Time Travel: I am the idle king Li Shen and Li Shimin in the Tang Dynasty

Li Shen was really tired. He had suffered two unexpected disasters, and on top of that, he was confined to his house for two months and fined six years' salary.

My salary deduction has now started to last for three years.

He was wondering whether he would start in five years or ten years.

Other people's salary is to support their families, while my salary is to relieve my worries and boredom.

After listening to Wang De’s explanation, Li Shen became even more depressed.

It turned out that when Li Shimin went to establish Zhengde, he was complained by his own wife, and Empress Changsun got the news from somewhere.

Knowing that his son was seriously injured, he was concerned but very dissatisfied with Li Shimin's actions.

He refused to eat, drink water, or pay any attention to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin loved his wife dearly, and when he thought of the culprit behind this incident, he immediately became furious.

Li Tai had already been beaten, and Li Shen, the complainant, was also doomed to fail.

"Your Highness, it's just a salary deduction. It's not a lot of money. It's just a drop in the bucket for you."

Wang De looked at the angry Li Shen and comforted him.

"I say, Lao Wang, you are too arrogant. Isn't it a lot?

The prince's annual salary is about 100,000 strings of cash?"

Li Shen retorted.

"Well... Has Your Majesty not received his salary for a long time?"

Wang De's question touched Li Shen's heart directly.

"So what?"

In fact, Li Shen had never received a salary in his life.

After he was named King of Shen at the age of three, all his salaries were received by Concubine Wei.

When Li Shen was about to leave the palace, his salary was deducted.

In other words, Li Shen himself never received a single day's salary.

"Your Majesty, the prince's salary is divided into two parts, salary and salary.

Your Highness, your salary is an fief of 10,000 households, plus monthly miscellaneous allowances, including rice, silk, cloth, spices, paper and pens, etc.

These were all issued by the imperial court.

But Your Majesty, you still have land and menial tasks, and you still have 1,500 real seals, and His Majesty has not deducted these from you.

Your Majesty only deducts those distributed by the court, which is at most a few thousand strings of cash each month.

Less than 30,000 or 40,000 yuan a year.”

Wang De began to settle accounts with Li Shen. In fact, Wang De settled more accounts with Li Shen because Li Shen was favored by the emperor.

So nominally speaking, they were given a lot. The fiefs of other princes were 7,000 or 8,000 households, and gradually increased to 10,000 households.

Only Li Shen, because he saved the Queen, was granted a fief of 10,000 households early on. Of course, this was an empty title, meaning he was only given a salary but no real work.

Li Shen's actual fief was the highest among all the princes, at 1,500 households.

The rule throughout the Tang Dynasty was to give a fief of 1,000 households. Most of Li Shen's brothers had not yet received their fiefs.

A large part of the reason was that it was to be left for the next emperor, who would add a full thousand as a token of grace.

Like Li Ke, Li Yin and others now, their fiefdom is only 800.

Li Shen's fifteen hundred was also a reward for his meritorious service.

That's why Wang De said that the salary deducted by Li Shen in a year was not as much as Li Shen said.

"Really?" Li Shen didn't understand either. He had never received a salary. He had just heard from others that a prince could get a salary of around 100,000 strings of cash a year.

So he always thought he made 100,000 strings of cash a year.

Now that Wang De had calculated this, he asked with some uncertainty.

"My Lord, how could I lie to you? It is true, my Lord. The fief of 10,000 households is written in the Six Classics."

Wang De tried to persuade him earnestly, but this young prince was different from other princes and was not so obedient.

Other princes might not even have the courage to ask why, but this scourge is different.

Not only did he dare to ask why, he even dared to run to His Majesty to question him.

Li Shen stretched out his fingers and fiddled with them.

"That's not a small amount. A fief of 10,000 households must have at least 10,000 dan, or 1 million dou. At the current grain price, that's 20,000 guan."

"Your Majesty, didn't I tell you that it's only 30,000 to 40,000 strings of cash a year, not the 100,000 strings of cash you said?"

Wang De nodded.

"But...but I feel a little wronged. Just one sentence cost me hundreds of thousands of coins.

His son was beaten, what does it have to do with me?

They even deducted my money. My money didn’t come from the wind.

Besides, didn’t Li Tai leave the palace without permission yesterday? Why didn’t you say he would be fined three years’ salary?”

Li Shen still couldn't get over this hurdle in his heart. He felt that he was so wronged and the money was like lost.

"Your Highness, the Prince of Wei left the palace after writing a note and handing it to the palace. He left the palace only after His Majesty agreed.

This does not constitute leaving the palace without permission.

Your Highness, you are different. You wrote a note when you went out a few years ago. If it were someone else, they would have been punished long ago. This is tantamount to disobeying the emperor's order.

How can you be so casual as to not take the confinement seriously?"

Wang De explained somewhat helplessly, there are a few people like you who don’t take the emperor’s words seriously and still do as they please even when under house arrest.

Hearing Wang De say this, Li Shen felt somewhat guilty. It was indeed as Wang De said, he did not take the house arrest seriously.

So he said in a somewhat gentle tone:

"That's not what I meant. I just feel a little unbalanced. Why do you always bring me along?

Look, my fourth brother was beaten, I was fined, and there is still my ninth brother, why don’t you take him with you?”

If we die, we die together. I can't be the only one to die. This is Li Shen's mentality now.

Anyway, none of us are good people. We either perish together or commit evil together.

Last time they both got themselves into trouble, so no one can expect anything to happen this time.

Wang De chuckled:

"Hehe, Your Majesty, you really guessed it right. I will take this old slave back to Prince Jin's Mansion, just like last time.

One month's house arrest and a six-month salary fine."

Anyway, none of you three brothers can escape, Wang De smiled secretly in his heart.

Li Shen felt balanced immediately. Although he was only fined for half a year, he would not receive any salary anyway, so one year or three years were the same to him.

So Li Shen was fined one year's salary. He was also confined to his house for two months. How satisfying!

Li Shen is a typical person with diffusion of responsibility effect.

"I heard that you personally beat the King of Wei yesterday? You were pretty ruthless." Li Shen asked again.

"I beat him myself. This was all His Majesty's order. If you want to beat him severely, I cannot disobey your order."

As he said this, he winked at Li Shen.

Li Shen immediately understood what it meant and smiled:

"The old king has worked hard. He is so old, but he still works so hard for His Majesty. Shitou, go and get a jar of the medicinal wine that I brewed to invigorate blood and prolong life for Chief Steward Wang."

"Oh, my Lord, this is unacceptable. How can an old servant like me accept your reward? I can't do this, I can't do this."

Wang De's face was full of wrinkles as he smiled as he tried to evade responsibility.

"You are right. You have followed His Majesty for many years. We are already a family. I am afraid you also injured your bones yesterday.

Drinking some medicinal wine can heal hidden injuries."

Li Shen said with a smile.

(I may need to take a day off these two days. I have one day off every month.

I have thought of the reason. I might have diarrhea in the next two days. I am not sure on which day.)