Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 403: The Changing Situation
Considering that Li Shimin was "forced to step down", he still dared to make political comments casually, which was really like dancing in a minefield.

What is your purpose in saying this? Who ordered you to do this? Do you want to rebel?

One sword three times in a row.

If it had been any other more suspicious monarch, Old Li would have been the first to be stabbed ashore and his scumbag predecessor would have been killed first.

It is also because of this that Li Ming must never show any resistance to his father's opinions.

This will make the other party feel fearful and they will never dare to offer suggestions again.

As a model monarch of feudal classics, although Lao Li's opinions may not be entirely correct, the more the better.

After all, Li Ming's three views were formed in modern society, and his insight into feudal society is not as profound as that of his father.

As for Li Shimin showing obvious signs of meddling in government affairs...

"Besides, if you want to interfere in the politics of the Ming Dynasty, you must have the ability to do so."

Li Ming smiled at his father provocatively.

Now the political arena of the Ming Dynasty is as crowded as turtles in a release pond. Li Ming sets the stage, and various forces with different backgrounds perform.

He is just an emperor retired from the previous dynasty. One more person won’t make much difference.

Li Shimin's mouth twitched: "You kid..."

The carriage rumbled through the bustling streets and drove steadily towards the palace.

For fear of blocking traffic and disrupting everyone's efforts to "develop productivity," the Ming Emperor's ceremonial guard was so simple that it was almost non-existent.

The passers-by did not even take a second look at this low-key, luxurious and meaningful carriage. They just thought it was a trip for some rich kid and continued on their way, making money and dreaming about the day when they could ride in a better luxury car.

Li Ming looked at the crowd expressionlessly through the car window. His mood was as dull as that summer afternoon.

The Tang Dynasty has fallen and all foreign enemies have been defeated. What is the new goal?
This country needs a goal to unite everyone and work hard to become stronger.

Otherwise, once you relax...

"got windy?"

Li Ming felt a little chill and suddenly raised his head.

Before we knew it, large dark clouds had floated in from the south, covering the sky and the sun.

The weather suddenly changed, a strong wind blew up, and a cloud of dust filled the sky.

Passersby quickened their pace to avoid the coming heavy rain.

As Li Ming's dragon chariot slowly drove back to the palace.

The heavy rain came as expected.

…………

"Tsk, is this where you let the royal family live?"

As soon as he entered the "palace gate", Li Shimin couldn't help smacking his lips.

"This place is too small, too cramped, and too narrow. I see that Tangzhou has no shortage of flat land. Why did you only allocate such a small area for yourself?"

Li Ming replied:
"Hey, Grandpa, you have never been a commoner, so you don't know.

"Land is very expensive in Beijing. If I take up less land, the government-run real estate company can sell more land, and the government can earn more money."

"Tsk, it's all for money..." Li Shimin sneered at his son's vulgarity, pointed uneasily at the building outside the "palace wall", and asked:

"Whose houses are those? Your imperial palace, or a detached residence for officials to stay temporarily?

"The house is very unique. You didn't build it to house the palace guards, did you?"

Li Ming followed his father's finger and raised his eyebrows in surprise:

"Yes! What about the house I haven't seen? Was it built when I was on the expedition in person?"

Li Shimin glanced at the boy, not disguising the sneer on his face:
"What do you mean by 'grassroots governance'? What do you mean by 'imperial power extending to the county level'? You talk a lot of nice words, but you can't even manage the area in front of the palace!"

The encroachment on the streets in Chang'an was indeed serious, and many wealthy people broke through the walls and built their houses on the streets.

But no one had the guts to build his house right outside the emperor's house and become the emperor's neighbor.

There wasn't even a decent guard at the palace gate, only a messenger. With such a poor management level, how dare you laugh at his Tang Dynasty?
"Why should I care?" Li Ming asked in surprise.

Looking at his son's big, bright eyes, Li Shimin was speechless for a moment.

"Why not? No matter how simple this place is, it is still the imperial palace, the core of the world! How can we allow others to interfere with our bed?!"

Li Ming retorted:
"Why can't I tolerate others? Since I am the son of heaven, can I not tolerate the people of the world?"

These sanctimonious words left Li Shimin speechless.

"Besides -"

Li Ming stretched out his tone, curled his lips, and revealed a mercenary smile:
"Houses near the palace can be sold at high prices. It's reasonable to sell them 'royal area houses' for hundreds of millions of dollars. Isn't that a good idea?

"Give them some dragon energy. This amount of money is really worth it."

Li Shimin was speechless for a moment.

After a long while, he finally squeezed out a few words from between his teeth in disgust:

"Are you so short of money?"

"Shortage, very short supply..." Li Ming became depressed when talking about financial issues.

“Opening a book also requires capital. Various projects such as building bridges and roads, reclaiming land and building embankments are all long-term projects and are money-eating beasts.

"Not to mention the war with you, ah..."

Li Ming grabbed his hair in distress:

“Every day when I open my eyes, the interest on the bonds keeps going up, not to mention the financial pressure of repaying the principal on time.

"If I don't figure out some unconventional ways to make money, I'm afraid Fang Yize will follow in his father's footsteps and return home to beg for his bones."

"..." Li Shimin opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say for a moment.

The state finances were in such a state of distress that even the emperor himself was sold.

Every family has its own problems. The seemingly prosperous Ming Dynasty also had its own problems...

After holding it in for a long time, he finally managed to utter:
"Be careful. If those buildings are built higher, they will be able to overlook the forbidden area of ​​the palace. Be careful of assassins."

The words are filled with the old father's speechlessness and helplessness.
Li Ming nodded and expressed his gratitude to his old father for his concern:
"Yes, the construction industry has strict industry regulations. There are city supervisors and urban management officers on the streets, and there are plainclothes guards inside and outside the palace. It's safe."

Loose on the outside and tight on the inside is Li Ming's consistent governing style.

So Li Shimin was just talking, and he didn't believe that this little thing, who had escaped no less than five fatal disasters, would really kill himself.

However, in order to get some money for the national treasury, he actually made his life so difficult...

"Why are you trying so hard to become an emperor?"

Li Shimin looked at the "palace" outside the window and couldn't help but sigh.

The rain got heavier and heavier, and soon it turned into a downpour.

Huge raindrops hit the tiles, making crackling sounds, and flowed down in streams.

The green leaves in the palace gardens contrast with the ancient buildings. The dragon chariot driving through them is a unique scene.

To be fair, Li Ming did not suffer any loss at all, as this palace was very exquisitely designed and built, with a natural and reasonable layout of plants and buildings. It embodies the essence of new rural farm stays and perfectly fits the 21st century social animal's imagination of "bridges over flowing water".

Of course, this small courtyard has become synonymous with "petty" in Lao Li's eyes.

Not to mention compared with the majestic Taiji Palace of the Tang Dynasty, even compared with the Prince of Wei's Palace in Luoyang, or the residence of any other prince, it is far inferior.

In Li Shimin's eyes, this was simply suffering without any effort.

"You make your residence so cramped, you might as well be a leisurely prince." "Why do you work so hard to be a frugal emperor? "

Li Shimin asked in confusion.

This kid wants

Li Ming was stunned for a moment, then smiled sincerely:

"certainly."

"I don't believe you. Don't try this on me." Veteran actor Li Shimin saw through the poor acting skills of the new generation at a glance.

However, he did not continue talking about this topic, and silence returned to the carriage.

As an old father, I have already said everything that needs to be said. It would be impolite to keep on nagging.

Should he let Li Ming take the lead and then personally go down and operate it himself?

Forget it, forget it. Ming Dynasty is not Tang Dynasty. The internal forces are complicated and entangled. As an old player, he is no longer adapted to this version.

In any case, the world had become visibly better under Li Ming's rule. As for Li Ming's personal welfare, his children and grandchildren would take care of it themselves, so he didn't have to worry about it.

As for the Tang Dynasty... No, whether the Li family's country is stable or not is the business of the next generation, and he has no right to interfere.
It's time to let go.

Having a son who is very promising to him, Li Shimin, who can rest assured to lie down and think clearly, finally realized the happiness of his grandfather.

However, while Old Li was happy, his successor, Little Li, began to have his own troubles.

What is my goal? What am I trying to achieve by doing this? Why am I back to this question again? Li Ming leaned his head against the window as he thought. His scalp felt cold.

Is this what it feels like to be bald?

As a modern person from the 21st century, Li Ming discovered that he himself also had the limitations of thinking unique to that era.

That is, efficiency comes first and development is everything.

The general policy is correct, but the problem lies in the specific implementation.

Given the current financial situation of the Ming Dynasty, the burden on the subjects, and the pressure on the emperor himself, is this kind of internal circulation sustainable and meaningful?

"It's a pity that I'm not a science student, so I can't get into science and technology..."

Li Ming muttered to himself, listening to the sound of raindrops popping like popping beans, and staring out the window in a trance.

The heavy rain covered the scene in front of us with a thick layer of mist. The strong southeast wind swept the rain up and down, forming waves in the air similar to the sea surface.

The sudden change in the weather was in stark contrast to the previous continuous drought.

The rain is a bit too heavy.

Is there a typhoon?
…………

The dragon chariot slowly drove past the buildings of the imperial palace, arrived at the bedroom of Empress Dowager Yang, and stopped steadily under the eaves.

Although it is called a "palace", it is actually just a unique small house, which is slightly larger than the Lide Palace in the harem.

However, there are no high palace walls, no strict guards, and no invisible rules here, so it does not make people feel narrow and depressing like the Lide Hall.

There is nothing wrong with saying hello to mom first when you bring dad home from out of town.

But the problem is——

"You want your mother to live in a house like this?"

Li Shimin couldn't help but grimace at the "shabby" little building and courtyard.

Just when I made up my mind not to criticize my son's behavior, he broke it the next second.

There's no way, I really can't help it.

This kid is really going too far. It’s okay for him to suffer a little, but why is he so stingy to his biological mother?
You know, Empress Dowager Yang is still Mr. Li’s wife today and the (last) empress of the Tang Dynasty.

This brat is not being thrifty at all, this is clearly a slap in the face of the emperor!

"This is all my mother's own request. I wanted to build a bigger one..." Li Ming muttered with a pout innocently.

"She was just being polite, did you take it seriously?"

Li Shimin bent his fingers and was about to give this rebellious son a blow on the head.

At this moment, there was a squeak.

The carriage door opened.

Outside the car door, there was a woman, looking at the father and son with surprise.

It’s Empress Dowager Yang.

Behind Empress Dowager Yang were her five elder sisters, including Li Ling.

Behind the group of relatives and friends were the princes, princesses and other members of the Li Tang royal family, led by the deposed emperor Li Chengqian and the deposed crown prince Li Zhi.

Although they were prisoners of war, they were pardoned by the magnanimous Emperor Ming and were still able to welcome His Majesty's triumphant return as relatives of the Ming Emperor.

Everyone had the same surprised expression as Queen Mother Yang, staring blankly at the two suns in the car.

Li Ming, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty who single-handedly destroyed the Tang Dynasty, and his father, Li Shimin, the emperor emeritus who was overthrown by him and the real founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

"Uh...ahem."

Li Shimin coughed awkwardly, pulled his fingers away from the head of the most virtuous and wise emperor, resumed his dignified and solemn demeanor, straightened his back, sat upright and proper, not to upstage the emperor.

Li Ming also regained his solemn and majestic demeanor, looked around majestically, nodded to Empress Dowager Yang, and said solemnly:
"Mother, thank you all for welcoming me."

This scene would have been quite serious if the Ming Emperor, who swept across the world, had not had a big bump on his head.

Li Zhi kept his head down the whole time, not daring to look directly at the scene.

He was afraid that if he laughed out loud, he would give the other party an opportunity to kill him, thus ending his young life prematurely and becoming a funny character in history books who died due to his low sense of humor.

Li Chengqian stood proudly, trying his best to maintain the dignity of a king.

He felt sorry for himself that he was beaten to a pulp by such a tiny creature.

What's even more sad is that in order to fight against this little guy, he had to ask for help from his hated father.

What's even sadder is that his beloved father has now abandoned him and is chatting and laughing with his former mortal enemy, the little one.

This made him feel an inexplicable sense of failure in his quest for favor and being NT R.

Politics, being bad is the original sin. It's all my fault, I'm such a loser, I can't help myself...

“Puff, hehehe!”

In the tense atmosphere, Li Mingda couldn't hold it in any longer. Even though he tried to cover his mouth, he was still amused by the funny scene in front of him and let out some bell-like laughter.

But when she found Li Ming looking at her, she immediately tensed up and turned her head away angrily.

snort!
This girl is still angry, and seems to be quite concerned about the country and the people... Li Ming sighed helplessly in his heart, waved away the maid, and personally helped Li Shimin's father get off the carriage, then stood still and saluted to Empress Dowager Yang:
"Mother, I haven't seen you for a long time. I would like to pay my respects to you."

There aren't so many rules between mother and son in private, but now it's a public occasion.

Family, country and the world. Since the country is like a big family, the emperor must naturally observe filial piety towards his elders.

In this way, people all over the world will treat him as the emperor with the courtesy to the "king and father".

Feudal culture is not all bad. The fine tradition of ruler-ruler relationship, subject-minister relationship, father-father relationship and son relationship is very worthy of my reference!

"Glad you're back without any problems. Congratulations on your triumph."

Empress Dowager Yang smiled and nodded to Li Ming, her eyes naturally falling on the man next to her son.

Suddenly tears burst out, just like the heavy rain at this moment.

(End of this chapter)