webnovelfull Chapter 678 Ready to close the net
Chapter 678 Ready to close the net
Inside the Liangyi Hall, vermilion pillars supported the tall roof. The hall was spacious and bright, yet seemed somewhat eerie due to the oppressive atmosphere.
Li Jingyou sat upright on the armchair that Li Chengqian had often sat on. The chair had a high backrest, which at this moment seemed to him to be the best symbol of power.
His eyes were stern as he slowly scanned the officials below.
He subconsciously imitated Li Chengqian's usual majestic posture, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrests of the armchair, and each tap seemed to declare to everyone his desire for control of power.
The armrest was tapped by his fingers, making crisp sounds that echoed in the empty hall.
Those standing before His Highness were all members of the team he recruited.
There was a shrewd gleam in Xu Yuan's eyes, and he was always paying attention to Li Jingyou's every move.
Jiang Liu'er was wearing a brand new fifth-rank official uniform. He looked a little thin and had a cunning look on his face.
Xu Jingzong was a little overweight, with a flattering smile on his face. At this moment, he was slightly bent over, showing his willingness to please.
Tang Jianze had a calm expression, his hands folded in front of him, his eyes filled with unfathomable meaning, and he stood quietly by the side.
After Li Jingyou became regent, these people gathered around him closely, hoping to get a share of the benefits from him.
"Your Highness, with Grand Tutor Qi still in the court, there are many things we cannot do."
Xu Jingzong was the first to break the silence. He took a step forward and clasped his hands together.
"Without Li Jingzong's help, we wouldn't be able to arrange for our people to come in. Grand Tutor Qi has a deep foundation in the court and extensive connections. He always puts obstacles in our way, and our plans are repeatedly hindered."
Li Jingyou frowned slightly, then regained his composure and nodded gently, his tone revealing confidence: "It's okay, he won't be able to hold on for much longer."
"Master Qi is just a spent force."
"His power may seem immense, but in reality, it's already rotten from within."
"The most urgent thing we need to do is to keep the money in our hands."
He paused slightly, his eyes sweeping across everyone's faces one by one, his eyes revealing a strong desire for power.
"Only when we have money will people support us. Money makes the world go round. With enough wealth, why worry about not being able to recruit more people to work for us? Why worry about not being able to eliminate those who oppose us one by one?"
After he finished speaking, he cast his sharp gaze towards Jiang Liu'er, with a bit of scrutiny in his eyes: "Jiang Liu'er, how's the thing I asked you to do last time going?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Liu'er hurriedly took a step forward, straightened his official uniform, and bowed slightly to Li Jingyou. A smug smile appeared on his face, and he replied respectfully, "Your Highness, everything has been completed. I personally went to Yunnan Province and carefully selected several hidden places with fertile soil and a suitable climate. I arranged a large number of people to secretly grow the raw materials for Wu Shi San."
"The people there know nothing about our plan and just treat it as ordinary crop planting."
"According to the current growth rate and production process, the next batch of Wu Shi San will be ready by the end of this year. By then, we will be able to sell it to various places through the channels we have secretly established, and we will definitely be able to make huge profits."
As he spoke, he raised his head slightly, with greed glittering in his eyes.
Li Jingyou nodded again with satisfaction after hearing Jiang Liuer's words, with a hint of appreciation on his face, and said: "Well done, you have done a good job, and the benefits will definitely be yours."
"Once this batch of Five Stones Powder makes a profit, you will definitely be rewarded handsomely, and promotion and wealth will naturally come as no problem."
Then, he turned his gaze to Xu Yuan, his eyes revealing a hint of anxiety: "Xu Yuan, how is the task I asked you to do going?"
Xu Yuan took a step forward, held his head high, and replied, "Your Highness, 30,000 Qianwu guns are on their way."
"To ensure safe transportation and avoid detection, I arranged for my most capable confidants to disguise themselves as ordinary caravans and deliberately circumvent the imperial court's major checkpoints and inspection routes."
"According to the itinerary, it will be delivered to Arabia by the end of the year."
At this point, he paused, a smile spreading across his face. "They offered one thousand taels a pair."
Hearing the price Xu Yuan said, Li Jingyou's face instantly broke out into a smug smile. He couldn't help but secretly calculate in his mind: a full 30 million taels of silver, this is a huge sum of money that can shake the court's economy.
In his heart, he laughed at the Arabs, saying they were such suckers that they accepted the price so easily.
You know, in the Tang Dynasty, the cost of making a musket is only three taels of silver.
But if it is sold to Arab countries, one handful can be sold for one thousand taels of silver. The profit is simply staggeringly high and much more profitable than any ordinary goods.
As for the consequences of selling Tang Dynasty weapons to other countries, Li Jingyou didn't care at all.
In his opinion, what could those barbaric small countries do even if they had muskets?
Their national strength and military power were far inferior to those of the Tang Dynasty, and it was impossible for them to pose a substantial threat to the Tang Dynasty.
Now his heart and eyes are filled with power. He wants to take back all the power that his father has given away, so that he can become the true and unique ruler of the Tang Dynasty and make everyone bow down at his feet.
At this time, in the Wu Wang Mansion in Chang'an, the courtyard was deep and shaded by green trees, and the environment was quiet and peaceful, which was completely different from the depressing atmosphere in the Liangyi Hall.
Li Ke now settled in Chang'an City, living in the Prince of Wu's Palace, which he had not set foot in for a long time.
The study in the palace is decorated in an extremely simple style.
Wang Can, the deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was standing respectfully in front of Li Ke at this moment, with his head slightly lowered, his expression reserved, his hands hanging naturally, and he dared not breathe.
Since Li Jingyou became regent, he seemed to have deliberately distanced himself from the Jinyiwei. The Jinyiwei of the entire Tang Dynasty became idle and no longer as busy and tense as before.
Commander Zhang, who left with His Majesty, left him, the deputy commander, alone in Chang'an. He couldn't help feeling a little uneasy and confused, not knowing what path to take in the future, nor what impact Li Jingyou's actions would have on the Tang Dynasty.
Li Ke sat on a chair, holding the secret report sent by Wang Can in his hand. As he looked at the contents, a ferocious smile gradually appeared on his face, and there was anger in that smile.
"Great, that's great! This nephew of mine is really good at business."
"He actually dared to illegally sell firearms and cultivate large quantities of Five Stone Powder. This Five Stone Powder harms the people. Those who use it become addicted and suffer severe physical and mental damage. Yet, for his own selfish gain, he completely disregarded the lives of the people."
"The trafficking of weapons could even trigger a border crisis. If those weapons were used against the Tang Dynasty, the consequences would be disastrous."
"He is completely lawless and disregards the laws of the Tang Dynasty and the safety of the people."
As he spoke, he slammed the secret report on the table, and the anger on his face became more and more obvious.
"Marshal, what should we do now?"
Wang Can asked cautiously, lowering his voice for fear of disturbing Li Ke.
He knew that Li Jingyou was now the regent and had considerable power, so if he wanted to take action, he had to act with caution.
Hearing Wang Can's words, Li Ke slowly raised his head and looked at him.
Originally, according to the emperor's brother's intention, they should wait and see and wait for the right opportunity to avoid turmoil in the court.
However, what Li Jingyou has done now has seriously shaken the foundation of the country.
The prevalence of Wu Shi San will cause the physical fitness of the people in the Tang Dynasty to decline and the social atmosphere to become corrupt. The trafficking of weapons may even trigger border wars and plunge the Tang Dynasty into crisis.
Li Chengqian asked him to come to Chang'an with the intention of supervising Li Jingyou. He naturally would not watch Li Jingyou make such a big mistake and push the Tang Dynasty into the abyss.
"Write a secret report to inform His Majesty, detailing Li Jingyou's actions and clearly listing his crimes of cultivating Wushisan and trafficking weapons."
"Also, tell His Majesty that I am ready to close the net."
"We cannot allow him to continue his evil ways. The Tang Dynasty must not be destroyed in his hands."
Li Ke spoke in a firm tone.
Hearing Li Ke's words, Wang Can immediately bowed and accepted the order: "Yes! Marshal!"