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

Li Bai was absent-minded during his lectures these past few days.

Wei Wen called Li Bai to his side, "Taibai, if you really hesitate, then go and give it a try."

"Go and take a look at the imperial court. As long as you don't get too involved, it will be easy for me to get you out of there."

Li Bai was stunned. Looking at his master, his nose tingled with emotion.

"Thank you, Master."

"Are you going to participate in next year's imperial examination, or will you be directly recommended for officialdom?"

Wei Wen asked.

"To participate in the imperial examination."

Li Bai said confidently.

With his knowledge, he became the top scholar in the imperial examination, and had everything under control.

Wei Wen nodded. He had personally taught Li Bai, so he was naturally well-versed in Li Bai's scholarship.

If no one interferes, it's not difficult to become the top scorer in the exam.

However, given Li Bai's status, no one dared to falsify his exam paper.

If it weren't for the fact that many people in the court knew Li Bai's true identity, he would have really wanted to show Li Bai what the darkness of officialdom was like.

Without currying favor with influential figures, even the best scholarship won't earn you top honors.

Wei Wen thought for a moment, "Should we take the exam while hiding our identity?"

Li Bai was slightly taken aback, then nodded. Indeed, if he took the exam using his actual identity, he would be unable to prove himself at all.

Conversely, concealing one's identity is the only way to reveal one's true abilities.

"it is good."

"Master, it's no longer appropriate for me to live in the Prince of Yan's residence. I plan to move out."

Li Bai thought of the courtyard that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang had bestowed upon him, which he had never lived in.

"Bring a few servants from your residence, and the courtyard will also be taken care of."

Wei Wen did not refuse, but instead gave instructions.

Just as Li Bai was excitedly preparing to take the imperial examination, he received devastating news from home: his mother had passed away at home.

Overwhelmed with grief, Li Bai returned home to mourn his mother's death and prepared to observe three years of mourning.

Wei Wen estimated that in three years, the court would basically be under Li Linfu's control. At that time, if Li Bai concealed his identity and Li Linfu did not recognize him, it would be difficult for him to achieve good results.

Even Wei Wen never expected that three years later, during the imperial examination, Li Linfu would do something so outrageous that he would openly say that there were no worthy men left in the wilderness.

It just so happened that Li Bai was referring to it, which made things much bigger, and the bomb directly blew Li Linfu to pieces.

At this time, the matter of the crown prince had come to an end in the imperial court.

Li Linfu recommended Li Mao, the son of Consort Wu Hui, as the crown prince. Consort Wu Hui also whispered in Li Longji's ear, which aroused Li Longji's vigilance.

He was an emperor who was extremely sensitive to power. When he dismissed Zhang Jiuling as prime minister, Li Linfu's scheming was secondary. The real reason was that Zhang Jiuling and the crown prince were too close and had even formed a political alliance.

This made the sensitive emperor feel threatened, so he used Li Linfu to get rid of Zhang Jiuling.

After Zhang Jiuling was eliminated, a large number of officials in the court remained loyal to the Crown Prince, which made Li Longji feel like an aging lion being challenged by a new lion king.

Therefore, he went with the flow and, with the help of Li Linfu and Consort Wu Hui's scheme, deposed the crown prince and demoted him to a local post.

Given his control over the harem, it was impossible for Li Linfu and Consort Wu Hui to completely deceive him.

Li Linfu is now clearly colluding with Consort Wu Hui and Prince Shou. This collusion between the harem, the Eastern Palace, and the court is something Li Longji will never allow.

Just as Li Longji was drawing lots to decide which of the three parties to settle scores with, news came from the inner palace that Consort Wu Hui had died of illness.

That's great, no need to choose anymore.

Prince Shou, Li Mao, was a useless nobody; all his power came from his mother, Consort Wu Hui.

With Consort Wu Hui dead, Li Mao was nothing.

Li Linfu escaped a calamity. With Consort Wu Hui and Li Mao no longer a threat, he naturally no longer needed to eliminate Li Linfu, a useful subordinate.

However, we still need to give them a good talking-to.

Li Longji secretly spread the message that the rebellion of the three crown princes was orchestrated by Consort Wu Hui, and that Consort Wu Hui's sudden death was due to the vengeful spirits of the three crown princes seeking revenge.

On this basis, he rejected Li Linfu's request to recommend Prince Shou, Li Mao, as the crown prince, and instead appointed Li Heng as the crown prince.

Li Linfu immediately felt Li Longji's warning: could he possibly interfere with the position of crown prince?

Li Linfu realized that all his actions were under Li Longji's control.

However, since what he did was in accordance with Li Longji's wishes, Li Longji did not interfere with him.

After Li Linfu figured this out, his back was soaked with sweat.

Thinking of Zhang Jiuling's fate, he felt as if he had just escaped death.

After returning, he began to work even harder to develop his own power base, as only by having a large number of followers could he feel even a little bit at ease.

At the same time, he did his utmost to meet the needs of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, catering to his preferences by building palaces, villas, and gardens for him in an extremely luxurious manner, which in turn led to his own power expanding more and more.

In the twenty-seventh year of the Kaiyuan era, Li Longji, having lost Consort Wu Hui, felt somewhat empty and lonely. Although he had many concubines in his harem, none of them were exceptionally beautiful.

Even the beauties that Li Linfu collected from the common people failed to win the heart of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, who had seen countless beauties.

At this time, someone whispered in Li Longji's ear about the beauty of Princess Yang Yuhuan, the wife of Prince Shou. This person was Gao Lishi, who later became a famous eunuch.

Yang Yuhuan was naturally beautiful and graceful, with skin as smooth as cream, a face like a lotus, eyebrows like willow branches, a full and well-proportioned figure, and a lively and agile demeanor. She was skilled in singing and dancing, knowledgeable in music, and possessed both a bright and noble appearance and a gentle and charming temperament, making her a beauty that could topple kingdoms.

At a royal banquet, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang ordered all the princes to bring their wives to the palace. During the banquet, Emperor Xuanzong saw the beautiful and talented Yang Yuhuan.

Every smile, every gesture, was etched into the heart of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji.

However, due to the relationship between the father-in-law and daughter-in-law and the rules of etiquette, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, could only bury this idea in his heart.

Gao Lishi was extremely adept at understanding the emperor's mind. He easily discerned Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji's feelings for Yang Yuhuan from his eyes and began to devise a plan for it.

In the twenty-eighth year of the Kaiyuan era, at another royal banquet, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, who missed Yang Yuhuan, once again ordered all the princes to bring their concubines to the palace for the banquet.

At the banquet, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, saw the woman he had been longing for once again.

Seeing Yang Yuhuan following behind Prince Shou, Li Mao, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, became increasingly dissatisfied with his son.

After the banquet, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, felt empty inside and was depressed. Gao Lishi took the opportunity to offer advice. At first, Emperor Xuanzong refused because of the relationship between his father-in-law and daughter-in-law, but as time went by, he felt increasingly unsatisfied and eventually adopted Gao Lishi's suggestion.

Under the pretext of praying for the Empress Dowager's well-being, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, issued an edict ordering Yang Yuhuan to become a female Taoist nun, bestowing upon her the Taoist name "Taizhen," thus legally severing her marital relationship with Prince Shou, Li Mao, and erasing her status as the Prince Shou's consort.

From then on, Yang Yuhuan, as the Taoist Taizhen, was freed from the constraints of court etiquette and frequently entered the palace to accompany the emperor. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, was able to legitimately spend his days with her, and the two officially came together, thus beginning a romantic relationship.