If I traveled back to the Tang Dynasty, all I really wanted to be was a carefree prince.

Li Shimin's gaze fell on Li Ke. "Ke'er, what do you think of what Doctor Wei and Chancellor Fang said?"

Li Ke did not answer immediately. He remained silent for a moment, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, before speaking slowly and deliberately.

"I have considered the matter of manpower. There are countless scholars in the world. What do they seek after ten years of hard study? Nothing more than fame and fortune. If the court needs teachers, then let us grant them official titles and salaries."

He paused, clarifying his thoughts.

"First, establish normal schools in various prefectures and counties to train teachers. After graduation, they will be assigned to their hometowns, with the court providing them with official positions and salaries. This will ensure the training is passed down from generation to generation; it takes ten years to grow a tree, but a hundred years to cultivate a person. Second, select learned scholars from the court to take turns teaching in local areas, rotating every three years. This will solve the teacher shortage problem and also allow officials in the capital to understand the hardships of the common people—a win-win situation. Third, the court can stipulate that local teaching experience counts towards performance evaluation. Three years of teaching is equivalent to a posting in the provinces; five years of teaching will lead to priority in official appointment upon returning to the capital; and ten years of teaching will result in direct promotion."

Wei Zheng's eyes flickered slightly.

"What do scholars strive for? Isn't it to become officials? If the court provides them with a path to officialdom, they will naturally be willing to take it. As for schools in remote mountain areas, the court can provide extra subsidies to teachers in these areas. While teaching, their own learning will not be neglected. The court organizes teachers to undergo further training and assessments every year, and those who excel are promoted and given important positions. In this way, teaching is no longer a lowly job, but a stepping stone to advancement. The core issue of manpower is not whether there are people, but whether the court is willing to provide positions and funds."

The hall was quiet for a moment. Wei Zheng did not ask any further questions, but simply nodded slowly and leaned back in his chair.

Li Ke's voice calmed down as he continued.

"Let's talk about finances. What's the most profitable thing under heaven? Salt, iron, tea, and wine. These four things are the daily necessities of the people and the greatest source of wealth. The court needs money to run schools. Where does the money come from? From commercial taxes and from the monopolies on salt, iron, tea, and wine."

He broke down the four items and explained them one by one in detail.

"I'm already making the wine. General Cheng's business of jade liquor and fine wine is already well-documented in Father's accounts. This business alone is incredibly profitable. And this is just the workshop in Chang'an. Once the workshops in Luoyang, Taiyuan, and Yangzhou are all established, the profits from the wine will be enough to support the official schools in various regions. In three years, the profits from the wine will triple; in five years, they will quintuple."

Fang Xuanling stroked his beard, his face showing deep thought.

"The imperial court can increase tea tax revenue. The border nomads have a huge demand for tea, and exchanging tea for horses not only replenishes the national treasury but also strengthens the border defenses. The imperial court collects tea tax and establishes the Tea and Horse Bureau to manage the industry uniformly. The profits from this are no less than those from wine."

"Iron must be nationalized. Iron is the raw material for weapons and agricultural tools. Private casting by the people poses endless hidden dangers. The imperial court will monopolize the mining and smelting of iron ore, and agricultural tools will be cast and distributed by the government. Weapons will be even more so. After the monopoly, the profits from iron will be the profits of the imperial court."

At this point, he took out a small oil paper packet from his sleeve. Fang Xuanling and Wei Zheng's eyes both fell on the packet. Qin Qiong looked at the packet, his gaze shifting slightly—he recognized it; it was something that had been brewed pot after pot in the backyard of his residence.

Li Ke held the package in both hands, walked up to Li Shimin, and opened the oil paper packet. Inside was a pinch of snow-white salt, which shimmered faintly in the candlelight.

"Father, this is salt that I refined in the backyard of the Qin residence. The raw material is mineral salt—the kind that is grayish-brown, bitter, and astringent, and that causes diarrhea in the people. I used several processes to turn it into this."

Li Shimin reached out and picked up a small amount, then tasted it on his tongue. It was salty, a pure saltiness, without a trace of bitterness. He looked up at Li Ke.

"Salt is plentiful in the Tang Dynasty. Salt mines are scattered throughout Hedong, Huainan, and Jiangnan. These salts were originally inedible, not because of insufficient reserves, but because they were poisonous. Your Majesty, I have found a way to remove the poison; it is simple, easy, and extremely low-cost." Li Ke's voice was not loud, but every word was resounding. "Father, if all these inedible salts were transformed into edible refined salt, what salt in the world could compete with the court? Sea salt? High cost, low production. Well salt? Even lower production. Only salt has the largest reserves, the lowest cost, and the highest production. If the court can purify the salt and distribute it nationwide, the profits from salt will be the court's profits. Those smugglers, those powerful families who made their fortunes from sea and well salt, will be no match for the court's refined salt."

A moment of silence fell over the hall. Fang Xuanling put down his teacup, his gaze falling on the packet of pristine white salt. Wei Zheng stroked his beard, remaining silent for a long time. Qin Qiong watched Li Ke's retreating figure, his eyes slightly moist—this child had been squatting in the backyard of the Qin residence, boiling pot after pot of salt water, filtering it layer by layer, countless days and nights of toil. Today, he had presented his work to His Majesty.

"But—" Li Ke's tone shifted, his gaze sharpening, "Father, the prerequisite for refined salt is mined salt. Mined salt is produced in Hedong, Huainan, and Jiangnan, but it is mostly controlled by powerful families and local magnates. If the court doesn't take control of the salt mines first, the formula for refined salt will be worthless. If the salt mines belong to others and they don't sell, the court will have no raw materials; if they raise prices, the court won't be able to reduce its costs. In that case, refined salt won't sell, and smuggled salt will still run rampant."

Li Chengqian, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke, his tone steady: "Third brother, you mean the salt business should be done in two steps. First, acquire the mines, then build the saltworks. If we don't get the mines, building the saltworks will just be doing someone else a favor."

"Brother is right." Li Ke nodded. "Whoever controls the mines controls the price of salt. If the court doesn't control the mines, the formula for refined salt will leak out sooner or later. Then, powerful families will use the court's formulas, their own mines, and sell the salt at a price lower than the court's—that's just doing someone else's bidding. So the first step isn't building workshops, it's acquiring salt mines. We need to investigate the ownership of salt mines in various places, nationalize those that can be nationalized, buy those that can be bought, and find ways to seize those that can't be bought. Only by controlling the salt mines can refined salt be transformed into food and weapons. Only then will the profits from salt be the court's profits, and only then will salt smugglers be easily defeated."

Li Shimin remained silent for a long time. He picked up the packet of salt and twirled it in his hand.

"I will handle the salt mines. The Hundred Cavalry Division will investigate the ownership of salt mines in Hedong, Huainan, and Jiangnan. Those that can be nationalized will be nationalized, and those that can be bought will be bought." His voice was not loud, but his tone carried an undeniable coldness. "Those that cannot be bought, I have my own methods."

Li Shimin stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to the crowd.

The snow started falling again outside the window. Fine snowflakes drifted down from the gray sky, landing on the eaves and the bare branches of the old plum trees in the courtyard. The imperial study was extremely quiet, with only the crackling of the charcoal fire in the stove and the occasional spark.

"As for manpower, I will find a solution. Learned scholars from the court will take turns teaching in the provinces. Anyone who refuses, I will speak with them personally." He didn't turn around, his voice calm, but everyone could hear the coldness beneath that calm. "As for financial resources—"

He turned around and his gaze swept over everyone present.