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

"Father! What does this say? Does His Highness the Crown Prince not want to give Chang Le those top-quality gems as a dowry?"

When Changsun Chong saw his father's expression, which looked as if he had seen a ghost, his heart skipped a beat.

He wasn't after the treasures, but he felt that if the dowry was meager, it would not only be unfair to Chang Le, but also make it seem like the Changsun family was not favored by the royal family at this critical juncture.

Changsun Wuji remained silent.

His hands, which were usually steady as a mountain when he held a pen, were now trembling violently in an extremely exaggerated manner.

He stared intently at the gold-embossed gift list.

On that precious, gold-flecked red paper, there was no long list of gold and silver jewelry, nor an extremely luxurious inventory of silks and satins.

The entire gift list contained only one line of large characters written in an extremely domineering and arrogant manner.

[The Grand Tang Royal Railway of Luoyang and all freight transport concessions along its route – 50 years]

Below this line of text is the extremely conspicuous golden seal of the Crown Prince, representing the supreme imperial power of the Tang Dynasty and the financial power of the Eastern Palace.

"Railway...operating rights?"

Changsun Chong leaned over for a look, his face full of confusion.

He was still immersed in the extremely traditional concept of a dowry of "thousands of acres of fertile land and tens of thousands of servants," and could not comprehend the terrifying weight of these words.

"Father, what is this? Isn't it just a railway track used to haul stones?"

"Pulling stones?"

Changsun Wuji suddenly turned his head and looked at his "unlearned and incompetent" son as if he were an idiot.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm the extremely violent excitement and shock in his chest.

"You idiot!"

"Is that a stone? That's the lifeblood of the Tang Dynasty! It's the thickest money tree in the world!"

Changsun Wuji's face turned extremely rosy due to the intense blood congestion.

He grabbed Changsun Chong by the collar, spitting almost all over Changsun Chong's face.

"Once this railway, which runs directly from Chang'an to Luoyang, is completed..."

"The grain from Northeast China, the silk from Jiangnan, the goods of countless merchants, and even the army's supplies will all be extremely dependent on this steel dragon!"

"Obtaining its freight franchise is like opening a tollbooth in the heart of the Tang Dynasty!"

Changsun Wuji became more and more excited as he spoke, and his voice echoed throughout the hall.

"This is hardly a dowry!"

"This is clearly His Highness the Crown Prince blatantly stuffing half of the Tang Dynasty's wealth into the pockets of our Changsun family!"

Hearing this extremely insightful analysis...

Even if Changsun Chong was slow-witted, he finally understood the terrifying wealth behind those five words, a wealth enough to buy half a country.

His legs suddenly gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.

That once exceptionally handsome face had turned deathly pale, and his lips were trembling uncontrollably.

"This...this is too precious...I cannot accept it..."

Changsun Wuji looked at his son, who was hopeless and couldn't be helped, and sighed with extreme disappointment.

But his shrewd eyes, as sharp as an old fox, gleamed with an extremely profound light.

precious?

Of course, it's extremely valuable!

But there is never a truly free lunch in this world, especially something offered by that eight-year-old prince whose mind is deeper than the ocean trench.

"Do you really think His Highness is being extremely generous in giving you money?"

Changsun Wuji sneered, carefully folded the gift list, and tucked it into his bosom.

"He is using this extremely thick golden chain to bind our Changsun family and the remaining power of the Guanlong aristocracy."

"They are completely and utterly bound to the Crown Prince's chariot!"

"From now on, as long as this railway is still running, as long as the world continues to use the Tang Tongbao coin."

Changsun Wuji closed his eyes with deep emotion.

"Our Changsun family can only serve as an extremely humble and devoted watchdog for His Highness the Crown Prince."

Three days later.

The auspicious day for Princess Chang Le of the Tang Dynasty to get married.

The entire city of Chang'an was plunged into an unprecedented and extremely frenzied carnival.

The streets of Suzaku were packed with people, and even the rooftops and tree branches on both sides were dangerously crowded with onlookers.

"They're here! The wedding procession is here!"

Someone shouted out in extreme excitement.

Everyone craned their necks with great anticipation, eager to see just how many magnificent white horses or how luxurious the eight-bearer sedan chair the Changsun family had prepared to welcome this extremely favored princess of the Tang Dynasty.

however.

When the wedding procession finally came into view at the edge of the horizon.

The air in the entire city of Chang'an seemed to have been completely sucked out in an instant.

There are no fine horses.

There was no bridal sedan chair.

There was no traditional honor guard.

It was accompanied by an extremely violent, ear-piercing whistle that seemed to tear the sky apart.

"Ugh—!!!"

A massive, even more imposing heavy-duty steam locomotive than the "Datang No. 1".

She was draped in extremely bright red silk and extremely precious large red peonies in an extravagant manner.

It was traveling with extreme smoothness and domineering speed on the tracks within Chang'an City that had just been laid in a very hasty manner.

The massive steel wheel hubs rubbed violently against the extremely hard rails, producing a truly awe-inspiring "clattering" sound.

And on the observation deck outside the extremely tall locomotive driver's cab, spewing extremely thick white steam.

The groom, Changsun Chong, stood there stiffly.

He was dressed in an extremely luxurious bright red auspicious robe, with an enormous red silk flower adorning his chest.

The strong wind tousled his hair, and his extremely pale face was now filled with extremely complex emotions.

There is an extremely strong sense of pride.

There is an extremely deep fear.

But more than anything, it was an extremely intense excitement of being completely overwhelmed by the incredibly powerful industrial forces.

He gripped the scorching hot iron railing tightly, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

He never expected this.

His Highness the Crown Prince was truly insane; he used this steel behemoth as his wedding carriage!

"Give me some money!"

Just then.

I sat in the extremely luxurious, spacious, specially made carriage at the back, which was decorated entirely with extremely precious Western wool carpets and the finest silks.

Li Chengqian's extremely lazy and domineering voice rang out.

"Splash—"

next second.

The Imperial Guards and the Eastern Palace Guards, who were responsible for guarding the area on both sides, opened the extremely heavy sacks in an extremely orderly manner.

Countless brand-new, dazzlingly bright Tang Dynasty silver coins resembled a violent silver downpour.

They lavishly and recklessly showered the people on both sides of the street with water!

"Good heavens! They're silver coins! Real silver coins!"

"Long live His Highness the Crown Prince! Long live the Eldest Princess!"

The entire city of Chang'an instantly erupted into a frenzy.

Changsun Chong stood on the front of the carriage, listening to the deafening cheers and watching the extremely expensive silver coins flying everywhere.

He could no longer withstand the extremely terrifying visual and psychological impact.

He rolled his eyes in utter despair.

My legs went weak.

It fell straight down towards the extremely hot boiler.