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

Back at the Prince of Han's residence.

Li Yuanchang was still in a daze, and without eating, he went straight to sleep.

He hoped that when he woke up, he would still be in the 21st-century Shanghai, still the same modern city of luxury cars, beautiful women, and extravagant lifestyle.

But when he woke up, the harsh reality shattered his illusions.

It's still the same Han Prince's Mansion, still this place deep in the political vortex, a place where you could die at any moment.

Li Yuanchang looked at his handsome eighteen-year-old self reflected in the basin and gave a wry smile.

"Ugh!"

"Since we're here, let's make the best of it."

"At least I didn't travel back to the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and at least I'm still a prince. If I handle things well and don't get involved in the struggle for the throne, it shouldn't be a problem for me to thrive in the Tang Dynasty."

He muttered to himself. Just then, the old steward, Fang Tong, rushed in, his face flushed and panting.

"Your Highness, someone from the palace has arrived."

"They said they want you to go to the palace now. Consort Yang has invited you to arrange your wedding."

Li Yuanchang turned around in shock: "So fast?"

Fang Tong smiled and said, "Your Highness, I heard that His Majesty ordered it to be done urgently."

"The Inner Palace Secretariat was already selecting young ladies for the palace, and now His Highness the Prince of Han has come up with the opportunity. His Majesty said that His Highness should be selected first."

"You know, this group of people was chosen for His Majesty's selection. His Majesty truly cherishes Prince Han!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanchang simply smiled.

There is no kinship in the imperial family.

If you take it seriously, you've already lost.

All he wants now is to finish these things quickly and then run away to save himself.

"Lead the way."

"Consort Yang, is that Consort Yang?" Li Yuanchang asked in confusion. He remembered that Li Shimin had several consorts with the surname Yang.

"Your Highness, this is Consort Yang, the most favored concubine of the present day. Rumor has it that His Majesty intends to establish an empress."

"..."

Imperial Pavilion.

This imperial garden in September is breathtakingly beautiful, far surpassing any so-called garden landscape of later generations. Any tree here would be a rare species in the future.

A large crowd had already gathered here.

There were officials from the Ministry of Rites, eunuchs from the Inner Palace Bureau, and several young and beautiful palace maids.

As soon as Li Yuanchang arrived, everyone's attention was drawn to him. The emperor really ate well; even the palace maids were so beautiful. If this were in later generations, they would be far more beautiful than any internet celebrity.

In the brief moment he was lost in thought.

"Oh, I was just speaking when the King of Han arrived."

The officials and eunuchs all bowed and greeted His Highness the Prince of Han.

Although it wasn't his first time entering the palace, Li Yuanchang, a modern man, still felt somewhat at a loss in this situation.

Following the gaze, a beautiful woman in palace attire smiled gently and looked at me.

Li Yuanchang was startled, and his eyes widened!

This is a young woman in her early twenties with fair skin, bright eyes and white teeth, an oval face, a slender waist, and a full bust.

Adorned with a gold and jade hairpin and a light gold, elegant palace dress, she perfectly embodies grace, nobility, beauty, and radiance!

Li Yuanchang had seen many beautiful women in his previous life, but none of them could compare to the woman in front of him. She wasn't even worthy of carrying his shoes.

Is this Li Shimin's vision?

This woman, Yang, was once Li Yuanji's wife. After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, she was taken away by her good second brother, Li Shimin.

Historical records indicate that Lady Yang, who came from a very high social standing, was greatly favored by Emperor Taizong of Tang (Li Shimin) after the death of Empress Zhangsun. He once intended to establish her as his empress, but was dissuaded by remonstrating officials led by Wei Zheng, and ultimately nothing came of it.

At this moment, Li Yuanchang finally understood why Li Shimin was willing to be criticized by the world in order to seize it.

This isn't Li Shimin's fault!

If it were him, he'd steal it too!

That skin, that face, that figure!

Wait, weren't all the women in the Tang Dynasty fat? This Consort Yang doesn't look fat at all; you could only say she was plump. You can't even see her buttocks or anything.

At this moment, everyone in the quiet imperial pavilion looked at each other with strange expressions.

What is the King of Han looking at?

Consort Yang had a peony flower between her eyebrows, which made her exceptionally beautiful. She frowned slightly, but then smiled.

"The King of Han?"

Li Yuanchang suddenly realized that this was the imperial palace, and that looking at his sister-in-law would cost him his head.

"Yuanchang greets Consort Shu." He bowed.

In the Tang Dynasty, the people were relatively open-minded and confident. Kneeling was generally not customary unless one had made a mistake or was of very low status.

"His Majesty said that His Highness the Prince of Han injured his head a few days ago, and is now slow to react and forgets people. He was just lost in thought. I wonder if His Highness the Prince of Han has remembered me?"

Consort Yang said with a smile.

Li Yuanchang looked up and met her gentle and charming eyes, which were as kind as a kind older sister next door.

He showed a hint of gratitude, knowing that Consort Yang was helping him out of a predicament.

That was a great act of disrespect. Although nothing was actually done, the gossip in the palace is a serious matter.

"Your Highness, although Yuan Chang didn't recall it just now, it felt strangely familiar."

"I have often heard that Your Majesty is virtuous and kind, and now that I have seen you, I can confirm that it is true. I am ashamed."

He responded by expressing his gratitude to the other party.

Consort Yang smiled, and the two of them exchanged words, thus turning the page on the unexpected incident.

"Someone, serve tea to His Highness the Prince of Han."

"yes!"

"It has been some time since I last saw Your Highness, the Prince of Han. Please have a seat."

"This is Cao Qing, the Vice Minister of Rites. He is in charge of the trivial matters related to the Prince of Han's wedding..."

Consort Yang patiently introduced each woman one by one, revealing that the women who caught Li Shimin's eye were definitely not just beautiful.

After meeting them one by one.

Consort Yang continued, "Your Highness, I am actually fortunate to have you by virtue of this. His Majesty entrusted me with the task of selecting a princess consort, which allowed me to leave the palace once on official business."

"No, no, I wouldn't dare."

"I'm sorry to trouble Your Majesty with your private affairs," Li Yuanchang said with a smile. This wasn't just polite talk; he had a very good impression of Consort Yang.

"Your Highness, the royal family has no private matters."

"Choosing a princess for you is a matter of great national importance, and His Majesty, as the monarch and elder brother, attaches great importance to it," Consort Yang said gently.

Li Yuanchang sighed inwardly, "What a wonderful woman."

"Yes, Consort Shu is absolutely right. His Majesty's care for Yuanchang is known throughout the land."

Consort Yang smiled and then appropriately got to the point.

"The Prince of Han is still unmarried. I wonder what kind of woman His Highness prefers? I would like to choose from among the daughters of the royal family and noble ladies."

In an instant, Li Yuanchang's mind conjured up images of long legs, pale skin, and a narrow slit in the sky...

But he dared not make any demands.

He knew very well that he had no say in the matter; royal marriages were not something he could simply choose, and were always driven by political considerations.

"Ahem, this is entirely up to Consort Shu to choose. As long as His Majesty agrees, it's fine."

Consort Yang smiled upon hearing this, almost causing Li Yuanchang to lose his composure again. She then had her personal maid bring over a thick stack of portraits.

"Your Highness, these are the portraits collected by the Inner Palace Secretariat this year. After careful selection, there are still more than forty portraits left. They all come from prestigious families, are well-educated and reasonable, and are around sixteen years old."

"Take a look."

The marriageable age for women in the Tang Dynasty was fifteen, which was considered relatively reliable for ancient times, but it still made Li Yuanchang feel ashamed.

This tender grass is being eaten...

He took it, and had to admit that the Tang Dynasty court painter's technique was truly lifelike, but after all, it was an impressionistic painting, so you couldn't really see the facial features or anything like that.

They can only be identified by the names on the portraits, which are mostly the five major surnames of the Tang Dynasty, with very few other surnames.

But since Consort Yang gave it to him, he couldn't not read it carefully, so he had to force himself to read it.

With over forty pages already read, Li Yuanchang decided to give up and leave it to fate. After all, he could have a second or third wife in the Tang Dynasty.

Let Li Shimin arrange the arrangements for the first wife.

But suddenly!

Li Yuanchang's hand, which had just finished flipping through the paper, suddenly froze, and his pupils dilated instantly.

He locked onto the bottom-ranked painting. The portrait on the painting was still in the impressionistic style, and he couldn't make out anything, but the name on it made him explode with excitement.

"Wu, Wu..."

"Your Highness, how do you pronounce this character?" His voice trembled, and his heart pounded wildly.

Because ancient scripts differ greatly from those of later periods, he was unsure if it was that person.