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

Outside the towering walls of the Yue King's Mansion, two dark figures crouched furtively against the base of the wall.

Li Shimin looked at Li Junxian and asked:

"Junxian, what's the situation inside?"

Li Junxian pointed to the top of the wall and said:

"Your Majesty, the number of guards on the outer perimeter has doubled compared to usual."

"I just heard the sound of swords clashing inside, and someone shouting that they wanted to cut it into large pieces. This is definitely a blood oath."

Li Shimin was immediately delighted.

"Good! Qingque has indeed not disappointed me."

This kid looks honest and simple most of the time, but when it really comes down to it, he's ruthless than anyone else.

"Come, follow me over the stairs. I want to see for myself what kind of fierce generals he has recruited."

The two quickly scaled the high wall, evaded the patrolling servants, and made their way to the back garden behind the artificial hill.

As soon as he arrived, a strong smell made Li Shimin sneeze.

Achoo!

Li Junxian covered his mouth and nose and drew the sword from his waist.

"Your Majesty, be careful! This gas may be poisonous. I will cover your retreat first."

Li Shimin waved his hand:

"What are you evacuating for? This smells like meat. Let's go check it out."

The two crouched low, using the flowers, trees and shrubs as cover, and slowly approached the core area of ​​the back garden.

The further you go, the stronger the aroma becomes.

Along with it came a deafening clamor.

"Good buddies! Five champions! Six six six!"

"Drink! Whoever doesn't drink themselves into a stupor today is a coward."

Hearing this commotion, Li Shimin felt uneasy.

Why are these death squads, who have formed an alliance, playing rock-paper-scissors?

When the two men parted the bushes in front of them, Li Shimin was completely petrified.

Hundreds of iron frames were densely packed across the open space of the back garden.

The charcoal fire beneath the rack glowed red-hot, and on top sat whole, skinned, fat sheep, sizzling with hot oil.

Li Tai was holding a roasted lamb leg bigger than his face in one hand and a large bowl in the other, clinking glasses with the person in front of him.

Standing opposite Li Tai were not some fierce warriors of the martial arts world, but rather Cheng Chumo, Fang Yi'ai, and a few other notorious playboys from Chang'an.

"Come, come! Old Cheng, this cup is for you. If you hadn't introduced me to this top-quality fat mutton from Liaodong, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy such a delicacy."

Li Tai, slurring his words, downed the wine in his bowl in one gulp.

Cheng Chumo let out a burp and patted his chest, guaranteeing:

"Your Highness is so generous! From now on, you can just take that black gold card to the merchant guild and have as many sheep as you want. This is a powerful alliance."

Li Shimin squatted in the grass, his head buzzing.

He rubbed his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating.

Looking to the side, there were several people in official robes huddled in a corner, rolling their eyes.

Those were officials sent by the Cui family of Qinghe and the Wang family of Taiyuan to test the waters.

These officials were originally on a mission for their families, and wanted to take this opportunity tonight to have a good talk with the King of Yue about the plans for the literary academy, and also to discuss their grand strategy for seizing the throne.

As soon as he entered the door, before he could even say a word, Li Tai pressed him down into a chair.

"Lord Cui! Don't just look, eat! This is a large kidney that I bought at a high price; it's very nourishing."

Li Tai grabbed a handful of roasted, golden-brown lamb kidneys and shoved them directly into the hands of the Cui family official.

The Cui family official said with a bitter face:

"Your Highness, I have an upset stomach. Let's talk about the million-string grant instead..."

"What's there to talk about? Talking about money in front of a barbecue noodle shop is disrespectful to this sheep."

Li Tai shoved several skewers of kidneys covered in chili powder into the official's mouth.

"Eat! If you don't finish these ten skewers of kidney today, you're disrespecting me. Someone, fill Lord Cui's plate."

Several servants immediately surrounded him and forcefully stuffed the roasted meat into the official's mouth.

The Cui family officials were so overwhelmed by the spiciness that tears streamed down their faces, and they coughed repeatedly.

As Li Shimin watched this scene, his blood pressure began to spike.

His fourth son, on whom he placed high hopes.

The exceptionally talented King Li Tai of Yue.

Now he's become nothing more than a good-for-nothing who only knows how to eat, drink, and have fun.

Li Junxian muttered to himself from the side:

"Your Majesty...this meat smells delicious. Your Highness's cooking skills are superb."

"Shut up!"

Li Shimin roared through gritted teeth.

Just then, Li Tai finished gnawing on the lamb leg in his hand, casually threw the bone aside, and stood up by stepping on the stool.

Holding up his wine bowl, he shouted loudly at the people in the courtyard:

"The brothers ate and drank to their hearts' content."

I'm telling you, my father rewarded me with 100,000 strings of cash today.

What's the point of keeping 100,000 strings of cash? To attract flies?

I used it all to buy sheep. The sheep from Liaodong are just so delicious.

Li Tai let out a burp and patted his big belly.

"Let's keep roasting tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow too. I'm going to eat all the sheep in Chang'an City."

"They'll eat that old man from Ganlu Palace out of house and home."

The entire audience erupted in thunderous cheers.

Cheng Chumo led the applause and whistling.

In the bushes, Li Shimin's cerebral blood vessels almost burst.

Will they eat the old man out of house and home?

Did they spend all 100,000 strings of cash on sheep?

That's money from the national treasury.

That's money I painstakingly saved and allocated to you for recruiting soldiers and buying horses.

You took it to buy your older brother's sheep?

Li Shimin could no longer control the primal power within him.

He suddenly stood up, kicked aside the bushes in front of him, and rushed out.

"Who? Who's over there?"

Several servants were about to draw their swords.

Li Shimin kicked the hottest oven in front of him, knocking it to the ground.

Clang!

Everyone was stunned.

Li Tai was holding up his wine bowl, ready to down another drink, when he saw the person's face and was completely dumbfounded.

"Father...Father Emperor?"

Li Tai knelt down in front of Li Shimin with a thud.

When Cheng Chumo realized something was wrong, he sobered up instantly.

He tried to sneak out the back door with his neck hunched, but Li Junxian grabbed him by the back of his collar and pinned him to the spot.

Those officials from powerful families were so frightened that they immediately lay down on the ground.

Li Shimin pointed at Li Tai's nose and roared:

"You...you unfilial son!"

"I am giving you this money to establish a literary academy, to recruit talented individuals, and to share the nation's burdens."

"And you? You actually bought a whole roasted lamb?"

"You devoured 100,000 strings of cash in one night?"

Li Tai lay on the ground crying out:

"Father, please calm your anger! Your son... Your son is only doing this for the sake of the Tang Dynasty."

"You eat roast lamb for the sake of the country and its people?"

Enraged, Li Shimin drew the sword from Li Junxian's waist.

"Do you believe I'll skewer you and roast you today?"

Li Tai was so frightened that he kowtowed repeatedly.

"Your Majesty, I am wise! I feel that I am not talented enough to shoulder the important task of recruiting talented people."

Your son only wishes to live a life of leisure and luxury, indulging in food and drink, and would never dare to harbor any improper thoughts.

Upon hearing these words, Li Shimin felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.

His carefully planned system of checks and balances.

Despite pressure from both the court and the public, he granted Li Tai a fiefdom of ten thousand households.

All of it was ruined by these hundreds of roasted lambs.

This pig not only didn't fight with the prince, but instead sent all the money into the prince's pocket.

"You...you get out of here! From today onwards, without my decree, you are not allowed to step out of the palace."

Li Shimin threw his sword to the ground and turned to leave.

Li Junxian quickly followed.

The two arrived full of anticipation, but left in a fit of rage.

Li Tai lay on the ground watching Li Shimin disappear into the night, and let out a long sigh of relief.

He turned to look at Cheng Chumo and muttered to himself:

"Old Cheng, did that lamb get burnt? Can we wash it and still eat it?"

……

at the same time.

The Eastern Palace, the study.

"Your Highness, I've figured it out."

Xiao Shunzi looked at Li Chengqian and said...

"His Highness the King of Yue spent a full 100,000 strings of cash at our trading company today. After deducting the cost of the goods transported from Liaodong, we made a net profit of 95,000 strings of cash."

Li Chengqian said with a smile:

"Qingque is a really honest guy. Father just gave him money, and he immediately came to support his older brother's business. This younger brother is well-loved."

Xiao Shunzi leaned forward and continued:

"Your Highness, news just came from Tingfeng Pavilion that His Majesty went on an incognito visit to the Yue Prince's residence, gave the Prince a severe scolding, and returned to the palace in a fit of anger."

"As expected."

Li Chengqian stretched.

"Father wanted to use Qingque as a weapon, but unfortunately Qingque turned itself into a piece of fat meat."

Now even Father Emperor has nowhere to cry.