Now I really have to marry the princess.

The peach blossoms had not yet faded, and the crabapple blossoms were in full bloom. Yang Zhengdao looked into Li Lizhi's clear, bright eyes and was momentarily moved.

At this moment, I really want to wait for her to grow up...

Yang Zhengdao was startled by his own strange thoughts.

He took a deep breath and deliberately gazed aimlessly into the distance before remembering the little girl's question.

"Ah Zhi, cousin, I plan to go and see the vast rivers and mountains of the Tang Dynasty."

Li Lizhi listened to Yang Zhengdao's deep voice, watched him gaze into the distance, and stared at his handsome profile, momentarily lost in thought.

His gaze seemed to truly transcend the deep palace, the high walls, and the bustling city of Chang'an.

It wasn't until Yang Zhengdao smiled and softly called out, "Azhi, let's go," that Li Lizhi suddenly realized what was happening.

He called me A-Zhi!? He didn't even call me Your Highness!

He was indeed as shameless and impolite as ever.

Oh dear, my cheeks are turning red again, and my ear tips are so hot...

The following day, at Chongxuan Office.

"Young Master Yang, which temple are you planning to visit?" asked Liu Shucheng, dressed in a blue official robe, politely.

Sitting next to him was Master Huiyin, the abbot of Daxingshan Temple and an attendant to the emperor in Chongxuan Office.

Clearly, this was something Empress Zhangsun had specifically instructed her to do.

Yang Zhengdao cupped his hands in greeting to the two men.

"Originally, Zhengdao intended to take advantage of Her Majesty the Empress's grace to practice at Daxingshan Temple. However, upon meeting Master Huiyin today, a question suddenly arose in my mind, and I hope the Master can enlighten me."

Huiyin raised an eyebrow, thinking that the young man in front of her was trying to show off his knowledge by asking a question.

He then chanted a Buddhist prayer and said with a smile, "Layman Yang, please ask whatever you wish."

"Just now, the Assistant Magistrate asked Zhengdao which temple he wished to visit. Zhengdao pondered that there are a thousand temples in this world, and a thousand Buddhas in a thousand temples. May I ask, Master, which one is the true Buddha?"

Huiyin stroked her beard and stared at Yang Zhengdao for a long time, but still couldn't figure out his intentions. So she gave an answer that no one could find fault with.

"A thousand temples, a thousand Buddhas, all return to the one Tathagata."

"Is this what they mean by the Buddha having a thousand faces?"

Huh?! Is this kid really here to ask about Buddhism?

Although Huiyin had doubts in his heart, he still smiled and flattered her, saying, "This is the correct answer, layman, you truly have the potential for wisdom."

"But if I only stay at Daxingshan Temple and worship only one Buddha all day long, I'm afraid I won't see the true face of the Buddha or the sincerity of my heart."

"This..." Huiyin was stunned.

Liu Shucheng was also dumbfounded.

College students, what do they know about Buddhism? But they do know debating skills.

After exchanging a glance, Liu Shucheng wiped his forehead and tentatively asked, "Then what are Young Master Yang's plans?"

"Since we are praying for the Emperor Emeritus, we should be sincere." Yang Zhengdao cupped his hands in the direction of Da'an Palace, then put his palms together with a devout expression.

"I wish to travel to all seventeen counties of Yongzhou, visit seventeen precious temples, and pay homage to seventeen Buddha statues, so as to pray for the Emperor Emeritus to have boundless blessings and longevity."

"This..." Liu Shucheng understood.

Huiyin understood.

This kid is just tired of staying in Chang'an and wants to take this opportunity to travel on public funds!

After exchanging another glance, Liu Shucheng looked troubled and apologized to Yang Zheng, saying, "Young Master Yang, please allow me to report this matter to the Court of State Ceremonial."

Yang Zhengdao left the Chongxuan Office and recalled the events of yesterday.

Before parting, Li Yuan mysteriously told him that there would be a great reward.

Yang Zhengdao shook his head with a wry smile. No matter how great the reward, it would still have to go through Li Er first, and who knows what would be left?

He guessed correctly; at that moment, Li Er in the Liangyi Hall was worrying about the huge reward.

Li Erqian calculated everything, but he never anticipated how strong his father Li Yuan's desire to oppose him was.

On the emperor's desk lay an edict from the retired emperor, delivered from the Da'an Palace.

"Imperial Edict: Prince Zhengdao of Sui is of pure and filial heart, and diligent in performing his duties. He has requested to enter the temple to pray for my blessings, which is truly commendable. I hereby grant him a separate courtyard next to Xianyou Temple and ten qing of permanent land. The relevant departments shall prepare the necessary rites to fulfill my wishes."

Ten qing! That's two qing more than the permanent land granted to a fifth-rank official!

What is a fifth-rank official? That's equivalent to a prefectural governor or an official in one of the six ministries.

Li Er rubbed his temples, unable to think of any reason to reject the imperial edict.

Because Xianyou Temple belonged to the royal temple property, and the surrounding land also belonged to the Emperor Emeritus's estate.

Changsun Wuji, who was seated to the lower left, pondered for a moment before speaking with a smile.

"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. The Emperor Emeritus did not specify the location of the Yongye Fields in his edict; they can simply be designated on the south bank of the Mang River."

"Wuji means to mark it on Zhongnan Mountain?!" Li Er's face lit up with joy.

Changsun Wuji nodded, and then the two smiled at each other.

Yang Zhengdao was clearly unaware that his thousands of acres of fertile land had been switched with mountainous land.

If Yang Zhengdao were present, he would surely have sighed at the difficult situation.

How could a college student like him possibly contend with two of the most cunning and ruthless figures from the Zhenguan era?

Before the two old cunning men could even rejoice for a moment, a palace attendant bowed and reported to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, the memorial submitted by the Court of State Ceremonies concerns Yang Zhengdao's entry into the temple for spiritual practice."

"Didn't the Empress allow him to practice at Daxingshan Temple?" Li Er asked with suspicion, gesturing for the eunuch to present it.

He took it and glanced at it, and immediately felt his blood rush to his head.

That scoundrel wrote a poem for Ah Zhi again yesterday, and I haven't even settled accounts with him yet, and today he's acting so recklessly again.

Li Er grew angrier the more he thought about it, and angrily slammed his hand on the imperial desk, startling the eunuch into kneeling down in a panic.

"Your Majesty, what is it?"

Li Er gestured for Changsun Wuji to see for himself.

After reading it, Changsun Wuji's expression first showed surprise, then eased, and finally revealed doubt.

"Your Majesty, have any former officials or retainers of the previous dynasty made any unusual moves within Yongzhou?"

"No unusual activity!"

"In that case, I agree. After all..."

After being reminded by Changsun Wuji, Li Er suddenly realized that he had overreacted.

He understood what Changsun Wuji meant.

After all, Yang Zhengdao had only left Chang'an City and was still within Yongzhou.

Moreover, the pretext for sending Yang Zhengdao to the temple to practice Buddhism was to pray for Li Yuan's well-being.

Now that Yang Zhengdao wants to show his sincerity by traveling to all seventeen counties of Yongzhou, it is indeed difficult and unnecessary to stop him.

It's all because of this bastard that he ruined my mood.

Li Er coughed lightly and began to try to make amends for his lapse in composure.

"Wuji, do you think Yang Zhengdao is just acting out of youthful impetuosity, or is he using a feint to a greater scheme?"

Changsun Wuji frowned and pondered for a moment. After a while, he finally made a decision and said in a low voice, "Why don't we let His Highness the Prince of Shu go along?"

Upon hearing this, Li Er's pupils contracted sharply. He stared at Changsun Wuji as if trying to see through his true intentions.

In the end, Li Er decided to follow Changsun Wuji's advice.

Five years had passed since the Xuanwu Gate Incident, and the court, which had finally stabilized thanks to the victory over the Turks, absolutely could not afford any further turmoil.

Li Er approved the memorial submitted by the Court of State Ceremonial, and the Chongxuan Office quickly delivered the relevant documents to Yang Zhengdao.

Liu Zhong, along with A Wu and A Liu, had already begun packing their bags.

Yang Zhengdao then went to Chongrenfang to bid farewell to Empress Xiao.

When he returned to Xingdaofang, he saw Li Hui at the gate.

Li Hui was the second son of Li Xiaogong, the Prince of Hejian, and was the same age as Yang Zhengdao. He held the official title of Attendant in the Eastern Palace.

When he reached the appropriate age, he became a retainer of the Crown Prince, essentially Li Chengqian's playmate and future advisor.

Among the meritorious second-generation figures in Chang'an, only Li Hui was relatively close to the original owner of this body.

The reason, of course, is the friendship the two formed together in Pingkangfang.

The original owner was a patron of Yingluo Niangzi, while Yingluo Niangzi's sister, Rumeng Niangzi, was Li Hui's confidante.

Upon seeing Li Hui ride his horse into the gate, Yang Zhengdao immediately tried to turn his horse around to avoid him.

Li Hui must have come looking for him, and he will surely take him to Pingkangfang.

But then Tan Feng, who was traveling with them, shouted at the top of his lungs, "Big Brother, isn't that Young Master Li up ahead?"

Looking at this simpleton with a full beard, Yang Zhengdao didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Jiang Cheng coughed to remind Tan Feng, but Tan Feng was still oblivious and continued to grin foolishly at Li Hui, who had turned around.

Li Hui's face lit up with joy: "Adao, I was just looking for you."

Yang Zhengdao looked helpless: "I can tell."

"Hey, what's with that attitude? I know you're leaving tomorrow, we'll talk about tonight..."

"I'm not going!"

Are you kidding me!

If a scandal were to break out in Pingkangfang at this time, wouldn't the "devoted lover" persona that had been built up be ruined?

Li Hui's mouth dropped open, then his eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "No way! No way! You haven't really fallen for someone else, have you?"

"What does it mean to fall in love with someone else? This is when I first realized true love and felt my heart truly moved."

"Very well!" Li Hui reined in the horses and walked alongside Yang Zhengdao, lowering his voice to say, "So, it's true that you're fond of Chang Le and that you wrote the poem?"

Li Hui must have heard it from Li Chengqian.

However, Yang Zhengdao was eager to spread the word of his "love" for Chang Le within the small circle of the second generation of nobles.

Yang Zhengdao sighed deeply: "Ahui, please stop making fun of me. I know I am not worthy of your kindness, but I cannot sever this bond, and I cannot bear to part with you."

Li Hui was taken aback; he suddenly felt that this love and affection was truly terrifying.

Yang Dalang has changed.

Yang Zhengdao breathed a sigh of relief; at least this guy hadn't mentioned Pingkangfang anymore.

Li Hui's mood also became low under Yang Zhengdao's influence.

He muttered, "What about Lady Yingluo? If you don't go soon, my stepmother might make her get all dolled up and start entertaining guests."

This……

Yang Zhengdao was also a bit overwhelmed.

As a college student, I absolutely cannot pull out...

Oh, it wasn't inserted either.

However, as a college student, I certainly cannot be heartless and ungrateful.

"Ah Dao, I can help you raise it for now."

"Huh?!" Yang Zhengdao was shocked. Could this guy be Cao Cao?

Li Hui was clearly unaware of Yang Zhengdao's misunderstanding. He was full of confidence: "Talented men have always been romantic. I believe you will change your mind."

Hey……

Yang Zhengdao felt a throbbing pain in his temples; he needed to make money.

He had to settle the old philandering debts left by the original owner; what kind of business was it to let Li Hui support him?

Minotaur, your whole family should die!

Yang Zhengdao only hoped that the system would be more efficient and could reveal some monetizable technologies, such as distilled liquor, fine salt purification, and traditional soap making.

[Current Mission: Explore Yongzhou]

[Mission Objective: Complete the check-in process in all seventeen counties under the jurisdiction of Yongzhou]

Current progress: 2/17

Besides Chang'an and Wannian counties, Yongzhou also has fifteen surrounding counties, which means fifteen chances to win a prize.

Moreover, there will definitely be an even bigger surprise after completing the mission of exploring Yongzhou.

Yang Zhengdao had already drawn up the check-in map.

The vast land begins with a single step; let's start from Yongzhou!