In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

Shortly after Li Yuanchang returned, the officials and soldiers of the Jingzhao Prefecture who were maintaining order completely changed their role from maintaining order to clearing the area.

The crowd of onlookers, numbering in the tens of thousands, was quickly dispersed in a short period of time. Not only that, all the notices that had been posted not long ago regarding the marriage to the Prince of Han and the lifting of the curfew were torn down.

The streets and alleys have returned to normal, as if nothing had ever happened.

Only among the common people, there was much discussion and conflicting opinions.

"What happened?"

"Why did the King of Han's wedding procession go back again?"

"Yes, didn't His Majesty already issue the decree?"

"I also received a reward from the Princess of Han. The Prince's Palace is distributing money, and the Martial Palace is also distributing money."

"strangeness."

"On the day of the wedding, the Prince of Han turned around on his way to pick up his bride. This is an ominous sign!"

"Who can argue with that?"

"..."

Compared to the various opinions and endless discussions outside, the Prince of Han's residence appeared extremely quiet and silent.

Hou Junji's Imperial Guards followed him all the way to the Prince of Han's residence and did not leave, even existing in the form of "standing guard".

The vast palace had hundreds of tables set up, yet there wasn't a single guest.

The servants dared not even talk about the wedding; the atmosphere was tense.

Li Yuanchang, dressed in his wedding attire, sat alone in the center of the room, his face somber and his brows furrowed and never relaxed.

The festive decorations, lanterns, and carpets became the backdrop.

suddenly!

Footsteps sounded at the gate of the Prince's Mansion; Li Chongzhen had returned.

His father was Li Xiaogong, and no one in the Imperial Guards dared to stop him.

Li Yuanchang stood up abruptly.

"How is it?"

A crowd gathered around.

"Your Highness, there are also people watching over the Martial Academy, they seem to be from the Thousand Bull Guards, but they won't let me in. I even brought my father out, but they still won't let me in!" Li Chongzhen said, panting heavily.

Upon hearing this, Fang Weng, Wang Hongzhi, Guo Chao, and their trusted confidants all frowned. This was no use?

Cheng Chuliang and Tang Meng looked directly at Yuchi Baoqi.

The Thousand Bull Guard, also known as the Left and Right Guards, was led by Yuchi Gong, whose father was the Right Martial General, and these were his men.

"Big brother, I'll go find my dad, he'll definitely have a solution!"

Without a second thought, Yuchi Baoqi stepped up when the opportunity arose.

"Don't."

"Forget it," Li Yuanchang stopped him.

"Brother, let me go! We need to get this straight. You're not coming back just because you're told to? You don't even know what happened!"

"My father is the Right Martial General; he'll definitely let me in!"

Li Yuanchang looked grateful, but he knew that even if Li Chongzhen brought up his father, it wouldn't work, and it certainly wouldn't work if Yuchi Baoqi went.

These are all top-tier meritorious organizations, with roughly the same level of influence.

The Thousand Bull Guards were not the private army of the Yuchi family after all; forcibly helping them would only harm them.

He guessed that it was Li Shimin who gave the order, otherwise Li Chongzhen could enter the Prince of Han's mansion, so why couldn't he enter the Wu mansion?

"It's okay, just wait."

"His Majesty's men should be arriving soon," he said, forcing a smile.

But anyone with eyes could see that Li Yuanchang didn't look well.

"Oh dear!"

Cheng Chuliang slapped his thigh, his face dark with resentment.

In other words, it was only because the other party was Li Shimin; if it were anyone else, they would have cursed his ancestors for eighteen generations.

Just when they were at their wits' end, suddenly, a large number of footsteps sounded again at the gate of the Prince's Mansion.

Hou Junji led a group of men into the Han Prince's Mansion.

He was also a palace attendant, one of Li Shimin's personal attendants who conveyed "general edicts".

Just one day later, his expression was completely different when he arrived here. In particular, seeing the grand celebration but the empty house, he couldn't help but sigh.

Li Yuanchang led his men to greet them quickly.

"Lord Chang."

The eunuch's eyes were filled with complex emotions as he cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, Prince of Han."

"What exactly happened?" Li Yuanchang asked bluntly, not in the mood for elaboration.

The eunuch frowned slightly. This time, he didn't have any edicts or decrees in his hand: "Your Highness, His Majesty has decreed that this marriage be annulled."

"A suitable match will be chosen for the King of Han."

boom!

Li Yuanchang was struck dumb.

The Prince's mansion was instantly thrown into chaos!

Tang Meng, Li Chongzhen, and the others all widened their eyes.

"What did you say?" Li Yuanchang gritted his teeth, his voice rising involuntarily.

The eunuch quickly reassured him, "Your Highness, please do not be angry. This is indeed His Majesty's will."

"His Majesty also said that he would compensate you."

Li Yuanchang was furious. His hands clenched tightly under his sleeves, his knuckles turning white. Was he playing with him?

He struggled to suppress his anger: "Lord Chang, what exactly happened?"

"Has something happened at the Martial Academy?"

He remained calm, after all, an imperial edict was no child's play. Once the emperor spoke, it was generally impossible to withdraw it, especially since it was withdrawn on the same day, which would be a slap in the face to the royal family.

Such frequent changes of orders are certainly not in Li Shimin's style.

The eunuch clearly knew something; his eyes were complicated, but he remained silent.

"Your Highness, please don't ask."

"In short, His Majesty has made it clear that this marriage will not take place."

"Your Highness, I think that since we haven't gone through the wedding ceremony yet, we're not considered married. Breaking off the engagement isn't a big deal. You can just consider it as finding someone better."

Li Yuanchang was furious.

He and Wu Meiniang had already secretly pledged their lives to each other, and he had been busy with this for a month. Now, telling him it's nothing is a big deal.

"Then what counts?" he roared. He couldn't curse Li Shimin, so he could only vent his anger indirectly.

The eunuch realized he had spoken out of turn and hurriedly lowered his head.

"Your Highness, please forgive me!"

"Hmph!" Li Yuanchang snorted coldly, shoving Hou Junji and the eunuch aside at the same time.

"Prepare the horses, I am going to the palace to meet the Emperor!"

"yes!"

Guo Chao immediately made preparations.

The Imperial Guards at the gate looked at Hou Junji, who gave them a look that signaled permission. His Majesty only said that His Highness was not allowed to go to the Martial Academy, but did not say that he could not go to the Imperial Palace.

He naturally had no need to provoke the King of Han over such a matter.

"..."

Li Yuanchang rushed to Xuanwu Gate to request an audience.

He was very anxious because Wu Meiniang was still waiting for him in her boudoir, waiting for him to bring her into the palace in a grand sedan chair.

Fortunately, despite the magnitude of the incident, Li Shimin chose to meet with him.

Li Yuanchang was led into the Liangyi Hall.

By the time he arrived, the area had been mostly cleared out, with only a few people remaining.

Li Shimin, dressed in plain clothes, was waiting for him.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!"

"I knew you would come," Li Shimin said calmly.

Before Li Yuanchang could even speak, Li Shimin asked a question.

"I ask you, when you were selecting concubines at the Imperial Pavilion, why did you choose only a woman from the Wu clan?"

Li Yuanchang frowned.

Forcing himself to remain calm, he said urgently, "Your Majesty, I simply feel that the other women come from noble families with complicated backgrounds. I don't want to cause Your Majesty any trouble in the future, nor do I want to get involved in any factional struggles!"

"Is that really the case?" Li Shimin's eyes held a scrutinizing gaze, even a hint of danger.

Li Yuanchang was extremely puzzled. Why was Li Shimin acting so strangely all of a sudden? Not only did he change his mind and break off the engagement, but he also began to suspect him. What exactly had happened?