Chapter 670: Going to Huainan?

"No, wait!"

Chen Yan's mind didn't register for a moment; after carefully recalling Li Shimin's words, he finally managed to speak:

"Us? To go see the Champa Rice harvest?"

Li Shimin raised his eyebrows slightly: "What? You don't want to go?"

"Is this a question of whether I want to go?" Chen Yan was completely numb: "If I recall correctly, our Champa Rice, after discussion, was planted in Yangzhou of the Huainan Circuit, right?"

"Right, what's the matter?"

"What's the matter…" Chen Yan was utterly numb.

What kind of place is Yangzhou?

It lies on the north bank of the lower Yangtze, in the southern part of the Jianghuai Plain, adjacent to the Grand Canal's river mouth.

After Emperor Yang of Sui excavated the Grand Canal, Yangzhou became the hub for north‑south water and land transport. Grain, salt, silk, and tea from the south gathered here before being shipped to Luoyang and Chang'an.

If compared to a modern city, it's like Shanghai plus a port logistics center!

Most importantly, the straight‑line distance from Chang'an to Yangzhou is about a thousand kilometers; taking a mixed water‑land route makes it over a thousand kilometers.

By Tang Dynasty reckoning, that's 2,700 to 3,000 li.

That's after traveling by water; going solely by land would be even farther.

From Yangzhou to Chang'an, even an 800‑li express route takes at least five days; ordinary cargo transport requires over a month.

If Li Shimin goes, can he return in just one or two months?

"His Majesty, think it over!"

【8】 Chen Yan couldn't help but advise: "If we go there and back, even the fastest round trip takes over a month; staying longer could push it to two months."

Chen Yan couldn't help but advise, "If we go, a round trip will take at least a little over a month at the fastest; if we stay for a while, two months is also possible."

"If you leave, what will happen to the vast Court? How will all those official duties be handled?"

"No, no, absolutely not."

Li Shimin already anticipated this outcome and said calmly, "Isn't there your Cheng Qian brother?"

"He has been Crown Prince for so many years; he's become adept at handling state affairs, and this isn't his first regency."

"Two months at most. If Cheng Qian can't even maintain stability for two months, how can I trust him as Crown Prince? You might as well turn to support Qingque or Zhi Nu instead."

Chen Yan: "......"

Li Tai, listening nearby, was trembling with dread, his eyes full of resistance.

"The throne, the Court—let's just forget about those."

He had long decided to spend the rest of his life as a Leisurely Prince, devoting his remaining years to science.

"I have no desire to be an emperor."

"His Majesty, stop messing around," Chen Yan said, half laughing, half crying, "This joke really isn't funny. Li Jing is about to lead troops out, and you tell me you want to go down to Huainan—are you treating us like the Göktürks?"

"That's not how we do it, huh."

Li Tai nodded repeatedly: "Yes, Father Emperor, aren't you already aware of the first Champa Rice harvest? It far surpasses any grain we had before in the Tang Dynasty."

"If you want clarity, perhaps Zi Anxiong and I could go, or we could have the Crown Prince go with us. We'll check for you—why would you need to stay that long?"

"I have already spoken with Li Jing," Li Shimin said, looking out the carriage window as the coach had just left Chang'an City.

"My decision wasn't a whim; when Champa Rice first ripened, I already wanted to see it."

"During that period, Luoyang suffered floods, causing grain prices to rise abnormally—hehe… Later Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang brought news, which I never told you."

"The matter is actually simple: local grain merchants saw grain prices continuously falling; if it continued, their stockpiles would depreciate rapidly."

"So they took advantage of Luoyang's floods, using covert means to bribe a group of Luoyang officials, delaying the report to the Court."

"After all, floods in Luoyang aren't rare; they occur every one or two years."

"Some Luoyang officials, tempted by profit, agreed, giving the merchants a chance to inflate grain prices."

Li Shimin didn't turn his head, saying lightly, "The methods weren't particularly clever, just the timing was precise, and the area's unique geography caused all this."

"After your Money Shop got there, grain prices instantly dropped."

"Honestly, such things aren't rare within the Tang Dynasty; it's merely collusion between officials and merchants, and I've become accustomed to it."

"But..."

Speaking that, Li Shimin suddenly paused.

Chen Yan and Li Tai immediately understood that the real point was about to come.

They were already clear about the Luoyang flood matter.

Just as Li Shimin said, official‑merchant collusion isn't a big deal; it's not uncommon.

The only issue is that this Luoyang flood was unusually severe.

Li Shimin's voice was even, revealing no emotion: "I often think of..."

"—the mountains are high and the emperor far!"

"Zi An, I haven't truly gone out into the world for a long time, to see what life my subjects lead, what difficulties they face, what help they need."

"Also to see what the lower officials are really like—whether they're truly as splendid as they claim in their memorials."

"...... Then why must you choose this particular period?" Chen Yan asked, puzzled. "If you wish to go out, we could simply wait a month, wait for Li Jing to lead troops out; we'd have plenty of time."

"Even then, if you wanted to stay three or four months, what difference would it make?"

"As long as we return before the end of the year, everything can be arranged."

"Also, have you considered that if you leave and I also leave, even if the Crown Prince can act as regent, it will still have some impact."

"I've already considered that," Li Shimin nodded slightly, "I also know what you're worrying about."

"But as I said, regarding this matter, I've thought it through carefully, having started pondering in April."

"As for Li Jing, I've already made arrangements, including Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong and the others. Haven't you noticed they haven't shown up in a long time?"

"The Guanyin Maid also supports this."

Chen Yan shook his head: "Then allow me to refuse, I stick to my own opinion, let's set out after a month."

"You should understand that the army led by Li Jing is just a decoy; the forces that truly decide the battle are the troops led by Qin Qiong and Cheng Yaojin."

"I refuse!"

"...... I have already arranged everything in advance, are you deaf?"

"Yes, I'm deaf, I still refuse!"

"...... I plan to bring Li Zhi, Gao Yang, oh, and the Little Princess Yongning."

Chen Yan: "......"

"His Majesty, don't be like that."

"......"