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

"I longed to stay away from strife and politics and take you to live a life like in a paradise, but things didn't go as planned. The more I wanted to get away, the deeper I sank in."

"The journey ahead, the grudges to come, the battles to rage on—I don't know... whether I'll be dead in six years."

"But I want you to live well."

"Forgive my selfishness, forgive my letter of divorce."

After saying that, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes with difficulty.

"Fang Weng".

"Eh."

Fang Weng, who was outside the door, immediately came in.

"Give this letter to the Imperial Guards outside the Prince's residence and pass it on to Meiniang."

Li Shimin's men did not completely withdraw; they said they would wait until Li Yuanchang left Chang'an before withdrawing, in order to prevent Li Yuanchang from going to find Wu Meiniang.

By handing it over in this way, he was also showing Li Shimin that what he had written was a letter of divorce, a way of drawing a clear line between them.

In this way, Li Shimin would certainly not be able to harbor murderous intentions towards Wu Meiniang again, nor would he allow Li Tai and his people to retaliate, after all, this was also Li Shimin's promise.

"Your Highness, what's wrong?"

"Are you feeling unwell?" Fang Weng noticed that Li Yuanchang's mood was off.

Li Yuanchang shook his head: "It's alright. After delivering the letter, let's prepare to pack up. The entire prefecture will leave Chang'an and head to Liangzhou."

Old Fang probably guessed what was going on, but all he could do was sigh. Fate cannot be defied!

"Yes."

The letter arrived at the Wu residence a day later, on the third day of the tenth month.

As Li Yuanchang had expected, Li Shimin did not stop the letter of divorce, thus fulfilling Li Yuanchang's wishes.

When this letter of divorce was delivered to Wu Zetian.

Wu Zetian broke down in tears and rushed out like a madwoman.

"Second Sister!"

"No, if that's the case, I'm afraid it can't be forced."

"We're leaving, never to return to Chang'an!"

"Let me go! Let me go! I don't believe this is Qilang's letter! I don't believe it!"

"Qilang wouldn't abandon me; he wouldn't say such heartless things to me!"

"Someone must have forced him, they must have!!"

Wu Meiniang screamed in anguish, tears streaming down her face like a burst dam, blurring her rouge and making her look both tragic and pained.

Love during adolescence is the purest and most unforgettable; the higher the expectations, the more painful the fall.

"Life is worse than death" perfectly describes her current state.

Madam Wu and the others held onto Wu Meiniang tightly, also weeping.

But the situation was unforgiving. Along with the letter of divorce came an order to expel him from Chang'an and forbid him from having any further contact with the King of Han.

Like most people in Chang'an, the Wu family had no idea what had happened. Even if they knew that the Prince of Han had been demoted, they did not know why.

Because only a few people know the true inside story of the brothel case, and even those who know dare not speak out, as it would involve many people and constitute a royal scandal.

Li Yuanchang offered no explanation in his letter; instead, he spoke coldly and mentioned his intention to marry a new Princess of Han.

He was afraid that if he said too much, Wu Meiniang would know that he had no choice.

To save her, he made a deal with Li Shimin, and even nearly died protecting her.

Once she finds out, given her personality, she will absolutely not give up, and might even do some foolish things for him.

Therefore, the only option is to be ruthless.

This is also the reason why Wu Zetian broke down at this moment. Even though she was imprisoned in Hongfu Temple and ordered to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures, she never gave up waiting for Li Yuanchang.

She waited and waited day after day for her beloved Qilang, but what she received was a heartless letter of divorce, and Li Yuanchang was going to marry another woman.

Because the emperor disagreed, Li Yuanchang simply abandoned her, breaking all their vows of love.

Other women might accept their fate after surviving such a calamity, but she was Wu Zetian!

She was in unbearable pain, crying so hard that she trembled, and eventually cried herself unconscious!

That night.

Li Yuanchang couldn't sleep all night; his heart ached as if it were being slowly cut open by a knife.

He repeatedly lost control of himself, wanting to rush to Wu's mansion, wanting to embrace Wu Meiniang regardless of everything, and to explain everything to her.

But he can't!

Ultimately, he endured the night in extreme agony.

The next message they received was that the Wu family had moved all their assets to the north.

At that moment, Li Yuanchang felt both relieved and pained!

The relief is that Wu Zetian is finally safe, but the pain is that they may never see each other again in this lifetime.

In ancient times, it truly was an era where a single parting could last a lifetime, with no news ever heard from them again.

Li Yuanchang knew that Wu Meiniang must be in great pain, and he himself was in great pain as well. He never thought that such a melodramatic romance plot would happen to him.

He used to laugh at how fake it was, but fate is cruel, and when it befell him, it was incredibly painful.

He blamed Li Tai for all of this!

If it weren't for his suppression and retaliation, so many things wouldn't have happened later; he and Wu Zetian would have become husband and wife in reality long ago.

After Wu Zetian left, Li Yuanchang's heart died, at least his heart that was attached to love and affection.

This incident taught him a profound lesson: without real power and sufficient value, one will always be a victim, unable to even protect the people one loves most.

To avoid dwelling on his past, he threw himself wholeheartedly into the ensuing power struggle!

He swore that he would not be a man if he did not avenge this humiliation!

His first task was to investigate and eliminate any internal traitors.

October 6th, the third day before Li Yuanchang left Chang'an.

late at night.

A man dressed as a servant was escorted into the main hall by Guo Chao and his guards.

The hall was completely silent under the bright candlelight.

"Kneel down!"

Guo Chao cursed angrily and kicked him.

boom!

The man slammed his knee into the ground, letting out a painful scream that startled a large flock of birds outside, which then flew over the eaves.

Li Yuanchang sat on the pear blossom chair, coldly looking at the other person. He recognized the person as a servant of the Prince's mansion, a groom named Cao Ma.

During the first reorganization of the Prince's Palace, Li Yuanchang spared him because of his pitiful background, but he never expected to leave behind a potential threat.

"Why did you betray me?" His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time.

Although he was sitting, he couldn't straighten his back, and his face was somewhat pale; the injuries from the fifty lashes were far from healed.

"Your Highness, I don't know what you're talking about."

"I dare not betray Your Highness! Your Highness has treated me with boundless kindness, how could I dare to betray you?" Cao Ma cried out in protest.

Li Yuanchang sneered.

"What are these things?"

He threw it heavily, and it slammed into Cao Ma's face.

There were letters and a large bag of gold, silver and valuables, the total value of which far exceeded the monthly wage of Cao Ma, a groom.

To put it simply, a large amount of income from dubious sources.

The contents of those letters covered Li Yuanchang's every move after Wu Meiniang was placed under house arrest, including all his travels, with precise timing and routes.

After all, the coachman was responsible for picking up and dropping off passengers, so he knew a lot about these things.

Cao Ma trembled, and was immediately speechless with grievances.

Li Yuanchang stood up, his young face filled with ruthlessness and an unusual calmness, pacing as if talking to himself.

"While I was in prison, I couldn't understand how Chai Lingwu knew my whereabouts?"

"It allows him to make accurate predictions and take precise actions."

"Not a penny less, not a cent less. Even my enemies know everything about my affair with Meiniang, and it's all been reported to His Majesty."