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

Li Yuanchang said, "Thank you for your concern, Lord Changsun, for making this special trip."

"I am unfortunately injured and unable to get out of bed."

Seeing that Li Yuanchang was speaking normally and, although pale, was full of energy, two completely different emotions appeared in Changsun Wuji's eyes.

One possibility is that they were lucky to survive.

Another kind of regret is not dying.

If he survives, things won't be too bad, and he won't have to live with that hat on until he dies.

Unfortunately, the assassination had already taken place. Death or being half-dead might have been a good thing, but Li Yuanchang did not.

But his expression vanished in an instant, and he smiled, "Your Highness, it's alright."

"You are seriously injured, how dare I let you get out of bed?"

"I had already requested permission from the Crown Prince to send imperial physicians to guard me. I brought some of the finest tonics from home with me when I came here."

"I only hope that Your Highness will recover soon."

Li Yuanchang smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Lord Changsun."

"Now that I have been assassinated, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble Lord Changsun to handle the logistics and transportation."

Changsun Wuji's expression turned slightly unpleasant for a moment.

This assassination attempt disrupted too many of his plans.

Once Li Yuanchang lay down, it was indeed natural that he no longer needed to personally oversee logistics and transportation; the hot potato had been passed back to him.

Thinking about this, he felt a strong urge to kill the mastermind behind it all.

Forcing a smile, he said, "It's natural, it's natural."

"By the way, Your Highness, besides visiting, I have another important matter to discuss with you."

"We've made some progress on the assassin matter."

"Oh?" Li Yuanchang raised an eyebrow. So fast?

Changsun Wuji glanced at him and said, "According to one of the assassins, they had stopped outside Lantian County. The Imperial Guards went to search and found some clues in a dilapidated Taoist temple."

"There are clues pointing to former subordinates of Wang Mian."

Wang Mian?

Li Yuanchang squinted. If this person hadn't been mentioned, he would have almost forgotten about him; he'd been dead for so many years.

Wang Mian, former governor of Liangzhou.

"May I ask, Lord Changsun, what clues are you referring to, and where are they located?"

Changsun Wuji shook his head: "This is just speculation for now, and there is no substantial evidence."

Li Yuanchang sneered inwardly upon hearing this. There was no evidence to prove that he was Wang Mian's former subordinate. Wasn't this just a test to see what would happen?

He observes his own reaction; if his reaction is mild, he appropriately downplays the issue.

If the reaction is strong, then we'll have to consider that separately.

Anyway, it's just speculation, so there's no need to take responsibility.

"Lord Changsun, I think the possibility is very small."

Changsun Wuji stroked his beard, feigning thought, and asked, "Your Highness, what do you mean by that?"

"After all these years, Wang Mian's former subordinates should have taken their revenge long ago. Besides, the first person to break through the Governor's Mansion was Duke Lu."

"If you truly wish to take revenge, why target only me?"

"That doesn't make sense."

Changsun Wuji nodded: "Does Your Highness have any suspects?"

"The Guanzhong Plain! Hundreds of corrupt officials' cronies are currently imprisoned on death row!" Li Yuanchang blurted out, leaving no room for argument.

This is essentially saying, "I'm not stupid, I can guess it, don't try to fool me."

Changsun Wuji's expression changed slightly.

"That's certainly possible, after all, His Highness just investigated them not long ago."

"However, such a big matter needs to be investigated thoroughly before a conclusion can be reached."

Li Yuanchang smiled and said, "Of course, then I'll have to trouble Lord Changsun."

Changsun Wuji smiled knowingly: "Your Highness, rest assured, I will not be careless in this matter."

After a brief exchange, the two talked for a while, but it was mostly just formalities and empty talk. There was no real deceit or treachery, nor was there any real friendliness; it was mostly uneventful.

"..."

From then on, Li Yuanchang stopped paying attention to worldly affairs and focused on recovering from his injuries. He also managed his business in Nanqin and his fiefdom in Liangzhou remotely.

He didn't even inquire about the progress of the assassination case.

While waiting for the results of the joint trial by the three judicial departments of the imperial court.

While waiting for the results of the Black Ice Observatory's investigation.

Time flies, day after day.

Under the careful care of Situ Lan and the others, his body gradually recovered. He was first able to get out of bed and walk around, and then his wounds scabbed over, allowing him to move freely.

In the blink of an eye, May has arrived.

After more than half a month of recuperation, he displayed extremely high physical fitness, which even amazed the doctors in the Prince of Han's mansion.

The shadow of the assassination is gradually fading.

On the morning of May 4th, someone from the Eastern Palace arrived with the latest news.

"Your Highness, His Highness the Crown Prince has sent me to deliver a message that the joint trial by the Three Judicial Offices has yielded results. After a thorough investigation, it has been determined that the assassination was orchestrated by Li Shaoqiong, the younger brother of Li Huang, the former Vice Minister of Agriculture."

"This man harbored resentment because his elder brother was arrested and his family's property was confiscated. He then conspired with Zhou Yu, Li Tai, Xiao Fei, and others from the Guanzhong aristocratic families to assassinate him."

"Through informants, they recruited a group of Hu and Qiang people, and traded a large number of weapons in various places to carry out assassinations." "During this period, when they traded weapons, they bribed several military officers in Canghe Zhechongfu and Linshi County Zhechongfu in the Guanzhong region to obtain weapons."

"In addition, they bribed a servant in the Ministry of War to obtain information about His Highness's whereabouts and the situation of his guards."

"Therefore, the assassination is established."

"These are the offering papers and memorials. His Highness the Crown Prince has requested that we personally deliver them to the Prince of Han for review, in order to reassure the people of the Prince of Han's residence."

"If Your Highness has no objection, you will be executed in three days!"

The officials of the Eastern Palace presented it with both hands.

Li Yuanchang took a look.

With a complete chain of evidence and confessions, a large number of Guanzhong nobles were indeed captured and executed within three days, which was considered a major operation.

From this perspective, the truth of the case has indeed been revealed.

But just recently, Black Ice reported that Li Yi had already found the assassin leader, Sobe, ahead of time.

This person revealed an important figure: Yang Shidao, the imperial son-in-law of the current emperor.

Li Yuanchang remained silent, awaiting the results of the joint trial by the three judicial authorities, which was essentially the outcome of Changsun Wuji's investigation.

But this person's name is not on this list.

It is worth mentioning that Yang Shidao was different from the typical second-generation imperial son-in-law. He was the first imperial son-in-law, marrying Princess Changguang, the fifth daughter of Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan.

This man was not only a nobleman from Guanzhong, but also a former Grand Secretary. He was demoted by Li Shimin for pleading for his stepson.

However, he remained active in the court, simply because he was a political ally of Changsun Wuji.

Changsun Wuji was the political leader of the Guanlong aristocracy.

In this light, Changsun Wuji ultimately went easy on him. Even when faced with such a major issue and a matter of principle, he still adhered to his principle of "the Guanzhong Plain is supreme."

Li Yuanchang wasn't disappointed or surprised, but he understood that he and Changsun Wuji truly couldn't coexist.

We are completely different people.

"Your Highness, Your Highness?"

Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, the officials of the Eastern Palace couldn't help but call out to him a few times.

Li Yuanchang came to his senses and made a decision in just a few breaths.

Faced with the choice between swallowing his anger and launching a full-scale counterattack, he chose the latter.