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

The next day.

Before dawn, as the last army gradually withdrew, the military camp, which had been under martial law, simply disappeared.

Li Yuanchang had only ten guards by his side, so he was practically all alone.

Only after witnessing this scene did Fang Xuanling and his companion finally breathe a sigh of relief. Although the problem was not completely resolved, at least the troops had been withdrawn.

This means there will be no war, no one will die, and everything can be negotiated.

"Lord Fang, Lord Lu, let's go," Li Yuanchang said calmly.

Some imperial guards, carrying shackles, were about to step forward.

The ten guards were immediately displeased.

"stop!"

"His Majesty only told the Prince of Han to go back, he didn't say that His Highness should be escorted back, nor did he say that His Highness was a prisoner and that the shackles were unnecessary," Fang Xuanling said.

"But..." The Imperial Guard hesitated.

Li Yuanchang said, "No need, let's go."

Fang Xuanling shook his head with a wry smile: "Your Highness only brought ten people. You trust the court and His Majesty so much. How dare we put ourselves in shackles?"

"The Tang Dynasty has never forgotten that Your Highness was a great contributor to the conquest of Goguryeo."

"Get on the carriage."

"The two of us will personally keep Your Highness company and help you pass the time."

As he spoke, he ordered a carriage to be brought.

Li Yuanchang smiled, clasped his hands in greeting to the two men, and then nimbly and neatly boarded the carriage.

As he climbed into the carriage, he turned back and waved towards the Liao River.

He knew that Xue Rengui, Wan Jun, and the others hadn't gone far and were definitely watching him.

Several miles away.

Wan Jun and his men kept a close watch with their binoculars until the imperial guards, numbering a thousand, completely disappeared from view.

"Will Your Highness encounter danger along the way?"

"What if they suddenly give us a cup of poisoned wine?" Lu Zhong and the others muttered.

"That's unlikely. Lord Fang and Duke Lu aren't like that old scoundrel Changsun; they keep their word. Besides, we're still outside. If the court dares to lay a hand on His Highness, they shouldn't blame us for turning against him!"

"Moreover, His Highness has his own arrangements; he will not be sent to Chang'an. We will wait for news before setting off," Wan Jun said.

"That's right, the court probably won't do that, otherwise all their efforts in negotiating would be meaningless," said Song Yu, an advisor.

The generals were then somewhat relieved.

"Lord Song, His Highness has tricked the court. Will the court send troops to punish him?"

The room fell silent after he said that.

Song Yu remained silent, but his expression seemed to say that this matter was definitely not going to end well.

All we can say is that the families were rescued. This includes not only Li Yuanchang's family, but also the families of high-ranking officials like Xue Rengui.

They were rescued and will no longer be threatened; both sides are back to square one.

"Let's attack him then! We're not afraid of him!"

"At worst, we can push His Highness to the throne; at the very least, we can become uncontrolled and persecuted regional officials in Goguryeo."

"That's right, it's already come to this, what's the point of looking back and forth!"

"..."

As the convoy drove further and further away, Li Yuanchang was surrounded by thousands of imperial guards in the very center.

This is for protection, but it can also be seen as escorting.

Li Yuanchang lowered the curtain and took a deep breath.

Fang Xuanling said, "Your Highness need not worry, His Majesty has promised not to kill anyone."

He thought Li Yuanchang was nervous, but in reality, Li Yuanchang was only worried about the family of the Prince of Han. He had already sent many people to plan a rescue.

But he couldn't be there in person to save people, so he was somewhat uneasy.

"No, that's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried about my wife and children."

"I see. But Your Highness need not worry too much. The Imperial Guards are responsible for escorting the Prince of Han's family this time. They were directly appointed by His Majesty and there is absolutely no risk involved," Fang Xuanling said.

Li Yuanchang nodded.

"I believe in you."

Fang Xuanling and Cheng Yaojin exchanged a glance, and then smiled.

"Actually, I feel quite guilty."

"If only... alas, there are no ifs now, it's already like this." Fang Xuanling sighed.

"When Your Highness conquered Goguryeo, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep all night. I was so happy for Your Highness. But who would have thought that things would turn out so suddenly?" Cheng Yaojin sighed.

Li Yuanchang said, "Actually, it started a long time ago. His Majesty is old, and what he wants is different. Our ideas have gradually become contradictory. I am no longer needed, and even the future Tang Dynasty is no longer in line with their overall situation."

A simple sentence reveals the truth; though cold-hearted, it is very real.

Silence fell instantly inside the carriage.

Fang Xuanling and Cheng Yaojin could not refute it, because it was a fact. They saw it more clearly than anyone else: the future crown prince would need the support of Changsun Wuji and the entire noble group behind him.

Li Yuanchang was at odds with these people and was not in line with them, which was detrimental to the overall situation.

It was normal for him to be demoted, but Li Yuanchang chose to resist and protect himself.

"Your Highness, His Majesty also has his own difficulties."

Li Yuanchang nodded, not denying it: "He does have his reasons; as the saying goes, 'If you're in a position, you should do your job.'"

"Many things are not about right or wrong, but about perspective and angle."

"The essence of the disagreement between me and the court lies here."

"Even Changsun Wuji's political views and style are not wrong."

Upon hearing this, Fang Xuanling and Cheng Yaojin, two shrewd and influential figures who had lived most of their lives, couldn't help but reveal a hint of admiration in their eyes.

"Your Highness, since you possess such insight and such a broad mind, why do you still act this way?"

"With your wisdom and military achievements, I think it would be no problem for you to live as a wealthy prince in your spare time and as a pillar of the Tang Dynasty in times of need."

"Duke Wei is old, and so are many others. The Crown Prince will need you in military matters in the future. You are still young; you are almost the next Duke Wei."

"That was His Majesty's initial plan."

"But you..." Fang Xuanling hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

"But what? But I am at odds with Changsun Wuji, and when I was Minister of War, I clashed more than once with the Guanzhong nobles and the Five Clans and Seven Families, who are the core of the Tang Dynasty?" Li Yuanchang said.

Their eyes suddenly lit up.

Li Yuanchang understands the situation clearly because he can articulate the fundamentals!

"Gentlemen, you are not only my colleagues and close friends despite the age difference, but also my most respected seniors. Since there are no outsiders here, I will speak frankly."

"The relationship between imperial power and the nobility is one of mutual dependence and restraint, closeness and pressure, subtle and complex. Your Majesty wants to suppress them, but also wants to use them."

"But how long do you think this relative stability can last?"

"The Tang Dynasty is still prosperous now, but what if it starts to decline?"

"Can imperial power suppress the nobility?"

Why did the Qin and Han dynasties perish? Historians and scholars have offered various opinions, but the fundamental reason was simply unfair distribution of wealth.

"The Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising, the Yellow Turban Rebellion—weren't they just because ordinary people felt they couldn't survive?"

"To put it grandly, Changsun Wuji only promoted those from the Guanzhong region, cutting off the path for ordinary people to rise in rank. To put it bluntly, the aristocratic families monopolized everything among the common people. In the long run, conflicts accumulated, and could the fate of the Tang Dynasty really last?"