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

After leaving the palace, Li Yuanchang did not return to the Prince of Han's residence, but went directly to the Begonia Villa.

This was something he couldn't let go of on his journey back to Chang'an.

He wanted to ask Wu Meiniang face to face what she was doing!

But when he arrived, the Begonia Villa was already deserted, and even the furnishings and decorations were gone; it was a haunted house.

Li Yuanchang then rushed to the former Martial Academy, but it had never been moved and remained a desolate place.

Wu Zetian vanished from the face of the earth once again, and this time she left completely, along with the entire Song family in the north, all of whom withdrew from Chang'an.

It seems they are intentionally avoiding Li Yuanchang.

"We've found Wu Yuanqing and his companion!" Li Yuanchang said in a deep voice.

"yes!"

"..."

Within just a few hours, the whereabouts of the Wu brothers, Wu Yuanqing and Wu Yuanqing, were found, and the two were now working for Li Zhi.

Although he was just a minor official, he had already entered the palace with Emperor Gaozong.

Li Yuanchang realized that things were not going as he had planned, and became somewhat anxious, so he used various means to contact the two of them.

The two men were also afraid of Li Yuanchang's methods and dared not disobey him because of their background, so they obediently replied to his letter.

In the letter, the two claimed that they knew nothing about the Begonia Villa anymore, only that Wu Meiniang had left, but no one knew where she went.

However, the two provided Li Yuanchang with an address.

This address does not belong to Wu Zetian, but to Madam Wu, Wu Shun, and Wu Lan, located in Youzhou.

Li Yuanchang had no other choice. If things continued this way, he would only see Wu Meiniang embark on a path of lust for power, and the two would inevitably become adversaries.

Therefore, he dispatched men from the Black Ice Guard to Youzhou to secretly bring the person back to Lantian County and settle her there, in order to force Wu Meiniang to reappear.

This time, he was no longer going to give the other party time and space. If they refused to listen to his advice, he would have no choice but to take control by force!

The next day.

Li Yuanchang is unemployed and stays at home, spending time with his children.

While he was having fun in the backyard, Guo Chao came over quickly and whispered something in his ear.

Li Yuanchang was shocked!

His eyes widened in astonishment, and he remained speechless for a long time.

"When did this happen?"

Upon seeing this, Situ Lan and Qin Keyu quickly took the child away to make room.

"Your Highness, it happened this morning. Prince Qi, Li You, refused to confess his crimes and committed suicide before His Majesty. Before his death, he cried out that he would never be born into an imperial family again." Guo Chao said solemnly.

Li Yuanchang smiled wryly.

He hadn't expected that Li You would choose such a drastic way to end things.

This isn't the end, nor is it a trial; this guy is turning around and judging his own father!

"Your Highness, the Prince of Qi has returned. Why won't he listen to you? As long as he confesses, he should be able to live given the situation in Qizhou," Guo Chao said, puzzled.

Li Yuanchang said with mixed feelings, "For a prince, confinement and exile might be more painful than death."

"Now that I think about it, he probably never wanted to live when he was in Qizhou. Returning to Chang'an with me to be tried was just the last thing he wanted to do."

"This lad harbored resentment towards His Majesty, and he used his death to deliver his most powerful counterattack."

Guo Chao was ashamed: "If we are father and son, why have we come to this?"

"A son doesn't know his father, and a father doesn't know his son." Li Yuanchang sighed, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards his children in the distance. This family matter of Li Shimin served as a stark warning to him.

Feudal education is unacceptable!

"His Majesty must be in great pain now. His own son committed suicide before him and even cried out that he would never be born into an imperial family again. I heard that many ministers heard it."

"It was a joint trial at the time, with people from all three judicial departments present." Guo Chao's expression was strange.

Li Yuanchang remained silent.

He thought to himself that this might only be the beginning.

Li You was, after all, born out of wedlock, so Li Shimin probably didn't have high hopes for him. In the meantime, Li Chengqian might just be holding back a big one for him.

He was both a participant and an observer; he knew how things were going, but it was difficult for him to control them.

"call."

"So how did His Majesty handle it in the end?"

"Your Highness, all of Qi Wang's accomplices have been executed, but His Majesty, in order to demonstrate leniency, has pardoned some accomplices and those who surrendered."

"The counties and prefectures in Qizhou refused to rebel and remained secluded, earning His Majesty's approval and perhaps even receiving rewards."

"As for the King of Qi, he was allowed to be buried, but he was demoted to a commoner and stripped of all privileges," Guo Chao said.

Li Yuanchang nodded, this was not much different from the original history.

Although he was involved, the general direction of history could not be changed, which made him inexplicably worried.

They were worried that Li Chengqian's affairs might affect the Prince of Han's residence.

I worry that Wu Zetian might still end up in the inner palace.

"Have someone keep a close eye on the movements of the Dali Temple. Their investigation may not have stopped yet. Inform me immediately if there is any news."

Guo Chao was stunned. Li You, Yin Hongzhi, and everyone else were dead, and it still hadn't stopped?

"yes!"

"..."

three days later.

Li Yuanchang ended his "vacation" and officially went to court.

At the morning court session, he saw Li Shimin again after many days. He sat on the dragon throne, still the majestic and powerful Khan who commanded respect throughout the world, divine and composed, exuding authority without anger.

There was just one more wrinkle on his brow.

It seems that they were not affected in the slightest by Li Youzhi's death.

But the atmosphere in the court didn't lie; it was noticeably more serious, and no one dared to mention Li You's affairs. The discussions were basically conducted in a very conventional manner.

As soon as the morning court session ended, Li Yuanchang was summoned to the Imperial Study.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!"

Inside the imperial study, the fireplace provided warmth, keeping out the cold winter air outside.

Li Shimin nodded and waved his hand gently, and someone brought Li Yuanchang a stool and ginseng tea.

"Seventh Brother, you have returned from Qizhou, and I have not yet received you. You have rendered meritorious service on this trip."

"You always handle my affairs, big or small, very well."

Li Yuanchang cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, it is all my duty."

Li Shimin patted him on the shoulder as encouragement, still maintaining his strong image. Outsiders could not see any trace of grief, nor did they know whether he was faking it or was just being cold-blooded.

"In your memorial, you mentioned a large sum of money and grain in Qizhou. What's going on? I'm surprised by the amount."

Li Yuanchang's eyes sharpened, and he instantly tensed up.

He knew he'd have to ask about this sooner or later!

There was no way to hide it, so he didn't intend to conceal the matter of money and grain.

"Your Majesty, I investigated immediately. However, due to the fact that Yin Hongzhi and others are all dead and lack testimonies, I can only deduce that this money and grain should have been collected and embezzled by Yin Hongzhi and his cronies over the years."

"The purpose was to plot a rebellion. Yin Hongzhi said this publicly when I attacked the rebels in Qizhou."

He calmly replied, "Anyway, the person is dead, and there's no way to verify it."

This is the only explanation that makes sense.

Li Shimin did not suspect anything.

His eyes were cold: "These bastards from the Yin family, ungrateful for the Emperor's grace, instead repay with enmity!"

"How many years has this been planned in the making!"

The way he spoke made it sound like he wanted to drag the person up and kill them all over again.

Li Yuanchang sipped his tea but didn't say anything.

Rather than calling it a rebellion by the Yin family, it's more accurate to say it was a disaster caused by the imbalance between father and son.