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

"The other soldiers are from Tongguan. I humbly request that they be allowed to lay down their arms and go home to see their families tonight."

Upon hearing this, some people immediately jumped out to object, fearing that Li Yuanchang would take the opportunity to stage a coup.

But before he could finish speaking, he was silenced by Li Zhi's murderous glare.

"How could I possibly disagree with such a trivial matter!"

"Granted."

"By imperial decree, the curfew at Tongguan Pass is lifted tonight, and no one is to interfere with the return home of any soldiers of the Far East Army," Li Zhi declared decisively with a wave of his hand.

The accompanying courtiers paled and tried to dissuade him, but it was too late.

Li Yuanchang clearly saw the changes in these people's expressions and probably understood that the court could not tolerate him, but Li Zhi himself was inclined to appease them.

However, when all the civil service groups could not tolerate Li Yuanchang, Li Zhi was indeed in a difficult position and might be shaken.

It's unclear whether Li Zhi can handle what Li Shimin couldn't do back then.

But all Li Yuanchang could do was manage his own duties.

After an incense stick had burned, Li Zhi had a high platform erected, and personally raised a wine cup to comfort the 20,000-strong Far East Army. His impassioned speech was not overly theatrical, but rather a genuine expression of his feelings without any airs.

This is based on his fundamental personality traits, which is also an important reason why he was chosen as the successor after the downfall of Li Chengqian, Li Tai and others.

Although the Far East Army harbored great resentment towards the imperial court, the emperor had already put this into practice, and everyone followed Li Yuanchang's prior instructions, shouting in unison that they were loyal to the Tang Dynasty.

The sound was deafening, wave after wave, once again stomping the faces of those civil servants to the ground.

After the oath-taking ceremony concluded, Li Zhi personally hosted a banquet for Li Yuanchang on an open ground outside Tongguan.

He also did not allow Li Yuanchang to enter Tongguan, fearing that Li Yuanchang would be uneasy and thus trigger a sensitive area.

After the banquet, Li Zhi returned to Tongguan, and Li Yuanchang personally escorted him to the city gate.

Before parting, Li Zhi said, "Seventh Uncle, I'm entrusting the matter of Tuyuhun to you."

"Do not let those Tibetan barbarians wreak havoc in Hexi, but also do not let yourself be harmed."

"I have ordered Luo Qiong, the governor of Hexi, to prepare an army of over 37,000, ready to be deployed at my seventh uncle's command. In addition, Murong Khan still has over 10,000 scattered and defeated soldiers in Liangzhou, who can be used to assist in any situation."

"If this is not enough, Seventh Uncle can report this, and I will immediately send reinforcements."

Li Yuanchang nodded emphatically: "Yes, thank you, Your Majesty."

"Rest assured, I will certainly drive the Tibetans out of our territory!"

Li Zhi took a deep breath, said nothing more, and entered Tongguan under the throng of people.

Li Yuanchang's gaze shifted from Li Zhi to the alluring figure in the corner of the crowd.

She kept walking forward through the crowd, but her eyes were looking back.

Li Yuanchang mouthed "Black Ice Platform".

Wu Zetian's beautiful eyes sparkled, and she nodded, immediately understanding.

"..."

Time flies, and before we knew it, it was dusk.

Outside Tongguan, a dense array of camps had been erected, and 20,000 Far East troops were stationed there.

In reality, they didn't have any family members in Tongguan; it was just a pretext. However, to avoid suspicion, Li Yuanchang still sent some soldiers to remove their armor and enter Tongguan.

He himself, after disguising himself, secretly entered Tongguan under the name of the Far East Army.

Tongguan was the gateway to Chang'an. In addition to a large number of troops stationed there, there were also many villages and towns with a large population, and commerce was thriving.

In a town called Huangjia Town, crowds thronged.

Li Yuanchang entered a shop that appeared to be a cloth shop, but was actually an intelligence node of the Black Ice Guard located in Tongguan.

Wu Zetian was also aware of this, as the Black Ice Agency and Wu Zetian had been exchanging information very closely over the past two years.

When Li Yuanchang arrived, the shop quickly put up a sign saying it was closed to customers.

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty!"

The once honest and unassuming shopkeeper quickly transformed, leading one of his subordinates forward to kneel in worship.

Get up.

"I heard you used to be from the Han Prince's Mansion?" Li Yuanchang asked. There were too many family members in the Han Prince's Mansion, so he couldn't possibly remember everyone.

Moreover, he is often away from home, and there are many people he has never even met.

"Your Highness, it is true. My name is Zhao Mo. In the seventeenth year of Zhenguan, I was hired by the Prince of Han's mansion to raise horses, but I was not considered a member of the Prince of Han's mansion. Later, I fell seriously ill, and it was the Princess of Han who took pity on me and took me in."

"After recovering from my illness, I stayed at the Prince of Han's residence. Later, when Lord Li recruited people from within the palace, I was deeply grateful for the great kindness of the Prince of Han and the Princess, so I joined the Black Ice Guard."

"Later, he moved to Tongguan and settled there, where he was responsible for intelligence transmission in the Tongguan area. This is my son."

After listening, Li Yuanchang was filled with emotion.

The saying "When the mother is virtuous, the family prospers" is absolutely true.

Situ Lan has always lived a secluded life and is a typical traditional housewife, unlike Wu Zetian who is capable of causing trouble and has shrewdness.

But her virtuous and kind nature subtly helped Li Yuanchang a great deal.

The entire Far East Royal Palace, even the horse breeder, followed him wholeheartedly.

Generally speaking, those who only earn a little money are just trying to survive; who would risk their life for it? But there are countless examples like the Far East Royal Palace.

Even the smallest kindness can be reciprocated.

People in later generations might scoff at this, but people in ancient times did pay more attention to this.

"I see."

Get up.

"Prepare some hot tea and a clean, quiet place; I am receiving guests."

"yes!"

Zhao Mo smiled; he couldn't be happier to meet Li Yuanchang at his level.

Behind the shops is a courtyard that isn't very big, but the walls are high and the doors and windows are thick, so the soundproofing is excellent.

Li Yuanchang had barely landed and hadn't even had a chance to drink some water.

"Your Highness, they've arrived!" Guo Chao strode in.

Li Yuanchang stood up abruptly. Although they had been husband and wife for a long time and often corresponded, he was still somewhat excited.

Light footsteps sounded outside the door, and a woman, completely concealed and wearing a trench coat, was escorted in, her outstanding temperament still undeniable.

"Shichiro!"

"Meiniang!"

boom!

The two walked quickly and embraced tightly, as if trying to meld each other into their own bodies.

Wu Zetian was already in tears.

Guo Chao silently closed the door and stood guard outside.

Li Yuanchang inhaled her fragrance deeply, and feeling that wasn't enough, he kissed her again.

Wu Zetian's sexy red lips were squeezed out of shape, but her lips and teeth responded passionately. She pulled down her trench coat with one hand, revealing her long black hair tied up in a bun, using the same hairpin that Li Yuanchang had given her years ago.

The two kissed, stumbling from the doorway all the way to the wooden bed in the attic, their longing turning into a raging torrent that devoured them both.

Li Yuanchang, without any politeness, used the most direct method to pull open the beautiful high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) beneath Wu Zetian's divine beauty.