hsntnovel Chapter 2680 Let the Silla people do it.
Chapter 2680 Let the Silla people do it.
After waiting for a while, Li Shen noticed that no one was speaking, so he looked around at everyone and asked, puzzled:
"What? You think my method won't work?"
"Your Highness's plan is brilliant!" Wang Hongfu praised as always.
"Your Highness, please forgive my bluntness, but regardless of whether this method is effective or not, the very fact that Your Highness tricked Japanese people into coming here as slaves will likely lead to impeachment in the court."
Not only that, it would also tarnish the reputation of our Great Tang Dynasty and invite criticism from other vassal states.
Pei Mingli's words could be considered a form of advice; he felt that what was done was not very ethical and violated moral principles.
The Tang Dynasty has always been a land of etiquette and should not have done such a thing.
"Hmm, what you said makes sense." After thinking about it, Li Shen felt that Pei Mingli was right.
"I have made too many enemies and my reputation is not very good, so I cannot let others know."
Alright then, let's spread the word as I suggested and send them a message first.
Xuan Ce, go to Honglu Temple again and tell Kim Chun-chu that Silla will handle this matter.
For each person brought in, ten strings of cash will be awarded.
"Your Highness, ten strings of cash is a bit low," Wang Hongfu reminded him. This includes transportation costs and food.
"Then twenty strings of cash. If you can get me 100,000 people, I'll make sure they don't have to pay for their grain."
Li Shen's meaning was simple: since it was inconvenient for the Tang people to do it, then let people from other countries do it, and they could just trade among themselves.
Just be discreet about it, and tell the outside world that they were rescued from Silla.
In truth, Li Shen didn't think he had done anything wrong by sending people to trick them into coming, but it certainly didn't do him any good for his reputation in the Tang Dynasty.
Li Shen himself was also trying to avoid trouble.
The Tang Dynasty was a feudal society, not a slave society. The court only traded slaves, not slaves.
Furthermore, there was a very strict system governing the trade of slaves, one of which was that free people could not be bought or sold.
All slave transactions required proof of the slaves' non-free status and had to be conducted under official registration and filing; private transactions were strictly prohibited.
These slaves mainly came from prisoners of war, the families of disgraced officials, and some poor people.
The poor are those who, during times of famine and war, cannot survive and sell themselves into slavery, or whose parents sell their children, but this must be approved by the government and forced sale is prohibited.
Anyone who forces a good person to buy or sell goods or induces a person to buy or sell goods will be severely punished, including exile or hanging.
This shows how strict the laws were regarding the buying and selling of people in the Tang Dynasty.
Of course, these laws were mainly applied to the common people of the Tang Dynasty and did not apply to foreign ethnic groups, because many people from the Western Regions would sell slaves from Kunlun, Hu, Man, and Silla.
This included Persians, Arabs, and the indigenous people of small islands in the East China Sea.
"Your Highness, what if someone volunteers to come?" Wang Hongfu asked.
“Isn’t that even better? I’ll save money,” Li Shen replied.
“But there are no ships coming from Japan to the Tang Dynasty,” Wang Hongfu reminded him.
Huh? Right, Li Shen suddenly realized that there was a sea in between, not land that could be crossed.
"Your Highness, we can build a fleet, not in the name of the Prince Ji's Mansion, to sell some goods there and then bring people back, charging a certain fee."
Wang Xuance made a suggestion.
"Yes, let's do it that way. Not only will ordinary people come, but perhaps some powerful clans and famous figures will also come."
They're all wealthy men; it's good to let them spend their money in the Tang Dynasty.
Li Shen immediately agreed after hearing this.
"Then I will arrange it this way," Wang Xuance accepted the order.
"Don't you think I'm cruel and immoral?" Li Shen suddenly asked.
"Your Highness, rest assured, the Japanese are not citizens of our Great Tang. We do not think that way. Your Highness is doing this to expand the territory of the Great Tang."
Wang Xuance spoke up, and the others nodded in agreement.
Although they didn't understand why Prince Ji cared so much about Japan and wanted to conquer it from so far away overseas, it was ultimately for the sake of the Tang Dynasty.
"Well, it's good that you think that way. I am actually a good person."
Li Shen nodded, picked up the Persian cat, went to the window, opened it, and a cold wind rushed in.
"You should know that I am a prince of the Great Tang Dynasty, with the title of Prince Ji. I was born into the imperial family and grew up within the palace walls."
Our ancestors were all outstanding individuals, and many of our relatives held fiefdoms or fiefdoms.
Although I was born into a wealthy family and lived a life of luxury, I honestly believe that my virtue and talent are inferior to those of my ancestors, and my character is not as good as that of my father and brothers.
Although I received instruction from my teachers in my youth, learning classics and history and understanding etiquette, I did not grasp their profound meaning. I played around excessively and wasted my time.
At the tender age of twenty, full of youthful vigor, he relied on his status as the son of the emperor and always harbored lofty ambitions. However, he was inexperienced in the ways of the world and did not know the wickedness of people's hearts or the difficulties of taking each step.
Now I realize that being a king is not easy, and protecting the land and its people is even more difficult. Whenever I think of my own mediocrity, having made no great contributions to the country or achieved any outstanding virtues for my family, I am always ashamed of myself for not being as good as my brothers.
Now that my father is getting older, and I am still learning, I can't help but feel ashamed.
Fang Wu realized that "fate is determined by heaven, but success depends on human effort." Even if one is born into an imperial family, one should still strive to improve oneself and not rely solely on divine favor.
Li Shen turned his back to everyone and looked out the window. Considering what he had just said, it was hard not to feel a sense of melancholy.
Prince Ji was infamous, known to all, yet even he had a day when he was full of ambition but unable to put it into practice.
Li Shen's words moved the private individuals, who then realized that Prince Ji also had his troubles and that he had always wanted to do something for the court.
Everyone understood that Prince Ji had not studied well since childhood, so he wanted to do things but did not know how, and was anxiously waiting there.
Especially the line about my father getting older and my own shallow knowledge, makes me feel uneasy.
It reveals the helplessness and longing in Prince Ji's heart.
The atmosphere inside the room was somewhat heavy and cold.
"Your Highness," Wang Xuance called softly, "why don't we close the window first? We don't want you to catch a cold."
"Oh my god, it's so cold."
As soon as Wang Xuance finished speaking, Li Shen called out, quickly closed the window, returned to the recliner, lay down, and covered himself with a blanket.
Li Shen was really going all out for this X. He stood in the wind for several minutes, his ears turning red from the cold, and his face stinging from the wind.
"Your Highness need not belittle yourself. Your Highness is exceptionally talented and has been praised by the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy in the literary world. The poems you have written are sure to be remembered in history."
In the business world, he was unmatched, having manipulated merchants for many years.
Your Highness has done very well.
Wang Xuance offered words of comfort from the side. This was also the responsibility of the chief secretary—to relieve the prince's worries and troubles.
However, he overestimated Li Shen's talent and underestimated Li Shen's shamelessness.
Li Shen showed no sign of worry; he was concerned about something else entirely.
"Xuan Ce, have you remembered everything I just said?"