Chapter 432 I have only Uncle Yu…

"This road repair matter..."

Li Shimin brought the topic back.

It's already February, and even if the coal mines manage to get it out and sell it, they'll have to wait until autumn and winter.

"Your Majesty, the road construction is of utmost urgency."

Wei Shuyu replied solemnly, "Only with smooth roads can the decrees of the Tang Dynasty be transmitted to every prefecture as quickly as possible, and only then can the merchants of the Tang Dynasty conduct trade more effectively..."

“You are right, my dear minister.”

Li Shimin nodded seriously: "Then this money..."

Anyway, it's absolutely impossible for him to pay for it; the Tang Dynasty can't afford it either.

"Let the Ministry of Commerce handle it," Wei Shuyu said, taking full responsibility.

Oh ho?

Li Shimin raised an eyebrow.

Look at this level of political awareness.

really……

The Wei family is still the most reliable.

Looking at her four sons, she realized they were getting more and more useless.

"Shuyu..."

Li Shimin confirmed again: "I see your dedication to serving the country. It's not that I don't want to contribute, but the national treasury is really...sigh..."

Li Shimin sighed deeply.

It was a feeling of utter helplessness.

"..."

Shameless Li Er, not a penny to his name!

"Your Majesty, rest assured, it won't cost the court a single penny!"

That's exactly what I've been waiting to hear!

"good!"

Li Shimin slammed his hand on the dragon table: "Since you put it that way, I can't just do nothing. You can consult with the Ministry of Works about how much corvée labor is needed."

Corvée labor was managed by the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War.

Road construction was something that fell under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works.

"Minister Duan."

Li Shimin looked at Duan Lun: "The Ministry of Works will fully cooperate with the Ministry of Commerce to complete the coal mine and road construction matters."

"promise."

With Duan Lun accepting the order, the matter was considered closed.

Can we leave court now?

The courtiers complained inwardly that if the court session continued any longer, it would be dark by the time it ended.

Xiao Wei is always like this; he doesn't follow any court etiquette at all.

What was that saying again...?

If you're not enthusiastic about attending court, there's something wrong with your brain!

"If there's nothing else, let's adjourn the court session."

As if sensing the resentment of his ministers, Li Shimin spoke up.

"Your Majesty, I have something else to report!"

"..."

The anger of the courtiers soared.

Is this ever going to end?

Believe it or not, we'll impeach you until you question the meaning of life.

Turning my head, I saw...

Oh, Lao Wei, it's alright now, we can hold on a little longer.

"What can I do for you, Minister Wei?" Li Shimin was in a good mood.

"Your Majesty."

Wei Zheng bowed and said, "Now that Shuyu has been reinstated, I believe it is time to extend the Ministry of Commerce to the entire Tang Dynasty!"

Li Shimin pondered.

With Wei Shuyu in charge, the Ministry of Commerce should be fine.

The main reason for the delay was the lack of a person in charge.

"What does Shuyu think?" Li Shimin asked.

"Your Majesty."

Wei Shuyu pondered for a moment and said, "Let's wait another month. The Ministry of Commerce still needs to do some preparatory work."

Li Shimin nodded.

Trust those you employ, and make good use of those you know.

Li Shimin was quite open-minded in this regard: "In that case, the Ministry of Commerce can make the arrangements themselves, and will simply report to the emperor when the time comes."

The court session is finally over...

The courtiers breathed a sigh of relief.

Grip the tablet firmly, assume the proper posture, and prepare to bid farewell to Li Shimin.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report."

"..."

Damn it.

Which bastard is it again!

Turning around, I saw Wei Ting bowing and stepping forward.

Oh, Imperial Censor, then it's alright.

You can't afford to offend the censors; these guys can criticize people all the time and don't have to take any responsibility.

"What do you have to report, Minister Wei?" Li Shimin asked with a smile.

"His Majesty."

Wei Ting bowed and said, "Wei Shuyu's power as the head of the Ministry of Commerce is already excessive."

"If he were also granted the power to conscript laborers..."

"Isn't this a bit too much?"

Um?

Wei Ting's words jolted everyone awake.

Wei Shuyu's power may not seem significant now, but in a few months, even Changsun Wuji will have to give way.

First came the Ministry of Commerce, which spread throughout the Tang Dynasty, commanding merchants across the land and bringing them endless wealth.

Furthermore, corvée labor, though called corvée labor, can also be transformed into military force!

If Wei Shuyu harbors disloyal intentions, the consequences are terrifying to even contemplate.

Li Shimin also frowned.

He always regarded Wei Shuyu as a junior and never thought much of it.

And because of Lao Wei, they didn't pay much attention.

Even now, bringing it up, I feel that the power was a bit too much.

"His Majesty."

At this moment, Wei Shuyu stepped forward and said, "I believe that the matter of conscripting laborers should be entrusted to the Crown Prince."

"Paying money to those who perform corvée labor will increase the Crown Prince's prestige among the people."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian was stunned.

My dear family.

It's no wonder I've always been so tolerant of you; you truly are my good brother.

I will forgive and forget about the matter you filed against me before.

"Gao Ming, what are your thoughts?" Li Shimin asked.

"Your subject will do his utmost to live up to Father's expectations!" Li Chengqian immediately bowed and expressed his determination.

"If that's the case..."

Just as Li Shimin was about to agree, Li Tai stepped forward again.

With such a great achievement, how could one not cause trouble?

"Father, I have a different opinion."

"Tell me about it."

Li Shimin gave Li Tai a meaningful look, but did not blame him.

"Your Majesty has a heavy workload of studies and also has to help Father with state affairs. I think this will make Your Majesty overwhelmed and unable to do everything he can..."

As soon as Li Tai finished speaking, he was met with a rebuttal from Li Chengqian.

"Qingque is overthinking it."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "I am happy to work for the well-being of the people, so how could I feel tired?"

"Besides, there's also Shuyu helping out."

As the Crown Prince clashed with the King of Wei, the court officials sighed deeply...

well.

The end of the court session seems a long way off again.

“Your Majesty has lived in the palace for many years and has never been in contact with the poor. I’m afraid you may not understand their way of life and cause trouble,” Li Tai added.

"Precisely because they don't understand..."

Li Chengqian replied with a smile, "I must do this job well so that I can understand everything about the people."

"Besides, even if something goes wrong, Shuyu will be there to keep an eye on things."

"Brother..."

"Qingque need not worry, I have Shuyu assisting me."

"Brother..."

"I have Shuyu..."

"Brother..."

"I have Shuyu..."

Go to hell with Uncle Yu.

Can you please stop using Wei Shuyu as a shield for everything?

Li Tai was devastated.

The courtiers also had strange expressions.

When did Wei Shuyu come to have this function?

Consequently, many officials turned their gazes toward Old Wei...

Should we also push Lao Wei out to take the blame?

"Alright."

Li Shimin waved his hand to stop the two from arguing.

"Since Shuyu proposed the matter of corvée labor, let's follow Shuyu's wishes and have Gaoming take charge of it," Li Shimin decided with a single word.

"Your subject obeys." Li Chengqian happily accepted the order.

Li Tai reluctantly returned to his position.

Li Shimin had spoken, and there was nothing that could be done, no matter how unwilling one was.

"Do any of my beloved ministers have anything else to report?" Li Shimin asked again.

Seeing that no ministers had stepped forward, Li Shimin immediately announced...

"Court adjourned!"