hsntnovel Chapter 2403 Everyone is united
Chapter 2403 Everyone is united
As soon as Empress Changsun finished speaking, Li Shimin shook his head.
How could his beloved wife be wrong? It was that rebellious son who was wrong.
"Guanyin, it's all that rebellious son's fault. If he hadn't always lulled you into thinking money came easily, you wouldn't have forgotten what happened.
It's not just you, I am the same. Over the years, I have also forgotten the hardships of the past."
Li Shimin said this angrily, putting the blame of forgetting his roots on Li Shen.
"How can you say that, Erlang? Isn't it Shen'er's credit that we have what we have today?
Erlang should not blame Shen'er. If it weren't for Shen'er, the current situation would not have happened.
It’s because Shen’er is filial.
I have become so accustomed to this affluent life that I have forgotten the sufferings of the common people."
Empress Changsun did not think like Li Shimin. It was a bit unreasonable to blame others for giving her so many good things every year.
The gifts Li Shen sent to the palace every year were worth at least tens of thousands of strings of cash, not including the rare treasures that were given away individually.
Several times a month, they would send cloth, rouge and powder, gold and silver jewelry, soap, tea, etc., as well as vegetables, meat, and spices.
Li Shen adopted a conciliatory policy to save the country in a roundabout way.
All of Li Shimin's concubines had accepted gifts from Li Shen.
Otherwise, why would Li Shen eat so fast? His purpose was to persuade his father wherever he went.
Li Shimin felt a little angry when he saw that his beloved wife had always been defending that unfilial son.
I don’t know why, everyone says that this unfilial son is filial, but how come he didn’t notice it?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He couldn't argue with Empress Zhangsun, so he turned to look at Li Chengqian:
"Gao Ming, why are you not handling state affairs in Liangyi Palace at this time? Why are you here in the palace for no reason?"
"Well..." Li Chengqian was stunned by the question. What on earth was he doing here? Just to be scolded and taught a lesson?
He came here to report something, but now he seems to be in no mood.
"If you have nothing else to do, go back and take care of state affairs. Don't keep coming to the palace for no reason."
Seeing that Li Chengqian didn't say anything, Li Shimin immediately ordered him to expel him. If it weren't for Li Chengqian, how could he be left speechless by the Queen?
"Father, I came here today mainly to visit you and mother, and secondly to report on the situation in Jinzhou."
Li Chengqian was eventually reported.
"What happened in Jinzhou?" Li Shimin became serious after hearing this.
"Tell me, how is Jinzhou doing? It's snowing heavily and the weather is freezing. Have the local people moved into their houses?"
When it came to business, Empress Changsun fell silent and stopped talking, leaving space for the father and son.
"Reporting to the father, 90% of the people have already moved into their new houses. Only a small number of people have moved in because their houses were not built in time. However, the local government has arranged for them to live in the city.
This time we have to thank Wang Hongfu from Prince Ji’s Mansion.
It was too late originally, but Wang Hongfu took advantage of the appeal of Prince Ji's Mansion and recruited a large number of people from all over the country.
Chambers of commerce in nearby states and counties also joined in, preparing free carriages for the workers going to Jinzhou, and many merchants along the way also generously donated money to provide free food for the workers.
Ensure that the workers can arrive in Jinzhou Prefecture smoothly.
This time, we broke the rules and asked the government to quickly issue travel permits, which ensured that 90% of the people in Jinzhou Prefecture could live in new houses."
Li Chengqian briefly explained it and then took out a memorial and handed it to Li Shimin.
Li Shimin took it and opened it to look at it carefully. There were several pages in total, recording the details of the disaster relief.
Li Shimin nodded frequently. This disaster relief was different from the previous ones. In the past, when there was a disaster, the government would just distribute grain.
This time it can be said that it was a mobilization of the entire nation, with government guidance and the Ji Wang Mansion as the matchmaker, and merchants, people, government officials, and the army all participating.
Ensure that tens of thousands of people in Jinzhou can survive the winter smoothly.
The government no longer had to open its granaries to distribute grain for free. Instead, it used work as a relief measure, dug many canals, and built dams.
Not only that, Li Shimin also saw that in order to speed up the construction period, tens of thousands of people from nearby counties and prefectures were mobilized to go there. Li Chengqian issued an order that all people from local counties and prefectures who were going to Jinzhou must immediately apply for travel permits.
Checks along the way should be carried out leniently and quickly, without any delays or excuses.
Merchants used horse-drawn carriages to transport the people, provided food along the way, and solved the workers' worries.
"Yes, Gao Ming, you did a great job this time. This time, the world can see that the people of our Tang Dynasty are united as one. This is what I want."
After closing the memorial, Li Shimin felt relieved that his eldest son had finally grown up and was no longer so pedantic.
Rules are dead, but people are alive. Some things need to be prioritized. Disaster relief is saving lives, so there is no need for so many rules.
Since ancient times, the imperial court has needed travel permits to prevent rebellion, but at the same time, it is an exception, and Li Chengqian was right to do so.
"Thank you for your praise, Father. The greatest contribution this time goes to my tenth brother, the Prince Ji's Mansion. If it weren't for the Prince Ji's Mansion, the court would have had no choice but to issue an imperial decree to recruit people for forced labor.
And so many merchants joined in because of Prince Ji’s Mansion.”
Li Chengqian said modestly.
“Although the Ji Wang Mansion has made contributions, it was also under your guidance. However, what the Tenth Old Man has done over the years has indeed achieved some results.
It's truly rare to be able to get merchants to cooperate voluntarily, and not for profit."
Li Shimin also felt a little emotional. Li Shen had controlled all the merchants in the Tang Dynasty in recent years. At first, he thought it was for collecting taxes, but now it seems that he had other intentions.
"Yes, I think so too. Many merchants wanted to donate money and materials to the people of Jinzhou, but they were rejected by Wang Hongfu.
All the money spent by Jinzhou this time was paid half by Prince Ji's Mansion and the other half by the court, and no donations from merchants were needed.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs estimated that the total amount of money spent by the merchants on transporting the workers was no less than 10,000 strings of cash.
I have searched all the history books, but I have never seen such a scene before."
Li Chengqian felt a little excited and overwhelmed after he finished speaking. This was a good start for his future career as emperor.
"Yes, this is a feat, unprecedented in history. With the whole nation united, it will surely go down in history."
Li Shimin also nodded, but he felt a little jealous in his heart. This matter was led by Li Chengqian because Li Chengqian was the regent.
History books will certainly record that during the period when Crown Prince Li Chengqian was regent, Jinzhou was greatly shaken. The crown prince raised his arms and shouted, and the people and merchants responded one after another, and the whole nation was determined to rescue the people of Jinzhou.
Even Prince Ji’s Mansion would be mentioned, but he had nothing to do with it.
Alas, shouldn’t I have paid more attention to it at the beginning?
"Gao Ming, you've grown up now and can help your father with his worries, but you shouldn't be complacent, okay?
It seems that the shopkeeper at Shen'er's house is quite capable. Since he has made contributions, you can give him a reward."
(Yesterday 918)