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

"Your Highness is kind and benevolent; this old minister admires you."

"But the court is truly in dire need of capable people. Besides His Highness the Prince of Han, who else is qualified to take on such a great responsibility?"

Li Zhi hesitated immediately, unsure of what to do, and his eyes involuntarily turned to Li Yuanchang to gauge his attitude.

Li Yuanchang smiled helplessly.

Li Zhi was indeed ill-suited for great responsibilities during this period. Had it not been for the substantial legacy left by Li Shimin, he might not have been able to remain a ruler who could maintain the status quo.

But he also knew that he had no choice but to accept this task, whether he wanted to or not.

Even if they just came back, it's impossible for it to drag on for a year or two.

If something really goes wrong at the front, the blame will still fall on him.

So it's better to accept it first, do Li Zhi a favor, and also gain some benefits along the way.

"Your Highness, although I have traveled far overseas, I am still in good health, and I naturally have an inescapable responsibility for the affairs of the state."

"Leave the Ministry of War's planning and mobilization to me."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhisong let out a sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

He was caught in the middle, not daring to offend his uncle or his seventh uncle, and he himself knew that he couldn't solve the problem.

Fortunately, Uncle Qi is easy to talk to!

"Seventh Uncle, please accept my bow!"

Li Yuanchang quickly bowed in return.

He felt a little better. In any case, Li Zhi was not a bad person by nature, and after this bow, he didn't need to hide behind.

"However, Your Highness, I have another request."

"Seventh Uncle, as long as it's reasonable, I, the Crown Prince, will fully support you!" Li Zhi said generously, his eyes full of trust.

Li Yuanchang glanced at Changsun Wuji.

"Your Highness, as you know, logistics and transportation are complex and involve large volumes, requiring centralized command; otherwise, problems can easily arise."

"If you are delayed in Chang'an for even a day, things could change drastically by the time you get to the battlefield."

"Therefore, for the sake of efficiency, I hope Your Highness will grant me full authority over logistical arrangements and decision-making power, and prevent others from interfering, so as to avoid disagreements and delays."

Those who were paying attention lowered their heads, all understanding who Li Yuanchang was referring to.

But when gods fight, mortals should stay away!

"Okay, no problem!"

"That's only right, and this matter should have been handled by the Ministry of War," Li Zhi readily agreed.

He is now in charge of overseeing the country, and when he speaks, it is equivalent to Li Shimin giving his opinion, which carries absolute authority.

Changsun Wuji frowned slightly, glanced at Li Yuanchang, but ultimately said nothing. After all, he was the one who asked Li Yuanchang to take responsibility, and it would be rather unseemly for him to say anything now.

Wise politicians know how to make choices.

Even if Li Yuanchang took the opportunity to reunite those scattered confidants, he would accept it.

Both sides got the result they wanted.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Li Yuanchang bowed.

Li Zhi felt completely relieved, and a smile returned to his face.

"Alright, let's leave it at that. If we keep talking, the food and wine will get cold. Today is a welcome banquet, so let's not steal the show."

"Come, Seventh Uncle, let me offer you another toast."

Li Yuanchang smiled and picked up his cup.

As long as this guy doesn't have designs on Wu Zetian, he still has a relatively good impression of him.

"..."

An hour later, the banquet ended.

Li Zhi was unable to hold his liquor, so the subsequent singing and dancing performances were basically cancelled.

At this moment, night had completely enveloped Chang'an, and thousands of lights shone through the biting cold wind.

The sound of footsteps crunching through the snow could be heard on the magnificent Donggong Avenue.

"Song Sanlang".

The sound of footsteps on the snow stopped abruptly, and Song Sanlang turned around in the direction of the sound.

Li Yuanchang emerged from the darkness, his tall figure covered in snowflakes, having waited there for quite some time.

"Your Highness, the Prince of Han." Song Sanlang subconsciously looked around.

"Stop looking, there's no one here."

"Long time no see, Sanlang. You are even more impressive than before. You are already a guest of the Crown Prince. Congratulations," Li Yuanchang said with a smile.

"Your Highness, you flatter me. May I ask what brings you here?" Song Sanlang asked.

Li Yuanchang took a deep breath: "Let's be frank, what about her?"

The direct question made Song Sanlang hesitate for a moment.

"Who are you talking about?"

What do you think?

Suddenly, the snow fell silent.

The two shadows stretched out, indicating that they were acquaintances, rivals, and enemies, but there was no sense of confrontation between them.

After a long, long silence, Song Sanlang suddenly said, "Actually, I'm very jealous of you."

"I'm jealous that you have so much, yet you can still easily obtain things that others pray to gods for but cannot get, as if it's all your due."

"But on second thought, I am indeed far inferior to you."

He paused for a moment as he spoke.

Looking into Li Yuanchang's eyes, he inexplicably added, "I didn't expect you to come back so early, but you shouldn't have taken on this mission."

"You shouldn't even have come. With the war against Goguryeo underway, and you being the Minister of War, it would have been safer for you to simply claim illness."

Li Yuanchang frowned, seemingly gleaning some meaning from his few words, but unable to quite put his finger on it; it was something ambiguous and unclear.

"What do you mean?"

"You're a smart man, you understand what I mean," Song Sanlang said.

Li Yuanchang asked again, "Why did you want to enter the Eastern Palace?"

"Is this her idea?"

Song Sanlang shook his head: "You'll understand later."

"Don't wait for me anymore. I am the Crown Prince's man, and I am not on your side."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Li Yuanchang stepped forward: "You haven't answered my question yet."

Where is she?

Song Sanlang stopped in his tracks: "She's fine."

After saying that, he continued walking quickly away, giving the impression that he knew but simply chose not to say it.

Li Yuanchang stared intently at him, saying nothing more.

He knew this must be Wu Zetian's intention.

Song Sanlang didn't say anything, but his ambiguous words conveyed a lot. Wu Meiniang probably wanted to help him or stay away from him to reduce the danger.

But if things continue like this, she will be unable to sever her ties with the imperial court.

Thinking about this, his head started to ache and felt a bit confused.

He couldn't help but reach up and touch his brow. This Mei Niang was too much trouble, constantly disappearing and reappearing, always bringing him more doubts and shocks.

But the only certainty is that Wu Zetian is not in the Eastern Palace. Her identity remains sensitive to this day, and Li Zhi could not possibly be that bold.

Moreover, there is already a Crown Princess, Lady Wang.

This was the only consolation.

Back at the Prince of Han's residence.

Most of the lights in the mansion were still on, and Situ Lan was still waiting for him in the biting cold wind.

As soon as I returned, they immediately came to greet me.

"Your Highness, how did it go? Did it go smoothly?"

Li Yuanchang opened his arms, allowing Situ Lan and his men to change clothes and brush away the snow.

"It went smoothly; it was just an ordinary banquet."

Situ Lan smiled upon hearing this: "That's good."

"I was worried that Your Highness wouldn't have an easy time in the Eastern Palace, and my eyelids kept twitching. But it seems I was worrying too much."

Li Yuanchang couldn't help but smile bitterly. It seemed that the whole world knew he and Changsun Wuji were at odds.

"Oh, Your Highness, there's one more thing."