"It's not me, it's that rebellious grandson Li Jue. He's going to entertain some merchants!"

"Merchants?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shiji immediately flew into a rage. He had braved the wind and snow to go out and seize grain, and had lost dozens of his brothers along the way. Such a great sacrifice and achievement was not even comparable to those of a few merchants.

"Your Majesty, it's not that I'm being unreasonable, it's just that I can't understand it, sob sob sob..."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin quickly patted Li Shiji on the shoulder.

"Maogong, don't be angry, don't stoop to the level of a child..."

"If you're really unhappy, I'll personally drink with you!"

"Someone, go to Li Jue's place and get some dishes, plus a few jars of good wine. I want to drink with Mao Gong until we're completely drunk!"

With Li Shimin's comforting words, Li Shiji's mood immediately improved. However, he was very curious about the background of this group of merchants, wondering why his eldest grandson would personally receive them.

It should be noted that when the eldest grandson was doing business, he would often just send his subordinates to entertain him, and he never made such a grand show of it.

"Your Majesty, those merchants are..."

"They're transporting grain!"

"Transporting grain?"

"How much did you transport? Could it be more than what I, your humble servant, seized?"

"Sigh, not much, just enough grain for about ninety ships!"

"What?"

"Food for ninety ships?"

How big is the ship?

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin stammered.

"I didn't look closely, but I'd guess it's just a small boat carrying a thousand shi of grain?"

"A thousand stones..."

Li Shiji was speechless upon hearing this. If it really was a ship carrying 1,000 shi of grain, then ninety ships would amount to 90,000 shi!

No wonder the eldest grandson hosted a banquet for them; their contributions were indeed greater than his own!

How did the eldest grandson manage to get so much grain?

Could it be that all the money I invested in my eldest grandson was used to buy grain?

While Li Shiji was filled with anxiety, there was another person who was also very worried. This person was none other than Changsun Wuji, the Minister of Works of the Tang Dynasty.

He ordered his men to burn down the granaries, hoping to create a food shortage crisis in Pyongyang and then take the opportunity to persuade Li Shimin to withdraw his troops.

Unexpectedly, not only did it fail to affect Li Shimin, but even the food shortage in Korea was easily resolved by that grandson Li Jue.

His only consolation now is that the case of the burning of the granary remains unsolved, and no one has discovered that he orchestrated it all.

Therefore, he was happier than anyone else when he saw the grain being stored.

Even without Li Jue's invitation, he took the initiative to order several jars of strong liquor and two large baskets of fresh vegetables to come to the palace in person to thank these merchants.

Li Jue was very pleased with the vegetables that Changsun Wuji had sent; it was no easy feat to obtain such things in this freezing weather.

"Uncle, where did you get these vegetables?"

“Well… there’s a hot spring outside Pyongyang, and you can grow some vegetables around it. Originally, these vegetables were exclusively for the Goguryeo royal family, but now that Pyongyang belongs to our Great Tang, these vegetables naturally belong to our Great Tang as well.”

"Pyongyang has such a wonderful place?"

After entering Pyongyang, Li Jue was so busy scavenging local specialties that he didn't really have time to think about these things.

However, this also reveals the difference between the two. As a senior nobleman with generations of official rank, Changsun Wuji would never mistreat himself, no matter where he went.

Relatively speaking, Li Jue, the legitimate eldest grandson of the Tang Dynasty, really did seem like a country bumpkin.

"Now that Uncle is here, why don't you sit down and have a meal together?"

"Is...this okay?"

"Why can't you do that?"

"In that case, I shall respectfully accept your offer, hahaha!"

Changsun Wuji immediately found a seat and sat down. Under normal circumstances, he would never have bothered to dine with a group of ancient people. But things were different now. For his own sake and for the sake of his family, he had to find a way to maintain a good relationship with these merchants.

Because Goguryeo was so vast, its annual output was astronomical.

As long as you acquire some property in Goguryeo, you can reap several times, or even dozens of times, the return within a few years!

Of course, gathering information is also of paramount importance.

He had to figure out how Li Jue was connected with the prominent families of Shandong and Hebei.

You should know that it took His Majesty and I twenty years to win over the powerful families of Shandong and Hebei!

"Let me raise a glass first, wishing us great success in this business deal!"

At Li Jue's suggestion, everyone raised their glasses and drank heartily, then rushed to flatter Li Jue.

"Your eldest grandson is wise and brave, skilled in both literature and martial arts. With you leading us, we merchants will surely make a fortune! Hahaha!"

Li Jue interrupted with a smile upon hearing this.

"You flatter me!"

"We are able to make this money primarily thanks to the selfless dedication of the Tang Dynasty's soldiers. Without their valiant fighting, how could we have this kind of money-making business?"

"The eldest grandson is right, let's first toast the soldiers of the Great Tang!"

Li Jue drank one cup, then poured three more cups onto the ground. Seeing this, the others, even those who didn't understand, followed suit. Before long, the entire hall floor was soaked with wine.

"Gentlemen, these three cups of wine are a tribute to the fallen soldiers!"

"Without their sacrifice, our Great Tang would never have had the chance to wipe away the shame and avenge the Sui Dynasty and the people of Guanzhong!"

"Therefore, I propose that we take 30% of the profits from this business and use it specifically to subsidize those who died in battle and the soldiers wounded on the battlefield!"

"Your Highness is wise! We will certainly do our utmost!"