A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

After resting his army at Yumen Pass, Xia Ping realized that relying solely on Yumen Pass was no match for the Tang army. He decisively chose to abandon the pass, leaving a portion of his troops there before leading his army back to the Western Regions.

After breaching Yumen Pass, Qin Qiong and the others looked to Li Shimin, waiting for him to make a decision on whether to continue westward.

"King Chungmu once said, 'We should pursue the enemy with our remaining strength, and not seek fame like Xiang Yu.'"

"Now that the Great Xia army is demoralized and its morale is low, and the Western Regions have only recently fallen, their hearts are still with the Central Plains, this is a great opportunity for us to recover the Western Regions."

"If we delay for a few years, and the Great Xia recovers its strength, the people of the Western Regions will yearn for Xia. Then, retaking the Western Regions will be as difficult as ascending to heaven!"

Xu Maogong stepped forward and reminded him, "Your Highness, now that you are the Crown Prince, why not appoint a top general to lead the western expedition? Conquering the Western Regions is not a task that can be accomplished in a day. If you are not in Luoyang for most of the year, I'm afraid it wouldn't be appropriate!"

Li Shimin narrowed his eyes slightly, tapping his fingertips on the table in front of him as he fell into deep thought.

"What Master Mao said makes sense. We'll discuss this matter again when the pharmacist returns."

The ministers all nodded in agreement. As long as Li Shimin didn't risk a western expedition, it was the best news for them. Their current wealth and honor, and even the wealth and honor of their descendants for generations, were tied to Li Shimin. They were even more unwilling than Li Shimin to have any problems with him.

Several days later, Li Jing arrived with the main army from the rear.

Li Shimin appointed Li Jing as the Grand Commander of the Western Expedition, leading 150 million elite troops westward out of Yumen Pass to recover the Western Regions.

Then Li Shimin led the rest of his troops back to Luoyang.

Li Shimin led his army to defend Chang'an, driving the Xia army out of Yumen Pass. He even used 30 troops to firmly hold Chang'an until reinforcements arrived, and then defeated the enemy in one fell swoop.

He once led an army of 100,000 to storm the camp of an army of one million, killing generals and capturing flags, winning the battle and making great contributions.

It was so great that Li Yuan was extremely jealous and wary of it.

To welcome Li Shimin's return, Li Yuan personally led all the civil and military officials, including the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, to greet him at the gates of Luoyang.

This kind of courtesy is enough to prove how much Li Yuan values ​​this son.

On the way back to the palace, he personally supported Li Shimin's hand and said to Li Shimin in front of all the people: "A good crown prince can bring prosperity to three generations."

Upon returning to the Wude Hall, Li Yuan personally issued an edict bestowing upon Li Shimin the Five-Colored Dragon Banner, the Nine-Dragon Umbrella, the Red Silk Umbrella with Gold Embroidery, and the Peacock Square Fan, along with the Nine Bestowments, the Emperor's Imperial Sword, the Standing Melon, the Five-Strike Staff, the Incense Burner, and other ceremonial regalia.

He bestowed upon them various honors, military uniforms, and imperial estates, seemingly showing them the utmost favor.

However, some astute individuals in the court, with their keen eyesight, had already noticed something amiss with the imperial edict.

Although the crown prince received many honors, they were mostly honors rather than real power.

Moreover, although the imperial edict extensively publicized the victory, it emphasized the soldiers' bravery and divine protection, thus downplaying the extremely important role played by the crown prince.

There were also some that were nominally bestowed with honors, granting those legions a high status, but through such opportunities, the control of these legions was transferred from the Crown Prince to the imperial court.

From this perspective, the change from direct control by the Crown Prince to direct control by the state seems to make it stronger and give it a higher status.

But for the crown prince, this was a disguised weakening of his power.

And the generals under the Crown Prince were all promoted and made rich, and were granted titles and fiefs. However, there was a characteristic of the official positions in the court: except for a few special departments, the higher the rank, the less real power one had.

High-ranking officials rely more on their subordinate departments to demonstrate their abilities; their orders are all relayed and executed through these departments.

As luck would have it, the generals who returned with the crown prince were almost all assigned to such departments.

Did you get promoted? Yes.

Has power increased? Yes, it has.

Has their real power increased? No.

Many veteran officials in the court had experienced numerous rounds of political struggles and possessed an extremely keen political sense. They immediately realized that the emperor was beginning to fear the crown prince.

It's just unknown to what extent the emperor is wary. Is it to suppress the crown prince, or to depose him?

In particular, this dynasty was somewhat different from other dynasties. In addition to the crown prince, the emperor had another choice: his eldest son, Li Jiancheng, who was personally appointed by the Prince of Yan, making his position even more legitimate.

With his keen sense of smell, how could Li Shimin not sense Li Yuan's apprehension towards him?

Li Shimin's mouth was full of bitterness. He fought in the north and south for the Tang Dynasty, risking his life. He conquered almost half of the Tang Dynasty. In the end, could he not escape the situation of "the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked, the birds are gone, and the good bow is put away"?

He is not willing!

If it really comes to that, he will never sit idly by and wait for his death!

Father, I hope you will not disappoint me.

Li Shimin suppressed his inner impulse and slowly stepped forward to receive the imperial decree.

"Your Highness, you have had a tough battle. I heard that you led 10 troops to attack the enemy's 100 million elite troops. Your mother and I were terrified."

"You have no idea how much your mother cries every day, her face is always wet with tears, and your wife and children are worried day and night."

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have sent you to lead the troops. You are the Crown Prince, the heir apparent to the throne, and should not be acted upon lightly."

"From now on, focus on governing the capital, learn how to handle state affairs, and how to be a good ruler. Do not lead troops into battle anymore."

"When you get back, go visit your mother as soon as possible; she's very worried about you."

"I hereby grant you special permission to rest for a while, spend some quality time with your family, and ease the tension from the battlefield."

Li Yuan spoke kindly to Li Shimin, his eyes full of concern.

"Your subject thanks Your Majesty."

Li Shimin felt a chill in his heart, yet his father, the emperor, appeared impeccable; even he couldn't see through the pretense in his eyes.

At this moment, he gained a deeper understanding of the emperor's loneliness and isolation.

Emperors are ruthless, the imperial family is ruthless.

"Your Highness?"

After the court session, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui went to Li Shimin's residence. Du Ruhui gave a concise report on the major and minor events that had occurred in the court since Li Shimin left.

After listening to Du Ruhui's report, Li Shimin's eyes were filled with complex emotions.

As the strategist who helped him make decisions, Li Shimin naturally trusted Du Ruhui's judgment to the extreme.

Since the news of the victory in Chang'an arrived, Li Yuan has been constantly making small moves in the court.

He thought he had done a very discreet job, but little did he know that Du Ruhui had seen everything.

"Your Highness, His Majesty is in the prime of his life; we cannot allow him to sit idly by and await his death!"

Fang Xuanling said anxiously.

"Do not speak recklessly!"

Li Shimin hurriedly said that during the time he was away on campaign, Li Yuan had even placed many people in his Crown Prince's residence. Although most of them were identified by the Crown Princess Changsun Wugou and assigned to unimportant positions, the Eastern Palace was no longer so safe.

"That is my father, the Emperor. Do you want me to do something so heinous?"

"Do you really want future historical records to show that Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui advised Li Shimin to murder the emperor and seize the throne?"

"To write you two into the biographies of traitors, to portray me as a tyrant, a regicide and patricide, leaving an everlasting stain on my reputation?!"

Li Shimin's eyes were bloodshot, and he exuded a violent aura that made Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui breathless.

"Your Highness, what about Chengqian and Qingque? And the Madam? And the princesses? Has Your Highness considered what to do with them?"

Du Ruhui looked directly into Li Shimin's eyes and spoke, word by word.