Chapter 690: Li Chengqian: The Opportunity Arrives

While Chen Yan and his party were hurrying on the road, a secret letter was rushed to the Eastern Palace and handed to Crown Prince Li Chengqian.

After reading it, Li Chengqian first felt anger at Shen Wan Jun's actions, then immediately fell into contemplation.

"You all say, what is Father Emperor's purpose in sending this letter—simply to have me deal with this Shen Wan Jun?"

He said this while handing the secret letter to Ma Zhou and Lai Heng below for them to review.

After Chen Yan left, Du Ruhui and others only handled routine affairs, basically not interfering in any of his matters.

Everything must rely on himself, so the complete team Chen Yan left behind is essentially his greatest support.

Ma Zhou is the representative from the Ministry of Revenue.

As for Lai Heng, this fellow is indeed very capable, thinks differently from ordinary people, rose quickly in the Eastern Palace, and has already become Li Chengqian's right‑hand man.

In fact there is also Kang Chong, and his uncle Changsun Wuji, but they have been rather busy lately.

Moreover, their support would be more subtle, since everyone now already speculates about Li Shimin's intentions.

Ma Zhou, after reading the letter, mused: "Your Highness, as far as I know, Minister Chen Yan has always paid great attention to merchants, and even ordered the Money Shop to covertly investigate wealthy merchants across the lands."

"This matter, Crown Prince, you should be aware of."

Li Chengqian gave a slight nod, acknowledging it.

The Money Shop still operates under his name; most of the personnel come from the Eastern Palace, and the arrangements Chen Yan made are naturally known to him.

"Your Highness, do you recall the Luoyang flood earlier this year, when various grain merchants hiked prices, causing many commoners to become displaced and flee to Chang'an?" Ma Zhou asked again.

Li Chengqian was not foolish; upon being reminded, he immediately understood Ma Zhou's meaning.

He, however, shook his head and said, "I think it's not that simple; don't forget who Father Emperor went out with—besides Mother Empress, Zi Anxiong was also by his side."

"According to Zi Anxiong's temperament, either he does nothing, or if he acts, he does it on a grand scale, stirs up public opinion, and then uses that to decapitate in one blow."

"This Shen Wan Jun, I suspect, is merely a pretext..."

Lai Heng pondered, "Your Highness's words are reasonable; if His Majesty and Minister Chen Yan truly disliked Shen Wan Jun's deeds, they would probably just deal with him on the spot, perhaps without even appearing themselves—sending someone from the Money Shop to the Prefect's Office in Huazhou, or dispatching a subordinate, then delivering Shen Wan Jun's accusations, and Shen Wan Jun would naturally be finished."

"The Prefect of Huazhou is not a corrupt official; I believe he would gladly add another achievement to his record."

"Yet His Majesty and Minister Chen Yan did not act that way; instead they sent this secret letter that says nothing, merely listing Shen Wan Jun's crimes, making His Majesty's attitude quite clear..."

Lai Heng stopped short, saying no more.

But it was enough for Li Chengqian to grasp his meaning.

He lightly tapped the desk with his finger, pondering, "We must not only deal with Shen Wan Jun, but more so handle black‑hearted merchants like him."

"This year's Luoyang flood caused grain prices to rise, drawing considerable attention from Father Emperor and Zi Anxiong; after investigation, the leading grain merchant is now buried under three inches of grass on his grave."

"Shen Wan Jun publicly championed continuously falling grain prices, so he abandoned that trade, perhaps because he was intimidated and dared not continue riding that wave."

"It could also be for other reasons."

"In any case, that's irrelevant; what's important is that this Shen Wan Jun must first be captured, and then let …"

At this point, Li Chengqian paused: "Have the Money Shop personnel present all the findings they have previously uncovered."

"First, use the Tang Dynasty Daily to publish Shen Wan Jun's deeds, so the people of the realm can see, stir up public opinion, and from a legal and moral standpoint, issue an order to thoroughly investigate similar cases."

"Your Highness is wise." Ma Zhou, after thoughtful consideration, nodded, indicating no problem.

Lai Heng replied, "However, Your Highness, we still need to keep proper limits; some people should be arrested, while others… for now it's better not to intervene with them."

"Step by step, first eliminate all merchants like Shen Wan Jun who have no major backing and no complex forces behind them; that will be enough to intimidate merchants across the realm."

"The rest can be kept for later gradual handling."

Ma Zhou, hearing this, couldn't help but laugh: "Minister Chen Yan once said, these merchants are like leeks—cut one batch and another will grow back."

"But you must leave the roots, otherwise they won't grow again."

When he finished, the few of them couldn't help but laugh.

After the laughter, Li Chengqian suddenly felt reflective: "To be honest, I feel that many things that were quite difficult before now seem overly simple to accomplish."

"Whether it's the Buddhist Establishment's privileges or today's grain merchants, there will be resistance, but ultimately we can get it done."

"Unlike before, when difficulties piled up, effort was wasted, and it could end up like drawing water with a bamboo basket—nothing gained."

Lai Heng echoed, "Indeed, because now it's vastly different from before."

"We hold the Money Shop, a token comparable to a gold‑devouring beast, and we control the Tang Dynasty Daily that steers public opinion across the realm; thus our actions are naturally smooth."

"Govern the realm, align with the people's hearts!"

"As long as we stay on this right path, even if obstacles arise, we believe we can overcome them."

Li Chengqian fell silent.

Even to this day, he still marvels at the Tang Dynasty Daily that Chen Yan proposed—it's damn ruthless.

One could say, since this thing existed, aristocratic families no longer dare to act rashly, and now that they have it, they operate with sheer audacity.

I don't give a damn about your whatever.

Let it go with the rising public opinion and the boiling popular sentiment!

At this moment, Ma Zhou seemed to think of something and suggested, "Your Highness, could we use Shen Wan Jun as a case study to bring up tariffs?"

Mentioning this, Li Chengqian immediately became solemn.

He knew well that tariffs are one of the greatest tests Li Shimin left for himself.

Since Li Shimin and Chen Yan left two days ago, besides his routine duties, he has been constantly discussing with people from the Ministry of Revenue how to levy tariffs, speculating on possible obstacles and how to resolve them.

Li Chengqian already had some ideas in mind, but had not yet put them into practice.

Tariff matters aren't especially urgent, so Li Chengqian prefers to wait for larger leverage and an opportunity to make a decisive move even without the backing of several heavyweight figures before formally proposing it.

Now, listening to Ma Zhou's words, Li Chengqian feels......

The opportunity he has been waiting for seems to have arrived!

"......"