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

Li Yuanchang's incessant voice silenced Fang Xuanling and Cheng Yaojin, who fell into deep thought.

"This is not a personal dispute. My business has brought affordable writing materials to all the people of the world, providing them with more resources for survival, and this has angered the noble families."

"The people I promote are all virtuous and capable, which has angered a group led by Changsun Wuji. They are worried that these poor scholars will form a clique and suppress them."

"This is the truth!"

"Can you two believe it or not, if we let them continue like this, in less than three hundred years, the Tang Dynasty will be dragged down by aristocratic families, and the common people will be plunged into endless suffering."

"The hard work of all the rulers of the Tang Dynasty will be destroyed in an instant, and even the Tang imperial family will suffer extreme humiliation, no better than the Qin and Han dynasties!"

Upon hearing this, the two were shocked!

Cheng Yaojin's eyes flickered: "Your Highness, is it really that serious?"

"The Tang Dynasty is different from the Qin and Han Dynasties. It neither heavily taxes the people nor engages in excessive military campaigns. Many rules were established in the early years of the Zhenguan era, and we were all involved in this matter."

"His Majesty has learned from past lessons, which is why he has made so many changes."

"As for your mention of prestigious families, the saying 'too much purity leaves no room for fish' applies at any time. As long as it's not taken to extremes, I think it should work."

Li Yuanchang smiled.

"Water that is too clear has no fish, indeed, but human greed is also boundless."

"Even with numerous ironclad laws of the Zhenguan era, they failed to address the root cause, and as time passed and the empire's contradictions accumulated, this lock would only become looser and looser."

"Putting aside other issues, land consolidation is a huge problem."

Fang Xuanling's eyes were intense, giving the impression of seeking advice: "Then, Your Highness, what do you think should be done?"

This time, it was Li Yuanchang's turn to remain silent.

Land annexation was the root cause of the Tang Dynasty's demise and the arrival of hell, but resolving these issues required more than just dealing with the power of the aristocracy.

Even imperial power was to be touched upon, as the two were inherently symbiotic.

Once the solution is proposed, it will mean overthrowing Li Shimin.

How could a feudal dynasty possibly accept 21st-century ideas?

He did not answer, but changed the subject: "These are the reasons why I am unwilling to compromise. I do not want my relatives, friends, and descendants to live in misery."

"This is not a temporary struggle, but a major theme that will run through the future."

"It may seem that uniting with aristocratic families is the key to stabilizing the Tang Dynasty, but in reality, this approach is merely a temporary solution."

Fang Xuanling frowned. This was the first time he had heard such a viewpoint. After all, the imperial courts of past dynasties had both relied on and suppressed aristocratic families.

To put it bluntly, the Li family's rise to power was also due to their support.

"Is Your Highness so sure?"

Li Yuanchang nodded without hesitation. He knew the historical trajectory of the Tang Dynasty; otherwise, the An Lushan Rebellion, with so many people supporting four generations of rebels, would have destroyed the Tang Dynasty.

Otherwise, Huang Chao would have written that famous poem, insisting on burying the Tang Dynasty.

Personally, he didn't want his descendants to experience such a hell, where women were treated as playthings and men as pigs and dogs.

From a nationalistic perspective, he did not want the country and the nation to enter into such turmoil.

The Tang and Song dynasties are historically recognized as the most advanced era of Han Chinese civilization in the world. He even hoped that the Tang Dynasty could stay on the right track and acquire more territory and access to the sea for future generations.

However, these things are too difficult to implement, and no one would agree to them. Just by stopping officials from protecting each other, engaging in favoritism and corruption in the court, he has already offended a large number of people.

Sometimes I think that only a ruthless person like Huang Chao could bring these hypocritical guys to their knees.

Inside the carriage, another long silence ensued.

Li Yuanchang was not disappointed by this, nor did he try to persuade anyone.

This topic may provoke countless deep thoughts, but both Fang Xuanling and Cheng Yaojin understood that it was impossible.

They are always people of the past, lacking the knowledge to understand history. From the moment they are born, they have only been in contact with this world.

They can only do things within this world, unlike Li Yuanchang who can transcend it and change it.

……

Half a month later.

Youzhou.

The official road was bustling with carriages and horses, and a long procession was slowly moving along, with passersby and merchants making way for it.

Leading the way were the well-equipped Imperial Guards, like heavenly soldiers, fully armed, numbering at least a thousand along the route, holding high the banners of the Tang Dynasty.

The vehicles escorted along the pipeline were filled with families, and the level of security even exceeded that of the local governor's procession.

Almost every checkpoint they passed along the way was cleared; who would dare to stop the imperial guards? Even the governor had to make way for them.

"Who is this person?"

"Could it be that he's going to fight in Liaodong? I heard that the Prince of Han rebelled there."

"No way, look at all these carriages and women, children and the elderly inside. They don't seem to be going to war; they look more like an escort."

"Could they be someone's family member?"

"Whose family is this? Such a grand procession, with the army leading the way, so many people!"

"I just saw at the post station that there were officials escorting them."

"..."

The villagers watched the procession and discussed it animatedly, just like gossiping at the village entrance.

But a few people stood in the crowd, dressed in coarse linen clothes, their eyes looking completely different from those of the ordinary people.

Their eyes scrutinized, sharp, bright, and oppressive as they swept over the Imperial Guards.

"Lord Li, the escort route provided by the Wu family is correct; the other two routes are fake decoys."

"I saw Captain Guo and Captain Yuan. They were walking among the crowd, but they had no horses, weapons, or supplies."

"I saw it too, and there were many Imperial Guards, and it seemed there were also some local soldiers along the way assisting in escorting the supplies."

"Almost all of the thousand Imperial Guards are assigned to guarding personnel, making it more difficult than planned."

Li Yi frowned, his entire demeanor extremely reserved and composed. He was unremarkable in appearance, except for his eyes, which were like those of an eagle.

"The large number of soldiers in the General Staff is not a problem."

"The problem is that the Prince of Han's household has too many family members."

"It's still over a thousand miles from here to the Liao River. If they get lost, the local officials will definitely send troops to pursue them. The Han Princess and her family are mostly women or the elderly and weak, so they can't move quickly."

Upon hearing this, the personnel of the Black Ice Platform fell silent, their expressions grave.

Their mission this time was probably the most difficult: to steal more than a thousand people from under the noses of a thousand imperial guards, while also escaping their pursuers.

The task was indeed exceptionally difficult.

"Let's go, take the shortcut ahead and join up with His Highness's men. Commander Cui should have a solution."

"No matter what, the task His Highness has entrusted to us must be completed!"

"yes!"

The group then vanished from the official road, like ghosts, never to have appeared again.