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

With Han Lei's help, the Left and Right Guards were intimidated, and the last batch of Black Ice Guard personnel responsible for the rescue and infiltration successfully withdrew from the post station.

With the horses they had prepared in advance, they quickly widened the distance, leaving behind only a mess and a post station engulfed in flames.

Apart from dozens of injuries, there were no fatalities at the scene.

The Imperial Guards had no warhorses and had to chase after them on foot. The further they chased, the further they fell behind, until they could no longer even see their shadows.

boom!

An angry general of the Imperial Guard smashed his weapon.

"What should we do?"

"Everyone has been taken away!"

"They're Han King's men, definitely their people. They must have used the heavenly thunder reported from the front lines!"

"The general is here!"

"We pay our respects to the General!"

The generals of the Left and Right Guards were none other than Zhao Fei, the envoy who had accompanied Li Yuanchang to Tibet for a marriage alliance.

He had the opportunity to order an attack on the fleeing group, but he did not, because that would have killed many of the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled members of the Han Prince's household.

He didn't want to do that, neither for his own sake nor for his personal reasons.

Back then, Li Yuanchang was considered his superior.

"General, we deserve to die!"

Zhao Fei looked at the end of the rolling darkness, without anger, and even a hint of relief deep in his eyes.

Because his orders were only to escort, not to release, in other words, the Imperial Guards were to maintain control over the Prince of Han's family.

Regarding the Goguryeo affair, as a fellow soldier, he felt a sense of injustice for Li Yuanchang, but he was bound by imperial orders.

This outcome, ironically, relieved him of his predicament.

Let's go, let's go quickly.

Once you leave, never come back!

"Immediately send someone to inform Lord Fang, Duke Lu, that the Han Prince's family has escaped, and the Han Prince may also be fleeing!"

"Follow me back to Changshou Town to retrieve our horses and continue the pursuit!"

"quick!!"

The next second, his expression changed, and he roared in feigned anger.

"yes!!"

The Imperial Guards' response was incredibly swift; the fact that they managed to escape with over a thousand men was nothing short of miraculous.

Of course, only Zhao Fei himself knows how much water is in it.

"..."

When the Han Prince's family was successfully rescued, it was like a domino effect, triggering a chain reaction.

The first to be alarmed were the local governments in Youzhou, who dispatched troops to pursue and intercept him.

Secondly, there are the garrison troops still stationed along the Liao River. They were originally there to guard against attacks from the Kyushu garrison troops and the surrendered Goguryeo troops.

But now they have no choice but to turn back and intercept the Han Prince's family.

For two consecutive days, the area from Youzhou to the Liao River was in turmoil.

By evening on the third day.

A post station at the border of Taiyuan Prefecture and Puzhou.

To avoid any unforeseen complications and interference from local nobles in Taiyuan, Fang Xuanling ordered the troops not to enter the city, but only to stop and rest at the post station.

According to Fang Xuanling's plan, after arriving in Taiyuan Prefecture, they would go south to Puzhou, then cross the Yellow River to enter Shanzhou, and finally arrive in Chang'an.

This route is not only safe, but also fast enough.

On the banks of the Yellow River, a new imperial army was already waiting to meet them.

They even changed their route several times along the way, and Li Shimin seemed very worried that someone would rescue Li Yuanchang or that he would escape.

That night, Li Yuanchang suddenly summoned Fang Xuanling and Cheng Yaojin, saying he wanted to have a drink with them.

Cheng Yaojin was a heavy drinker, but he managed to drink less. Fang Xuanling had long since stopped drinking due to his health, but both of them came and brought a lot of meat and vegetables.

"Your Highness, why do you seem so leisurely and carefree tonight?"

"Hahaha." Cheng Yaojin laughed heartily, seemingly drawn by the aroma of wine.

Li Yuanchang personally poured wine and tea for the two of them: "Alas, we are getting closer and closer to Chang'an. I am worried that I will not have such an opportunity again, so let's treat this as our last drink together."

These words immediately made the atmosphere tense.

"Your Highness, don't worry or be pessimistic. As long as you admit your mistake, you will not be killed."

"This is what His Majesty promised," Fang Xuanling reassured him.

"Hahaha." Li Yuanchang laughed loudly, but it was unclear what he was laughing at. He didn't explain anything, only saying, "As the saying goes, drink and be merry while you can."

"Come, let me offer you both a toast."

"I respect your protection and care along the way, and I also respect your advanced age, yet you have already toiled tirelessly for the Tang Dynasty."

As he spoke, Li Yuanchang took a full gulp, the fiery distilled liquor instantly causing his facial expression to become unbalanced, and he kept smacking his lips.

The two exchanged a glance, and they understood the meaning of parting from Li Yuanchang's tone.

They first drank the wine and tea, and then asked, "Does the King of Han have any concerns?"

Li Yuanchang shook his head: "It's not a concern, it's just what I've said from the bottom of my heart, don't overthink it."

Fang Xuanling gave a wry smile and coughed several times: "Your Highness's reaction tonight is somewhat unusual; perhaps you're about to cross the Yellow River?"

"Rest assured, once we arrive in Chang'an, the two of us will accompany you to the palace. Although there will be someone to meet you, it is absolutely impossible for anyone to harm Your Highness."

"Yes, your personal safety, as well as the safety of the Han Prince's family, will not be compromised."

"I know that such words are meaningless and Your Highness will find it hard to trust me, but since we're here, why not make the best of it?"

"I'm not afraid to tell Your Highness that His Majesty is very interested in the Han Lei matter. Your Highness is very important to the Tang Dynasty; no one would do something that would harm their own Great Wall!"

To reassure Li Yuanchang, Cheng Yaojin even revealed the matter.

Fang Xuanling did not stop it.

Li Yuanchang raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking to himself, "Great, Han Lei is being targeted again."

If they don't give it to him, won't Li Shimin just take it?

Han Lei is not like those small businesses. Small businesses need to pay taxes, and from the perspective of governing the country and increasing jobs, they are helpful to the imperial power.

But Han Lei posed a fatal threat to imperial power, far more dangerous than an army of 100,000.

"Let's not talk about that."

"Let's talk about something else."

Fang Xuanling and Cheng Yaojin exchanged another glance, feeling that Li Yuanchang was acting strangely tonight, but they couldn't quite put their finger on it.

I thought we were almost at Chang'an, so I felt a little nervous and uneasy.

"Very well, what does Your Highness wish to discuss?"

Li Yuanchang asked with a smile, "How is Chu Liang doing lately?"

"Your Highness, he was somewhat affected by the Liao River incident, so I had him resign voluntarily. It's not a big problem; he's in Chang'an now, and he became a father again half a year ago," Cheng Yaojin said with a smile. Even the rugged man showed satisfaction when talking about his offspring.

As people get older, they tend to be more loving and lenient towards their offspring, especially grandparents; this is almost a rule.

Li Yuanchang nodded.

"It is I who have implicated them."

"Master Fang, what about your son, and Gao Yang?" He asked curiously, having not heard from them in a long time.

In truth, he still owed Gao Yang a favor.

Fang Xuanling asked, "Your Highness is referring to Yi'ai, isn't he?"

"He's doing quite well. He returned from Lingnan last year and gained valuable experience. He and Princess Gaoyang maintain a respectful relationship and argue much less."

"I must thank Your Highness for your help." He picked up his wine cup, but his hand trembled so badly that the wine spilled out.