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

After the meal, Li Yuanchang lay on a long wooden bench, his hair loose, his long hair no shorter than a woman's.

There's nothing we can do; it's been like this ever since we transmigrated.

He wanted to cut his hair short many times, but Situ Lan was terrified and kept stopping him, as there were many taboos about this in ancient times and one could not cut one's hair casually.

The sound of rushing water continued. Li Yuanchang closed his eyes and felt a soft force stroking and pressing across his head.

The feeling of comfort made him feel like he was about to ascend.

In the past, Li Yuanchang would never have dared to dream of Consort Yin washing his hair!

"Your Highness, your hair is so beautiful."

"I'm sure the Princess Consort of Han washes your hair often."

Li Yuanchang laughed and said, "She didn't do it as well as you."

"Ah," Consort Yin said, both amused and exasperated, "How dare I compare myself to the Princess Consort of Han?"

"Perhaps His Highness is just in a good mood today."

"No, your massage is really comfortable, it's like all my worries just disappeared all at once," Li Yuanchang praised.

"That's good." Yin Yao nodded, massaging and washing the area carefully as she spoke.

"When I was little, my wet nurse told me that people should wash their hair frequently so that they can wash away all the bad luck and be reborn."

"That's why I'm paying extra attention to this matter."

"Actually, it's a bit of a regret that I couldn't give Hongzhi and You'er a final hair wash so they could leave this world comfortably."

She smiled, a smile that was neither painful nor joyful.

Li Yuanchang knew that the fact that she could bring up these things herself meant that she had let them go, after all, two years had passed.

"Then you can wash me, aren't we like brother and sister?" he joked.

Yin Yao smiled gently, without any makeup, yet exuding a Bodhisattva-like beauty.

"Alright, from now on, I will wash Your Highness every time you come."

"However, now that the Tang army has returned to the capital, Your Highness should refrain from coming for the time being."

Li Yuanchang said, "That's alright."

"Your Highness, you are a bit stubborn," Yin Yao said with a smile.

"If you're not stubborn, you're not a man. A man should be a little stubborn, it's better than changing your mind all the time, don't you think?" Li Yuanchang opened his eyes.

Looking from below, which is known as the "death angle" in later generations, makes even the most beautiful woman look less attractive, but Yin Yao is beautiful from every angle.

She has no double chin, no wrinkles, and not even a single acne scar on her skin. Years of living a life of seclusion and vegetarianism have actually given her even more natural skin, which is better than before.

"This...this is it, right?"

Yin Yao smiled and began to apply soap.

In the Tang Dynasty, soap had completely replaced some plant-based ingredients, including lard. Everyone, including the foreigners, used it for bathing, washing their hair, and washing their hands.

Over the years, Li Yuanchang's business empire had already rewritten the lifestyle of the entire Tang Dynasty.

"Your Highness, please close your eyes to avoid discomfort if something gets in them later."

Li Yuanchang laughed and said, "It's alright, it's fine like this."

Yin Yao nodded, knowing she could only be careful.

Looking at her slender, snow-white fingers covered in foam, reflecting colorful ripples in the sunlight, Li Yuanchang couldn't help but say, "Your hands are so beautiful."

Yin Yao was used to his praise and didn't find it offensive; she just smiled slightly.

"I wish you could help me with that."

"What are you calling?" Yin Yao heard his muttering.

"Huh?" Li Yuanchang was startled, then realized what he meant and blushed, "No, it's nothing."

Yin Yao found it strange, but didn't ask any questions. However, she lost her balance and the soap slipped from her hand and fell to the ground.

She bent down to pick it up, brushing past Li Yuanchang's ear, leaving behind a faint fragrance of orchids.

Li Yuanchang subconsciously turned his head to look, and his sidelong glance hit the bullseye!

That touch of charm, that touch of snow-white.

It's hard to imagine that you can tell the water-like texture just by looking at it.

This time, he saw much more clearly than before, and even felt a stirring in his lower abdomen, but in just a moment, Li Yuanchang turned his head and forcibly suppressed that instinctive reaction.

When Yin Yao picked up the soap, she found that Li Yuanchang had closed his eyes again.

She didn't disturb them, but focused on washing her hair, carefully cleaning every strand and every scalp, gently pressing it, like a spring breeze, making this winter very pleasant.

Before he knew it, Li Yuanchang was so comfortable that he fell asleep.

When I woke up again, the sun was setting.

"Your Highness, Your Highness," Yin Yao called softly.

Li Yuanchang woke up with a start and sat up immediately.

"Holy crap, how long have I been asleep?"

"After more than an hour, seeing that His Highness was sleeping soundly, I did not disturb him. However, it is almost dark now, and it is not appropriate for the temple to keep anyone there, so..."

Li Yuanchang nodded and glanced at the coat draped over his shoulders.

Thank you.

"I should return now."

"Yes." Yin Yao clasped her hands together, with Buddhist prayer beads in her hands.

At first glance, the feeling of the female bodhisattva seems to be getting stronger.

The image of that snow-white figure popped into Li Yuanchang's mind again, causing him to become distracted.

"Your Highness, is there anything else?" Yin Yao asked, puzzled.

Li Yuanchang shook his head: "It's nothing, I'm leaving."

After saying that, he quickly left.

Yin Yao watched him go, his tall figure receding into the distance. She always had a feeling she couldn't quite describe—a sense of warmth, trust, and an inexplicable familiarity.

……

March of the 20th year of Zhenguan.

Spring has come again, and outside Chang'an City, flowers are in full bloom, green buds are sprouting, and life is vibrant.

Chang'an finally welcomed back its master, Li Shimin, who led an army of over 100,000 back to the capital.

This was a momentous event, arguably the most important in the entire country, yet strangely, no welcoming ceremony or any other ceremony was held in Chang'an.

The honor guard of the three services always enters the city when it is just dawn and when there are few people.

It wasn't even a grand affair; it was simply skipped over entirely.

All of this was Li Shimin's doing. He sent someone ahead of time to issue an edict prohibiting all activities, including all welcoming and celebrations.

The message he was sending to the outside world wasn't about keeping a low profile, but rather about defining the nature of this war!

This caused all the officials who were preparing to offer their congratulations to shut up.

Offering congratulations at this time wouldn't be flattery, it would be blaming the tiger for its tail.

Many high-ranking officials, including Li Yuanchang, came to the palace to pay their respects, but without exception, Li Shimin refused them all, citing that they had traveled a long distance and needed to rest.

Moreover, he allowed Li Zhi to continue overseeing the country and sent people from the Inner Palace Secretariat to make it clear that there would be no morning court sessions in the near future.

Li Yuanchang and his team had no choice but to return empty-handed.

As soon as Li Shimin returned, he locked himself up and did nothing. He neither questioned nor blamed anyone, nor did he take on any task.

This, however, left the civil and military officials somewhat bewildered.

This checkpoint was closed for a full seven days!

On March 18th, an imperial edict was issued, which surprised everyone!