Chapter 115: The Terror of Zhao Zhujie

"It seems you have realized it as well; I shall say no more. Go and get some rest. Be a man at ease, and do not be deceived by the gifts of Heaven." Watching Cai Cong wake from his reverie, Li Gang nodded with satisfaction and strode away.

In the academy, Zhao Zhujie and Li Gang sat facing each other. Zhao Zhujie remarked with admiration, "Wenji, you are truly extraordinary. Although the Emperor and I have twice attempted to enlighten him, we only scratched the surface. With just a few light words, you struck the heart of the matter, reaching deep into Cai Cong’s soul. After this, he will surely be reborn."

Li Gang’s expression was complex. After a moment, he sighed and said, "Gongyi, do you know who I thought of when I looked at Cai Cong?"

Zhao Zhujie hesitated, then ventured boldly, "Could it be that disciple of yours?"

Li Gang nodded, his face grave. "It is Yang Guang. The two are far too similar. Cai Cong’s character is currently untarnished—perhaps even superior to yours or mine—but was Yang Guang not the same in his youth? Both are too eager for success, wishing to achieve the work of a lifetime in a single stroke. I am afraid."

"Are you afraid that Cai Cong will follow in the footsteps of the Sui Emperor?"

"Indeed! Back then, he felt his brother was inferior to him, so he plotted to seize the throne himself. If one day Cai Cong feels that the Imperial family is beneath him, there is no guarantee he might not..." Li Gang spoke with deep worry. That was why he would rather persuade Cai Cong to be a carefree, idle soul than see him venture too deeply into the quagmire of the imperial court.

"You fear him because of one Sui Emperor. I dare to assert that Cai Cong is not that kind of person. You have been away and cannot see it, but this lad is genuinely trying to ease tensions within the Imperial family. Every time the Crown Prince visits, he ensures the King is present. The brothers are very harmonious. I suspect that in the years to come, these two may become like fire and water, and the royal family might repeat past tragedies," Zhao Zhujie said with certainty. As a great Confucian whose students were spread across the land, his ability to deduce future history from minor details was truly chilling.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that the lad did not tell the whole truth. I fear he sees not just the next two or three years, but many years ahead. The future Tang Dynasty will surely be glorious; I can see that he is deeply proud of it."

Zhao Zhujie spoke with conviction. Had Cai Cong been present, he would have been struck speechless, his pride as a traveler from another world shattered. He had been seen through so thoroughly without even realizing it.

"I hope you are right. Otherwise, it will be another catastrophe, and the world will suffer." Li Gang spoke with concern. Zhao Zhujie poured him a cup of tea and smiled. "Why worry so much? You are already half-buried in the grave; even if such a scene unfolds, you will not live to see it. Come, drink your tea. I stole this from the old master of the Cai household. Whenever that lad gets his hands on something good, he hides it away at home, never considering how hard it is for us to write books, nor does he offer us anything fine."

Fang Xuanling and his companion took the register and immediately rushed to the palace to see the Emperor. Such a significant matter had to be reported to Li Shimin. What concerned them most was that Cai Cong had managed to transport grain to various regions without anyone noticing. If he could do this, he could just as easily move troops to various places—how terrifying was that? It must be said that in the world of conspirators, everything is a conspiracy theory.

Upon receiving the register, Li Shimin glanced at it and immediately said to the attendant beside him, "Go and invite the Empress."

"Is this the power of the new army that Cai Cong spoke of? To reach any destination without being detected—it is truly formidable," Li Shimin said, looking at the register with excitement.

"Your Majesty, the new army is indeed powerful, but one must be wary," Fang Xuanling said heavily. The new army was powerful, yet why did it not shine with such brilliance in the hands of others, but only under Cai Cong?

"Alas, if you suspect a man, do not use him. Since I have entrusted the new army to the Marquis of Chang'an, I will not doubt his loyalty. You need not say more. For now, focus on disaster relief. Have the Ministry of Works archive the maps immediately, and issue the secret edicts overnight—there is no time to lose!" Li Shimin laughed heartily. By repeatedly granting Cai Cong military authority, he was testing his ambition, and the results had greatly satisfied him.

Cai Cong had used public resources for private matters more than once, often mixing his personal affairs with official business when utilizing the new army. This pleased Li Shimin; a general who acted this way, no matter how much his soldiers trusted him, would find no one to follow him in a rebellion. When one cannot distinguish between public and private, who could say if a rebellion was born of public interest or private grudges?

"We obey!"

"Go! Later, I will have the imperial kitchen send some dishes to reward you all." Seeing the Empress arrive, Li Shimin began to shoo them away with a smile. The two men bowed respectfully and strode out.

"Your Majesty, why did you summon me?" the Empress asked with a smile, happy to see Li Shimin in such good spirits.

"Wugou, come, sit. I just wanted to ask, are you aware of the many new trade routes Cai Cong has opened in Guanzhong?" With the immediate crisis resolved, Li Shimin was in high spirits and patted the seat beside him.

"Of course I know; I was the one who sent the people. I told you about this before, did you forget?" The Empress leaned against him, speaking softly.

"Did I? Why can I not recall?" Li Shimin said, puzzled, racking his brain but unable to remember when she had told him.

"That day, Lady Yin received a beautiful garment from west of the Kunlun Mountains. It was truly magnificent. You said you didn't want to go, but your soul had clearly already been hooked!" the Empress teased. Li Shimin laughed awkwardly; he had indeed been tempted that day, and after the Empress drove him out, he had immediately rushed to Lady Yin’s quarters.

"So, the lad has rendered another great service?"

"Although he has made much money, it is ultimately not something that can be brought to the table; it cannot be considered a true contribution," the Empress said with a smile. Even as virtuous as she was, she did not truly value merchants in her heart.

"If it were just about making money, would he still consider it a contribution? You have no idea—all the money he makes goes into his pocket, while our money is all spent on the people. He is the wealthy one!" Li Shimin spoke with a hint of bitterness, a mix of heartache and envy.

"Then why did Your Majesty say he rendered a great service?"

The Empress rolled her eyes at him; Li Shimin was speaking in riddles. Li Shimin sighed and said, "I thought that lad was relying on a few broken boats for disaster relief, but I never imagined he had already made preparations, using trade routes to transport grain to every corner of Guanzhong. That solved our most pressing crisis. Would you not call that a great service?"

"It seems you are not happy when you are with me, if you cannot even remember what I have said. Even Qian'er and Tai'er knew of this; only you were not paying attention," the Empress said with a hint of resentment. Not only did she know about this, but even Li Chengqian and the others knew, and they had even contributed their own private funds to support Cai Cong.

Li Shimin could not sit still; he embraced her and asked softly, "How could that be? You are the only true love of my life, Wugou."

"If that is so, then I have already told you that the trade routes were opened primarily to transport grain. You simply did not take it to heart, did you?"

"Hehe, my fault. From now on, I will not ignore your voice again," Li Shimin said sheepishly. Lady Yin had recently learned some new tricks, and Li Shimin had been nearly lost in the lap of luxury.

"I am not a jealous woman. I am happy for you to spend time with the other sisters, but you must take care of your health!"

Her words made Li Shimin blush; he had recently felt weak in the waist, as if he had been completely drained.

"Let us not speak of this. This time, I wronged Cai Cong. To be fair, he has been treated quite unfairly," Li Shimin said with a smile, eager to change the subject.

"He is devoted to the people. His stomach was slashed, and he was ambushed and shot at on the road, yet he never complained. Sending him home this time was indeed an injustice to him," the Empress said sternly. This was no longer a subtle hint to look after his health, but a reminder that he was a Marquis of the state, and the Tang Empire relied on such men; they could not be treated lightly.

"I had no choice but to wrong him. You must have noticed that his hostility is growing, and he is losing the ability to restrain it. Today at his mansion, Fang Xuanling merely made a slip of the tongue, saying the soldiers who opened the trade routes died in vain, and his head was smashed open. I know he did not want to resort to violence, but he could not control himself."

Li Shimin pushed the Empress away, walked to the imperial desk, picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote on the paper:

*Tranquility reaches far.*