Chapter 38: Who in Later Generations Destroyed the Aristocratic Clans?

Li Shimin did not immediately give Wen He an answer; he remained silent for a long time.

It was not that he failed to understand Wen He's words; rather, he was well aware of the stakes and the consequences involved.

The foundation upon which the present Tang Dynasty was built was none other than the Guanlong noble families.

This was also what he feared the most.

While the fall of the former Sui Dynasty was certainly the fault of Yang Guang, the Guanlong faction had also stoked the flames from behind the scenes.

Without them, the Great Tang would not have been established so smoothly.

"Do you know what happened today?" Li Shimin asked, his expression dark.

Wen He shook his head, waiting for his reply.

"They want this prince, after ascending the throne, to take the Princess of Qi as my consort." His tone was flat, yet Wen He could detect the underlying fury in his words.

"Ah, Lady Yang the Younger? But history says that you fell in love with her, and therefore..."

"Absurd!"

Before Wen He could finish, Li Shimin turned his head and cut him off with a cold roar.

"How could this prince be so lustful!" His eyes bulged wide, resembling an angry Vajra guardian in a temple.

Wen He gave a start, then offered a dry, awkward laugh. "This wasn't my idea; it's recorded in later generations. It says you doted on her immensely, and later, after Empress Zhangsun passed away, you even wanted to make her empress. Fortunately, Wei Zheng dissuaded you, and you finally abandoned the thought."

He looked awkwardly at Li Shimin, only to find the muscles on the man's face twitching.

It was impossible to tell whether it was due to the fabrications of later generations or because his hidden intentions had been exposed.

"These people of later generations are utterly preposterous! Unless I intend to depose and replace the crown prince, how could I possibly make a Lady of the Yang clan an empress? Not to mention that the likes of Wuji would never allow it."

Li Shimin let out a snort of utter contempt.

What he said made complete sense.

Whether it was Lady Yang the Elder or Lady Yang the Younger, both carried the bloodline of the previous dynasty.

Only a madman like Li Shimin would make them empress—wait, unless he truly had lost his mind.

At this remark, Wen He suddenly recalled something.

Later on, the faction of Li Tai, the Prince of Wei, submitted a memorial claiming that officials of the third rank and above in the imperial court showed disrespect to the Prince of Wei.

Li Shimin deliberately staged a duet with Wei Zheng in the court hall, citing Yang Jian and Yang Guang as examples to warn Li Tai and the forces behind him.

Thus, making Lady Yang the Younger an empress might well have been a performance orchestrated between the sovereign and his ministers.

"Your Highness, that Hongnong Yang clan—are they really that powerful?" Wen He probed cautiously.

If that were not the case, why would someone of Li Shimin's temperament choose to endure such a thing?

"Powerful? Hmph, mere remnants of the previous dynasty, backed by a few stubborn traditionalists. If it were just a single family, this prince would not fear them. But if they unite, the Great Tang will be thrown into turmoil, and even this prince is forced to tread carefully."

Li Shimin raised his hand in resentment and delivered a heavy blow with his fist against a pillar.

He, who was about to attain the highest position of power in the Great Tang, was forced at this very moment to compromise with those people.

"Being an emperor really isn't an easy job," Wen He muttered, curling his lips.

Li Shimin glanced sideways at him, surprisingly refraining from scolding his nonsense this time, as a sense of agreement stirred within his heart.

"If this prince were to wipe out those noble families, how should it be done?"

"Well, more than two hundred years later, there was a man named Huang Chao. He took the *Genealogical Records* that you will compile in the future and called out their names one by one, which pretty much wiped out the noble and aristocratic families."

"Oh? The future of my Great Tang actually possesses such a capable minister! What method did he use?"

Li Shimin's eyes instantly lit up, and in his excitement, he grabbed Wen He by the arm.

Facing him, Wen He opened his mouth, yet not a single word came out.

He truly had no idea how to explain it.

"Your Highness, you were the one who told me to speak. You mustn't blame me later."

"This prince is not a petty-minded person. Even if this Huang Chao used underhanded means, this prince will not hold it against him."

Right now, what Li Shimin wanted most was to annihilate the noble families daring to challenge the imperial authority.

Those stubborn relics truly believed this was still the Northern Zhou or the former Sui.

Did they think he, Li Shimin, was as weak as his imperial father!

He wondered which descendant of later generations was so fortunate as to encounter a capable minister like Huang Chao.

"If I really have to say it... actually, we don't have to talk about it at all."

"Speak! No matter what you say, this prince absolves you of any crime."

"You promised that, remember? A gentleman's word..."

"Is as good as a swift horse's whip."

Li Shimin glared at him with exasperation.

This rascal had spoken without any filter earlier when discussing Wuji and Keming.

Yet now, he was being all evasive and coy.

"Well, Huang Chao... after failing the imperial examinations, he attacked and breached Chang'an City, destroyed the Great Tang, and then slaughtered those noble families... Whoa, whoa, Your Highness, put the blade away!"

Wen He leaped up from the spot like a rabbit, bolted behind the pillar opposite, and shouted in a panic: "You said you wouldn't blame me! You're the one who told me to tell you."

"So that is the method to eradicate the aristocratic clans!" Li Shimin glared at him, though he ultimately refrained from drawing his sword.

Wen He chuckled awkwardly: "Overturning everything and starting from scratch—that method works every single time, you know."

"Or perhaps reforming education, giving the common people a chance to read and study." Seeing the ominous look on Li Shimin's face, Wen He hurriedly changed the subject.

"Furthermore, there is resolving the annexation of land and the problem of unregistered households. Of course, the most crucial thing is books; I can help with that."

Wen He raised an eyebrow at him.

What Li Shimin cared about most right now was not the throne itself, but how to rapidly consolidate imperial power after ascending it.

If he could manage to make paper cheap and books as affordable as cabbages, then the vast majority of scholars across the realm would pledge their allegiance to him.

"Your Highness, you now hold the blade in your hand, but you still lack a writing brush. If the scholars all stand on your side, those noble families will have to carefully reconsider their own futures."

"If there suddenly appear millions of people capable of replacing them at any moment, I reckon they wouldn't even be able to sleep soundly in their beds."

Li Shimin frowned deeply, as a sudden thought struck him.

"Wuji mentioned to me last night that you know how to make paper?"

"I can give it a try." Wen He nodded, knowing in his heart that his previous words had struck a chord with Li Shimin.

"What about the commoners you mentioned? How should this prince handle them?"

Li Shimin was equally perplexed, for there was no precedent.

To be precise, there was no successful precedent.

"Does Your Highness know of Zhang Jia?" Wen He asked with a sly smile.

"Are you telling this prince to emulate a rebel?" Li Shimin snorted with disdain.

Wen He laughed and shook his head.

"You can't quite put it that way. Peasant rebellions happen because the imperial court fails to act for the people. If they have enough warm food in their bellies, who would risk their heads to rebel?"

He sighed deeply, raising his gaze to the starry sky above.

"Adequate food and clothing is a difficult problem. If we want to curb land annexation, simply issuing imperial decrees to restrict it is useless; we must also increase crop yields and lower the price of land."

"If a family's harvest alone is enough to feed three people and even leave a little surplus, then when natural disasters strike, they can weather the storm without having to sell their land just to stay alive."

Listening to Wen He's fluent discourse, Li Shimin felt as though he were listening to a fairy tale.

Relying solely on a harvest to keep a family of three well-fed and clothed?

He desperately wanted to interrupt Wen He and declare this sheer fantasy, but the moment he remembered Wen He came from later generations, a brilliant light ignited in his eyes.

"Are you speaking of superior crop seeds? Where can they be found? Tell this prince!"

Li Shimin suddenly grabbed Wen He by the shoulders, asking with frantic urgency.