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

"He asked me to tell you that you should follow the court's orders, move your whole family away, do not resist, and do not worry."

"What about him?" Situ Lan asked worriedly.

Wu Mei frowned slightly: "I can't tell you that for now, but he's safe, and you'll be able to meet him soon."

Hearing this, Situ Lan felt a little relieved. She hesitated for a moment, but seeing Wu Mei's expression, she hesitated again and again and chose not to ask any further questions.

"Thank you, sister."

When Wu Meiniang heard the words "sister," her face showed a slight unease, neither particularly affectionate nor cold.

"If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."

"younger sister."

Situ Lan took her hand again.

Wu Mei broke free.

Situ Lan looked slightly embarrassed, but still gave a kind and generous smile: "Sister, although I don't know what kind of relationship you have with His Highness, I know you are helping him."

"You are a capable woman, unlike us, who always hold His Highness back."

"In any case, you still managed to visit us at this critical juncture, please accept my bow on behalf of the entire household."

As she spoke, she bent down.

Wu Meiniang's expression changed slightly, and she quickly stopped her.

With a stiff face, he said, "I can't accept your bow. If he finds out, he'll feel sorry for me and might say something about me."

"You don't need to flatter me. I won't hate him because of you."

Situ Lan pursed her lips: "Sister, I didn't mean that. I can see that you love His Highness very much."

Seeing that Wu Meiniang remained silent, the atmosphere between the two became awkward.

Situ Lan added, "Sister, you must take good care of yourself too."

Be careful.

"If you survive this ordeal, then come back."

Wu Meiniang looked at her, at her gentleness, generosity, magnanimity, and even her somewhat submissive nature, and suddenly she understood and couldn't hate her anymore.

She hesitated, wanting to say a few more words, but then she heard footsteps outside. She could only leave with a thank you and then quickly left to avoid suspicion.

To this day, her identity remains a secret to the imperial court; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to stay in the Eastern Palace.

Situ Lan watched them go, her eyes filled with worry. She couldn't help but rub her hands together and purse her red lips. The words Wu Meiniang had said echoed in her mind: "You will be able to meet again soon."

……

Twelve days later.

West of the Liao River.

Li Yuanchang's army remained stationed there. Fang Xuanling and Cheng Yaojin dared not leave, fearing that someone from the imperial army might suddenly provoke this living Yama. They stayed outside the military camp the entire time.

That day, they came to our door.

"Your Highness, it's done!"

"This is an imperial edict. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, all the family members of the Prince of Han's residence will depart today. His Majesty has specially dispatched the Imperial Guards to escort them, ensuring that no one has any opportunity to take advantage and seek revenge."

Fang Xuanling looked to be in good spirits, probably because he was about to resolve the mutiny. He and Cheng Yaojin both seemed very excited.

Li Yuanchang took the edict and confirmed its authenticity; a huge weight was finally lifted from his heart.

After a six-month stalemate, they finally managed to get the family members out.

Once the edict is issued, there is virtually no possibility of deception. If there is deception, it would mean that Li Shimin has openly broken the agreement, not to mention the damage to his reputation.

Li Yuanchang could even use this imperial edict to justify his campaign.

Therefore, he was not worried that Li Shimin would play tricks.

He gripped the imperial edict tightly; now it was up to Meiniang!

"Your Highness, now that the imperial edict has arrived, shouldn't you be leaving now?"

"His Majesty has already set an example, so you must not cause any more trouble, otherwise the two of us won't be able to hold on any longer," Fang Xuanling said.

Li Yuanchang laughed and said, "Don't worry, gentlemen, I keep my word."

"We'll go back as soon as we say we'll."

"However, I need some more time to deal with military matters. Surely His Majesty wouldn't allow me to return to Chang'an with tens of thousands of troops?"

He joked.

Fang Xuanling and Cheng Yaojin chuckled, thinking to themselves, "What kind of time is this to be joking around?"

"How long will it take, Your Highness?"

"One night is enough."

Fang Xuanling nodded: "Where does Your Highness intend for them to return to?"

"Goguryeo," Li Yuanchang blurted out.

Fang Xuanling hesitated, knowing that Li Yuanchang could not completely trust the court, so he simply stopped pressuring him.

"Alright, then we'll wait for Your Highness."

Li Yuanchang nodded.

The two then left without pressing too hard.

Immediately afterwards, Li Yuanchang summoned all his subordinates. All those above the rank of Commander-in-Chief arrived one after another, forming a large, imposing crowd.

"Your Highness, you can't go back!"

"Once we go back, it'll be like throwing a meat bun to a dog—there's no going back!"

"How could the emperor let you get away with this!"

"That's right!"

"Your Highness, aren't you sacrificing yourself to save everyone? This humble servant disagrees!"

"I disagree as well!"

"If His Highness is gone, we won't live much longer either!"

"Rather than this, let's fight to the death!"

Bang bang bang!

Li Yuanchang gently tapped the table, then stood up: "What's all the noise about? Do I look like such a fool?"

The generals were taken aback: "Your Highness, you...?"

Li Yuanchang's gaze was deep: "I will not go back."

"From the day I left, I knew I could never go back."

"The reason I agreed was simply to save more than a thousand people in the Prince of Han's mansion."

Upon hearing this, everyone was overjoyed, as if they had found their pillar of support again.

"But I must make an example, otherwise more than a thousand people will definitely not be able to get out. So I will follow you tomorrow, and you need to retreat to the east of the Liao River and wait for my orders."

"Furthermore... I am also worried that if I leave, the imperial army will feel that we are leaderless and then take action."

"You need to be careful."

"yes!"

"Your Highness, please rest assured, we are not afraid of them!"

"But Your Highness, how will you extricate yourself if you feign going back?" Wan Jun frowned.

"You don't need to worry about that. I have made proper arrangements. You can meet me on the Liao River when the time comes."

"After I leave, military affairs will be handled by..."

"..."

After the handover of military affairs, it was already late at night. The troops had begun to break up their camps one after another, and even the supplies and provisions had begun to be removed.

Gazing at this scene, beside the bonfire on the hillside.

Cheng Yaojin exhaled a breath of stale air: "Brother Fang, what do you think will happen when the Prince of Han returns?"

Fang Xuanling's gaze was distant, and tinged with a hint of melancholy.

"His life is not in danger, but it's hard to say what will happen next."

"Your Highness has committed a grave offense this time, leading troops in rebellion and threatening the court. No matter how a settlement is reached, it will likely be difficult for you to rise in the future."

Cheng Yaojin's expression was grave: "Then aren't we just handing the King of Han over to prison with our own hands?"

Fang Xuanling remained silent.

A long silence followed, with only the sound of the wind on the hillside.

"Ugh."

"If we don't persuade them to go back, the outcome will only be worse. Once hundreds of thousands of border troops arrive, the entire Han King's family may not be spared."

"He has made too many enemies; too many people want him dead."

"I can only help him as much as I can; the rest I hope is that the King of Han will admit his mistake and accept punishment."

Cheng Yaojin gazed thoughtfully at the rebel army in the distance.

Suddenly, he blurted out, "What if, I mean, what if... we can't defeat the King of Han?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yaojin himself was startled.

Fang Xuanling's expression changed. He had never thought of it that way before, but now that he heard it...