Since the food issue was revealed by Li Chengqian before the New Year, it has been a heart-wrenching problem among the monarchs and ministers of the Tang Dynasty.

After reading the memorial, Li Shimin immediately summoned the prime ministers of the three provinces, the two officials, the political affairs officers, and Changsun Wuji, and Xiao Yu summoned Liangyi Hall to discuss countermeasures.

Because Li Chengqian was confined to the East Palace, he specially summoned Yan Shigu to let him listen and go back to talk to Li Chengqian.

Li Shimin waited for everyone to sit down with a calm face, picked up the memorials on several tables, and sighed, "Look at it, this is a peaceful and prosperous era?"

Everyone's hearts sank, what's wrong?

Gao Shilian, who was sitting in the head, took the memorial and read it. While handing it to Changsun Wuji, he said to the crowd in confusion: "The grain price of Chang'an City has been rising for many years. How can I explain this to the people of the world?"

Changsun Wuji took the memorial and was about to read it, but heard this, he handed it to Cheng Mingzhen with a expressionless expression.

Everyone heard that it was because of Chang'an's grain prices and they all looked at Cheng Mingzhen. After all, no one was in charge of this matter.

As everyone was watching, Cheng Ming still took the memorial and read it calmly, then left it down and said to Li Shimin as if no one was around: "Although Your Majesty's grain price has risen, the Ministry of Civil Affairs has opened a regular warehouse to close the grain, so the grain price will not rise too high."

Everyone was a little dissatisfied when they heard Cheng Mingzhen's light words, and they felt that this person did not take national affairs seriously.

People who also think they have made contributions to the "Zhenguan Governance" are of course unwilling to see the rise in grain prices and the public is in a stir. Later, historical records record that during the Zhenguan period, the people could not afford food.

Seeing this, Changsun Wuji thought Cheng Mingzhen was not serious, and he was secretly happy, but asked seriously: "If the Ministry of Civil Affairs had not opened a limited amount of grain for Changping warehouses, the people would not know that Chang'an City would have shortage of food!"

Li Shimin was secretly angry when he heard this. His eyes looked at Cheng Mingzhen with a bit of scrutiny. The same was true for the others in the palace, waiting for Cheng Mingzhen to give an explanation.

Mingzhen was not given in vain. He seemed to have not felt the atmosphere in the palace frozen, and he smiled calmly and said, "Mr. Changsun is such a bad word. What are they trying to force the East Palace to close the grain store?

Isn’t it just to raise the grain price?

It’s a pity that it’s time for spring planting to farm, and not so many people transport grain into Chang’an City, otherwise I wouldn’t have allowed grain prices to continue to rise.”

Cheng Mingzhen said these words very beautifully. He first led the disaster to the east, saying that the people who impeached Li Chengqian wanted to raise the grain price, and then clearly told the people here that it is the busy spring farming season, and no one went to Luoyang to transport grain back.

Li Shimin's breathing immediately became heavy when he heard this, and he looked at Changsun Wuji angrily and hoped that he could come up with a solution.

Changsun Wuji heard that no one was transporting food now and was speechless, but he soon thought of something more important than the rise in grain prices in Dongshi.

"How much grain is stored in each warehouse in Chang'an now? Can military rations and officials' rice be distributed on time?" This question is more important. It doesn't matter if the price of grain in Dongshi rises a little, but if the military rations are short, I'm afraid that people will send people to transport grain regardless of spring planting.

When Changsun Wuji asked, Li Shimin and the others in the palace also reacted and looked at Cheng Mingzhen with great concern.

Cheng Mingzhen deliberately pretended to behave and pinched his fingers to calculate, then smiled at Changsun Wuji and said, "Don't worry, Lord Changsun, His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, had long expected that the manpower was tight during spring planting and could not be divided into manpower to transport grain, so he had already stored enough military rations and officials' rice. However, there were less grains in the warehouses, so the affordable grains of the Ministry of Civil Affairs could only be sold for half a day every day."

Li Shimin and everyone exclaimed their breath after hearing this, and Li Shimin said with a look of spring breeze: "Don't worry about Cheng Qing's family doing things." He paused and continued: "Can you see if the price of grain be reduced quickly?"

Cheng Mingzhen hurriedly said when he heard this: "These are all the contributions of His Highness the Crown Prince and Ren Yaxiang. I have no achievements in my first entry into Chang'an.

As for what His Majesty said, the price of grain is difficult to suppress for a while. I can only try my best not to let the price rise too quickly, so as to avoid rushing purchases.”

Li Shimin couldn't hide his disappointment when he heard this, but it was a fact that the people were unable to mobilize the civilians to transport grain at this time. Cheng Mingzhen cannot be blamed for being incompetent.

Although the rise in grain prices cannot be completely resolved, Cheng Mingzhen's guarantee will try his best to lower the grain prices. Li Shimin let go of the stone in his heart and was too lazy to discuss matters with these people anymore, so he let everyone disperse.

Li Shimin also set off and returned to Ganlu Palace to see Princess Jinyang.

The spring breeze has been turbulent a few days ago. The temperature has risen. In the past two days, with a light rain, it is chilly again. Just when it is still cold, the most susceptible to colds. The delicate Princess Jinyang has been ill for two days.

When Li Shimin returned to Ganlu Palace, Princess Jinyang fell asleep after taking medicine, but Li Shimin did not disturb her.

He returned to the main hall and sat down on the recliner given to him by Li Chengqian. He looked up at the letter given to him by Li Chengqian for a while. Thinking about what Cheng Mingzhen said just now, Li Chengqian prepared military rations and rice in advance, and was still very pleased.

Thinking that Li Chengqian could share the government affairs for him, he happily picked up a book on the small table and read it. He didn't even care about the rise in grain prices in Chang'an.

Just as Li Shimin was sitting on a lounge chair and reading a book leisurely, he suddenly heard a crying sound outside.

Could it be that the palace maid and eunuch were bullied?

No, why would the palace maid and eunuch cry here when they were bullied?

Li Shimin thought of getting up and walking quietly to the outside room. He saw Li Zhi kneeling on the felt pad facing outward, lying on the small table and crying sadly.

When Li Shimin saw him, he hurriedly walked up to help Li Zhi up. Seeing Li Zhi, who had always been carefree, he was filled with tears at this time. He felt very sad, but he said with a calm face: "Li Zhi, why are you crying here for no reason?"

When Li Zhi saw Li Shimin turning around, he threw himself into Li Shimin's arms and burst into tears.

Seeing this, Li Shimin could no longer look so he hugged Li Zhi in his arms with one hand, gently stroked his back with the other, and asked gently: "What happened? Could it be that someone bullies you? Tell your father, he will be the master of you."

Li Zhi was unmoved and just cried. Finally, he annoyed Li Shimin and pushed him out and looked at him with eyes and said, "What happened?"

Li Zhi raised his head and looked at Li Shimin with tears in his eyes and shouted: "Father!"

"Oh, tell my father quickly, my father is the master of you!" Li Shimin said while wiping Li Zhi's tears with his sleeves.

Li Zhi sobbed for a long time before saying, "My fourth brother is gone!"

"Ah!" Li Shimin didn't react for a moment.

"Father, my fourth brother is dead!" Li Zhi said again

The next time he threw himself into Li Shimin's arms and cried loudly.

Li Shimin hugged Li Zhi in a daze for a while and shed two lines of clear tears.

"I'm guilty!"

When Li Shimin first heard that his beloved son had died, he said just one sentence, and hugged Li Zhi and shed tears silently.

It was not until Li Zhi was tired of crying that Li Shimin silently raised his hand to wipe away his tears and said to Li Zhi: "It is his own fault and he cannot blame others."

After saying that, he patted Li Zhi on the shoulder and said, "You are his brother, and you will handle his funeral for him, and it will be regulated by the government."

After saying that, he got up and walked back. When he walked to the door of the inner room, he saw the recliner in the inner room and heard Li Zhi shouting loudly from behind:

"Father, the fourth brother died so miserably! His legs were broken..."

Li Shimin was mixed with the threshold, and suddenly felt his legs weak and he fell to the ground.
Chapter completed!