Chapter 66 This Was Built for His Majesty

Inside the imperial palace, within the Imperial Study.

Su Chen walked in from outside.

This was his very first time laying eyes on the real Li Shimin. Previously, he had only ever seen actors portraying him on television screens.

At this moment, his heart was still beating a little faster with nervousness. After all, this was an emperor of the ages.

Ever since he had arrived in the Great Tang, Su Chen had often thought about meeting Li Shimin face-to-face. However, as he truly stepped into the Imperial Study, his heartbeat accelerated, and he found himself momentarily at a loss for words.

Nervousness was inevitable. After all, a living, breathing emperor was standing right in front of him, and this particular emperor was not known for his benevolence. When Li Shimin grew ruthless, he would not even spare his own brothers, let alone outsiders.

Su Chen also knew that his destiny in the Great Tang would inevitably be intertwined with Li Shimin. It was best not to provoke Li Shimin; otherwise, should the emperor perceive him as a threat to the Great Tang, he would certainly show no mercy.

"Su Chen, I've heard you are one of Chang'an's notorious playboys, so why are you standing here in My Imperial Study trembling and too timid to speak?"

Li Shimin chuckled softly at the sight of Su Chen's demeanor. He had heard numerous rumors about Su Chen, including how flamboyant and arrogant the young man was outside the palace walls. Yet, the person standing before him now was just a youth after all.

This instantly made Li Shimin feel that Su Chen's attitude was commendable and quite favorable. If Su Chen had swaggered into the Imperial Study with arrogance, Li Shimin certainly would not have let him off lightly. Such a modest attitude, however, was exceptionally good and vastly different from the rumors.

"Your Majesty, no matter how audacious this humble subject might be outside, how could I dare show any of that in Your Majesty's Imperial Study?"

Su Chen felt that his fear was entirely justified. After all, this was Li Shimin, a man whom countless people feared.

Hearing Su Chen's words, Li Shimin nodded. The young man's humble demeanor was quite acceptable. What he said was also the truth; after all, there were very few people in this world who dared to act presumptuously in his presence. Even Cheng Yaojin had to behave obediently when facing Li Shimin.

***

"I heard you were ambushed by assassins yesterday?"

After a brief silence, Li Shimin posed the question.

Since there had been an assassination attempt outside the city of Chang'an yesterday, Li Shimin had already dispatched men to investigate. Now, he hoped to learn the origins of those individuals directly from Su Chen's lips.

Su Chen had long known that Li Shimin would be aware of everything happening outside. After all, when they hauled a dozen corpses into Chang'an city yesterday, it had caused quite a sensation. Naturally, someone would have reported the matter to Li Shimin long ago.

"Thank Your Majesty for your concern. It is true that we encountered assassins yesterday. Fortunately, through the concerted efforts of everyone around, those assassins were captured. However, they chose to commit suicide by taking poison, leaving us with no other choice."

Su Chen hurriedly explained the situation. Those assassins had not been killed by them directly; they had taken their own lives by poison. Framing it this way ensured that he would not be slapped with a charge of murder. Of course, several of their heads had been completely smashed in—that was Su Gui's doing. But Su Chen had glossed over all of that, insisting that the men had simply poisoned themselves.

"I see. It seems it was also My oversight to have allowed such scoundrels to commit acts of violence just outside Chang'an city. Rest assured, however, I will certainly order a thorough investigation."

Li Shimin's words sounded extremely considerate. Yet, this immediately made Su Chen harbor suspicions in his heart.

After all, this was only the first time Su Chen and Li Shimin had ever met, yet the warmth Li Shimin was displaying far exceeded Su Chen's expectations. Su Chen's mind raced as he tried to figure out what Li Shimin's intentions were. He did not seem to possess any particular outstanding strengths that would warrant Li Shimin trying to win him over, especially since he hadn't even produced his crucial weapons yet. If he had already produced those weapons, Li Shimin's attempts at wooing him would make sense.

At that moment, Su Chen was rapidly trying to deduce what Li Shimin saw in him.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. However, this humble subject believes there is no need to investigate too deeply. Some matters are better left a blur, without needlessly bickering with people. Otherwise, while they might not dare to target Your Majesty, they might turn around and step up their measures to deal with this humble subject instead."

Instead, Su Chen advised Li Shimin against investigating the origins of those men. In truth, Su Chen already knew those individuals had been sent by the aristocratic and powerful clans. Even if Li Shimin managed to uncover their identities now, what could he possibly do to them? Li Shimin could not simply uproot and eliminate these powerful families overnight. Their roots were deeply intertwined, and their spheres of influence spanned across the entire Great Tang.

***

If they were truly to be eradicated, it had to be done piece by piece through gradual dismantling, and there had to be viable alternatives ready to replace them. For instance, scholars and the educated class were currently monopolized almost entirely by these five great clans. Naturally, Li Shimin would not tackle the powerful clans for the sake of Su Chen alone. When the time truly came when he possessed the capability to deal with them, any excuse would suffice.

Naturally, Li Shimin had no idea what Su Chen was thinking and simply assumed the young man was frightened.

"There is no need for you to be afraid. With Me backing you up, absolutely no one in Chang'an city will dare to infringe upon you. By the way, are you planning to construct some kind of wine-brewing workshop or the like outside the city?"

Su Chen's "Taibai Drunk" was currently extremely valuable, and its sales were exceptionally brisk. Even the imperial palace was finding ways to acquire more of it. Therefore, Li Shimin suspected that Su Chen might want to expand his brewing workshops to increase his revenue. Yet, all that gleaming silver had not flowed into Li Shimin's coffers; instead, a large portion of it had been pocketed by that fellow Cheng Yaojin.

However, he saw Su Chen shake his head in response.

"Your Majesty, the truth is that I am building that place for Your Majesty, and for our Great Tang. I originally intended to report it to Your Majesty once it was completed, but I never expected such an incident to occur yesterday."

This left Li Shimin utterly baffled. Why on earth would he suddenly be building a place for him?

It completely bewildered Li Shimin. Was this young man just talking nonsense here? Moreover, Su Chen looked extremely earnest as he spoke, making it seem as though he wasn't lying. Yet, he himself had never issued any decree telling Su Chen to build anything for him.

"What do you mean by that? Explain yourself clearly to Me today. I have never commanded you to construct any such place."

Li Shimin pondered for a long time, utterly unable to figure out what Su Chen was trying to do. It was true that several of the craftsmen working for Su Chen originally belonged to the imperial palace. Su Chen had indeed borrowed them back then, but he had yet to return them, essentially keeping those individuals for his own use.

"Your Majesty, this humble subject is currently tinkering with a certain weapon. I estimate that in just a few days, I will be able to present it for Your Majesty to see. That place is simply where we manufacture this weapon."

Su Chen directly gave Li Shimin a forewarning. What he was building was a weapon, meant as a tribute to the Great Tang and to Li Shimin.