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

"The imperial court understands this better than anyone else, but is it possible to get them to relinquish their privileges, their hereditary system, and their cannibalistic rules?"

"So this is the fundamental reason and contradiction that forced me to come here," Li Yuanchang said with a smile.

Kim Seung-man smiled wryly: "In that case, perhaps it's not His Highness's fault."

"Right and wrong, merit and demerit, will be judged by future generations. I have never considered myself a saint." Li Yuanchang smiled and took a sip of wine.

Kim Seung-man hesitated, then said seriously, "Your Highness is a saint."

Li Yuanchang glanced at her and said with a smile, "Didn't you say that I am a despicable person?"

Kim Seung-man was embarrassed, her face slightly flushed and serious in the firelight: "Before, I didn't understand Your Highness, and I didn't know what Your Highness wanted to do."

"It was my shortsightedness that led me to this."

Li Yuanchang chuckled and said, "I still prefer your unruly and arrogant self."

"Huh?" Kim Seung-man was both amused and exasperated, unsure of what to say.

"It's getting windy, shall we go inside and talk?" Li Yuanchang suggested.

"good!"

Kim Seung-man readily agreed, showing a dramatic change in her opinion of him, no matter how much she disliked him before.

The two men entered the tent, raised their cups, and discussed governance and people's livelihoods, talking about everything from farmland, water conservancy, and pastures to the promotion system.

These ideas would not be accepted in Chang'an because each one involved the core interests of the aristocratic class.

But Kim Seung-man was able to listen. Unlike many kings who only knew how to pocket their own money, she truly treated the people as her own subjects.

In other words, this Queen Zhende has the heart of a Bodhisattva.

This is why she repeatedly tried to emulate the Tang Dynasty and adopt Tang customs; in short, she wanted to make life in Silla easier.

The two talked about everything under the sun, and the night grew deeper.

The vast plains stretched as far as the eye could see, the night wind blew, and the bright moon hung high in the sky—it was truly a paradise on earth. The fire still burned brightly, and there was no sound coming from the tents.

This stumped the subordinates of both sides.

"What should we do? There's no movement. Should we go in and check?"

"That's not appropriate, what if..." Guo Chao's eyes were strange, but he also felt it was impossible. No matter how great Your Highness was, this king could not possibly do that to Queen Zhende... especially not in this kind of environment.

They looked at Queen Zhende's men. If the other party went in, they wouldn't have to worry about it anymore, since they wouldn't be blamed.

But at this moment, Queen Zhende's subordinates were also in the same predicament and were casting their gazes in their direction.

In the end, we simply decided to wait it out. If you don't move, I won't move either, since the instructions from above are not to go in and disturb us.

This dragged on until the early morning of the next day.

The bright sunlight shone on the lush plain, making it exceptionally beautiful, no less so than the pastures of northern deserts.

Sunlight streamed into the tent through the gaps in the tent.

The scattered wine jars were empty; this was distilled liquor, enough to imagine how drunk the two of them had been last night.

On a simple wooden couch, two figures slept intertwined, their presence ambiguous yet not erotic, as they were both fully clothed.

Perhaps it was the sound of galloping horses outside that woke Jin Shengman from her slumber. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly awoke. What came into view was a simple tent, wine jars that hadn't been put away yet, and then...

Her beautiful eyes widened in shock, she froze, and slowly looked behind her.

boom!

Her mind felt like it had exploded.

Li Yuanchang was actually behind her, and they were sleeping together in each other's arms.

She was stunned on the spot, her mind went blank.

At this moment, Li Yuanchang also slowly woke up, but compared to Jin Shengman, he was much calmer, as if he were a veteran who had been through many battles.

"You're awake?"

"You..." Jin Shengman was stunned, her eyes filled with doubt and uncertainty. Seeing how calm he was, she even suspected that he was doing it on purpose.

"You, take your hand out!" Jin Shengman was ashamed and indignant. Suddenly, she realized that Li Yuanchang's hand had reached inside her clothes and was supporting something.

"Ah, sorry, sorry." Li Yuanchang was both amused and exasperated, and immediately withdrew his hand.

Jin Shengman's heart raced, her face flushed, and she quickly rolled over, trying to escape.

But with a bang, Li Yuanchang pulled it back.

She lost her balance and fell onto the couch.

Li Yuanchang leaned forward, their eyes meeting: "Queen, why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

"Your Highness, please have some self-respect!" Kim Seung-man panicked, displaying the majesty of Queen Jinde.

"We're already like this, why are you still trying to be respectful?" Li Yuanchang teased.

Kim Seung-man tried to push him away, but she wasn't strong enough. Instead, her hands were pinned down, and she was filled with shame and indignation: "Your Highness, you've gone too far!"

"Get up now, and I'll pretend nothing happened. Otherwise, you'll face the consequences!"

She was truly enraged, glaring at him.

Sleeping together while drunk was an accident, but now Li Yuanchang is flirting with her.

Most men would have been too scared to go this far, but Li Yuanchang was incredibly bold and shameless. Instead of backing down, he kissed her.

Jin Shengman was jolted, as if struck by lightning; her whole body stiffened, and her brain completely shut down.

Historically, Queen Jinde never married and had no children, seemingly passing the throne to her niece.

This kiss completely touched upon her blind spot in knowledge.

In Silla, who would dare to treat Kim Seung-man like that? Even a second glance would likely get them dragged out and beheaded.

Li Yuanchang was highly skilled. Taking advantage of his opponent's momentary lapse in concentration, he pried open the door in an instant and indulged in the pleasure.

Kim Seung-man's heart was pounding in her throat, and her long legs were trembling uncontrollably; it was a feeling that could not be described in words.

She gripped Li Yuanchang's clothes tightly, exerting all her strength, but not in an attempt to push him away.

It's a primal instinct of attraction between men and women, a kind of magic that one knows is impossible, yet cannot refuse.

She grabbed Li Yuanchang's hand to stop him.

But Li Yuanchang still forced his way in. The double blow of shame and the thrill of a racing heart made Jin Shengman blush and completely succumb.

The whole scene was even more erotic, seemingly a forced sexual encounter, but in reality a tacit understanding between the man and woman.

The body doesn't lie. If a woman refuses, there's no way you can kiss her normally, let alone reach out to her, unless there's a threat of death.

The kiss lasted a full three minutes. Kim Seung-man was breathing rapidly and covered in sweat, as if she had just gone through a life-or-death ordeal.

Li Yuanchang eventually stopped on his own initiative as a gentleman, without even taking off her coat.

The tent had no soundproofing, and there were people everywhere outside. He could tell at a glance that Queen Zhende had probably never been with a man due to the constraints of power, and was still a virgin.

Doing anything here would be too abrupt and would be a disservice to Kim Seung-man.

"How do you feel?" Li Yuanchang asked, looking down at him with a smile.

Jin Shengman was breathing rapidly, her face flushed, and she hummed in agreement.

Surprisingly, she didn't get angry. Instead, she remained quiet, turned her head away, and closed her disheveled collar.

"One more time?" Li Yuanchang said with a smile.

Jin Shengman's eyes widened in panic, but she remained silent.

Without speaking, Li Yuanchang received the signal and lay down on her again. Jin Shengman was nervous, her heart was racing, and her red lips unconsciously parted slightly.

"..."