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

Li Chengan, holding onto the table, slowly said: "Back then, Duke Xian of Jin made Shen Sheng the crown prince. Later, Duke Xian of Jin favored Li Ji and had a son named Xi Qi with her."

Li Ji hoped that Duke Xian of Jin would change the crown prince to Xi Qi.

Duke Xian of Jin surprisingly agreed.

This can be described as abandoning or establishing something out of love.

Li Ji plotted to kill Shen Sheng, and Chong Er was so frightened that he fled into exile.

After Duke Xian of Jin died, Xi Qi indeed became the king of Jin.

Soon after, Xi Qi was killed by his minister, Li Ke.

Therefore, it's said that if something isn't yours, forcibly taking it from you is probably not a good thing.

Furthermore, even if the throne were given to you, it's uncertain whether you would have the ability to hold onto it securely.

Jiebina drank another glass of wine: "Your Highness, you are absolutely right, but my fourth uncle doesn't think that way."

He was solely focused on becoming the king of Yanqi. In his view, once he became king of Yanqi, all other problems would be easily solved. He even boasted that he would destroy the Tang Dynasty.

"Really? It seems your fourth uncle has quite the ambition."

Fuyu Fengmei placed a lamb chop on Li Chenggan's plate: "Your Highness, you are no longer the Crown Prince of Tang, why are you still worrying about those things?"

Li Chengan picked up his teacup and took a sip: "Even if I am not the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, I am still a citizen of the Tang Dynasty."

I also hope that the Tang Dynasty can live in harmony with its neighboring countries and avoid war.

Because once war breaks out, it is the ordinary people who suffer.

"Your Highness, you have quite the nerve. You're already being hunted down by the court, what are you thinking about?"

What are your plans to do next?

Li Chengan considered going to Ashina She'er's military camp.

However, he had reservations. After all, his current status was vastly different from before. He used to be the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, but now he was a target of the imperial court's pursuit—a world of difference.

It's hard to say what Ashina She'er was thinking.

Li Chengan drank a cup of wine: "Let's take it one step at a time."

"Since your father wants to kill you, why don't you raise an army in rebellion and go against the Tang Dynasty? In that case, it's not certain who will emerge victorious," Fu Yu Feng Mei suggested.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengan quickly stopped her: "From now on, you must never say such disrespectful and ungrateful things again."

I will not rebel.

"That's called blind loyalty and filial piety. Your father is already hunting you down, what are you still worried about?"

Li Chengan waved his hand: "No, no, no, even if I die, I will never rebel."

I am ashamed that I have failed to bring well-being to the people; once war breaks out, it will be the ordinary people who suffer.

Seeing that Li Chenggan was firm in his stance and resolute in his will, the others stopped trying to persuade him.

Qu Zhili grasped Li Chengqian's hand: "Your Highness, let's go back to Gaochang together to get married."

"How can we get married now? I'm a fugitive, a criminal on the run. How can I marry you?"

Qu Zhili cried: "What exactly do you mean? We already have a child, and you're not going to marry me? Are you going to wait until the child is born before we get married?"

How am I supposed to face people now?

"Can you please stop crying?" Li Chenggan was most afraid of women crying. "How can I marry you in my current state?"

Wouldn't marrying you be harming you?

"Oh, Your Highness, I don't care about that. I'm not saying I have to be the Crown Princess. The Crown Princess will always be Su Wan's."

But you should at least give me a proper status, otherwise what will people say about me?

Buyeo Bongmi also chimed in, "Your Highness, yes, you must give her a proper status."

Li Chengqian thought about it calmly and felt that what the other person said made sense: "Don't cry yet, let me think about this matter carefully."

After the meal, Li Chengan gave each of them a room and told them to go back to their rooms to rest.

Secretary Xue, I'm not leaving. I want to sleep with you, but you didn't agree to that before.

Li Chengan planned to go to Ashina She'er's army, but he had some concerns.

Previously, he was the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty, and Ashina She'er was loyal to him. Now, he has become a prisoner of the Tang Dynasty, and his father is hunting him down. Will Ashina She'er still be loyal to him?

That's not necessarily true.

Therefore, Li Chenggan sent Jiebina to Ashina She'er's army to sound him out.

Li Chenggan wrote a letter and sent it to Jiebina.

Unable to control her emotions, Jiebina suddenly hugged Li Chenggan tightly.

Li Chenggan immediately felt Jiebina's sweaty breasts press down on him.

Li Chenggan could feel Jiebina's passionate heartbeat.

Li Chengqian never expected that Jiebina would be so proactive and passionate.

He gently pushed Jiebina away: "Jiebina, you mustn't do this."

Jiebina looked into Li Chenggan's beautiful eyes and asked, "Your Highness, did you ever like me?"

"Uh—," Li Chengqian was taken aback by Jiebina's sharp question and choked up. "I think we're just ordinary friends."

"What? You just see me as a regular friend?"

"Don't you feel my feelings?"

"I—," Li Chengan didn't know how to answer, "You're a good girl."

In order not to delay your marriage, I must make it clear that there is no future for us.

Moreover, I am now a fugitive prisoner, and my life is in danger at any time.

To be honest, I took off my shoes and socks tonight; I don't know if I'll wear them tomorrow.

Jiebina lifted her chest slightly: "Your Highness, I don't care about those things, I don't care about titles, as long as I can be with you."

"No, no, no, I can't drag you into this. Besides, now is not the time to talk about this."

I need your help with something.

"Tell me," Jiebina said, patting her chest. "Whatever it is, as long as it's something I can do, even if it means going through fire and water."

"Please go to Ashina She'er's military camp immediately."

"What are you going there for?"

That evening, Jiebina rode a fast horse and rushed to Ashina She'er's army.

The next morning, after breakfast.

Li Chengan, Fuyu Fengmei, and Qu Zhili continued their journey westward.

For the Tang Dynasty, the Hexi Corridor was also of great importance, as it was located on the Silk Road.

Li Chenggan wanted to take this opportunity to investigate the geography, population, land reclamation, and water conservancy of the Hexi Corridor and obtain first-hand information.

Li Chengan slowed down the pace because Qu Zhili was pregnant.

Riding a horse too fast could injure the fetus.

The terrain here is very complex, with mountains, rivers, forests, and wild animals often appear.

After walking for about two hours, they came to see a large river blocking their way.

Qu Zhili and Fu Yufengmei were both very worried after reading it.

"Your Highness, a great river blocks our path; how can we possibly cross it?"

"This great river is the Yarlung Tsangpo River. Last time, I almost drowned in it."

"Why is that?"

Li Chengan then recounted his previous experience of battling a giant squid underwater in the Yarlung Tsangpo River.

Everyone who heard this sighed in dismay.

Li Chengan looked around and saw a mountain not far away, covered with trees and a bamboo forest.

Li Chengan said to Qu Zhili and Fuyu Fengmei, "You two wait here. I'll go up the mountain to cut some bamboo and make a raft. Once we get on the raft, we can cross to the other side of the river."

Qu Zhili and Fu Yufengmei both thought Li Chengqian's idea was pretty good.

"Then be careful."

At this moment, Qu Zhili thought to herself, although Li Chenggan was crippled, he was still able to be with her. Wasn't that a kind of happiness?

She was thoroughly annoyed by the infighting and power struggles in the imperial court.

Moreover, Li Chenggan is not suited to stay in the court. He is too soft-hearted. For example, Li Tai has repeatedly tried to harm him, but he can never bring himself to retaliate. How can this continue?

Li Chenggan believed that his tolerance and kindness would make Li Tai repent.

In reality, this is not the case; people like Li Tai simply do not know what shame is.

Li Chengqian's concessions will only make him think he's easy to bully.

As a result, Li Tai not only did not repent, but became even more brazen and audacious.

Li Chenggan went up the mountain to cut down trees, while Qu Zhili and Fuyu Fengmei enjoyed the natural scenery by the river.

If we hadn't been fleeing with Li Chenggan, the scenery here would have been quite nice.

This place is not too far from Tibet.

Qu Zhili looked at Fuyu Fengmei and smiled, "I can see that you are deeply in love with the Crown Prince."

Fuyu Fengmei blushed: "Really? The Crown Prince and I are both people of strong character, so we appreciate each other."

"Oh, what do you mean?"

"That time, when he arrived in Sibi City, we had a drinking contest the first time we met."

"I drank 18 bowls of wine in one go, and Your Highness was not to be outdone, so you also drank 18 bowls of wine." Recalling the past, Buyeo Pungmi's face showed a smile.

"Oh, I never knew you could drink so much."

Everyone says that the women's dances in the Tang Dynasty imperial palace were unparalleled, but I just don't believe it!

At that time, I danced for him.

After I finished dancing, Li Chengan praised me highly, saying that I danced even better than the dancers in the Tang Dynasty palace.

"And how do you feel about yourself?" Qu Zhili asked with a smile.

"I think he speaks fairly fairly," said Fu Yu Fengmei without any modesty.

Qu Zhili thought to herself, "This girl is quite confident in her dancing."

"On that occasion, Yeon Gaesomun instigated Buyeo Long, and the two of them plotted to kill Yi Seung-gan."

After I learned of this news, I rushed to deliver the message to him. I never expected that my brother had gone mad. Knowing that I was in the room, he actually set the fire on fire, and we were almost burned to death.

It's fair to say we've been through some hardships together.

"Oh, so you and the Crown Prince have been through so much together."

Qu Zhili sighed deeply after hearing this.

She touched her belly and said, "So, you and the Crown Prince have a very deep bond."

Fu Yu Fengmei deliberately pulled her breasts up, making them appear even more prominent.

She seemed to be intentionally showing off her impressive figure in front of Qu Zhili.

She asked with a smile, "I've always been curious, how did you manage to get the Crown Prince into your bed?"

To be honest, I had two chances, and I finally managed to coax the prince into my bed.

In the end, he pushed me away, as if he wasn't interested in women at all. I even wondered if there was something wrong with him in that area, if he was a little abnormal.

Upon hearing this, Qu Zhili laughed so hard she bent over: "I never would have guessed you were such a thoughtful person."

Actually, my meeting with the Crown Prince was also a matter of chance.

That time, the prince was affected by the yin-yang intercourse smoke of the Blue Brahma woman.

He needs to have sex with a woman to detoxify himself.

Moreover, at that time, the Crown Prince was severely poisoned and had already lost his senses due to the high fever; I arrived just in time.

I never expected him to treat me like Su Wan, showering me with affection.

Oh, at that moment, I couldn't describe that feeling of being out of place; I really wanted to push him away.

Because in the Crown Prince's mind, he wasn't with me, he was with Su Wan.

But when I really wanted to push him away, I couldn't bring myself to do it; I couldn't bring myself to do it.

And so, in a daze, I ended up with him. Thankfully, firstly, his poisoning was cured, and secondly, we had a child together.

"I'm so envious of you. If he sees me as Su Wan, that would be fine too, as long as he's with me." Fu Yu Feng Mei blurted out.

"You shameless girl, how about this? One day I'll get him drunk, then I'll slip you into his bed and let you two do it, so you can experience his tenderness, okay?"

Fu Yu Fengmei laughed so hard she almost fell over: "You want to get him drunk? That's easier said than done. Don't forget, he can drink eighteen bowls of wine and still not get drunk."

"That's true."

Qu Zhili and Fuyu Fengmei were chatting and laughing when suddenly an army appeared out of nowhere, consisting entirely of cavalry.

The army numbered approximately 3000 men, led by Qibi Heli.

Qu Zhili and Fuyu Fengmei, unsure of their intentions, asked, "Qibi Heli, what are you doing?"

On Fang Xuanling's recommendation, Li Shimin gave Qibi Heli 3000 men to pursue and kill Li Chenggan.

Qibi Heli pursued Li Chengqian all the way here, but could not find him anywhere.

Qibi Heli knew that the two women had an unusual relationship with Li Chenggan, and he also knew that Qu Zhili was pregnant with Li Chenggan's child.

"What are you doing? Where did you hide Li Chenggan? Hand him over right now, or I'll spare your lives!" Qibi Heli's face was grim.

Fuyu Fengmei was not skilled in martial arts, and when he saw how fierce Qibi Heli was, he turned pale with fright.

Clang!

Qu Zhili drew the Heaven-Slaying Sword and angrily said, "Qibi Heli, what do you want to do?"

Do you want to bully others by taking advantage of your power?

We have never seen the Crown Prince.

"My men clearly saw him coming in this direction. You're not telling the truth, are you?"

"Listen up, everyone! Don't let them escape! Surround them!" Qibi Heli ordered.

Upon hearing this, Qibi Heli's soldiers drew their swords and nocked their bows, trapping Qu Zhili and Fuyu Fengmei in the center. For the two of them to break out was as difficult as climbing to heaven.

Qibi Heli took off his long coat, his eyes fixed on Qu Zhili: "I've long heard that you and Li Chenggan have mastered a perfect sword technique."

Today, I'd like to test your swordsmanship and see just how skilled you are.

Qu Zhili's face was ashen, and she glared at him: "Then I'll show you."

Upon hearing this, Buyeo Pung-mi was terrified and quickly tried to persuade her from the side, "Princess, you mustn't get angry! What if you upset the baby?"

Qu Zhili was furious and ignored all advice. She drew a beautiful arc with the Yitian Sword in her hand, and as soon as the sword energy pointed, more than ten soldiers fell off their horses.

Wounded by the sword energy, they sat on the ground, some clutching their legs, others their arms, groaning in pain: "Ouch, it hurts so much!"

Qibi Heli was also taken aback when he saw this, thinking to himself that no wonder people said Qu Zhili's swordsmanship was superb, it was indeed extraordinary.

Qibi Heli felt that he might not be able to defeat Qu Zhili with just his bare fists.

He took a long spear from a soldier and began fighting with Qu Zhili.

However, after several rounds, Qu Zhili used the Heaven-Slaying Sword in her hand to cut his spear into several pieces.

Qibi Heli then realized that the Heaven-Slaying Sword in Qu Zhili's hand was a precious weapon.

He thought to himself that he had to be careful, otherwise it would be a huge loss if he were injured by the Heaven-Slaying Sword Qi.

As the fighting progressed, Qibi Heli feinted an attack, jumped out of the circle, and then ordered his archers to surround Qu Zhili.

Qibi Heli saw that the situation was completely under his control, and he felt reassured.

He said to Qu Zhili, "If you surrender now, I might spare your life. But if you continue to resist, you will only face death!"

Qu Zhili sneered: "Qibi Heli, you've sided with Li Tai and are willing to be his lackey."

I am the princess of Gaochang, do you really dare to kill me?

"If you kill me, my father will never forgive you."

Qibi Heli did have some concerns, because Li Tai's orders to him were to hunt down Li Chengan, not to kill Qu Zhili.

Of course, he wasn't ordered to kill Buyeo Pung-mi.

If things get complicated and cause trouble, how will it be handled in the future?

Gaochang is very powerful now; it's not what it used to be.

At this moment, Qibi Heli's younger brother, Qibi Shamen, said: "Brother, Qu Zhili is pregnant with Li Chengqian's child. We can capture her alive and use her to blackmail Li Chengqian."

Upon hearing this, Qibi Heli thought to himself that this was a good idea. As long as Qu Zhili was in their hands, they wouldn't have to worry about Li Chenggan not showing up.

Therefore, Qibi Heli changed his strategy, ordering his soldiers to unleash a giant copper net. This copper net, made of a special material, suddenly fell from the sky, trapping Qu Zhili in the center.

Even the Heaven-Slaying Sword couldn't cut it.

With everyone pulling together, the copper net tightened more and more until, in the end, Qu Zhili was bound up like a rice dumpling.

Qibi Heli ordered his soldiers to tie up both Qu Zhili and Fuyu Fengmei.

Seeing the beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolling down Qu Zhili's forehead and her face turning pale, Fu Yufengmei quickly asked, "How are you feeling now?"

Qu Zhili gritted her teeth: "I felt like I disturbed the fetus when I pushed just now, and now I am in unbearable pain in my abdomen."

"Huh?" Fu Yu Fengmei exclaimed in surprise, "Is she about to give birth?"

Upon hearing this, Qu Zhili rolled her eyes at her: "What are you talking about? It's only been a few days. Giving birth takes ten months, okay?"

"That seems true, but if the fetus is harmed, it's no laughing matter."

"I can't worry about anything else right now, as long as the child is alright, that's all that matters."

(The phrase "just then," should be deleted here, or additional content should be added. The original sentence was incomplete, so the redundant sentence has been removed.)

Qibi Heli heard the clatter of hooves behind him, followed by a cloud of dust, and he didn't know how many soldiers were approaching.

Qibi Heli stood up to look and saw a man riding a white horse, looking very majestic.

He looked closely and saw that the person was none other than Li Chenggan.

The monk Qibi pointed and said, "General, that's Li Chenggan."

Qibi Heli sneered: "I know him, but I don't know how many soldiers he brought with him."

"Dust is flying everywhere, making it hard to see clearly, but judging from this force, there are at least several thousand people."

"Where did he get so many soldiers?" Qibi Heli didn't believe it.

"You forgot that he trained a cavalry force, led by Ashina She'er, and stationed it on the border of Gaochang."

Qibi Heli had long heard of Ashina She'er's great name.

He also held Ashina Sher in great awe.

"Could it be that Ashina She'er has led his army here?"

"That's a possibility. Let's run!"

Qibi Heli hesitated.

At this moment, Li Chengan glared angrily and shouted, "Qibi Heli, are you here to arrest me?"

"Li Chengan is here, so come at me!"

Seeing Li Chengqian's great courage, Qibi Heli became even more hesitant.

Li Chengan, spear in hand, charged forward: "What is the reason for your actions—neither fighting nor retreating?"

Coincidentally, one of Qibi Heli's men was originally Li Chengqian's subordinate. Upon seeing Li Chengqian, he was so frightened that he fell off his horse.

The monk Qibi urged again, "Brother, let's escape quickly, or it will be too late."

"withdraw!"

Qibi Heli turned and ran, and all the soldiers except the wounded followed him.

Qibi Heli ran off in such a hurry that he forgot to take Qu Zhili and Fuyu Fengmei with him.

Li Chengan rode over and untied the copper net binding Qu Zhili and the ropes binding Fuyu Fengmei.

Li Chengan held Qu Zhili in his arms and asked with concern, "Princess, how are you feeling?"

Qu Zhili's eyes were tightly closed, and her face was filled with pain: "Your Highness, when I fought with Qibi Heli just now, it seemed like I had a miscarriage."

"Huh?" Li Chengan was also nervous when he heard this.

Fu Yu Fengmei asked, "What should we do?"

"The only thing we can do is ask Lu Zhaolin to come here and treat her."

Just then, another group of people arrived.

Li Chengqian felt a surge of tension. He thought it was Qibi Heli's army returning, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't.

It was Ashina She'er who arrived.

It turned out that Ashina She'er had already learned what was happening in Chang'an; someone had reported to him that the Crown Prince had appeared near Dunhuang.

Fearing for the prince's safety, he quickly mustered 5000 men and rushed over overnight.

On the way, they happened to run into Jiebina.

Jiebina handed Li Chengqian's letter to Ashina She'er.

Upon receiving Li Chengqian's letter, Ashina She'er wept bitterly: "Without Your Highness, I would not be where I am today. I swear to serve the Crown Prince to the death."

Jiebina was deeply moved by Ashina She'er's loyalty and righteousness.

Ashina She'er paid homage to Li Chenggan with great ceremony upon meeting him.

Li Chengan helped him up with both hands.

Li Chengan felt relieved, thinking that he had made the right choice in appointing the right people.

Ashina She'er asked, "Qibi Heli led 3000 men to pursue you. How did you manage to scare him away?"

Before Li Chenggan could answer, Fuyu Fengmei pointed to the billowing dust: "Do you see that? There's so much dust there, you can't see how many soldiers are behind him."

And that poor guy, he was so scared he vomited up his jaundice.

As Fuyu Fengmei finished speaking, she pointed to the soldier who had collapsed on the ground.

Ashina She'er exclaimed in admiration, "Your Highness, you are truly a divine being!"

Li Chengan treated and bandaged the wounded soldiers.

They were all soldiers under Li Chenggan.

They were filled with shame upon seeing Li Chenggan.

Li Chengqian laughed and said, "You're lucky to be alive. Qu Zhili's men showed you mercy. If she had used just a little more force, you would all be dead."

The wounded soldiers said, "Qibi Heli ran away and abandoned us. Your Highness, we are willing to swear allegiance to you to the death."

Li Chengan looked at them and said, "You are all good soldiers. You did nothing wrong. It's all my fault. I will never blame you."

The soldiers felt even more ashamed and embarrassed.

Ashina She'er said, "Your Highness, since Qu Zhili may have suffered a miscarriage, please come back to the military camp with us and we'll think of a solution then."

Li Chengan pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "It's still a long way from here to your camp."

I'm worried that Qu Zhili's body won't be able to handle the bumpy ride back and forth.

Therefore, I plan to cross the Yarlung Tsangpo River and go to Tibet.

At that moment, a large ship came onto the river, and a person was standing on the deck at the bow.

Before long, the man arrived in front of Li Chengqian.

The man jumped off the boat and bowed to Li Chenggan: "Greetings, Your Highness!"

Upon looking at the man, Li Chengan recognized him as none other than Grand Minister Shang Nang.

Da Xiang Shang Nang was a capable and loyal general under Songtsen Gampo.

Li Chengan was also surprised to see him here and couldn't help but ask, "How come it's you? What are you doing here?"

"Your Highness, our King sent me to fetch you."

"What? You mean Songtsen Gampo has returned?"

"Yes, not only has the King returned, but Princess Wencheng has also come. They are about to get married."

We've been searching for you, and we heard you were seen near Dunhuang, so the King sent me to fetch you."

"Really? That's wonderful."

Li Chengan said to Ashina She'er, "You lead the troops to garrison here in case of unforeseen circumstances. Princess Wencheng is about to get married, and I must go and offer my congratulations."

At the same time, we should also take care of Qu Zhili's health.

Seeing that Li Chenggan had already made his decision, Ashina She'er felt it was inappropriate to say anything more.

So, Li Chenggan, along with Qu Zhili, Fuyu Fengmei, and Jiebina, boarded the large ship and sailed upstream.

When they arrived near Lhasa, they found Songtsen Gampo and Princess Wencheng already waiting for them on the riverbank.

Everyone was overjoyed to be reunited.

Songtsen Gampo grasped Li Chengqian's hand: "Your Highness, this is good. From now on, we brothers can be together more often."

"Your Majesty, please stop calling me Your Highness. I am no longer the Crown Prince of Tang."

Songtsen Gampo laughed heartily: "In my heart, you will always be the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty."

In other words, you have a better future than if you were the crown prince.

I have discussed it with Murong Shun, Ashina Simo, Tuoba Chici, and the elder brother Wang of Shanbei, and we will all obey your orders.

Moreover, we brought our troops with us.

Ashina Simo's Turkic army alone numbered over 100,000, and our Tibetan army numbered far more than 100,000.

Including the armies of the Tuyuhun, Dangxiang, and the Great King of Shanbei, there were at least two or three hundred thousand troops.

With such a large army, what is there to worry about in achieving your great ambition?