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

Taiji Hall.

Li Shimin looked at the sparsely packed court officials below and felt a sense of doubt.

The usually packed ranks of civil officials were surprisingly empty today.

In particular, seven out of ten officials from aristocratic families were missing.

"Wang De, why are so many people asking for leave today?"

Li Shimin asked the question knowing the answer already.

Wang De bowed and replied:

"Your Majesty, Lord Cui Minyuan of the Cui Clan of Qinghe said that he ate something raw and cold last night and is now suffering from severe abdominal pain and cannot get out of bed."

Lord Wang Qinian of the Taiyuan Wang clan twisted his ankle on his way to court.

Several officials from the Lu family of Fanyang also caught a cold and cannot be exposed to the wind...

Wang De pinched his thigh as he read.

Now, the scandalous stories and ugly deeds of these old guys are being spread throughout the streets and alleys of Chang'an.

Anyone who dared to stroll around the streets in official robes would probably be buried by rotten vegetable leaves thrown at them by the common people before they even reached the gates of the imperial city.

Cheng Yaojin showed no mercy to the aristocratic families and jumped out directly.

"Your Majesty, these old folks must have done something wicked in the past, and now they're getting their comeuppance and are too ashamed to go out."

Yesterday I heard about the glorious deeds of several adults in Pingkangfang.

Should I take the imperial physician with me and go door-to-door to treat their illnesses?

"Alright, stop making things worse."

Li Shimin simply rolled his eyes at Cheng Yaojin.

The powerful officials below didn't even dare to refute it.

Li Shimin suppressed a laugh.

His rebellious son had effectively killed off that group of arrogant and powerful officials.

"Since all of you ministers are ill, let them rest at home."

Li Shimin waved his hand.

"If there's nothing urgent, then the court is adjourned."

The Eastern Palace.

"Your Highness, the Shadow Guards have just delivered an urgent message, traveling 800 li in total."

Xiao Shunzi handed the envelope to Li Chengqian.

The envelope was sealed with red sealing wax and stamped with an ancient seal in seal script. It was Du Ruhui's personal seal.

When Li Chengqian opened it, Du Ruhui's handwriting immediately came to life on the paper.

"Your Highness, the blast furnace trial is complete."

Duke Yi and his craftsmen worked around the clock for ten days, and the first batch of fine steel was produced.

The sheer volume of production left even the veterans speechless.

I have roughly calculated that the steel produced by this new blast furnace in one day is equivalent to the output of the entire Imperial Workshops of the Tang Dynasty for half a month.

The weapons of the Liaodong Army are now undergoing a complete upgrade.

All the soldiers' swords were melted down and replaced with long-handled horse-chopping swords.

The hoes and sickles distributed to the people were even sharper and more durable.

Li Chengqian started laughing as he read it.

Iron smelting costs were extremely high during the Tang Dynasty, and ironware made by ordinary people was ridiculously expensive.

With these new blast furnaces, Liaodong's military strength and agricultural productivity will achieve a leapfrog lead.

He continued reading.

There was an even bigger surprise in the letter.

"The white dough seeds that His Highness left behind before his departure have grown wildly on the black soil of the Andong Protectorate."

Following the blueprints left by His Highness, the craftsmen spun the white flowers into threads and stuffed them into the cloth.

The subordinates personally tried on the first batch of sewn jackets.

It was very light, yet warmer than if it were stuffed with three layers of animal hide.

With this, the soldiers in the bitterly cold Liaodong region won't freeze even if they sleep in snowdrifts.

My subordinates have ordered the mass production of cotton-padded coats to begin.

The cotton has been successfully grown, which means that the biggest weakness of Liaodong, the severe cold, has been completely overcome.

Whoever controls the cold-weather supplies will be able to control the battlefield in winter.

It is believed that in the second half, Du Ruhui's writing style takes a turn.

"Your Highness, a major incident has recently occurred on the border between Youzhou and Liaodong."

"The number of caravans coming from Luoyang and the Central Plains has decreased by 70% in the past two weeks. The once bustling trade routes are now very deserted."

The prices of grain, cloth, and iron in Youzhou Pass doubled in just a few days.

Our purchasing manager reported that all the merchants inside the pass have colluded to refuse to sell goods north of Youzhou, even if their warehouses are full of moldy goods.

This is clearly a scheme orchestrated by those powerful families in Guandong, trying to cut off our supply lines and trap us in Liaodong.

At the end of the letter, Du Ruhui's handwriting appeared somewhat hurried.

"If this continues, Liaodong's finances and people's livelihoods will be in serious trouble."

We're already in chaos before the enemy even attacks.

"Your Highness, I humbly request that the garrison be deployed south to forcibly open the checkpoints and requisition goods from merchants throughout the land. This is an urgent matter, and I implore Your Highness to make a swift decision!"

After reading the last sentence, Li Chengqian was not alarmed at all; instead, he burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

He slammed the letter on the table.

Xiao Shunzi was startled:

"Your Highness, what has happened?"

"That old bastard Cui Min really knows how to pick his moments to deliver a pillow to me."

Li Chengqian tapped the table.

The powerful families believed that by cutting off the trade routes from Luoyang, they could drive Liaodong to its doom.

That's judging the current situation in Liaodong with outdated thinking.

Is there a shortage of cloth in Liaodong?

Now, the mountains and fields there are covered with cotton, which is hundreds of times warmer than the linen and silk of the Tang Dynasty.

Is Liaodong lacking iron?

The new blast furnace could produce enough refined steel in a single day to force the blacksmith shops of the Tang Dynasty to close down.

These old foxes from powerful families not only failed to strangle Liaodong, but also vacated a huge untapped market within the Great Tang Dynasty's borders.

Just as Li Chengqian was planning his next move, a wail came from outside the study.

"Your Highness! You must save me!"

Changsun Chong rushed in from outside.

"What's wrong with my cousin?"

Li Chengqian looked at Changsun Chong and asked curiously.

"What else can we do? We're just doing what you told us to do, taking Cheng Chumo and his gang of idiots to the streets every day to ambush the sons of wealthy families, and reciting those dirty jokes in front of them."

Now, all of Chang'an knows that we are the most shameless of scoundrels and the most thuggish of hooligans.

The day before yesterday, I went to Pingkangfang for tea. As soon as I mentioned my name, the female entertainers in the building jumped over the wall through the back door and ran away.

My father even threatened that if I dared to enter the house, he would break my legs with his cane.

Your Highness, we had a deal back then. You asked me to achieve great things and restore the glory of the Changsun family.

Doing these low-class jobs every day, I'll never be able to get married in my life.

When will you clear our names, brothers?

Li Chengqian couldn't help but laugh when he saw him like this.

"Stand up and speak."

Changsun Chong stood up with a mournful expression.

"I'm here today to vindicate you."

Li Chengqian said with a smile.

Changsun Chong was taken aback: "Really?"

Li Chengqian picked up a map of Chang'an's urban districts directly from the table.

He unfolded the map and laid it flat on the table, then picked up a vermilion pen.

"Cousin, come here."

Changsun Chong leaned closer, puzzled.

Li Chengqian drew a large circle in red on the map at the most bustling location in the western city center.

"I have just received a secret report. The powerful families of Guandong have joined forces to cut off trade routes to Liaodong, preventing merchants from doing business there."

Changsun Chong became anxious upon hearing this:

"What will those hundreds of thousands of mouths in Liaodong eat and wear?"

"That's none of your concern."

Li Chengqian looked at Changsun Chong and said,

"Not only are people in Liaodong not starving, but the warehouses are now overflowing with all sorts of novelties."

I'm worried that these good things don't have a good market in Chang'an.

Li Chengqian pointed to the red circle on the map.

"These old geezers have deliberately created a market opportunity. If I let this chance to make money pass me by, I'd be letting them down."

Changsun Chong was even more confused:

"Your Highness, what do you mean?"

"I intend to establish a trading company in the West Market. A commercial empire that will completely break the established rules of trade in the Tang Dynasty."

Li Chengqian patted Changsun Chong on the shoulder.

"And you are the chief manager of this business empire."

You must take the place of the Crown Prince and sell Liaodong's goods throughout the Tang Dynasty, squeezing out all the businesses of those aristocratic families.

"Do you dare to accept?"

Changsun Chong stared at Li Chengqian in disbelief, completely stunned.

Why would you appoint a general as a manager?