Now I really have to marry the princess.

Upon hearing Changsun Chong's questioning, Li Lizhi couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

She stared at Changsun Chong and asked in surprise, "Cousin Chong, what do you mean by this? Didn't you say in the Lizheng Hall that you couldn't bear to have lunch alone? That's why I brought food to find you, Cousin Zhengdao."

Huh?! Yang Zhengdao was stunned. He absolutely did not believe that Changsun Chong would have such good intentions.

Changsun Chong was even more bewildered; he himself had no idea that he would be such a good person.

So he quickly denied it: "I didn't..."

"No?" Li Lizhi's eyes turned cold as she interrupted Changsun Chong.

Then she smiled slyly, her tone laced with sarcasm: "I thought that my cousin Chong's disobedience to the Duke of Cao's military orders was out of familial protection and filial piety. Turns out, that's not the case!"

Changsun Chong was speechless for a moment, his face flushed and his chest heaving as he was silenced by Li Lizhi's words.

He felt as if he had swallowed a fly, but he had no choice but to admit, "I...I did say that."

He had no choice but to be this good person.

If he doesn't act as a good person, then he is disobeying military orders without cause.

If he accepts this good person as his own, then it is out of filial piety and is understandable.

Yang Zhengdao, who was standing to the side, almost clapped and cheered.

She was indeed the eldest daughter of one of the greatest emperors and one of the most virtuous empresses in history.

She was truly intelligent and quick-witted, with a hidden sharpness, and she managed to completely control Changsun Chong in just a few words.

Li Lizhi glanced at Changsun Chong indifferently, her tone icy.

"In that case, Cousin Chong should continue practicing archery. After all, shooting eleven arrows in a row makes it difficult to be selected for the Northern Army."

"You..." Changsun Chong's face turned pale and then red, extremely embarrassed, but when he saw the female official's warning gaze, he could only bow and say, "Your subject takes his leave."

He was helpless against Li Lizhi, and could only glare fiercely at Yang Zhengdao as he left.

Yang Zhengdao did not mind the jealousy from Changsun Chong.

His status as a grandson of the previous dynasty's emperor determined that he was in a natural opposition to the Guanlong aristocratic families.

This actually has nothing to do with Chang Le.

As long as he tries to rise to prominence, he will inevitably face obstruction, infighting, framing, and even slaughter from the powerful families of Guanzhong.

The replacement of the Sui dynasty by the Tang dynasty was essentially a process of changing the leader of the Guanlong Group and redistributing power.

The Guanlong aristocratic families were the ones who personally abandoned Emperor Yang and overthrew the Sui Dynasty.

They would inevitably be wary and worried about the revenge of the descendants of Yang and Sui, as such deep-seated grudges between the state and the family are simply beyond human control.

Convincing the Guanlong aristocratic families that Yang Zhengdao had absolutely no connection with Yang Jian, Yang Guang, or Yang Jian was probably even more difficult than convincing the world that he was a time traveler.

If he wanted to achieve something, he could only rely on the Li Tang imperial family.

Because the Li Tang imperial family wanted to consolidate its imperial power, it was inevitable that they would restrict and then suppress the Guanlong aristocratic families.

Perhaps Li Er (Emperor Taizong of Tang) could still subdue Guanzhong and Longxi and would temporarily compromise, but Li Er's successor would inevitably do the same.

Historically, it was in the tenth year after Li Zhi ascended the throne that he demoted Changsun Wuji and began to crack down on the powerful families of Guanlong.

Without the power struggle between Li Chengqian and Li Tai, this process would have only accelerated.

The power struggle between the Li Tang imperial family and the Guanlong aristocratic families was his opportunity to survive in danger and snatch chestnuts from the fire.

Nearly two months have passed since he transmigrated. Even though a college student's historical knowledge is quite limited, combined with the original owner's memories, Yang Zhengdao has finally figured out the pros and cons.

Therefore, in order to deeply bind himself to the Li Tang royal family, Chang Le had no choice but to follow suit.

Looking at Li Lizhi, who had a soft voice and acted arrogantly, Yang Zhengdao thought to himself that he could raise her to adulthood first.

A breeze rustles through the corridors, and the copper bells on the eaves ring softly.

With Changsun Chong out of sight, Li Lizhi regained her shyness and gentleness.

A sumptuous lunch left Yang Zhengdao feeling warm and satisfied, and he was overjoyed.

The palace maids tidied up the tableware and food boxes, while the eunuchs tidied up the mats and small tables.

At this moment, Yang Zhengdao raised his eyes and stared directly into Li Lizhi's eyes.

Li Lizhi felt shy and sweet under his gaze. She lowered her eyes, her cheeks flushed, and when she looked up again, her eyes were brimming with tears.

"Cousin..."

That soft, gentle voice melted Yang Zhengdao's heart.

Li Lizhi fluttered her long eyelashes, a hint of playfulness in her eyes.

"Cousin, the peach blossoms have faded, the crabapple blossoms have withered, what else can we use to compose a poem?"

Sigh, it's time to hand in my homework.

Yang Zhengdao shifted his gaze from the pretty, spring-like face in front of him to Gong Liu in the distance.

He coughed lightly, quickly copied a poem from the Complete Tang Poems in his mind, and handed in today's assignment.

Since I went to school late to seek spring, there's no need to feel sad or resentful about the passing of spring.

The fierce wind has swept away the deep red leaves, and the green leaves now provide shade, with branches laden with fruit.

Li Lizhi heard her own heart pounding again, and his profile as he gazed into the distance was still as handsome as ever.

But this shameless fellow, when he was serious for once, recited a poem that evoked a strange sense of melancholy.

Li Lizhi, being intelligent and perceptive, naturally understood Yang Zhengdao's predicament.

Therefore, this poem, copied to fit the occasion, coupled with Yang Zhengdao's pretentious face, led Li Lizhi to completely misunderstand.

She sensed in him the clear-headedness of a former prince about his own destiny, a deep-seated lament, and a helpless melancholy.

At that moment, her heart softened; she sympathized with his precarious background and felt sorry for his forced resilience.

She wanted to protect him, shield him from the raging wind, and leave him a patch of spring.

"Cousin, I will protect you..."

Um! ?

Looking at the tearful, sorrowful face and hearing the soft, almost weeping voice, Yang Zhengdao was stunned.

What's going on?! Is this poem really that powerful?!

However, Li Er's eldest daughter's promise to wholeheartedly protect him was something he had to accept immediately.

Yang Zhengdao nodded emphatically.

He uttered a sweet, tender phrase that every scumbag loves to say and every young girl loves to hear: "Ah Zhi, you're so good to me."

After watching Li Lizhi leave with a blush on her face, Yang Zhengdao returned to the front of the Wude Hall to continue practicing archery.

When Changsun Chong saw him return, he let out a cold snort.

Yang Zhengdao disdained to argue with him, and instead picked up a hard bow with a weight of one stone and five dou and waved it in front of Changsun Chong.

"You!" Changsun Chong was so angry that he was speechless, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the stone bow.

Yang Zhengdao had already nocked the arrow, drawn the bowstring, aimed, and released it. The arrow struck the bullseye, its fletching trembling.

Whether it was because of Li Lizhi's loving lunch or because of the morning's practice, he felt a little more relaxed this time.

Could the basic archery skills provided by the system be upgraded through practice?

Yang Zhengdao was greatly encouraged.

So, all afternoon, he kept drawing his bow and shooting arrows, filling one flask after another.

Even though Changsun Chong used the excuse of his worn-out fingers to take a break, he never stopped.

As the sun gradually set in the west, he felt the heavy bow in his hand, weighing one stone and five dou, becoming lighter and lighter.

Meanwhile, under the distant corridor, Xu Shiji, who had appeared at some unknown time, was watching Yang Zhengdao, who was still practicing, without making a sound.

A faint smile appeared on his lips as he pondered to himself, "Was this a casual move by the sage? Or was it a deliberate act by the sage?"

He then chuckled and shook his head, since the matter had nothing to do with him or his old buddies.