After this incident, not only Li Xiang felt his mistake, but Li Shimin also felt his mistake. When Li Xiang relaxed, Li Shimin relaxed even faster than Li Xiang. In this situation, you two still want to deal with the Five Surnames and Seven Families. It is really a bit wishful thinking.
"Is it still not working for the Emperor?"
In Li Shimin's bedroom, two of them started sitting and drinking. Li Chengqian's health was much better than before. When Li Xiang came over, he went to see him specially. This was also something that made Li Shimin happy recently. Although Li Xiang's status as heir had been confirmed, if something happened to Li Chengqian, it was inevitable that his sons would make a fuss.
After all, in the history of all dynasties, there has been no history of the crown prince directly taking over the throne. If this were true, it might cause instability in the entire country. Li Xiang's strength is all in the army. Although there are some ministers in the court, whether these people are human or ghosts will have to be verified over time.
Li Chengqian was also slowly handing over the power in his hands to Li Xiang. After all, he had been in the court for many years. Now that he had been to the gates of hell this time, he no longer thought about checking and balancing his father and son. Now he had only one idea, which was to hand over all the relationships in his hands to Li Xiang.
As for how to find King Song and resolve the current crisis, Li Chengqian couldn't care less. My body is already in such a bad state. If you two, grandfather and grandson, still pin your hopes on me, then it's a bit too much for you two in Lijia Village. Even if a normal person gets sick, he must take a sick leave and stay at home to take care of his grandson. This is what Li Chengqian has to do.
"These past few days, I've been visiting the Retired Emperor every two days. The palace gates are indeed open, but he grabbed my hand and wouldn't let me go anywhere else. It's obvious that the little bastard is in the back hall. He knows how serious this incident is and won't leave the Retired Emperor's place. His entire family has been in the prison for so long. I originally wanted to make his family suffer so that I could force him to show up, but who knew this bastard didn't care about his family's life or death at all."
Speaking of this half-brother, Li Shimin was also filled with anger. How could such a person exist in the imperial family? He couldn't even protect his own family. Although he would have to take responsibility after being released, he couldn't just hide in his shell forever. Could the emperor protect him forever? Wouldn't he have to come out in the end? Li Shimin's resentment was so deep at that time. Did he really think he could hide from it?
Li Xiang didn't know what to say to Li Shimin's words. The royal family's responsibility was becoming increasingly low, which was an indisputable fact. Take his generation as an example. How many of them treated their family members as playthings? Everyone valued only their own lives, even their own parents.
There is no family affection in heaven. This statement is definitely not a joke. If you check carefully, you will find that many people are like this. In the eyes of these people, feelings are too far away and cannot be touched. In addition, various things come too easily, so they think that all of this is innate. If you say that you have feelings for your family members, it can only be said that when you cause trouble, you hope that your family members will help you settle the matter.
"Now it's time to move on to the next step. Local officials will control the merchants from all over the country. This won't last too long. The slaves from the northwest have also been shipped here. This time, I plan to reduce the price by 20%, so that all merchants can benefit from it. In addition, I plan to hand over the auction of slaves to Zhidaobao."
Li Xiang was not abusing his power for personal gain, but there were few people in Chang'an City that he could trust. The incident caused by King Song had created a crisis in the business environment of the entire country. Fortunately, Li Xiang acted decisively and did not cause rebellion in various places.
What if Li Xiang hadn't done this? How would this matter be handled? Many people might have already started to panic. If chaos really broke out, it would not benefit the entire Tang Empire at all. So, in this situation, Zhidaobao was the only institution Li Xiang could trust.
Over the years, the shopkeepers who got the treasures have handled more business than the national treasury, but no one put the money into their own pockets, because those who dared to put the money into their own pockets were all killed by Li Xiang. Although Li Shimin frowned, he also understood that this matter had to be left to Li Xiang. Except for the incident with King Song, Li Shimin saw everyone as a corrupt official. If he let them go again, who knows how they would exploit the people.
When Li Xiang proposed it, it was a sure thing that Li Shimin would agree. This grandfather cared most about his reputation, but now the King of Song had ruined his reputation.
In fact, not only his reputation was ruined, but the entire Tang Dynasty royal family also played an ignominious role in this incident. Fortunately, he can still slowly win back his reputation. If he cannot win it back, all these years of hard work will be in vain. It is really laughable that the entire dynasty is on the decline for the selfish desires of one or two people.
"Since you've made up your mind, then do as you say. I've also heard of those who seized the treasure. At least they won't get into trouble because of the money. Also, when you auction the slaves in the future, transport them to different places instead of concentrating them all in Chang'an. This will also prevent those people from making mistakes. With power dispersed across the country, they won't have the opportunity to make mistakes even if they want to."
After hearing what Li Shimin said, Li Xiang nodded beside him. It seems that Li Shimin has not been idle recently. This guy is very familiar with such things. If you gather all the things in one place, then some things are indeed unsolvable, but if they are scattered all over the place, even if someone wants to make a fuss about these things, they don't have the ability to do so.
Now the blame comes back to King Song. Which merchants instigated him? This must be investigated. Only in this way can the people behind the scenes be found. Li Xiang also knows where the headquarters of the Five Surnames and Seven Families are, but you can't just arrest people indiscriminately. You must find a reason. The Tang Dynasty is now a society ruled by law.
