Deposed? I couldn't be happier! I wouldn't even be a dog to the crown prince.

The nationwide celebration banquet ended with the sound of the Crown Prince snoring from his throne.

For the people and officials of the Tang Dynasty, the Northern Expedition was an epic moment that brought them great pride.

But for Li Chengqian, it was just an extra shift he had to work.

Now that the overtime is over, it's time to get paid.

The East Palace is a side hall of the Cheng'en Hall.

This place, originally an elegant space for storing calligraphy and paintings, is now filled with a blood-pumping, money-grubbing stench.

"Splash—"

Li Tai laboriously dumped a box of gold coins onto the ground, then pounced on it like a fat seal, rolling around in the pile of coins.

"Brother! So much money! It's all gold that smells of blood!"

The chubby boy held a handful of gold coins engraved with Turkic characters, his face trembling with excitement.

"Were all these transported back from the grasslands?"

"Look at your pathetic self."

Li Chengqian lay on a rocking chair covered with a white tiger skin, holding a glass of chilled grape wine in his hand, looking disgusted.

"This little bit of money has you blown away? Keep watching."

He pointed to the rows of large wooden crates behind him that were almost touching the roof beams.

"Those twenty boxes on the left are gold and jewelry that were found in Jieli's lair."

"Those fifty boxes on the right are 'protection fees' sent by the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions in exchange for peace."

"And then there are the ones that follow..."

Li Chengqian yawned.

"That's the first quarter's mining dividends from the Beiting Protectorate, as well as the profits from the wool workshops."

Wu Meiniang knelt beside the desk, holding a specially made charcoal pencil in her hand, and quickly calculated on the long report.

The little girl's brows were furrowed, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

"Your Highness..."

After a long while, Wu Meiniang raised her head, her voice trembling slightly.

"Have you figured it out yet?" Li Chengqian took a sip of wine.

"I...I've figured it out."

Wu Meiniang swallowed hard, looking at the astronomical figure. "After deducting the 40% given to Father Emperor, the remaining 60% will be deposited into the accounts. Our Eastern Palace's current working capital has exceeded... 20 million guan."

"puff--"

Li Tai, who was rolling around in the air, almost choked to death on the gold coins.

"How much...how much?!"

"Twenty million strings of cash?!"

Li Tai crawled out of the pile of gold coins, counting on his short, stubby fingers, "Then I'm not going to be a prince anymore, I'm going to be a spendthrift! I'm going to eat roasted whole lamb every day, eating one and throwing the rest away!"

"shallow."

Li Chengqian shook his head, stood up, walked to the pile of boxes, picked up a piece of fine mutton-fat jade pendant, and tossed it in his hand.

"Money, if left in a warehouse, is just a pile of dead things, no different from stones."

"You have to spend it and turn it into a money-generating treasure trove, that's real skill."

"Meiniang".

"Meiniang is here."

"Pass on my order to allocate an additional five million strings of cash to the Royal Academy of Sciences."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, displaying his heroic spirit.

"Tell that old man Mo Ju not to be stingy. The cement road I need must reach Luoyang before winter!"

"And that glass factory, expand it! Increase its production capacity, so that all the wealthy households in Chang'an can bask in the sun indoors during winter!"

"Allocate another three million strings of cash to the Royal Academy and open a branch school in Jiangnan, so that the poor students there can also know what it means for knowledge to change one's destiny."

Wu Zetian's pen trembled as she listened, her heart aching as she took notes.

"Your Highness, this...this is spending money way too fast!"

"That's called investment."

Li Chengqian walked back to the rocking chair, lay down again, and comfortably closed his eyes.

"Fighting is too tiring, too dirty, and you're likely to get splattered with blood."

"We're civilized people; if we're going to have fun, we should have high-class fun."

"Using technology, goods, and culture to conquer those barbarians and empty their pockets—isn't that much more interesting than beheading them?"

"That's what you call—"

Li Chengqian grinned, revealing two small tiger teeth.

"It's not that I don't want to work hard, it's just that being an inventor is so much fun."

Just then.

There was a gentle knock on the palace door.

"Enter."

Xu Xiao pushed open the door and entered, carrying a mahogany tray covered with a red cloth.

The old man had a mysterious smile on his face.

"Your Highness, the textile workshop just sent over samples of what you requested."

"Oh?"

Li Chengqian's eyes lit up, and his previous languor vanished instantly.

He sprang up from the rocking chair, walked a few steps to Xu Xiao, and ripped off the red cloth.

Inside, there was a beige garment folded up.

The design is simple: round neck, long sleeves, and no fancy embroidery.

But its fluffy, soft texture makes you feel warm just by looking at it.

"This is... produced by the new textile machine?"

Li Chengqian reached out and gently stroked the garment.

It feels soft and smooth, like touching a cloud, without any prickly texture of coarse wool, and you can't smell any muttony odor.

After degreasing, combing, spinning, weaving...

The coarse wool that was originally only used to make yurts on the grassland has been completely transformed with the help of "black technology".

"A wool sweater..."

Li Chengqian picked up the garment and held it up against himself.

"Your Highness, this thing is truly miraculous."

Xu Xiao couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "This old servant just tried it on, and it's so light, yet warmer than two layers of fur coats! Plus, it's breathable and doesn't make you sweat!"

"If you wore this as an inner layer in winter, and then put a robe on top, it would be like hugging a fireplace!"

"That's natural."

Li Chengqian's lips curled up, and a cunning glint flashed in his eyes.

It was late autumn, and the weather in Chang'an was already starting to cool down.

In another month, the harsh winter will arrive, a season that can freeze people to death.

In previous years, ordinary people could only endure the hardships by stuffing themselves with hemp clothes filled with cattail fluff. Although wealthy families had fur coats, those things were bulky and inconvenient.

And now...

The appearance of this wool sweater is absolutely a game-changer!

"Qingque, stop playing with gold coins."

Li Chengqian tossed the wool sweater to Li Tai.

"Try them on."

Li Tai struggled to put the clothes on his round body; they were a little tight, like a Michelin tire.

But the next second, the chubby boy's eyes widened.

"Wow! It's hot! It's really hot!"

Li Tai touched his belly in delight, "Big brother, this clothing is so comfortable! It doesn't prick my skin! It's even more comfortable than the silk-padded jacket Mother made for me!"

"As long as it's comfortable, that's all that matters."

Looking at his younger brother's comical appearance, Li Chengqian's eyes darted around, and countless wicked ideas instantly popped into his mind.

"Such good stuff, wouldn't it be selfish for us to use it all ourselves?"

"Sharing happiness is worse than enjoying it alone."

He walked to the window, looked at the bustling West Market of Chang'an in the distance, and at the foreign merchants wearing heavy fur robes and leading camels. His smile gradually became "kind".

"Old Xu."

"This old servant is here."

"Keep the textile workshops running at full capacity, day and night!"

"Also, let's go to the West Market for some fresh air."

Li Chengqian extended a finger and gently tapped on the window.

"I'm telling you... the Eastern Palace has produced a magical artifact for getting through the winter."

"Those who don't want to freeze to death, or those who want to take it back and make a lot of money..."

"Make sure they have their wallets ready."

"It's time for a new round of 'harvesting'."