If it was just a superficial threat, Xiao Yu probably wouldn't make such a big concession, but he was afraid of Li Xiang's next steps. If he continued on this path, Li Xiang would probably not let him go, and everyone, including the Lanling Xiao family, would face a catastrophe.
In the next few days, the powerful people in Chang'an City discovered something strange. Xiao Yu was not at home during the day, and he was entertaining guests everywhere these days. Everyone understood what was going on. He must be cheering for His Royal Highness the King of Wu. But after going to the East Palace twice, Xiao Yu became the same as before, reciting poems and composing essays at home honestly, and the guests he entertained were all literati. As for political affairs, it seemed that he was not going to interfere.
Prince Wu's Palace.
"What did you say? You didn't even accept the invitation from the king?"
King Wu Li Ke was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He thought he had found a great opportunity, but before he could even make a few moves, his most powerful supporter had been knocked down.
When Xiao Yu went to the East Palace, he sent people to investigate the situation outside and learned that Li Xiang had already taken action, but he did not say anything. He believed that an old fox like Xiao Yu must have three burrows. Even if Li Xiang found some of his property, he would still have a second way out in secret.
But no one expected that after only a few days, the head of the Lanling Xiao family and the former prime minister of the Tang Dynasty actually admitted defeat. It can be imagined how powerful Li Xiang's attack was. King Wu Li Ke did not think of being an enemy of Li Xiang at the beginning. In fact, he also realized that the position should belong to Li Xiang, and others did not have the ability to compete at all. Mainly because when facing Li Xiang's powerful strength, they all felt powerless.
But suddenly Li Shimin drew a path for him. No matter whether this path is good or bad, at least this path may be passed. Among the royal family members, as long as they are faced with the three words "possibility", they will definitely try their best, not to mention that King Wu Li Ke is not bad either.
So King Wu Li Ke personally visited Xiao Yu. The other party also had ideas about this path. The two sides could be said to have hit it off. As long as they had common interests, the next thing would be easy. King Wu Li Ge concentrated on training the army and strived to make a splash on the battlefield. Xiao Yu helped him win over Dacheng in the court and could also become a force in the court.
But now that he was making good progress, the Lanling Xiao family suddenly pulled the plug. Didn't that leave him in the dust? Although he trained his troops well, if he wanted to keep his officers loyal, he had to give them some benefits. Why would they stay with him if it was just slogans?
Take Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Jingde for example. These two families were closest to Li Xiang, so they also gained good benefits. Their sons were promoted and they were able to get a share of the business. It can be said that they had both face and money. Who would not want to continue to follow such a master?
King Wu Li Ke was also very envious, but the problem was that he did not have the strength now, so he could only accumulate it slowly. Even so, he wanted to give his subordinates some money, at least to let everyone see hope. There must be hope even in difficult times. This hope lies with Xiao Yu. It was agreed that Xiao Yu would raise a sum of money for him to test his soldiers, but now that they have withdrawn, the King of Wu has already promised the money. Where can he get the money for the time being?
For Li Xiang and Li Tai, tens of thousands of strings of cash were something they could come up with, but for the King of Wu, it was a considerable sum of money. This was mainly because the King of Wu had never paid attention to business since he was a child. Although he had several businessmen under his command, they were all people without strength. If you wanted them to come up with these tens of thousands of strings of cash, you had to drain them all.
When the subordinates saw their prince's angry look, they were timid and dared not say a word. This old man Xiao was too much. He had clearly promised our prince something, but now he was going back on his word.
"How much money is left at home?"
In desperation, the King of Wu could only find a solution himself. After all, the army values credibility. If you don't keep your word, no one will want to follow you. We all risk our lives to live with you, and you're just going to use these empty words to fool us? It might be okay once or twice, but if it continues for a long time, it's only a matter of time before you become a commander without troops.
"In reply to Your Highness, this year's rent has just been collected, totaling 14,600 strings of cash. However, after deducting various expenses for the palace and adding the money in the treasury, there is still 23,000 strings of cash left."
The palace's steward didn't even need to look at the account book, he could directly explain the family's situation. Hearing about this amount of money, if it were in the past, King Wu would think that his income was quite a lot. After all, he didn't have much expenses in the past. Apart from supporting the people in the palace, the rest of the money was purely money.
After all, he had no chance of competing for the throne, so there was no need for him to buy connections with money. Instead, people would beg him to do things. But now the situation is different. He has already set up his stall. It is impossible for him to live the idle life of a prince in the past. King Wu now feels a little regretful. If he had listened to his mother earlier, perhaps he would not be so embarrassed now.
"We've got to get rid of all the assets we can. We have to get 50,000 strings of cash."
Prince Wu gritted his teeth and said that his palace was different from Li Tai's. Since Li Chengqian fell out of favor, Li Tai could be said to be the favorite to be the crown prince. All of the followers of Empress Zhangsun had gone to Li Tai's side, and their corresponding income was also high.
So even if Li Tai is being suppressed now, it would not be a problem if his family could come up with tens or even hundreds of thousands of strings of cash. However, the King of Wu has never risen to power, and at most he gets some subsidy from Concubine Yang, which is only two or three thousand strings of cash. It cannot be much, so to raise this money, he has to sell his property. This is the second time I have heard of the son of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty selling his property. The first time was when Li Xiang, his incompetent father, sold his property.
Of course, Li Chengqian's misguided path at that time was purely due to the hidden worries of others. Emperor Taizong had already determined this. Although Emperor Taizong looked down on his eldest son, he couldn't say that his own son had this temperament. According to Emperor Taizong's thinking, the mistakes were all made by others. My son has good intentions, and it was all you people who colluded with him...