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

"distribute?"

Li Shimin was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly bristling with anger.

He clutched the thick ledger tightly to his chest, took two steps back warily, and leaned against the mountain of gold and silver, striking a pose as if "the tower stands as long as I stand."

"What allocation? This is the national treasury's money! It's my money!"

Li Shimin, with his neck stiff and spittle flying, tried to use his imperial authority to suppress his son's "unreasonable behavior".

"Chengqian, you must understand the bigger picture! Everything needs rebuilding now, and money is needed everywhere: water conservancy projects, military pay, disaster relief... My household finances are strained!"

"It was taken from the people and should be used for the people! This money went into the Ministry of Revenue for the benefit of all people! How can you, as the Crown Prince, have such a low level of awareness?"

He spoke these grand principles with such righteous indignation, as if Li Shimin truly clung to money for the sake of all people.

Beside him, Dai Zhou nodded frantically, staring expectantly at Li Chengqian, wishing he could kneel down and kowtow to the Crown Prince, begging him to show mercy.

"Oh."

Li Chengqian sat on the sack, sneered, showing no respect whatsoever.

"Father, don't give me that nonsense."

He held up a finger and pointed to the lingering stench of blood outside the hall.

"Who was it that went to ransack the house with a knife last night? It was my Imperial Guard."

"Who dragged those aristocratic lords out of bed? It was Shen Lian."

"Who risked public condemnation to bring back all that money, truckload by truckload? It was one of my men."

Li Chengqian stood up, patted his buttocks, and his tone gradually became dangerous.

"So, I did all the dirty and hard work, I bore all the blame, and when it comes time to split the profits, you think you can just dismiss me with a 'for the sake of the people' excuse?"

"You're trying to get something for nothing!"

"Without my Imperial Guards, you wouldn't have gotten a single hair on your head. You'd probably be worrying yourself sick in the Ganlu Hall!"

Li Shimin blushed and was speechless.

That makes sense, but making him spit out the fat that's already in his mouth would be worse than killing him.

"Then...how many do you want?"

Li Shimin asked tentatively, secretly considering giving a few tens of thousands of strings of cash to get rid of him.

"Fifty-five."

Li Chengqian made an outrageous demand: "We'll split it in half when we meet; that's the rule of the martial arts world."

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Li Shimin jumped up, his voice shrill like a rooster being choked, "Fifty-five percent? Do you want to empty the national treasury? At most... at most I'll give you ten percent! This is already my bottom line!"

"One-tenth? Are you trying to fob me off like a beggar?"

Li Chengqian rolled his eyes, turned around and was about to leave. "Fine, one-tenth, right? Then I'll have Qinglong withdraw the Embroidered Uniform Guard. You can collect the remaining amount yourself. Oh, by the way, I heard the Zheng family has a gold mine in Luoyang. It's unguarded. I'll have someone spread the word so that the heroes of the martial world can go and make their fortune."

"Come back! Come back to me!"

Li Shimin panicked and grabbed his son's sleeve.

That unfilial son is so wicked!

"Forty-six! I get six, you get four! No more than that!"

"No, it has to be 50/50."

"Fourth! This is my final concession! If you still don't agree, I... I'll go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and weep for the Retired Emperor!"

Li Shimin was so desperate that he even resorted to tactics like crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide.

Li Chengqian chuckled inwardly as he watched his father's pained expression.

It's almost done.

Actually, he wasn't short of cash; what couldn't he buy in the system's shop? But he had to fight for it; otherwise, the old man would dare to freeload again next time.

Moreover, his real target was not these heavy metal objects.

"Alright."

Li Chengqian sighed, revealing an expression that said, "I've suffered a great loss."

"I'll back down another step because you're my biological father."

"We'll split the cash and jewelry 30/70. You get 70%, I get 30%."

Li Shimin's eyes lit up, and he was about to agree when Li Chengqian changed the subject.

"but!"

Li Chengqian emphasized his words, pointing to the inconspicuous yet mountainous pile of papers—land deeds, house deeds, and shop contracts.

"Besides the cash, all these properties, including fields, shops, residences, and workshops, belong to the Crown Prince!"

"Furthermore, I will be responsible for the expenses of the Crown Prince's Palace from now on, and they will not be accounted for by the Ministry of Revenue."

"Sale or not? Just one word!"

Li Shimin was stunned.

He quickly started calculating in his mind.

The cash was a real sum of several million strings of cash; it felt heavy in my hand and gave me a sense of security.

As for those landed shops... although they are valuable, they are slow to liquidate! Moreover, they are very troublesome to manage, and it takes several years to recoup the investment by collecting rent.

How can you exchange a pile of troublesome paper for 70% cash?

This is a great deal!

"make a deal!"

Fearing his son might change his mind, Li Shimin waved his hand dismissively, declaring with boundless pride, "All those scraps of paper are yours! I only want the money!"

"Dai Zhou! Quickly! Move all the cash to the Imperial Treasury for me! The remaining thirty percent is for the Crown Prince to load into his cart!"

Dai Zhou, listening from the side, felt his heart break.

He watched helplessly as chests of gold and silver were divided, some flowing into the emperor's private treasury, and some being loaded onto the crown prince's carriage by the Imperial Guards.

"My money...that's all from the national treasury..."

Dai Zhou clutched his chest, wincing in pain.

In his eyes, whether the money went into the emperor's pocket or the crown prince's pocket, as long as it didn't go into the Ministry of Revenue's treasury, it was a loss! It was like cutting into his flesh!

Seeing Dai Zhou's miserly appearance, Li Chengqian walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"Minister Dai, don't be so distressed."

"Think long-term."

Li Chengqian waved the thick stack of land deeds in his hand, his smile carrying a profound meaning.

"These shops and workshops, once in my hands, will generate far more money than these inanimate objects. After paying the taxes, won't you still make a profit?"

Dai Zhou sobbed twice, thought about it, and realized that it made sense, which made him feel a little better.

The spoils have been divided.

The square in front of the Taiji Hall was mostly empty.

Li Shimin left contentedly with the account books, his steps as light as a 200-pound child.

Li Chengqian then directed the Imperial Guards to load the land deeds and the remaining 30% of gold and silver onto carts.

With these lands and shops, his "business empire" plan finally had the most solid foundation.

Royal Bookstore and Royal Salt Shop—that was just the beginning.

From now on, all of Datang's logistics, catering, entertainment, and even military industries will be labeled "Produced by the Eastern Palace"!

"Your Highness."

Just as Li Chengqian was envisioning a wonderful future life with salted fish.

A dark figure appeared silently beside the carriage.

Qinglong was dressed in a flying fish robe, still stained with blood from the previous night, and his expression was solemn.

"What's wrong? Is there anything left that hasn't been copied properly?"

Li Chengqian was in a good mood and asked casually.

Qinglong shook his head, lowered his voice, and his tone was filled with a murderous intent.

"It's not about the money."

"It's a person."

"We just found nothing when we were clearing out the Lu family's estates outside the city."

Li Chengqian frowned slightly, and the smile on his lips slowly faded.

"They ran away?"

"Yes."

Qinglong knelt on one knee and apologized, saying, "I have failed in my duty. Several big fish took advantage of the chaos in the city last night to slip out of the city with their families and valuables through a secret passage."

"According to the latest news from 'The Net'..."

Azure Dragon raised its head, its eyes flashing with a cold light.

"The head of the second branch of the Lu family, along with several elders of the Zheng family, have fled to their hometown in Shandong overnight."

"They spread the word that the Crown Prince was tyrannical and slaughtered the gentry, and called on his clansmen in Shandong and Hebei to rise up in rebellion... to purge the court of corrupt officials!"

"Purge the court of corrupt officials?"

Li Chengqian chuckled, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

"These old bastards are really like cockroaches, they're incredibly tough."

He turned around and looked eastward.

That's the direction of Shandong, and also the true home of the Five Surnames and Seven Clans.

Although their main branch in Chang'an was wiped out, their roots in their hometown remained, where they had built fortresses for hundreds of years and had countless tenants and private soldiers who depended on them.

If they were to actually raise their banners, the newly pacified Tang Dynasty would likely descend into chaos again.

"Since they don't want to leave with dignity..."

Li Chengqian gently patted the carriage shaft, his voice calm, yet carrying a chilling undertone.

"Then let's lend them a hand."

"Old Xu!"

"This old servant is here." Xu Xiao's hunched figure appeared.

"Don't sleep."

Li Chengqian stretched, his gaze becoming sharp as a knife.

"Inform Bai Qi to stop planting potatoes in Youzhou and to take his men and move towards Shandong."

"Also tell Yue Fei that the Beiwei Army shouldn't be idle either; they should go for a stroll in Hebei."

"Since we're going to rebel, then that's perfect."

"Pull them out completely, once and for all!"