"Haha! Guanyinbi, you really know me! There is indeed a happy occasion today!" Li Shimin laughed loudly, then tossed his eldest grandson onto the quilt, let out a howl, and pounced on him.
Men are often like children, especially when they are happy, and the eldest grandson indulges them in a very tolerant way.
After a fierce battle, the bed and bedding were in disarray. The two embraced each other wearily. Stroking Changsun's delicate skin, Li Shimin said excitedly, "Guanyinbi, do you know that I arrested quite a few people a few days ago?"
"Didn't Your Majesty say that you wiped out the underground force of the God of Wealth Pavilion?" Changsun asked lazily, drawing circles on Li Shimin's chest with his finger.
"Yes! How could I not have thought of that? The God of Wealth Pavilion, the God of Wealth Pavilion, how could it not have money if it dares to be called the God of Wealth Pavilion?" Li Shimin gently patted Changsun, feeling the amazing elasticity of his palm, and said with a hint of annoyance.
As he spoke, Li Shimin frowned and muttered to himself, "I need to have them interrogated properly tomorrow; there must be other treasures."
"Your Majesty has found the treasure of the God of Wealth Tower!" Perhaps all women love treasure, but Empress Zhangsun understood the meaning behind Li Shimin's words. She sat up abruptly, disregarding the fact that her private parts were exposed, and asked with wide eyes.
"Hehe! Yes! It's worth over five million strings of cash, and it all belongs to me!" Li Shimin swallowed hard, placed his large hand on it, and said with a wicked smile.
"Where did Your Majesty find the treasure?" Changsun asked curiously.
"Hehe! Qin Huaidao and his men found it! I'll be there tonight to check it!" Li Shimin said with a half-closed eye and a smile.
"This child is truly a lucky charm! Not only has he raised two princesses, but he has also brought His Majesty so much wealth," Changsun exclaimed.
"Hmm, not bad at all. It's rare that this kid is a smart man, knowing to hand over the money voluntarily." Li Shimin nodded slightly. As he spoke, Li Shimin sat up, his brows furrowed tightly.
"What's wrong, Your Majesty?" Empress Zhangsun asked hurriedly.
"I've been tricked!" Li Shimin said calmly, his brows relaxing.
"Being fooled? Someone dares to deceive the emperor!" Empress Changsun's eyebrows shot up in anger.
"It's not that I'm deceiving the emperor; I agreed to the matter. However, this kid is dishonest and must have withheld a lot of money!" Li Shimin said through gritted teeth.
"That brat Qin Huaidao, taking advantage of my good mood, proposed to recruit some people for the Six Doors and cooperate with the Bad People to set up some strongholds to settle the wounded and disabled soldiers of the Six Doors and the Bad People. He said it could help them gather information and clean up Chang'an. I thought it was a good thing, so I agreed."
"Your Majesty, think about it. How many people would he need for all of this? This young man is used to spending money extravagantly; I suspect the scale he'll create will be quite large. It'll definitely cost a lot of money!" Li Shimin said, somewhat annoyed.
"Judging from the number of people in the two departments, even if some people are recruited, it should only be a few hundred people. The salary and other expenses required should only be tens of thousands of strings of cash, right? In addition, it's hard to say about establishing some strongholds. Could this kid be thinking of building a few more restaurants?" Changsun analyzed.
"No, it's just some tea shops and noodle shops," Li Shimin replied. He had asked Qin Mu before if it was about building a restaurant, and Qin Mu had answered no, which disappointed him. He had originally wanted to get involved, but now that he had the money, things were looking up.
“Then it won’t cost much! According to the usual practice of those departments, it’s perfectly normal for them to withhold a few hundred thousand strings of cash to develop themselves,” Changsun comforted him.
"That brat even ordered a batch of leather armor from the Xiangli family! He even complained to me about being poor, saying that he hadn't paid for the blacksmith from the Yuchi family last time, and that he had hired him out of personal connections, so he wanted to pay him this time," Li Shimin said in a muffled voice.
"Yes, I've heard about it too. This kid is really generous to his men, giving them all new clothes and weapons. Equipping one or two thousand men certainly costs a lot of money." Changsun pulled the thin blanket over Miaoman's body and nodded slightly.
“If it were just a few hundred thousand strings of cash, I would definitely agree if that kid asked. But his roundabout way of asking is not like his true nature! We have suffered a huge loss this time!” Li Shimin sighed.
"To be able to teach Pu'an and the others to enter the path of Confucianism in a proper way, one must be quite capable oneself. Moreover, to be chosen as a successor by the great Confucian scholar Li Gang, one certainly doesn't seem like the type to beat around the bush." Seeing Li Shimin's dejected expression, Changsun smiled and helped analyze the situation.
"Hmph! You brat, how dare you scheme against me! I'll teach him a lesson," Li Shimin said with displeasure.
"Then how will Your Majesty deal with him?" Changsun asked curiously.
"Didn't that brat say he built a shopping mall for me? He said it's finished. Guanyinbi, go and take a look. If you're not satisfied, I'll punish him." Li Shimin's eyes darted around, and after thinking for a moment, a smile appeared on his face.
"Oh, I heard about that today too. News came from outside the palace that the shopping malls are asking if we have any goods to sell there. I'm still thinking about what to sell."
"Okay! Then go and take a look, and while you're at it, ask the Qin family boy. He's got a lot of ideas, maybe he can come up with a solution."
"That's true, after all, it was his idea, so he must know which things are suitable," Empress Zhangsun agreed.
"Hmm! Go and check on things first, especially see how the people have been settled. That kid's words are full of flowery rhetoric, but I don't believe them!"
“Okay. I’ll observe from the shadows first,” Changsun replied.
The couple talked for a while, then fell asleep in each other's arms. Li Shimin no longer had any mischievous thoughts. People, even cultivators, sometimes have the will but not the strength when they reach middle age.
The next day, while serving Li Shimin at court, Changsun, having nothing else to do, arranged matters in the palace, changed into civilian clothes, and left the palace with his entourage.
Buzhengfang was right next to the imperial city, so she didn't have to go far. As soon as the carriage stopped and Changsun stepped off, she was stunned by the scene before her. She moved her feet, looked up at a sign for Buzhengfang Commercial Street at the intersection, and realized that she hadn't gone to the wrong place.
Completely different from other parts of Chang'an, the entire commercial street gave the first impression of being neat and orderly. Identical shops lined both sides of the street, with no gaps between them, one after another. Although it was morning, all the shop doors were wide open, and unlike most shops, they weren't made of wooden planks or sliding doors like those in homes. Changsun personally witnessed someone push the doors to the sides, causing them to retract into the walls, making the shop entrances appear spacious and attractive.
………
There will be another chapter tonight.
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