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

On the fifth day of the fourth month, a regular court session was held.

Hou Junji's campaign to invade Tuyuhun continues to captivate public attention, with the vast majority still awaiting the outcome.

In their view, the Tuyuhun Kingdom, with its thousand chariots, should not have difficulty resisting an isolated army, and the Zhangye army might not be able to capture Fusi City.

However, they overlooked one point: the most famous event of the Tuyuhun ruler, Busabo Khan, since the Sui Dynasty was his escape.

Imperial Censor Zhang Wencong stepped forward, holding his imperial tablet, and said: "Your subject Zhang Wencong has a memorial to report. The Zhangye army is isolated and deep in enemy territory, and it is not advisable for them to stay in Tuyuhun for an extended period of time. I request Your Majesty to recall them."

The censors have the power to check and balance the troops and generals. The Censorate is often full of hidden talents. Who knows if Zhang Wenzong is such a genius?

Li Shimin chuckled: "The Zhangye army has secretly reported that they have already captured Fusi City and are leading prisoners and livestock across the Zhangye River. Their vanguard has already reached the Ganzhou area."

Laughter filled the court, and even the expressions on the faces of the senior officials softened considerably.

The Imperial Censor Quan Wanji slowly stepped forward, his face clouded as he raised his tablet: "Your Majesty, I, Quan Wanji, impeach Your Majesty for the inappropriate bestowal of funerary objects. There are clear standards for funerary objects, and Your Majesty should not have bestowed too many funerary objects upon Duke Dou Fengjie because of his merits."

Amidst a cold laugh, the young master craftsman Yan Lide stepped out of the class.

"Does the Censorate now just spout off whatever comes to mind without conducting any investigation?"

"Whether Dou Fengjie included funerary objects with Dou Gui in his burial, wouldn't it be clear if we went to Dou Gui's tomb to find out?"

"Who told the Imperial Censor that funerary objects must be buried with the deceased? Why can't they be sold?"

Yan Lide started spewing nonsense as soon as he opened his mouth.

He led the Zhen official to trade tricolor glazed pottery with Dou Fengjie. Under the cover of Li Shimin's gift of dozens of tricolor pottery pieces to Dou Fengjie, he was confident that even the gods could not find out the problem.

Therefore, he had to uphold the emperor's act of bestowing the tricolor glazed pottery upon Dou Fengjie.

What does "community of shared interests" mean?

"The court had nothing to reward him with, so it granted Dou Fengjie's request to give him a tricolor glazed pottery."

"Although there are some minor flaws, they still fall short of Dou Fengjie's great achievements."

"If the Supervising Censor feels this is inappropriate, why don't you two switch positions and see if you can achieve such merit?"

Changsun Huan, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, gave him a disdainful look.

So annoying! All you do all day is nitpick other people's little flaws. If you're so capable, why don't you go and achieve something great yourself?

Quan Wanji's dark face instantly turned red to the roots of his ears, leaving him in a dilemma.

He did not expect that Changsun Huan would stand up for Dou Fengjie and refute him by offering to exchange official positions.

If he could achieve such feats, he would have already looked down on all the other officials; why would he be willing to be subordinate to Xiao Yu?

Strange, didn't we hear before that Changsun Huan and Dou Fengjie didn't get along when they were at the Imperial Academy?

Why did Changsun Huan stand up for Dou Fengjie?

Quan Wanji was naturally unaware that even now, Changsun Huan and Dou Fengjie's relationship was not considered close.

With the Minister of State Ceremonies absent, Changsun Huan, the Vice Minister of State Ceremonies, took it upon himself to take care of the Court of State Ceremonies and automatically began protecting his own. Quan Wanji became the chicken used as a warning to others.

Li Shimin gave Yan Lide a half-smile: "To reward meritorious officials, the Imperial Workshop may trade any surplus tricolor glazed pottery with that brat."

Yan Lide responded, but his undergarment was soaked with sweat.

Although the Taiji Hall is hot, it's not that bad. He's just afraid!

The private deal between the Directorate of Works and Dou Fengjie could not escape the emperor's watchful eye.

Fortunately, Li Shimin did not pursue the matter, but instead opened a door for the Directorate of Works to openly circumvent the law.

Of course, it was also because it wasn't a transaction involving sensitive materials like weapons or pig iron; otherwise, the former General Tian Ce wouldn't have hesitated to wield the butcher's knife.

Quan Wanji then belatedly realized that what he thought was a handle was actually the emperor's blatant indulgence.

Cui Dunli, Vice Minister of War, stepped forward and raised his tablet: "The Zhangye army has also captured Murong Shun, the King of Daning of Tuyuhun, and his son Nuohebo. They will soon return to the capital with the General."

"Your Majesty, please advise on how to settle the Prince of Da Ning."

Li Shimin glanced at Liu Shan, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, who raised his tablet and said, "In my humble opinion, we should follow the old precedent of the Sui Dynasty and confer upon Murong Shun the title of Prince of Xiping and the title of Khan of Lü Wugandou."

Cheng Yaojin was baffled, while Tang Jian, Changsun Wuji, and other civil officials couldn't help but laugh.

These titles and the title of Khan were bestowed by Emperor Yang of Sui, Yang Guang. However, when Murong Shun went to take up his post in high spirits, he discovered that his father had been restored to the throne!

This is a disastrous investiture, and it will only lead to Murong Shun repeating the same mistake.

Liu Shan, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, is also a bad guy!

"Your subject Zhao Hong'an reports: The heir apparent of the Prince of Xiping, Nuohebo, is too young to endure the back-and-forth travel. It would be better to let him enter the Imperial Academy so that he can properly learn the profound culture of the Tang Dynasty."

The finance official Zhao Hong'an came up with an idea.

Studying at the Imperial Academy was secondary; serving as a hostage was the primary goal.

"Your Majesty, the Minister of Agriculture, Li Xuanjiang, was sent as an envoy to Pyongyang. He greatly criticized the arrogance of Lu Qian Taizuo's son, Qian Gaisuwen, and imprisoned him in a cellar for ten days."

"Your humble servant Dou Jing, though unworthy, is willing to lead an army to attack Goguryeo!"

Dou Jing, the Minister of Agriculture, with his beard and hair standing on end, raised his tablet and roared.

Only now does he realize how ruthless Dou Fengjie was in sending officials from the Ministry of Agriculture to act as envoys!

That nephew seemed to have known all along what would happen to Xiangli Xuanjiang; it was all a calculated plan!

Those officials in the Taicang Bureau are no longer acceptable; they do nothing good and only cause trouble and make enemies for the Ministry of Agriculture!

Even with Dou Niangzi mediating, Dou Jing still felt extremely aggrieved, as she was severely reprimanded by a younger generation.

Although the Vice Minister of Agriculture, Wu Shiling, remained silent, his silence was even more unsettling than if he had spoken out.

After all, Xiangli Gensho and Wushi Ling are related by blood.

King Yeongnyu of Goguryeo, Go Geonmu, and Daede Lu Qian Taejo, always treated the Tang Dynasty with respect for ghosts and gods but kept their distance. However, the young Western governor, Qian Gaesomun, felt that this was too humiliating.

Moreover, the imperial edict from the Tang Dynasty specifically named him and ordered him to come to Chang'an as a hostage!

By not taking Xiangli Xuan's life and not subjecting him to further humiliation, Qian Gaisuwen had already shown that he had retained his rationality.

"Your Highness, what do you think?"

Li Shimin asked Li Chengqian a meaningful question.

Li Chengqian stood proudly: "The Goguryeo clowns are nothing but clowns; we should raise our army and crush them, reclaiming Liaodong!"

Having served as crown prince for several years, Li Chengqian had a good understanding of the situation. Without the coordinated efforts of the three armies, it would be impossible to capture Liaodong.

The Tang Dynasty used 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers as one army, and the three armies had at least 60,000 soldiers.

Li Tai's chubby face twitched: "Your Highness, I dare not agree with your words."

"The troops in Zhangye on the western front have not yet returned, and three more armies have been dispatched on the eastern front. With troops on two fronts, money, food, and manpower are all in short supply."

"Moreover, King Rongliu submitted a memorial apologizing and expressed his willingness to allow the Tang Dynasty to send people across the Liao River to collect the remains of the Sui Dynasty soldiers."

Li Chengqian glared at Li Tai: "Does the King of Yue think that our Tang envoys can suffer such humiliation?"

"Your Highness, you have to eat one bite at a time. You can't just swallow a whole bowl of rice in one gulp, can you?" Li Tai retorted helplessly.

Even if troops were to be sent out of Liaodong, it couldn't have happened in the fifth year of the Zhenguan era.

Should we coordinate the supply of provisions, armor, weapons, and garrison troops?

Should we calculate the costs involved in recruiting soldiers?