Chapter 39 I fear this Prince would be none other than a second Emperor Yang of Sui

"Easy, that hurts." Wen He winced and cried out, his frail frame hardly able to withstand Li Shimin's heavy grip.

Startled by his exclamation, the latter abruptly snapped out of his trance. Seeing Wen He's nearly contorted face, he couldn't help but look somewhat sheepish.

"I lost my composure."

"Hiss." Wen He drew in a sharp breath, rubbing his shoulder, and gave Li Shimin an exasperated side-eye.

"What's the big rush? Finding crop seeds is no simple task, especially the one I mentioned earlier where a single mu of land can feed a family of three. That thing is called a potato; it can serve as a staple food or be eaten as a vegetable."

"There's also something called a sweet potato. Although it doesn't store well, it can barely pass as a substitute for a staple."

Just as Wen He was speaking, he noticed Li Shimin's gaze burning as if it were about to spit fire.

"I asked how to go about finding these crop seeds, not for your name."

"Well, if you don't know what they look like, how are you supposed to find them?"

"Uh, that is true. Very well, continue."

He gave a light cough to mask his awkwardness.

He had simply been too anxious, wishing he could get his hands on the potatoes and sweet potatoes Wen He spoke of by tomorrow.

Fortunately, Wen He hadn't told him the sheer yield of these two crops, otherwise, he might have gone completely mad with impatience on the spot.

"Neither of these things is easy to find. To find them, one must set sail across the ocean. Out there lies a landmass even larger than the Tang Empire, boasting the kind of fertile soil the Great Tang can only dream of, populated by uncivilized and ignorant natives."

"A landmass even larger than the Great Tang?" Li Shimin clenched his fists tightly, his eyes blazing with excitement.

The look he cast at Wen He was tinged with a hint of envy.

"It is a pity that I know nothing of it, leaving future monarchs to reap the benefits."

He laughed bitterly at himself.

Wen He was somewhat taken aback. He blinked and asked, "Your Highness, are you misunderstanding something?"

"Hm?" Li Shimin looked at him in puzzlement.

"What could I possibly misunderstand? With a landmass that vast, could it be that no ruler of future generations went to conquer it, leaving it to those uncivilized savages?"

"Uh... not exactly. However, the ones who eventually occupied it were the white-skinned people of the West. Although history records that we were the first to initiate the Age of Discovery, we ultimately abandoned it. Those literati claimed it wasted manpower and wealth—"

"A disaster for the state and the people, they all deserve to be executed... But tell me, is that place very far from the Great Tang?"

Li Shimin had been filled with righteous indignation at first, but suddenly, a thought seemed to cross his mind.

Wen He nodded, not quite understanding what he meant.

He only heard Li Shimin let out a long sigh.

A monarch must consider not just the realm, but his own interests as well.

All that talk of wasting manpower and wealth was merely an excuse.

If a vast number of people learned of the wealth overseas and took to the sea, the ruler would begin to worry whether those seafarers would eventually slip beyond his control, thereby threatening his imperial authority.

"Very well, let us set this matter aside for now. As for the search for crop seeds, I will have people look into it as soon as possible. But aside from potatoes and sweet potatoes, are there no better crop seeds on this earth?"

Seeing that he dropped the subject of sailing overseas, Wen He did not press further.

Such an endeavor could not be rushed. Even if Li Shimin wanted to venture out to sea right now, with the flat-bottomed ships of the Great Tang, they would likely capsize the moment they cleared the coastal waters.

However, prompted by this remark, Wen He suddenly remembered something.

"Champa rice. By the calculations of the Great Tang, its yield should be around three shi per mu."

"Although it won't be introduced to our lands until the early Song dynasty, the people over there are already beginning to cultivate it during this period. Besides, it can be found in Annan, Champa, Chenla, and Tianzhu. Moreover, their land is fertile and the populace is simple-minded."

Wen He raised his eyebrows slightly, dropping a hint to Li Shimin: "Your Highness the Prince of Qin, expand the borders and carve out new territories. Spare us from future generations claiming that the Qing dynasty had more territory than the Great Tang, and therefore the Qing was superior to the Great Tang."

Seeing his expectant and excited gaze, Li Shimin couldn't help but offer a wry smile. Upon second thought, however, something felt off.

"Where is Champa? I have never heard of it."

"Ah." Wen He was stunned for a moment, then remembered that Champa would only be renamed after the Five Dynasties period.

"At this time, it should be called Kingdom of Huanwang."

"The Kingdom of Huanwang—just a small nation in the south. To think they possess such exceptional crop seeds and fertile land."

At present, even the most fertile land in the Great Tang yielded at best two shi per mu.

How could Li Shimin not be tempted?

Yet alas...

"Alas, I have no time to attend to this right now. If I were to raise an army at this moment, I would likely become the second Emperor Yang of Sui."

The mere thought of the current political situation within the court gave Li Shimin a headache.

Those aristocratic families were eyeing the realm like tigers watching their prey, eagerly wishing for a war so their scions could earn military merits and, if possible, seize military command.

That way, they could emulate their behavior during the Northern Zhou and Sui dynasties, constantly holding the imperial power under threat.

"More waiting for the future..." Wen He felt somewhat disappointed.

Reality differed so drastically from what he had gathered from historical texts.

In his mind, the moment he brought these things up, Li Shimin would wave his hand grandly to set the strategy for the future, then dispatch an army of a hundred thousand south to conquer Huanwang, Chenla, and perhaps even push into Tianzhu.

He never expected that after a burst of excitement, Li Shimin would postpone it.

Noticing his disappointment, Li Shimin chuckled and reached out to ruffle his hair.

"You rascal, can't you see that the Great Tang is currently recovering from the ruins? As you yourself said, I endured for three years after the Alliance at Weishui before launching a surprise attack on the Turks."

"That means three years from now, I will have firmly grasped the court politics and made those aristocratic families tremble in fear. Only then will I dare send Li Jing on an expedition."

"Once the Turks are destroyed and the northern threat eliminated, I can dispatch a fierce general to manage the south. Whether it be the Huanwang you spoke of or Chenla, they can be crushed with a flick of the hand."

Ah, that was more like it—that was the Heavenly Khagan, Li Shimin.

As for his omission of Tianzhu, Wen He understood as well.

After all, in this era, making the journey to such a place was no easy feat.

Didn't Xuanzang take seventeen years to make the trip?

Even without taking any detours, the distance from Chang'an to Tianzhu was at least eight thousand kilometers.

For this era, that was a distance that might take a lifetime to walk.

"Well, it is getting late. You should head back to rest early. Tomorrow I must enter the palace, and you can stay at the estate to teach Gaoming and the others your Three-Character Classic."

Li Shimin patted Wen He's shoulder with satisfaction.

Tonight, he truly realized that the value of this person from the future lay in far more than just his ability to foresee events.

Wen He's learning and understanding surpassed everyone in the Great Tang.

Li Shimin had countless questions he wanted to ask, but he simply had no time right now.

Returning to the Prince of Qin's mansion tonight was already a risk.

Du Ruhui and Changsun Wuji had repeatedly advised him against it.

Only by remaining in the Taiji Palace could he steady the current political climate.

Yet bitterness lingered in his heart.

Soon to become emperor, he was nonetheless forced into compromise.

Even if he genuinely favored Lady Yang the Younger, he was the emperor—it had to be his choice, not something others forced upon him!

The Hongnong Yang clan!

He silently repeated the name of this family in his mind.

He kept vividly in mind something Wen He had mentioned earlier:

That in the future, he would elevate Lady Yang the Younger to Empress.

Such an outcome was by no means his own desire.

Yet if future generations recorded such a rumor, it could only mean one thing.

In the future, the Hongnong Yang clan would very likely join hands with those factions to test his resolve.

By that time, while he might no longer fear the aristocratic families, those die-hards would still harbor relentless ambitions, eyeing the crown prince's seat.

Wen He was walking alongside Li Shimin. Seeing him fall silent for a long while, he looked up.

To his horror, he beheld a face that looked ready to commit murder!

"Your Highness, this cannot be rushed," Wen He cautioned, fearing he might act too hastily.

"Right, it cannot be rushed, and the Great Tang cannot afford turmoil either. Perhaps in the past I would have been impatient, but with you here, I believe I shall live to see their utter destruction."

Li Shimin patted Wen He on the shoulder.

The latter, however, looked rather dazed.

What was that supposed to mean?

"Your Highness, you surely don't expect me to deal with those aristocratic clans, do you?"