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

The next morning, the atmosphere inside the Taiji Hall was even more bitter than the stale tea from the previous night.

The officials and civil servants all hung their heads, looking like wilted eggplants.

Li Shimin sat upright on the dragon throne, the dark circles under his eyes clearly visible. He hadn't slept a wink last night, his mind a constant battle between the words "no money" and "no food."

His gaze wandered, glancing several times at the empty regent's throne to his side and below, his heart pounding like a cat's claws.

Last night I asked that unfilial son if there was any way to help him, and he just replied, "Go to sleep, you can have anything in your dreams," and then he actually kicked me out to sleep.

Is there really a solution, or are they just trying to fool me?

"His Majesty!"

Minister of Revenue Dai Zhou stepped forward once again, holding the account book that was even cleaner than his face, his voice so tragic it sounded as if he were about to die for his country.

"The drought in Guanzhong is already showing signs of worsening, and refugees are beginning to gather in Chang'an. If there is no money or food for disaster relief, there is a risk of popular uprising!"

"I spent all night calculating, and if we are to barely sustain disaster relief efforts, the only way... the only way is to reduce palace expenditures!"

Dai Zhou gritted his teeth and decided to go all out.

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that the construction of Renshou Palace be suspended, the expenditure on cosmetics for the imperial harem be reduced, and... and all expenses of the Eastern Palace be stopped, especially the beef supplied by the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry!"

Upon hearing this, a collective gasp filled the hall.

Stop riding the beef on the snow dragon?

Minister Dai, you're really brave! Aren't you afraid that old devil Xu Xiao will come to your house in the middle of the night to sharpen his knife?

Li Shimin's face twitched, and he coughed awkwardly twice.

"Um... Minister Dai, the expenses of the Eastern Palace are the Crown Prince's private funds, not recorded in the Ministry of Revenue's accounts..."

"That won't do either!"

Dai Zhou was determined to be an upright minister today. He straightened his neck and said, "All land under heaven belongs to the emperor! Now that the country is in peril, the crown prince, as the heir apparent, should sacrifice his family's wealth to relieve the crisis! How can he indulge in luxury while neglecting the well-being of the people?"

"Well said!"

A lazy cheer, tinged with a hint of morning grumpiness, suddenly came from the palace entrance.

Everyone turned around and saw Li Chengqian yawning, slowly walking in surrounded by a group of Imperial Guards.

Behind him followed a dozen burly men, who were carrying five or six heavy mahogany boxes with a heavy thud.

"I admire Minister Dai's awareness."

Li Chengqian walked up to Dai Zhou, patted the stubborn old man on the shoulder, and said, "But don't just focus on my little bit of beef. If the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry isn't well-fed, who will help you fight the Turks? Are you going?"

Dai Zhou was choked, his face turning red and his neck bulging: "This humble official...this humble official is a civil official!"

"Pshaw, do you think civil officials can just talk the talk without walking the walk?"

Li Chengqian rolled his eyes, turned around and gestured towards the large boxes.

"Alright, stop complaining about being poor. It's giving me a headache."

"Xu Xiao, open the boxes and let Minister Dai check them."

Xu Xiao grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, stepped forward, grabbed the lid of the box with one hand, and suddenly lifted it off.

"Clang—!"

Six loud bangs in succession.

All six large boxes were open.

next second.

It was as if six suns were rising inside the Taiji Hall.

The golden, dazzling light instantly stung everyone's eyes, illuminating the entire hall.

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

Even the sound of breathing disappeared.

That's gold!

A mountain of gold, piled high!

There are also jewels, agates, jade... which reflect a dazzling, mesmerizing brilliance under the sunlight.

Dai Zhou's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and the account book in his hand fell to the ground with a thud. He walked over shakily, picked up a gold ingot, and took a big bite out of it.

"Ouch!"

My tooth almost broke.

But the pain filled him with ecstasy, and he laughed maniacally, like Fan Jin who had just passed the imperial examination.

"It's real! It's pure gold! All pure gold!"

"With this money, there's enough for disaster relief! Enough!"

Li Shimin sat on the dragon throne, completely stunned. Although he knew his son had some savings, he never expected the boy to be able to pull out so much so easily!

How much would that cost?

Hundreds of thousands of strings of cash? Or millions?

"Chengqian... this... this is what you saved up again?" Li Shimin felt his throat was a little dry.

"How is that possible?"

Li Chengqian glanced at the gold and silver with disdain, as if they were a pile of garbage taking up space.

"Your subject has no time to collect these scraps of metal."

"These were seized yesterday by Shen Lian and his gang. They raided several strongholds of Turkic spies in Chang'an, as well as the homes of several corrupt officials who colluded with the Turks."

He waved his hand dismissively, his tone dripping with a Versailles-esque schadenfreude.

"I originally wanted to leave it in the warehouse to gather dust, but it takes up too much space and it's uncomfortable to walk on."

"Since Minister Dai is so short of money, then let him spend it. Consider it my way of relieving Father Emperor's burden."

"Also, stop staring at my beef all the time. I earned it through my own hard work."

After Li Chengqian finished speaking, he deliberately kicked one of the boxes, making a crisp metallic clanging sound.

"Take them all away, they're making my eyes dizzy."

At this moment, Dai Zhou no longer cared about the Crown Prince's attitude. He threw himself onto the pile of gold, hugged it tightly, and wouldn't let go, tears streaming down his face.

"His Highness is so righteous! His Highness is so benevolent!"

"On behalf of the people of Guanzhong, I kowtow to Your Highness!"

The officials and civil servants all wore complex expressions.

They realized that this young master was a true reincarnation of the God of Wealth!

The ability to fill the national treasury deficit simply by confiscating the property of a few households—this method and this audacity are even more imperial than those of an emperor.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Li Shimin was so excited that he exclaimed "Good!" three times, his face beaming with joy. "With such a gifted son, what more could I ask for!"

With the money problem solved, Li Shimin felt a surge of confidence.

"Dai Zhou! Immediately allocate funds to purchase grain from major grain merchants! Regardless of price, buy the grain first to stabilize morale!"

however.

Dai Zhou, who had just been immersed in joy, immediately looked dejected upon hearing these words.

He loosened the gold ingot from his chest and looked at Li Shimin with a bitter expression.

"Your Majesty... having money is useless."

"Hmm?" Li Shimin frowned. "What do you mean?"

"There's no food left on the market."

Dai Zhou's voice was hoarse. "Those people from the Five Clans and Seven Families have locked all the grain in their own granaries. They've announced that this year's harvest is bad, and for the sake of their families' livelihood, they won't sell a single grain of rice."

"Even if we offer ten times the price, they still won't sell!"

"They're... trying to starve Chang'an to death and force His Majesty to submit!"

boom--!

The atmosphere that had just become lively instantly plummeted back into an icy abyss.

Having money but no food is a dead end.

People will die if they eat gold; only food can save their lives.

The powerful families have identified the weakness of the Tang Dynasty and are willing to use the lives of all the people in the city to make a final stand against the imperial power.

Li Shimin's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and his eyes revealed a murderous intent.

"These traitors! I really want to kill them all!"

But killing people is easy; food can't be conjured up.

Kill them, but the grain is still hidden in their cellars; it won't be found anytime soon. By the time it's found, the people will have already starved to death everywhere.

"well……"

Li Shimin sighed deeply and leaned back weakly on the dragon throne.

In the end, did we still lose?

Just at this moment of despair, that lazy voice rang out again, carrying a cynical mockery.

"Not for sale?"

Li Chengqian leaned against the door frame, toying with a jade pendant in his hand, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Then don't sell it."

"Let them stay and get moldy, let them be used to feed the rats."

Li Shimin suddenly looked up at his son, Chengqian: "Chengqian, what...what do you mean? Do you have grain?"

"food?"

Li Chengqian shook his head. "I have no food."

The light in Li Shimin's eyes dimmed once again.

"but……"

Li Chengqian changed the subject and mysteriously waved towards the door.

"I have something that tastes better, fills you up more, and yields more than grain."

"Xu Xiao! Stop standing there like an idiot."

"Go, carry those sacks of 'clods of dirt' we just dug up from the backyard up here!"

"Let Father and all the officials see for themselves!"