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

The eunuch Chang chuckled and said, "Your Highness, Prince of Han, why don't you receive the decree?"

Li Yuanchang smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace!"

As he spoke, he took the imperial edict.

"Eunuch Chang, please convey my gratitude to His Majesty for bestowing this marriage upon my return to the palace. From now on, I will certainly not fail His Majesty's grace and will repent and reform myself."

He smiled and slipped another piece of gold into his hand.

The Tang Dynasty used copper coins as currency, but gold and silver were more valuable.

The eunuch couldn't stop smiling: "Don't worry, Your Highness, I will definitely deliver the message."

"Your Highness, you can now rest assured and wait for the court to send people to arrange the wedding. His Majesty has said that the wedding should be completed within a month."

"After the Lantern Festival, His Highness the Prince of Han can go to his fiefdom to take up his post."

Clearly, the last two sentences revealed by the eunuch were not information from the imperial edict, but rather a friendly reminder—that's the allure of money!

This has always been the case throughout history.

Li Yuanchang thanked him with a smile, and then personally saw the person off.

After everyone had gone some distance, Fang Tong couldn't help but frown: "Your Highness, why did His Majesty choose a woman from the Wu family? And she's even born out of wedlock."

Li Yuanchang did not blame him, but simply smiled faintly.

From the current perspective, within the ancient system, the Wu family, which had fallen into decline, and Wu Mei, born out of wedlock, were indeed not a good match for him, and far from being.

If Wu Shihuo hadn't died, it would have been alright, but the Wu family had already declined, and Wu Mei had even reached the point of having to enter the palace as a concubine, so you can imagine what was going on.

But what no one knew was that Li Yuanchang, who seemed to be losing money, was actually making a huge profit!

Don't ask.

"His Majesty's bestowal of this marriage makes them a perfect match!"

"Quickly, prepare some gifts immediately. Bring out all the good things from the manor. I'm going to pay a visit to the Wu family right now!"

He couldn't wait any longer and wanted to meet his wife, the famous empress in history!

"yes!"

Seeing that Li Yuanchang had already said this, Fang Tong could not say anything more. Moreover, the imperial edict had already been issued, and unless there were very special circumstances, it was impossible to cancel it.

"..."

About an hour later.

Li Yuanchang brought two cartloads of good stuff to pay a visit.

After meeting Consort Yang, he was certain that Wu Zetian's beauty was extraordinary. He refused to believe that a woman who could make Emperor Gaozong of Tang so infatuated and obedient could be an ordinary person.

Many people only know how ruthless and cunning this woman is, but few remember that she was once a fifteen-year-old girl applying makeup in front of a mirror.

He had high expectations for this trip.

Soon after, we arrived!

The Wu Mansion is located in Yonglefang.

Chang'an City was divided into more than one hundred neighborhoods, which was an early form of grid-based management. Yongle Ward was the residence of princes, nobles and high-ranking officials.

But when Li Yuanchang arrived here, he was greatly surprised!

"How can this martial arts academy be so shabby?" the old steward, Fang Tong, couldn't help but ask.

The vermilion gate of the Wu Mansion was mottled and faded, the walls were cracked from years of disrepair, there were no servants at the entrance, and moss had grown in the cracks of the bluestone slabs.

Let alone the residence of a meritorious minister, even an ordinary wealthy merchant's residence is a hundred times better than this.

Li Yuanchang said calmly, "It seems the rumors circulating in the streets are true."

"Since Wu Shihuo's death, the Wu family has declined, lacking a successor, and has long since fallen out of Chang'an's upper echelons."

"The Wu family, who could have lived a life of luxury thanks to their ancestors' glory, unfortunately had two good-for-nothing sons, Wu Yuanqing and Wu Yuanshuang."

"These two brothers are typical good-for-nothings in Chang'an. Their father is a high-ranking official, but the son is illiterate and indulges in all sorts of vices, such as eating, drinking, gambling and whoring."

"In just one or two years, the family fortune was all gone."

His tone carried a hint of regret: "Like father, like son; such terrible sons aren't just a thing of the 21st century."

"Your Highness, why don't you go to the palace and plead with His Majesty to change it? If the Wu family brothers become attached to you, it could cause you trouble, and that would be bad."

Fang Tong was deeply worried, fearing that marrying a woman from such a family would bring potential trouble to Li Yuanchang in the future.

"No."

"I want her!" Li Yuanchang said with unprecedented determination.

"You all wait at the door."

"I will go in and take a look first."

Fang Tong asked, "Your Highness, shouldn't we let them come out to greet us?"

"No."

"fine."

As he spoke, Li Yuanchang went up to knock on the door alone. His black casual clothes accentuated his tall and youthful figure, making him appear very down-to-earth.

No one could tell that this was His Highness the Prince of Han!

bang bang bang...

They knocked on the door for a long time, but no servant came out to open it.

Li Yuanchang initially thought no one was there, but since the door wasn't locked, he pushed it open and went inside.

The Wu family mansion occupies a large area, but it is indeed shabby. There are hardly any decent furnishings in the courtyard, and it can almost be described as impoverished.

Li Yuanchang guessed that he had arrived too quickly, and the imperial court might not have even informed the Wu family about the arranged marriage yet.

Otherwise, given Li Shimin's emotional intelligence, he would definitely have bestowed many gifts to maintain his image as a good elder brother.

He walked through a long corridor and came to the backyard. Logically, there should be someone here, but it was still empty, like a haunted house.

Sudden.

boom!

A colorful football struck Li Yuanchang on the back of the head without warning.

He turned around abruptly and saw a beautiful little girl, no more than ten years old, running towards him. She stared at Li Yuanchang with her innocent big eyes, but when she realized he was a stranger, a look of fear appeared on her face.

"Who...who are you?"

"Are you your brother's friend?"

Li Yuanchang was stunned for a moment.

elder brother?

Could it be?

No, it's impossible.

Wu Zetian couldn't have been that young. In the eleventh year of the Zhenguan era, Wu Zetian should have been a fifteen-year-old girl.

He smiled and said, "I guess so. So, who are you?"

"I am Wu Lan, the third child in the second branch of my family." The little girl noticed that Li Yuanchang was very kind and approachable, so she relaxed a bit.

Wu Lan?

Li Yuanchang's eyes lit up slightly. His sister-in-law!

The Wu family had two sons and three daughters. The two sons were born of the principal wife, while Wu Meiniang was born of a concubine and was the second oldest. The eldest son was Wu Shun, who later became the famous Lady of Han.

This Wu Lan should be the third son whose full name is not recorded in history.

Looking at Wu Lan, who had been a beauty since childhood with huge eyes, Li Yuanchang laughed. If Wu Mei were ugly, he would find a block of tofu and kill himself on the spot.

"I see."

"It's my third sister."

"I have come specifically to visit your mother. I wonder if my third sister could show me the way?"

"Yes, Mother is in the woodshed, washing clothes with my two older sisters."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanchang frowned slightly.

In the Tang Dynasty, washing clothes was a job for servants. It was autumn, and the well water in Chang'an was freezing cold. Could it be that his wife was being mistreated?

"Okay, you lead the way."

"Come with me." Wu Lan, innocent and naive, immediately led the way.

"..."