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

In fact, both of these were military guard institutions in the Tang Dynasty. However, Li Yuanchang's foundation was too weak at the moment, and he was starting from scratch. Therefore, he reduced many unnecessary honorary titles and directly changed the extra "Personnel Office" into a staff and civil service.

"..."

Time flew by and it was November 18th. It had been about ten days since Li Yuanchang arrived in Liangzhou.

Aside from the shock caused by the killing of Lu Guang and his companion, Liangzhou subsequently fell into a state of stagnation.

Having taken over the affairs of Liangzhou and completed more than half of the investigation of various files, Li Yuanchang has neither appeared to make a statement nor issued any orders for questioning.

This is illogical; after all, how many officials can withstand even a simple investigation?

This unusual attitude made Gao Shen and the other two extremely uneasy.

"Your Highness, Lord Gao Shen has sent an invitation."

Li Yuanchang looked up, his eyes sharp.

"What invitation?"

"Your Highness, they say it's Lord Gao's fifty-ninth birthday, and they're having a small celebration at his home. They hope Your Highness can do them the honor of attending."

"Gao Shen's son also said that as long as Your Highness goes there, Lord Gao will give Your Highness a surprise and will not disappoint Your Highness," said Fang Weng.

Li Yuanchang smiled.

"A surprise? What surprise could he possibly have for me?"

"The son of Gao Shen is keeping us in suspense. It seems to be about something Your Highness has been busy with lately, and he can help Your Highness take over Liangzhou as soon as possible," said Fang Weng.

Li Yuanchang raised an eyebrow, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

Then he looked at the files piled up on the table. He had already discovered many loopholes in Liangzhou Prefecture, but he had no evidence, only suspicion.

He didn't think that Liangzhou was so bad that Gao Shen couldn't possibly be unaware of it.

He hadn't originally intended to go; he just wanted to go through the motions and offer his congratulations. But since Gao Shen had brought it up, he was curious about what the other party was really up to.

"When?"

"The formal birthday banquet is tomorrow, but tonight's celebration is also for those celebrating tonight."

Li Yuanchang nodded: "Prepare some gifts and have Gao Shen's son take them back. Tell him that I will arrive this evening."

"yes!"

"Your Highness, be careful, this could be a trap!" Guo Chao and the others couldn't help but warn him, since they all knew that His Highness's actions in Liangzhou had created an unspoken conflict with the local forces.

Li Yuanchang grinned.

"You're overthinking it."

"Even if Gao Shen and his gang had the guts of a leopard, they wouldn't dare touch me!"

"Evidence is needed for investigating cases, but only coordinates are needed for counter-terrorism."

"If they dare to touch me, the army from Chang'an will arrive in a few days."

Putting aside Li Yuanchang's noble royal background, his status as a prefect appointed by imperial decree alone is enough. What a joke, he died as soon as he arrived. Do you think Li Shimin was just a figurehead?

"..."

Time flies, and a day passes in the blink of an eye.

As the sun slowly sank behind the western mountains, shops in the streets and alleys of Liangzhou began to close, and pedestrians hurried along as curfew approached.

Li Yuanchang brought only Guo Chao and Wang Hongzhi, both from Guangdong and Guangxi, to the Gao residence.

Upon receiving the news, Gao Shen led his men out to greet them immediately.

His face was ruddy, his white hair was shiny, and he was wearing a loose funeral robe. He stepped forward with a smile and clasped his hands in greeting.

"Your Highness, it is an honor to have you grace our humble abode with your presence!"

The others also bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness, Prince of Han!"

Li Yuanchang glanced around and saw that many high-ranking officials from Liangzhou Prefecture had arrived, including Li Zhi and Lu Qi.

"Wow, there are so many people today."

"It seems that Lord Gao is quite respected in Liangzhou."

Gao Shen immediately forced a smile: "Your Highness, I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."

"Liangzhou is the fiefdom of the King of Han. We are merely his humble subjects and dare not claim to be of high virtue and prestige."

"If Your Highness is willing, we are willing to serve you faithfully, even through fire and water!"

He patted his chest and assured him.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"That's right!"

Lee Ji and his men immediately smiled and pledged their loyalty.

But Li Yuanchang didn't respond to them. He felt that the officialdom in Liangzhou was corrupt and that these people were absolutely not to be taken in. Taking them in might be a short-term help, allowing him to take over the entire territory more quickly.

But in the long run, it's like planting a landmine.

Moreover, what Li Yuanchang wanted to do in Liangzhou and what he wanted to achieve were destined to clash with these local forces.

"It's getting late."

"Okay, let's go inside and talk. What's the point of standing here?"

Gao Shen's smile faltered for a moment. They were all cunning foxes; how could he not know that Li Yuanchang was changing the subject and didn't want to recruit anyone?

But he was still smiling broadly.

"Yes, Your Highness, please come in and take a seat of honor."

Li Yuanchang went straight in.

Gao Shen turned around, like a raccoon looking back, and exchanged a glance with Li Zhi and the others.

The Gao residence was exceptionally grand, but the deep pond and high walls made it seem like a profound person, hiding his true nature.

Li Yuanchang was led into the main hall.

Although there were still some guests, they all seemed to be there just to make up the numbers.

On the table, delicacies were laid out in abundance.

"Your Highness, please take a seat." Gao Shen personally moved a chair for him.

Li Yuanchang laughed and said, "Lord Gao, you are the star of the show today. I'm here to celebrate your birthday, so there's no need for such formalities."

"Your Highness, in that respect, the distinction between superiors and inferiors must still be maintained."

Gao Shen finished speaking with a smile and then clapped his hands.

Immediately, two groups of maids emerged from behind the screen, each carrying fine wine and wine vessels.

Even so, they walked with a light step, as if they were dancing, and when they passed by, they would leave behind a very fragrant scent of young girls.

They seemed to have been trained from a young age, displaying remarkable poise. After arranging the wine and glasses neatly, their slender, delicate hands began to carefully pour the wine.

After pouring the wine, he took a step back, but did not leave. Instead, he waited there for the next time he could serve food and wine.

They are generally no older than eighteen and are very beautiful. In ordinary society, many men would want to marry them but couldn't.

In the Gao household, they were nothing more than maids who served meals.

"Your Highness, this wine was bestowed upon us many years ago when His Majesty ascended the throne. This is the only jar left in my possession."

"I brought this out today especially so that Your Highness may have a good drink with me!" Gao Shen said with a smile.

Li Yuanchang glanced at the two maids beside him. They were very young and the most beautiful of them all. In later generations, they would be considered the starting point for a pure and innocent art student.

He basically knew what the other party wanted to do.

"Lord Gao, you're too kind. There are so many dishes and such fine wine. Although it's a birthday celebration, you should still be mindful of the occasion."

"In this year of great disaster, there are still many people outside the city gate of Liangzhou who are starving," Li Yuanchang said emphatically.

The people at the table, including Lee Ji, were all a little embarrassed, not expecting that Lee Ji knew about the year of great disaster.