Getting Hit and Feeling Happy

Li Shimin naturally said, "Of course, you're the King of Chu, equivalent to a first-rank official. Officials ranked fifth or higher must attend court every day."

Lin Shen felt quite troubled.

He didn't want to wake up at four or five every day. Wasn't it nice to sleep until he naturally woke up?

Lin Shen tentatively said, "Can I not go?"

Li Shimin directly shook his head and refused, "No."

"At least not tomorrow. Tomorrow, I plan to discuss the matter of the schools with the ministers at the court meeting. If there's someone like you, an esteemed sage, helping to speak, there won't be as much resistance."

Lin Shen sighed and nodded, "Alright... just for tomorrow. I'm telling you, I won't attend court meetings in the future."

Li Shimin nodded like a chicken pecking rice and asked, "Come, let's continue. After establishing the schools, what should we do next?"

Lin Shen said, "Then we gradually elevate the status of merchants and traders in society. At the very least, they shouldn't be insulted for their origins when they are clearly respectable citizens."

Li Shimin frowned, "This seems quite challenging."

Lin Shen shook his head with a mysterious smile, "No, this is actually quite easy."

Li Shimin was taken aback. He felt that Lin Shen's appearance was just to slap him in the face.

Things he thought impossible or unrealistic, in Lin Shen's mouth, always seemed simple.

"Perhaps, this is what a sage is..." Li Shimin thought to himself.

Lin Shen continued, "This can be done together with regulating merchants and traders. First of all, besides being the King of Chu, I also have another identity as a merchant. In a certain sense, I can serve as a spokesperson for merchants."

"So through me, all merchants in the realm can realize one thing: the wealth they accumulate is not truly theirs."

Li Shimin made a sound of surprise.

He didn't ask further.

Lin Shen explained in due course, "Just like officials skilled in governing the realm, they're merely managing wealth, which requires certain abilities. So this wealth isn't theirs; it's merely temporarily entrusted to them by the people."

Li Shimin looked deeply at Lin Shen.

Lin Shen stared back, "What are you looking at me for? The little money I make isn't even enough to feed the people for a month. I've always been subsidizing them, alright?"

Li Shimin didn't dare to say anything more and just listened as Lin Shen continued.

Lin Shen waved his hand, "You can use me as an example. By the way, what's the tax rate for merchants in Tang?"

Lin Shen hadn't paid taxes during this time, so he wasn't very familiar with it.

Li Shimin replied, "Thirty percent."

Lin Shen frowned and thought for a moment, "That's about right. But we can also levy an additional tax. Each year, merchants should contribute half of their net profits, after deducting costs, for various constructions."

"Such as road repairs, building schools, embankments..."

"Establishing postal stations..."

Li Shimin raised an eyebrow. This idea sounded novel.

But what was the significance?

Lin Shen smiled as he explained, "This way, it prevents merchants from hoarding a large amount of assets. Secondly, it's to alleviate class conflicts."

"Merchants using their own money to do good deeds can also enhance their reputation among the common people..."

Li Shimin thought carefully.

This method seemed to kill three birds with one stone, no, it could even be said to achieve multiple objectives.

It made the merchants spend their money.

The merchants wouldn't strongly resist such matters; they were currently seeking social status. Instead of being apprehensive about whether their money would be taken by nobles, doing good deeds for the people would make them feel more at ease.

The country didn't need to worry about these matters anymore, and it could save a lot of money.

After Li Shimin figured out these matters, he looked at Lin Shen with a complicated gaze.

What kind of person was he? What kind of school of thought?

To give birth to such thoughts...

Li Shimin nodded, "This is a good idea. Tomorrow, I will discuss it with the ministers at the court meeting."

Lin Shen yawned and looked outside the door.

The sky had already turned dark.

"Alright, let's call it a day. If you have any more questions, come and ask me." Lin Shen stood up, stretched lazily, "You still have some limitations from the times when you analyze problems."

"But it's okay. With me here in the Tang Dynasty now, it will definitely get better and better."

Li Shimin didn't respond, just watched as Lin Shen slowly left.

Not long after, Empress Changsun came in, holding a bowl of lotus seed soup, and placed it in front of Li Shimin, "Your Majesty, have some food."

Li Shimin looked at the empty chair opposite him, sighed lightly, "As an emperor, I'm still not qualified enough... Always thinking I can surpass Qin Shihuang and Hanwu. Now it seems, without the King of Chu, I can't even match Qin Shihuang."

Regardless of Qin Shi Huang's bad reputation in history, he was still a person who opened up a new era.

Li Shimin thought he could also be a great emperor who could usher in a new era.

But Lin Shen's words made him realize a terrible reality.

His previous actions were still confined within the framework of an emperor.

Empress Changsun was curious, "Your Majesty, what did the King of Chu talk to you about? They spent the whole afternoon together."

Li Shimin laughed, "He was teaching me how to be a good emperor. I even had to show him this mark on my forehead."

Empress Changsun nodded.

Li Shimin laughed heartily and took a spoonful of lotus seed soup, "He was the one who hit me. It really hurt, and he didn't hold back at all."

Empress Changsun looked at Li Shimin with a strange expression.

She suspected whether her husband had been beaten silly...

How could someone be so happy after being hit?

Li Shimin didn't explain much. After finishing the lotus seed soup, while his memory was still clear, he wrote down everything Lin Shen had said on paper.

Including the two points he needed to bring up at tomorrow's court meeting.

He annotated them with a red pen.

After dealing with these matters, a eunuch pushed open the door, "Your Majesty, it's almost time for the court meeting..."

Li Shimin felt a little dazed.

Unknowingly, he had been doing official business all night long.

But it was all worth it.

Outside the palace gates, Lin Shen was dozing off against the carriage.

Being woken up so early in the morning was really unpleasant.

Many officials surrounded Lin Shen, whispering and pointing at him.

It was the first time they had seen him here since he was granted the title of King of Chu...