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

【turn down.】

[Reason: The host's Salty Fish level is insufficient, and the "early retirement" permission has not yet been activated. Please keep up the good work and strive to retire as soon as possible.]

The system's cold, unfeeling mechanical voice was like a bucket of cold water drawn from a well, extinguishing the glimmer of hope that had just ignited in Li Chengqian's heart.

"I XXXX!"

Li Chengqian gave the air the middle finger. "This is an unfair contract! It's child labor exploitation!"

Unfortunately, the system completely ignored him.

Li Chengqian deflated, slumping back into the rocking chair like a dehydrated salted fish.

"My life is so hard..."

He looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle and felt that life was bleak.

He's already incredibly wealthy and powerful, so why can't he retire?

Do I really have to wait until my beard turns white and all my teeth fall out before I can go to Hawaii... oh no, go to Hainan Island to sunbathe?

Just as Li Chengqian was questioning the meaning of life, a series of hurried footsteps interrupted his philosophical thoughts.

"Your Highness! Your Highness! I've been searching for you for ages!"

Minister of Revenue Dai Zhou, like a rooster injected with chicken blood, rushed over, carrying a stack of memorials taller than himself.

Behind him followed several important court officials, including Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, each with a look of relief on their faces, as if they had finally found him.

Li Chengqian frowned, sensing that things were not so simple.

He instinctively shrank back in the rocking chair, trying to use "physical invisibility" to avoid these "debt collectors".

"Minister Dai, I am not feeling well today and have caught a cold. I will not see any guests."

"Your Highness! Please stop pretending!"

Dai Zhou, tears streaming down his face, rushed to the rocking chair and dumped all the memorials he was carrying onto Li Cheng's chair with a "whoosh."

At the foot of the dry tree.

"The national treasury... the national treasury has money again!"

Dai Zhou cried with great emotion, "The daily profit of Liulichang is more than the monthly tax revenue of our Ministry of Revenue! This old minister has been dreaming about counting money these past few days!"

"so what?"

Li Chengqian didn't even lift his eyelids, and lazily asked, "It's a good thing to have money, so why are you crying?"

"But having too much money also brings worries!"

Dai Zhou pointed to the mountain of memorials piled on the ground, his face filled with bitterness and resentment.

"Look, the Ministry of Works says they want to build a highway connecting Chang'an directly to Luoyang, and it will cost one million strings of cash!"

"The Ministry of War says it wants to expand military equipment and re-equip the Xuanjia Army, which will cost another 800,000 strings of cash!"

"The Ministry of Rites says they want to rebuild the Imperial Ancestral Temple to showcase the majesty of the imperial family, and they're asking for 500,000 strings of cash right off the bat!"

"besides……"

戴-

Zhou counted on his fingers, becoming more and more agitated as he spoke, "Everyone knows you're rich now, and they're all reaching out for money! This old minister can't do his job as accountant anymore! You'll have to decide how to spend this money!"

Li Chengqian was completely bewildered.

Spend money?

He gets a headache just hearing the word "money" now.

"Spending money again? Can't you be more frugal?"

He waved his hand irritably, as if shooing away a swarm of flies. "My money doesn't come from thin air. It's all earned through my sleepless nights drawing blueprints and racking my brains for ideas!"

"You bunch of spendthrifts, you sure know how to spend money fast!"

Fang Xuanling gave a wry smile, stepped forward, and bowed.

"Your Highness, you are mistaken. Building bridges and roads, strengthening the army and enriching the country are all major events that benefit the nation and its people, laying the foundation for the Tang Dynasty's lasting prosperity."

"What foundation are you talking about? The foundation isn't even laid yet, and you're already thinking of building a heavenly palace?"

Li Chengqian plopped up from the rocking chair, pointed at the memorials, and began to criticize them without any restraint.

"Build imperial highways? Sure, but they must be built with cement! Not only to Luoyang, but also to Youzhou and Lingnan! Turn the Tang Dynasty into a giant chessboard!"

"Expand your military? Fine! But what's the use of just replacing your swords? Has the gunpowder workshop been built? Has the artillery battalion been formed? I've given you the blueprints for the navy, but where are the ships?"

"Rebuilding the Imperial Ancestral Temple? Forget about it! With that money, we should build more schools and train more capable people!"

This barrage of questions left several high-ranking officials, including the prime minister, speechless and looking at each other in bewilderment.

They found that they seemed to be unable to keep up with the Crown Prince's train of thought again.

Cement? Gunpowder? Navy?

What are all these things?

"Alright, alright."

Li Chengqian became increasingly annoyed as he spoke, and simply kicked the pile of memorials at his feet aside.

"You can handle these messes yourselves. I'm not in the mood for them right now."

"The money is in the national treasury and also in my Eastern Palace. You can write up your plans and budgets and just ask Dai Zhou for approval."

"Leave me alone!"

"I'm retiring!"

After saying that, he lay back down in the rocking chair, picked up a book and covered his face, striking a pose like someone who would appear on a dating show.

Fang Xuanling and the others looked at each other, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

This guy's had another episode.

Every time he pulls off a big heist, he insists on retiring; it's become a regular occurrence.

"Your Highness, this will not do!"

Du Ruhui grew anxious, "You are the Crown Prince Regent; how dare we make decisions on such important matters if you don't approve them?"

"That's right, Your Highness, please have pity on us old bones..."

A group of top Tang Dynasty officials, with an average age of over fifty, were now begging a child like a group of elementary school students.

This scene is as bizarre as it gets.

Just when the emperor and his ministers were locked in a tug-of-war, and the situation was extremely awkward.

"Bang!"

The gates of the East Palace were once again violently kicked open.

Li Shimin swaggered in, carrying a birdcage and whistling, looking just like a wealthy landlord who had just collected rent.

He's been in a good mood lately. The national treasury is full, he's got confidence, and he's walking with a swagger.

"Oh, everyone's here?"

Li Shimin glanced at the scene, raised an eyebrow, and said, "What, are you forcing my Chengqian to work again?"

He walked over, kicked aside the memorial blocking his way, and sat down casually next to Li Chengqian, picking a grape from the plate and popping it into his mouth.

"I've told you all, this rebellious son is like a donkey, you have to stroke him the right way. The more you push him, the more he'll push you."

Fang Xuanling and the others looked distressed: "Your Majesty, but this..."

"Alright, all of you, step back."

Li Shimin waved his hand, with an expression that said, "I'll handle this." He said, "I'll talk to him personally."

After everyone had left, Li Shimin approached his son, lowered his voice, and looked mysterious.

"Chengqian, I just discovered something interesting in the palace."

"What is that?" Li Chengqian poked half his head out from under the book.

"Look."

Li Shimin, as if presenting a treasure, pulled out three pieces of stiff paper covered with scribbles from his pocket.

"This is called 'Dou Dizhu' (a popular Chinese card game). I just learned it, and we're one player short. Want to join?"

Li Chengqian: "..."

Looking at his father, who was addicted to games like a teenager, he felt that the future of the Tang Dynasty was bleak.

Just then, Li Tai, who had been hiding to the side pretending to be a quail, also came over at some point, holding a bag of potato chips in his hand.

"Father, elder brother, count me in!"

Li Shimin was delighted when he saw this: "Good! Qingque is here too! Let's fight them to the bitter end today!"

He hung the birdcage aside and took out a bunch of gold coins from his pocket, slapping them on the table.

"Lose one game, and you lose ten gold coins!"

"Come on! Who wants to go first?"

Li Chengqian looked at his two "card-playing friends" who had been completely led astray by him and sighed helplessly.

State affairs?

Who cares about national affairs anymore?

Playing cards is the most important thing!

He slowly sat up, picked up the cards, and casually tossed them aside.

"A royal flush!"

"Give me the money now!"

"You unfilial son! You've been peeking at my cards again!"

"All's fair in war, Father!"