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

Wu Meiniang glanced at her, her eyes instantly turning wary.

The palace maids and eunuchs bowed in greeting. The newcomer was dressed in a magnificent palace gown, with her hair styled in a high bun adorned with various gold ornaments. She exuded an air of arrogance and elegance.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!"

Li Zhi's gaze was neither unfamiliar nor warm; the affection of their early marriage had long been eroded by the aftereffects of their political union.

"Oh, it's the Queen."

"Why did you think of this?"

Empress Wang glanced at Wu Meiniang with undisguised hostility in her eyes, then smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that Your Majesty is resting here, so I specially brought some calming tea for Your Majesty to refresh your mind."

Li Zhi took a deep breath and said helplessly, "If you tell your cousins ​​on your mother's side to behave themselves, that would be the greatest favor you can do for me."

Empress Wang looked somewhat embarrassed and glanced at Wu Meiniang out of the corner of her eye.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will certainly discipline them strictly."

"Well, put the tea down. If there's nothing else, you can leave," Li Zhi said. He didn't want to discuss certain matters in front of Empress Wang.

He always kept in mind Li Shimin's warning: use others' strength against them, never trust any force too easily, and remember that everyone has their own agenda.

Empress Wang's face froze completely, she was extremely embarrassed. She, an empress, had come in person, but was summoned away without saying a word.

Instead, a minor palace attendant remained here.

"His Majesty……"

"Is there anything else?" Li Zhi asked.

Empress Wang forced a gentle smile onto her beautiful face: "Your Majesty, when I came here just now, I happened to meet Lord Changsun at Qianmen. Lord Changsun asked me to convey a message that he has urgent business to discuss with me."

"Oh, is it urgent?" Li Zhi said seriously. He trusted and valued Changsun Wuji quite a bit. No matter what, Changsun Wuji's abilities were undeniable, and Changsun Wuji played a significant role in his smooth succession to the throne.

"Then you may all disperse. Ling Shuang is in charge. I'll be leaving now."

"Yes, Your Majesty, we respectfully see you off!"

"We respectfully bid farewell to Your Majesty!" Everyone bowed.

Once Li Zhi had walked away, the atmosphere in the Imperial Garden suddenly became quiet and eerie.

"Your Majesty, Ling Shuang takes her leave."

"etc!"

"Did I tell you to get up?"

Empress Wang's voice suddenly became sharp, and she became exceptionally domineering, a far cry from the gentle and sensible empress in front of Emperor Li Zhi.

Wu Meiniang had no choice but to kneel.

"Master Ling is truly capable. His Majesty gave you instructions privately before leaving, and you even ignored me. You are indeed very capable."

"When His Majesty mentioned my cousin's matter just now, wasn't it you who smeared the truth behind it?" Empress Wang approached, her eyes filled with hostility.

The palace maids and eunuchs around bowed their heads and stepped back, not daring to participate.

"Your Majesty, Ling Shuang is only here on orders and has no idea what Your Majesty means. Ling Shuang has never thrown dirty water on anyone," Wu Meiniang said, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Hmph." Empress Wang suddenly became angry and lifted her chin with one hand.

Wu Zetian's eyes showed no fear, only a resolute determination.

"Look at her, what a beautiful face, so delicate and fair-skinned," Empress Wang teased, but there was obvious jealousy in her eyes.

Wu Zetian was even more beautiful than her!

"But don't even dream of climbing the social ladder and becoming a phoenix. A woman like you will always be a servant!"

"If it weren't for the Northern Song Dynasty Chamber of Commerce, I would have made you pay today."

Wu Zetian remained silent and unmoved.

Empress Wang whispered in her ear, "By the way, I know all about your background. You even have a history with that traitor Li Yuanchang."

"But don't think that just because His Majesty values ​​you, you can do whatever you want. You must not give me any leverage over you, or you won't even know how you died."

"I'm keeping an eye on you and that traitor Li Yuanchang!"

She spoke each word with a sidelong glance, her eyes filled with disgust and jealousy.

As for the feud with Li Yuanchang, it dates back to before Li Zhi ascended the throne.

A cold glint was etched deep within Wu Zetian's phoenix eyes.

"What, you guessed right?"

"I don't understand what the Queen means."

Empress Wang smiled mockingly: "Someone like you, a second-hand commodity, still wants to compete for favor?"

Wu Zetian remained cold and silent.

"Remember, this is your last warning! The very last time!"

After saying this, Empress Wang let go, deliberately wiped her hands with disgust, and then led her people away like victors.

Because of Li Zhi and the Northern Song Dynasty Chamber of Commerce, she did not dare to go too far for the time being.

Wu Meiniang stood up calmly without saying a word, never taking Empress Wang seriously.

If she truly wanted to vie for the emperor's favor, Empress Wang wouldn't even qualify as her rival.

If it weren't for her body's loyalty to Li Yuanchang, she would have had a thousand ways to defeat this vicious and narrow-minded Empress Wang.

More than the humiliation from Empress Wang, she was concerned about Empress Wang's threat: "Don't let her find out anything."

"I had no intention of being your enemy, but you have been aggressive and even hostile towards Yuan Chang, often slandering him and trying to persuade His Majesty to depose him. Do you think I don't know that? Since that's the case, then don't blame me."

Wu Meiniang murmured softly, her phoenix eyes revealing a cunning and ruthless nature.

"..."

The Imperial Study.

The air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood, exuding a dignified and imposing aura.

"What did you say?" Li Zhi's voice rose.

"Your Majesty, it is absolutely true. Tibet has officially launched an attack to annex Tuyuhun. Murong Khan's army is unable to resist and has lost a large area of ​​territory. Now, Princess He Honghua has fled to Liangzhou and has once again appealed to Your Majesty for help!" Changsun Wuji's face was extremely solemn.

These words struck Li Zhi, who had just ascended the throne, like a blow to the head. He sat down heavily on the dragon throne, his eyes filled with a look of surprise and emptiness.

Previously, the Tubo Kingdom had frequently sent troops to harass the border, but that was just harassment. However, when news came that Tuyuhun had actually been invaded, it was discovered that Tuyuhun had been occupied.

It was not only a loyal vassal state of the Tang Dynasty, but also an absolute buffer zone between the Tang Dynasty and Tibet, and has remained peaceful for so many years.

This peace and tranquility has now been completely shattered.

"Summon them immediately! Gather all the ministers to discuss this important matter!" Li Zhi clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, his shock followed by boundless rage.

The Tibetans actually dared to ignore him!

"yes!"

Soon, the highest-level imperial decree arrived, and a continuous stream of ministers from the six ministries quickly arrived at Liangyi, causing overcrowding and much discussion, creating quite a stir.

"Your Majesty, we cannot wait any longer!"

"The Tibetans harbor wolfish ambitions, disregarding His Majesty's warnings; this is a challenge to the authority of our Great Tang!"

"That's right!"

"If Tuyuhun is occupied, then Hexi will be in immediate danger!"

"When the Tibetans invaded before, Your Majesty did not send troops because of the severe drought in Guanzhong, but now the enemy has already sent troops!"

"How could our mighty Tang Dynasty tolerate such provocation from the Tibetans!"

"If we do not retaliate against this, the glorious era of all nations paying tribute to our Great Tang Dynasty will never exist!"

"..."

In the martial Tang Dynasty, opinions were almost unanimous, with the majority of voices supporting military action.