My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

Changsun Wuji: ? ? ?

Your Majesty, you must be joking!

Upon hearing Li Shimin's words, the anticipation on Changsun Wuji's face instantly froze, turning into utter astonishment and disbelief.

He even forgot the etiquette of a subject, suddenly raised his head to look at Li Shimin, his mouth slightly open, and for a moment he did not know how to organize his words.

Princess Gaoyang?!

She was the most spoiled and arrogant of all His Majesty's princesses, so much so that she was completely out of control!

Should she marry Chong'er?

This... this is hardly a "stable and reliable" marriage.

This is practically like bringing back an ancestor to the Changsun family who could explode at any moment!

With Gao Yang's arrogant and willful nature, let alone being a good wife and mother and maintaining harmony in the family, it would be good enough if she didn't turn the Changsun family upside down!

Changsun Wuji's mind flashed through countless glorious deeds of Princess Gaoyang, and cold sweat almost broke out on his forehead.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart, his voice trembling slightly.

"Your Majesty... Your Highness Princess Gaoyang... of noble birth and exceptional beauty, but..."

"However, I believe that Chong'er's kind and honest nature is perhaps... perhaps he is not a good match for the princess's elegance, and I fear it would be a disservice to the princess!"

Looking at Changsun Wuji's expression, which was as if he had swallowed bitter melon, Li Shimin understood his thoughts perfectly.

Instead of showing displeasure, he revealed a mysterious smile.

He walked to the front of the courtyard, looked at the green plants in the yard, and said leisurely.

"Fuji, you only see Gaoyang's current temperament, but you haven't thought deeply about my intentions."

As he spoke, Li Shimin turned his head, his face deep and thoughtful.

"It is precisely because she is not gentle enough that I must find her a husband's family like the Changsun family, which has strict family rules and knows how to behave properly."

"Only you, Changsun Wuji, can discipline and guide her, so that she knows the rules and restrains her nature."

"This is both my entrustment to you and my expectation of her."

Changsun Wuji: ...

Li Shimin paused.

"Furthermore, placing her in your Changsun family, under my very nose, is far better than marrying her off to an unknown or unruly consort who might cause trouble that would damage the imperial family's reputation. Wouldn't that be even worse?"

While listening to His Majesty's high-sounding reasons, Changsun Wuji was inwardly groaning.

You really don't understand your daughter at all!

However... since Li Shimin has already spoken, if he still dares to refuse, then he would truly be ignorant!

In the end, Changsun Wuji could only swallow his bitterness and worry, forcing a smile that looked worse than crying.

"Your Majesty... Your wisdom is profound, your subject... obeys your decree."

Changsun Wuji bowed deeply to Li Shimin.

"Your Majesty, I will do my utmost to teach Chong'er so that he can get along well with the princess and live up to Your Majesty's trust."

Although he said that, he was actually lamenting in his heart.

I fear that my Changsun family will never have a peaceful day again!

Think of the well-behaved and sensible Li Lizhi, and then think of Gao Yang...

Who on earth was the damned person who made that suggestion to His Majesty?!

Li Shimin nodded in satisfaction.

Just then, the boisterous greetings of Cheng Yaojin and other military generals came from outside the hall.

"Summon them in!"

Li Shimin's spirits lifted, and he returned to the main hall.

Changsun Wuji followed behind him, looking utterly desperate.

When Fang Xuanling and the others saw his expression, they were all curious about what he had just experienced.

Why does it feel like I ate shit?

Soon, Cheng Yaojin and his entourage of fierce Tang generals strode into the hall.

They still carried the menacing aura of martial arts practice on the training ground, their armor still on.

Upon hearing that His Majesty had summoned them to test a rare iron, everyone was eager to get started, feeling it was a perfect opportunity to stretch their muscles and bones.

"Your Majesty! What kind of fine iron is it that warrants you summoning us all here? Could it be a meteorite that fell from the sky?"

Cheng Yaojin, with a loud and boisterous voice, bowed and then his gaze fell on the dark, threaded steel bar in the center of the hall.

He stepped forward, kicked it with his foot, making a dull thud, and grinned.

"Hey, this lump of iron looks weird, with patterns on it, and it doesn't look very impressive!"

Yuchi Jingde, Qin Qiong, and others also gathered around.

They were all seasoned veterans of the battlefield, extremely familiar with the materials of weapons and armor. When they touched them, they found them to be cold and hard to the touch, but their appearance was really unremarkable, so they couldn't help but feel a little contemptuous.

Qin Qiong looked at it for a long time before speaking.

"Your Majesty, what is so special about this object? Is it perhaps even harder than the hundred-refined steel we are accustomed to using?"

A meaningful smile appeared on Li Shimin's lips.

"What's so special about it? My beloved ministers will find out soon enough. Today, whoever can bend or even break this iron with their bare hands or only with their weapons will be richly rewarded!"

With a generous reward, even the bravest man becomes braver.

Cheng Yaojin was the first to jump out.

"Hahaha, Your Majesty, watch closely! See how Old Cheng will split the gold and jade in two!"

He was so confident in his strength that he didn't even bother with weapons. He simply grabbed the middle section of the rebar with his large, fan-like hand and exhaled loudly.

"Hey--!"

He then exerted sudden force, attempting to bend it!

And then, that was it!

His face instantly turned bright red, veins bulged on his forehead, and muscles bulged all over his body, but the rebar seemed to be rooted to the spot and did not move an inch!

"Huh?!"

Cheng Yaojin let out a strange cry, released his grip, and stared in disbelief at the iron bar, then at his own hand.

"This is bizarre! With my strength, I could break a tree trunk as thick as a bowl, but this..."

"Make way, let's see what's going on with this family!"

Upon seeing this, Yuchi Jingde pushed Cheng Yaojin aside.

He was more cautious and directly drew his steel whip, which had accompanied him in battle for many years.

He mustered all his strength, shouted loudly, and the steel whip, accompanied by a fierce wind, slammed down hard on the rebar fixed to the ground!

"clang--!!!"

A deafening explosion!

Sparks flew everywhere!

Everyone rushed over and saw that Yuchi Jingde's arm was numb from the shock, and he could not hold the steel whip and almost dropped it.

The point where the rebar was hit only had a tiny dent, and a small piece of debris even broke off at the point of contact with the steel whip.

But overall... it's still perfectly straight!

"..."

Yuchi Jingde stared wide-eyed at his beloved steel whip, then at the almost undamaged rebar, and remained speechless for a long time.

"Damn... how come it's so hard?"

Now, everyone put away their contempt.

Qin Qiong frowned, drew his sword, gathered his inner strength, and with a flash of light, precisely cleaved the rebar!

"Clang!"

The blade chipped open, leaving only a white mark on the rebar.

Some generals, however, refused to believe the superstition and took out their bows and arrows, firing them fiercely at the rebar at close range!

The arrows were either deflected or their arrowheads were twisted and deformed, making it impossible for them to penetrate deeply.

Then, someone suggested working together.

Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Jingde, and several of the strongest generals tied the two ends of the rebar with ropes.

Then, like in a tug-of-war, everyone shouted their slogans and pulled together!

"Heave-ho! Pull!!!"

"Old Cheng, haven't you eaten yet?"

"Shut up! I'd also like to ask you if you've been spending all your energy on your wife these past few days?"

The group of famous Tang generals blushed and exerted almost all their strength.

The rebar was pulled so hard it trembled slightly, making a teeth-grinding "crunching" sound.

After all that commotion, the hall was a mess, and the generals were panting heavily, almost completely exhausted.

But the rebar was completely unharmed and remained standing there quietly.

The faces of the generals were filled with confusion and frustration.

who am I?

where am I?

Am I really that useless?

Cheng Yaojin, panting heavily, pointed at the rebar.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, what the hell is this thing? How can it be so hard? I, Old Cheng, am completely convinced!"

Li Shimin was initially disappointed that he hadn't broken the rebar, but seeing the defeated looks on his generals' faces, he inexplicably felt better.

He chuckled.

"Now, do my esteemed ministers understand?"

As he spoke, Li Shimin pointed to the rebar.

"This thing is nothing more than ordinary iron used for building houses in the immortal realm."

"You can buy a lot of these for just a few coins."

"Hiss!!!"

The generals and civil officials all gasped in shock.

Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, and others all got up and walked to the rebar, marveling at it.

Li Shimin looked at his ministers and pondered for a moment.

"By imperial decree, place this iron in a prominent location on Zhuque Avenue, set up a fighting arena, and send troops to guard it."

"A royal proclamation is posted, proclaiming to the world: Anyone, whether soldier, civilian, artisan, merchant, or even foreign envoy, whoever can cut, split, or bend this iron by their own skill will be rewarded with a thousand pieces of gold and granted an official position!"

"I long for a true warrior, or a craftsman of great wisdom, to bring me, the entire court, and all the people of the land a pleasant surprise!"

Li Shimin said loudly.

No one objected when the words were spoken.

After all, everyone present knew just how awesome this thing was!

If anyone can actually break this thing!

He's really awesome!