Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Two: Black Tortoise Gate

What exactly were Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun discussing?
That battle?
Which battle?
When had Li Ji ever betrayed Li Shimin?
This was simply too strange; it was not recorded in official history!

"Wait..."
"I remember now!" Li Zhi felt as if the clouds had parted, recalling a piece of history.
The Xuanwu Gate Incident!
At the time, Li Shimin had led his confidants to fight against the Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and the Prince of Jin, Li Yuanji, resulting in a bloody conflict at the Xuanwu Gate.
Almost all the civil and military officials who followed Li Shimin were present.
Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Jingde...
Zhangsun Wuji, Hou Junji, and others!
For the sake of Li Shimin, they were willing to bear the crime of treason and brave any danger without hesitation!
Yet, the one military strategist he trusted most, Xu Maogong, had stayed behind closed doors to protect himself. Although he later offered the excuse that he had been delayed by other matters, it remained like a thorn in Li Shimin's heart.

Li Shimin believed...
Xu Maogong was not truly loyal to him; driven by self-interest, he could betray him at any moment!
Just as he had during the Xuanwu Gate Incident!
Once the situation turned against him, Xu Maogong would simply choose a new side.
Could such a person be trusted with important responsibilities?
Had it not been for the veteran generals in the army who were superstitious about Li Ji’s record of invincibility, Li Shimin would have replaced him long ago. Today, with Li Zhi asking for him, Li Shimin was able to get his wish, and naturally, he was overjoyed.

"I have matters to attend to, so I shall leave now. I will come to see you later!"
"This concubine respectfully sees off Your Majesty!"
Li Zhi was still lost in thought, and seeing Li Shimin coming out, he quickly slipped away.

...

Back at the Chamber of Commerce, he spoke to Luo Tong about the Xuanwu Gate matter.
Luo Tong remarked, "What is so strange about that? Everyone at court knows it."
"Everyone knows that the Emperor dislikes Li Ji and wants to remove him?"
"Yes!"
Li Zhi did not believe it.
Li Shimin was such a cautious man who never revealed his inner thoughts in front of outsiders; how could he let people know that he detested a subordinate and was waiting for a chance to replace him?
If that were really the case, would Li Ji still dare to lead the army?
"Are you bragging?"
"Hahaha... you saw right through me!" Luo Tong indeed did not know. He was just teasing Li Zhi.
"The Emperor dislikes Li Ji, yet granted him the imperial surname; he wants to replace him, yet keeps him in command of two hundred thousand troops—it’s unthinkable!"
"That is the brilliance of the Emperor!" Li Zhi smiled, not pointing it out further.
Luo Tong was a smart man, too. He quickly understood.

"Indeed, it is brilliant enough!"
"Why did you suddenly bring up the Xuanwu Gate incident, Your Highness? It is fine to talk about it here, but never mention it outside—it is a taboo!" Luo Tong cautioned.
"Mhm!"
"How could I not know that?"
According to unofficial history, during Li Shimin’s reign, the three words "Xuanwu Gate" were strictly taboo. Any servant who mentioned them would be arrested and imprisoned, for he felt that others were accusing him of fratricide and patricide.
Even the historical records were altered.
Originally, Li Jiancheng was not that foolish, but he was rewritten to be utterly incompetent, as if Li Shimin had been forced to commit murder.

...

Outside the door, the Captain of the Golden Blade Guards, Lou Yi, entered and said, "Reporting to Your Highness, we have business!"
"Where?"
"Shall I invite them in, my lord?"
"Yes!"
Li Zhi sat behind the counter.
He saw four or five elegantly dressed, prosperous-looking men walking into the hall of the Chamber of Commerce with their heads held high.
One of the older ones said, "Who is in charge here?"
"I am!"
Li Zhi leaned over the counter and answered.
Everyone looked over, seeing only a small head.
"You must be the Prince of Jin, right? I am Huang Wenyuan of the Huang family in Hebei. I would like to purchase a batch of Immortal Wine from your Chamber of Commerce. Is it available?"
Huang Wenyuan, in his sixties, was the head of the Hebei Huang family!
The Huang family had always maintained an independent style, refusing to associate with any faction or be controlled by the Imperial Court. They were a power unto themselves outside the business world.
However!
As long as there was money to be made, they would act.
After all, the rise and fall of a family were closely tied to their capital.
To survive, one had to seize opportunities and secure profits.
Li Zhi reviewed the information on the Hebei aristocratic families and asked with a smile, "How much Immortal Wine do you want?"
"We will buy as much as you have..."
"Heh!"
Li Zhi signaled for Luo Tong to invite them to a private room upstairs.
He then brought up a jar of wine.
"Guests, this is the Immortal Wine. Are you interested in tasting it?"
"Certainly!"
Everyone had come for the Immortal Wine; since there was free wine to taste, why not try it?
Each had a cup!
It was finished in an instant!
Huang Wenyuan stroked his beard, extremely satisfied, "It truly lives up to the name of Immortal Wine; the aftertaste is indeed endless!"

"I will not hide it from you all: the Chamber of Commerce has a limited supply of Immortal Wine. Any merchant who comes to buy it must pre-order. If you want to pay and take the goods on the spot, that is certainly impossible!"
Li Zhi used the wine to entice them first, then laid out the facts.
Even if they did not want to pay upfront, they would likely compromise because the wine was simply too good.
Sure enough!
After a moment of hesitation, Huang Wenyuan said, "For such a fine product, waiting is no issue. I will send someone to deliver a deposit of three million strings of cash later. We can sign a contract, and when the wine is brewed, we can collect it against the receipt. How does that sound?"
"How much did you say?"
"Three million..."
Li Zhi was shocked, then became extremely cautious. He frowned and said, "Please wait a moment, let me consider this."
Last time, the aristocratic families had caused trouble by pre-ordering three million strings of cash worth of wine, almost causing the Chamber of Commerce to be wrecked.
Three million again? Could the Hebei families be colluding with the Guanzhong families, planning to strike again and ruin the business?
"Hmph!"
"Using the same trick twice—don't you think that is quite foolish?" Li Zhi dared not take the risk and retorted coldly, "Guests, our Chamber of Commerce has a rule: pre-orders for Immortal Wine cannot exceed one hundred thousand strings of cash!"
"One hundred thousand is too little... We traveled thousands of miles from Hebei to the capital just to buy two hundred catties of wine? You are looking down on the financial strength of the Hebei families!"
The speaker was a rugged-looking man.
"And you are?"
"The Zhou family of Hebei!"
Li Zhi nodded.
The Hebei Zhou family was weaker and often collaborated with the Guanzhong families to seek profit; compared to Huang Wenyuan, the Zhou family was more welcomed by the other aristocratic families.
"Prince of Jin, think carefully. This is a massive deal for us!" another said.
"My mind is made up. No need to consider it!"
"Luo Tong, show our guests out..." Li Zhi turned his back.
Luo Tong opened the door and gestured, "Guests... please!"
"This!"
"You will regret this!"
It was always the Chamber of Commerce that courted merchants; never had they been so eager to offer business. To throw away millions without even picking it up—it was hard to say whether Li Zhi was clever or foolish.
After sending the Hebei families away, Luo Tong felt a lingering heartache. "So much money, just given up like that?"
"If I don't give it up, what then? Should I let another crisis happen?"
"Could there be a compromise? To get the money without falling into a crisis? You know, that was millions!"

...

Of course, there was a compromise.
If the families promised to wait four or five months to collect the wine, everything would be easy to handle.
But looking at them, they seemed to want it immediately; there was no way they could wait that long.