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

"Hahaha!" Li Shimin's hearty laughter rang out, and then someone parted the curtain of the gilded dragon carriage, and he stepped out in a black outfit.

Even without wearing a dragon robe, he was still the emperor, majestic and awe-inspiring.

Li Ke and Li Zhi quickly stepped forward, one helping him up and the other bringing a stool.

But Li Shimin, unwilling to accept his age, did not accept it and, just as he had done in his youth, jumped down directly.

"Xuanling, Seventh Brother, thank you both for your hard work."

"We dare not," Li Yuanchang and Fang Xuanling said, bowing respectfully.

"These are all my duties."

Li Shimin stood with his hands behind his back, gazing around, seemingly in a rather good mood.

"Oh my, it's really nice to leave the palace. The palace is nice, but it can never compare to this kind of beautiful scenery."

"Such scenery, wouldn't it be a great pity not to ride a horse at full speed?"

Upon hearing this, the accompanying officials immediately tried to stop them.

Li Shimin was already 45 years old, no longer young, and suffering from old ailments such as migraines; in fact, his health had already begun to decline.

But Li Shimin insisted: "Do you all think I'm too old and about to fall off my horse?"

Upon hearing this, the accompanying officials looked bitter; who dared to answer?

"Alright, it's decided then!"

"Xuanling, you go to the back and lead the team."

"Zhijie, Jingde, Ke'er, Zhinu, you will all follow me, abandoning the carriage and riding horses, to Wangchuan to appreciate the magnificent scenery of Chang'an!" Li Yuanchang was in high spirits, as if he had become several years younger.

This is similar to the feeling of traveling; even the greatest emperors of all time are not immune to this.

"yes!"

Everyone clasped their hands in a fist salute.

Seeing that Li Shimin was in high spirits, no one dared to stop him.

At this moment, Li Shimin's gaze swept over Li Yuanchang: "Seventh brother, you come too!"

Li Yuanchang said, "Well... Your Majesty, I am responsible for maintaining order, coordinating officers and soldiers, and protecting Your Majesty. I'm afraid... I cannot go on a leisurely trip."

Li Shimin laughed and grabbed Li Yuanchang's hand.

"What are you afraid of?"

"With so many people here, are we still afraid of assassins?"

"Besides, even if assassins come, I have you, Zhijie, and Jingde by my side. Who can get close to me? Is there anyone in the world who can stand against me?"

"Hahaha!" Cheng Yaojin let out a loud, boisterous laugh.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right!"

"The fact that we, the old ministers, have sheathed our swords for many years does not mean we cannot draw them. Anyone who dares to plot against His Majesty will be picked at the teeth with an axe first!"

"Your Highness, let's mount our horses. His Majesty said on the way that he wanted to have a horsemanship contest with Your Highness." Yuchi Gong was always eager to stir up trouble.

Even if Li Yuanchang is good at horsemanship, it's still not easy for him to beat Li Shimin, who is already forty-five years old.

"Alright." Li Yuanchang smiled wryly, not saying much, and could only temporarily hand over the tasks at hand to Kou Zhu and others.

He then mounted his horse alongside Li Shimin and joined the Hundred Cavalry system.

"Whoa!!"

Li Shimin mounted his horse in one smooth motion, hovering the steed with remarkable fluidity. Even though he hadn't ridden for many years, his youthful vigor was still evident.

He was by no means a bloated hedonist; he was a true king who conquered the world on horseback.

The others followed suit and mounted their horses, making a constant clattering sound.

Besides Li Yuanchang and his confidants, there was also the entire Hundred Cavalry as a guard.

Li Shimin turned around, his face beaming, and said with great interest, "You are not allowed to be modest. Everyone must ride at full speed. The first one to reach Wangchuan will be rewarded by me with this purebred Ferghana horse from the Gaochang royal family!"

"Yes!!" the crowd shouted.

"Rush!"

"Giddy up!!" Li Shimin shouted, and he and his horse instantly sped off, leaving everyone else in the dust.

Although Cheng Chuliang and Yuchi Gong were loud and boisterous, they were not reckless. They quickly rushed forward, one on the left and one on the right, following Li Shimin.

Li Yuanchang and Li Ke were equally matched, almost on par, only maintaining a half-body distance from Li Shimin.

Only a fool would be the first to ride a horse with the boss like that!

Li Shimin was broad-minded and wouldn't hold a grudge, but who would make their leader unhappy?

Next up are the Hundred Riders.

This noble imperial guard, numbering only one hundred, was terrifying. Each member was clad in gleaming armor, and they appeared as if gods had descended to earth, following Li Shimin from all directions to protect his safety.

This thing might be more effective than the entire Lantian County and Zhechong Prefecture.

"Giddy up, giddy up!!"

"Hahaha!"

Li Shimin burst into laughter and galloped away on horseback with his old buddies, as if he had returned to his glorious youth.

The sound of thundering hooves conveyed a sense of clashing swords and galloping horses.

The procession raced towards the rising sun, the atmosphere was wonderful, and Li Shimin was also very happy, but soon, an unexpected event occurred!

Everyone present was a top-notch equestrian, having all served on the battlefield. Even Prince Li Ke, who had never fought, had been riding horses since childhood and was highly skilled.

There was only one person: Li Zhi!

He was the youngest, not even fourteen years old. He was already young, and as the youngest legitimate son, he was raised by Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun from a young age.

She is a typical hothouse flower, and her personality is rather weak and lacks assertiveness.

He was nowhere near capable of keeping up with this level of skill. Although he had been cramming at the palace, he quickly revealed his inadequacy.

A sudden, violent jolt from his horse caused him to panic, his legs failing to grip the stirrups, and he lost his balance, with half his body being thrown out.

He screamed in terror, "Father!!"

Upon hearing the sound, the people in the front row all turned around.

"Prince Jin!!" The hundred riders were shocked. When they saw it, only one of Li Zhi's feet was stuck in the stirrup. Falling from a horse is a very serious injury.

At best, it can cause broken bones; at worst, it can lead to death!

"Whoa!!"

More than a hundred people slammed on their brakes, kicking up dust.

Li Shimin's expression changed drastically, but it was too late for him to come to the rescue.

At the critical moment, just as Li Zhi's head was about to fall heavily from his horse, Li Yuanchang and Li Ke leaped out almost simultaneously.

They reached out to protect the young Li Zhi from both sides.

His fall from the horse will not only cause severe head injuries, but his legs will also be trapped in the stirrups and he will be dragged along, making his situation even worse.

boom! !

Li Ke caught Li Zhi with his bare hands, using his own body as a shield, and embraced him with both hands.

Li Yuanchang cut the leather of the stirrups wrapped around Li Zhi's feet with a single stroke, thus preventing him from being dragged.

The three landed one after another, hitting the ground hard, and then rolled several times on the ground, narrowly avoiding being trampled by the warhorses.

Fortunately, all 100 riders were elite and reacted very quickly, managing to control all the warhorses and leaving enough space.

A rustling sound rang out.

Li Shimin dismounted and, with a worried expression, led his men to rush forward.

"Child slave!"

"Father, Father Emperor."

Li Zhi was pale and terribly frightened, his hair disheveled, but he was otherwise unharmed.

On the contrary, Li Ke, in order to protect Li Zhi, was hit on the forehead by a stone on the ground, and was bleeding profusely.

Li Yuanchang had some abrasions, but it wasn't a big problem.

Everyone was helped up.

Li Shimin's expression was rather unpleasant. As one of the greatest emperors in Chinese history, it would be strange if his father, as the father of the emperor, could fall off a horse.

"How did you ride that horse?"

Li Ke stepped in to defuse the situation, his face still covered in blood. He cupped his hands and said, "Father, this is not my fault. It was my carelessness while riding that caused me to lose control of the horse."