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

Naniwazu.

Li Chengqian's official residence.

Li Chengan was filled with mixed emotions after hearing Su Wan recount what had happened in Chang'an.

When he heard that his mother had fallen into a coma,

He was unconscious and vomited blood twice. He felt extremely sad and distressed, and also felt very guilty.

He said towards Chang'an, "Your Majesty, I am an unfilial son who failed to fulfill my filial duties in the hall, causing you to be bullied by others."

When he heard that Consort Yan had gone to the Lizheng Hall to cause trouble, he was furious. He thought to himself that Consort Yan was a hateful woman. The Empress Dowager had been so good to her, yet she had to frame him, saying that the Empress Dowager would curse her son Li Xiao. What was the basis for such a statement?

And Yeon Gaesomun is even worse; he was so shameless as to steal the elixir. Otherwise, the Queen Mother would have already recovered.

We gave him the elixir, but he wants to arrest Su Wan and the others.

Li Chenggan grew angrier the more he thought about it, and his face turned very ugly: "I will go and settle accounts with Yeon Gaesomun right now."

Su Wan quickly grabbed his hand: "Your Highness, you mustn't do this."

The most important thing now is not to fight Yeon Gaesomun to the death, even if you kill him, it won't make a difference. The important thing is to find that Snow Spirit Mushroom as soon as possible, pick it, and bring it back to Chang'an to save your mother's life.

Li Chengan then calmed down: "Wan'er, you're right."

We need to find the Snow Lingzhi as soon as possible.

Su Wan looked outside and frowned: "Why is Inugami Oda Kuchi leading two thousand men to completely surround the inn?"

He said something about me going to assassinate King Shuming.

It's impossible to explain to him now; it's like a scholar encountering a soldier—you can't reason with him.

Su Wan asked Su Gui, "Do you have a solution?"

Su Gui's eyes widened: "You mean Inuue Mitsuki?"

I knew he was rotten to the core.

He's having an affair with the Queen, and today I'll teach that bastard a lesson.

Su Gui, like a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger, didn't care who you were.

Today's Su Gui is not the Su Gui of the past.

He jumped to the gate of the inn, pointed at Inuue Mitaku, and asked, "Do you know your Grandpa Su?"

Inu no Odenkuchi, riding atop a tall black horse, glanced at Su Gui.

Standing before him was a handsome young man, who looked no ordinary person.

Inugami Odenkuchi asked, "And who are you?"

"I am Su Gui, son of Su Dan."

At the beginning,

Inugami Mitako once lived in Chang'an and had a deep impression of Su Dan. He knew that Su Dan was a loyal minister of the Tang Dynasty, an upright man, and a man who rarely smiled.

I never imagined that Su Dan's son had grown up so much.

That means Su Gui is the younger brother of Crown Princess Su Wan.

Thinking of this, Inugami Oda bowed from his horse: "So you are Lord Su's son. No wonder you are such a handsome man."

Su Gui pointed at him and said, "Inu-gami Mita-sho, don't try to get close to me."

"Now I ask you, why did you lead your troops to surround the Crown Prince's residence?"

"Su Gui, I am a very reasonable person. It's not that I'm looking for trouble with him, but last night he launched a sneak attack on our king."

At this moment, the king was seriously injured and fell into a coma.

Therefore, I have been ordered by the Queen to arrest Li Chenggan.

"It's no use telling me this; you should go talk to the Queen."

"What queen? I said no, that's no. That's completely unfounded. Our Crown Prince is definitely not that kind of person."

I think you've made a mistake. You'd better get out of the way, or else, young master won't be so polite!

Su Gui showed no fear in the face of so many soldiers.

Inuue Mitsuki was furious: "Su Gui, you think you can still cause trouble here?"

Su Gui slammed her spear into the ground: "No matter where you are, whoever is right is right. Even if you're the King of Heaven, I'm not afraid of you!"

Inugami Odenkuchi is also a person with a temper.

He thought to himself that he was the only one who could speak to him like that in the Japanese kingdom.

How could he possibly save face?

Inugami Oda drew his long Japanese sword, spurred his horse forward, and engaged Su Gui in battle.

And so, Inu-gami Oden-kuchi and Su Gui, one on horseback and the other on foot,

They exchanged blows and began fighting.

The two fought for more than ten rounds without a clear winner.

Inuue Mitaku was both hitting and watching.

He secretly praised himself.

He had initially thought Su Gui was just a greenhorn with no real skills, but now it seemed he was wrong.

Su Gui's skills were truly extraordinary; she wielded the spear with incredible skill, as if it came alive.

Su Gui originally thought that Inugami Oden was just taking advantage of her relationship with the Queen to rise to power, but she didn't expect Inugami Oden to be so skilled, with powerful and heavy sword.

Moreover, the long Japanese sword is different from ordinary broadswords, making it difficult to defend against.

Su Gui's disadvantage was that she didn't have a warhorse.

However, Su Gui didn't care and became even more courageous in battle.

Worried that something might happen to Su Gui, Li Chenggan quickly called out, "Su Gui, stop hitting her and come back!"

Upon hearing Li Chengan's words, Su Gui quickly feinted and jumped out of the circle.

Su Gui approached Li Chengqian: "Your Highness, in just a few more rounds, I will be able to capture Inugami Mitasuki. Why did you call me back?"

Li Chengan patted him on the shoulder: "Although you are very brave, you don't have a warhorse."

If you keep fighting like this, you'll suffer.

Su Gui was still unconvinced: "Even so, he might not be my match."

at this time,

A loud cry echoed from the sky.

Everyone looked up and saw a large black bird circling in the air, flying lower and lower – it was none other than the Invincible General.

Su Wan said to Li Chengan, "Your Highness, let's go quickly!"

that's it,

Su Wan and Li Chengan leaped onto the back of the invincible general.

Su Gui and Qu Zhili also got on.

Inugami Oden was furious and was about to order his men to fire arrows.

Suddenly, Qin Ying appeared out of nowhere.

He shouted, "Inuue Mitaku, do you still recognize your Grandpa Qin?"

"It's you again!"

How could Inuue Mita Kusa not recognize Qin Ying?

He knew this guy was particularly difficult to fight.

To be honest, seeing Qin Ying gives him a headache.

Because he had been focusing all his attention on Su Gui,

Qin Ying and he were very close.

At this point, he dared not order the arrows to be fired.

Because once he gave the order to fire the arrows, whether he could keep his own head was probably uncertain.

"Come on, let's fight three hundred rounds with your Grandpa Qin."

"...."

About two hundred li north of Naniwazu, there is a mountain called Mount Rokko.

This mountain has several distinctive features:

Firstly, the mountain is exceptionally high. Standing at the foot of the mountain and looking up, it feels as if the mountain is connected to the sky.

Secondly, the mountain seemed to have been cut open by a divine hand, going straight up and down, almost vertical, and extremely steep;

Thirdly, the mountain is covered in ice and snow all year round. The entire Rokko Mountain is a world of ice and snow, a place of freezing cold and icy conditions.

Not only is there no sign of human habitation, but not even a single bird can be seen.

There are two rivers at the foot of the mountain:

One is the Dojima River, and the other is the Sonezaki River.

These two rivers intertwine to form a vast water system.

at this time,

The river has frozen over.

This place and Nambazu seem like two different worlds.

It was autumn, but the area was covered in ice and snow.

This reminded Li Chengan of the time when Emperor Yang of Sui led his army on an inspection tour to Zhangye. When they passed through Dadouba Valley, it snowed in June and a blizzard began.

The soldiers were originally dressed very lightly, but suddenly the temperature dropped.

Eight or nine out of ten of the accompanying troops froze to death, including Yang Lihua, the sister of Emperor Yang of Sui.

Emperor Yang of Sui paid a heavy price for this.

Unexpectedly, the weather in Wa Nu Kingdom is somewhat similar to that in Da Douba Valley.

While Naniwazu is warm like springtime, this place feels like the dead of winter.

The scenery here is picturesque.

now,

Li Chengan, however, had no interest in appreciating it.

What he was thinking about was finding the Snow Lingzhi as soon as possible to cure his mother's illness.

Li Chengan looked up at the sky, which was covered with dark clouds, as if it was about to snow again.

He said to Su Wan, "Mount Liujia is too steep."

You absolutely must not go up there; it's dangerous.

I will personally go up the mountain to find the Snow Spirit Mushroom.

Su Wan originally thought that Liujia Mountain was like Zhongnan Mountain in Chang'an, with overlapping green peaks and a certain slope.

I never imagined that Mount Rokko would be so steep.

Looking at the snow and ice covering Mount Rokko, her expression turned worried: "Your Highness, this mountain is completely covered in snow and ice. How will you get up there?"

Li Chengan rubbed his neck: "Although snow lingzhi is not easy to find..."

However, since Sun Simiao said there are snow lingzhi mushrooms on this mountain, then there must be.

anyway,

"I too will find it and bring it back to Chang'an."

Seeing his firm attitude, Su Wan agreed in her heart.

Li Chengan saw that Su Wan was shivering from the cold, her face flushed.

He took off his coat and draped it over Su Wan's shoulders.

Su Wan immediately felt a warm current surge into her heart.

Li Chengan said to Su Gui, "Take good care of your sister. I'm going up the mountain to find the Snow Lingzhi."

Su Gui said, "Your Highness, let me go up."

Li Chengan waved his hand: "No need!"

Just take good care of your sister!

Qu Zhili felt a pang of sadness when she saw Li Chengan drape his coat over Su Wan's shoulders.

I thought to myself, you only care about Su Wan. She's cold, but don't you think I'm cold too?

It seems I still can't compare to Su Wan.

At this moment, she took a step forward: "Your Highness, then I'll go up with you."

Li Chenggan agreed.

Li Chengan and Qu Zhili prepared ropes, grappling hooks, dry rations, shovels, and picks, among other supplies.

After everything was tidied up,

Li Chengan instructed, "Don't wander off. Just wait for us at the foot of the mountain."

Su Wan nodded: "Then be careful."

"I understand."

Su Wan and her brother Su Gui were waiting at the foot of the mountain.

Li Chengan and Qu Zhili hiked up the mountain together.

However, climbing this mountain is extremely difficult.

Because the mountain is almost vertical and covered with ice and snow, it is difficult to walk on.

To be honest, Qu Zhili was very excited to see Li Chengan again.

However, she noticed that Li Chengan was very close to Su Wan, but seemed to have no romantic feelings for her at all.

She felt terrible.

Li Chengan walked in front, with Qu Zhili following behind, but she was lost in her own thoughts.

When Qu Zhili saw that Li Chengan was safe and sound, a weight was lifted from her heart.

but,

Why is Li Chenggan so cold to me? Is it because I'm not beautiful?

of course,

She also discovered that Li Chengqian was surrounded by beautiful women, including not only herself and Su Wan, but also Queen Seondeok, Buyeo Pungmi, and Yakushi Hyeja.

There was also a woman named Princess Tianyan.

Qu Zhili thought to herself that this was a very rare opportunity to help Li Chengan find the Snow Lingzhi, and she had to make a good impression.

She didn't believe Li Chenggan was a paragon of virtue, able to remain unmoved even with a woman in his lap.

Thinking of this, Qu Zhili suddenly cried out "Ouch!" and sat down on the snow.

Li Chengan was startled when he heard her voice. He quickly turned around, walked up to her, and asked with concern, "Princess, what's wrong?"

"Your Highness, I sprained my left ankle," Qu Zhili said, her eyes darting away.

When Li Chengan heard what she said, he was extremely anxious. She always messed things up at crucial moments.

but,

She understood that the princess was there to help; it was her right not to come, but it was a favor if she did. If it were someone else, who would be willing to climb this cliff with her, in case they fell and were smashed to pieces?

"Stretch out your foot so I can see it," Li Chenggan said, squatting down.

Qu Zhili stretched out her left foot and took off her shoe.

Li Chengan noticed that Qu Zhili's left ankle was indeed quite swollen: "Does it hurt now?"

Qu Zhili nodded heavily: "It hurts a lot!"

Li Chengan looked around and realized that he had already reached the halfway point of the mountain.

Li Chenggan thought to himself, "We've finally made it this far, are we really going to have to turn back?"

If that were the case, wouldn't all our previous efforts be in vain?

Time is tight!

"Can you still walk?"

Upon hearing this, Qu Zhili shook her head vigorously, like a rattle-drum: "We really can't leave!"

"Alright then, I'll carry you alone!"

Upon hearing this, Qu Zhili was secretly delighted, thinking that she finally had the opportunity to get up close and personal with Li Chenggan.

Of course, she thought this in her heart, but didn't say it out loud: "Your Highness, how could I possibly say that?"

"This mountain path is already difficult to walk on, how are we supposed to get through if you carry me on your back?"

"It's okay, come on up quickly."

At this moment, Li Chenggan had his back to Qu Zhili.

"Then you'll have to go through all that trouble!"

Qu Zhili indeed lay on Li Chengqian's back.

Li Chengan stood up and supported Qu Zhili's buttocks with both hands.

Qu Zhili's two breasts pressed against Li Chengqian's back, feeling extremely elastic.

Li Chengan was only thinking about finding the Snow Lingzhi as soon as possible, and didn't think about anything else.

Qu Zhili wrapped her arms around Li Chengqian's neck and gently rested her head against his back.

At this moment, Qu Zhili felt that this was the happiest moment of her life.

Countless nights she tossed and turned, unable to sleep, often fantasizing about spending time alone with Li Chenggan.

She even imagined what a wonderful scene it would be if one day she could be intimate with Li Chenggan on the bed.

Thinking of this, a blush crept onto Qu Zhili's cheeks.

Comparatively speaking, women in the Western Regions are more open-minded than women in the Central Plains. It is normal for women there to actively pursue the men they love.

Originally,

equality between men and women,

Why can men actively pursue women they like, but women can't boldly pursue the men they love?

Qu Zhili breathed softly into Li Chengqian's ear and gently kissed his neck.

Li Chenggan has already undergone the coming-of-age ceremony, which means he is now considered an adult.

He could also feel Qu Zhili's passionate heartbeat.

Qu Zhili's fragrance wafted in the wind, refreshing and delightful.

Li Chengan took a deep breath: "Princess, don't tighten your arms so much."

If you tighten it a little more

"I'm about to breathe my last."

Hearing Li Chengan say this, Qu Zhili became embarrassed and loosened her arms a little.

Her voice was soft: "Your Highness, may I ask you a question?"

"What's the problem? Tell me, there's no one else here." Li Chenggan continued climbing towards the top of the mountain.

"Who is the woman you love most in your heart? Isn't it Su Wan?"

"Of course, we're already engaged. How could I have gotten engaged to her if I didn't like her?"

Hearing him say that, Qu Zhili felt a surge of jealousy again.

Qu Zhili pinched Li Chenggan: "I'll ask you one more question. Think it through before you answer!"

"Can."

"Have you ever liked me?"

"This—," Li Chengan sensed this was a pointed question, but he had no choice but to answer, "Princess, the feelings between me and you are different from the feelings between me and Su Wan."

"Oh, how is it different?"

Without thinking much, Li Chengan blurted out, "For example, when I'm with Su Wan, I might feel blushing and my heart racing."

Being with you is like being with a brother.

"What the heck? You think I'm your brother?"

When Qu Zhili heard this, she was furious. She thought to herself, "After all this time, you think I'm a man? Who's your brother?"

Qu Zhili punched Li Chengqian twice on the shoulder: "How can a woman and a man become brothers?"

Li Chengan smiled: "Anyway, that's the idea. For example, if I were to touch Su Wan's hand, I would have a very strange feeling, and my heart would even beat very fast."

Upon hearing this, Qu Zhili cursed inwardly, "You, with your heart pounding so hard, aren't you ashamed at all?"

"So, what does it feel like when you touch my hand?" Qu Zhili asked deliberately.

"When I touch your hand, it feels like my left hand touching my right," Li Chenggan said truthfully.

"Your Highness, you're really infuriating me! According to you, Su Wan is your goddess?"

And in your heart, I'm just that tomboy!

"That's about right, otherwise how could the two of us have mastered the Perfect Union Divine Sword Technique?"

"Last night, when I was at the inn, I noticed you were surrounded by beautiful women. Who were they?"

"Oh, among them are Queen Kim Deok-man of Silla, Princess Buyeo Pung-mi of Baekje, Yakshi Hye-il's sister Yakshi Hye-ja, and a woman who is the king's concubine, Princess Jeon-eum."

"But I noticed they all look at you with a hooky gaze. Does that mean they all like you?"

Li Chengan was speechless upon hearing this: "It's not like what you imagine at all."

That's completely untrue.

They and I are just ordinary friends.

"Ordinary friends? You make it sound so easy, it's not like that, is it?"

"I noticed that the way they looked at you was different from how they looked at others. Their pupils shrank, and their eyes shone brightly. They wanted to look at you but didn't dare to. They glanced at you, and then immediately looked away." Qu Zhili said, while moving her left foot.

"You have a very keen eye for detail; how come I didn't notice?"

"You men are the most careless of all. Besides, you only have eyes for Su Wan, how could you possibly have eyes for other women?"

"Was the way I looked at Su Wan that lustful? Aren't you exaggerating a bit?"

"I'm not exaggerating at all. I've heard that your Tang Dynasty system is like this: if you become emperor in the future, you will have three palaces, six courtyards, seventy-two concubines, and three thousand beauties in the harem."

Are you planning to marry all those women?

Li Chengan was speechless: "How is that possible? I can only marry Su Wan in this lifetime."

Qu Zhili curled her lip: "If you men's words are believable, pigs can fly!"

Open your history books and take a look. Starting with Qin Shi Huang, which emperor had few concubines?

It is said that

Qin Shi Huang's harem had tens of thousands of women.

Even if he's full of energy and sleeps with one woman every night, that's only about 300 a year. How could he possibly manage tens of thousands of women in a row?

Why are you meddling in that?

"And then there's Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan, I've heard..."

He was worried because he didn't know which concubine's palace he would sleep in that night.

So they invented a sheep cart.

The carriage, pulled by sheep, stopped in front of one of the concubines' palaces. That night, she rested in that concubine's chambers.

In order to gain Sima Yan's favor, the concubines sprinkled salt at the door, because sheep like to eat salt.

"If a sheep-drawn cart makes a round trip at night, then Sima Yan must have had at least several hundred concubines, right?"

"No, can you calculate something else? What's the point of calculating those things?"

"It seems you know quite a bit about the history of our Central Plains." Li Chengqian said irritably. At this moment, he felt sweat starting to pour down his back and his arms getting a little sore, after all, Qu Zhili's buttocks were big, round, and heavy.

Qu Zhili smiled sweetly: "What I mean is, you can't possibly have only Su Wan as a woman in your life."

otherwise,

You are a special being.

Let me put it this way, I don't want to compete with Su Wan for any title or status.

When you and Su Wan get married in the future, please take me with you.

"I'm a princess too. Is it alright if I become your ordinary concubine?"

Qu Zhili didn't care about anything else and directly confronted Li Chenggan.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengan shook his head and sighed repeatedly, wondering if such a thing could be taken as an afterthought.

Qu Zhili continued, "Take your father, the Emperor, for example. Your mother was the Empress, and there were also four other consorts: Consort Wei, Consort Yan, Consort Yin, and Consort Yang."

There were quite a few other concubines as well.

How can you not inherit such a fine tradition?

Wasn't Consort Yang a princess of the Sui Dynasty before?

"Wouldn't it be nice if we just became concubines like Consort Yang?"

Li Chengan quickly stopped her from speaking: "Can you please stop talking?"

What are you talking about?

My father is my father, and I am I.

I believe that monogamy is the only reasonable approach.

"Monogamy?"

Qu Zhili was very surprised. "Are you saying that emperors could have monogamy?"

"Why not?"

"Your Highness, are you joking?"

As far as I know, in the history of your Central Plains, Emperor Wen of Sui was considered a rather affectionate person.

He and Dugu Jialuo had five sons: Yang Yong, Yang Guang, Yang Jun, Yang Xiu, and Yang Liang.

Emperor Wen of Sui's children were mostly born to Dugu Jialuo.

The Dugu Jialuo family was very powerful.

During Emperor Wen of Sui's usurpation of the Zhou Dynasty and the establishment of the Sui Dynasty, Dugu Jialuo provided significant assistance.

therefore,

Emperor Wen of Sui had the desire to thief, but not the courage to do so.

Even so, Emperor Wen of Sui had several concubines.

How could an emperor possibly have only one woman in his entire life?

The harem is so big,

"One woman can't manage it all," Qu Zhili said logically.

"Alright, alright, let's stop discussing this and hurry up and find the Snow Lingzhi."

at this time,

They are almost at the summit of Mount Rokko.

There happened to be a platform nearby.

Li Chengan, covered in sweat, gently put Qu Zhili down.

Qu Zhili reached into her bosom and pulled out a pink handkerchief to wipe the sweat from Li Chenggan's forehead.

Qu Zhili looked at Li Chenggan with an adoring and loving gaze: "Your Highness, thank you for your hard work just now!"

Li Chenggan waved his hand: "This is nothing."

He took a couple of breaths and looked down at the foot of the mountain, where he could still see Su Wan and Su Gui.

The Dojima River and the Sonezaki River looked like two white ribbons, winding and curving.

Li Chengan felt as if he were standing on the summit, looking down at all the mountains below.

He looked south and could see Naniwa Castle.

The area was almost entirely covered in ice and snow, a vast expanse of white.

Where are you going to find snow lingzhi? It's like looking for a needle in a haystack!

Li Chengan was extremely worried.

To Li Chengqian's surprise, Qu Zhili actually stood up.

She stretched her legs and jumped with ease.

Li Chengan was a little puzzled, so he asked, "How's your foot?"

"I feel much better than before, I think I can walk now." Qu Zhili smiled mysteriously.

"Oh, really? That's great! Show me a couple of steps."

Li Chengan crossed his arms and looked at Qu Zhili with a mixture of disbelief and skepticism.

Qu Zhili was indeed able to move around freely.

Li Chengan reached out and grabbed Qu Zhili's left foot. After examining it closely, he found that the swelling had actually subsided.

Li Chengan immediately felt fooled, thinking to himself that this girl was really clever and quirky.