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

There was a severe drought in Guanzhong, and there had been no rain since winter, causing the people to delay farming.

The imperial court has been paying attention to this matter, but it is not a big deal for the current Tang Dynasty.

The current grain reserves are different from those a few years ago. People have surplus food, and there will be no famine in the short term at least.

Therefore, Li Chengqian did not discuss this matter with Li Shimin.

However, when he heard that Li Shen actually had such a large business, Li Chengqian somehow spoke it out.

Li Shen’s first reaction was to ask himself to donate money.

"Brother, if you want money, just say it directly. Why beat around the bush and use the people as an excuse?

You are the prince, how come you are not upright at all?"

Li Shen immediately started to bully Li Chengqian with words.

He thought to himself that it was okay for Li Shimin to ask for it. After all, he was the father and he was the son. It was only natural.

But as a prince, you still want to follow suit. Isn’t it a little too early?

If you ascended the throne, I might show off a little and give out some money to win favor, but it is still a long time before you ascend the throne.

Do you really think you are a rich person? Anyone can come and fight against the rich and divide the land.

After hearing what Li Shen said, Li Chengqian felt a little embarrassed and said with an awkward smile:

"You are joking, brother. That is not what I meant. I just want to ask if there is any way to solve the current plight of the people."

"Brother, this is not a difficult situation. Grain production has increased and many places in Guanzhong can grow two crops.

Grain production increased, but the court continued to collect a tax rate of one-forty and did not increase taxes.

It is conceivable that people should still have a lot of food stored in their homes.

Even if there is no harvest this season, the people will not suffer from famine, right?

It shouldn't be a problem for them to have enough food in hand to last until the next season. By then, all they need to do is issue an imperial decree to exempt them from taxes for this season, right?"

Li Shen felt that Li Chengqian just wanted his money, otherwise even an idler like him who didn't understand politics would know the solution.

How could he, a prince, not know this? How difficult is this?

Li Shen squinted his eyes and looked at Li Chengqian with suspicion, his wariness evident in his words.

Li Shimin was very familiar with this look. Li Shen often looked at him with this look.

Li Shimin did not interrupt. He wanted to see how his eldest son, the future emperor, talked to the little bully of the Li family.

This is also an opportunity for Li Chengqian to exercise, to discover and solve problems in a timely manner, rather than slowly adjusting later.

Li Chengqian felt very uncomfortable with Li Shen's gaze. He had never taken advantage of Li Shen before.

On the contrary, you have been cheated by Li Shen several times. For example, last year, Li Shen teamed up with Indian monks to defraud Your Majesty of 4 million strings of cash.

When 300,000 strings of cash were sent to the Eastern Palace, Li Chengqian thought he had gotten an advantage. However, he never expected that Li Shen would be blamed and he was severely beaten by Li Shimin.

Li Chengqian still remembers this incident vividly.

“Tenth brother, even though that is true, the people do not have much surplus food.

Because the grain harvests have been good in recent years, many people have exchanged grain for cloth, meat, etc. in order to live a better life.

There may not be much food left.

And even if the people have enough surplus food to get through one season, what if there is another severe drought in the second half of the year?

If the next season's farming is delayed, the people will have to wait until next year."

Li Chengqian's expression was very serious. The possibility he mentioned had been encountered in all dynasties.

There are even cases where there are consecutive years of severe drought or flooding.

As a ruler, we cannot take chances and must plan ahead.

Li Shen was not so serious. This was not a problem at all:

"Brother, why don't you open the warehouse and release the grain when the time comes?

Now that the national treasury is so abundant and grain is piling up like mountains, the charity granaries built by Aye in various places have increased by 40%.

We need to replace a new batch of grain reserves every two years. This is enough to show that we in the Tang Dynasty have more grain than we can eat.

It's just a severe drought in Guanzhong, what's there to worry about?

It’s not right for you to talk like that.”

Li Shen shook his head. He wanted to get money from his own hands? He was dreaming.

"Ah? What's wrong with talking about this? I just want to hear your opinion." Li Chengqian was a little puzzled.

Li Shimin was watching from the side and shook his head. How could he talk to Li Shen like this?

To Li Shen, the feeling of family and country is like talking about love to a cow. Li Shen would never believe in such things.

This rebellious son is as cunning as those old foxes in the court. It is simply a pipe dream to try to convince him with reason.

To deal with Li Shen, some extraordinary measures must be taken.

Thinking of this, Li Shimin decided to give Li Chengqian a demonstration.

"Old Ten. Not long ago, I heard some legends from the northern Tiele tribes that a few years ago, someone bought slaves from them.

These slaves did not enter the interior, but went to Liaodong and were never heard from again.

You also have power in Liaodong, do you know about this?"

Li Shen was stunned. Was it the time several years ago when he asked Xue Rengui to go?

The Japanese bought five thousand slaves and went to the sea from Liaodong.

He thought he had done this very secretly, but he didn't expect that his father actually knew about it and kept it a secret, holding it as a handle in his hand. It was really despicable.

"Your Highness, I have never heard of it." Li Shen bowed and denied it.

"Oh? Is that so? But I heard that it seems to be related to you. It is said that..." Li Shimin drank tea without raising his eyelids.

"Father, you don't need to say anything. This matter has nothing to do with me. In order to prove my innocence, I am willing to donate 100,000 dan of grain to the people of Guanzhong to relieve the severe drought they are suffering from."

Without waiting for Li Shimin to finish speaking, Li Shen readily proposed a solution.

It was obvious that this was what his father meant.

After Li Shen finished speaking, he did not forget to teach Li Chengqian:

"See, this is how things should be discussed, quickly, effectively, without any delay."

Li Chengqian was a little confused. Before he could figure out what was going on, his father reached a resolution with Li Shen.

It is indeed fast, effective and not tedious.

But what the hell is this about you using food donations to prove your innocence? What does food donation have to do with what you just said?

Li Shimin was indeed very satisfied with Li Shen's answer. He nodded and said:

"Well, I naturally believe in you. Although you are a bit reckless, you know when to advance and when to retreat.

So I am very confident in you.

However, as a prince, he should do something for the people.

You are so smart, why don't you thank Lao Shi on behalf of the people?"

"Thank you for your generosity, Tenth Brother. Don't worry, I will distribute this batch of food in your name."

Li Chengqian stood up stupidly and bowed. Li Shen naturally stood up and returned the greeting:

"Forget it then. I am indifferent to fame and fortune. Let's just pay it out in the name of Aye and mother."