tools for making farm implements and ironware, right?"

Cui Mingan became more and more excited as he spoke, and with the bamboo pole in his hand, he drew a circle on the large map, directly connecting Youzhou and Luoyang.

"Liaodong is in dire need of reconstruction, and all the bulk supplies are expected to be transported from inside our Great Wall."

And the world's freight hub is Luoyang, right here beneath our feet.

Upon hearing this, the old foxes from the powerful families present all gasped in shock.

They understood the murderous intent in Cui Mingan's words.

"Does Patriarch Cui mean... a complete blockade?"

Li Chong asked in a trembling voice.

"Yes! We need a complete lockdown."

Cui Mingan suddenly snapped the bamboo pole in his hand.

"Isn't Li Chengqian a capable warrior? Isn't he capable of destroying a country? I'd like to see if his starving soldiers will mutini."

Cui Minqian stared intently at everyone present.

"Mobilize the strength of all our families and inform merchants, seaports, and land escort agencies in various places."

From this day forward, not a single grain of rice, an ounce of salt, or a piece of iron may flow into Youzhou or Liaodong.

"But......"

The representative of the Cui clan of Boling hesitated somewhat.

"If the Ministry of Revenue of the Imperial Court directly issues an order to allocate supplies to Liaodong, how can we stop it?"

Cui Minqian sneered:

"Ministry of Revenue? Even if Tang Jian issues a document, the grain will still be allocated from the state granaries we control."

Which of the boat captains on the canal who doesn't pay homage to our respective docks?

Sink a few boats in the waterway and block the canal completely.

Or what if they encounter a storm on the way and all the grain is flooded? What can the imperial court do about natural disasters?

As long as we work together, we can lock the lock.

Within three months, there was no food or salt left in Liaodong. Not to mention the surrendered foreign soldiers, even the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty would rebel.

When popular uprisings break out, His Majesty will personally issue an edict to depose this crown prince who has committed such a terrible crime, without even needing our impeachment.

The representatives of the various prominent families looked at each other.

The group of people, who had just been filled with fear because of the news from Chang'an, now had greed shining in their eyes.

"Let's do it!"

Li Chong was the first to grit his teeth and express his opinion.

"All the merchant ships and caravans under the name of the Li family of Zhao County are heading south, not even sparing a dog in the direction of Youzhou."

"The Cui family of Boling followed."

"I immediately notified all rice shops and salt stores to tighten their shipments."

These old foxes, in order to preserve their family's power and wealth, don't care how many innocent people die in Liaodong.

"good!"

Cui Mingan shouted excitedly,

"I will immediately issue an order to set up checkpoints at all land and water crossings in Luoyang, and cut off the imperial trade routes as well."

Li Chengqian, Li Chengqian, you can just stay in Chang'an and listen to your bawdy jokes. By the time you realize it, Liaodong will already be a battlefield.