Chapter 409: Is Fortune Changing?

"Your Majesty, the way you say that makes it sound as if my brain were some national treasure," Chen Yan was speechless.

He had thought a joke would shift the topic, but Li Shimin took it even more seriously: "Your brain—calling it a national treasure is no problem."

"It's even rarer than a rare treasure!"

Chen Yan: "....."

Li Shimin clicked his tongue, shook his head and sighed, feeling an indescribable emotion.

Since last year, Li Shimin himself, along with Empress Changsun, Du Ruhui and the other ministers, have known that Chen Yan is a peerless genius worthy of standing beside the Champion Marquis.

This wasn't flattery or exaggerated praise; they truly believed it.

Li Shimin has always been clear that true geniuses exist in the world, himself included.

He could say without reservation that, across history, his mastery of warfare ranks first!

However, in governing affairs, he is not particularly outstanding.

Therefore, after Chen Yan appeared, Li Shimin began to value him so highly.

But Li Shimin truly did not expect that Chen Yan had become such a prodigy that problems deemed extremely difficult by others seemed to him as simple as a teacher asking a child in a primary school.

Such a person is exceedingly rare; even a millennium might not produce one.

Fortunately, Chen Yan has always stood on their side and harbors no ambition, which is what pleases Li Shimin the most.

"Come, walk with me."

Li Shimin glanced at the few people gathered around the horseshoe, motioned toward the distance with his chin, then, hands clasped behind his back, walked away slowly.

Chen Yan understood and stepped up to follow.

"Your Majesty, Prince of Yue exerted great effort on these items; otherwise it would still take some time to forge them."

"Later I will compile the manufacturing methods for all these items and send someone to deliver them to you."

Li Shimin smiled lightly: "There's no need to be so urgent; I understand you want the bannerless cavalry to set out quickly, so first forge the weapons and armor they need as soon as possible."

"As for the warhorses..."

He mused: "I'll find a way to get you a good batch and try to transfer them to you promptly."

"But to be blunt, my support for the bannerless cavalry ends at the expedition; once they leave the Tang, I will only covertly arrange some outposts and supplies for them along the borders, and everything else will be up to them."

Chen Yan felt pleased inside: "No problem; as long as Your Majesty provides a few hidden outposts and supplies, I trust they will not disappoint you."

"However..."

He rubbed his hands: "I also wish to ask Your Majesty for a batch of manpower; I want to equip eight hundred of the bannerless cavalry with such weapons and gear, but my personnel are insufficient."

Li Shimin recalled the Xuanye armor and the Mo blade, fell silent for a moment, massaged his temples, and said: "Don't accuse me of being stingy; I'll find you the manpower, I'll cover half the cost, with the condition that the bannerless cavalry must set out before the first half of this year, and by year's end I must see some results. How does that sound?"

"Then how can I be polite..." Chen Yan chuckled: "I don't know… when will the manpower be ready?"

"You really are shameless!" Li Shimin laughed, scolding him.

"Rest assured, I won't shortchange you, I have plenty of manpower; I'll send it over in a couple of days."

"By the way," he seemed to recall something, "how is Gao Yang lately?"

"He's doing fine, can eat and sleep," Chen Yan retorted. "But that broken mouth is infuriating; he's about to give birth and still isn't honest, babbling nonstop all day."

Li Shimin: "You speak as if your mouth were sweet; you two are practically the same, don't blame each other."

"Fine, I'm too lazy to bother with you two; when the child is born, write me a letter."

"There are many affairs in the palace these two days; I cannot stay long, I must leave now."

Li Shimin seemed indeed to have business and left in a hurry; after Chen Yan saw him off, he returned to find Niu Jinda and the others still enthusiastically discussing those items.

Only Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng remained composed; after examining them, they stood nearby chatting casually.

Chen Yan walked over, smiling and bowing: "National Teacher, Grand Historian, how have you been lately?"

"Fine!" Li Chunfeng nodded: "With your esteemed care as Marquis of Weinan, how could we not be fine?"

"Exactly, that's right!" Yuan Tiangang agreed: "I spend all day learning how to command troops, training alongside the soldiers; after that I eat heartily, fall asleep immediately, and after a few months my body is much stronger than before. All thanks to Lord Bo."

Chen Yan: "......"

These words sound so resentful, don't they?

"Gentlemen, you are not ordinary people; after all this time, why are you still quibbling with a child like me?"

He said cheerfully: "In fact, aren't you yourselves not averse to it in your hearts?"

"Otherwise, with my limited tricks, how could I force you?"

Li Chunfeng snorted: "That's what you say, but we've lived freely for half our lives, and even His Majesty never forced us. You, kid, suddenly imposed on us, now binding us with all these rules, and you still expect us to smile at you?"

"Then I gave you a place to use your skills," Chen Yan said, stiffening his neck: "If it weren't for me, you'd spend all day fortune‑telling and reading physiognomy—what good would that be?"

"Just as the Grand Historian once calculated that Sizi's fate had a calamity, can you resolve it?"

"You can't solve it!"

"But if you leave the Tang and use your abilities to bring better medicine and healers to the Tang, they might be able to save Sizi."

Chen Yan, with a stern face: "Look at the common people of the world; how many disasters they've endured in recent years? Now how many still go hungry?"

"Even if you calculate it, what can you do?"

"Go beyond the Tang, bring better grain varieties, so that each acre yields far more than before, and every household has surplus; then they would no longer starve."

"I..."

"Fine, fine, fine!" Li Chunfeng winced, waved his hand to cut off: "I'm just complaining to you a few lines, aren't I?"

"Is it necessary to go on so much?"

"We all understand the reasoning; we never said we wouldn't go!"

"Since we've agreed, why complain?" Chen Yan said solemnly: "Complaining is unacceptable; if you harbor resentment, future histories will record that Marquis of Weinan Chen Yan forced you to go beyond the Tang. All the credit will belong to me, the coercer."

"You two, being forced, will naturally be glossed over."

"Gentlemen, you also don't want all the credit to be taken by me, do you?"

"All right, all right, all right!" Li Chunfeng was at a loss for words—this kid really can spin a tale.

But he still hadn't forgotten the matter at hand, and reminded: "Your fortune has been fluctuating quite a bit lately; you'd better watch out."

"......"