Chapter 60: Keep the Music Playing, Keep the Dancing Going

"What should we do?" Zhao Mu flopped back onto the soft couch with a speechless expression, rolling his eyes as he said, "We'll just leave it be!"

"Anyway, things have reached this point, so there's no need to worry about it. Let the Crown Prince handle it himself and see how he copes."

With that, he ordered the Night Owl, "Go summon the top courtesans here. We won't be returning to our own Paradise on Earth today; we'll stay right here at the Wutong Pavilion..."

"Keep the music playing, and let the dance go on!"

Just as the rare, gentle sounds of plucked strings and flutes began to drift through the Wutong Pavilion early in the morning, Li Chengqian, upon returning to the East Palace, had also quite unusually summoned the core officials of the East Palace Administration Office—Grand Supervisor Zhang Xuansu, Left Assistant Yu Zhining, and Right Assistant Kong Yingda—to a council.

Even several capable, hands-on administrative officials were summoned.

Seated in the primary seat, Li Chengqian no longer wore the lost and disheartened expression he had back in the Pingkang Quarter.

Having gone through deep contemplation within his residence, his aura at this moment had clearly undergone a dramatic transformation.

While waiting for all the ministers to take their places, he did not remain idle. He had ordered the delivery of rosters—sent by various ministries—of the officials tasked with implementing the new policies, and he meticulously reviewed them one by one, calculating endlessly in his mind...

Although he had never personally participated in state affairs before, he had at least consistently observed politics from the sidelines. This had allowed him to familiarize himself from an observer's perspective with the abilities, temperaments, and other crucial details of the various large and small officials throughout the court. It was just that his past behavior had been absurd, and he had never truly thought about how to make use of such information.

But now...

Just as a complete plan was gradually taking shape in Li Chengqian's mind, the officials of the East Palace arrived one after another.

Seeing that everyone was present, Li Chengqian got straight to the point. He systematically and analytically laid out Zhao Mu's sharp insights regarding the powerful clans of Hexi, the officials of the Western Regions, and Prince Wei's waiting-in-the-wings counterattack, combining them with his own understanding—though naturally framing everything from his own perspective.

Furthermore, every word was crystal clear, carrying a heart-pounding sense of urgency.

"...Therefore, Your Servant believes that proceeding slowly is no longer a sound strategy," Li Chengqian said, his gaze sweeping over the senior ministers. "After all, these new policies are like a sharp blade; once drawn from its scabbard, it is bound to draw blood."

"Moreover, if we merely shut ourselves away in Chang'an, striving for absolute perfection, I fear that before the draft is even completed, the web of countermeasures will have already bound our East Palace tightly and fatally!"

The hall fell into complete silence. The senior officials were men of experience and gravity. Upon first hearing the Crown Prince's words, they were horrified by the severity of the situation, and even more astonished by the Crown Prince's suddenly revealed, almost cold sobriety and profound awareness of the potential crisis.

Although the Crown Prince's transformation over the past few days had been visible to the naked eye—and had even made them look at him with newfound respect—they had not expected the Crown Prince to be able to analyze practical policies to such a profound depth!

Even more accurately... than old hands like them!

This was a complete divergence from the impression they held of the crown prince, who had sometimes been high-spirited, sometimes somewhat impetuous, but most of the time absurd and ridiculous.

After a brief moment of silence in the hall, Grand Supervisor Zhang Xuansu was the first to speak. Stroking his beard and pondering, he said, "What Your Highness has considered is entirely correct. The powerful clans of Hexi are deeply rooted, intertwined with the border armies and local authorities, and their capacity for counterattack cannot be underestimated. In particular, the reform of the Western Regions customs tariff directly cuts off the financial paths of countless vested interests, and the resistance will only be greater. As for the reform of the border garrison-farming system, the court has long since reached a consensus."

"It's just that I'm afraid Prince Wei... will not let go of any opportunity to slander Your Highness."

With that, he looked at Li Chengqian and asked, "However... judging by Your Highness's implication just now, are you... planning to accelerate the implementation?"

"Not accelerate, but begin immediately!" Li Chengqian said decisively. "Moreover, I have already made up my mind in my heart. We shall take the establishment of the Hexi Trade Market—the foremost of these three strategies—as our breakthrough point."

"I have decided to request an imperial edict from His Majesty during tomorrow morning's court session."

"We will use the pretext of 'inspecting border conditions and overseeing the construction of the trade market'."

"I shall personally select capable personnel to form the 'Hexi New Policy Inspection Imperial Envoy' and travel to Liangzhou bearing the imperial tally!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was shocked.

The Crown Prince was personally dispatching a special envoy mission and bestowing upon them the authority of the "imperial tally."

This was no longer just speeding things up; it meant directly intervening in local governance and forcefully pushing the reforms through!

Left Assistant Yu Zhining said cautiously, "Your Highness, this proposal is excellent. It demonstrates the court's determination. However, the personnel must be chosen with the utmost care. They must not only understand economic affairs and practical administration, but also be upright and incorruptible, unafraid of the might of local powerful clans, and furthermore... regarding His Majesty's stance..."

"As for the personnel, I already have a plan in mind," Li Chengqian said, his gaze burning like a torch, clearly having thought the matter through thoroughly. "Let Pei Mingli, Vice Director of the Bureau of Revenue in the Ministry of Finance, serve as the chief envoy. This man is skilled in mathematics, understands the ways of commerce, and has long enjoyed a clean reputation. Additionally, transfer Li Anren from the East Palace Guards to serve as the deputy envoy concurrently in charge of protection. He once garrisoned Hexi and is familiar with border conditions. We shall select several more capable men to accompany them."

"As for His Majesty..." He paused briefly. "I will personally enter the palace to explain the situation, state the pros and cons clearly, and mobilize the full strength of the East Palace to support the needs of the special envoy mission."

He turned to look at the official in charge of documentation: "The 'Draft Regulations for the Hexi Trade Market' need not strive for absolute perfection any longer. Take the core elements: focus on breaking monopolies, ensuring fair trade, guaranteeing that commercial taxes go directly to the central authority, and clearly defining the responsibilities of cooperating with the border armies for defense. The final draft must be completed within three days and taken to Hexi along with the special envoy mission! As for the reform of the border garrison-farming system..."

Li Chengqian's gaze turned icy. "Immediately dispatch men to secretly investigate the actual conditions of the border military garrison lands. Anyone who has encroached upon civilian lands, or even seized the lands of the militia and fubing soldiers, shall be documented regardless of who is involved, and severely punished without exception!"

"The preliminary investigations must begin immediately to clear away obstacles for our subsequent thunderous measures!"

Li Chengqian's directives were clear, decisive, and targeted. Every single point struck directly at the vital areas pointed out by Zhao Mu, yet they were not executed with blind recklessness, reflecting the strategy he had formed after digesting his sense of crisis.

Using the trade market as a spear to proactively attack Hexi, followed up by customs tariffs to build momentum and apply pressure.

Finally, relying on the investigation of garrison lands as a foundation to advance steadily and solidly.

More crucially, he was no longer preparing at a leisurely pace.

Instead, he was immediately dispatching an execution-capable team to seize the initiative.

At the very least, he needed to catch those so-called powerful families and local officials deduced by Brother Zhao off guard, before they even had a chance to collude with one another!

The senior officials exchanged glances with one another, seeing both shock and a trace of uplifted spirits in each other's eyes. Overnight, the Crown Prince seemed to have thoroughly shed much of his impetuosity, displaying the true decisiveness and desire to control complex situations that belonged to a crown prince.

Though the road ahead was fraught with danger, this transformation alone made it worth giving their all.

"Your ministers obey!" After looking at each other in dismay, everyone spoke in unison to accept the order.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly turned tense and brimming with action.

Meanwhile, the news that His Excellency the Crown Prince had donned his formal court attire and headed straight for the Pingkang Quarter immediately after the morning court session...

Had also quietly begun to spread within certain specific circles.