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

Li Yuanchang frowned and followed her step by step, watching her get into the carriage.

The two did not exchange another word.

With the misunderstanding cleared up, an even bigger problem lay before the two: external interference meant there was no going back.

If Wu Zetian could agree to that, she wouldn't be the Empress.

This became the core contradiction.

The carriage is about to leave.

Li Yuanchang's hoarse voice rang out in the night: "No matter what, I don't want you to go down that kind of path."

"If anything happens, you can notify the Prince of Han's residence. I will come to see you and protect you."

"But you mustn't do that!"

"I don't want you to become a cold-blooded, ruthless, scheming, and cunning woman."

Inside the carriage, there was no reply from Wu Meiniang for a long time.

He simply said, "Let's go."

The horses neighed, and the carriage gradually disappeared.

Li Yuanchang watched her go. He had considered forcing her to stay, sending her out of Chang'an to create a safe environment for her, or forcibly keeping her by his side.

But that's not what Wu Zetian wanted.

Now, she is no longer the girl who needed her protection.

She has grown up and is now fully capable.

Li Yuanchang had mixed feelings about this.

……

Time flies, and November has arrived in the blink of an eye. The sixteenth year of Zhenguan is drawing to a close, and the torrent of history seems to be sweeping in with overwhelming force.

In addition to handling official business every day, Li Yuanchang has also begun to plan for the future.

He ordered the Black Ice Guard to closely monitor the movements of the Eastern Palace and Hou Junji's residence, and even their confidants were under Li Yuanchang's surveillance.

If the two refuse to listen to advice and insist on going down that path, then there is no other choice but to suppress them.

They want to restart Xuanwu Gate 2.0, which is not in the interests of the Tang Dynasty, nor in the interests of Li Yuanchang.

In addition, he did not overlook Liangzhou and Lantian County.

These two places, one near and one far, both housed his trusted troops.

Cheng Chuliang and Yuchi Baoqi were leading the Zhechong Prefecture in Lantian County, while Wang Hongzhi, Song Yu, and Wan Jun were in Liangzhou. All of them were Li Yuanchang's core forces.

No one knew what changes had occurred in Li Yuanchang's power over the past two years. His troops had disappeared into the shadows and never showed themselves, especially the eight thousand soldiers from Liangzhou.

They were trained in modern knowledge and deliberately kept in hiding. Each of their wives, children, and elderly parents were secretly supported by the Han Prince's Mansion, and every month Situ Lan would personally and secretly allocate a large sum of money.

This matter is taboo and has the appearance of raising a private army.

But Li Yuanchang continued to do it. He didn't care what anyone else promised him, not even Li Shimin. Only what he could decide himself counted.

The army was his last resort!

In addition, there is Wu Zetian.

She did indeed withdraw from Kai Chang'an.

But after their last meeting, a silence and an eeriness fell between them.

November 8th.

The Prince of Jin was getting married.

As Li Shimin's youngest legitimate son, he received the most love from Li Shimin, and Li Shimin's longing for Empress Zhangsun was even grafted onto him in some way.

In addition, the woman is from the Wang family of Taiyuan.

Therefore, this day was extremely sensational!

Li Zhi was raised in the palace from a young age and had no precedent of ever going out to establish his own government or go to a fiefdom. His wedding was even held in the palace.

Li Shimin attended in person, and countless imperial relatives, nobles, and celebrities offered their congratulations.

This included Li Yuanchang, who, as was customary, sent many gifts and attended the banquet.

Li Zhi, dressed in festive royal robes, greeted the guests with a radiant smile and a flushed face. His youthful face showed the joy of being a groom, but there was also a hint of helplessness deep in the corners of his eyes.

As a prince, his marriages were not under his control.

When he walked up to Li Yuanchang, his eyes suddenly became complicated.

"Seventh Uncle".

"Prince of Jin".

Li Zhi glanced around at the noisy surroundings, then asked, "Seventh Uncle, have you been to the Begonia Villa?"

Li Yuanchang nodded.

Li Zhi appeared hesitant, somewhat curious, yet also showing signs of youthful timidity.

"Seventh Uncle, do you know Ling Shuang?"

Li Yuanchang nodded again.

"Seventh Uncle, could you please give me some face and stop targeting her? I heard that the people from the Prince of Han's mansion have a business feud with the Song family in the north."

"After Seventh Uncle went to the Begonia Villa, they were forced to leave Chang'an." Li Zhi frowned, believing that Li Yuanchang had done something underhanded.

Li Yuanchang frowned slightly. Even on the day of Li Zhi's wedding, he couldn't forget Wu Meiniang.

Moreover, as far as he knew, Li Zhi probably still didn't know Ling Shuang's true identity and only thought she was a financial tycoon from the north.

Don't worry.

"Today is your joyous day. Be respectful to your guests and Princess Jin, and don't think about things you shouldn't be thinking about."

"The Wang family of Taiyuan are your strongest supporters."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi appeared to be forcing a smile.

"Thank you, Uncle Qi."

After a brief exchange, the two parted ways.

Li Yuanchang greeted some of his colleagues; he knew almost all the civil and military officials in the court.

When he was the Prince of Han, he could shut himself away from guests, but after becoming the Minister of War, he had to adapt to officialdom and began to deal with all sorts of strange and powerful figures.

He knew very well that if he couldn't adapt to the environment, he was destined to be eliminated.

Therefore, he was very popular in the court and almost secured the position of Minister of War thanks to his excellent emotional intelligence.

Although he couldn't develop his power as freely as Liangzhou, he was respected by everyone, from top to bottom. Except for officials related to the Five Clans and Seven Families, he was generally well-regarded.

While he was talking with some colleagues.

Suddenly, a figure came toward Li Yuanchang.

Upon seeing this, the surrounding officials all made way, all stood solemnly, and some even bowed in respect.

Li Yuanchang sensed a magnetic field and slowly turned around.

A middle-aged man in a wide, round robe with gray hair strode over. His aura was deep and restrained. An ordinary person would just think he was nothing special, but a powerful person would find him terrifying, terrifyingly profound!

Changsun Wuji!

Li Yuanchang raised an eyebrow slightly.

Although both men were important officials of the Tang Dynasty, their relationship was always just so-so.

He had a better relationship with people like Fang Xuanling, and maintained a distant, nodding acquaintance with Changsun Wuji.

This was not only due to historical reasons, but also to differences in political views. Li Yuanchang could clearly sense that he and Changsun Wuji were not the same kind of people.

"Situ".

"King of Han".

The two greeted each other.

As Li Zhi's maternal uncle, it was not surprising that he came here; Li Yuanchang had assumed he wanted to speak with him.

But Changsun Wuji didn't waste any words and whispered in Li Yuanchang's ear, "His Majesty has summoned you urgently to the Imperial Study."

Li Yuanchang raised an eyebrow. Through the gaps in the crowd, he could already see Zhang Yunggu and other ministers of the court, including the head of the Dali Temple.

Why the urgent summons at this time, and why look after so many important officials? What happened?