People in the Tang Dynasty, Jian'an style

"But...but...but Your Highness is worth a million gold. What if those blind Turkic people hurt Your Highness, then..." Cheng Yaojin was very considerate of Li Wenbin. After all, after this conversation, he had a good impression of the approachable Li Wenbin.

"Thank you Uncle Cheng for your concern. Those Turks are not kept in the mansion, but in a place outside the city. In addition, my mansion will also send our own troops to supervise them, so there is no need to worry about safety issues." Li Wenbin explained with a smile.

"Then I'm relieved." After listening to Li Wenbin's explanation, Cheng Yaojin finally felt relieved. After thinking for a while, he said, "I can probably get one or two hundred prisoners of war. Since Your Highness is short of people, I might as well give them all to Your Highness. They are not worth much anyway."

Cheng Yaojin was not trying to please Li Wenbin, but because of his upright character, he thought Li Wenbin was trustworthy, so he planned to give the prisoners of war to Li Wenbin just like friends giving gifts to each other.

Chapter 150 What Did I Do Wrong

"Haha, I appreciate Uncle Cheng's kindness, but I need a lot of people here, estimated to be at least two to three thousand people, so I would like to ask Uncle Cheng for help in contacting those soldiers who want to sell prisoners of war. I can buy them at a high price." Li Wenbin said with a smile. He was already calculating how much profit these free labor could bring to him.

"That's easy. I'll take you there to find someone." Cheng Yaojin was a soldier indeed. He acted quickly and decisively. He immediately called the steward to call Niu Jinda and some officers from the Zuo Wuwei Guard.

After waiting for less than an hour, Niu Jinda arrived with a dozen officers from the Zuo Wuwei Guard.

They were also worried about the prisoners of war they had received, so when they heard that His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi wanted to buy quite a few, they came over immediately.

These people were straightforward. After bowing to Li Wenbin, they immediately surrounded him and began to ask about matters related to the sale of prisoners of war.

Don't be surprised to see this. In the Tang Dynasty, the buying and selling of slaves was not prohibited. Almost every large city had a special human market, which was usually adjacent to the cattle and horse market. The status of slaves was similar to that of cattle and horses. They had no personal freedom and were the private property of their masters. They could be bought, sold, or given away at will. The law also stipulated that the legal status of slaves was inferior to that of humans in every way.

So when Li Wenbin said he wanted to buy prisoners of war as slaves, it seemed very normal to everyone.

Finally, Li Wenbin made a statistic and found that the people brought by Cheng Yaojin plus the prisoners of war he had totaled more than 3,000 people, which was more than he needed.

However, Li Wenbin was not short of this little money now, so he bought them all generously, and the price was 20% higher than the market price, which made these soldiers have a better impression of Li Wenbin.

In just two days, the soldiers who agreed to sell the prisoners of war to Li Wenbin took the prisoners of war to the palace.

After paying the money, Li Wenbin threw all the Turkic prisoners of war into the coal mines in Heishi Mountain.

At the same time, he dispatched another 300 guards to take turns to serve as supervisors in the coal mines.

In order to stimulate the enthusiasm of these guards, in addition to the food and wages issued by the Ministry of War, the guards who were sent abroad also enjoyed travel subsidies from the palace. The subsidies were very generous, and were not much less than their regular food and wages.

Moreover, Li Wenbin also had people formulate an internal reward system. As long as the miners supervised by these personal guards produced a certain amount of coal each month, they would receive corresponding funds. Now the enthusiasm of all the personal guards was mobilized, and they were vying to be the first to be the supervisor in the coal mine.

One day, when Li Wenbin came back from outside and reached the gate of the palace, Yang Guimei immediately ran out excitedly and said, "Your Highness, you are finally back! The King of Qin has been here since noon and has been waiting for you until now. I don't know what urgent matter he has. Please go and see him!"

"Oh? Why is he here?" Li Wenbin was shocked. He didn't expect that Li Shimin came in person and had been waiting for him for the whole afternoon.

Although he had established a government, Li Shimin had never been here.

What could have happened that would make him come to his house in person and wait for an entire afternoon?

With a lot of questions in his mind, Li Wenbin walked quickly to the front hall.

It was now dark and the lights in the hall had been turned on. He entered the hall and immediately saw Li Shimin sitting under the lights.

"Why is father here?" Li Wenbin asked curiously.

"Oh?" Li Shimin looked up at Li Wenbin, but he didn't put down the book in his hand. Instead, he asked calmly, "Why, can't I come? Let me see if your head is still on your neck!"

Li Wenbin was stunned and rubbed his ears to make sure he had not heard wrongly. He actually started scolding him?

And the tone of his voice was very relaxed and disdainful.

After all, I am his son, and the King of Qi of the Tang Dynasty. Why did he curse me to death as soon as he opened his mouth?

"King Qin, what do you mean?" Li Wenbin was also a little displeased, and asked with a gloomy face, even the way he addressed him became official.

"Hmph, what's wrong? Are you angry?" Li Shimin also heard the anger in Li Wenbin's tone, but he did not seem to be apologizing at all. Instead, he snorted coldly in a bad tone.

"This... I dare not!" Li Wenbin was also choked by the other party's tone. He was obviously the first to curse, but why did the other party seem to be angrier than him? Did he offend the other party in some way?

Could it be that he knew that I cheated on him?

That shouldn't be the case. If that were the case, he wouldn't be so calm and would have shouted for war and killing long ago.

"Humph, you don't dare? Your Highness the Prince of Qi is very courageous. Everyone in the court knows that you dare to play with your own life. Is there anything you dare not do?"

Seeing that Li Wenbin still didn't realize his mistake, Li Shimin's temper immediately flared up. He threw the book in his hand onto the table and started scolding him.

"I...what did I do?"

Li Wenbin was confused by his scolding. From what he said, it seemed that he had done something he shouldn't have done. The consequences of this matter might be very serious, and he almost lost his life.

"What are you doing? Don't you know what you've done? As the King of Qi, you're just idling around doing business all day long..." Li Shimin was so angry that his face turned red, and his fingers were almost touching Li Wenbin's forehead. He seemed very angry, and the indifference he had when reading the book just now was no longer there.

"This...I..." Li Wenbin was at a loss what to do after being scolded. He opened his mouth several times but couldn't say a word. He really couldn't figure out what he had done wrong.

But seeing how Li Shimin looked righteous when he scolded him, it seemed that he had really done something that he shouldn't have done, but he just couldn't think of it. He could only wait until he had scolded enough and his anger had subsided, and then he could ask him.

Thinking of this, Li Wenbin simply stopped arguing and stood there without saying a word, allowing Li Shimin's saliva to spray all over him while he was cursing, but he didn't even dare to wipe it off.

Li Shimin was tired of scolding, so he grabbed the tea bowl on the table and took a few sips, then sat down angrily and said, "Why, you still don't know where you are wrong?"

"I really don't know. Please teach me, father."

Li Wenbin said with a sad face that he was scolded for no reason and he didn't even dare to talk back. This was really cowardly. But what was even more cowardly was that he didn't even know where he was wrong?

"Hmph, you still dare to ask?" Li Shimin got angry again when this question was raised, but he suppressed his anger and continued, "Let me ask you, did you spend money to buy thousands of Turkic prisoners of war?"

"Yes, I put them all in the coal mine. Is there any problem with that?" Li Wenbin asked in confusion. Is there anything wrong with using slaves to mine coal?

Chapter 151 Birthday Celebration

"Wenbin, are you really stupid or just pretending to be stupid? Why don't you understand the key to this?" Li Shimin said with some regret, but his tone softened and there was a hint of kindness in his words as an elder.

"I really don't know where I went wrong, please enlighten me, father!"

"Alas, you are usually smart, but why are you so confused now?" Li Shimin sighed, "Your mistake was not to use slaves to mine coal, but you shouldn't have bought those Turkic prisoners of war!"

Li Shimin paused here and found that Li Wenbin was still confused, so he could only continue: "Do you know that someone has reported to His Majesty that you are hoarding private soldiers with ill intentions!"

When he said the last eight words, he deliberately emphasized his tone and his expression was very heavy.

"What?" Li Shimin's words were like thunder and lightning, which frightened Li Wenbin so much that he almost knocked over the table, with shock on his face.

He could never have imagined that he just wanted to buy some prisoners of war to do hard labor, but he was framed for stockpiling private soldiers and had ill intentions. What the hell was going on?

However, after the initial shock, Li Wenbin calmed down and slowly figured out the connection.

His identity as the King of Qi is already quite sensitive, and there are many people watching him from behind.

However, after a period of smooth sailing, he had become a little lax in his thinking. For example, he was very careless in purchasing Turkic prisoners of war.

After all, those Turkic prisoners of war were all warriors before. Although they were captured, they could become a good army with a little training.

Li Wenbin bought as many as 3,000 people at once and sent them to a mine not far from Chang'an. This caught the attention of someone who exaggerated the situation and reported it to Li Yuan.

Li Yuan already disliked Li Shimin and his father, so wasn't this just trying to make him suspicious?

"Okay, you don't have to worry this time. I have already explained everything clearly to your father." Li Shimin said, rubbing his eyebrows.

"Thank you, father, for your enlightenment. If it weren't for your words today, I would probably still be kept in the dark." Li Wenbin thanked with a wry smile.

Although this incident has passed, it has sounded a wake-up call for him.

Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you are a prince. The conspiracies and intrigues in the court are far beyond the reach of a person of later generations like you.

He was just buying some prisoners of war, but he was almost framed for treason. Although Li Shimin did not say who falsely accused him, Li Wenbin could guess something even with his toes. It must have been related to Crown Prince Li Jiancheng.

"No need to thank me, just be more careful in your actions next time."

Li Shimin's anger had subsided by now, and his gaze towards Li Wenbin became much softer, and his words were filled with a kind of care and concern between a father and son.

"My son will remember my father's teachings!"

"Well, you must think twice before you act in the future. After all, there are many people watching you in the court!"

Li Shimin originally planned to teach him a few more lessons, but seeing Li Wenbin's submissive look, he stopped after teaching him a few words.

Li Shimin also sighed in his heart. Li Yuan was also very suspicious of him and had some concerns about him.

There are many things happening in the court that he cannot get the news about in the first time, so he may not be of much help to Li Wenbin.

For example, Li Wenbin only received the news about buying slaves this morning, and when he rushed over, it was already too late.

So even if he wanted to help Li Wenbin, the effect he could have would probably be limited.

"Oh, by the way," Li Shimin was about to get up and leave when he suddenly remembered something, "The princess' birthday is in a few days, remember to come back."

"Yes, son remembers."

Of course Li Wenbin would not forget Changsun Wugou's birthday, and he had already prepared a very special gift.

……

Although Li Shimin knew that it was not appropriate to be high-profile at the moment, since Zhangsun Wugou was his legal wife, he still made an exception and held a banquet for her.

It’s just that the scale is not large, and only close friends and relatives are planned to sit together to celebrate her birthday.

When Li Wenbin arrived at the palace, all the people attending the banquet had already taken their seats.

Seeing that everyone was already present, Li Shimin raised his glass and said with a smile: "Today is my beloved concubine's birthday. Let's raise our glasses together and pray for my beloved concubine!"

"May the Queen be blessed with great fortune and live as long as the Southern Mountains!" Li Wenbin and the others stood up in a hurry and raised their glasses to congratulate Changsun Wugou. Then everyone drank the wine in their glasses and the banquet officially began.

Since it was a birthday party, birthday gifts were of course indispensable, so as soon as the party began, everyone presented the birthday gifts they had carefully prepared.

These gifts, which were either valuable or novel, were very interesting to the people attending the banquet. Even Li Wenbin, who claimed to be knowledgeable, was amazed.

What Li Chengqian presented was a set of Taoist Three Pure Ones carved from white jade. The jade was of top quality and the workmanship was exquisite, which was in line with his status.

What Li Tai gave was a plate of very peculiar mother and child pearls. The mother pearl as big as a baby's fist was in the center of the plate, and it was surrounded by fingertip-sized child pearls. There was a very peculiar attraction between the mother pearl and the child pearls. If you took the child pearl and placed it not far away, the child pearl would be automatically sucked and rolled to the side of the mother pearl, just like a child running into his mother's arms.

This plate of pearls, which symbolized the deep affection between mother and son, was immediately appreciated by Changsun Wugou and the people around her. Although Li Shimin thought that this thing was a bit extravagant, he did not say anything because she was so happy.

It was Li Wenbin's turn to present a birthday gift. He smiled and walked forward, bowed and said, "I wish the princess eternal youth and a long life!"

"Haha, Wenbin, the princess loves you the most. What birthday gift have you prepared?"

Seeing Li Wenbin, a son who made him more and more relieved, Li Shimin's expression finally turned from gloomy to bright, and he asked in a very relaxed tone.

Changsun Wugou also looked at Li Wenbin with a smile. She had heard from Li Shimin that he had spent a lot of time and effort preparing a gift for her, so she was very much looking forward to Li Wenbin's gift.

"Your Majesty, I have prepared three very special birthday gifts to celebrate your birthday!"

Li Wenbin smiled.

"Oh, bring it up quickly!" Li Shimin seemed even more curious than Changsun Wugou.

"Your son obeys your command!" Li Wenbin said and waved his hand. Ruyue and Jinxiu, who had been standing beside Li Wenbin holding the brocade box, walked forward.

Li Wenbin walked to the first gift that Ruyue took, then reached out to open the box and took out a round, plate-like object from it.

"Princess, please look. This is the first gift prepared for you." Li Wenbin said as he handed the gift to Changsun Wugou.

Chapter 152 Birthday Gift

Changsun Wugou took it and looked at it, and found that the outside of this thing was an exquisitely crafted round rosewood frame, decorated with many patterns and birds and beasts, and in the middle was a shiny thing, like crystal.

When she held it upright and wanted to take a closer look at it, she suddenly saw a beautiful face in the crystal that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

"Oh, this... is this a mirror?" She looked at her own face reflected in the mirror in great detail with a look of disbelief.

No matter what, Changsun Wugou found it hard to believe that there was a mirror in the world that could reflect a person so clearly.

"Hey, let me have a look too?" Li Shimin, who was standing next to him, also noticed the uniqueness of this mirror. He took it and looked at his handsome face from left to right. He found that this mirror was much better than the bronze mirror he was using. He could even see every beard on his face clearly.

"My Lord and Princess, this is indeed a mirror, but it is different from the bronze mirrors we usually use. It is a mirror made of polished crystal. I have processed the crystal with an exclusive secret method. When you use it to look at people, the image will be a hundred times clearer than with a bronze mirror." Li Wenbin said proudly.

Although the time was a little short and he didn't know how to make glass, it didn't matter. If there was no glass, he could use crystal instead. He would find a piece of crystal with good transparency and ask the dexterous Ruyue to grind it into a flat plate, and then use tin foil and mercury to make a mirror.

When others first heard Zhangsun Wugou say it was a mirror, they were a little disappointed. They thought Li Wenbin had prepared some kind of gift, but after a long while it turned out to be a mirror.

However, they soon discovered something unusual about Li Shimin and Zhangsun Wugou - if it was just an ordinary mirror, they would not have behaved so out of control.

After hearing Li Wenbin's explanation, they realized the uniqueness of this mirror, so they all came forward to see it for themselves.

Li Shimin handed the mirror to everyone and circulated it around, which immediately caused a sensation.

The men were fine, they just felt that they finally saw their appearance clearly, but the women couldn't let go of the girls. If it weren't for the little bit of rationality that kept them sober, they might have dared to snatch them home.

After passing it around with great difficulty, Changsun Wugou immediately put the mirror into a brocade box and asked her personal maid to keep it. No one was allowed to touch it without her consent.

She looked at Li Wenbin with a somewhat strained look in her eyes, and was very curious about what the next two gifts would be.

Not only Changsun Wugou, but everyone else also began to wonder what other rare gifts Li Wenbin would give.

After seeing Li Wenbin’s first gift, everyone seemed to be impatient for his second gift, and several women even urged him to open the gift quickly.