Chapter 35: Too Much Money to Put Away

Li Shen led a grand procession of over a hundred carts toward the Imperial Palace. Upon reaching the palace gate, the guards conducted a routine inspection. The commander of the guards was left stunned when he realized that all one hundred and sixty-some carts were filled entirely with copper coins.

He had been guarding the palace for ten years, having earned the trust of Li Shimin since the first year of the Zhenguan era. Never before had he seen anyone transporting money into the palace. Had Li Shen been hauling weapons or blades, he wouldn't have been so shocked, but after a thorough inspection, the guards allowed the convoy to enter the inner palace. There was no reason to deny them; while unusual, transporting money was neither a weapon nor a dangerous item.

Such a long convoy passing through the inner palace in broad daylight was particularly eye-catching. When the procession stopped in front of the Daji Palace, concubines from every quarter came out to watch. Even Empress Zhangsun arrived; as the mistress of the inner palace, she was required to oversee any such notable event.

Consort Wei, having been informed by a eunuch that the Prince of Ji had returned with a convoy, also came out to investigate. She saw Li Shen standing at the entrance just as Empress Zhangsun approached from the distance.

"Shen'er, what are you doing now? Why cause such a commotion? What are you hauling in these carts?" Consort Wei asked her son hurriedly, fearing he had made a mistake.

Empress Zhangsun arrived with her attendants, and everyone bowed to her. She walked up to Li Shen and asked with a smile, "Shen'er, what good things have you brought back this time?"

Every time Li Shen had something good, he would send her a portion. Not long ago, Consort Wei had sent her a box of fine wine that she heard was worth fifty strings of cash.

"Replying to Mother, I have merely brought back some worldly possessions," Li Shen answered, thinking to himself that money was, after all, just a worldly possession.

"Oh? What kind of worldly possessions?" the Empress asked, even more curious.

"Mother will know once they finish unloading," Li Shen replied. He then turned to the steward in charge and commanded, "Unload everything into the storeroom. Once a cart is emptied, return to the Directorate of Palace Food. I will have Steward Wang deliver your rewards this evening. Start unloading!"

At Li Shen’s command, the cover of the first ox-cart was opened. The eunuchs began to haul out the coins. Each person could carry ten strings of cash at a time, weighing over sixty jin. Fortunately, these eunuchs were accustomed to hard labor and were in good health. Li Shen instructed the head eunuch under Consort Wei to open the storeroom and begin the count.

The onlookers watched as the eunuchs carried piles of copper coins into the Daji Palace one by one. Dozens of eunuchs moved back and forth, one cart after another.

The concubines, eunuchs, and palace maids watching were wide-eyed. Although they lived in the imperial palace, their stipends were not exactly abundant. Beyond the occasional reward for being in favor, even Empress Zhangsun’s eyes lit up. She managed the inner treasury, which had been stretched thin over the years due to Li Shimin’s frugality and constant withdrawals to support state affairs. Currently, there were only about forty thousand strings of cash in the treasury—and that included the five thousand strings Li Shen had contributed as a dividend just a few months prior.

Consort Wei was also dumbfounded. After half an hour, thirty carts had been unloaded, yet so many remained. Where did her son get all this money? She worried he might have done something illegal, though she couldn't imagine what crime could yield so much wealth in just a few days. Had he robbed the national treasury? She couldn't help but let her imagination run wild.

By now, everyone who heard the news had arrived. Li Mengjiang, the Princess, also came from her palace to watch. Seeing Li Shen directing the unloading and observing the greed in the eyes of those around her, a sense of pride welled up in Li Mengjiang. This was her younger brother. In this era, the strength of a woman’s maternal family was crucial. With such a capable brother, she could hold her head high after marriage, and her husband's family would not dare bully her. This sentiment was particularly strong because she was a princess who did not enjoy much favor.

Spotting Li Mengjiang in the crowd, Li Shen waved at her and shouted, "Sister! Sister, come here!"

Li Mengjiang walked over. "Shen'er, is something the matter?"

"Sister, tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival. You and the others are going out of the palace to celebrate, aren't you? It will surely cost money. I’ll have Stone take a thousand strings of cash to you later. Buy whatever you like when you go out. Stone! Stone! Where is he?"

Li Shen began searching for his personal eunuch. In the Tang Dynasty, restrictions on women going out were not overly strict; for festivals like Mid-Autumn, princesses could go out with guards and servants. Because she was not favored, Li Mengjiang was usually self-effacing and frugal, rarely spending even the money Consort Wei gave her. Li Shen didn't want his sister to be so insecure. If Li Shimin wouldn't spoil her, he, as her brother, would. He also didn't intend for her to marry off too early; she should only marry someone she truly loved.

"Shen'er, there is no need. I don't need to buy anything," Li Mengjiang said, deeply moved.

Just as Li Shen was about to respond, Stone ran over and said, "Your Highness, the storeroom is full. What should we do?" Consort Wei’s Daji Palace did not have much of a storeroom to begin with; they had only set aside one room for their stipends. With Li Shen’s massive haul, they had run out of space after only fifty carts.

Li Shen couldn't even imagine how large the national treasury must be to hold millions of strings of cash annually. The storerooms of the Six Ministries, which held hundreds of thousands, must be massive.

The onlookers were amazed that a whole room could not hold the wealth. Li Shen turned to Li Mengjiang and said, "Sister, look, the storeroom is full. Hurry and take some away to help me spend it."

When Li Shen said this, even Consort Wei and Li Mengjiang felt he was being a bit too showy. The surrounding concubines could barely hide their eye-rolls, thinking the Prince of Ji was being insufferable. Before Li Mengjiang could speak, Li Shen turned to Stone and ordered, "Stone, take five carts of copper coins to my sister's residence at the Princess's Palace." Stone nodded and directed five ox-carts to depart.

The princesses who had accompanied Li Mengjiang looked on with envy. "Twelfth Sister, Tenth Brother is so good to you. You really didn't spoil him in vain," Princess Dongyang said enviously.

"Indeed, Twelfth Sister. Tenth Brother is truly capable. A thousand strings of cash! You can buy so much silk, jewelry, and cosmetics. Didn't you have your eye on a painting by a master last time? You said ten strings was too expensive then, but now you have the money—go buy it tomorrow!" Princess Jin'an added.

Li Mengjiang said nothing, but her heart was filled with warmth. Her little brother had proven himself worth the affection.

By now, Li Shen had asked Consort Wei to find a larger space, and after two hours, the unloading was finally complete. The crowd had long since dispersed. Empress Zhangsun followed Consort Wei into the hall to chat. When Li Shen finished his work and entered the hall, Consort Wei immediately asked, "Shen'er, where did all this money come from?"

"Aunt, it was all earned through business. I partnered with Eldest Sister and Lizi. I have already sent out the dividends from this venture," Li Shen replied.

"Oh? You partnered with Princess Changle? Would she really go along with your mischief?" Consort Wei asked, skeptical.

"Haha, Shen'er is telling the truth. Lizi mentioned it to me when she visited the palace a few days ago. Five hundred strings of cash for a ten percent stake. It seems Lizi has made a fortune this time," Empress Zhangsun laughed.

"His Majesty has arrived!" a eunuch announced from outside.