Chang'an City, the Ministry of Revenue's grand hall.
Fang Er tiptoed behind Fang Xuanling and suddenly shouted.
"Hey!"
"Damn it~"
Fang Xuanling was startled and his hand, which was holding a water cup, trembled. The octagonal glass cup was immediately shattered.
He turned and saw it was Fang Er playing a prank on him. He immediately stood up, his beard bristling, and grabbed a wooden stick from behind the door, swinging it at Fang Er.
"You can't mess with me just because you want to have a banquet!"
"I'm sixty already, and you almost sent me away just now!"
"Don't run, or I'll beat you to death!"
How could Fang Er stand there and let him hit? He ran outside with a chuckle.
The old and the young chased each other in the Ministry of Revenue for a long time, attracting the attention of the clerks and officials who came to watch.
Seeing that Fang Xuanling was sweating on his forehead, Fang Er pretended to be out of breath and let him hit him on the backside with the stick.
"Slap!"
The stick didn't hurt. It was unclear if old Fang was truly old or if he was also faking it.
He grinned at Fang Xuanling, "Heh, I saw you sitting for too long and was afraid it was bad for your health, so I wanted you to stretch your muscles~"
Fang Xuanling threw the stick to a clerk with a wry smile and cursed at them, "What are you all looking at? Go back to your work!"
After scolding the clerks, he said to Fang Er, "You brat, aren't you afraid of scaring me to death!"
"Why did you come back alone? Where is the Emperor?"
Fang Er took two steps forward, supported his arm, and said, "Let's talk back, let's talk back~"
Not long after they walked out, Fang Er casually pulled a clerk over and said to him, "Go invite the Duke of Wei, and the ministers of all departments. Tell them there's a major event that needs their consultation!"
The clerk bowed and went to find the people.
Back in the grand hall of the Ministry of Revenue, Fang Xuanling had tea served and asked the previous question again.
"Where is the Emperor?"
"The Emperor will be back in a while, but don't worry, he and the Empress are doing well."
Fang Er took a sip of tea and then chatted with him about trivial matters.
Soon, the clerk invited the people over.
Li Jing rushed into the grand hall of the Ministry of Revenue. Seeing only Fang Er and not Li Shimin, his heart sank instantly.
This kid, is he really going to take that step?
Seeing his expression was off, Fang Er stood up and saluted him.
"How has the Duke of Wei been lately?"
Li Jing walked to a chair on the side with a grim expression, without saying a word, and cast a questioning glance at Fang Xuanling.
Fang Xuanling was completely bewildered, not understanding the meaning behind his gaze.
Seeing that Li Jing was ignoring him, Fang Er became even more confused. When did he offend Li Jing?
"Duke of Wei, I've been out with the Emperor for so many days, and I don't think I've done anything to make you angry, have I?"
Li Jing did not answer his question but asked lightly.
"Can the Crown Prince ascend the throne?"
Fang Er was completely stunned this time. "No, the Emperor is alive and well. What throne is the Crown Prince ascending?"
"This matter, you should ask the Emperor when he returns. What do you mean by asking me?"
Li Jing looked at him expressionlessly, "The Emperor is still alive?"
"What are you talking about?" Fang Er finally understood what he meant. This guy suspected him of killing Li Shimin and coming back to rebel?
"Duke of Wei, I respect you so much, yet you look at me like this?"
"I'm not playing anymore! I'll go bring the Emperor back right now. I don't care about the overseas territories anymore, what is all this!"
After saying this, he got up and walked towards the door.
Fang Xuanling had spent more time with Fang Er and knew his character well. Moreover, Fang Er had just said that the Emperor was fine and had only sent him back to handle matters temporarily.
So, he quickly stepped forward to stop Fang Er and looked at Li Jing speechlessly.
"Yaoshi, this is not right. If these words get out, how will Anzhi be able to live?"
"Don't overthink it. The Emperor and the Empress are both fine, they are just tied up with matters overseas."
Li Jing still didn't quite believe it. "Is that really true?"
Fang Xuanling patted Fang Er on the shoulder twice. "You wait here. I will make this guy bow and apologize to you today!"
Then he walked over and whispered a few words in Li Jing's ear. Li Jing's expression changed as he listened, turning pale and then dark, as if he were performing Sichuan opera.
After a while, he finally smiled and cupped his hands at Fang Er. "Anzhi, please forgive me. I spoke out of turn in my haste. Please don't take it to heart~"
He was concerned and had not considered the Sky Fire Army. If Fang Er really did something, and directly marched his troops south, who could stop him?
It was only after Fang Xuanling reminded him that he realized he had indeed been careless.
Fang Er walked back to his seat, still sulking, staring at Li Jing unhappily for a long time, then suddenly reached into his pocket and took something out.
"Eat these, and today's matter is settled. Otherwise, we're not done!"
Li Jing's face instantly turned green when he saw what was in his palm.
Those were three small blue pills!
If he ate them all at once, what would happen to him?
But considering that what he had just said was indeed a bit excessive, he could only force himself to throw them into his mouth. After laboriously swallowing the dry pills, he was about to get up and leave.
"Since the Emperor is well, I'll be leaving now. If there's anything, you can discuss it among yourselves~"
"Don't~ You can't leave, you have to stay and listen~"
The anger on Fang Er's face disappeared. With a mischievous smile, he got up and pushed Li Jing back into his chair.
Just then, Du Yiyang, Dai Li, and the ministers of other departments also arrived.
"Greetings, Prime Minister Fang, Duke of Wei, Duke of An."
After the five of them saluted in order, they found their seats and sat down.
Li Jing felt very awkward. He didn't know that Fang Er had invited others. With a room full of men, what if the medicine took effect later...
Fang Er looked at the expression on his face and felt inwardly delighted. Heh heh heh, who told you to ruin our reputation!
Then he looked at everyone and said, "I invited everyone here because there is a major event that requires your joint decision."
"Our Great Tang's territory has expanded again~"
"The increased area is larger than our existing territory!"
"At the same time, we have added at least 300 million more people. I came back early to bring you this good news."
"Most importantly, these territories and people need a large number of officials to manage them."
"Hiss~~"
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a collective gasp in the hall.
The most noticeable was Fang Xuanling, who clutched his neck with both hands, his face flushed red, and he kept coughing.
"Cough cough~~ Cough~"
"Cough~~"
"Ga~~"