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

A fleeting shadow accompanied by the sound of wheels caught his attention.

He turned around and stared intently.

A carriage emerged from the darkness and stopped about fifty meters away outside the woods. A beautiful figure then stepped out of it.

Her silhouette was faintly visible in the moonlight, her steps graceful and unhurried.

Her slender figure was accentuated by a peach-pink palace dress, and she wore a brocade cloak. As she approached, she slowly reached out and removed the cloak.

At that moment, time seemed to stand still.

It's her, Wu Zetian!

Five years have passed, and she has shed her girlish naiveté, replaced by a languid and captivating charm.

Her captivating eyes and brows drew attention, and the floral decoration on her forehead was breathtakingly beautiful. The moonlight shone down, illuminating her curvaceous figure and creating a perfect interplay of light and shadow.

Li Yuanchang was somewhat unfamiliar at first glance.

Compared to that innocent and carefree girl, her features are thinner, and her bone structure has become sharper, as if it were drawn stroke by stroke.

When you look into her cold eyes, you can even see a kind of regal air about her!

So-called beauties are not born of mortals.

A typical beauty is someone with pretty features and fair skin, who evokes primal desires in men, making them want to devour her. This is the most direct way to describe a woman.

But Wu Zetian is far beyond this concept.

Her beauty encompasses multiple aspects, including her face, features, bone structure, and aura. Most men who see her are either dumbfounded or at a loss for words.

The two men stared at each other, sizing each other up, maintaining a distance of about ten meters.

No one spoke; the silence was unnatural.

The wind rustles, and the falling leaves make a sound.

Li Yuanchang had imagined the reunion countless times in his mind, but he never guessed correctly.

He and Wu Zetian eventually became familiar strangers.

From the moment Wu Zetian appeared, her gaze was cold and indifferent; he knew that too much had changed in the past five years.

Everyone changes.

"Are you alright?" All his unspoken words ultimately boiled down to this one question.

"Thanks to you, everything is fine." Wu Meiniang's voice also changed, becoming somewhat mature and aloof.

Li Yuanchang sensed the other party's indifference and pondered for a moment.

"What business do you have with me?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Meiniang unconsciously clenched her slender hands, and a sharp glint flashed in her beautiful eyes.

Li Yuanchang's question and attitude angered her.

She saw neither repentance nor any attempt to persuade him to stay, and she wouldn't have believed it anyway, but Li Yuanchang showed neither.

She sneered, "Has Your Highness forgotten that you were the one who came to us first?"

"Later, they secretly plotted to use their power to suppress Baiweifang's business in Chang'an."

"If I'm not mistaken, you also arranged the Prince of Jin's wedding, didn't you?"

Li Yuanchang did not deny it, but readily admitted: "That is true."

"I never realized you were so despicable. No wonder His Highness the Prince of Han holds such a high position!" Wu Meiniang smiled coldly, her contempt overflowing.

That is to say, there was no third person here, otherwise anyone who heard this would be shocked, and who would dare to provoke the King of Han like this?

"I am doing all this in the hope that you will back down."

"You shouldn't have come back," Li Yuanchang said, frowning.

"You're being far too nosy. What I do is none of your business, is it?"

"You're too arrogant. Do you think everyone in the world has to act according to your wishes?" Wu Meiniang said resentfully.

Li Yuanchang took a deep breath and said helplessly, "You don't need to argue with me."

"I had my reasons for what happened back then."

"Your predicament? Is your predicament simply that you can't get promoted and make money?"

"You made a vow to me here back then, saying that we would be together in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse. But you broke your own vow. You obeyed the emperor, wrote a letter of divorce, abandoned me, and married another woman."

Wu Zetian's eyes were filled with hatred, and every word she uttered was an accusation.

Unable to reveal the real reason, Li Yuanchang raised his hand to clear up the misunderstanding.

"I have always worn this ring."

"I have never forgotten our promise, never given up searching for you, never!"

Wu Meiniang's accusations came to an abrupt end as she looked at the ring on Li Yuanchang's finger, which reflected light—a ring she had personally placed on his finger.

Tears began to well up in her eyes, and endless emotions surged and burned, shattering her regal aura and sharp edge.

"Listen to me, don't go any further."

"Wu Yuanqing and his companion have already been punished. I will settle accounts with those who have bullied you over the years, but you, do not go any further!"

Li Yuanchang spoke with utmost seriousness, even a hint of pleading in his eyes.

Wu Meiniang raised her snow-white chin, looked at the sky, and refused to let her tears fall.

Seeing that ring, the past ultimately overcame the resentment.

After calming down a bit, she suddenly looked at me, her eyes resolute: "Fine!"

"I can listen to you, and I can trust you."

"But you need to prove it to me!"

Li Yuanchang was initially pleased, then frowned: "What does this prove?"

"Prove you're not lying!" Wu Meiniang's eyes were piercing.

"How can you prove it?"

"Divorce Situ Lan!"

Five words were enough to silence Li Yuanchang on the spot.

"What, you don't want to?" Wu Meiniang's eyes were dangerous, sharp, and revealed a stubborn obsession.

"What does this have to do with her? This is between you and me."

"Of course it's related. Didn't you say you've never forgotten the vow between us? But her existence is a thorn in my heart. If you remove it, I'll listen to you." Wu Meiniang bit her lip.

Li Yuanchang took a deep breath, knowing that if he didn't quell the other party's anger, the matter would likely escalate from a pursuit of power into a one-sided act of revenge.

"Give me some time. You leave Chang'an first, and when the time is right, I will send someone to bring you back to the Prince of Han's residence, how about that?"

Upon hearing the first sentence, Wu Meiniang felt a little better, but upon hearing the rest, her whole body instantly turned icy cold, like a frozen block of ice.

"Can't you understand what I'm saying?"

Her tone of voice and her eyes were already starting to resemble Wu Zetian's, even though it was only the beginning.

Li Yuanchang was taken aback; she hadn't even seized power yet. No wonder she was able to wipe out the entire Li Tang royal family in history.

"Does it really have to be this way?"

"certainly!"

"Why should I, Wu Meiniang, share my things with others? I, Wu Meiniang, will never be a concubine!!" She spoke each word with extreme firmness, her dragon-like eyebrows exuding heroic spirit.

That tone was no longer one of discussion with Li Yuanchang, nor was it that of the girl who used to be able to act coquettishly.

Li Yuanchang frowned, feeling a complete sense of unfamiliarity as he looked at the woman he had been longing for.

You've changed.

Wu Zetian gave a bitter smile: "So, you're not answering my question?"

Li Yuanchang stepped forward.

Wu Zetian took a step back.

Li Yuanchang stopped, his hand, frozen in mid-air, slowly retracting.

"I cannot agree to your request."

"She was always there for me during my most difficult times."

"If you'd like..."