Deposed? I couldn't be happier! I wouldn't even be a dog to the crown prince.

"good!"

"That's ambitious!"

Li Chengqian looked at the little girl in front of him, who was only as tall as a table, yet was pounding her chest so loudly it made a deafening noise, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He reached out and gently pinched that little face that was flushed with excitement. It felt bouncy and smooth, like kneading a finely milled rice cake.

"Since you've already come to this realization, wouldn't it make me seem ungrateful if I were to stop you?"

Li Chengqian withdrew his hand, lay back down on the soft couch, crossed his legs, and spoke in a lazy tone.

"Granted."

"If you want to go, then go."

Wu Meiniang's eyes lit up suddenly. Just as she was about to kowtow to express her gratitude, Li Chengqian pressed a folding fan against her forehead.

"Don't thank me yet."

Li Chengqian squinted, looking the delicate-skinned little girl up and down, a wicked smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Let's be clear from the start."

"The Western Regions are a place with strong winds and sandstorms, and the sun is scorching. If someone as delicate as you went there for a trip, you'd come back as a little lump of coal, or your face would be cracked from the wind..."

"If you can't get married by then, don't blame me and cry your eyes out."

"I'm not afraid!"

Wu Zetian answered decisively, even puffing out her still-developing breasts.

"As long as I can help His Highness manage the purse strings, and as long as I can see the flags of the Tang Dynasty flying all over the Western Regions, I'd be willing to become an ugly monster!"

"Besides..."

The little girl's eyes darted around, revealing a sly glint.

"Could Your Highness... possibly give a little bit of those 'miracle water' and 'anti-aging cream' that you previously gifted to the Empress, Mei Niang?"

Li Chengqian was taken aback, then burst into laughter.

"Wow, you're already scheming against the boss's inventory before you've even taken office?"

"Not bad, he's got the makings of a butler!"

He waved his hand with great flair, displaying an air of heroic spirit.

"Here you go! Plenty!"

"Not only will I give you skincare products, but I will also give you an official position."

Li Chengqian sat up straight, his smile fading, and his expression became unusually serious.

"Wu Zetian, heed my command!"

"Meiniang is here!"

The little girl immediately knelt down, her expression solemn.

"Effective immediately, I hereby appoint you as the 'Grand Commander-in-Chief of the Western Expeditionary Army'!"

"Although he has no official rank, he is equivalent to a third-rank official!"

"This journey to the Western Regions involves everything from military supplies and provisions, the recovery of spoils of war, trade negotiations, and even reparations from various countries..."

Li Chengqian took out a token he had prepared beforehand from his pocket and threw it into Wu Meiniang's hand.

"It's all up to you!"

"Whether it's Huo Qubing or the Shenji Battalion, they all need your approval to spend money. If anyone dares to waste a single penny, you can deduct it from their pay without giving me any face!"

boom--!

Wu Meiniang held the heavy token, her hands trembling.

Grand Commander-in-Chief?

Controlling the finances of the entire army?

This power... is simply boundless!

"Your Highness...is this...is this appropriate?"

She was still only a seven or eight-year-old child. Although she was precocious, she was still a little flustered in the face of this sudden heavy burden.

"What's inappropriate about it?"

Li Chengqian lay back down and picked up a grape, throwing it into his mouth.

"If I say you can do it, then you can."

"It has to work, even if it doesn't work."

He silently added in his mind:

Just kidding, this is a crucial step in the "Empress Development Plan"!

They threw you into the complex environment of the Western Regions, where you had to fight against those cunning merchants and those tyrannical kings.

Isn't this the best leveling dungeon?

Once you've subdued those people in the Western Regions, come back and look at the court struggles in Chang'an. It'll be like a max-level character going back to the newbie village to bully noobs.

"Go."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, as if shooing away a kitten.

"Go pack your things, and don't forget your abacus."

"Remember, we're going there to make a fortune, not to help the poor. Even if we have to rip them off, we have to squeeze every last drop of profit out of them!"

"Yes, Mainiang will not fail you!"

Wu Meiniang kowtowed heavily, clutched the token, and ran out happily.

Her back view was full of energy, as if she could already see mountains of gold beckoning to her.

Li Chengqian watched the direction she left in, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Go for it, future Wu Zetian!"

"This Western Regions instance is far more exciting than you imagine."

……

Three days later, outside Chang'an City.

The Eastern Palace Martial Arts Arena.

The autumn wind is bleak, and banners obscure the sun.

The entire training ground was filled with a suffocating, chilling atmosphere.

Huo Qubing, clad in silver armor, rode on the magnificent "Sa Lu Zi" steed, wielding a tiger-headed golden spear, with eight hundred Snow Dragon Riders behind him, fully armed and ready to go, their eyes burning with fervor.

This cavalry unit, which once created miracles on the grasslands, is now more formidable after being reorganized.

On the other side of the training ground.

Ten red-coated cannons, meticulously cleaned and with blackened muzzles, were lined up in a row.

Mo Ju, along with the gunners of the Shenji Battalion, were conducting a final check on the cannon. Every exploding shell was polished to a gleaming shine, and every fuse was carefully placed.

This is the wrath of the Tang Dynasty, the thunder that will soon make the kingdoms of the Western Regions tremble.

At the very back of the line.

Hundreds of modified four-wheeled horse-drawn wagons were loaded with supplies.

Wu Zetian changed into a neat set of men's clothing, rode a gentle mare, with an abacus hanging from her waist and an account book in her hand, and was directing the laborers to do the final inventory.

Despite his young age, his serious and methodical demeanor already exuded a certain air of authority.

Everyone has arrived.

All the knives have been sharpened.

All the cannons are loaded.

This "Western Expedition Sightseeing Group," a mixed force of cavalry, artillery, and logistics personnel, was like a tiger poised to pounce on its prey in the west.

Now, only one last thing is missing.

The one who gives the orders.

That is to say, the head coach.

Li Chengqian, dressed in his dashing silver armor, was about to step onto the command platform to announce the start of the campaign.

Sudden.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

A series of heavy footsteps, accompanied by the crisp sound of armor plates colliding, came from the entrance of the training ground.

Everyone instinctively turned around.

In the sunlight, a golden figure strode towards them.

Golden helmet, golden armor, golden cloak.

He wore an imperial sword at his waist and cloud-walking boots on his feet.

That outfit was even more flamboyant and dazzling than Li Chengqian's.

Li Shimin.

The Tang emperor, his face glowing with health, stood tall and proud, his expression radiating confidence.

Ignoring the astonished gazes around him, he walked straight to the foot of the platform and grinned at Li Chengqian on the platform.

"Oh, Chengqian, everyone's here?"

"It's quite lively."

Li Shimin rubbed his hands together, his eyes greedily sweeping over the ten red cannons, then looked at his son with a "I'm very sensible" expression.

"that……"

"I think this team is quite well-organized, and their equipment is also quite good."

"Well... aren't we still missing a Grand Marshal to keep things in order?"

Li Chengqian: "..."

Looking at his father's golden armor, which looked like it belonged in a beauty pageant, he felt his eyes twitch uncontrollably.

This old man.

They still haven't given up!