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

Fang Xuanling took a deep breath and said quietly, "Actually, there's nothing wrong with saying it."

"Public matters are public matters, and private matters are private matters; there is no need to put anyone in a difficult position."

"I believe it's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. Wasn't Your Highness's reaction today a bit too extreme?"

In his opinion.

Li Yuanchang remained silent.

Fang Xuanling was insightful; in fact, besides helping himself and Li Ke, there was another very important point.

He personally covered up the truth about that batch of money and grain, and he was also worried that if Changsun Wuji really dealt with it, he might expose the truth.

Fang Xuanling stopped there, not pressing further, and continued.

"Judging from today's outcome, Your Highness did indeed use twenty strokes of the cane to make them restrain themselves, and no one dares to force the impeachment of the King of Wu anymore."

"But you've been thrust into the spotlight."

"With the crown prince deposed at this critical time, everyone knows that a new crown prince will be appointed sooner or later."

"The King of Wu was detained in Chang'an, while Lord Changsun..."

He remained subtle, hinting at the struggle for the crown prince position.

Li Yuanchang's act of protecting Changsun Wuji, and his direct confrontation with him, will be interpreted by outsiders as support for the King of Wu, regardless of the reason.

Li Yuanchang nodded: "I understand what you mean, Lord Fang."

"But many things are beyond our control, and I am quite certain that this matter is completely fabricated."

"Moreover, Changsun Wuji and I have always disagreed on political matters. From the marriage alliance to the current reform of the Ministry of War, there has always been a disagreement between us."

"I can't be a coward forever, can I?"

"If we give in to him today, he'll be even more arrogant tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Fang Xuanling gave another bitter smile.

How could he not know who Changsun Wuji was? Li Ke's matter was somewhat influenced by his own interests towards Li Yuanchang, so he understood Li Yuanchang's feelings.

"Your Highness, there is indeed no right or wrong, only positions."

"But I believe it's better to resolve conflicts than to perpetuate them. You and Lord Changsun are both important officials in the court, and this stalemate cannot continue indefinitely."

"Perhaps it would be better to clear up the misunderstanding, even if only superficially."

Li Yuanchang raised an eyebrow: "How do you solve it?"

Fang Xuanling hesitated for a moment: "Your Highness's remarks today were somewhat extreme. Perhaps you should try to curry favor with Lord Changsun?"

"I'm sure Lord Changsun won't hold a grudge; he's not that petty."

Li Yuanchang frowned.

"Lord Fang, thank you for your kindness and care, but I cannot do the same to him."

"He resorted to underhanded tactics; I will not give him a friendly welcome."

He declined very decisively.

First, he disdains admitting defeat.

Secondly, he was well aware that he had a fundamental conflict with Changsun Wuji. Putting aside everything else, he could not stand idly by simply watching Changsun Wuji want to kill Li Ke.

He never sought to bring anyone down and then push Li Ke up; he had no such ambition.

On the contrary, Changsun Wuji was ambitious and wanted to eliminate all his political enemies.

Li Yuanchang disdained associating with him.

He didn't think Changsun Wuji was particularly magnanimous; after all, Changsun Wuji had a God's-eye view.

Upon hearing this, Fang Xuanling took a deep breath, smiled helplessly, and ultimately said nothing more. He seemed to have guessed that Li Yuanchang, who was strong-willed and often caused trouble, would not surrender.

"Oh well."

"Your Highness, please stay home and recover from your injuries while we await the results of the investigation."

"If Your Highness does not wish to speak with Lord Changsun, you still need to give His Majesty an explanation. After all, you have essentially defied the imperial decree in court today, and His Majesty is very displeased with this."

"In addition, His Majesty has been in a bad mood lately," Fang Xuanling reminded him repeatedly.

Li Yuanchang nodded.

"Thank you, Lord Fang. I understand."

"Does Your Highness wish me to convey your message now?" Fang Xuanling asked.

Li Yuanchang was moved; he could feel that Fang Xuanling was genuinely kind to him and truly helping him.

At his level, Li Shimin would not dare to disobey him even if he said something casually.

After thinking for a moment, he immediately wrote a memorial admitting his mistake of behaving improperly in front of the emperor and disobeying the imperial decree, thus giving Emperor Li Shimin a way out.

Fang Xuanling took the memorial and left.

"..."

For a long time afterward, Li Yuanchang stayed at home to recover from his injuries.

The imperial court acted swiftly, and within about half a month, there was new progress in the blood oath case. The people Li Shimin sent to Anzhou found nothing.

On the other hand, in Qizhou, Governor Wei, who impeached Li Ke, took the initiative to admit that the investigation was flawed and that the blood oath was fabricated and its origin was unreliable.

Li Shimin issued an edict dismissing him from his post as governor for dereliction of duty and confiscating his property, but did not execute him.

Li Yuanchang was neither involved nor aware of the entire process. It was only after the imperial edict was issued that Li Shimin summoned Li Yuanchang and Li Ke to explain the matter.

"This is a misunderstanding."

"I have investigated and cleared your names. Do you two still have any doubts?" Li Shimin asked.

Li Ke cupped his hands in respect: "Father is wise; your son has no doubts."

Li Shimin then looked at Li Yuanchang: "Prince of Han, and what about you?"

Li Yuanchang took a deep breath. He knew that the accusation by the governor of Qizhou was definitely not that simple, but Li Shimin wanted this matter to end there.

"Your Majesty, I don't have any either."

"That's good." Li Shimin nodded lightly and glanced at Changsun Wuji.

"The impeachment by the officials was an act of speaking out in the spirit of justice, and it was also the consistent practice of remonstrance in the Tang Dynasty."

"You two must not hold a grudge because of this, much less feel that you have been framed or plotted against."

"Do you understand?"

When Li Shimin said this, he was looking at Li Yuanchang.

This was clearly meant for him.

"Yes!" the two replied.

At this moment, Changsun Wuji stepped forward and revealed a warm smile: "Your Highness, I have heard that the Princess Consort of Han is pregnant and will soon give birth to her second child."

"I originally intended to present a generous gift, but I was afraid of gossip, so recently, in front of His Majesty, I presented the second son of the Prince of Han with a Hetian jade pendant."

As he spoke, he took out an extremely valuable piece of jade and handed it over.

This move drew surprised glances from many people in the Imperial Study.

"Lord Changsun, despite being so angrily rebuked by the Prince of Han, was still able to calmly present gifts; truly, his character and integrity are exceptional!"

"That's right!"

The surrounding chatter was almost entirely praising Changsun Wuji.

After all, in terms of age, seniority, and rank, he was superior to Li Yuanchang, but he took the initiative to show goodwill.

Li Yuanchang looked up and met Changsun Wuji's eyes. They were warm, open-minded, and magnanimous, old but not pedantic, deep but not sinister, showing no trace of pretense.

For a fleeting moment, even he felt that the other person was truly broad-minded.

But it was precisely this point that made Li Yuanchang feel extremely uneasy.

Those truly ruthless people are never the ones who shout and act fiercely.

How terrifying is it when someone can hide their emotions so deeply that you can't even tell what's real and what's fake?

Others may not know about Changsun Wuji's lust for power, but Li Yuanchang does. He feels neither flattered nor grateful, but only endless vigilance!

Li Tai's rivals were far inferior to this first minister of the Zhenguan era.