My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

Everyone, including Li Shimin, turned their gazes in that direction.

Wei Zheng suddenly stepped forward, holding a tablet in his hand, his white beard trembling slightly with excitement.

But he stood ramrod straight, his gaze sharp as lightning, fixed on Li Shimin on the throne.

"His Majesty!"

Wei Zheng's voice was extremely loud, echoing throughout the hall.

"His Highness the Crown Prince is the heir apparent, his position has long been established! He is currently only slightly unwell and recuperating away from home; he has not been deposed!"

"How can Your Majesty abandon the dignified Crown Prince and instead appoint a vassal king to oversee the country?"

"This is a path to chaos! Your Majesty, what is the purpose of this action?! Are you perhaps trying to emulate the Sui Dynasty and undermine the foundation of the nation?!"

"This is merely a stopgap measure."

Li Shimin knew that Wei Zheng would come, so he had already thought of a countermeasure.

"The Crown Prince's leg injury has not yet healed; he needs to rest and recuperate. How can he oversee the country? I have appointed the Prince of Wei to temporarily assume the role. How can this be considered undermining the foundation of the state?"

"A stopgap measure?"

Wei Zheng did not back down at all; instead, he stepped forward and spoke even more vehemently.

"Your Majesty! The great principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate heirs and maintains an order of seniority! With the Crown Prince present, the position of heir apparent is secure."

"With the Crown Prince absent, His Majesty should personally manage all affairs of state, or delegate power to the Prime Minister! How can we allow vassal kings to wield central authority?"

"If this precedent is set, the consequences will be dire!"

He pointed outside the hall, as if he could see Li Taizhi's smug figure.

"The Prince of Wei is intelligent, and His Majesty has always favored him; this is known throughout the land!"

"To appoint him as regent now would be to hand him a handle and bolster his power! How would the court and the public view this? Would they think His Majesty's intentions have changed? Would it encourage unscrupulous individuals to side with the Prince of Wei and frame the Crown Prince?"

"This is not an exaggeration on my part, but a lesson learned from the bloody history of power transitions! Does Your Majesty intend to repeat those mistakes?!"

Wei Zheng did not stop, and his tone became increasingly sharp.

"Furthermore, Your Majesty, you've appointed the Prince of Wei as regent, so what are you to do yourself?"

Li Shimin stroked his beard and chuckled.

"I'm going to a very mysterious place... just think of it as the celestial realm."

"The Immortal Realm?"

Wei Zheng practically spat out those two words through gritted teeth.

He abruptly flicked his sleeve, his voice filled with barely suppressed sarcasm and heartache.

"Your Majesty! How can you be so frivolous! First, you appointed a vassal king to oversee the country, shaking the very foundations of the nation! Now you say you want to go to the celestial realm? Have you perhaps listened to some sorcerer's wicked words and are going to seek that elusive elixir of immortality?!"

"Your Majesty! You are a wise and sagacious ruler; how can you emulate the mistakes of Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han in their later years!"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is truly..."

The ministers were also puzzled.

Li Shimin chuckled and summoned his attendants.

"Go and retrieve what I left in the Lizheng Hall. Be careful!"

The attendants withdrew.

Wei Zheng was so angry that his beard trembled, and his voice was filled with grief, indignation, and determination.

"Your Majesty! No matter what rare treasures or auspicious objects you bring out, it won't change the facts!"

"You bear the weight of the entire nation on your shoulders; how can you so easily leave the court for such a trivial matter?"

"If Your Majesty insists on this course of action, then I... I will kill myself by crashing into this palace pillar today, to offer my remonstrance with my death!"

"It's better than watching His Majesty make a mistake!"

As Wei Zheng spoke, he actually made a move as if he were about to crash into the golden dragon pillar next to him.

Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling were shocked and rushed forward to hold him back tightly.

"Xuancheng! No!"

"Doctor Wei! You mustn't!"

The hall was thrown into chaos.

Li Shimin chuckled.

Just then, the eunuchs walked over carrying the bag.

Li Shimin opened the bag.

Everyone looked over, only to find that it was just some seeds and plant roots.

"this one?"

Wei Zheng almost laughed in anger, and looked at Li Shimin, blowing his beard as he spoke.

"Is this what His Majesty retrieved from the Celestial Realm?"

Li Shimin chuckled as he looked at his disdainful expression.

"These are all grain crops, and their yields are slightly higher than those of our Tang Dynasty."

"How much higher can it be? It makes His Majesty think about going to the celestial realm all day long, and even wants the Prince of Wei to oversee the country, neglecting state affairs!"

"Your Majesty! Wake up! This is the work of a tyrant!"

Wei Zheng's skill level did not diminish at all; on the contrary, it became even more ruthless.

Li Shimin glanced at him and slowly uttered a few words.

"Not much, only a dozen or so shi (a unit of dry measure)."

"Only a dozen or so shi...how much???"

Wei Zheng was speaking when his tongue seemed to suddenly get tied, and his voice abruptly stopped.

The anger on his face froze instantly, as if an invisible hand had gripped his throat. His eyes widened to their limit, almost bulging out.

"How many?!!!"

"A dozen or so shi?"

Wei Zheng rushed forward abruptly, disregarding all etiquette between ruler and subject, and pointed at the corn with a look of astonishment.

"Your Majesty! How much did you just say?"

The court officials were also astonished upon hearing this.

Only Fang Xuanling had a guess, but he still couldn't help but gasp inwardly.

More than ten shi (a unit of dry measure)!

That's several times the grain output of the Great Tang Dynasty!!!

Are future food supplies going to be this amazing?

Seeing the shocked expressions of the court officials, especially Wei Zheng's uncultured and ignorant demeanor, Li Shimin felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration!

Oh shit!

I get yelled at by this old man every day!

Now we can finally hold our heads high!

Li Shimin was very pleased, but his expression remained calm, as if it were just a trivial matter.

"My words are law, how could I be wrong?"

Li Shimin picked up a few kernels of corn and rubbed them between his fingertips.

"This crop is called corn, a gift from heaven and man. Its yield per mu is indeed around fifteen shi."

He paused, then pointed to the other bags covered with silk cloth next to him, and continued to drop even heavier bombs.

"This is sweet potato. It is drought-resistant and can grow in poor soil. It is not picky about the land. The yield per mu is about thirty to forty shi."

"And those potatoes, they're cold-resistant, and the yield per acre... starts at forty shi, fifty shi isn't impossible."

Wei Zheng: ? ? ? !!!

The ministers: ???

The military officers: ?!

Each number announced was like a heavy hammer blow, striking Wei Zheng and all the ministers in the heart!

Cheng Yaojin gasped.

"My goodness!!! This thing is truly a divine artifact!!!"

Wei Zheng was completely dumbfounded.

He stared blankly at the strange and unremarkable seeds that he found oddly shaped, and then at Li Shimin, whose calm expression was surprisingly insightful.

How many bushels per mu?

This...this...this...

Is this really everything in the human world?

No one doubted Li Shimin's words, because Li Shimin would never joke about such a thing.

Looking at Wei Zheng's expression, Li Shimin finally couldn't help but laugh.

"Xuancheng, do you still believe that I am indulging in pleasure and neglecting state affairs?"

Wei Zheng: ...

Without saying a word, he bowed deeply to Li Shimin, his face full of sincerity and apology.

"Your Majesty is wise! You have foresight and care for the people!"

"I am but a humble subject, ignorant and shallow in knowledge, dull and foolish, yet I dare to presume to fathom the will of Heaven, to speculate on the ambitions of Mount Tai with the limited understanding of an ant!"

"Still calling me a foolish and tyrannical ruler?"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is deeply ashamed! How could a foolish subject like yourself speak of you in such a way!"

Wei Zheng looked very serious.

"If this thing is truly so, then Your Majesty will surely be an emperor whose achievements surpass the Three Sovereigns and whose virtue exceeds the Five Emperors, a truly unparalleled emperor throughout history!!!"

Wei Zheng's current demeanor clearly conveyed the message: "I am His Majesty's most loyal man!"

Anyone who dares to oppose His Majesty is my mortal enemy, Wei Zheng!

The ministers and generals exchanged glances, and then bowed with their hands clasped in greeting.

"Your Majesty is truly a great emperor for all time!"

Upon seeing this, Li Shimin's smile was brighter and more radiant than ever before.

Ha ha ha ha! ! !

You old scoundrel Wei, you've finally met your match!

Hahahahahaha!

Cool!

That was fucking awesome!

It felt even better than when I first ascended the throne!!!

Li Shimin looked at Wei Zheng.

"Do you still oppose my going to the Immortal Realm?"

Wei Zheng looked very serious.

"Your Majesty, I implore you to go as soon as possible! And return as soon as possible!"

"The fortune of the nation and the blessing of its people depend entirely on Your Majesty's journey! We, your subjects, will serve Your Majesty with utmost loyalty and diligence, safeguarding the foundation of the state, and await Your Majesty's triumphant return with the treasures of the celestial realm!"

"good!"

Li Shimin laughed heartily.

"With your words, I have no worries!"

Then, Li Shimin thought for a moment and gave further instructions.

"Remember not to actually let that brat Qingque handle state affairs. I'm just letting him hold that position as a symbol, don't really treat him like the emperor."

"The matter still needs to be handled by you. If you encounter any problems that you cannot handle, then wait for my return."

Li Shimin smiled slightly.

"I will definitely return within a few days."

"Congratulations to Your Majesty!"