Tang Dynasty: Consort Wu? Your Majesty, please address her as the Crown Prince's Consort.

Seeing the disgust in Wu Zetian's eyes, young Li Zhi felt his heart break.

Her big, bright eyes instantly filled with tears, and her little mouth pouted, looking utterly aggrieved!

Seeing his younger brother's aggrieved expression, Li Chengqian couldn't help but find it a little funny.

Who would have thought that the couple who were originally emperor and empress in history would end up like this?

He looked at his younger brother and said:

"Zhi Nu, you are a man, and Meiniang is your elder brother's wife. You are not allowed to sleep with your elder brother's wife, understand?"

Hearing his older brother's words, the little guy still looked aggrieved and said:

"But Dad can sleep with his older brother's wife, why can't I!"

Ah this...

Li Zhi, with his small head full of questions, tilted his head and waited for Li Chengqian's answer.

At this moment, Li Chengqian couldn't help but turn pale.

He certainly knew what Li Zhi was talking about.

After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, the descendants of Crown Prince Li Jiancheng were all slaughtered by his own father, eliminating any potential threat.

Of all the women in the Eastern Palace, only the Crown Princess Zheng Guanyin survived. Afterward, she went to Ganye Temple to become a nun and spent the rest of her life in seclusion with only the sound of a Buddhist lamp and the ancient Buddha.

But why was the entire Eastern Palace slaughtered, yet Li Shimin spared only Zheng Guanyin, the Crown Princess?

Haha! Because my old man and my uncle are very close, I took good care of Zheng Guanyin on behalf of my uncle.

Seeing Li Zhi's puzzled look, Li Chengqian couldn't help but think to himself:

"Bah! You beastly father, you've corrupted your own adorable little slave!"

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but cough lightly and smile as he spoke:

"Ahem! Come on, drag him away, but be gentle, don't hurt him!"

As soon as Li Chengqian finished speaking, Li Zhi stared at him in disbelief. He couldn't understand how his elder brother could say such cold words under such a warm smile!

Knowing that his younger brother had been forcibly dragged out, Li Chengqian finally breathed a sigh of relief, then couldn't help but mutter under his breath:

"It seems best to let this little guy come to the East Palace less often in the future."

Li Chengqian has now made up his mind that, in order to prevent himself from being cuckolded in the future, it's best to keep Li Zhi and Meiniang away from each other.

As the saying goes, nothing tastes better than dumplings, and nothing's more fun than... ahem!

If he had an older brother, he would probably agree with that statement.

The problem is, he's the eldest brother himself!

Just then, a delicate hand rested on Li Chengqian's shoulder, while the other hand guided Li Chengqian's hand to her neck.

Wu Zetian looked at Li Chengqian with delicate, shy eyes and said:

"Your Highness~ Let's begin~"

hiss~

Feeling the clear pulse beating on his beloved concubine's smooth neck, Li Chengqian couldn't help but gasp.

Although it wasn't the first time, seeing her like this still felt incredibly exciting!

So, Li Chengqian subconsciously began to increase the force in his hands, while Wu Zetian couldn't help but show a strange expression.

Damn! What a vixen!

……

The next morning.

Li Chengqian then took Xiao Sizi and Zhinu directly into the palace.

However, Li Zhi's gaze towards him was full of resentment the whole way.

Last night, his older brother arranged for him to stay in the side room next door, and he could hear everything that was happening next door.

He didn't quite understand why the pretty woman would make sounds of pain in the middle of the night, but within that pain, he also sensed that she was... enjoying it!

Taiji Hall!

Everyone had different expressions when they saw Li Chengqian appear unharmed.

Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, and the other generals who knew the inside story couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, the officials from the powerful families of Taiyuan Wang and Xingyang Zheng revealed their resentment. A few days ago, ten of their direct descendants were deposed, and everyone knew that Li Chengqian was responsible, but there was no evidence.

When have these aristocratic families ever suffered such a great loss?

"If you have something to report, please do so. If not, the court may adjourn."

As the stern voice of the crescent moon rang out, Minister of War Hou Junji immediately stepped forward and spoke:

"Your Majesty! I have a memorial to present!"

"allow!"

"Your Majesty! Battle reports from the front indicate that after the fall of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, the Xueyantuo tribe has rapidly grown in strength, annexing weaker surrounding tribes and showing signs of breaking away from the Protectorate General's jurisdiction!"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian couldn't help but frown slightly.

How long has it been since the Eastern Turkic Khaganate was destroyed? And now it's already making a comeback?

These guys are like leeks, aren't they?!

Thinking of this, Li Shimin couldn't help but look at Li Chengqian, who was dozing off to the side, and asked:

"Your Highness? What do you think should be done about this?"

Ok?

Li Chengqian, who was chatting with a young lady in his dream, was suddenly woken up by his old man's voice.

He rubbed his eyes impatiently and said:

"Fight! What else can we do?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Gui immediately stepped forward and said:

"Your Majesty, you must not. We just conquered the Eastern Turks at the beginning of this year. If we send troops again now, let alone whether we can supply them with food and fodder, even if we can, the soldiers will probably not want to fight again!"

His Highness the Crown Prince dozed off during the morning court session, handling state affairs so carelessly... it's truly... truly... alas!

Seeing Wang Gui's heartbroken expression, Li Shimin couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly.

This old fox thinks that Gao Ming is not the type of wise ruler, but... it's a good opportunity to give him a warning!

"Your Highness! Do you have anything to say?"

As Li Shimin finished speaking, Li Tai, standing next to Li Chengqian, couldn't help but reveal a gloating smile.

"Heh! Li Chengqian, Li Chengqian, you insisted on dozing off during the morning court session. Let's see how you get out of this mess!"

Li Chengqian couldn't help but turn and give Wang Gui a deep look before turning to his old man and saying:

"Father! Your son requests permission to lead the Six Armies of the Eastern Palace to attack the Xueyantuo. I will not require any funds or supplies from the court, nor will I require any logistical support. If I fail to bring back the head of the Xueyantuo leader, I will resign from my position as Crown Prince!"

These words caused an uproar throughout the court.

"No! Absolutely not! A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall. The Crown Prince is the heir apparent; how can we lightly suggest a personal expedition?"

Wei Zheng was the first to stand up and object.

What a joke! Although the Xueyantuo are vastly different from the Eastern Turks of the past, they still have at least 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers. How many people are there in the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace Six Guards?

Excluding logistics, the actual number of combat-ready soldiers is definitely no more than three thousand.

This isn't a campaign, it's a damn suicide mission!

Even Li Shimin couldn't help but fly into a rage upon hearing Li Chengqian's words.

"Insolence! You unfilial son! Do you think military campaigns are child's play? You've never led troops before, how can you talk about personally leading an expedition?"