Chapter 1133: Brother Lang has eight ideas

Li Hong took the Want Want gift package, and his eyes instantly lit up as if filled with stars. He pointed his little finger at the folds on the packaging bag and shook his little face towards Lin Lang.

"Thank you, godfather! This bag is so tight, godfather, can you help Honger open it?"

"Okay." Lin Lang smiled and opened the packaging of the Want Want gift package. He took out a bag of snow rice cakes from it, tore open a corner, and a sweet rice fragrance immediately wafted out.

"Take it." Lin Lang handed the snow rice cake to Li Hong. Seeing his godson couldn't wait to take it, his eyes were full of tenderness.

Li Hong pinched the snow rice cake, and his fingertips could touch the crispy lines, but he didn't rush to eat it.

He first looked at his godfather Lin Lang beside him, then quickly glanced at his father Li Zhi who was reclining on the dragon couch. His little brows furrowed slightly, and he moved to Wu Zetian's side holding the snow rice cake, his voice soft and a little embarrassed.

"Mother, this first bite... should Hong'er give it to Father first, or to Father-in-Law?"

Empress Wu looked at her son's conflicted expression, the smile in her eyes so gentle that tears could drip out of her eyes. She reached out and gently scratched the tip of his nose.

"Hong'er is indeed filial. Since you can't make up your mind, why not give the first bite to your mother? That way you don't have to favor either your father or your adoptive father, how great is that?"

"That's right!" Li Hong's eyes lit up, and his embarrassment disappeared instantly. He raised the snow rice cake in his hand high and handed it to his mother, saying crisply, "Then mother, take the first bite!"

Empress Wu smiled and leaned over, gently biting off a piece of the snow rice cake. She didn't care that the snow-white rice crumbs stained the corner of her lips. She chewed slowly and coaxed in a gentle voice: "Hmm, it's so crispy and fragrant. Hong'er, eat it quickly."

After getting his mother's permission, Li Hong took the snow rice cake and began to nibble on it. The crisp sound of "crunching" was particularly clear in the hall, and his little face was full of a satisfied smile.

Li Zhi sat aside and watched, and couldn't help laughing: "Hong'er is really filial. He thinks of his elders when he has good things."

Lin Lang stood by, watching the heartwarming scene in front of him, with a smile on his face.

He casually took out a can of Wangzai milk from the gift bag, pressed his fingertips against the bottle cap and opened the aluminum cap with a little force. With a soft "pop" sound, he handed the bottle with a faint milky aroma to Li Hong.

"Hong'er, eat slowly. Drink this with your mouth so you don't choke easily."

The little fellow held the snow rice cake in one hand and took the milk steadily with the other hand. With his cheeks bulging as he chewed, he mumbled, "Godfather is so good to Hong'er!", his eyes curved into crescents.

Li Zhi watched his son eat with a satisfied look on his face. He tapped the edge of the couch with his fingertips and joked with a smile, "My prince has become a 'little greedy cat' now. He likes snacks more than me."

Li Hong didn't feel shy when he heard his father teasing him. Instead, he held up the remaining half of the snow rice cake and came to the edge of the couch, looking up and saying, "Father, have some too! This cake is so crispy and even more delicious than the snacks in the imperial kitchen!"

Li Zhi smiled and said, "If your father doesn't want to eat, Hong'er can eat it himself."

Li Hong held up the Wangzai milk and handed it to Empress Wu, saying softly, "Have some too, mother. It's sweet!"

The smile in Empress Wu's eyes became even more intense: "Mother is not thirsty, Hong'er can drink it by himself."

The little guy then held the Wangzai milk and drank it in small sips, occasionally taking a bite of the snow rice cake, his short legs shaking gently, and the whole hall was filled with the crisp sound of his chewing and laughter.

Lin Lang looked at the heartwarming scene before him, and took out a lot of candies from his personal space, placing them on the small table beside him: "These are for Hong'er. If you want to eat them later, just ask someone to go to my adoptive father's house to get them."

When Li Hong heard this, he tilted his head and smiled cutely.

Li Zhi looked at his son's smart and cute appearance, then looked at Lin Lang beside him, his heart full of emotion.

With such a virtuous brother assisting him and such a smart and studious son inheriting the throne, the Tang Dynasty will surely continue to prosper for hundreds or even thousands of years.

Seeing that the pain on Li Zhi's face had disappeared, Lin Lang began to give him acupuncture.

Lin Lang's fingertips gently rested on the end of the needle on Li Zhi's Baihui acupoint.

He pinched the silver needle between his thumb and index finger with a gentle but steady force. He gently rubbed the end of the needle with his fingertips and pulled it upwards along the angle of insertion. His movements were as smooth as drawing a thread, and Li Zhi did not feel any stagnation or pain during the whole process of removing the needle.

Next are the silver needles on both sides of the temples.

The last point was Fengchi acupoint. The moment the silver needle left the body, Lin Lang pressed the acupoint with his fingertips for a while to prevent the outflow of qi and blood.

After retracting all four silver needles, Lin Lang casually put them into the silver needle box he carried with him, his movements smooth and flowing.

Li Zhi, who was lying on the couch, first slowly turned his neck, and his originally stiff shoulders and neck no longer felt stiff.

He raised his hand and rubbed his temple again, a look of relief on his face. Then he sat up on the edge of the couch, shook his head, and moved his arms a few times. His body, which had been tense due to the severe pain, completely relaxed.

"Comfortable! It's so comfortable!" Li Zhi laughed heartily.

Seeing that Li Zhi had regained his spirits, Empress Wu asked hurriedly, "Your Majesty was not feeling well just now and did not have breakfast. Do you have an appetite now?"

Li Zhi replied loudly: "Well, I am a little hungry."

Empress Wu looked at the maid beside her and said, "Quick, tell the imperial kitchen to serve breakfast."

"Yes." The maid bowed and hurriedly did as she was told.

Li Zhi opened the brocade quilt, placed his feet firmly on the ground, and took two steps back and forth. He felt his whole body was light, and even his vision became much clearer.

"My dear brother, the pain in my head is gone, and even the fatigue in my body has disappeared. It's like I've died and come back to life!"

Li Zhi's eyes were filled with gratitude and dependence. "If it weren't for my brother's incredible acupuncture skills, I would have been tortured to death by this headache today! Thank you so much, brother!"

Empress Wu looked at Lin Lang with a look of genuine gratitude: "My dear brother, your medical skills have truly saved Your Majesty and resolved this urgent need in the palace."

Lin Lang smiled faintly and said, "My Royal Brother and Royal Sister-in-law, you are too kind."

Li Zhi's eyes stumbled upon the stack of border newspapers on his desk, and he couldn't help but sigh, "My dear brother, your ability to govern a country is superior to mine. The Lingnan tribes are rebelling, and the border areas are in turmoil."

"Although I ordered Liu Rengui, the Lingnan Road pacification ambassador, to send troops to suppress the rebellion, he suffered repeated setbacks due to his unfamiliarity with the mountainous terrain. Furthermore, his 'indiscriminate killing of surrendered soldiers' exacerbated the conflict, and reports from the border areas were pouring into Chang'an."

"I get a headache every time I see the border reports of the Lingnan Li Liao rebellion. What do you think we should do?"

Lin Lang thought about it after hearing this.

The system prompts: "At that time, the Lingnan Li Liao (an ethnic minority group) rebelled against the imperial court's excessive conscription and uneven taxation. The rebels attacked prefectures and counties, blocked the Lingnan tribute route, and even plundered coastal merchant caravans."

After reading it, Lin Lang said, "Royal brother, if we want to resolve the Lingnan Li Liao rebellion, we must avoid the old path of suppressing it with force."

"Oh? Tell me, my dear brother, what's your plan?"

"My Royal Highness, suppressing the situation with force is only a temporary solution. Ultimately, the Lingnan Li Liao rebellion is due to the court's heavy conscription and uneven taxation, which has led to the local people suffering greatly."

Li Zhi did not deny it after hearing it, but asked humbly: "Brother, do you have a good plan to cure the root cause?"

"In my opinion, we can first use the promise of 'trade and mutual exchange' as bait to invite the leaders of the various Li and Liao tribes to Yongzhou for negotiations. During the meeting, we can demonstrate our sincerity in cooperation and promise the court to reduce taxes in Lingnan for three years and allow the Li and Liao to retain their original tribal system."

"I also transported and distributed the sweet potato and corn seeds I had introduced to the Tang Dynasty to the various tribes of the Li and Liao peoples, and sent agricultural garrisons to provide technical guidance to the local people on how to grow these potatoes and corn."

"Corn is suitable for growing on the hills and slopes of Lingnan. It is well-suited to the hot and humid climate, has a short growing cycle, and is easy to cultivate on mountainous land. It is the perfect crop for enriching local people."

"We can also widely plant sweet potatoes in Lingnan, as they are resistant to barrenness, drought, humidity and heat, and they are highly productive. Within three years, the local people will be able to say goodbye to famine and have enough food for all."

"As the saying goes, food is the most important thing for the people. If we can ensure that the local people have enough food at home and have enough to eat every meal, who wouldn't want to rebel? By then, the rebellion of the Lingnan Li people will collapse on their own." Lin Lang offered his advice confidently.

Li Zhi slapped his thigh upon hearing this and exclaimed in admiration, "Brilliant! The best strategy is to defeat the enemy's plans without fighting! This is a very good plan, my dear brother!"

Lin Lang smiled and said, "Finally, we can send Tang soldiers to help the Li Liao eliminate coastal pirates, so that Lingnan's resolve to submit will be strengthened, and a stable 'Lingnan tribute road' can be established for the Tang Dynasty."

Li Zhi clapped his hands and smiled, "You are truly my good brother! Tomorrow morning at court, I will issue an order to carry out your wishes."

Lin Lang bowed and said, "My royal brother is wise."

Li Zhi said in a cheerful mood, "My dear brother, you are so relaxed that you offer advice to help me solve a major problem. You are truly a man of great talent!"

"Your Majesty, you are too kind." Lin Lang smiled faintly.

"Godfather, can you help Hong'er tear open this bag of snacks?" Li Hong reached out and tugged at Lin Lang's sleeve. The little guy loved his godfather Lin Lang very much.

"Okay." Lin Lang tore open the package of a bag of Wangzai steamed buns and handed it to Li Hong with a smile.

"Thank you, godfather." Li Hong was like a little foodie and couldn't wait to eat the Wangzai steamed buns.

Li Zhi smiled at his beloved son, then frowned and sighed, "My dear brother, there is something else that has me extremely worried. I need your help and advice."

Lin Lang replied readily, "What is it? Please speak up, my royal brother."