The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 623: Court Battle (Part )

Seeing the emperor asking questions, the ministers all turned around to look at him. Quan Wanji rushed out and walked to the stage in front of the emperor. He raised his tablet, knelt below, and responded respectfully: "Your Majesty, your servant Quan Wanji kowtows to your Majesty. Long live your Majesty!"

Li Shimin took a look and his eyes fixed on him. He was indeed a fat white man with a mustache, and he looked very similar to the portrait of the mastermind that Wei Zheng had submitted for the first time. He felt disgusted and asked, "Quan Wanji, is what they have reported about you true?"

"Your Majesty, this."

Quan Wanji saw several officials looking at him coldly, and his boss also had a serious look on his face. He stammered and said, "Your Majesty, I am innocent!"

"As the Minister of Rites, I am responsible for welcoming and seeing off foreign envoys. It is my duty to maintain good relations with them. As a country of etiquette, it is reasonable for the Tang Dynasty to entertain envoys from small countries and sometimes give them meals and exchange small gifts."

"As for the claim that he was greedy for a large amount of money, that is not true. Could it be that you gentlemen have made a mistake?"

"Humph"

Li Shimin said sternly: "You are so eloquent and yet you dare to argue. What is mutual gift giving? How much is considered a large amount of money?"

"Come here, take Quan Wanji to the Dali Temple and interrogate him strictly to see what he has done to undermine the dignity of the Tang Dynasty."

Ma Xuanliang, who was serving the emperor at the palace gate, immediately waved his hand and two guards came in from outside. Without saying a word, they dragged Quan Wanji out of the palace.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent."

Quan Wanji was horrified, he never expected that he would encounter such a disaster when he came to attend the court today. So he struggled and shouted, looking nervously at King Shu Li Ke.

Li Ke also looked nervous at this time. He knew that the so-called matter of Quan Wanji accepting money from the envoys was just an excuse, and the root of the matter was still spreading rumors.

Seeing Quan Wanji looking at him for help, Li Ke felt a little bit reluctant, but he didn't dare to speak out against him, so he had to look at Cen Wenben.

Cen Wenben lowered his head with a stern look in his eyes. He shook his head slightly and winked, signaling Li Ke not to say anything more.

Quan Wanji's screams gradually disappeared in the hall.
Seeing this, Cen Wenben actually breathed a sigh of relief. The emperor took the overall situation into consideration and did not want to make the matter clear. He arrested Quan Wanji on the pretext of taking money and damaging the national dignity. He did not want to create trouble before the war and stir up the discord between the two princes, which would affect the people's hearts.

If the King of Shu only holds Quan Wanji accountable and still refuses to give in, then he is being shameless.

Li Ke clenched his hands into fists in his sleeves and watched Quan Wanji's desperate eyes. He felt very suffocated and looked up at the dragon throne. Suddenly, his mind was shocked, his heart felt cold, and his back felt a little cold.

Li Shimin was staring at him coldly, with a warning look on his face.

Li Ke quickly stood up respectfully, lowered his head, and looked well-behaved, but he was actually a little nervous. From childhood to adulthood, he had never seen his father look at him with such a stern look. The dragon-like majesty belonging to the emperor made Li Ke's mouth dry and he was a little breathless.

It seems that those rumors of usurpation have caused a very bad impact on my father's heart.

Yes, what a mess of strange visions, the only man in the Tang Dynasty who had defeated Jie, who could bear it? Not only the emperor, but also other people, after hearing these words, they must be very calm, right?
Thinking of this, Li Ke subconsciously turned his head to look behind him.

As expected, many of the ministers looked at him with a gloating expression, with mysterious expressions in their eyes. Some military commanders with strong personalities, like Yuchi Gong and Zhang Gongjin, did not hide their dissatisfaction with him at all and looked at him coldly.

Looking away, Li Yan felt that all the ministers in the hall were looking at him and criticizing him in their hearts. Then he thought of the stories passed down by the people about strange visions, a golden dragon entering his stomach and a canopy covering his head. He felt his mouth dry and his body trembled slightly.

Li Ke sighed in despair in his heart, Changsun Wuji is so powerful!
After this incident, I am afraid that I will not be able to recover within ten years. Li Ke has now witnessed the methods of the head of the twenty-four heroes of Li Shimin. He usually thinks highly of himself and does not take these people seriously.

Now it seems that people didn't bother with me for the sake of the prince's face. If they really wanted to plot against me, it would only be a small mistake that Changsun Wuji could easily deal with, and he would be pushed to the opposite side of all the ministers in the court.

Compared with these old foxes who have come through the troubled times, I am still too young.

Quan Wanji was dragged away, and no one in Li Ke's faction dared to speak. Li Shimin saw that the scene was shocked, nodded with satisfaction, and waved his hand: "Everyone should remember that the court has rules, the principles and customs are in order, the relationship between the elders and the young is respectful, everyone should keep their own duties and perform their own duties, don't be greedy for the grass on the other side, and expect undeserved comfort and glory."

"Your subjects respect the teachings of the Holy Prophet!"

The ministers responded with a roar, their voices shaking the dome. Everyone knew who the emperor was targeting, and no one paid much attention. Li Ke, on the other hand, blushed, lowered his head, and said nothing.

After the beating, the meeting will continue.
An imperial envoy stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I am reporting to the Crown Prince that he has privately set up a checkpoint at Tongguan to collect taxes from passing merchants. This is a violation of the tax law set by the court. I hope Your Majesty will investigate this matter."

Li Shimin's face suddenly fell. The prince was responsible for clearing the official road of Tongguan. On the first day he went to Tongguan, the Tongguan defender Duan Zhixuan reported to him the prince's ideas and measures. This move could not only collect more taxes for the court, but also effectively curb the soaring prices in the capital caused by the poor water transport, killing two birds with one stone.

After Li Shimin learned about it, he secretly praised the prince for his sharp mind. It was not easy for him to think of a way to deal with the situation without using violence.

After only four or five days, traffic at Tongguan was already smooth and there was no longer the previous congestion. Grain from Luoyang also began to be transported slowly to Chang'an City.

I didn't expect these officials to bring up such a topic. They immediately said unhappily, "The Crown Prince is responsible for clearing the roads and setting up checkpoints to collect taxes. He has reported this to me and obtained the approval of the Secretariat. He definitely didn't do it on his own. Don't you know that?"

The imperial official said calmly, "Your Majesty, even if special circumstances require taxation, it must be done strictly in accordance with the court laws. You cannot levy as much as you want. The tax set by the crown prince at Tongguan is as high as 80% of the goods passing through, causing countless merchants to complain. I hope Your Majesty will understand this."

"Prince, is this possible?"

Li Shimin had already covered up his biggest mistake, and the rest were just some minor flaws which were harmless. He couldn't let the emperor cover up everything for him, and the struggles in the court were something everyone needed to understand.

Therefore, he also wanted to see the prince's own ability, and asked pretending to be ignorant.

Seeing this, Li Yan stepped forward and asked casually, "Sir, may I ask what is the current price of grain in the two markets of Chang'an?"

"Thirty cents for a dou of rice." The official answered subconsciously.

Li Yan asked again: "The court stipulated that a dou of rice should not exceed 15 wen, why has it doubled now?"

"What's the big deal? It has rained heavily in the capital for several days. Many grain merchants' warehouses have been flooded, resulting in a shortage of grain. In addition, the grain transport has been cut off and the official roads are blocked, so the supplies from Luoyang cannot be delivered. Scarcity makes things valuable, and prices will naturally rise with the market. This is also a natural thing." The official looked up and explained to Li Yanpu as if he was teaching a class.

"Well said, things are valuable because they are rare!"

Li Yan immediately clasped his fists and said, "Father, this gentleman has made it very clear. The prices of various materials in the capital are changing with the market because they are scarce. The price of rice has doubled, and the prices of other materials have increased to varying degrees, with the highest price being ten times higher."

"Since the prices of things on the market have increased due to scarcity, then the customs duties of Tongzhou, the only transportation channel for important goods, have also increased. What's wrong with this? Merchants can't raise prices at will while the court is not allowed to follow suit. Isn't this just allowing the people to set fires while not allowing the state officials to light lamps?"

"Just like what this gentleman said just now, if the price of rice is high, you don't have to buy it. No one is forcing you to buy it. You don't have to pass through the Tongguan Pass. The court is not forcing you to pass through it."

"Your Highness, what the Crown Prince said makes sense!"

Changsun Wuji glanced at Cen Wenben obscurely. Since he came to court, he had not focused on the crown prince or the King of Shu. This was a great victory. He had always been paying attention to Cen Wenben, the standard-bearer of the King of Shu, and he would definitely make some moves.

Sure enough, just after the Emperor finished criticizing the King of Shu, Cen Wenben winked at an official, and that official immediately stepped forward to report to the Crown Prince, in order to divert attention and to attack the Crown Prince, thus relieving some of the pressure on the King of Shu.

Ginger, indeed, is more spicy with age, and the skills are very experienced!
Seeing Li Yan's words fall, Changsun Wuji hurriedly stepped forward to support him, saying, "When the canal was cut off, Your Highness the Crown Prince accepted the order and made the Tongguan Pass, which was blocked for hundreds of miles, unobstructed without fighting. Not only did you not do anything wrong, but you did something meritorious. I ask the Emperor to reward Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Following the appearance of Changsun Wuji, several officials from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel came forward to respond.

Li Yan was stunned when he saw this scene, and his face suddenly darkened. Instead of feeling happy, he felt a little worried.
Oh no, I fell into a trap.

Damn it, I could have handled it by myself, but you guys came here in a rush, a bunch of people, doesn't it seem like you are forming a clique and recruiting followers?

Didn’t you see that only one person came out from the other side?
Changsun Wuji was really confused. This disparity in the outcome of the situation was exactly what Cen Wenben wanted the emperor to see.

Li Yan's expression tensed and he quickly turned around to look at Li Shimin.

Sure enough, when Li Shimin saw this scene, a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes, while Cen Wenben in the crowd below raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and when he saw the emperor's thoughtful eyes, a slightly smug look appeared in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)