I am Li Shen and Li Shimin, the free kings of the Tang Dynasty

"See Your Majesty."

"See Aye."

After Li Shimin came in, everyone saluted him.

Li Shimin waved his hand. He had just returned from medical school and was still feeling sad.

"Excuse me, are you all here?"

"Erlang, everyone is here, we can have dinner soon."

Empress Changsun stepped forward and took off Li Shimin's outer clothes.

"Well, Gao Ming went back to change clothes and will be here in a moment. What are you doing?"

After Li Shimin took off his coat, he saw that his two sons Li Tai and Li Zhi did not look very good, so he asked curiously.

Is he going to have another fight with Li Shen, the rebellious son?

"Haha, Erlang, you're back just in time. Shen'er brought over a big box of South China Sea pearls for my sister and I to choose from.

You should come and have a look, the quality is really good."

After being married for many years, she must be sad to know that her husband was going to visit an old minister who was about to die of illness. One could also tell from Li Shimin's face that he was in a bad mood.

Empress Changsun wanted to ease Li Shimin's sadness, so she changed the topic and found something for Li Shimin to do.

"Oh? A box of pearls? You and the imperial concubine can choose. There aren't many anyway." Li Shimin had no interest at all.

How many pearls can there be in a box? The pearls he paid as tribute to him were only about ten or twenty.

They are all inlaid in wooden boxes to avoid collision with each other.

Seeing Li Shimin in such a low mood, Empress Changsun was a little worried. Every time the old ministers left, Li Shimin was extremely sad.

When Wei Zheng died, Li Shimin was grief-stricken and did not attend court for several days. The same was true when Gao Shilian died, he cried bitterly.

Although Fang Xuanling and Li Shimin were monarch and minister, they were also teacher and friend. They must have been even more heartbroken.

Thinking of this, Empress Changsun smiled slightly, reached out and took Li Shimin's hand and said:

"Erlang, Shen'er brought a box of pearls this time. My sister and I can't even pick them all. But come and take a look and you'll know."

As he said this, he pulled Li Shimin to the table.

I go! !

Li Shimin didn't think much of it at first. What was there to choose from in a box of pearls? Li Shen often sent pearls to the palace.

There are only about twenty pieces in a box, and they are all of top quality.

But when he saw the box on the table, he couldn't help but widen his eyes.

It was indeed a box, a foot square, filled with pearls of all sizes, without any silk or linen to block it.

It was just like filling a box with ordinary sand and gravel.

"Is this how you got it?" Li Shimin turned around and asked, pointing at the pearl box on the table.

"Yeah." Li Shen was stunned when he heard it. Wasn't his father's question nonsense? If not, how could he take it with his hands?

"You bastard!" Li Shimin's expression immediately changed from sadness to anger.

"Is there...is there something wrong with this?"

Li Shen was also confused. What happened to his father today? Was it because he was too sad after returning from visiting Fang Xuanling?

Or was it to vent his anger on himself? Or was it that his father wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to take the box of pearls for himself?

This big box of pearls would cost at least tens of thousands of strings of coins. A bad one would cost a few dozen strings of coins, and a good one might cost hundreds of strings of coins.

"Hmph, what's wrong with that? Such precious things should be kept properly and separated by silk and linen to prevent them from colliding with each other.

Don't you know?

You actually put so many pearls into one box. Wouldn't it be a waste if they collide with each other?

No wonder everyone says that you, Prince Ji, are a prodigal son. I think they are right. "

Li Shimin snorted coldly and began to blame Li Shen.

"Just...just because of this?" Li Shen was a little confused. His South Sea pearls were indeed precious, but not to that extent.

It's not a big pearl from the deep sea, is it necessary to make such a fuss?

In Li Shen's opinion, his father must be angry, so he went out.

"Is this a small matter? Do you know that any one of these pearls is enough to feed an ordinary family in the Tang Dynasty for a year?

You don't care at all, so I'll punish you with one year's service." Li Shimin waved his hand.

"What? Punish Feng again? Father, please listen to my explanation." When Li Shen heard that Feng would be punished, he immediately refused to do it.

His biggest dream in life now is to receive a salary.

"What else do you have to say?"

"Aye, this has nothing to do with me. I pretended like this after I came back. Yes, it was Shitou who did it. I will definitely teach him a lesson when I get back."

Li Shen hurriedly explained.

"Do you think I'm stupid? Your eunuch chief went to the northwest with you." Li Shimin sneered.

"Yes, yes, I went to the northwest. Oh, yes, it must have been done by that dog slave Wang Hongfu. I will definitely fine him when I return."

Li Shen found another person to take the blame.

“Humph, no matter what, you came here with a box, you don’t know the suffering of the people, you spend money like water, you are extravagant and wasteful.

Fine of two years' salary."

Li Shimin refused to listen to his explanation.

"Two years? Didn't you just say one year?"

Li Shen was speechless. He felt it was so unfair that he suffered this unexpected disaster. You were depressed and sad, but you couldn't take it out on me.

Li Shen really wanted to have a fight with his father now, and say loudly, "If you don't agree, come out and fight me."

Unfortunately, he felt that he might not be a match for his father.

Although his father is already fifty years old.

Li Tai and Li Zhi, who were watching the show on the side, felt so relieved. The reason why they looked so unhappy just now was because Li Shen brought over a box of pearls.

They didn't even have a chance to come forward and say a word as their biological mother was choosing pearls, chatting and laughing.

Now, you are allowed to show off and pretend, and not only are you scolded, but you are also fined in salary.

The prince's annual salary is quite a lot of money.

Empress Changsun and Concubine Wei finally felt relieved when they saw that Li Shimin had turned from grief to anger.

Anger can always be vented, but grief must be kept inside, which can easily lead to illness.

As for Li Shen's unprovoked misfortune, even his own mother, Concubine Wei, felt that it was worth it to deduct two years' salary in exchange for His Majesty no longer being grief-stricken.

Only Li Shen himself felt bitter because he was fined two years' salary for no reason.

He himself doesn't know how many years he has been punished for.

"Old King, do you think I can still receive my salary?"

Li Shen asked Wang De who was standing beside him with a look of despair on his face.

"Oh, look at what you said, Your Highness. How can I not get it?" Wang De replied with a smile.

"I feel like I won't be able to receive it, Lao Wang, how many more years do you think I can expect to receive the salary?" Li Shen was also a little curious about how many more years he would be punished for.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I've got it all in mind. Including these two years, Your Majesty will only need nine years to receive your salary."

“Nine years!!!”

"Nine years???"

Li Shen's voice echoed throughout the hall, deafening, and he looked at Wang De in disbelief.