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

How can you prove it?

A large number of cavalry surrounded the imperial envoys, their eyes filled with vigilance.

Cheng Chuliang, frozen stiff, cursed, "Prove my ass! Get me some hot water! If I lose a single hair, you'll all be in deep trouble!"

As the saying goes, there are two kinds of people: those with confidence and those without. Upon seeing how fierce Cheng Chuliang was, they started to insult them.

The auxiliary troops themselves were also apprehensive, wondering if it might actually be true.

Realizing they were already surrounded, someone quickly brought hot water and some supplies to prevent casualties among the team, which was on the verge of collapse.

Then they sent someone to invite him.

The patrol detachments in various places are usually guarded by junior officers from Liangzhou, so people arrived quickly.

A former brigade commander who had served in the Prince of Han's court arrived at the scene. Upon seeing the man, his eyes widened in shock. "Second Master Cheng, what brings you here?"

His attitude spoke volumes, and everyone present was shocked. Was he really the sworn brother of the King of Han?

"Finally, someone who isn't blind has arrived."

"Don't even mention it, I almost drowned in the Liao River. We were walking along when the ice broke."

"This lousy weather in Liaodong is just too outrageous," Cheng Chuliang grumbled.

"Alright, Chu Liang, stop talking. We should hurry up and find our elder brother." Another person stepped forward, none other than Li Chongzhen, one of the four notorious troublemakers.

He came too.

Two of the four people came, and behind them were many other people of extraordinary background.

However, they didn't speak at the moment, but instead let the two of them take the lead.

"Greetings to the two minor dukes."

"It's like the flood washed away the Dragon King's temple!"

"We deserve to die," the brigade commander said, bowing and apologizing.

The surrounding troops quickly put away their weapons and retreated.

"What 'minor duke'? We're not the eldest son. Hurry up and lead the way. We want to see our elder brother." Cheng Chuliang said casually, though he was disheveled, he was clearly excited.

They hadn't seen each other for many years, and so much had happened that they couldn't even keep in touch by letter, but their worry and longing never ceased.

Even when they learned that an army of 200,000 was coming to suppress them, they hoped that Li Yuanchang would win!

"Yes, yes, this way please."

"His Highness will be very happy to know!"

"By the way, we came together. This is the current emperor..." Li Chongzhen introduced, not forgetting the main business.

He was smarter than Cheng Chuliang, and he was willing to put on a show of politeness.

After all, this time they had an imperial order.

……

Two days later, the person still hadn't arrived, but Li Yuanchang had already received an urgent report.

He jumped up from his seat in excitement.

"really??"

"Chu Liang and Chong Zhen are here?"

"Your Majesty, it's absolutely true, there's no way it could be wrong!" Guo Chao smiled.

"Hahaha!" Li Yuanchang laughed loudly, rubbing his hands together vigorously. "What about Baoqi and the other two?"

"Your Highness, neither of them is present. According to the urgent report, the two gentlemen came with the imperial entourage, which numbered about one hundred people."

"They were sent by the imperial court. The leader is Chu Suiliang's eldest son, Chu Yanbu, who is now the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel," Guo Chao said.

Chu Yanbu?

Li Yuanchang frowned; he had almost no recollection of this person.

After all, he hadn't been in Chang'an for many years, and with Li Zhi's ascension to the throne and the establishment of the new dynasty, there were bound to be many personnel changes, but Chu Suiliang was very familiar with the situation.

Although their interactions weren't as deep as Fang Xuanling's, they were still acquaintances.

They had no personal grudges against each other. Chu Suiliang was a staunch supporter of Li Shimin, which was somewhat different from Changsun Wuji.

"good!"

"Someone come here!"

"Huangtu, you personally lead a team to greet them. Ensure the safety of all those from the imperial court and bring them all to the Central Prefecture!"

"Furthermore, have the Princess Consort of Han send people to clean the palace near the examination hall so that Rong Chuliang and the others can stay there!"

"yes!"

Immediately afterwards, many people left.

Goguryeo, which had been like a stagnant pool of water, finally came back to life.

They had been waiting for battle reports from the front lines, but instead received news from the imperial court.

It's important to understand that the current court is not the same one that was previously attacked by the army. With a new emperor comes a new court; Li Shimin has passed away, and now it is Li Zhi's era.

"Your Highness, the new emperor has sent envoys this time, and the main envoy is from the neutral faction. He has also sent two minor dukes along with him. It seems that, just as you guessed, the new emperor has taken advantage of your position."

"It's highly likely they're here to make peace," Su Gui analyzed.

Li Yuanchang suppressed his excitement at seeing his two brothers soon and took a deep breath.

"That's right."

"Peace talks are a certainty."

"I just don't know what the imperial court wants to say."

"In any case, the initiative is now in His Highness's hands. The court knows that force cannot subdue His Highness, so it will inevitably have to back down."

"Instead of guessing what the court wants to say, Your Highness should consider how to speak to the court," Su Gui suggested.

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanchang thought for a long time before finally smiling bitterly: "To be honest, I haven't thought this through either."

"This is a very complicated matter."

"It's almost impossible to completely return to the old ways of ruler and subject."

"But if it leads to division, that is not what I want either."

"Our current situation and relationship with the imperial court are very awkward."

Su Gui breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this: "It's a good thing that Your Highness understands that we can't go back."

"In fact, many people have spoken with me, expressing their concern that Your Highness is too trusting of the court's offer of amnesty."

Li Yuanchang nodded: "It's normal for them to be worried. Throughout history, those who were recruited into the army because of their strong military power have never had a good ending."

"They left their homes and followed me because they wanted a reliable way to survive."

"Spread some rumors for me, saying that I will never return to Chang'an and that the court will not interfere in the affairs of Goguryeo."

"At most, we will obey imperial edicts but not proclamations, upholding the basic principles of the Tang Dynasty. We are always Han Chinese."

"Yes!" Su Gui gave a genuine smile.

"..."

The saying "obey the imperial edict but not the proclamation" means that if the imperial court issues an edict ordering someone to go to war, quell a rebellion, or guard the border, that is perfectly acceptable.

However, if it's a trip to Beijing to report on official duties, to pay homage to the emperor, or a lateral transfer to another location, then there's no chance at all.

This is essentially giving the three armies a sense of reassurance.

Otherwise, if subordinates become overly worried, chaos may ensue, and some radicals may even take radical actions.

Being given a yellow robe is one such example.

There is another type: starting a war without authorization.

Politics is always very complex; after all, only an absolute deterioration in relations can guarantee that things will never return to normal.

Li Yuanchang didn't want to cause such a mess; his overall perspective and vision were even greater than Li Shimin's.

Three days later, the imperial entourage, escorted by officials, officially arrived in Chubu Prefecture!

They were also the only group of imperial officials to arrive in the central prefecture.