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

Li Shimin's intention in saying such a thing was already quite clear.

He didn't want to get involved in this matter.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengan quickly stepped forward and bowed again.

"Father, although Baekje Buyeo Long has been instigated by Yeon Gaesomun of Goguryeo and may launch a military campaign against Silla,

That's precisely why we must rescue Fuyu Fengzhang.

Because Buyeo Pung-jang and Buyeo Ryong are completely different.

Fuyu Fengzhang was extremely loyal to our Tang Dynasty.

If we can rescue Buyeo Pungjang and support him as crown prince so he can inherit the throne in the future,

Then, Baekje will be loyal to our Great Tang.

Li Shimin said, "This matter is not as simple as you say."

This is a matter between Baekje and Wa (Japan), and has nothing to do with our Great Tang Dynasty.

Moreover, the reason lies with Buyeo Ui-ja.

He knew perfectly well that his son, Buyeo Pungjang, was a hostage in the Wa (Japan), yet he still sent General Nyesik to launch a surprise attack on Wa. Wasn't he clearly trying to use someone else to do his dirty work?

In other words, he wanted to give up on his son.

But if we go to rescue Fuyu Fengzhang, wouldn't that be counterproductive?

"Bu Yu Yi Ci may have acted out of momentary folly."

Buyeo Pungmi said that her father is also very regretful now.

Moreover, Princess Buyeo Pungmi of Baekje has come to us for help once; how can we stand idly by?

"Has the Baekje princess arrived in Chang'an?"

"Yes."

"Did he bring any letters from Buyeo Ui-ja?"

"No, not at all," Li Chengan had no choice but to answer truthfully.

"That means this wasn't Buyeo Uija's idea. It's possible that Buyeo Pungjang and Buyeo Pungmi, who are siblings, have a good relationship, which is why Buyeo Pungmi came to you for help," Li Shimin analyzed.

It must be said that Li Shimin was a wise ruler who saw through the truth of the matter at a glance.

Songtsen Gampo inquired about the details of the incident.

Li Chenggan recounted the entire story once again.

"If the Heavenly Khan finds it inconvenient, then leave this matter to the young king and the crown prince."

Songtsen Gampo was thinking that he couldn't just stay in Chang'an for free; he had to make a good impression.

He also felt that Li Shimin's considerations made some sense.

It does seem inappropriate for the Tang Dynasty to directly intervene in the affairs between Baekje and Wa (Japan).

However, it would be normal for him to mediate the matter as a third party.

Li Shimin nodded slightly: "Alright, but remember:"

First and foremost, you must pay attention to your own safety.

Secondly, it was necessary to ensure the safety of Silla;

Thirdly, King Shuming of the Wa Kingdom must give an explanation to our Great Tang.

Why are you detaining and imprisoning our envoy, Gao Biaoren?

"Please rest assured, Father, I will do my best to handle this matter well."

morning.

The bedroom of Consort Yan.

Li Shimin hadn't visited her for some time.

Consort Yan was very anxious.

She dressed up in front of the bronze mirror, wondering what was wrong with the emperor. Why didn't he come to see her anymore? Did he think she was too old and not attractive enough?

She sent her maids to inquire around, and strangely enough, Li Shimin had been frequently visiting Empress Zhangsun's palace recently, which made Consort Yan envious and jealous.

She wondered what methods she could use to bring Li Shimin back to her side.

Just as she was lost in thought, her maid Bailu reported to her: "Su Wan has come to pay her respects."

Consort Yan was taken aback upon hearing this.

She thought to herself that she and Su Wan didn't get along very well, so why would Su Wan come to visit her?

"Don't see her, tell her to leave!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Lu quickly advised, "Consort Yan, please calm down!"

Firstly, Su Wan has a noble status now; she is the Crown Princess. If Li Chengqian successfully becomes emperor in the future, then she will be the Empress.

Therefore, Su Wan cannot be offended.

Secondly, Su Wan's visit this time was different from her previous ones; it seemed she had come to deliver a gift.

"A gift?"

"Yes."

Consort Yan lowered her head and thought for a moment, then said, "Alright, let her in!"

Not long,

Su Wan walked in from outside with a radiant smile, followed by four young eunuchs.

The four eunuchs carried two large boxes.

Consort Yan remained seated, not rising. "Why did you decide to come here today?"

Seeing that Consort Yan was very arrogant, Su Wan did not bow to her.

Su Wan put her hands behind her back and smiled slightly: "That's right. This time, Songtsen Gampo came to Chang'an and brought a lot of tribute."

These tributes are all kept in our Imperial Clothing Bureau. According to the Emperor's decree, each of you concubines is requested to choose one item that you like best.

Upon hearing this, Consort Yan immediately understood.

The four eunuchs opened the two boxes, revealing a dazzling array of gold that dazzled Consort Yan.

"Can I choose any of these?"

"Okay," Su Wan replied.

So, Consort Yan reached out and picked up the largest luminous pearl.

That luminous pearl was probably a little bigger than an egg, faintly emitting a white light; it was priceless.

Consort Yan discovered that there were many very precious treasures inside the box.

She reached out with her left hand, wanting to take another piece of agate.

Su Wan ordered the eunuch to close all the boxes and carry them away.

"I'm sorry, Consort Yan."

His Majesty has decreed that each concubine may only choose one.

Consort Yan blushed.

She thought for a moment, then couldn't help but ask, "Who else selected the offerings?"

Empress Zhangsun.

"Oh, so, what did she choose?"

"She chose a gold hairpin."

"A gold hairpin?" Clearly, Consort Yan was not very convinced.

"Yes."

"Gold hairpins are nice, but compared to pearls and agates, they are far inferior."

"That's natural," Su Wan replied, glancing at Consort Yan.

"Then why didn't she choose pearls?"

"I don't know about that."

Consort Yan kept toying with the luminous pearl in her hand: "Everyone says Empress Zhangsun is very clever, and today it seems..."

She seems a little confused.

Why would she choose cheap goods over valuable ones? Is she afraid of spending money?

Upon hearing this, Su Wan thought to herself, "Even if I gave you both boxes, you probably wouldn't think it was too much."

Everyone can see clearly what kind of person you are.

Su Wanqing cleared her throat: "There's something I want to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Last time, our Bureau of Imperial Clothing lost the Imperial Seal. Was that your doing?" Su Wan asked directly.

This is a pointed question.

Consort Yan's expression changed slightly.

She thought to herself, "Su Wan is indeed shrewd; she could even guess something like this."

However, in any case

She cannot admit to this.

Thinking of this, Consort Yan steadied herself and said, "Your Highness, you must be joking. What does the loss of the Imperial Seal by the Imperial Clothing Bureau have to do with me?"

Besides, what use would I, a woman, have for the Imperial Seal?

Could it be sold?

Besides, I don't have that ability.

"That's not right. As far as I know, the jade seal was eventually found in your room."

That's strange. Why would the imperial seal appear in your room?

"Haha, I've already explained this to His Majesty. They wanted to frame me, and there was nothing I could do," Consort Yan said innocently.

Su Wan knew that she wouldn't admit it at this point.

Su Wan looked up and asked, "What is your relationship with that Blue Brahma?"

Consort Yan was startled, thinking to herself that Su Wan was really shrewd; nothing could be hidden from her.

After much deliberation, Consort Yan decided that she could not admit to this: "I have no idea who this 'Blue Rakshasa Woman' is. I don't know who you're talking about."

Upon hearing this, Su Wan thought to herself, "You're really stubborn."

Once we catch that Blue Rashad, let's see how she denies it then.

"Alright, since you don't know Blue Rakshasa, then forget it."

We're all in this harem now, and we'll have a long time to spend together in the future.

I have a few words to remind you.

If you don't want others to know, then don't do it in the first place. In the inner palace, it's best not to form cliques. Don't think that just because you're doing things very discreetly, no one else knows.

If you think that way, you're sorely mistaken.

The Crown Prince is the heir apparent appointed by His Majesty, a fact known to everyone in the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, I advise you not to covet the Crown Prince.

Consort Yan's face flushed red and then turned pale: "No, I haven't formed any factions with anyone, nor have I ever had any designs on the Crown Prince."

"It's best if it's not there," Su Wan said, placing her hands in front of her abdomen and walking back and forth in heaven. "We are both women, and I know you have had a hard time too. Your youngest son, Li Xiao, died young, and I feel sad for you."

However, I want to reiterate that the imperial physicians have a record of this matter.

Your son did indeed die of illness, and it had nothing to do with Empress Zhangsun, Xu Hui, or anyone else.

There is no such thing as witchcraft or sorcery involved.

I hope you won't use this as an excuse.

Do not harbor resentment.

If that's the case,

In the end, you'll only hurt yourself.

When Consort Yan heard Su Wan mention Li Xiao, she began to weep.

Actually, this is also a smokescreen for her.

She was trying to use her tears to cover up her inner unease.

"As a woman, I think the most important thing is to be content. Now, although you have lost Li Xiao..."

However, you also have a son, Li Zhen.

Moreover, His Majesty trusts you greatly. You should cherish everything you have now and not wait until you lose it to regret it.

Xu Hui has already returned to her hometown.

You should stop focusing on her.

You may have heard about some of the historical palace intrigues.

For example, what was the outcome of the power struggle between Empress Lü and Consort Qi?

Lady Qi was tortured to death by Empress Lü, being turned into a "human pig".

Empress Lü believed that from this point on, she had achieved complete victory.

Her son, Liu Ying, became Emperor Hui of Han.

In her pride, she took Emperor Hui of Han to see her masterpiece.

When she told Liu Ying that the human pig was Lady Qi,

Unexpectedly, this completely terrified Liu Ying.

Liu Ying said that this was absolutely not something a human could do.

From then on, Liu Ying neglected state affairs.

He indulged in wine and women all day long, and became mentally unstable. Not many years later, Liu Ying also died.

Ultimately, the Lü family was wiped out.

Isn't this karma?

Consort Li, a concubine of Emperor Jing of Han, was very favored, and her son Liu Rong was made crown prince by Emperor Jing.

Consort Li believed that her son would surely become emperor in the future.

Soon, she will be made empress.

Therefore, she recklessly engaged in open and covert struggles with Princess Guantao and Wang Zhi.

What was the final result?

She herself was deposed, and her son Liu Rong was also deposed. In the end, Liu Rong was forced to commit suicide, and Consort Li died of depression.

Furthermore, during the Han Dynasty, Empress Wang Zhengjun and Empress Dowager Fu were locked in a power struggle.

The two fought back and forth for several rounds.

Ultimately, the contest ended with Wang Zhengjun's victory.

So, the point of what I'm telling you is to avoid conflict.

You have your advantages, and Xu Hui and Empress Zhangsun also have their own advantages.

Xu Hui had no power base in the court and no children.

Therefore, she chose to back down and left Chang'an.

However, Empress Zhangsun's power base was very solid.

She and the Emperor were a couple who had gone through thick and thin together; they had experienced many things together, and their relationship was very deep.

What's more, they have several children together.

Empress Zhangsun also has her elder brother, Zhangsun Wuji, to rely on.

Consort Yan sneered: "Isn't Changsun Wuji currently at home in retirement, compiling some kind of 'Zhenguan Code'?"

She is no longer in court or holding any official position.

Upon hearing this, Su Wan thought to herself that Consort Yan was just like Consort Li back then, her ideas were too naive.

Do you think that because Changsun Wuji doesn't hold an official position, he has no say in the court?

He can see the emperor at any time and speak to him. He has enormous power and should not be underestimated. It's not as simple as you say. Without an official position, he's insignificant.

Even the highest-ranking official in the court, Grand Secretary Fang Xuanling, might not have as much influence as Changsun Wuji when speaking to the Emperor.

Back then, the Xuanwu Gate Incident,

Fang Xuanling had already devised the entire plan, but he still dared not speak of it directly to the Emperor.

It is still best to ask Changsun Wuji to speak to the Emperor about this matter.

Think about it, why didn't Fang Xuanling dare to directly discuss this matter with the Emperor?

After hearing this, Consort Yan lowered her head and remained silent.

Su Wan continued, "Songtsen Gampo and Princess Wencheng were able to get engaged smoothly..."

In this matter, it should be said that the Crown Prince deserves credit.

On that occasion, the prince went to Tibet and met Songtsen Gampo. The two hit it off immediately.

With the prince's help, Songtsen Gampo finally avenged his father's death.

Therefore,

Songtsen Gampo had a deep affection for the Tang Dynasty.

He arrived in Chang'an with a grateful heart.

"Speaking of which, Songtsen Gampo was quite generous, much more so than other countries in the Western Regions."

Even Li Tai can't compare to him.

"Li Tai?" Su Wan sensed something was off about her words and asked, "What did you say?"

How do you know that Li Tai is not as generous as Songtsen Gampo?

Did Li Tai give you a gift?

Consort Yan blushed and quickly waved her hand: "No, no, no, Li Tai has never given me anything."

"I must remind you that I hope you will draw a clear line between yourself and Qingque."

Logically speaking, Li Tai, as a vassal king, should have returned to his fiefdom.

However, his constant stay in Chang'an violated imperial regulations, raising suspicions about his motives for remaining there.