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

Li Yuanchang entered the temple silently.

The eunuchs here, including some temple staff, have basically been bribed and infiltrated by the Black Ice Guard.

Furthermore, Li Shimin may have even forgotten about Yin Yao, so this situation was essentially a blind spot, with no one paying attention and certainly no possibility of false accusation.

The sound of Yin Yao chanting sutras could be heard from the meditation room.

She knelt before the Bodhisattva, dressed in plain clothes, holding prayer beads in her hand. Her silhouette exuded a sense of detachment from worldly desires, a quality rarely found in those whose minds are not pure.

Li Yuanchang did not disturb them, but stood there watching and listening.

Her Buddhist scriptures seemed to have the effect of cleansing people's souls. As Li Yuanchang listened, he not only calmed down, but even found them somewhat pleasant to listen to.

I don't know how much time has passed.

After she finished her prayers, she slowly stood up. Perhaps because she had been kneeling for too long, her knees were numb, and she almost fell as soon as she stood up.

Li Yuanchang rushed forward and helped the person up.

Yin Yao was startled, and only after a closer look did she realize it was Li Yuanchang. She exclaimed in surprise, "Your Highness, what brings you here?"

"Haha, I've been here for a while, listening to you chanting scriptures and reciting Buddhist mantras, so I didn't want to disturb you."

Yin Yao smiled faintly and withdrew her hand: "It hasn't been long since Your Highness visited last time, why are you here so soon this time?"

"So you're saying you're not welcome?"

"If you're not welcome, then I'll disappear?" Li Yuanchang winked.

Yin Yao subconsciously gave her a reproachful look.

"Your Highness has misunderstood me; I was merely curious."

"So that means welcome?"

"certainly."

"Alright then, how about a bowl of vegetarian food?" Li Yuanchang made the request directly.

"Okay." Yin Yao nodded.

"..."

In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a large bowl of fragrant vegetarian food is ready.

To be fair, in ancient times, there was no pollution, and the food tasted different. With firewood, it was even more fragrant than in later generations.

Li Yuanchang ate in a whirlwind.

Yin Yao only ate a very small bowl.

"Your Highness, are you in a bad mood?" Yin Yao put down her chopsticks and asked tentatively.

Li Yuanchang was stunned: "Holy crap, you knew that?"

Yin Yao smiled, her breath sweet and clear: "It was just a feeling, a feeling that Your Highness might have something on your mind, so I asked you tentatively, and I didn't expect to guess right."

Li Yuanchang frowned immediately, took a deep breath and said, "I'm going out to fight."

Yin Yao frowned immediately.

"Why is there going to be another war?"

Li Yuanchang had nothing to hide from Yin Yao and told her the whole story.

After hearing this, her delicate eyebrows furrowed even more.

She hit the nail on the head; she had advised Li Yuanchang long ago, but it seemed that Li Yuanchang was already unable to extricate himself.

A royal curse once again loomed over her, making her uneasy and worried for Li Yuanchang.

"Your Highness, pretend to be sick."

She blurted it out.

But Li Yuanchang shook his head directly: "No."

"Your Highness!" Yin Yao said very seriously, looking around. "Although I am just a woman, I was born into the royal family at the end of the Sui Dynasty, experienced two dynasties, and met three emperors. I am also ten years older than you."

"I've seen too much. This trip of yours, whether you win or lose, is a calamity!"

"Only by feigning illness, only by emulating the likes of Li Jing, will you have a sliver of hope!"

"Please, I'm begging you, don't act impulsively!"

"I don't want you to follow in Hongzhi's and You'er's footsteps!" she said, gripping Li Yuanchang's arm tightly, her beautiful eyes filled with worry.

Li Yuanchang felt a warmth in his heart, then put down his chopsticks and patted the back of her hand.

"I understand what you mean."

"But I am prepared for this."

"I will not be careless."

"It is precisely because I seek a glimmer of hope that I am going to Liaodong."

Yin Yao hesitated, then noticed that their actions were a bit ambiguous. She quietly withdrew her hand, but she didn't mind that Li Yuanchang had taken a picture and wouldn't let go.

There's no time to worry about these little things.

He said seriously, "Why? If Goguryeo were easy to deal with, the Sui Dynasty wouldn't have fallen, and Li Shimin wouldn't have suffered a crushing defeat. Even if you had won, it would have been a different story."

"Do you know that great merit inevitably threatens the emperor, and as a member of the royal family, you pose a greater threat than anyone else!"

She became somewhat agitated as she spoke.

It's precisely because I've been through it that I'm nervous.

Li Yuanchang confessed, "If I don't go, I won't be able to protect anyone around me. Even if I manage to save my life, I'll only be barely clinging to life."

"In fact, he might not even be able to save his life."

"I have no choice but to forge my own path. This expedition is not for anyone else, but for myself."

"Only by leaving Chang'an can I break free from these constraints."

"Two years, twenty thousand troops—this is my chance."

Upon hearing this, Yin Yao's expression changed drastically, even her dark pupils contracted slightly: "You want to!"

Li Yuanchang made a shushing gesture.

"Keep this a secret for me."

Yin Yao's expression was filled with fear and worry. Weren't Li You, Yin Hongzhi, and even the former crown prince driven to their doom in the same way?

"Your Highness!"

"I know what you want to say, but rest assured, I am only trying to protect myself, and I can protect myself," Li Yuanchang said calmly.

Yin Yao remained silent, only her tears silently streaming down her face.

The painful memories of the past returned, and it seemed as if a nightmare-like curse was about to descend upon her again. She had lost everything, except for Li Yuanchang, her only friend, and her only brother.

She didn't want Li Yuanchang to take another desperate step, but there was nothing she could do to help.

Li Yuanchang didn't know what to say. Her tears and his trust were the best proof of their relationship.

He tried to reach out and wipe away the tears from Yin Yao's eyes.

"Then promise me you won't come back once you leave." She grabbed Li Yuanchang's hand, staring intently at him, demanding a definite answer.

Li Yuanchang chuckled to himself, thinking she was going to run away and become a foreign king, refusing to obey imperial edicts.

But this was obviously impossible; the Han Prince's mansion had already taken root in this land and there was no way to move it completely.

He will eventually have to come back and face it, and if necessary, in order to protect himself, he may even have to offend the root of the problem and challenge the entire Zhenguan era!

In this day and age, this would be a pipe dream for anyone, but Li Yuanchang still has his trump card.

However, this trump card required a lot of time to prepare, so he took two years.

As long as Goguryeo has not been destroyed, Li Shimin and countless others, including Changsun Wuji, can only wait and cannot do anything to him and the people of the Prince of Han's mansion.

No one is foolish enough to think that while Li Yuanchang is still fighting on the front lines, his men will be targeted from behind.

So this plan is good.

"I promise you, nothing will happen, how about it?" he said with a smile.

Yin Yao hesitated, her mind filled with sorrow, unable to find any joy. Her beautiful brows were furrowed, but seeing the affirmation in Li Yuanchang's eyes, she finally nodded.