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

Before Empress Zhangsun could react, Li Chengqian rushed in and, in fear, hid behind her.

Immediately afterward, Li Shimin rushed in, panting, carrying a feather duster.

"You unfilial son! You try to run, but let's see where you can run to today!"

Empress Zhangsun immediately spread her arms to shield her son behind her:

"Your Majesty, what are you doing? How can the Emperor, the Son of Heaven, be shouting and yelling in the inner palace with a feather duster? What kind of decorum is this?"

When Li Shimin saw Empress Zhangsun, he tried to suppress his anger, but he simply couldn't.

"Guanyinbi, don't protect him. Ask this little brat what he's done."

He robbed all the estates outside the city belonging to the Cui, Lu, and Zheng families. He embezzled hundreds of thousands of strings of cash.

I ordered him to hand over the money to replenish the national treasury, but he dared to renege on his promise.

Upon hearing Li Shimin's words, Empress Zhangsun's face instantly darkened.

She turned her head to look at Li Chengqian, who was peeking out from behind her, and then turned her head to look at Li Shimin.

"Your Majesty says Gao Ming embezzled hundreds of thousands of strings of cash?"

"That's right. That little brat is a complete liar; he actually said he's spent all his money."

"Make him hand over the money right away, otherwise if those families cause trouble, how will I fill that hole?"

Empress Zhangsun laughed upon hearing this.

She stepped aside, pointed to the mountain of gold and silver treasures in the main hall, and gestured with her chin towards Li Shimin.

"Your Majesty, look at these."

Li Shimin looked in the direction Empress Zhangsun was pointing.

He was so focused on chasing Li Chengqian that he didn't pay any attention to what was happening in the main hall.

Now that he saw it, he was completely dumbfounded.

The room was filled with gold bars and copper coins.

"These...these are..."

Li Shimin stammered as he pointed at the boxes.

"This is the money that Gao Ming embezzled."

Out of filial piety, Gao Ming knew that the imperial treasury was empty and the harem was struggling financially, so he specially sent all the money to me.

"What? Does Your Majesty have a problem with the money your servant has?"

Li Shimin was completely dumbfounded.

He thought Li Chengqian had hidden the money in the East Palace, but he never expected that the little rascal would actually send all the money to the Lizheng Hall.

How could he possibly accept this? Steal money from his own empress? Did Li Shimin have no shame?

"Guanyinbi, this...this amount of money is too large. Isn't it inappropriate to keep it in the harem?"

Li Shimin tried to reason with him.

"The previous dynasty had many expenses, including the food and pay for soldiers on the border and the repair of water conservancy projects in various places."

"Give me the money, and I will use it to replenish the national treasury..."

"The national treasury?"

Empress Zhangsun snorted coldly, interrupting him directly.

"Your Majesty, the national treasury is managed by the Ministry of Revenue. If this money goes into the national treasury, wouldn't those powerful officials from aristocratic families swarm around it like flies to the smell of blood?"

"If they deduct a little from here and a little from there, how many coins will actually go to the recipients?"

Li Shimin was speechless.

Because what Empress Zhangsun said was true. The power of the aristocratic families in the court was deeply entrenched. Once this money was made public, they would definitely find all sorts of excuses to divide it up.

"But...but this money is ill-gotten."

Li Shimin grew anxious and pointed at Li Chengqian.

"This little brat went to the Quanxie family; if word gets out, what will become of the royal family's reputation?"

"Illegally obtained?"

Empress Zhangsun's eyes sharpened.

"Your Majesty, those powerful families cry poverty in court all day long, but secretly they have hidden so much gold and silver treasure outside the city."

Are the taxes they pay enough to cover this amount of money? Gao Ming is acting on behalf of Heaven, helping the Tang Dynasty recover its lost wealth.

Not only do you not praise him, but you even want to hit him? Whose side are you on anyway?

Li Chengqian then poked half his head out and added fuel to the fire, delivering the final blow:

"That's right, Father. Your son risked his life to raise money for the family, and you, on the contrary, want to take it all away right away."

"Your subject has given all the money to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, and didn't even keep a penny for himself."

"You're talking nonsense!"

Li Shimin was so angry he trembled.

"You didn't keep any? You just said you were going to give 100,000 strings of cash to the Hundred Cavalry Division to buy equipment."

"That's because I'm concerned about Father's safety."

Li Chengqian pursed his lips and retorted.

"Besides, I originally planned to borrow some of the 100,000 strings of cash from my grandfather and ask my mother for more."

Since Father Emperor disagrees, then let's not change the equipment. Anyway, the Hundred Cavalry is your private army, and if they fail to protect you properly, you'll be the one getting the beating.

"you......"

Li Shimin almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

When did this little bastard become so quick-witted?

Empress Zhangsun felt a surge of satisfaction seeing Li Shimin's discomfiture.

Even Li Shimin's anger from visiting a brothel a few days ago has subsided considerably.

She waved her hand, directly issuing an order to leave:

"Alright, Your Majesty, if you have nothing else, please leave. I still need to take inventory of the storerooms."

As for this money, I will keep it safe. If Your Majesty needs money, just write a note and apply to the Hall of State Affairs, and I will approve it as appropriate.

Li Shimin's eyes widened, and he pointed to his own nose:

"Does the Emperor, a dignified ruler, need to write a note and apply to spend money?"

"Otherwise what? Do you have money?"

Empress Zhangsun glanced at him.

"This money was given to me by Gao Ming, not Your Majesty. If Your Majesty feels wronged, you can go and rob it yourself."

Li Shimin was instantly on the defensive.

He looked at the room full of gold and silver, and then at Empress Zhangsun, who was fiercely protective of her children.

"Fine! So you two, mother and son, are teaming up to provoke me, are you?"

Li Shimin threw the feather duster in his hand to the ground.

"I'm not going to get involved in this mess. If Wang Gui and the others cause any more trouble, I'll have them come directly to the Lizheng Hall to find you."

After saying that, Li Shimin turned and left angrily.

After watching Li Shimin leave, Li Chengqian emerged from behind Empress Zhangsun.

"The Empress Dowager is mighty."

Empress Zhangsun turned around, reached out and poked Li Chengqian's forehead, saying in an annoyed tone:

"Can't you cause less trouble? Even though you made so much money this time, those powerful families definitely won't let it go. Your father is also under a lot of pressure."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I have already made arrangements."

Li Chengqian chuckled, showing no concern whatsoever.

"Don't they want to cause trouble? I'm afraid they won't."

Empress Changsun was slightly taken aback: "What mischief are you plotting now?"

Li Chengqian looked at Empress Zhangsun and said:

"Mother, think about it. Those aristocratic families' manors outside the city are all clandestine operations. Even if they were robbed, would they dare to openly report it to the Jingzhao Prefecture? Would they dare to reveal how much money they actually lost?"

Empress Zhangsun was taken aback at first, but then she realized what was going on.

"As long as they dare to report the truth, I will let the Ministry of Revenue investigate their accounts."

Li Chengqian sneered.

"They cry and wail in court every year, but the taxes they pay aren't even a fraction of what they deserve. Where will these hundreds of thousands of strings of cash come from? If they're accused of deceiving the emperor, it won't be something that can be solved with a little money."

Empress Zhangsun gasped in shock upon hearing this.

This elaborate scheme is incredibly vicious.

"So the more they make a scene, the more flesh they end up taking from me."

Li Chengqian patted his chest.

"Your subject found quite a few ledgers used for making secret and false accounts in those estates."

"This stuff is all in my hands now. If they dare to show their true colors, I'll make sure they suffer the consequences."

Looking at her son, who was speaking so eloquently, Empress Zhangsun suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity and a pang of sadness.

She reached out and gently ruffled Li Chengqian's hair, saying softly:

"Gao Ming, how old are you? You should be carefree at this age, but instead you have to scheme against those old foxes every day."

"It pains me to see you like this."

Li Chengqian leaned against Empress Zhangsun's arm and said obediently:

"What are you saying, Mother? As the Crown Prince, it is my duty to share the Emperor's burdens and protect you, my younger brother, and my younger sister. As long as you are happy, I don't feel tired."

Empress Zhangsun's eyes reddened slightly as she pulled Li Chengqian into her arms.

Just as this heartwarming moment of motherly love and filial piety was taking place, the sound of a eunuch announcing something came from outside the palace.

"Your Majesty the Empress, His Highness the Prince of Yue has come to pay his respects."