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

Even Li Yuanchang was a little scared when he saw it.

Controlling an empress is no easy task.

"Meiniang, I support your desire to realize your self-worth, prove that you are not just a pretty face, strive for excellence, and surpass men."

"There are many things to do in the Far East, and I need your assistance."

"But that doesn't mean we should overthrow the entire Tang Dynasty!"

"Why?" Wu Meiniang frowned, her phoenix eyes filled with incomprehension.

The sudden conflict and disagreement made the atmosphere of parting somewhat tense.

Li Yuanchang wanted to persuade Wu Meiniang to come back: "Because many people will die, and I don't want that to happen."

"If I were to truly rebel, the border troops attacking the imperial guards would be fratricide!"

"In any case, this is a depletion of the Tang Dynasty and the Han people's own strength, which will only benefit Tibet. The impact will be extremely far-reaching, and may even shake the foundations of a thousand years!"

Do you understand?

Wu Zetian also suppressed her temper, not wanting to argue.

"Seventh Brother, I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me!"

"One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand soldiers; don't you understand such a simple truth?"

"Winning people over with virtue is a lie, a lie that has deceived emperors and people for centuries. Virtue cannot win people over!"

Li Yuanchang stared at her, frozen in place, suddenly feeling a sense of unfamiliarity and speechlessness.

In this era, to say that winning people over with virtue is a lie is an understatement. This woman's assertiveness is terrifying. Ancient ideas and concepts have not bound her in the slightest.

You can't think like that.

"Why not! When Li Shimin separated the lovers, he didn't feel like he was killing his own siblings. When the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families were aggressive and banded together to exclude outsiders, and when they blocked trade between the Northern Song and Southern Qin, he didn't feel like he was wasting his own life."

"When Empress Wang wanted to harm us, she didn't even think about shaking the foundations of the Tang Dynasty!"

"Believe it or not, the moment you fall into trouble, they will stop at nothing to wipe out the entire Far East Prince's Mansion!" "This is a struggle, why don't you understand?" Wu Meiniang said sternly.

"If you don't want to be the bad guy, I'll take his place!"

"I'm not afraid of anything, and I don't care what future generations think of me!"

"Enough! You're just being ridiculous!" Li Yuanchang hissed, fearing that Wu Meiniang might do something outrageous during this Tibetan invasion, causing an irreparable situation.

Given her personality and methods, she is truly capable of doing it.

Then his painstaking efforts to build peace, even his grand plan for a thousand years, would have been in vain.

With that shout, Wu Meiniang also became angry, and the two immediately broke into a fierce argument.

The arguing reached Guo Chao and the others' ears. They looked at each other in bewilderment. They were fine just a moment ago, so why did they start arguing?

"..."

They argued for a long time, their faces flushed, but ultimately they couldn't reach a conclusion.

"Enough! Let's get back to the point. After the Tuyuhun matter is over, you will come with me back to the Far East to assist me."

"We'll talk about the rest later," Li Yuanchang said in a commanding tone, displaying the toughness expected of a man.

Her thoughts and statements were not wrong, and even demonstrated the ruthlessness expected of a qualified and outstanding politician.

But they are too young.

The Tang dynasty was at its peak, and the people were united in its rule. It was not easy to rebel against it. Historically, there were only a few successful rebellions, and these were usually caused by the incumbent emperor's incompetence, which aroused public anger.

Secondly, Tibet, which occupies the plateau, can come down at any time. If they were to rebel now, it would be tantamount to disregarding the overall situation and dragging the entire Central Plains into the crucible of war and under the iron hooves of foreign tribes.

This is a typical macro-narrative.

Even if Li Yuanchang manages to quell the chaos with gunpowder, can the millions who died be brought back to life?

Most importantly, and this is the root of their conflict.

Wu Zetian's ideal of benevolent rule clashed completely with Li Yuanchang's modern ideas.

What he wanted was not to rule the world or to be the only one in power, but a prosperous and peaceful era where everyone has support in their old age and care for the young, and to develop all kinds of talents in an open manner in order to build a future world center of civilization.

But Wu Zetian clearly didn't understand, and at this moment she was furious.

Why won't you listen to me? Would I harm you?

"You're being too lenient. You weren't this indecisive before!"

Li Yuanchang said in a deep voice: "The success of one general is built on the bones of countless others; what one fights for is only one lifetime."

"But I, the king, am fighting for eternity!"

"Eternal peace versus one lifetime of glory, I choose the former."

"Your decisiveness is a good choice, but certainly not the best one!"

"A person lives only one life, until the oil runs out and the lamp dies, and nothing can be taken away. What is the point of fighting for this one life? What is there to say about eternity?" Wu Zetian argued logically and assertively, and neither side could convince the other.

"We may not live past a hundred years, but our descendants can, that's for eternity!"

"To rebel is utter recklessness!"

"Our enemy is Changsun Wuji and the noble group led by Empress Wang, not the entire Tang Dynasty. Don't get the situation wrong."

"Don't let your lust for power blind you!" Li Yuanchang rebuked.

"Am I blinded by the lust for power?" Wu Meiniang's voice rose, somewhat losing her composure.

"I was only thinking of you, and this is how you think of me!"

"Am I doing this for myself?"

"I never said that."

"You haven't said anything yet?"

"What I mean is..."

That's exactly what you mean!

Li Yuanchang was speechless. Why are all women like this?

"..."

The two fell into a vicious cycle of arguing once again, gradually escalating from a single issue to an emotional one.

Ultimately, the meeting ended unhappily.

Although the two embraced when they parted, and Wu Meiniang reminded him to be careful when he went to Tibet, they were clearly both uncomfortable and neither could convince the other.

Wu Zetian acted ruthlessly and followed the path of the king. Although her life took a different path and she encountered different circumstances, she seemed to truly be a born emperor, just as Yuan Tiangang had said.

It's innate!

She didn't care about the dead, didn't care about other people's opinions, didn't care about anything, only seeking to achieve her own goals.

Li Yuanchang was at his wit's end!

This spirit of "I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me" seems particularly charming and exudes the charisma of a hegemon.

But what if that person in the world was yourself?

In other words, it's easy for anyone to talk when they're not the one suffering.

Li Yuanchang, a 21st-century highly educated man with a people-oriented soul, could not possibly allow countless people to die, countless families to be torn apart, and to become a tool for his ambition.

History has proven that there are no winners in that.

Didn't Wu Zetian, in the end, also find herself isolated and abandoned by everyone?

He had better ways to protect himself, and could even do something for the Han people as a whole.

Unless, of course, a knife is held to one's throat.

But now it seems that this condition is not met at all.

"Guo Chao".

"Your humble servant is here."

"Go and inform Li Yi to go to Chang'an and keep an eye on Meiniang. If there are any major events or changes, inform me immediately."

"yes!"