Chapter 127: Pulling a Fast One on Li Shimin

Days passed one by one, and in the blink of an eye only four days remained until his wedding with Gao Yang.

The Weinan Bo Fu, which had been relatively quiet, was now bustling with people; besides Cheng Yaojin's wife, Lady Cui, coming to help, Du Ruhui's wife, Lady Xiao, also arrived.

A few duchess wives who had previously been close to Chen's father also voluntarily came to help.

At this time, the Weinan Bo Fu was festooned with lanterns and ribbons; servants' busy figures could be seen everywhere, along with the chatter of the various duchess wives.

This made Chen Yan feel a bit emotional; his cheap father had indeed left him many connections.

And the auction he had been preparing for was set to begin tomorrow; with Li Chengqian's help, he kept hiring people for promotion, even bringing a glass tiger to debut at Zui Xian Lou, and news of tomorrow's auction could be heard throughout Chang'an.

During this period, a huge piece of good news arrived from the front lines.

Li Jing led ten thousand cavalry in a night raid on the Jieli Ya camp; Li Ji cut off the northern desert retreat, and the Göktürks were scattered.

Jieli was captured, and the Eastern Göktürk Khaganate was destroyed.

When the news returned, it was said that Li Shimin was overjoyed and immediately ordered officials of each division to personally greet Li Jing when he returned to the capital.

And Chen Yan also set his sights on Li Shimin.

His auction's promotion was so effective; how could it consist only of glass items and a few things he had prepared in advance?

Shouldn't he add some more fun stuff to heat up the venue?

When it comes to who has the largest collection in the world, there is no doubt it is the current emperor, Li Shimin.

Since Li Shimin is in a good mood now, it would be a waste not to give him a little trouble.

Without hesitation, Chen Yan immediately rode a carriage to the Imperial Palace.

During this time, Li Shimin was indeed in a good mood; after handling state affairs, he went to the harem to stroll with Empress Changsun, chatting and laughing.

When he heard that Chen Yan, the man who had taken away his two daughters, had arrived, he unusually showed no sign of anger.

"You brat, why do you have time to come see me today?"

"Aren't you at home preparing for the grand wedding and that auction of yours?"

Empress Changsun asked concernedly, "Zi An, there are many customs for the grand wedding; if you can't handle them, you can tell me."

"I can send people to help you prepare."

Li Shimin, upon hearing that, instantly became displeased, "What do you mean?"

"I marry my daughter to him, and not only must I prepare the dowry, but now I also have to help him prepare the items needed for the wedding?"

"Does he not have to do anything?"

"Could it be that when he enters the bridal chamber, I still have to send Wushe to give him a push?"

Chen Yan: "......"

Wushe: "......"

Empress Changsun: "......."

Chen Yan twitched the corner of his mouth, instinctively glanced at Wushe, and found that the other had also looked over.

The two exchanged a look, then tacitly averted their gazes.

"Returning, Empress, Lady Cui of the Cheng household and Lady Xiao of the Du household have already been helping me prepare, so there should be no problem."

"I thank the Empress for her concern."

He said, then paused, and in a voice just loud enough for Li Shimin to hear, said, "As for the bridal chamber matter, I can handle it myself and will not trouble Grandfather Wushe."

Empress Changsun was speechless.

This kid, you really dared to answer?

Li Shimin let out a cold snort, waved his sleeve and said, "Speak quickly; when you're done, get back promptly to wait for the wedding. As for that auction of yours, just leave it to someone you trust to handle it."

Chen Yan, somewhat surprised, said, "Your Majesty, this auction is of great importance; I think it would be better if I keep an eye on it myself tomorrow."

Li Shimin hesitated briefly, then said firmly, "No. You must prioritize the wedding now; the other matters can be postponed a bit."

"Don't think I don't know that many aspects of your auction are handled by that Xiao Shunzi in your household; you're merely scheming behind the scenes."

"Whether you have it or not makes no difference!"

Chen Yan: "......"

"Alright, I know your temperament; you don't come to the Three Treasures Hall without business. Speak quickly now."

Li Shimin said again.

Seeing this, Chen Yan no longer hesitated, "Your Majesty, here's the situation: the promotion for my auction has been excellent, and many high officials and nobles throughout Chang'an are now very interested."

"But I think selling only glass is a bit monotonous; how about we add some treasures as well?"

Li Shimin, not yet reacting, thought Chen Yan was consulting him, and said, "You may decide those matters; I don't care about the process, only the outcome."

"As long as the result achieves the goal, it's fine."

Hearing this, Chen Yan gave an awkward smile, spread his hands, and then silently stared at Li Shimin without speaking.

His behavior was so obvious that the emperor and empress could not possibly not understand his meaning.

Empress Changsun shook her head and laughed, saying nothing more.

Li Shimin glared and said, "Are you scheming against me?"

"Your Majesty, please do not misunderstand; how could I dare scheme against you?" Chen Yan cleared his throat, "I… was only scheming about your collections."

"What's the difference?" Li Shimin laughed in anger.

His collection, though vast and extremely precious, was something he had painstakingly gathered.

Even during the difficult days of last year, he would rather endure hardship himself than sell any of those items for money.

One can imagine how much he valued those collections.

Now, Chen Yan actually schemed against his prized possessions; how is that any different from scheming against him?

"Your Majesty, saying that is rather pointless," Chen Yan said, stretching his neck, "I have to devise strategies for you, spend effort making glass, prepare the auction, and in the end all the profit goes to you, doesn't it?"

"So you never want to contribute anything, just waiting to collect the money?"

"How come I haven't contributed?" Li Shimin immediately said: "I wasn't going to put Li Lizhi..."

The words were on his lips, but he didn't say them.

In fact, Chen Yan keeps offering ideas and things, and everyone knows his ulterior motive.

Isn't it just for Li Lizhi?

This can basically be counted as a betrothal gift, and Li Shimin also acquiesced.

But knowing is knowing, yet he couldn't say it.

Because saying it out would somewhat change its nature.

At first he disagreed, but after Chen Yan came up with a solution and helped him earn a lot of money in a short time, he agreed again.

It made him feel as if he were selling his daughter.

Chen Yan said: "Your Majesty, if you're unwilling to let go of the child, you can't catch the wolf; if you want to gain something, you must definitely put something in."

"Those treasures of yours kept in the palace can't be eaten; it would be better to take them out and make a profit first. Later, when our business expands and we make big money, you can buy them back, right?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin immediately recalled the money Li Lizhi had brought back earlier and the current state of the tavern business, and his heart began to waver.

Chen Yan added another sentence: "Your Majesty, I have recently come up with another idea to take the opportunity to scheme against the aristocratic families."

"You...... want to hear it?"

"......"