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

The powerful aura caused the group of idle, lazy men who were discussing the matter to freeze instantly.

Looking up, when he met Li Yuanchang's gaze from the roadside, he was instantly terrified; it was the overwhelming aura of a superior.

They didn't know who Li Yuanchang was, but seeing so many guards, they dared not say anything more and fled in panic.

"Your Highness, should we arrest him?" Guo Chao asked.

"Forget it." Li Yuanchang waved his hand. "Gossiping has existed throughout history and across the world. If we arrest one, there will be another."

"What I didn't expect was that such a short time would bring her so much gossip and rumors."

"The only way to silence these gossips is to bring her into the Prince's mansion."

Guo Chao and the others nodded: "Yes, Your Highness, it has indeed been delayed for quite some time. Before we even arrived, the news of the marriage had already reached Liangzhou."

Li Yuanchang took a deep breath.

He felt somewhat guilty when he thought about how meticulously she had taken care of him these past few days.

In ancient times, when etiquette and law were strictly enforced, rumors were more terrifying than knives. Meiniang was his regret and longing, but he could not let that cause him to hurt another woman.

With this in mind, Li Yuanchang no longer hesitated.

"Guo Chao, send someone to the Situ family to inform them."

"Tell them that I will personally come to fetch the Princess Consort to the palace first thing tomorrow morning."

"yes!"

Soon after, news of the upcoming marriage of the Princess Consort of Han spread throughout the streets and alleys, and the fact that the Prince of Han would personally greet her became a hot topic of discussion.

After all, the difference in rank between the Prince of Han and the Situ family was too great, so even the principal wife did not need to personally greet him.

Li Yuanchang completely refuted the rumors that Situ Lan was not favored by the Prince of Han and that his family had a bad reputation.

As night fell, the Prince of Han's residence busied itself with cleaning.

"..."

The next day, early in the morning.

Li Yuanchang got up early in the morning and, accompanied by more than fifty guards and soldiers from Liangzhou Prefecture, headed to the Situ Mansion.

There were no drums and gongs, no red carpets, and no grand procession along the way; it was more like an ordinary trip.

When Li Yuanchang arrived, the entire Situ residence was already prepared.

Everyone waited at the door. Sixteen boxes were decorated with the character "囍" (double happiness), which should be Situ Lan's dowry.

"We pay our respects to His Highness the Prince of Han!" Everyone bowed.

"Father-in-law."

Li Yuanchang quickly dismounted and helped Situ Bo up, without putting on any airs.

In the Tang Dynasty, "丈人" meant "father-in-law," and it was the most common term used among the common people.

Despite some unpleasantness before, Situ Bo was still very happy that Li Yuanchang came to pick him up personally, as it was a great honor.

He was beaming: "Your Highness, you are too kind."

"You actually came all the way here in person. I was originally going to send the person to you. They were already outside the Prince's Mansion that day."

"That day?" Li Yuanchang asked in surprise.

"Yes, it was the day I came to the Prince's Mansion. Lan'er's carriage was actually outside the Prince's Mansion," Situ Bo explained.

Li Yuanchang was shocked; he knew absolutely nothing about this!

Does that mean Situ Lan came, only to be sent back again?

He was speechless for a moment. Why didn't Situ Bo say something then? If he had, he would never have suggested taking it a while; that would have been too hurtful to Situ Bo's self-esteem.

The thought that Situ Lan had been cleaning the new palace for him in advance or sending him money made Li Yuanchang feel even more guilty.

At this moment, Situ Bo turned around and said, "Lan'er, come out quickly and greet the Prince of Han."

Li Yuanchang's eyes followed the gaze.

A beautiful woman emerged, dressed in a peach-pink high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a semi-transparent light-colored gauze shawl over it, the hem of which was embroidered with lotus flower patterns.

A gold hairpin with swaying ornaments was tucked diagonally into her dark hair, making her look elegant. She wore light makeup, which accentuated her beautiful eyebrows and eyes.

Her walk was like a gentle breeze swaying willows, her tranquility like the bright moon shining on flowers; wherever she stood, she was like a dignified and beautiful painting of the Tang Dynasty!

"This humble servant greets Your Highness, the Prince of Han."

She bowed, her voice gentle and soft, the kind of voice every man in the world hopes his woman will have.

When her pair of bright, clear eyes secretly glanced at Li Yuanchang, she was shy, yet also very lively.

Li Yuanchang happened to look over as well, and the two locked eyes at close range.

At that moment, time seemed to stand still.

Their first meeting was without a large motorcade, without a huge crowd of well-wishers, and without any of the red wedding attire expected of a wedding.

It was just an ordinary morning, and the two had an ordinary meeting.

Two completely unrelated people become husband and wife through a series of unexpected events.

It was the grandest wedding in Chang'an at the time, with countless people offering their blessings, and everyone thought that Li Yuanchang and Lady Wu were a perfect match.

But in the end, it was Situ Lan who was received.

Fate is always so unpredictable and so hard to fathom.

Perhaps he and Meiniang were truly destined to be apart, only able to gaze at each other from afar, while he and Situ Lan were bound by fate, destined to meet again no matter how many twists and turns they took.

Situ Lan's cheeks flushed slightly, and she lowered her head shyly, avoiding eye contact.

To be honest, her looks were also top-notch, but her style was completely different from Wu Zetian's. Wu Zetian was a delicate rose, an arrogant and domineering phoenix.

Situ Lan is more like a quiet and pure lotus, with a gentle and subtle charm, elegant yet reserved, the kind of beauty who is devoted to her husband and mother.

Li Yuanchang only came to his senses after being reminded by Fang Weng.

"Madam, please rise."

"Sorry to have kept you waiting." He smiled.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Situ Lan slowly stood up, feeling somewhat nervous and embarrassed.

But deep down, he is generous and refined, extremely knowledgeable and reasonable; his good upbringing can be seen from his every gesture.

"Father-in-law, then I will take Lan'er back first, and she will return to her parents' home in three days."

"Here are some gifts, please accept them," Li Yuanchang said. In fact, Situ Lan had been his wife since the imperial edict from Li Shimin arrived.

Whether you acknowledge it or not, it can't be changed.

He should start to accept all of this.

"Your Highness, the Prince of Han, are very kind."

"Lan'er, once you go to the Prince's residence, you must manage the household affairs well, be a good wife and mother, and never cause His Highness the Prince of Han any trouble, understand?"

As he spoke, Situ Bo's eyes were already reddening.

Situ Lan was Situ Bo's only daughter; she had no sons or siblings, which was quite rare in ancient times.

"Yes, Father." Situ Lan's crystal-clear tears fell down her cheeks in an instant, and she turned away, on the verge of tears.

In the customs of the Tang Dynasty, once a daughter got married, apart from the first three-day return visit to her parents' home, her next return might be when she saw her parents off.

This is completely different from later generations.

Therefore, Li Yuanchang was not in a hurry to leave. Instead, he chatted with Situ Bo and met with all of Situ's relatives, giving Situ Lan more time to say goodbye.

This delay lasted for a full half hour.

Situ Lan was eighteen years old, but she was exceptionally intelligent. She probably noticed that Li Yuanchang was still lingering because she was sad, so she took the initiative to suggest that it was getting late.