In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

"Seventh Uncle, I never imagined that such a thing could happen in our Great Tang Dynasty!"

"Has peace lasted too long? Even in the heart of the Central Plains, people have started to embezzle warhorses!" Li Zhi said angrily.

Li Yuanchang reassured him, "Your Highness, such things have happened in every dynasty; they cannot be completely eradicated. Human nature is always like this."

"As the Crown Prince, you only need to enforce the law impartially and conduct thorough investigations and preventions. I believe that the Tang Dynasty will remain the invincible Tang Dynasty."

"Human nature is always like this, such is the nature of humanity!" Li Zhi was enlightened by those words, and his eyes gleamed.

Immediately afterwards, he felt a sense of lingering fear.

"Fortunately, we found out in advance this time. If we hadn't, it would have truly delayed Father's battle on the front lines, and I, the Crown Prince, would have deserved to die!"

Li Yuanchang smiled and did not claim credit for it.

He didn't care about this achievement, nor did he want to get involved in the vortex again.

"By the way, Seventh Uncle, you said you came to report something to me, what is it?"

Li Yuanchang was speechless. He had come specifically for Wang Yue's matter and hadn't prepared anything at all.

"Your Highness, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue have recently been jointly compiling statistics on grain, silk, and some military supplies nationwide. The Ministry of War's side has already finished."

"So fast?" Li Zhi was surprised by the speed at which things were done.

Li Yuanchang nodded with a smile.

"Seventh Uncle truly deserves to be called a pillar of the nation. Even Father Emperor praises him highly. I, your humble servant, still have much to learn from Seventh Uncle," Li Zhi said.

"I wouldn't dare."

"Without the Crown Prince's support, this matter cannot be accomplished."

Li Yuanchang continued, "However, there has been no news from the Ministry of Revenue for a long time."

Li Zhi said, "Seventh Uncle, I have already ordered Minister Li of the Ministry of Revenue to compile the report, but it may not be that quick."

"No, Your Highness, the Ministry of Revenue manages the nation's finances and grain; its affairs are numerous, so it's normal for it to be slow."

"But the Ministry of Revenue did not provide the Ministry of War with some files and account books, and there was no clear amount or location of the granary. So even if laborers are recruited from various places, where will they get the goods?" Li Yuanchang said.

"Haven't you given it to me yet?"

Li Zhi frowned. It had been made very clear a few days ago that the Ministry of Revenue would be in charge of money and grain, the Ministry of War would be in charge of supplies, and later the Ministry of War would be responsible for logistics, transportation and deployment. This should have been given by the Ministry of Revenue long ago.

Li Yuanchang shook his head.

"Could it be that Lord Li has forgotten in his busy schedule?"

Li Zhi frowned and said, "Someone, summon Lord Li here."

"Your Highness, there's no need for such trouble. You can simply issue an imperial decree, and I will take it with me. This is a trivial matter, and it doesn't warrant Your Highness personally summoning someone," Li Yuanchang said.

"Alright, then we'll do as Uncle Qi says."

"..."

Li Yuanchang quickly received Li Zhi's edict and went directly to the Ministry of Revenue's official residence.

He hadn't originally planned to be in such a hurry, but Wang Yue's case served as a reminder that corruption existed in every dynasty.

The Tang Dynasty was no exception; it had to conduct an audit personally to prevent any major problems from arising later.

He is now in charge of logistics and transportation, and if anything goes wrong, he will be the one to take the blame, which is exactly what Changsun Wuji wants to see.

As soon as Li Yuanchang arrived at the Ministry of Revenue, he immediately attracted countless eyes.

"This humble official pays his respects to Your Highness, the Prince of Han!"

"We pay our respects to His Highness the Prince of Han!"

Along the way, everyone bowed to him, and they were all high-ranking officials from Chang'an.

The allure of power was on full display at this moment. Li Yuanchang merely raised his hand slightly and strode into the inner palace with the air of a dragon and the gait of a tiger.

They ran right into Li Wei, the current Minister of Revenue, who had heard the news.

"Your Highness, the Prince of Han!"

He led his men to offer a hand salute from afar.

"Lord Li," Li Yuanchang said, bowing in return.

"I wonder what brings His Highness the Prince of Han here so suddenly?" Li Wei asked.

"I have come to retrieve some account books from the granaries in various regions, so that I may be able to mobilize the laborers," Li Yuanchang said.

Upon hearing this, everyone in the Ministry of Revenue hesitated slightly.

"Your Highness, the Ministry of Revenue is currently reviewing and coordinating this matter. Could you please grant us some more time?"

Li Yuanchang said, "It's alright. Just give me the things, and I can audit and coordinate them. Anyway, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue are in charge together, so the Ministry of War will cooperate."

Upon hearing this, the officials from the Ministry of Revenue visibly changed their expressions.

Li Yuanchang was a man of keen observation; the more the other party acted this way, the more suspicious he became.

"Is it not okay?" he asked again.

Li Wei smiled apologetically: "No, it's not that it can't be done, it's just that it's a bit against the rules."

"The six ministries each perform their respective duties and cooperate with each other, but they must not interfere with one another."

"Unless there is an imperial decree from above, I'm afraid I cannot allow Your Highness to take these things away."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanchang's lips curled into a smile.

"I see."

Li Wei smiled, thinking that Li Yuanchang had backed down, but the next second, his eyes went straight to Li Wei.

Li Yuanchang pulled out a bright yellow edict.

All the officials, big and small, in the Ministry of Revenue were startled, and then bowed their heads.

"Lord Li, the Crown Prince's edict!" Li Yuanchang handed it over with one hand.

Li Wei felt embarrassed, thinking to himself, "Why didn't you take this out sooner if you had it!"

He took it with both hands, opened it, and after reading it, a troubled look appeared on his face.

But the imperial edict had already been issued; to stop it now would be to disobey the imperial decree.

"Someone, go and fetch everything His Highness needs from the warehouse."

"My lord..." someone tried to speak, but was met with a fierce glare from Li Wei.

"yes!"

Officials from the Ministry of Revenue went to collect the money.

"By the way, Lord Li, there are also some granary accounts in the Gyeonggi Province, including those in Chang'an," Li Yuanchang reminded him.

Li Wei frowned: "Your Highness, isn't this unnecessary?"

"Logistics transportation involves the mobilization of strategic materials, not a nationwide census."

Li Yuanchang said, "Strategic materials cannot be drawn from one place. They must be rationally allocated from the national treasury to the local level to avoid an imbalance."

"And for a reasonable allocation, at least the total number needs to be known, right?"

"This matter was already explained to the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace beforehand."

The argument was so logical and well-founded that Li Wei couldn't refute it and could only frown and say, "Well... alright."

"However, Your Highness, many of the files and accounts are confidential, or even unique copies. Why don't you audit them together with me at the Ministry of Revenue?"

Li Yuanchang said, "No need, I will take it away myself."

"The things won't be lost. If they are, I will take responsibility."

Li Wei and his companion exchanged a serious glance. The matter had been discussed to this point; further arguing would be pointless.

After an incense stick had burned a while, Li Yuanchang packed up and took away seven large boxes, each one heavy with accounts, including money, silk, salt, and so on...

Li Wei personally escorted them to the main gate and then watched them leave.

Everyone looked worried.

"Lord Li, what should we do?"

Li Wei frowned: "Fighting on the front lines, who would have thought it would trigger a thorough investigation of accounts at the rear?"

"This has never happened before."

"Then I'm afraid a lot of people will be found out," a vice minister whispered.

Li Wei said, "I've tried my best to stall for time so they can clean up the mess, but the Prince of Han wants to investigate immediately, and the Crown Prince supports it. What can I do?"

"If they find out anything, that's their own business."

"If this drags on any longer, the Prince of Han might even investigate the Ministry of Revenue. Let's go back."

"yes!"

"Ugh."

"..."