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

Su Wan lifted her skirt and ran for a while, but still couldn't see Empress Zhangsun.

Su Wan's heart leaped into her throat, wondering if Empress Zhangsun had already fallen victim to the evil Blue Rakshasa.

That old hag is ruthless and capable of anything.

Su Wan began to resent those responsible for protecting Empress Zhangsun's safety. She hadn't seen a single guard; where were they all?

Did they all go to the military training ground to watch the martial arts competition?

Su Wan realized that even the imperial guards were not invincible.

while walking,

Su Wan suddenly heard the sounds of fighting.

Su Wan found it very strange, wondering who would dare to cause trouble in the palace.

Su Wan looked left and right, found a secluded spot, hid herself, and then peeked out to look around.

This sight startled Su Wan.

There were more than a dozen corpses lying haphazardly on the ground.

A masked man dressed in black was locked in combat with another person.

Su Wan watched carefully and realized that the man fighting the man in black was none other than Li Shimin.

This really terrified Su Wan.

She wondered what was going on.

What kind of assassin is so audacious as to dare to enter the palace and assassinate the emperor?

Judging from appearances, that man in black was extremely vicious and ruthless.

Li Shimin had no weapon in his hand, while the man in black held a wood-chopping knife, hacking and slashing like a fierce demon.

Li Shimin, unarmed, dodged left and right.

If Li Shimin had a weapon, that man in black might not have been his match.

However, at this moment, Li Shimin was forced to retreat repeatedly by the man in black, and was in grave danger.

Judging from this situation, the man in black and Li Shimin have a blood feud.

The man in black disregarded everything and was determined to kill Li Shimin.

Su Wan thought to herself, this really proves the saying, "I'd rather be skinned alive than not bring down the Emperor."

at this time,

Li Shimin slipped on something and almost fell to the ground.

Then, the man in black raised his wood-chopping knife high and slashed at the back of Li Shimin's head.

If that blow had landed squarely, Li Shimin would have been seriously injured, if not killed.

Upon seeing this, Su Wan didn't care about anything else. She jumped out from her hiding place, pulled out the dagger, and went straight for the man in black's back, stabbing him in the waist.

Because the man in black was completely focused on Li Shimin, he didn't realize there was someone else behind him.

There was a "poof" sound.

Su Wan felt the dagger had cut through her flesh and pierced her skin.

However, due to the man in black's tall stature and Su Wan's excessive nervousness, she intended to stab him in the waist but missed and stabbed him in the buttocks instead.

The man in black cried out in pain, and the knife fell to the ground.

It's hard to say what the consequences would have been if Su Wan hadn't come to the rescue in time.

at this time,

A detachment of imperial guards rushed over, charged forward, and without a word, pinned the man in black to the ground and tied him up with ropes.

The one leading the group was Chang He.

Chang He turned pale with fright and quickly asked, "Your Majesty, how...how do you feel?"

Chang He was so nervous that he started to stutter.

Li Shimin glared at him and said irritably, "I'm not going to die. What were you all doing just now?"

"Upon learning that His Majesty intended to hold a banquet at Jiucheng Palace, I led my men to search the area surrounding the palace."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin's expression softened slightly: "Have you noticed anything unusual?"

"Not at the moment." Chang He felt a chill run down his spine.

At this moment, Su Wan scrambled to her feet and wiped the sweat from her forehead: "Your Majesty, you've been frightened."

Li Shimin, with his hands behind his back, stared at Su Wan: "Wan'er, that boy, did you stab him in the butt with a dagger?"

"Yes." Su Wan nodded.

"When did you start learning martial arts?"

"Your Majesty, Wan'er has never practiced martial arts."

"I just saw His Majesty was in danger, so I didn't think too much about it."

Li Shimin nodded slightly: "Wan'er, your courage is commendable."

"Your Majesty, you flatter me," Su Wan waved her hand. "It's just that the boy got lucky. I originally wanted to prick his lower back, but I ended up pricking his butt instead. He's lucky."

Li Shimin smiled and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Su Wan then recounted her experience of going to find Empress Zhangsun.

"So that's how it is. The Empress should have arrived at Jiucheng Palace by now."

Just now, because I had some other matters to attend to, I was delayed. I had my personal guards escort the Empress to Jiucheng Palace first.

"Then Wan'er can rest assured, it's good that the Empress is alright."

At that moment, Li Shimin walked up to the man in black, put his hands behind his back, and asked, "Who are you? Why do you hate me so much?"

The man in black stared fiercely at Li Shimin without saying a word.

At that moment, Chang He kicked the man in black in the butt: "You little brat, His Majesty is asking you a question, are you deaf?"

As Chang He spoke, he ripped off the black silk scarf from the masked man's face, but no one recognized him.

Chang He angrily said, "What are you pretending to be so important about? Speak up!"

who are you?

Why would someone attempt to assassinate His Majesty?

Did you eat the gall of a bear and the heart of a leopard?

Do you know that attempting to assassinate His Majesty is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family?

The man remained silent.

Li Shimin didn't know him either, but he thought this man was a real man.

At that moment, Su Wan approached the man in black, put her hands behind her back, circled him three times, and asked, "Can you tell me who you are?"

The man in black stared at Su Wan, but remained silent.

Su Wan smiled slightly: "It's alright if you don't speak. Let me guess. You're from the Imperial Palace, aren't you?"

Upon hearing this, the man in black trembled slightly, a look of surprise on his face, and he couldn't help but ask, "How did you know?"

"Firstly, the people in the Yeting Palace have a different smell than others."

Perhaps you've been inside for a while and can't smell it anymore, but I can.

Secondly, you have a scar on your ankle. Where did this scar come from?

In general, this is caused by wearing shackles for a long time;

Thirdly, look at your hands. Your palms are covered in calluses, which means you've been doing manual labor for a long time.

Fourth, look at your hair; it's different from normal hair, which indicates you've undergone the punishment of shaving your head.

For prisoners in the Dali Temple to escape, it was virtually impossible.

In this palace, the only ones who could possibly escape were the maids of the inner palace.

Fifth, where would one use a woodcutter's knife to commit assassination?

Therefore, I conclude that you are a slave girl in the inner palace.

Upon hearing this, the man looked at Su Wan with a strange gaze: "You're not only ruthless, but also quite clever."

Su Wan moved behind him, reached out, and pulled out the dagger.

Then fresh blood spurted out.

The veins on the man's forehead bulged as he clenched his teeth, enduring the pain.

"Speak up! What's your name? Tell me, and you'll avoid physical punishment. If you don't, think about the consequences."

At this moment, Su Wan wiped the blood from the dagger on her shoe. "Are you going to talk or not?"

The man in black remained silent.

"Well, you won't talk, huh?" Su Wan raised the dagger high. "I'll cut your tongue off right now and feed it to the dogs, you believe me?"

Su Wanxing's eyes rolled back, her eyebrows stood up, and her small face was calm, which was quite frightening.

She was about to take action when she said that.

"Hold your tongue, I'll talk, I'll talk." The man in black finally lost his temper.

Watching from the side, Li Shimin thought to himself that Su Wan was truly capable. She was meticulous, made accurate judgments, and was also quite skilled at interrogating prisoners.

"My name is Yin Hongzhi," the man in black said.

Upon hearing the name Yin Hongzhi, Li Shimin's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't help but scrutinize the man in black again and asked, "Are you Yin Hongzhi, the son of Yin Shishi?"

"That's right. You killed my father, this is an irreconcilable hatred, so I will seek revenge on you!" Yin Hongzhi said, his teeth clenched with hatred.

Recalling that past event, Li Shimin was filled with emotion.

Back then, Yin Shishi was the garrison commander of Chang'an during the Sui Dynasty. When Li Yuan led his army to attack Chang'an, Yin Shishi vowed to resist to the death.

Not only that, he also killed Li Yuan's son, Li Zhiyun, who was only a teenager at the time.

They destroyed the Li family ancestral temple and dug up the Li family's ancestral graves.

It has to be said that Yin Shishi's behavior was really excessive. Even if the two countries were enemies, how could he do such a thing?

later,

Chang'an was finally captured by the Tang army. Li Yuan was furious and beheaded Yin Shishi.

Later, someone pleaded for leniency, and Li Yuan, considering the overall situation of stabilizing the situation, did not launch a large-scale massacre.

Instead, they sent all the members of the Yin family to the Yeting Palace to serve as slaves.

Seeing that Yin Hongzhi's younger sister was very beautiful and virtuous, Li Shimin disregarded past grievances and brought her into the harem, where she became Consort Yin De.

Unexpectedly, after Yin Hongzhi grew up, he harbored a deep grudge against Li Shimin and never forgot to seek revenge for his father's murder.

Today is the Lantern Festival, and also the day of the martial arts examination.

The guards at the Yeting Palace were also a bit laxer than usual.

Yin Hongzhi finally found an opportunity, used a woodcutter's knife to cut off his shackles, and escaped from the Yeting Palace.

He learned that Li Shimin would be hosting a banquet at Jiucheng Palace that evening to entertain all civil and military officials.

He then lay in ambush beside the road, waiting for Li Shimin.

Sure enough, he got his wish.

When he saw Li Shimin arrive, he didn't have many guards around him.

He then rushed out from the side of the road, killing and wounding the guards, and then attempted to assassinate Li Shimin.

Fortunately, Li Shimin was a military emperor.

Although he hadn't fought in a few years, he hadn't given up his martial arts skills and managed to hold his own for a few rounds.

The main reason was that the incident happened suddenly, and Li Shimin had no weapons, so he was at a disadvantage.

Fortunately, Su Wan and Chang He arrived in time, and the situation was resolved without serious harm.

Even so, Li Shimin's heart was pounding.

Chang He suggested, "Your Majesty, no matter who he is, as long as he dares to assassinate Your Majesty, according to the laws of our Great Tang, his entire family should be executed. There's nothing to say about that. I'll chop off his head right now."

Yin Hongzhi turned pale upon hearing this.

Chang He was a ruthless character; he thought to himself, "Luckily, Su Wan happened to be there."

If Su Wan hadn't arrived first, and something had happened to Li Shimin, would her whole family have survived?

Chang He felt a chill run down his spine just thinking about it, and therefore, he also deeply hated Yin Hongzhi.

Li Shimin pondered for a moment, then remained silent.

After learning what had happened, Su Wan advised, "Your Majesty, I think Yin Hongzhi should not be killed for the time being. Let's send him to the Dali Temple and hand him over to Dai Zhou for trial and punishment according to the law."

Chang He disagreed: "Even if Dai Zhou were to handle the case, he would still be dead. Why bother? I'll just cut his head off and be done with it."

"No, no, no, you're wrong. In the Han Dynasty, there was a famous Minister of Justice named Zhang Shizhi."

Once, Emperor Wen of Han was riding his horse on the road when a man suddenly rushed out, startling the horse.

It almost caused Emperor Wen of Han to fall off his horse.

Later, the man was handed over to the Court of Justice for punishment.

Zhang Shizhi sentenced him to a fine.

Emperor Wen of Han was very displeased and said to Zhang Shizhi, "That brat startled my horse, and I almost fell to my death. Why didn't you kill him? Wasn't the fine too lenient?"

Zhang Shizhi replied: "If Your Majesty had killed that person then, then that would have been the end of it."

However, since the case has been handed over to the Court of Justice, the punishment must be carried out according to the laws of the Han Dynasty. The laws of the Han Dynasty cannot be violated because of one person.

Therefore, Emperor Wen of Han agreed to Zhang Shizhi's judgment.

After listening, Chang He blinked and asked, "Your Highness, what you said makes some sense, but the situation now is different from then."

Back then, someone accidentally startled the emperor's horse, but this time, Yin Hongzhi deliberately murdered the emperor. How can these be the same?

Therefore, Yin Hongzhi must die!

Su Wan smiled and said, "Even so, you have no right to kill him. He should be handed over to the Dali Temple for trial and punished according to the law."

In fact, Su Wan intentionally left Li Shimin a way out.

Because Su Wan knew that Li Shimin doted on Consort Yin.

If Consort Yin learned that her elder brother Yin Hongzhi had died...

So, could Consort Yin still survive on her own?

Moreover, Consort Yin gave birth to a prince, Li You, for Li Shimin.

What would Li You do if Consort Yin died from excessive grief?

Furthermore, no matter how serious the crime Yin Hongzhi committed, handing him over to the Dali Temple for trial was in accordance with the procedures of the Tang Dynasty law.

If Li Shimin had killed Yin Hongzhi during their fight, that would have been the end of it.

However, since no one was killed, the procedure must be followed.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin naturally understood Su Wan's good intentions.

He could only nod and say, "Alright, General Chang, you may escort Yin Hongzhi to the Dali Temple and hand him over to Dai Zhou for trial. Report the results of the trial to me."

In addition, all the deceased should be collected, given a proper burial, and their families should be compensated handsomely.

The wounded guard sought treatment from the physician.

"promise!"

Chang He agreed and led his imperial guards to properly settle the dead and wounded guards. Then, he escorted Yin Hongzhi to the Dali Temple.

Li Shimin watched Chang He's departing figure and said, "This Chang Datou is very loyal to the court and very brave, but he's a bit lacking in brains."

Su Wan smiled: "If every minister is both brave and intelligent, wouldn't Your Majesty find it very tiring to deal with them?"

For example, the relationship between Yang Xiu and Cao Cao during the Three Kingdoms period was quite delicate.

Yang Xiu was always able to see through Cao Cao's thoughts and intentions.

For example, once, a gate was being built in the palace. Cao Cao went to see it, but said nothing. He simply wrote the character "活" (huó, meaning "alive") on the gate. After Cao Cao left, Yang Xiu told the others, "The Prime Minister thinks this gate is too wide. You should quickly make it narrower."

The craftsmen then rebuilt the door.

After some time, Cao Cao went to check again and found the size to be just right. He then asked, "How did you know what I was thinking?"

Yang Xiu replied, "The Prime Minister wrote the character '活' (huó, meaning 'alive') inside the gate; isn't that the same as the character '阔' (kuò, meaning 'wide')?"

The Prime Minister's point is that he feels the gate is too wide, so it needs to be changed.

Cao Cao also thought Yang Xiu was very clever, but he also felt very awkward about it.

And another time,

Someone presented a box of pastries to the imperial court.

After Yang Xiu saw it, he had everyone divide the box of pastries among themselves.

Later, Cao Cao arrived and asked, "Who gave you permission to divide this box of pastries?"

Yang Xiu replied, "The Prime Minister clearly wrote 'one bite per person,' and we followed his instructions. How can you blame us?"

Cao Cao was speechless again.

Even Yang Xiu could guess what Cao Cao would ask him.

Sometimes when he went out to play, he would write down the answers and have his subordinates answer them in turn.

"Your Majesty, don't you think such a minister is terrifying?"

"It seems you've read quite a few books," Li Shimin said with a slight smile. "Yang Xiu was indeed clever, but it was only clever in a superficial way. In the end, he lost his head. Yang Xiu is not someone to be emulated."

After listening to Li Shimin's words, Su Wan understood that no emperor would like a minister who could see through his thoughts.

"This time, I owe you a favor. Tell me, what is your wish, and I will certainly fulfill it."

Su Wan pondered for a moment, then smiled sweetly: "Wan'er hasn't thought of it yet. I'll keep this wish in mind for now and tell His Majesty when I think of it in the future."

"Alright, I agree."

"Then you'd better keep your word, don't try to renege later."

Li Shimin laughed heartily: "A promise made is a promise kept; how could I possibly renege on it?"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Just then, Xu Hui arrived.

After learning what had happened, Xu Hui turned pale with fright: "Your Majesty, how could you, with your precious health, take such a risk?"

Fortunately, Su Wan arrived in time. If it weren't for her, you wouldn't be alive today.

Li Shimin held Xu Hui's shoulders and said, "I am the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty. How could Yin Hongzhi harm me? Look at me, I am perfectly fine."

"My hair is unharmed."

"Oh, Your Majesty, how can I possibly say anything to you?"

The way you did this was rather inappropriate in the first place.

Alternatively, you could grant a complete pardon to Master Yin's entire family.

Either execute his entire family, or

"But you killed Yin Shishi, yet you spared their children. Aren't you just asking for trouble?"

Li Shimin nodded: "How should I put it?"

At the time, the Emperor saw that Consort Yin and Yin Hongzhi were still young and couldn't bear to harm them, so he didn't kill them.

However, Master Yin's actions were far too heinous. He destroyed our Li family's ancestral temple and dug up our old Li family's ancestral graves. Such a grudge cannot go unavenged.

"Your Majesty, from now on, the palace guards must be strengthened; we must not be careless."

Often, the quieter and more peaceful the atmosphere, the easier it is for trouble to occur. Do you know how many eyes are watching you in this palace?

"Do you know those people are all good people?" Xu Hui asked with concern.

In fact, Su Wan felt a deep empathy upon hearing this. Sometimes she also felt that Li Shimin deliberately did such unreliable things, such as killing Li Yuanji but taking Princess Yang of Chao into his harem.

He raised Li Yuanji's son, Li Ming, as his own.

For example, after overthrowing the Sui Dynasty, they brought Emperor Yang's daughter into the harem. What were the feelings of Consort Yang and Consort Shu?

"My beloved consort, what you say makes some sense. I've taken it to heart."

"So, what did you think of their martial arts skills after watching the martial arts exam?"

Xu Hui then recounted what had happened at the martial arts exam site.

Li Shimin nodded and said, "It seems there are still many masters in the world. If we didn't hold martial arts examinations, how would we know there are so many talented people?"

Xu Hui said to Li Shimin, "Wasn't the idea of ​​holding the martial arts examination Su Wan's idea?"

Shouldn't you reward them handsomely?

Li Shimin laughed and said, "Alright, Wan'er, tell me yourself, what reward do you want? Gold, silk, or a manor?"

"Your Majesty, thank you for your kindness, but Wan'er doesn't need those things."

Our Great Tang Dynasty was established not long ago. His Majesty worked diligently to govern the country and finally created the prosperous Zhenguan era. Most people lived in peace and contentment. However, a small number of people still suffered from drought, locust plagues, and other reasons, and were unable to get enough to eat or wear.

Your Majesty, you should spend that money on them instead.

As long as the people live in peace and contentment, our Great Tang Dynasty will prosper and become strong, enjoying lasting stability, and will not experience a rebellion like the Wagang Uprising at the end of the Sui Dynasty.

Li Shimin sighed, "Wan'er, you are indeed a sensible and understanding person. It will be a blessing for Li Chengqian to have such a virtuous wife as you in the future."

At this moment, Su Wan heard Li Shimin mention Li Chengqian, and she gritted her teeth in hatred, asking:

"Where is that lecherous man? I still need to settle the score with him!"

Xu Hui was quite startled upon hearing this, and quickly touched Su Wan's forehead, asking, "Wan'er, what's wrong with you?"

Are you talking nonsense?

"Didn't you long to see Li Chenggan day and night? Why are you suddenly saying such things?"

"I really want to see him and have a serious talk with him. Doesn't he know what he's done?"

"What exactly happened?"

Su Wan cried and then recounted the whole story between Li Chengan and Qu Zhili.

Li Shimin was also furious upon hearing this: "Chenggan is truly acting recklessly!"

Doesn't he know who Qu Zhili is?

Qu Zhili is a princess of Gaochang. Gaochang and Yanqi collude and frequently invade the borders of our Great Tang. I will deal with them sooner or later.

How could he and Qu Zhili have a child?

Is this true?

"Oh dear, Your Majesty, Lu Zhaolin has already taken Qu Zhili's pulse. How could this be false?"

He also said that Qu Zhili was pregnant with a boy.