The Great Tang Dynasty's Trans-Dimensional Conference: Little Rhinoceros Arrives

"Your Majesty, you've had too much to drink. How about we stop here for today? I'll join you for drinks next time."

Although he was already clearly starting to feel dizzy and lightheaded, Li Shimin still clung to Lin Fan's arm and refused to let go.

"Brother...you're joking. This is just...not even close! I...I haven't finished this cup yet!"

Li Shimin raised his wine cup shakily as he spoke, but the next second he felt his stomach churning.

If it weren't for Lin Fan's presence, Li Shimin would probably have started spraying water the next second.

Empress Zhangsun noticed that Li Shimin's expression was not right, so she quickly instructed Wushe to take Li Shimin to rest.

With the combined efforts of several eunuchs, they were able to help the swaying Li Shimin to his feet.

This was not because Li Shimin had a poor alcohol tolerance, but because he completely underestimated the power of modern baijiu.

Empress Zhangsun looked at Lin Fan apologetically and said, "His Majesty drank too much today and was somewhat rude. Please forgive him, young master."

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I didn't expect His Majesty to be so enthusiastic. It's really overwhelming."

Well, Lin Fan blurted out his thoughts in a moment of carelessness, and only realized after speaking that he had spoken his mind. He could only awkwardly cover his mouth.

Fortunately, Empress Zhangsun didn't care at all when she heard this.

She hadn't seen Li Shimin so out of control in a long time, so she decided to let him relax today.

"Young master, I wonder if today's banquet suited your taste? Shall I ask the Imperial Kitchen to prepare some other dishes for you?"

"No, no, this dish tastes very good. To be honest, it's not easy to find such fresh meat these days."

Li Shimin had drunk too much and went to rest, leaving Empress Zhangsun to chat idly with Lin Fan.

"By the way, I'll have to trouble you more with the matter of traveling as a merchant that Young Master Chang Le mentioned in the future."

Lin Fan smiled and waved his hand, "Your Majesty is too kind. These are all trivial matters, nothing to worry about."

Empress Zhangsun returned to her seat and took a small sip of her beverage.

"This may be a small matter for the young man, but it is a great blessing for our Great Tang Dynasty."

At this point, Empress Zhangsun looked out of the hall, her gaze seemingly piercing through the layers of palaces, and then said in a deep voice.

"Actually, it's not that our royal family is greedy for money. In previous years, the Tang Dynasty needed to consolidate its borders, so we sent troops almost every year."

"This also led to the complete depletion of the national treasury. Whenever there was a natural disaster, the imperial court had to come up with many ways to help the people."

"Now, thanks to the young master's help, we have a way to increase the national treasury's revenue and even weaken the powerful clans."

"These powerful families have existed for thousands of years, and often they don't even respect the royal family. Your Majesty is under immense pressure!"

Lin Fan nodded and echoed, "Your Majesty is indeed right. As the saying goes, emperors come and go, but powerful families remain."

Empress Zhangsun nodded slightly, looked at Lin Fan, and said, "So this is also what troubles His Majesty the most right now."

"If we try to shake the foundations of aristocratic families, the slightest misstep could lead to chaos in the world again, ultimately causing suffering for the people of our Great Tang."

"Moreover, young sir, you may not know this, but most of the wealth in our Great Tang Dynasty is now concentrated in the hands of powerful families, while ordinary people find it difficult to even have a full meal."

Hearing this, Lin Fan couldn't help but sigh, "Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the road, frozen corpses lie. This has been true throughout history."

Empress Zhangsun looked up in surprise upon hearing this: "Young master is right, you've hit the nail on the head."

It's a pity Li Shimin isn't here. If he had heard this, he probably would have had a few more drinks with Lin Fan.

Thinking that the people of the Tang Dynasty were still starving, Lin Fan seemed to suddenly have an idea.

"Your Majesty, while making money off aristocratic families can solve some of the problems, it can never completely eradicate them. Perhaps I have a better way to solve this problem."

"Oh, I wonder what method the young master is referring to?" Empress Zhangsun hadn't expected such an unexpected surprise today.

Lin Fan lowered his head and pondered for a moment before continuing, "As the saying goes, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

"If the Tang Dynasty had grain yields of over a thousand catties per mu, wouldn't that have solved the problem of feeding the people?"

The main problem facing the Tang Dynasty today, besides the excessive control by powerful families, is that the common people still don't have enough food to eat.

But what is the one thing we have in abundance in modern times? Isn't it food?

Besides rice, corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes—any one of these modern crops would be considered an auspicious omen in the Tang Dynasty!

As soon as Lin Fan uttered these words, Empress Zhangsun couldn't help but gasp.

"A yield of a thousand catties of grain per mu? Young master, you must be joking!"

Although Empress Zhangsun lived in the palace, she still had some understanding of the current grain production of the Tang Dynasty.

For example, the yield of millet in the north is no more than one shi per mu, while the yield of rice in the south is no more than two shi per mu.

If Lin Fan's words are true, then the grain production has increased by several dozen times compared to before!

Seeing Empress Zhangsun's disbelieving expression, Lin Fan felt somewhat helpless, but still nodded firmly.

"Of course I wouldn't joke about these things. In later generations, a yield of a thousand catties per mu would be a common occurrence."

"And I originally wanted to bring some with me this time, but there's just no room in the car."

"If Your Majesty doesn't believe me, I'll bring you some next time."

Upon hearing Lin Fan's casual remark, Empress Zhangsun's breathing instantly became rapid.

"Young master, if this matter can truly be accomplished, I will now express my gratitude to you on behalf of His Majesty and the people of our Great Tang."

As she spoke, Empress Zhangsun stood up and was about to bow to Lin Fan, but Lin Fan quickly stepped aside to avoid her.

"Your Majesty, there's no need to be so polite. These are nothing. Chang Le, go and help Your Majesty up."

"Ah, oh...."

Chang Le wasn't a clueless child. She had overheard Lin Fan and her mother's conversation, and her shock was no less than that of Empress Zhangsun.

She only came to her senses when she heard Lin Fan's greeting, but the Empress Zhangsun had already gotten up when she approached her.

Looking at Chang Le in front of her, Empress Zhangsun smiled and waved her hand.

"Young master, this gesture of respect from me cannot repay the kindness you have shown to my Great Tang Dynasty. Now think about it, and if you have any requests, feel free to make them!"

Lin Fan shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this: "Your Majesty, there is no need for this. Although I do not know whether the Tang Dynasty here is in the same time and space as later generations, or whether it is a parallel time and space."

"But ultimately, there was once a Tang Dynasty in later history." At this point, Lin Fan couldn't help but smile and continued.

"Perhaps our Lin family's ancestor is currently starving somewhere in the Tang Dynasty."

Empress Zhangsun had no idea what Lin Fan meant by "the same time and space" and "parallel time and space".

However, Lin Fan's kindness to the Tang Dynasty was truly evident and could not be simply expressed with a word of thanks.

"Young man, although I didn't understand what you just said, I really can't rest easy if I do nothing."

"Why don't you think about it again? If it really doesn't work out, then you can continue your sworn brotherhood with His Majesty?"

Since Lin Fan didn't make any demands, Empress Zhangsun had no other choice but to bring up the matter of sworn brotherhood again.

Upon hearing this, Lin Fan almost choked on his own saliva, then thought for a moment and said...

"Your Majesty, please don't joke around. If you insist on saying it, my request is actually very simple: please don't thank me so often in the future."

"In the end, from the day I met Xiao Sizi, it was actually a mutual achievement. Xiao Sizi has given me so much."

After saying that, Lin Fan lowered his head and affectionately patted Xiao Sizi's head.

Hehe~

Although she didn't know what Lin Fan meant, Xiao Sizi immediately responded with a bright smile.

Seeing how close Xiao Si Zi and Lin Fan were, Empress Zhangsun felt very gratified.

"Actually, it wouldn't be bad if Your Majesty could have a sworn brother like that," Empress Zhangsun thought to herself.

Looking at the little girl, Lin Fan suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Empress Zhangsun.

"Your Majesty, I just remembered something, and I think it's necessary to tell you about it."

"What is it, a sworn brotherhood?" Empress Zhangsun blurted out as soon as she came to her senses.

"Uh, no, why am I always thinking about becoming sworn brothers? People who don't know better would think I'm in the Three Kingdoms period," Lin Fan shook his head.

"What I want to say is actually very simple: could Xiao Sizi visit me more often in the future? Of course, Your Majesty can rest assured that there will be absolutely no safety issues."

Lin Fan's meaning was clear: as long as Xiao Sizi could frequently visit the future, everything would be fine.

Empress Zhangsun understood now. She looked at Xiao Sizi beside Lin Fan, opened her mouth, but didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Although there was nothing wrong with what Lin Fan said, it was practically a direct statement that he wanted custody of Xiao Sizi!

"Brother Lin Fan, can I go there often too?"

"Me too! Me too!"

Before Empress Zhangsun could answer, Chengyang and Changle spoke first.

Lin Fan smiled and nodded: "Of course, as long as His Majesty and Empress don't mind, you can come with Si Zi."

"Yay!" Chengyang clenched his little fists and cheered silently for Xiao Sizi.

Empress Zhangsun watched this scene unfold. Could she refuse? After all, Lin Fan didn't have any bad intentions; he just wanted the three princesses to spend more time in the future.

Thinking of this, she could only nod: "Since the young master has said so, there is naturally no problem."

He then went on to say:

"Young master, would you like to eat something else?"

Lin Fan shook his head: "No, I'm already full."

"Alright, this is your first time in the Tang Dynasty. Why don't you let Chang Le show you around the palace first? I wonder what the situation is like on His Majesty's side. I'd like to go and take a look first."

Unexpectedly, such a joyous occasion has occurred today. Empress Zhangsun now only wants to have a good talk with Li Shimin.

"Yes, Your Majesty, please proceed."

"Lin Fan, did you really get Qibao?"

Xiao Sizi had been standing nearby the whole time and knew how much Lin Fan had eaten, so she couldn't help but feel a little suspicious.

"Of course, your brother isn't like you. You're like a little glutton." Lin Fan smiled and pinched Xiao Sizi's cheek.

"Hmph, that's not true! I just like rice with meat, not that I'm a glutton!"

Lin Fan ignored Xiao Sizi's stern protest.

After Empress Zhangsun walked away, Chang Le skipped and hopped over to Lin Fan.

"Brother Lin Fan, since you're not going to eat anymore, let us take you outside to have a look around."

"OK."

Now that we've come to the Tang Dynasty, we must go and see the sights, since not everyone has this opportunity.

"Lin Fan, let's go out in the car, okay?"

Since we bought the tank, Xiao Sizi hasn't played with it much. Today, Lin Fan happened to be there too, so driving around the palace was a great pleasure.

"OK."

"Oh no, but what if my car isn't here?"

Chang Le and Cheng Yang were a little troubled, as they both usually took great care of their electric bikes.

After returning, he only took it out of his palace occasionally; otherwise, he rarely took it out.

Lin Fan thought for a moment and said, "It's okay. I'll remotely control the car to take the ox, and you guys can just lead the way to where you're staying."

"Okay!" Chang Le and Cheng Yang agreed without hesitation.

Next, Chang Le and Cheng Yang led the way, while Lin Fan remotely controlled a tank carrying Si Zi and followed behind them.

Lin Fan hadn't looked closely when he first arrived, but after walking around the palace, he realized just how big it was.

The outer yard alone is big enough to house a small sports field.

Little Sizi was alright, as he had a car to take him, but Lin Fan and Chang Le suffered the most, having to walk the whole way on their hams.

Along the way, they encountered many palace maids and eunuchs. Whenever these people saw Chang Le and her companions from afar, they would immediately stop and turn away.

After walking for a long time, Lin Fan discovered an interesting thing: it seemed that these palace maids were all quite good-looking; they could easily become internet celebrities in later generations.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Fan was almost dizzy when he finally arrived at the palace where he lived in Chengyang.

Soon, with the help of the maids from Chengyang, her little airplane electric car was also moved out.

Thanks to the practice he's had over this period, Chengyang can now drive the car skillfully on his own without Chang Le's help.

"Changle, why don't you and Chengyang ride in the car together?"

"Although the toy car is a children's toy, there is still enough space," Lin Fan suggested.

"Yes, sister, please sit with me." Chengyang nodded happily.

Upon hearing this, Chang Le looked at Lin Fan and asked, "Brother Lin Fan, what about you? You're going to be walking for a long time."

"Brother Lin Fan, you can sit in my car now." Little Si Zi waved to Lin Fan from the side.

Lin Fan couldn't help but slap his forehead. He had been so focused on the scenery on the way here that he had completely forgotten about this.

Fortunately, the tank in the little Sizi is quite spacious. Lin Fan had ridden in it before, and the two of them didn't feel cramped inside.

The group then continued their journey, heading towards the palace of Chang Le.