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

The autumn wind outside Chang'an City blew away the last gloom of the aristocratic families and brought unprecedented hope.

A decree bearing both the Crown Prince's Regent's Seal and the Emperor's Jade Seal spread rapidly throughout every corner of the Guanzhong Plain with overwhelming force.

Notices were posted at the entrance of every village and in every town.

The content was simple and direct, yet it stirred the blood of every person, whether literate or illiterate.

"All citizens of the Great Tang Dynasty, regardless of gender or age, shall be allocated land according to the number of people!"

"All land and property originally owned by powerful clans will be nationalized and redistributed!"

"The allocated land will be exempt from tax for three years!"

……

Lantian County, Bailuyuan.

The fields are golden after the autumn harvest, yet there is a sense of desolation.

In previous years, this time of year was the busiest for landlords to collect rent, but also the most desperate time for tenants. After a year of hard work, eighty percent of the harvest had to be handed over to the landlords, leaving them with only a little chaff and vegetables to barely make ends meet.

But today, the atmosphere is a little different.

All the villagers, young and old, gathered under the old locust tree at the village entrance, forming a dense crowd that made it impossible to move.

The village chief, his hands trembling, held a notice he had just received from the county government office, and read each word on it in a hoarse voice.

"...The Zhang family, consisting of three people, is allocated five mu of superior land and ten mu of medium-grade land..."

"The Li family has seven members, and they are allocated ten mu of farmland..."

Among the crowd, a dark-skinned, thin man named Zhang San was completely stunned when he heard his name called.

He stared blankly at the village chief, then at his wife and child beside him, who were equally stunned, and asked uncertainly, "Village...village chief, were you just saying my name?"

"That's right! It's you!"

The village chief, his face flushed with excitement, slammed the land deed, stamped with the red seal, into Zhang San's hand. "Fifteen mu of land! It's all yours now! It's your own land! You won't have to pay rent to those bastards from the Cui family anymore!"

Zhang San held that thin piece of paper, feeling it was heavier than a thousand-pound stone.

He looked at it over and over again, recognizing every single word, but when put together, he simply couldn't believe it.

land?

My own land?

His ancestors had served the Cui family like slaves for generations, and he dreamed of having a piece of land of his own, even if it was just a small plot of land, so that he could die in peace.

But now, the imperial court has suddenly allocated him fifteen acres!

"My dear wife... pinch me... am I dreaming?" Zhang San's voice was trembling.

"Snapped!"

His wife slapped him hard across the face, leaving five bright red finger marks instantly.

"Does it hurt?"

"It hurts! It really hurts!"

Zhang San was not angry but happy. He covered his face and tears streamed down his face.

It's not a dream.

This is real!

"Thump!"

This man from Guanzhong, who had never shed a tear while smashing stones on construction sites, knelt down heavily in the direction of Chang'an without hesitation.

"Thank God!"

He cried as he kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the muddy ground with a loud thud.

"Splash! Splash!"

His kneeling was like a signal.

The people around who had just received their land deeds all knelt down in unison, their eyes red with tears.

They didn't know any grand principles, nor did they know what "land reform" meant.

All they knew was that it was His Highness the Crown Prince.

It was that eight-year-old prince who killed those ruthless patriarchs and returned the land that had been taken from them for generations.

This kindness is greater than the sky and as thick as the earth!

"Long live Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Someone shouted out.

"His Highness the Crown Prince is a living bodhisattva descended to earth!"

"We have land to cultivate now! Our children have food to eat!"

Cries and cheers merged into a torrent that lingered over the Guanzhong Plain.

……

A few days later.

A peculiar sight appeared within the city of Chang'an.

Countless people spontaneously flocked to the East Market, not to buy anything, but to buy timber.

The best nanmu wood, the best sandalwood.

They want to erect a longevity tablet for His Highness the Crown Prince.

The royal craftsmen were insufficient, so carpenters from the common people voluntarily worked overtime and did not charge a penny.

They say that working for a living Buddha is accumulating merit, a blessing that one could not attain even in eight lifetimes.

Thus, one after another, exquisitely carved memorial tablets, inscribed with "The Longevity Tablet of Prince Li Chengqian of the Great Tang Dynasty" in gold powder, were solemnly brought into thousands of households.

The memorial tablet was placed higher and more directly than the ancestral tablets of one's own family.

He burns three incense sticks every day and kneels in worship morning and evening, treating his parents even better than his own father.

For a time, Li Chengqian's popularity among the people reached an unprecedented peak.

The common people no longer talked about His Majesty the Emperor's great achievements during their leisure time, but rather about the various legends of His Highness the Crown Prince.

"Have you heard? His Highness the Crown Prince was roasting sweet potatoes at the Eastern Palace yesterday, and he attracted auspicious clouds from the sky!"

"That's not all! My second uncle's neighbor's cousin is a servant in the palace, and he said he personally witnessed His Highness the Crown Prince turn a stone into a large gold ingot!"

The rumors became increasingly fantastical, and Li Chengqian was almost deified as an omnipotent god descended to earth.

An extremely subtle phenomenon has even emerged—

They only knew of the crown prince, but not of the emperor.

……

Ganlu Temple.

Li Shimin changed into civilian clothes and held a report on public opinion presented by the Hundred Cavalry Commandery. He was both amused and exasperated by what he read.

"These unruly people! I exempted them from taxes and allocated them land, and they've blamed it all on that rebellious son!"

Li Shimin complained, but there was no anger on his face. Instead, he showed a hint of pride that he himself did not realize.

"And this, what do you mean by 'turning stone into gold'? That's clearly money I confiscated from your home!"

"And this 'auspicious cloud'—isn't that the smoke from when he roasted sweet potatoes and set his house on fire?!"

Li Shimin threw the report on the table, feeling both annoyed and amused.

Just then.

Changsun Wuji walked in, his face showing a hint of solemnity.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report."

"explain."

"Recently... the public's worship of the crown prince seems to have gone a bit too far."

Changsun Wuji carefully chose his words, "If this continues, I fear it might... give rise to the suspicion of us being too powerful and overshadowing the emperor."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin's smile slowly faded.

He remained silent for a moment, then stood up, walked to the window, and looked towards the direction of the Eastern Palace in the distance.

a long time.

He sighed, his voice filled with a complex mix of emotions.

"Auxiliary machine, you're overthinking it."

"His merits overshadowed those of his lord? That's a term used to describe a subject."

"Chengqian is my son, the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty."

"His achievements are my achievements. His prestige is the prestige of the Tang Dynasty."

"Besides..."

Li Shimin chuckled self-deprecatingly, picked up a potato from the table, and weighed it in his hand.

"If it weren't for this rebellious son, I might still be arguing with those powerful families and worrying about next year's grain tax."

"It is he who has made my reign as emperor much easier."

At this point, a sly glint flashed in Li Shimin's eyes.

"Since he's so capable, perhaps I... could I learn from him and occasionally... be a 'lazybones' too?"

He made his decision.

Tomorrow I'll go on a clandestine visit to see what the Tang Dynasty has become without its aristocratic families.

By the way... he also wanted to hear firsthand how the people praised his good son.

"Your Majesty, what did you just say?" Changsun Wuji didn't hear clearly.

"It's nothing."

Li Shimin tucked the potato into his robes and waved his hand. "I was just thinking, this rebellious son... seems to be doing a better job than me."

"How about... I retire early?"