novelden Chapter 2086 Lao Li’s Political Lesson
Chapter 2086 Lao Li’s Political Lesson
"......" Li Chengqian and his two brothers were killed on the spot. It was a touching scene of loving mother and filial son, but shouldn't the feelings of other sons be taken into consideration?
There are three big and precious sons sitting here. Do I have to show the deep love between mother and son so blatantly in front of them?
Not to mention Li Tai and Li Zhi, even Li Chengqian was a little jealous.
Li Shimin, who was standing aside, felt mixed emotions as he looked at the bowl of soup in his hand. If he were not present, the Queen would probably have let the rebellious son drink it directly and would not have left any for himself.
Looking at his rebellious son holding the bowl and drinking the soup happily, and then looking at his queen looking at Li Shen drinking the soup with a loving face, Li Shimin couldn't help but admire this rebellious son.
Being able to make the queen happy enough to treat her as her own child is a skill that most people cannot do.
Just like the other three sons present, a crown prince and two princes, they were well-read and learned, but they were still far from being as good as Li Shen.
You must know that these three are the legitimate sons, the legitimate sons of the queen.
Even if Li Shen was just acting for the occasion, he was able to do it for ten years without changing. What's the difference between this and the real thing?
Li Shimin was confident that pretense could only work for a while, and if it took ten years, he would definitely be able to see through it.
The whole meal could be regarded as Li Shen's home court. Everything revolved around Li Shen. Li Shimin's instructions and Empress Changsun's concern made the atmosphere very harmonious.
It’s just that there are three more spectators at the dinner table, eating in silence.
Even Li Chengqian became unknown.
Soon the meal was over, and Li Shimin brought his brothers to the study.
Wang De started to make tea.
"Great! Has there been any change in the court since I fell ill this time?" Li Shimin asked, leaning on the couch, imitating Li Shen's behavior.
"My dear father, there is no change in the court." Li Chengqian replied as he took the teacup handed over by Wang De.
"Well, that's good. Qingque, Zhinu, you should also pay more attention to the affairs of the court, especially pay attention to some changes in the court and the country.
Report anything you discover to me or your eldest brother in a timely manner.
I keep you in Chang'an City not to let you live a life of luxury, but to make you useful. Otherwise, why would I keep you in Chang'an?
Someone in the court had already written a letter saying that it was against the ancestral rules for me to keep you two here, and asked me to send you to other places.
But I have gone against all odds, you two must not let me down."
Leaning against the couch, Li Shimin looked at Li Tai and Li Zhi with a silent expression.
"Aye, not only..." Li Zhi was a little dissatisfied and was about to refute.
But he was interrupted by Li Tai who was standing by.
"We will follow Aye's instructions and assist the Crown Prince with all our strength."
Li Tai knew what Li Zhi was going to say. In fact, he was thinking the same thing. Why did the person who wrote the letter only mention the two of us? Isn't the one next to you your son?
Why didn't you tell him and let him go back to his fiefdom?
However, Li Tai understood this principle better than Li Zhi. Under the current circumstances, not to mention their father, even the crown prince would not let Li Shen return to his fiefdom after he ascended the throne.
Not to mention Li Shen's usefulness, even though Li Shen possessed tens of millions of wealth, Li Chengqian was still worried about letting Li Shen return to his fiefdom to develop quietly.
Not to mention Li Chengqian, even Li Tai himself would not feel at ease.
This guy creates wealth so quickly, who can trust him to go and get his fiefdom?
Although Li Zhi was not convinced, he finally kept silent.
"Old Ten, you have developed and expanded the business of the Tang Dynasty, making many people wealthy, but there are pros and cons.
When people see merchants making money, many of them will join in, leaving the land barren, and you have to control this aspect.
Since ancient times, emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce has its reasons. "
After talking about his two sons, he looked at Li Shen who was slumped on the bed. Apart from this rebellious son, who else would dare to behave inappropriately in front of him?
"Don't worry, my son will report to the society and pay attention to the situation in various places. But, since ancient times, agriculture has been emphasized and commerce has been suppressed because of the fear of insufficient grain production.
Everyone went out to do business and stopped farming.
Now, after improvements made by our Academy of Agricultural Sciences, grain production has increased by 50%, and the yield in Liaodong region is even higher.
There shouldn't be any problem." Li Shen said nonchalantly while lying there.
"No, you are only half right." As soon as Li Shen finished speaking, Li Shimin shook his head in denial, but did not explain. Instead, he looked at Li Chengqian and asked with a smile:
"Gao Ming, what do you think?"
Not only Li Chengqian fell into deep thought, but Li Tai and Li Zhi also fell into deep thought.
After a while, Li Chengqian replied:
“Replying to Aye, there is another reason for emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce. Focusing on agriculture can reduce the mobility of the people, making it easier for the court to centrally manage and collect taxes.
The key point is that controlling the movement of the people can ensure the stability of the court and the effective control of wealth, thus facilitating governance. "
Li Chengqian knew that this was his father testing his performance. He had been the regent for so many years, and if he still knew nothing, wouldn't he be a useless person?
Li Shimin nodded.
“Yes, it is actually for the purpose of ruling, and also to prevent the merchants from becoming too powerful and threatening the imperial power.
Merchants continued to accumulate wealth and formed a huge force independent of the imperial power. "
At this point, Li Shimin glanced at Li Shen who was lying comfortably, raised the corner of his mouth and continued:
"The most striking example is the Prince Ji's Mansion. He has already..."
"Oh my god." Li Shen was listening with great interest. This was a political class, but Li Shimin suddenly said this, which scared Li Shen so much that he rolled over and knelt in front of Li Shimin.
"Father, I cannot bear such a heavy responsibility. I am loyal to you, my elder brother, and the Tang Dynasty. Heaven and earth can bear witness to this.
There is no such huge force, let alone an independent imperial power.
Ah Ye, I am innocent~~~~"
Good man, is my father trying to kill me? There is no such a big hatred between us father and son.
Could it be that Dad already knew about my plan to cook the books?
"Humph, isn't your power huge? You have three thousand elite soldiers, your family wealth is comparable to that of a country, and your businesses are spread all over the Tang Dynasty. Such a huge power has never appeared since ancient times."
Li Zhi snorted coldly.
"Chi Nu, you can't say that. Although Lao Shi's influence spreads across the country, isn't it for the convenience of managing merchants across the country?
Otherwise, if there was any chaos, it would have a huge impact on the court. It is understandable and excusable.
After all, the No. 1 Chamber of Commerce in the Tang Dynasty has an annual income of tens of millions of guan."
Li Tai retorted.
Damn it, these two bastards are actually taking advantage of someone’s misfortune. When Li Shen heard their words in unison, his expression immediately turned ugly.
"Brother Nine, my three thousand elite soldiers and my family wealth were all given by Aye. Are you questioning Aye's decision?
Besides, when did I become rich enough to rival a country?
Not only do I now have a foreign debt of 1.5 million strings of cash, but I also have a deficit of 3 to 4 million strings of cash on my books this year.
Have you ever seen such wealth that rivals a country? ”
Li Shen glared at Li Zhi, there were some things he planned to talk about tomorrow.
(Please urge me to update.)