Chapter 38: The Imperial Father is old, it is time to relinquish power

While Li Xiaochang and his faction steadily advanced their plan to "purge the emperor's wicked advisers" under Li Chengqian's guidance, Li Chengqian himself remained completely detached from it.

Ever since their conversation about the *Zhenguan Grand Canon* that day, Li Tai had been bursting with enthusiasm and rushed off to see Li Shihmin. Although Li Shihmin did not immediately grant Li Tai permission to compile the *Zhenguan Grand Canon*, he did allow him and the eighteen scholars of the Hongwen Hall to compile its table of contents. Consequently, the little chubby prince had been living a strictly scheduled life between two points lately, leaving him no time to make trouble for Li Chengqian.

Enjoying this rare peace, Li Chengqian planned to use the palace gate token he had swindled from Li Tai to go out and enjoy the sights outside. However, just as he stepped out of his small courtyard and headed toward the outer areas of the Lizheng Palace, Consort Xiangling delivered an order from Empress Changsun, calling him back.

Standing before Empress Changsun at this moment, a wave of anxiety washed over him, terrified that she might have discovered how he conned the little fatty out of the palace token. To his relief, Empress Changsun said nothing about the chubby prince; instead, she brought up a question regarding the sales of bean sprouts.

"Chengqian, why can't bean sprouts be sold using the same marketing methods as soap and facial soap? Clearly, they are also a novelty, yet their price simply refuses to rise," Empress Changsun asked with a puzzled expression.

Li Chengqian let out a silent sigh of relief and smiled. "Although bean sprouts are novel, they are, after all, merely vegetables. Moreover, the method to produce them is not particularly difficult. Mother, generally speaking, keeping the price of bean sprouts artificially high is simply not feasible!"

"But if bean sprouts fail to turn a substantial profit, we cannot rely solely on soap and facial soap forever, can we?"

"Listening to Mother, I take it the palace's expenses are still exceptionally heavy?"

"Indeed!" Empress Changsun sighed. "The number of palace maids has not been significantly reduced. Although I have already trimmed the allowances of the other imperial concubines, with so many people in the palace, the cumulative expenses remain enormous..."

"I understand," Li Chengqian nodded empathetically, then pressed on, "How is the bespoke soap boutique doing?"

"Business was quite good at first, but once people realized that custom soaps differed very little from ordinary ones, sales gradually dwindled. Besides, the spices used for the custom soaps have become scarce lately, and we can no longer manufacture the custom soaps for some of our noble patrons."

"That means the craze for soaps has already peaked. Unless we can expand sales beyond Chang'an, it will be extremely difficult for Mother to make a huge fortune."

"Given the current production capacity of the Royal Manufacturing Bureau, however, it is virtually impossible to export soaps beyond Chang'an."

"Precisely. That is why I came to you, to see if you might have other ways to make money!" Empress Changsun sighed.

Glancing at Empress Changsun and recalling his promise to Li Yuan, Li Chengqian mused, "Mother, I do have a way to generate wealth, but I fear it requires you—the most exalted woman in the realm—to employ some unconventional methods."

"What methods?"

Empress Changsun froze for a moment before saying with a stern expression, "If it involves anything illegal, I will not do it..."

"What is Mother thinking? How could I ever ask you to break the law?" Li Chengqian said, raising a hand to his forehead. "I simply wish for you to leverage your status as Empress to invite a few noblewomen to act as your brand endorsers!"

"What does endorsement mean?"

"It means promotion!" Li Chengqian explained. "In any era, a woman's money is always the easiest to earn, especially in a place like Chang'an, where women are either wealthy or noble. To let such a magnificent market go to waste without creating luxury goods would be an absolute crime!"

"And what is a luxury good?"

"Does Mother know what it means for an item to possess luxury attributes?"

"What does it mean?"

"An astronomical price!"

"This..." Hearing the words "astronomical price" slip from Li Chengqian's lips, Empress Changsun's eyes lit up brightly, and she eagerly awaited the rest.

A faint smile touched Li Chengqian's lips. "I already have a clear concept for creating luxury goods. Our bespoke soap boutique has already captured the attention of Chang'an's aristocratic circles, but soap itself cannot truly showcase the nobility's status. Therefore, a new line of luxury goods is on the verge of birth."

"Oh?" Empress Changsun arched an eyebrow, instantly intrigued. "And what precisely is this luxury good of my son's?"

"Since we are targeting women's wealth, does Mother know what women care about above all else?"

"Appearance?"

"Precisely!" Li Chengqian nodded with a smile. "A woman's appearance is her greatest concern. Therefore, the direction for our luxury goods is crystal clear: we shall build a luxury brand exclusively for women, such as a brand-new line of rouge and powder!"

"Now, how would this rouge and powder differ from what is currently sold in the market?" Empress Changsun asked curiously.

After a brief thought, Li Chengqian replied, "Aside from the packaging and design, there is virtually no difference. However, one single point is utterly crucial: it must be exorbitant!"

"Exorbitant?"

"Yes! The more expensive, the better!"

Empress Changsun looked perplexed. "If it is no different from the rouge and powder already on the market, why must it be as expensive as possible?"

"Because an astronomical price is the finest marketing tool available!"

***

Li Chengqian smiled and continued, "The higher the price, the more people will talk about it. The more they talk, the greater the attention it commands. In this way, the rouge and powder Mother sells will transform into ultimate luxury items within the Great Tang's aristocratic circles!"

"Once it attains luxury status, it will deliver a profound shock to the nobility. For instance, if a noblewoman sees her peers possessing a limited-edition lipstick, how could she possibly show her face in high society if she fails to purchase one herself?"

"Thus, paying an exorbitant price for luxury goods becomes entirely natural..."

"This..."

Hearing Li Chengqian's marketing strategy, Empress Changsun was utterly dumbfounded, rendered speechless for a long time.

In truth, Li Chengqian's marketing tactic was remarkably similar to modern-day hypebeast culture. Yet, commodities like rouge and powder still had a relatively narrow target audience, making it impossible to completely fleece the entire aristocracy. Even so, once Empress Changsun mastered this strategy, it would be no difficult feat for her to cultivate new luxury items in the future and fleece even more nobles.

"Mother, since we are discussing business matters, what would you think if I increased my previous investment?" Seeing the clarity gradually return to Empress Changsun's eyes, Li Chengqian pressed on.

At these words, Empress Changsun paused slightly. "Why would you want to increase your prior investment?"

"Because I desire more funds to cultivate my own power base." Li Chengqian spoke with absolute candor.

Empress Changsun's brows furrowed deeply. "Are you attempting to contend for power with your imperial father?"

Li Chengqian sighed. "An emperor and a crown prince are naturally destined to be adversaries. What I am doing is merely for self-preservation. I hope Mother can understand me!"

"This..." Empress Changsun was left at a loss for words.

How could she fail to understand the implications of Li Chengqian's words? Throughout history, countless emperors and crown princes had turned against each other over the question of supreme power. To look no further than Li Shihmin and Li Yuan, had they not fallen out over power as well?

With this thought, Empress Changsun sighed softly. "I do not wish to see father and son turn against one another. Do you understand?"

Li Chengqian replied with a solemn expression, "Mother, rest assured. I am still young and do not require absolute power at present. By the time I have grown up, Father will have aged, and the time will come for him to relinquish power."

"Moreover, a crown prince with a secure and stable position is ultimately beneficial to the Great Tang, is it not?"

"This..." Empress Changsun was once again rendered speechless, yet she found herself unable to refute Li Chengqian's logic.

"Allow me to ponder this matter further. You may withdraw for now."

"Yes, Mother."

Li Chengqian knew when to stop, unwilling to place Empress Changsun in an awkward position caught in the middle. Even if she attempted to stop him, he would still carry out his plans. After all, the moment he chose to cooperate with Li Yuan, he had already resolved never to walk the tragic path of the deposed crown prince in this lifetime.

Why did the deposed crown prince fail in history? Aside from Li Shihmin's precarious balancing act backfiring, there was also the crown prince's inherent weakness. His entire Eastern Palace, seemingly formidable in influence, was actually populated largely by Li Shihmin's men. No matter how much he struggled, he could never leap out of Li Shihmin's palm. A rebellion launched from such an Eastern Palace was nothing more than wishful thinking.

Therefore, in this lifetime, Li Chengqian was determined to forge an independent power base that belonged entirely to him.

And fundamentally speaking, the Li-Tang Dynasty was sustained by three major political factions:
The Guanlong Group,
The Shandong Group,
and the Jiangnan Literati.

The Guanlong Group was a military clique formed by the Xianbei nobility of the Northern Wei dynasty, with the vast majority being imperial relatives and meritorious officials of the Li family.

The Shandong Group primarily encompassed the Shandong gentry and Shandong heroes. The Shandong gentry possessed a long history, immense economic strength, and deep-rooted clan and regional foundations, granting them immense political leverage to control both the imperial court and local provinces. Meanwhile, the Shandong heroes were essentially local strongmen who rose to prominence amidst the turmoil at the end of the Sui dynasty—much like modern-day mafia syndicates.

Finally, one could not ignore the Jiangnan literati. Long before the Sui dynasty unified the south, they were already established aristocratic clans. On one hand, they participated in the national policies of the Tang dynasty; on the other, they wielded profound local influence throughout the Jiangnan region.

These three major factions had all played pivotal roles in the establishment and stabilization of the Li-Tang regime. If Li Chengqian wished to build his own faction, he could not afford to overlook these three forces. Thus, the road ahead required meticulous, long-term planning.

"Sigh!"

Emerging from Lizheng Palace, Li Chengqian raised his head to glance toward the direction of the Xuanwu Gate, letting out an involuntary sigh. He muttered silently to himself, "I hope you all pull your weight; otherwise, if I wait another two months, I will already be a dead man..."

***

Meanwhile, within the Ganlu Palace of the Taiji Palace, Li Shihmin stared at the secret intelligence report in his hands with a deep frown, his voice heavy. "I never expected the Prince of Changleqing to be implicated as well!"

"Ha!"

Hearing this, Fang Xuanling let out a dry, sarcastic chuckle. "He was in it from the very beginning! Without him, how could those foreign spices have been transported from beyond the frontiers into Chang'an, and how could they have ended up in the hands of Consort Zhang?"

"So, in your estimation, is the Prince of Changleqing truly planning to rebel?" Li Shihmin pressed on with a furrowed brow.

Fang Xuanling smiled and shook his head, offering no direct answer.

However, Changsun Wuji's voice chimed in at that moment. "In my view, the Prince of Changleqing cannot be foolish enough to outright rebel. After all, with his wings not yet fully grown, a rebellion would merely reduce him to another Li Yi..."

"Indeed, what these people truly harbor in their hearts and what they intend to do remains anyone's guess!" Du Ruhui chimed in with a nod.

Li Shihmin's frown deepened. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

The three men exchanged glances, hesitation flickering across their faces.

A moment later, Fang Xuanling said thoughtfully, "Earlier, Your Majesty sent men to test the Prince of Changleqing, yet failed to uncover any incriminating evidence. This suggests one of two things: either he genuinely harbors no rebellious intent, or he has been coached by a master strategist and is hiding his intentions deep beneath the surface."

"Coached by a master strategist?" Li Shihmin narrowed his eyes slightly. "Whom do you mean?"

"I cannot say for certain who, but my greater concern is whether moving against the Prince of Changleqing might destabilize the frontiers. After all, Liangzhou shares a border with the Turks..."

"I believe dealing with the Prince of Changleqing will not drastically impact the borders. We have recently signed a peace treaty with the Jieli Khan. Even though the Turks are historically untrustworthy, it would hardly be wise for them to provoke our Great Tang at such a juncture," Du Ruhui countered, shaking his head.

Turning his head, Li Shihmin asked, "What does the Minister of War suggest we do with the Prince of Changleqing?"

After a brief meditation, Du Ruhui replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, we might as well test him once more. Summon him to Chang'an under the pretext of assisting an investigation into smuggling. If he comes, it demonstrates a clear conscience; if he refuses, it proves he harbors a guilty heart. At that juncture, the imperial court can make preparations early and strike first!"

"Hmm, that is indeed a sound strategy."

Li Shihmin nodded, then abruptly shifted the topic. "Yet, the evidence for smuggling is ironclad. How shall we punish him?"

"Execute him!"

Before Du Ruhui could respond, Changsun Wuji spoke up first.

Hearing this, Li Shihmin was startled, staring at Changsun Wuji in utter astonishment.

The man was an imperial prince of the blood, and moreover, his own elder kinsman. How could he be executed so casually?

Changsun Wuji wore a grave expression as he argued, "Smuggling is inherently a capital offense, let alone colluding with barbarians under the suspicion of treason. Furthermore, executing him will serve as a stark warning to deter others."

"Agreed! He must be severely punished without a shred of leniency!" Du Ruhui echoed.

"Yet, have you forgotten?" Fang Xuanling said with lingering hesitation. "The Retired Emperor shares a deep and close relationship with the Prince of Changleqing. If Your Majesty puts him to death, will it not place the Retired Emperor in an unbearable position?"

Changsun Wuji sneered coldly. "At a time like this, why worry about the Retired Emperor or anyone else? The Zhenguan era must look like the Zhenguan era!"

Hearing these words, Li Shihmin narrowed his eyes, on the verge of making a resolute decision, when suddenly, Wushe burst through the entrance holding a piece of paper, gasping for breath. "Y-Your Majesty... This is a disaster!"

A dark cloud settled over Li Shihmin's face as he rebuked sternly, "What is the meaning of this frantic panic? Where is your decorum?!"

"Reporting to Your Majesty! Numerous flyers have suddenly appeared all over Chang'an City, bearing the message: *Execute Changsun Wuji and purge the emperor's wicked advisers!*"

"What?!"

Li Shihmin bolted upright from his seat in a single motion. Even Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui stared at Changsun Wuji in absolute shock.