My father, Li Shimin, requests Your Majesty to become the Retired Emperor.

"Qingque, do you even need to tell me that?"

I will naturally speak well of you to your father.

However, I must remind you.

Among you brothers, besides Li Chengan, there is also Li Ke.

Li Ke was also very capable.

Otherwise, your father would not have appointed him as the King of Shu and given him eight provinces.

Your father also likes him very much, saying that he is like himself and trusts him very much. Among your brothers, besides you, Li Ke is the most outstanding.

There was even a rumor that your father wanted to pass the crown prince position to Li Ke!

Li Tai was taken aback when he heard this: "Is there such a thing? Father Emperor wouldn't do such a thing, would he?"

Life is unpredictable and hard to say. Although Li Chengqian's leg ailment has been cured,

However, your father doesn't like him as much as he used to.

If that were the case, your father wouldn't have imprisoned Li Chenggan in the Dali Temple prison and then sent Cheng Yaojin to test him.

It has reached the point where father and son distrust each other.

So, seize the opportunity; you'll still have a chance in the future.

Remember this: besides Li Chenggan, there is also Li Ke.

They are both formidable competitors of yours.

"Thank you for the reminder, Princess Chao."

Yang said this because she felt that Li Chengqian and she were not on the same path.

Although Li Chengan invited Sun Simiao to cure Li Ming's illness,

However, there is a saying: "Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together."

She felt that Li Tai was someone she could rely on and use.

Li Tai chatted idly for a while longer in the palace of Princess Yang, the wife of Prince Chao.

Then, he got up to say goodbye.

Shangfu Bureau.

Su Gui was leading two hundred imperial guards to stand watch here.

He walked around the Shanghu Bureau but found nothing unusual.

Then he said to his men, "Brothers, stay alert, just in case there are thieves."

"Yes, boss!"

His men agreed.

Just then, a person walked towards them from the opposite direction.

When they got closer, they realized it was Fang Yi'ai.

Back in the Western Regions, Li Tai suffered a defeat and fled back.

But Fang Yi'ai and Changsun Chong were left there.

Su Gui had fought alongside them and they knew each other very well.

Fang Yi'ai smiled broadly and bowed, saying, "General Su, you've worked hard!"

Upon seeing him, Su Gui asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Hey! Brother, we're practically family now."

"What's our relationship?"

"Your elder sister, Su Wan, is the Crown Princess, while I married Princess Gaoyang. Aren't we all family?"

"Just say what you have to say, or shut up. What's with the pretense of getting close?"

Fang Yi'ai chuckled: "I really miss the time we fought side by side in the Western Regions. You were very brave!"

In my opinion, there aren't many in our Tang army who are braver than you.

Hearing this, Su Gui became happy and said with a hint of pride, "Let me tell you, there's only one thing to remember on the battlefield: don't be afraid to die. As long as you're not afraid to die, just close your eyes and charge forward."

The crossbow bolts all went around you.

"Yes, yes, I can't do that. Don't laugh at me, but I went to the battlefield and almost peed my pants."

The other soldiers around Su Gui laughed when they heard this.

"Speak, what brings you here?"

"What's wrong? Nothing at all. What could I possibly need from you?"

I have no friends in Chang'an, so you're practically my best friend. I'd like to invite you for a couple of drinks.

"That won't do."

"I have a duty to perform; I'll stay here and guard this place. I won't go." Su Gui touched the token at her waist.

"You're being far too tense. Chang'an is no longer under martial law."

Where did all these thieves come from?

You need to have your own life too, don't you?

You can't possibly stay here from day to night every single day.

Come on, let's go have a couple of drinks.

What could be missing? I'll make sure you get something back!

Su Gui didn't want to go, but she couldn't resist Zhu Yi'ai's persistent pleading and dragging.

After all, Fang Yi'ai was no ordinary person. He was the son of Fang Xuanling and the husband of Princess Gaoyang, a man of noble status.

If someone invites you to drink, it means they think highly of you.

Su Gui didn't want to offend him either.

"Brothers, keep a close eye on the Bureau of Imperial Clothing."

Su Gui gave the order, and then left the Bureau of Clothing and Apparel with Fang Yi'ai.

Fang Yi'ai invited Su Gui to Zuixianlou.

Fang Yi'ai ordered a lavish banquet to warmly entertain him.

Su Gui was young and impetuous, and also enjoyed drinking.

The aroma of the wine is making my mouth water!

He then forgot everything else.

Fang Yi'ai kept urging Su Gui to drink, until she was completely drunk and unconscious.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but when Su Gui woke up, she found herself sitting in a chair in the Shangfu Bureau.

Su Wan's face was ashen as she stared at him.

"Snapped!"

A crisp sound was heard in my ear.

Su Gui received a slap on her left cheek.

Su Gui stumbled from the blow, and her cheek immediately swelled up.

Su Gui was also stunned by the beating.

He covered his cheek with his hand: "Sis, hit me."

"Isn't that what I'm hitting?"

"Look what you've done!"

He had never seen Su Wan lose her temper like this before.

Seeing Su Wan's fierce demeanor, the other guards were all frightened and lowered their heads, not daring to utter a sound.

"Sis, what happened? Why are you so angry?"

"Where the hell were you last night? Where did you go and pee so much cat pee?"

"I...I went drinking," Su Gui sensed something was off.

He rubbed his eyes, feeling dizzy and lightheaded.

He struggled to his feet and asked, "Sis, what happened?"

"You come and ask me? Look at these boxes and see what's inside!"

Su Gui then noticed that there were five boxes in front of her.

He looked down and saw that the boxes contained ordinary silk and cloth.

"These are silk and cloth, what's wrong?"

"You're such an idiot, you've been fooled, you know that?"

These boxes originally contained priceless tributes from Songtsen Gampo.

Now, however, they have become these ordinary silks and cloths.

I'm asking you, where did all those treasures go?

When Su Gui heard what his sister said, his head started buzzing!

He couldn't understand what was going on either.

"Where did you go last night? Tell me now!"

Seeing that her sister was angry, Su Gui dared not hide anything and had to tell the truth: "Fang Yi'ai invited me to go drinking, so I went with him, and as a result, I accidentally drank too much."

"Fang Yi'ai?"

Do you know who Fang Yi'ai is?

"Of course I know, isn't he Princess Gaoyang's husband?"

"He was not only Princess Gaoyang's husband, but also Li Tai's best friend."

Upon hearing this, Su Gui scratched her head and asked, "Sister, what do you mean by that?"

Could it be that Li Tai sent Fang Yi'ai to invite me for a drink?

"It's hard to say until things are clear. Check if you still have your token."

Li Tai touched himself, but there was no token left on his body.

He asked his men, "What exactly is going on?"

Before I left, didn't I tell you to keep a close watch on things here? How come you've lost them?

One of the bolder soldiers, a sergeant with a black beard, reported: "Last night, after you left..."

Not long after, ten people arrived with your token, saying that the emperor wanted to see the tribute items sent from Tibet.

We dared not delay, so we opened the warehouse door and handed over the tribute to them.

About an hour later, they returned the boxes.

"So, did you inspect these boxes when they were returned?"

"No, we thought the Emperor had finished reading them and returned them, so we put all the boxes back into the warehouse."

However, when the Crown Princess came to inspect the goods in the morning, she discovered that they were all substandard products, not the tribute items from Tibet.

Su Gui suddenly felt her head had grown three times larger.

He couldn't understand how the token on his waist ended up in someone else's hands.

"I'm going to find Fang Yi'ai and fight him to the death! That bastard! How dare he play me!"

Su Gui was furious. With that, she grabbed her gun and headed for the door.

Su Wan suddenly grabbed him: "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find Fang Yi'ai!"

"Give me a break. You stay here and don't cause any more trouble."

You go to them, and they say, "I don't know anything, I just invited you for a drink."

What evidence do you have to prove that someone else did this?

Su Gui couldn't answer.

He thought about it and realized, "That's right, there's no evidence."

People will say, "You're so ungrateful, they invited you for drinks."

The Bureau of Imperial Clothing and Ceremonial Affairs had an accident, but you're blaming them.

"Sis, what do you suggest we do about this?"

"You all stay here and guard the scene. I'm going to find the Crown Prince."

Su Gui thought about it and realized that this was the only way.

The Eastern Palace.

Recently, Li Chengan wrote another book, "Princess Pearl".

The book sold out as soon as it hit the shelves of Su Wan's supermarket, becoming an instant bestseller. The entire city of Chang'an was abuzz with discussions about the protagonist, Xiao Yanzi, who was cheerful, lively, rebellious, and liked to do things unpredictably, turning the imperial palace into a chaotic mess.

People thought it would be wonderful if the palace were really like the one where Little Swallow lived.

How interesting!

Li Chengan is currently writing the second part of "Princess Pearl".

Just then, Su Wan walked in from outside, crying.

This startled Li Chenggan.

He quickly put down his pen, stood up, walked to Su Wan, and placed his hands on Su Wan's shoulders: "Wan'er, why are you crying like this?"

Generally speaking, Su Wan has a relatively strong personality, and it's rare to see her cry.

"Your Highness, something has happened."

Upon hearing her words, Li Chengan's expression changed slightly, and he asked, "What happened?"

Su Wan then recounted the whole story.

Li Chengan took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away her tears: "Alright, I understand, don't cry anymore."

If you cry again, your eyes won't be pretty anymore.

"What should we do about this?"

"Don't worry, there's always a solution," Li Chengan said slowly, resting his chin on his hand and pondering for a moment. "Songtsen Gampo is much stronger than the kings of the Western Regions."

He was a grateful person, and he was very friendly and devout to the Tang Dynasty.

He once said he wanted to marry a princess from the Tang Dynasty. Could it be that what he sent was a betrothal gift?

"I don't know anything about betrothal gifts, but in short, he was very generous."

The tribute items that were sent were extremely valuable, but now they have all vanished.

If the Emperor were to punish us, who could possibly bear the consequences?

"You don't need to worry too much. Even if the sky falls, I'll hold it up," Li Chenggan said, patting his chest. "These are truly turbulent times in the palace."

"Alright then, Dai Zhou of the Dali Temple is very experienced in solving cases. Let's invite him over and go to the Bureau of Ceremonial Affairs together."

"Oh well."

So, Li Chengan, Dai Zhou, and Su Wan went to the Bureau of Clothing and Apparel again.

Su Gui saw Li Chenggan again and felt very embarrassed. She ran over and knelt on the ground, saying, "Su Gui greets Your Highness."

Li Chengan didn't say anything, but reached out his right hand to help him up: "Get up."

"Thank you, Your Highness. This is what happened."

Su Gui then recounted what had happened the previous night.

Li Chengan listened carefully, then asked, "Has anyone been here so far?"

"No." Su Gui's tone was very certain.

"Okay, seal off the area. No one is allowed to enter or leave."

"promise!"

"Where's your token?"

"It's not on me; I don't know who took it."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengan secretly worried for Su Gui, because losing the token was also a serious crime.

The bearded soldier under Su Gui said, "We saw them come over with the token, so we handed it over to them."

Li Chengan then asked, "So, do you know those people?"

"I don't know them, they're all strangers."

Li Chengan, with his hands behind his back, asked Dai Zhou, "Lord Dai, what do you think we should do about this?"

Dai Zhou shook his head: "Your Highness, this matter is not easy to handle. The other party did not leave any clues."

It might be related to Fang Yi'ai, but if Fang Yi'ai says he knows nothing, what can he do to them?

"You're absolutely right."

After everyone entered the Bureau of Clothing and Apparel, Li Chenggan saw that the five boxes were neatly arranged.

He inspected them one by one and found that they were filled with substandard fabrics and silks.

These things are readily available in Chang'an and are practically worthless.

Li Chengan then asked the man with the black beard, "If those ten men reappeared in front of you, would you recognize them?"

"Not necessarily, because it was quite dark last night, so it wasn't very clear."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengan realized that this matter was quite troublesome.

The other party was very alert and cunning, leaving no clues.

It seems the other party is a master.

Li Chengan pondered to himself that, judging from the perspective of investigating cases in his previous life, the other party had not left any clues.

There were no footprints on the ground, nor were any items left behind.

Li Chengan asked Dai Zhou, "Do you have a way to solve the case?"

Dai Zhou was also helpless: "I have served in the Dali Temple for many years. Most cases will leave some traces, but this case is really impossible to solve."

Li Chengan said to Su Gui, "Go and summon General Chang He."

Su Gui agreed and rode off on a fast horse to find Chang He.