Zhenguan: I, Dou Fengjie, will not be the first cuckold.

On the fifth day of February, Chang Chao.

Xu Yushi, a censor who had passed the imperial examination, stepped into the Taiji Hall, raised his bamboo tablet, and began to report: "I, Xu Yushi, the censor, impeach the Yongjia Princess's residence for violating the regulations of the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Water Resources by privately setting up a millstone at the Dongwei Bridge on the Wei River."

"The millstone blocks the irrigation water channel, which violates the decree that 'where there is water for irrigation, the millstone shall not compete for its benefits.'"

Young people entering officialdom for the first time generally believe that there is justice in the world, that the light of righteousness shines on everyone, and that everyone should be equal before the law.

There is always a burning passion, a feeling that the flame in one's heart has not been extinguished, and a belief that truth exists in the world.

Imperial Censor Xiao Yu couldn't help but exclaim "Eh!" in surprise that he actually had such a stubborn censor under his jurisdiction.

Even if Xu Yushi were to impeach a prince, it would be far better than impeaching Princess Yongjia.

Without the emperor's extra indulgence, could she have been so arrogant and domineering?

What's wrong with the eldest princess? There are nineteen eldest princesses in the Tang Dynasty. If every one of them were like this, how could the Tang Dynasty's decrees be implemented?

However, thinking about Xu Yushi's background, Xiao Yu felt relieved.

Like Tang Jian, Xu Yushi was also a close friend of Li Shimin, naturally giving him an extra layer of prestige compared to ordinary people.

Crown Prince Li Chengqian coughed lightly: "The matter of the Eldest Princess is under the jurisdiction of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, so let's not discuss it in court."

Li Chengqian and Princess Yongjia were about the same age and had a good relationship, so he naturally wanted to keep a low profile and then drink three cups of wine as punishment.

Many of the royal family members and powerful figures got away with their messy affairs in this way; even if someone was killed, they only had to pay 1.5 million coins in compensation.

The saying "human life is as cheap as grass" is sometimes not just a saying.

Prince Yue, Li Tai, straightened his chubby face: "Your Highness, I disagree with your opinion. The matter of Princess Yongjia is also a political matter. How can it be punished leniently behind closed doors by the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs?"

"Although the Eight Deliberations can exempt one from some of the charges, the matter still needs to be explained clearly."

"Does the actions of Princess Yongjia's residence constitute competing with the people for profit? Does it violate the regulations of the Waterways Department? Is anyone acting out of personal favoritism?"

The chubby boy understood perfectly well that since he had already offended his aunt by advocating against Princess Yongjia, he might as well go all the way and offend her to the end!

He cultivates an image of fairness and righteousness in the court, which will benefit his future bid for the throne!

"What the King of Yue said is absolutely right. He can be pardoned, but the truth must be thoroughly investigated."

"The Ministry of Water Resources should go to the Dongwei Bridge and dismantle this millstone."

Minister of Works Du Chuke chimed in.

Besides supporting Li Tai, it was also because major rivers like the Wei River were under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works and the Water Resources Department, making it impossible to push them to Yongzhou.

It's so frustrating, why can't we play Cuju (ancient Chinese football) anymore?

If it were a tributary like the Ba River or the Chan River, Du Chuke wouldn't bother to respond.

"Your subject, Wei Ting, seconded the motion."

Wei Ting, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, echoed this sentiment. He was a staunch supporter of the King of Yue and had no confidence in the Crown Prince.

The Wei family of Chang'an also wanted to use their merit in following the emperor to recreate the glory of Du Ruhui.

Li Chengqian looked around the hall and saw that very few people agreed with him, while Li Tai's words were met with overwhelming support, which made him uneasy.

Am I, the Crown Prince, truly all alone?

He was overthinking it. There weren't many people who supported the Crown Prince, and Li Tai's influence wasn't that widespread. The officials' response was based on the issue, not on the person.

The argument that the millstone was used to block irrigation is baseless.

Water-powered millstones were a highly profitable business in this era, and even temples would get involved.

Throughout the entire debate, Li Shenfu, the Minister of the Imperial Clan, seemed to have fallen asleep, his eyelids almost closed.

Let them fight it out; with the emperor protecting her, Princess Yongjia is bound to suffer some loss anyway.

Li Shimin sighed and ordered the Ministry of Water Resources to dismantle the millstone set up at the residence of Princess Yongjia at the Dongwei Bridge.

"Daxi Yongchang, the commander of the Yongjia Princess's residence, failed to perform his duties diligently and was fined one year's salary."

"King Li Tai of Yue is loyal to the country and is hereby appointed as General of the Left Guard and Grand Governor of Yangzhou. He does not need to take up the post."

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Upon hearing this news in his room at the Court of State Ceremonial, Dou Fengjie was speechless and then burst into laughter.

Alright, so all those officials were there to take the blame!

It was only because Xu Yushi had a powerful background that Dou Fengjie managed to leak this information to him.

As a result, even with the help of Li Tai's faction, they still got this outcome!

The only positive outcome was that Li Tai's influence in the court grew significantly, to the point where he could almost rival the Crown Prince.

As for Li Tai's symbolic official position, it seemed utterly useless at first glance, yet the Left Guard General and the subordinate officials of the Yangzhou Governor's Office couldn't help but pledge their loyalty to Li Tai.

It's hard to say whether the knife wore down the whetstone or the whetstone wore down the knife.

The prince, who must be feeling anxious and distraught from lack of love, must be in a state of panic.

The urgent message arrived in Chang'an City. It was reported from the city of Damomen of Tuyuhun that during the ceremony to confer the title of Qida Khan upon Murong Xiaojun, a passerby named Zhao Dekai was killed by Tuyuhun assassins.

The severity of the injuries wasn't mentioned in the urgical report, but the nature of the matter changed; it was just like the half-brother of the man selling naan—he was oblivious to his own fate.

The imperial court's expression changed, and they ordered the Court of State Ceremonial to properly entertain the Tuyuhun envoy, the Duke of Luoyang.

As a result, the supply of fodder for the Tuyuhun delegation's livestock was cut off, and the supply of salt was also stopped.

The members of the mission had to be accompanied by guards on the left and right when they went out, as if they were guarding prisoners.

Che Kun Chi Ding almost spent all his savings before he got the chance to meet with the Dianke Department.

"Shangguan, the assassination attempt really has nothing to do with me!"

Lord Luoyang wanted to cry but had no tears.

The Khan is too arrogant. He dares to do anything. Doesn't he know that this is blocking the path to peace talks?

"If it were related to you, I would have made you my target long ago."

Dou Fengjie made no attempt to hide the murderous intent in his eyes.

In times of war, it is a universally acknowledged rule not to kill envoys, let alone assassinate a Tang Dynasty envoy in such a despicable manner!

The Duke of Luoyang trembled.

"Shangguan, please spare my life! My Qilian horse is starving!"

Che Kun begged for mercy with a sob in his voice.

Dou Fengjie sneered, "Is it that I'm not giving you a way out? It's your Khan Busabo's fault! If he's so bold, why doesn't he just get a tube and sell his bile?"

Che Kunchi fell silent, tears streaming down his face, making Dou Fengjie want to give him two steamed buns.

After a long pause, Che Kunchiding made a difficult choice: "The Zhangye River, between Tuyuhun and Ganzhou, and the Qilian Mountains are the only places we can pass through."

"Two forces are stationed there, guarding against each other. One is my Chekun tribe, and the other is the line of the King of Da Ning."

With proper coordination, the Tang army could cross the Zhangye River and the Qilian Mountains, heading straight for Fusi City.

Even if we can't capture Murong Fuyun, we can still get him back on the racetrack.

Lian Po is old, can he still have food?

If Dou Fengjie were to chase after him on his donkey, he could make Murong Fuyun have diarrhea three times in half a day!

Unfortunately, Dou Fengjie was a civil official.

Even if he were to serve as a military supervisor, that would be the job of the Censorate, not Dou Fengjie.

As for Murong Shun's faction, it's not difficult to find them. Wasn't Yang Shen trying to find a way out for Murong Shun?

The problem is that Yang Shen never mentioned the Zhangye water issue.

Either he was a marginal figure, and Murong Shun hadn't told him this secret;

Alternatively, Murong Shun and Yang Shen may not have been sincere at all.