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

Soon, Li Yuanchang was able to enter the Ministry of Justice prison to visit his prisoner.

Unlike later times, this place doesn't emphasize order and cleanliness. It's dark, damp, and reeks of various strange smells, making it unsuitable for human habitation.

Li Yuanchang stopped in front of a prison.

Kou Zhu, who had been dismissed from her post and imprisoned, raised her head and suddenly rushed over.

"Your Highness!"

boom!

He knelt on the ground, his stubble-covered face filled with shame and despair.

"Your Highness, I am so sorry!"

Having just experienced the pain of losing his mother, he was now imprisoned, leaving him extremely weak and depressed, completely unlike his former self.

"Alas, I know everything. Get up." Li Yuanchang reached out and helped the man up through the iron bars.

"Your Highness, have I caused you any trouble? Will they implicate you?" Kou Zhu asked with great concern.

He was originally Li Yuanchang's subordinate, and his rapid rise in rank was also due in no small part to Li Yuanchang's support.

"That's not true. I'm fine. It's just that I couldn't protect you in the court. By the time I found out about it, it had already reached the Liangyi Hall," Li Yuanchang said.

Kou Zhu breathed a sigh of relief, her hair disheveled, and said bitterly, "That's good, that's good."

"This humble servant has nothing to lose. If I die, I die. It's not a pity. I'm just afraid of implicating Your Highness and the brothers in Lantian County."

Li Yuanchang frowned: "Don't give up on yourself."

"And don't bring up the matter of involvement again."

"If we're talking about who's implicated, it's me who harmed you."

Kou Zhu looked up, her gaze somewhat blank.

Li Yuanchang said, "Few officials can withstand investigation. Your case could be big or small, but the reason it's so serious is because someone is manipulating things."

"There has never been a case of someone falling from power without a reason; it's all about power struggles."

"I have made too many enemies; someone is targeting me."

Kou Zhu was shocked!

He then said with remorse, "But, Your Highness, I did indeed do it."

"My mother appeared to me in a dream, and I... I..."

Li Yuanchang raised his hand to stop him from speaking: "I understand."

"You stay here quietly, and I'll find a way to get you out of here."

"Your Highness, this..." Kou Zhu said with a look of shame.

"You haven't been with me for very long, but you are still one of my confidants. I can't just ignore you. Take these clothes and food first. Don't give up on yourself, understand?" Li Yuanchang reassured him.

boom!

Kou Zhu knelt down again, choking back tears, and said, "Thank you so much for your great kindness, Your Highness!"

"..."

After a brief visit, Li Yuanchang left.

His arrival will also serve as a deterrent to the entire Ministry of Justice, meaning that if I, the King, am in charge, you can conduct normal trials as normal, but if you try to extract confessions through torture or anything like that, you'd better think twice.

These are almost unwritten rules: if an official who is imprisoned doesn't receive any visits, it basically means he has no one backing him.

Li Yuanchang was unwilling to form these small cliques, but fate kept pushing him along, and enemies kept coming to his door.

After leaving the Ministry of Justice, he went directly to the palace to meet the emperor.

This time, Li Shimin did not conduct official business, but instead enjoyed the flowers in the Imperial Garden.

Li Yuanchang didn't want to disturb them, so he could only stand by the corridor and wait.

This wait lasted for a full half hour.

The footsteps grew closer; it was Li Shimin approaching, accompanied by Princess Gaoyang.

The father and daughter had a very harmonious relationship, but who would have thought that they would eventually break apart in history?

"Oh, the King of Han is here." Li Shimin said, his hands behind his back.

"Seventh Uncle!" Princess Gaoyang's beautiful eyes lit up, and she immediately smiled. Her sweet appearance was even more beautiful than the Imperial Garden. She was a top-notch sweet girl.

He immediately abandoned Li Shimin and rushed over to bow to Li Yuanchang.

Gao Yang walked ahead, but Li Shimin was not displeased at all. Instead, he smiled and said, "Although you are uncle and niece, you are not far apart in age. I thought you hadn't met many times, but I didn't expect you to be so familiar with each other."

"Father, Seventh Uncle escorted Gao Yang back before."

Li Yuanchang frantically wiped away cold sweat.

Li Shimin certainly wouldn't have misunderstood. Before that incident, Princess Gaoyang was one of the very few princesses in the Tang Dynasty who was not born of the legitimate wife but was extremely favored.

He chuckled and said, "Gao Yang, are you blaming your father for not sending you off?"

It's clear that Li Shimin became more sensitive after Li Chengqian's rebellion. Princess Gaoyang's frequent visits to the palace made Li Shimin quite happy.

As he spoke, he strode up to me with imposing presence.

Li Yuanchang bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

"Alright, it's just family here, no need for so much formality. Since you're here, let's sit down and have some tea together."

"Father, let me make a bath for you and Uncle Qi." Gao Yang volunteered. His pink palace dress was like a pink JK uniform in later generations. The youthful vibe was something that no amount of cosmetic surgery or painting could reproduce.

"Are you making this for me, or for your seventh uncle?" Li Shimin asked with a smile.

Gao Yang pouted her red lips and looked up at the sky: "Let's all soak."

"Hahaha!" Li Shimin was immediately amused by his cute appearance.

He turned to Li Yuanchang and said, "Seventh Brother, Gao Yang's tea-making is superb. Xuanling has told me about this several times, praising it highly."

"oh?"

"Then I am fortunate to have benefited from the Emperor's honor today."

Li Shimin raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

"The sun must have risen in the west today! You never call me 'Imperial Brother' normally, why are you suddenly doing so today?"

His eyes were playful. Ever since the incident with the Wang family in Taiyuan, he knew that Li Yuanchang had been harboring resentment, but he hadn't said it out loud.

Knowing he couldn't hide it any longer, Li Yuanchang simply smiled and said, "Your Majesty, to be honest, I have a favor to ask of you this time."

He emphasized the word "seek" very heavily. When facing such a great emperor, showing weakness can actually be effective.

Gao Yang, who was brewing tea, listened attentively.

Li Shimin asked, "Is it about Kou Zhu in Lantian County?"

Li Yuanchang nodded: "I visited him, and he was very remorseful."

"I have also inquired about it. He was heartbroken over the loss of his mother and acted in a moment of confusion, which led him to do such an absurd thing as summoning the soul. It is indeed understandable."

"I hope Your Majesty will give him a chance to reform, out of consideration for my feelings."

Li Shimin frowned, though he was in a good mood and not angry, but it was clear that he was not so lenient about the matter.

"Seventh Brother, this matter is already known throughout the court and the public, and its impact is extremely negative. As a high-ranking general in the Tang army, to engage in witchcraft is a serious crime. How can we convince the people if we disregard this crime?"

Li Yuanchang immediately said, "Your Majesty, this is not witchcraft! Kou Zhu is at most practicing a folk custom, simply summoning a spirit."

He tried to reverse the charges, which sound similar but are actually two different things, with completely different degrees of severity.

Li Shimin, however, did not approve.

He coldly stated directly, "But the Ministry of Justice found a large number of paper figures in Kou Zhu's home!"

"If I hadn't shown you any respect, he would already be a corpse by now."

Li Yuanchang frowned, finding himself in a difficult situation.

He could sense Li Shimin's aversion to this kind of thing; this was a red line.

It's so strange, someone stabbed it and now the whole world knows.