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

"Yes, has His Majesty forgotten what happened in Liangzhou, and those businesses that His Majesty tacitly approved?"

"This matter shook the foundations of those families, and His Majesty did not stop it. He only punished the Prince of Han on the surface. In reality, it was a tacit understanding between His Majesty and the Prince of Han. Frankly speaking, those people could not have failed to see it."

"And the first to suffer from the leak of information and the Tuyuhun's rebellion would be the Han king who was actually escorting the marriage alliance."

"Even if Tuyuhun rebelled, anyone with eyes could see that the Tang court could destroy them with just a few men."

Changsun Wuji's analysis was comprehensive, and Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui had no need to add anything further.

Almost everyone here is filming a movie, and that's Li Shimin's faction. They speak much more frankly than they do in the Liangyi Hall.

The Imperial Study fell into a long silence once again.

The Great Emperor of All Time was not a god, but his greatest strength was his ability to listen to advice.

He slowly sat back on the dragon throne, his imposing figure still, pondering a series of matters. From this perspective, it did indeed seem to be aimed at the King of Han.

This is fundamentally different from directly provoking a war and attempting to overthrow imperial power.

In the end, his anger was suppressed by reason, and his eyes regained their imperial composure.

"But if crimes go unpunished, it will disrupt the rules."

"Once the door is opened, everyone will follow suit."

Upon hearing this, the prime ministers breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your Majesty, it's not that we won't punish them, but rather that we need to maintain a balance."

"In my humble opinion, making an example of someone to scare others and maintaining the balance of imperial power is the right way!"

"Your humble servant seconds this!"

"Your humble servant seconds this!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin frowned slightly, but did not object. As an emperor, his primary consideration was never right or wrong.

"Then let's do it your way."

"Once you leave this room, forget about what we've discussed today."

The three nodded in agreement; having served Li Shimin for so long, they naturally understood the rules.

"By the way, Minister Fang, draft another edict for me, ordering the Prince of Han to return to the capital as soon as possible. I want to hold a grand welcome-back banquet for him in Chang'an and reward him handsomely!"

His words revealed his affection for Li Yuanchang, but also carried a hint of guilt.

To maintain balance, he had no choice but to compromise on Li Yuanchang's terms.

The three of them were fully aware of this.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

……

February 7th.

The Tuyuhun held a grand wedding, with Li Yuanchang personally presiding over the marriage between Murong Khan and Princess Honghua as the envoy for the peace treaty.

Compared to the helplessness and ruthlessness of most marriage alliances, the union of these two seemed more like a mutual agreement.

Through the trials of war and rebellion, the two also came to recognize each other's worth.

Therefore, Li Yuanchang had no psychological burden and was even happy for Princess Honghua, who was not famous in history but lived a better life.

February 10th.

An urgent imperial edict from Chang'an has successfully arrived in Fu'ai City!

The imperial edict addressed Li Yuanchang affectionately as his seventh brother, ordered him to return to Chang'an, and made certain personnel arrangements for Tuyuhun.

This essentially brought a satisfactory end to the internal strife.

Li Yuanchang did not refuse. He had already planned to go to Chang'an. He needed to explain the leak to Li Shimin face to face and find the mastermind behind it.

On the eve of departure.

Murong Khan and Princess Honghua personally led over a thousand people to see them off, creating a spectacular scene.

Such treatment was unprecedented in Tuyuhun; the two of them were equivalent to Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun in Tuyuhun.

"Brother King Han, this parting is our last, and I don't know when we'll meet again. Please take good care of yourself and keep in touch with me through letters!"

"Yes, Seventh Uncle, Honghua will miss you!"

Princess Honghua's eyes were red; although she was already a wife, she still felt the same way about Li Yuanchang as she did about her brother.

In just over three months, Li Yuanchang's companionship and protection made her feel the warmth of family for the first time.

Seeing this, Li Yuanchang was inexplicably moved.

"Princess, as the Khan said, you can also correspond more with the Princess Consort of Han."

"The ancients said, 'All good things must come to an end,' but I say, 'We'll meet again anywhere in life.'"

"I will always remember you, my dear niece."

"Brother Murong, you must take good care of my niece. If I hear her complain, I will definitely take her to the Liangyi Palace."

Li Yuanchang made a feigned threat.

Honghua burst into laughter through her tears, feeling a sense of security from her maternal home.

In her view, that vague and ethereal title was far less valuable than the three months she spent with Li Yuanchang.

"Haha, rest assured, Brother Han, I will take good care of Princess Honghua and spend my life with her, respecting her for the rest of my life." Murong Khan performed the hand gesture.

Li Yuanchang nodded; he was reassured.

"Very well, then I will return to Chang'an first, and write to you after I return to Liangzhou."

"it is good."

Murong Khan clasped his hands in greeting, for it was, after all, an edict from Li Shimin, and he dared not try to stop him.

Princess Honghua's eyes reddened again.

Li Yuanchang smiled, then turned and mounted his horse, without looking back.

For Tuyuhun, he was always just a passerby, even though the people there respected him.

In life, we always have to face the departure of all sorts of people.

Li Yuanchang, the God of War, departed amidst the farewells of the officials and people of Fu'ai City.

At this moment, all the guards of the Prince of Han's mansion had been fully assembled, including the wounded soldiers who had been resting in Chiling for nearly a month.

In several major battles, not counting the wounded, more than seventy people died, which pained Li Yuanchang greatly, so he took their ashes with him when he left.

a few days later.

The team crossed the Chiling Mountains and passed through Shanzhou once again.

Sitting on his horse, Li Yuanchang saw a large number of prison carts and a considerable number of arresting officers, and they were not being escorted in the direction of Shanzhou City.

"Your Highness, those were the governor of Shanzhou and his cronies. His Majesty investigated and punished them; they were all exiled."

"The official in charge of this case and I set off from Chang'an together," the imperial envoy said softly.

"Oh?" Li Yuanchang asked in surprise, noting the speed of his actions. "What's the charge?"

"Corruption," the imperial envoy blurted out.

Li Yuanchang raised an eyebrow. Why investigate corruption now, instead of earlier or later?

No wonder Mao Shu was transferred back ahead of schedule after making some contributions in Tuyuhun; he probably couldn't escape it anyway.

Li Shimin is Li Shimin after all; he's not so easily fooled. It doesn't matter if you don't admit it; he has plenty of ways to deal with you.

However, what he was more concerned about was the person behind the scenes.

Clearly, the position of Prefect of Shanzhou was far from sufficient; at the very least, he couldn't possibly know about Princess Honghua's affairs.

"I see."

"That definitely should be investigated."

"Yes, but this has nothing to do with the King of Han. The King of Han should just prepare to get promoted and make a fortune upon returning to Chang'an."

"You have no idea how happy His Majesty is. He has already ordered the historians to record this event, so that his name will be remembered for eternity. All the civil and military officials are also shocked by the King of Han's achievements."

The imperial envoy flattered Li Yuanchang, saying that he had been cultivating a good relationship with him all the way.

Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; Li Yuanchang used his strength to defy fate and was no longer just a prince with a royal title.