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

He naturally steered the conversation toward Li Zhi.

"Oh? Your Highness also went to see Prince Jin?"

"Yes! Not long ago, while hunting in Wangchuan, Prince Jin almost fell off his horse. I thought I'd go and see him, chat with him for a while, and then came here. It was on my way," Li Yuanchang said.

Consort Yang was very well-mannered to have tea poured for her.

She sighed and said, "I see. I also went to see Prince Jin. He has been depressed ever since we returned from the hunting grounds."

"I heard it was because of the fall from the horse that he didn't stand out in the hunt, and he's a bit sad about it."

Li Yuanchang's eyes lit up, and he said, "Yes."

"It was just an accident at the time, but I didn't expect that Prince Jin would still be thinking about it after all this time."

Consort Yang said, "Prince Jin is still young. Perhaps in two more years he will be more mature."

Li Yuanchang nodded in deep agreement.

"To be honest, Your Highness, when I came here just now, I was joking with Prince Jin, saying that when His Majesty finds him a wife, he will naturally mature."

"Huh?" Consort Yang's eyes suddenly lit up.

"That's true. It seems that Prince Jin has reached the age for marriage."

Li Yuanchang quickly added, "Your Majesty, it is indeed so."

"Back then, I often caused trouble and was quite immature. But after I got married, I became a completely different person."

"It's just a pity that Empress Zhangsun is no longer here. If she were, she would surely have found a good match for Prince Jin who is both virtuous and learned."

Consort Yang seemed to be deep in thought.

"I can bring this up with His Majesty."

Li Yuanchang knew that this was enough to guide the conversation; continuing would make it too obvious that he had a specific purpose.

He has achieved his purpose in coming here today.

Consort Yang remained the most favored concubine in the harem. Although she was not formally appointed as empress, she actually handled many of the empress's affairs.

Having said that, she naturally wouldn't ignore it.

"Yes, Your Majesty is kind and benevolent, I admire you." Li Yuanchang cupped his hands and smiled.

After chatting for a while, Li Yuanchang said that the goods had been delivered and it was time to leave the palace.

His plan succeeded even faster than he had imagined.

With Yang Shufei's suggestion, Li Shimin immediately began to consider it.

The next day, Li Shimin publicly announced that he would have the Ministry of Rites find a suitable match for the Prince of Jin as his consort, both to appease the spirit of Empress Changsun in heaven and to find a virtuous wife for the Prince of Jin.

This matter did not cause much of a stir. After all, it is natural for men to marry when they are of age and women to marry when they are of age, and Li Zhi was indeed of marriageable age. Li Yuanchang's secret maneuvering only brought forward the Prince of Jin's marriage by a few months.

After completing this step, Li Yuanchang did not stop.

He used the resources of the Han Prince's Mansion to have people subsidize him, completely crushing the space for various businesses such as distilled spirits with extremely low prices.

Furthermore, he secretly sent people to scour the entire city of Chang'an, using his power as a trump card to persuade all merchants in Chang'an to stop using Baiweifang's wines and goods.

This is extremely easy for Li Yuanchang now; he doesn't even need to reveal his identity, he just needs to send someone to give a heads-up.

He hoped to change Wu Zetian's course by arranging the Prince of Jin's wedding and by using commercial means to block her.

a few days later.

Li Yuanchang received the news at his residence.

"Your Highness, it's confirmed. The Ministry of Rites has selected a shortlist of eleven women from the five prominent families and seven noble clans. After His Majesty reviewed the list, he has finalized the selection of a woman from the Wang family of Taiyuan," Guo Chao said in a low voice.

really!

Li Yuanchang thought to himself, "This is Empress Wang, who left her mark on history. She was also killed by Wu Zetian."

"Your Highness, why do you think His Majesty chose these people?"

"When you were in Liangzhou, His Majesty wasn't..." Guo Chao drawled, utterly puzzled.

Li Yuanchang calmly said, "There's nothing strange about this. There are no eternal enemies in the world, only eternal interests."

"We can win them over when needed."

"When conflicts arise, it is necessary to give them a warning."

"His Majesty neither intends to support Lady Wang nor wants her to stray further from his own path."

"The art of politics is always unpredictable."

Guo Chao frowned.

"Your Highness, will this have any impact on you?"

"The Wang family of Taiyuan hates His Highness to the bone. Strictly speaking, no noble family likes His Highness. Now that Prince Jin has married their daughter, this..."

Li Yuanchang remained calm; he took it all in stride.

The art of emperorship lies in balance.

Li Shimin would never promote one faction while ignoring the other; a balance of power and mutual restraint is what an emperor desires.

So when he was pushing this forward, he never thought of stopping anyone from becoming the Princess of Jin.

"fine."

"We'll still eat and drink as usual."

"I have no fear of them."

He was very confident and fearless throughout his future political career. The strongest thing about the Wang family of Taiyuan was their monopoly on resources, but that was nothing to fear for Li Yuanchang, a man of modern spirit.

"yes!"

"Report!!" A guard suddenly rushed over.

"Your Highness, someone just delivered a letter outside the mansion, saying it was to be opened personally by the Prince of Han."

Li Yuanchang raised an eyebrow, reached out and took it. When he saw the four words "Personally opened by the Prince of Han," his pupils contracted sharply, and then he tore it open with a ripping sound.

It contained only a few words: "Tonight at midnight, the usual place."

Li Yuanchang stood up abruptly.

is her!

It's her handwriting.

Only he and the other party knew what "old place" meant.

That grove was where the two fell in love with a kiss, and it's also the place that holds the most memories for them.

She finally showed up!

Where is the messenger?

The guard said, "Your Highness, it was a child who said someone gave it to him, so we didn't keep it."

Li Yuanchang nodded, somewhat excited.

Regardless, this day has finally come.

"Guo Chao, go to the Ministry of War and relocate the soldiers on night watch in Chang'an tonight. Replace all the patrols in Yong'an Ward with your own men."

"Yes!" Guo Chao clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"..."

Time passed second by second, from day to night, Chang'an entered another curfew, the whole city was shrouded in darkness, and the streets were deserted.

But the curfew was just a formality for Li Yuanchang, who arrived at the "old spot" a step ahead of time.

He also ordered that some of the patrolling officers and soldiers be transferred and replaced with his own men.

He stood by the pond, dressed in black, with willow leaves swaying on the bridge and the moonlight as if it had been washed by water. This was the place where he and Wu Meiniang had pledged their love and made a promise.

Now, revisiting this place, he was filled with emotion. It had been almost five years!

He waited for a full two hours, almost petrified, with only his black hair dancing in the wind.

Suddenly a gust of wind rippled the pond water.

Li Yuanchang looked back with his deep eyes.