My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

The southern suburbs of Chang'an.

What was once a desolate wilderness has now become the most coveted treasure trove in the entire Tang Dynasty.

Dust filled the air, obscuring the sky and the sun.

The rough shouts shook the heavens and soared into the sky.

One hundred thousand shirtless, strong laborers, like tireless worker ants, densely covered the massive silver mountain.

Countless iron picks struck the rock strata simultaneously, the crisp metallic clanging creating a never-ending, exhilarating symphony.

There were no cold whips here, nor the merciless shouts of overseers.

Because the Emperor of Tang Dynasty had declared that the silver unearthed would be paid to the laborers in cash according to the amount they had collected.

There were plenty of white steamed buns at every meal, enough to eat to one's heart's content, and large chunks of fatty braised pork stewed in a big wooden barrel.

For these impoverished people, this is not corvée labor.

This is digging up one's own ancestral graves... Pshaw, this is digging up the mountains of gold and silver bestowed by one's ancestors!

Meanwhile, the biggest contractor of this silver mountain, Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty, was squatting undignifiedly on the edge of a huge pit.

He hasn't had a good night's sleep at Taiji Palace for half a month.

He wore a bright yellow dragon robe symbolizing the supreme ruler, the hem of which was already covered with mud and white lime powder. The twelve-tassel flat crown on his head had been thrown into some corner, and his full head of black hair was just casually tied up with a rough wooden hairpin.

"Hurry up! Give me some more effort!"

Li Shimin roared loudly.

He was holding a piece of natural silver ore, about the size of a washbasin, that had just been extracted from the center of the vein.

He couldn't even wait to wash it with water; he directly used his dirty sleeve to vigorously wipe the surface dirt, revealing the pure, dazzling silver-white inside.

"This quality, this purity, 99%! A rare find!! No need to melt it down, you can just chop it up and use it as silver ingots!"

Li Shimin's eyes were bloodshot, with the whites of his eyes filled with dense blood vessels.

But the fervor and excitement emanating from those eyes were even more dazzling than the blazing sun overhead.

Changsun Wuji, dressed in a wrinkled scarlet official robe, stood behind the emperor.

He held a thick ledger in his hands, his wrists trembling so much that he could barely hold the brush.

"Your Majesty..." Changsun Wuji swallowed hard, his voice trembling.

"Speak louder! Tell me! How many kilograms did you get today?" Li Shimin didn't turn his head, his eyes fixed on the glittering ore at the bottom of the pit.

"Your Majesty, yesterday, working day and night for twelve hours, we produced a total of 6.7 million catties of high-grade silver ore... After removing impurities, the equivalent in cash is approximately... approximately..."

Changsun Wuji stammered for a long time, unable to bring himself to say the astronomical figure out directly. He felt his heart was pounding so hard it was about to jump out of his throat.

"Report the numbers to me! The Tang Dynasty is rich now, what do we have to fear from anyone overhearing us!" Li Shimin suddenly stood up and waved his hand with boundless pride.

"Converted to approximately three million taels of silver!" Changsun Wuji abruptly closed his eyes, almost shouting it out at the top of his lungs.

Three million taels in one day!

This number struck Li Shimin like a thunderbolt.

In the past, this was equivalent to two whole years' worth of taxes in the Tang Dynasty's national treasury. Even if the Tang Dynasty worked hard for two years, it might not be able to scrape together that much cash.

And this is just one day's output!

What's worse is that this enormous mountain of silver, which was moved back from overseas, has only had a tiny, insignificant opening dug in.

According to the estimates of the experienced craftsmen in the Ministry of Works, the amount of silver hidden underneath is astonishing.

Even if the Tang Dynasty spent its entire fortune freely and extravagantly, it would take three hundred years to dig it all out.

"Hahahahaha!"

Li Shimin raised his head and burst into a wild, earth-shattering laugh.

Laughter echoed through the mine pits in the southern suburbs, carrying the exhilarating feeling of finally being able to vent one's frustrations after a lifetime of pent-up resentment.

The past was too bitter and too stifling.

Whenever the Yellow River breached its banks, he would be so worried that he couldn't sleep all night, and he would try to raise money for disaster relief.

Whenever the Turks invaded the border, he would meticulously scrimp and save on military expenses. To save money, even the concubines in the harem were led by Empress Zhangsun to restrict their spending, and they couldn't even bear to make a new high-quality silk garment as tribute.

The mighty Heavenly Khan lived like a shrewd, penny-pinching nouveau riche.

But it's different now.

The Tang Dynasty has become incredibly wealthy! Overnight, they've become rolling in money! Their wealth rivals that of a nation!

"Dig! Keep digging for me!"

Li Shimin excitedly rubbed his hands together, like an old child who had obtained a priceless treasure.

For the past two weeks, his happiest moment each day has been standing on the official road in the southern suburbs at dusk.

He would stare intently at the hundreds of heavy four-horse-drawn carts loaded with silver bricks, forming an endless steel dragon.

Under the tight escort of fully armed Imperial Guards, the carriages made a dull creaking sound as they drove into Chang'an City.

As for the national treasury?

The national treasury is already overflowing.

The Minister of Revenue was so anxious that his mouth was covered in blisters and his voice was hoarse.

Overnight, more than a dozen abandoned side halls near Taiji Palace were requisitioned, and even Li Shimin's former residence when he was the Prince of Qin was forcibly converted into a temporary treasury.

The silver coins were piled up like mountains, gleaming in the sunlight.

Every night, Li Shimin would go to those temporary silver vaults and touch this silver brick and tap that silver bar.

Listening to the crisp, melodious sound of pure silver clashing, he felt it was the most beautiful celestial music in the world.

Every night he would personally check the accounts, counting money until his fingers were blistered, and laughing so hard that the muscles on both sides of his cheeks would cramp.

So cool.

This sense of security, of having money in his pocket and the world at his fingertips, even made him temporarily forget the earth-shattering, troubling matter that was stuck in his throat.

What do you mean by the Great Zhou usurping the throne? What do you mean by the wicked Wu clan woman? What do you mean by the unfilial son being cuckolded?

Screw the prophecy!

As long as the Tang Dynasty has inexhaustible silver, it can forge a million invincible iron cavalrymen equipped with hundred-times-forged steel swords and heavy armor.

With such terrifying national power that can sweep across the world and crush all corners of the earth, which foolish warlord would dare to rebel? Which wicked woman would dare to usurp the throne?

I don't even need to lift a finger; I could just smash her into a pulp with a silver brick!

Just as Li Shimin was lost in his wonderful daydreams.

From the deepest part of the mine, a deafening scream suddenly rang out, the sound filled with undisguised madness.

"A treasure has been found! A treasure has been found!"

An old miner, covered in mud and having spent half his life mining, tumbled and crawled up from the bottom of the pit.

He held something the size of a human head, covered in mud, high in both hands.

Hundreds of Imperial Guards instantly drew their swords, their blades gleaming coldly, and surrounded the old miner, fearing for his life.

Li Shimin pushed aside the guards and strode forward.

When he saw what the old miner was holding, his breath hitched and his heart clenched.

That's not silver.

Instead, it was a piece of reddish-gold ore that shone brilliantly in the sunlight, so pure that it had no other colors whatsoever!

"Golden Mountain Gallbladder!"

The Minister of Works, who was following behind, ran over, and after just one glance, he was so moved that he knelt down on the ground, tears streaming down his face, and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Your Majesty! This is the legendary Golden Mountain Gall, a rare treasure that appears only once every hundred years!" The Minister of Works' voice trembled.

"Deep within the silver vein, due to the terrifying compression of the earth's energy over many years, there is a one in ten million chance of finding a top-grade red gold vein! This means that beneath our silver mountain, there is a gold vein of extremely high purity!"

boom!

This news was like throwing a torch into a powder keg.

Li Shimin felt a surge of hot blood rush to his head, his eyes rolled back, and he was so happy that he almost fainted on the spot.

"A generous reward! A truly substantial reward!"

Li Shimin snatched the heavy piece of gold gall and held it tightly in his arms.

He laughed so hard that all the wrinkles on his face were squeezed together, and the left side of his cheek began to twitch uncontrollably from laughing so hard.

"The entire army will receive an extra meal! Today, every laborer will receive an extra three taels of silver as a reward!"

The roar of revelry echoed throughout the entire southern suburbs.