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

"Bring it here!"

Li Shimin looked at Wang De and gave him instructions.

He was now curious about what his rebellious son was up to.

Wang De hurriedly ran over to take the Xuan paper from Li Chengqian and presented it to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin only glanced at it, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

There were no lengthy confessions on the Xuan paper, only two things.

First, there was a simple map with three hidden locations along the coast of Mingzhou in Jiangnan marked in vermilion ink, next to which were written the words "Three Thousand Material Pointed Bottom Sea Shipyard".

Secondly, there were shipping routes drawn in ink, starting from the port of Minnesota and heading south, eventually pointing to an unknown land called the South Seas. The routes were densely marked with information about reefs, ocean currents, and supply points.

Li Shimin leaned forward slightly, gripping the armrests of the dragon throne tightly.

A three-thousand-ton seagoing vessel?

What does that mean?

The largest warship in the Tang Dynasty navy was no more than a thousand liao.

The Zheng family actually had a shipyard that could build giant ships with a capacity of 3,000 tons.

And that nautical chart...

Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian with a face full of ecstasy.

"Father, this is just the tip of the iceberg."

Seeing the smile on Li Shimin's face, Li Chengqian continued,

Zheng Qiuying said this is only part of the Zheng family's century-old legacy.

With ships and nautical charts, goods from the Tang Dynasty could be continuously transported to Southeast Asia, in exchange for countless spices, gems, and gold.

The abundance of resources in that land far exceeded my imagination.

The value of a single shipping route is comparable to that of the Zheng family of Xingyang. And this is just the beginning.

Li Chengqian's words caused a huge uproar in the imperial court.

"My goodness! Is His Highness going to become the Dragon King of the sea?"

Cheng Yaojin couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Yuchi Jingde muttered to himself:

"Wow, expanding territory can be done from the sea?"

Fang Xuanling looked at Li Chengqian with excitement. Military generals only see the surface, but he saw the rapid economic growth of the Tang Dynasty.

Wei Zheng, standing in the center of the hall, was completely dumbfounded.

National law and royal dignity?

Compared to shipyards capable of building ocean-going vessels of three thousand tons and golden shipping routes leading to endless wealth, these things seem so pale and powerless.

He impeached the Crown Prince for abducting a woman, and the Crown Prince retaliated by throwing a whole new world at him.

How can we argue this out?

Wei Zheng could only lower his head in dejection and silently retreat back into the ranks.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Li Shimin stood up from the dragon throne.

"Brilliant! You have rendered an unparalleled service this time. One Zheng Qiuying for the future of our Great Tang Dynasty—it's worth it!"

Li Shimin looked around and said loudly:

"The national mourning period is over, and the rebellion has been quelled. Today, it is time to reward those who have contributed!"

Upon hearing this, the entire court of officials was invigorated.

Especially the military officers, who all straightened their backs.

Li Shimin first looked at Qin Qiong.

"Shubao".

Your resurrection has greatly pleased me. You have already reached the pinnacle of official rank and title; I have nothing more to bestow upon you.

Qin Qiong clasped his hands and bowed, saying:

"It is my duty to share Your Majesty's burdens."

"But merit is merit, and fault is fault."

Li Shimin changed the subject.

"I hereby bestow upon you the title of Grand Pillar of State, placing you at the head of all meritorious officials."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Jingde, and all the other military generals were so excited that their faces flushed.

Congratulations, Second Brother!

"Second Brother is awesome!"

Qin Qiong's return was like a stabilizing force, invigorating the entire group of military generals.

Li Shimin's face immediately darkened:

"Cheng Zhijie!"

"Your subject is here!"

Cheng Yaojin was grinning from ear to ear when his name was called, so he quickly stood up.

"On the day the rebellion was quelled, you gathered a crowd outside Xuanwu Gate to set up a gambling den. What kind of behavior is that?"

Li Shimin scolded in an annoyed tone.

"I hereby deduct one year's salary from your pay as a warning to others!"

"what?"

Cheng Yaojin was completely dumbfounded. Why was there a post-event settlement?

"Your Majesty, you can't do that. I was just trying to liven things up and boost morale. Besides, that little bit of money isn't even enough for my wife to buy rouge..."

As he spoke, the old man plopped down on the ground, slapped his thigh, and started howling.

"This is outrageous! I, Old Cheng, have shed blood and risked my life for the Tang Dynasty, and now I can't even enjoy some entertainment..."

The entire court was dumbfounded.

Li Chengqian held his forehead, unable to bear looking at him.

Just then, a figure stepped out of the queue and kicked Cheng Yaojin in the butt.

"Go back home, stop making a fool of yourself here."

Qin Qiong looked at him coldly.

Cheng Yaojin sprang to his feet with a somersault, rubbed his backside, and ran back to the ranks, muttering to himself:

"Second brother, you've changed. You used to never have the heart to kick me..."

Li Shimin ignored him and looked at Fang Xuanling:

"Minister Fang, with the execution of five prominent families and seven powerful clans, nearly half of the official positions in the court are now vacant. Does the Ministry of Personnel have any plans to fill these vacancies?"

This is the real highlight of today.

Fang Xuanling, holding his official tablet, stepped forward, bowed, and said:

"Your Majesty, this old minister has consulted with the Ministry of Personnel overnight and drafted a list for Your Majesty's review."

Soon, a list was presented.

Li Shimin glanced at it and then handed it to Li Chengqian, who was standing next to him:

"Brilliant! Take a look too."

Li Chengqian took the list and glanced at it.

However, as he looked at it, his brows gradually furrowed.

He didn't recognize most of the people on the list.

What's even stranger is that all of these people are from the Jiangnan region.

"Father,"

Li Chengqian put down the list and looked at Li Shimin.

"Why are most of these officials from the Jiangnan region?"

Before Li Shimin could answer, Wei Zheng, who had been silent all along, suddenly stepped forward again.

He did not look at Li Chengqian, but bowed to Li Shimin:

"Your Majesty, I have an objection."

"I have heard of most of the people recommended by Fang Xiang. They may be quite talented, but I have found that seven or eight out of ten of them are either from the same school or from the same hometown. They usually form poetry clubs and have close relationships."

"The powerful families of the North have just fallen; if another powerful family from the South were to rise, it would be of no benefit to the country."

Li Chengqian looked at Fang Xuanling and asked:

"Prime Minister Fang, who compiled this list?"