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

"That despicable scoundrel!"

A cold yet angry voice echoed through the jewel-encrusted Silla royal palace.

boom!

A slender woman's hand slammed the letter heavily onto the table, the force so great that her palm quickly became red and swollen.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

Everyone knelt down in worship.

"Calm down, calm down about what? Why are you only reporting this now!"

"A month has passed, and several granaries in the south have yielded no harvest. Once spring arrives, we'll need copper tools to till the land!"

"Domestically produced goods will also rot in warehouses!" Queen Zhende rebuked, her gold and jade ornaments and crown swaying incessantly, exuding an air of nobility and the demeanor of a queen.

Beneath the loose, luxurious robes, her figure was obscured, but she was exceptionally tall, nearly 1.8 meters.

"Your Majesty, please forgive us. At the time, we only thought it was a genuine suppression of bandits and did not realize that things would be so serious, as if it were being targeted at Silla."

"In order to obtain supplies through trade, we have escorted merchant ships at sea and proved to the Far East King that we are not pirates."

"But the other party ignored us, saying it was their duty and that if we forced our way across, we would have to bear the consequences ourselves."

"We had no choice but to retreat," a general said with a bitter face.

It would have been better if this hadn't been mentioned, because once it was brought up, Queen Zhende was even more furious. Her face turned red, her eyebrows stood on end, and she exuded the imposing aura of a ruler.

"They said you'd bear the consequences, and you just backed out?!"

"Does this mean that Silla is under the control of Lee Won-chang?"

His voice was loud and resonant, indicating that he was furious.

"Your Majesty, I dare not. If a conflict breaks out, it could give the King of the Far East an excuse to send troops. That's how Baekje was destroyed."

"We are no match for the Far East Prince's army. Li Yuanchang's ships at sea are large and long; our ships simply cannot withstand a collision."

"Shut up!"

"As a general, yet he is cowardly and afraid of battle! Drag this man away, strip him of his armor, and demote him to a commoner!"

"Your Majesty, no!"

"don't want!"

"What are you all standing there for?" Queen Zhende roared in fury, her waist-length hair flying wildly as she pointed a finger into the air.

"yes!"

Several guards entered and dragged the man away.

The atmosphere froze; no one dared to speak.

Queen Zhende, enraged, remained silent for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "Li Yuanchang, you've gone too far!"

"Called a crackdown on pirates, it's actually retaliation for the last attack. What he really wants is my Silla's ranch. What a despicable madman!"

"This is intolerable! What else is intolerable!"

"Guards, bring me my armor! I want to see just how bold Li Yuanchang really is!"

She flicked her sleeves, displaying the courage of a woman who was no less capable than a man. Though a woman, she possessed the bravery to defeat the enemy and was determined to take action herself.

"Your Majesty, no!"

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

A large number of officials knelt down to stop them.

"Get out of the way!"

"I will absolutely not compromise on this matter!"

An elderly civil official pleaded, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! If you were to send troops to attack the Far East King's army now, that would be treason!"

"The King of the Far East will have a reason to attack Silla. At that time, even Chang'an will not care about us. This is a grave taboo!"

Upon hearing this, the enraged Queen Zhende seemed to be paused, and then clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white.

He gritted his teeth and said, "If Li Yuanchang continues this blockade, Silla will surely descend into chaos within six months!"

"If I don't take action, I'll have to bow down to that despicable man Li Yuanchang and hand over the pastures. Do you understand that?"

Someone urgently suggested, "Your Majesty, I have a solution!"

"Although we can't directly attack the Far East King, we can sneak in! I refuse to believe that the Far East King is all-powerful and can blockade the entire Silla and its surrounding waters!"

"As long as our troops can go to the Tang Dynasty, we can trade the supplies back. There's nowhere he can make decisions, and his army won't dare to go there!"

"That's right, a good idea!"

"Even if they want to impose a blockade, they should be able to blockade our entire territory. The vast ocean isn't just for Li Yuanchang alone, is it?"

Upon hearing this, Queen Jin De was stunned for a moment, then her eyes regained their clarity.

That's right. It's impossible for Li Yuanchang to completely blockade the entire Silla. If merchants don't trade with them, they can simply send people to the Tang Dynasty itself.

"I was in a hurry just now."

"I was furious at Li Yuanchang's despicable behavior."

"Your words are reasonable. We cannot use force directly, we cannot strike first. Li Yuanchang did this because he is wary of and considers Chang'an's intentions."

"I cannot fall for their trap!"

She muttered to herself, as if stating a fact, or as if trying to convince herself to stay calm and not be angered by Li Yuanchang's despicable revenge.

"Jin Ming."

"Your subject is here!"

"You will personally lead your men, disguised as commoners, along the Jiangling trails, around several mountains, and then by boat to the Tang Dynasty. The entire operation must be kept secret."

"Li Yuanchang may have bribed people in China; he is extremely cunning."

"After the goods are traded and brought back, I will personally lead the army to meet them. Then we won't have to worry about Li Yuanchang saying he's suppressing bandits. As long as we can break through his blockade, he won't be able to do anything to Silla."

"yes!"

"Song Zheyi, you must also depart immediately. I will write a letter impeaching this madman Li Yuanchang!" Queen Zhende said, a strong sense of disgust and resistance appearing in her slender, beautiful eyes.

I've never even met him, yet I hate him to the core!

"yes!"

"..."

Far East, Central Prefecture.

Li Yuanchang was writing a letter when Guo Chao suddenly ran in and whispered something in his ear.

His pen suddenly stopped: "Who? Who's here?"

"Your Highness, Miss Wu Lan has arrived. She came with the Northern Song Dynasty's caravan."

In an instant, a bright and intelligent young girl appeared in Li Yuanchang's mind: Wu Lan, Wu Meiniang's younger sister and his sister-in-law!

Where are they?

Li Yuanchang smiled.

"Your Highness, we have arrived outside the palace."

Without saying a word, he personally got up and quickly walked out.

From afar, a graceful young woman stood in the snow, wearing a white mink cloak over a brocade high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress). Her pink face and jet-black eyes contrasted sharply with the white snowscape, making her more beautiful than a painting.

Although it had been a long time since we last met, he remained kind.

"Haha, Xiaolan, what brings you here!"

"Brother-in-law."

Wu Lan was overjoyed, her face beaming with delight, yet also a touch of shyness. She quickly stepped forward and gave a deep bow.

Many of the new servants were shocked. Who was this woman? She called the prince her brother-in-law.

"Hey, you're already calling him brother-in-law, why bother with formalities? The Far East Prince's Mansion is just like the old Han Prince's Mansion, we don't stand on ceremony."

"Why are you the only one here? Where are the others?" Li Yuanchang asked without any airs.

"Brother-in-law, I ran away secretly, following Uncle Song's convoy. My eldest sister is taking care of our mother in Lantian County." Wu Lan said, feeling guilty, and dared not look at Li Yuanchang.