The Idle Man of Zhenguan Intercepts Wu Zetian at the Start

Chaos had broken out around the Empress. The accompanying imperial physician rushed forward and saw that the princess's skin was already reddish-purple, her eyes were wide open but only the whites of her eyes were visible, and her body was beginning to twist and convulse. He was at a loss and wanted to check her pulse first, but Li Shimin kicked him hard and sent him flying, roaring:

"Get out, you useless piece of trash!!!"

Empress Zhangsun was so frightened that her face turned ashen, and tears streamed down her face like broken beads. She couldn't utter a single word, but kept patting Sizi's back with her hands.

With a gleaming sword at his neck, Changsun Dan regained his composure after witnessing the sudden turn of events.

The ox's throat was bulging; it had something stuck in its throat!

The ancients did not know the Heimlich maneuver, and if they continued to fuss over it like this, the rhinoceros would surely die.

Changsun Dan instinctively lunged forward, slashing a thin, bloody gash across his neck with his sword. Ignoring the pain, he snatched Sizi from the Empress's arms, pressing his chest against Sizi's back, wrapping his left arm around her waist, and repeatedly thrusting his right fist upwards into her abdomen while his legs bounced up and down incessantly.

Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun were both stunned by Zhangsun Dan's sudden strange behavior. The guard who was escorting him was so frightened that he almost lost his life. Thinking that he wanted to kidnap the rhinoceros, he rushed forward. However, since His Majesty had not given an order, he could not kill him on the spot. He raised his sword and slashed it hard at Zhangsun Dan's head.

……

"You son of a bitch, you hit me with a club..."

Before Changsun Dan fainted, he punched Sizi hard in the abdomen. A gust of air rushed up, and Sizi cried out. The jujube was also spit out of his throat and onto the ground.

Li Shimin collapsed onto the dragon throne, utterly distraught. Changsun Dan fainted, and Si Zi also fell to the ground. Palace maids quickly rushed forward to pick her up.

Empress Zhangsun took the baby and saw that although the baby was breathing rapidly, her complexion was slowly recovering. Her heart, which had fallen to the bottom of her feet, finally returned to its original position.

The incident happened so suddenly that the ministers hadn't had time to react, but they all breathed a sigh of relief knowing that the prince was safe. They also secretly envied Changsun Dan's luck—this kid always manages to escape from a seemingly hopeless situation.

The Imperial Guard who had knocked Changsun Dan unconscious stepped on his head, holding a knife, unsure of what to do.

Empress Zhangsun, carrying the baby, stumbled over the table, forcefully shoved the Imperial Guard, and knelt down to pull Zhangsun Dan away, her voice urgent:

"Dan'er, Dan'er."

Seeing that his mother was worried, Li Chengqian and Li Tai stepped forward to help Changsun Dan sit up on the carpet.

Empress Zhangsun cried out urgently:

"Imperial Physician!"

The imperial physician was kicked to the ground by Li Shimin and was so frightened that he dared not get up. When the empress shouted, he grabbed a lifeline. He had no choice but to help the prince since his throat was blocked. It was still easier to save him if he was knocked unconscious. He picked up a cup of tea and splashed it hard on Changsun Dan's face.

Tea and blood flowed down Changsun Dan's neck and into his body. Startled by the chill, Changsun Dan shivered, opened his eyes blankly, and slowly woke up.

Li Shimin naturally knew that Changsun Dan had risked his own life to save Sizi, and he was slightly moved. He gave the Qianniu Guards a look.

The Imperial Guard was stunned and at a loss when the Empress pushed him. He was in a state of panic. At this moment, His Majesty gestured for him to quickly wipe the cold sweat from his forehead and back away.

The imperial physician Meng Shen, a name and figure in history, was no quack. He took the medicine box and carefully treated Changsun Dan's wounds, silently thanking him a thousand times over. If it weren't for this Wannian County magistrate, he would probably be dead here today.

After washing away the bloodstains, Changsun Dan sat down and bowed, his face still showing signs of fear.

"Your Majesty, Aunt, please forgive my hasty departure. I did not mean to, but I simply do not know how to ride a horse..."

Empress Zhangsun held Sizi in her arms, looking at Zhangsun Dan with pity. This child was destined to be her family's savior, showing no regard for his own safety. If the Imperial Guards hadn't held back and killed him with a single blow, who would have stood up for him?

Li Shimin regained his composure, his imperial demeanor as steady as Mount Tai. He raised his wine cup and said calmly:

"If you can't ride a horse, why are you riding one?"

Changsun Dan thought to himself, "Fang Xuanling is known for his cunning and decisiveness. He must be a man of deep scheming, as he is mentioned in historical records." Seeing his own Ferghana horse, Changsun Dan guessed the reason. He figured he might as well do Changsun Dan a favor now.

"Your Majesty, I originally came by carriage... but the roads were crowded, so I abandoned the carriage and proceeded on foot. On the way, I happened to encounter Fang Yi'ai patrolling the streets with his horse. I was worried that I might delay Your Majesty's journey, so I begged him to lend me his horse. However, the horse was unfamiliar to me, and I couldn't control it at all..."

Changsun Dan's methods of saving lives were unheard of, and Li Shimin was more inclined to believe that he was Yuan Tiangang's disciple. At this moment, his confidence in his treatment of Guanyinbi increased even more.

Originally, I just wanted to scare him and teach him a lesson. Now that he has made such a great contribution and looks so humble and fearful, my anger has long since dissipated. As for Fang Yi'ai, he is indeed a lucky star of the Li family. Whenever Changsun Dan gets into trouble, he is always there and always manages to get things done by accident. It seems that he is old enough to be tempered and trained to become a trusted confidant for Chengqian.

Li Shimin raised his wine cup and said with a smile, "Minister Fang, your second son is a kind-hearted man who is also very diligent in his work. Let him be the Right Guard General and concurrently serve as the Crown Prince's Gatekeeper."

Upon hearing this, Li Tai remained unmoved, raised his cup first, and said with a smile, "Your subject Tai congratulates Chancellor Fang."

Li Chengqian hurriedly picked up his wine cup, but the cup tilted, spilling some wine onto his sleeve before he even realized it.

"Your subject Qian congratulates Chancellor Fang."

Fang Xuanling quickly rose to return the greeting: "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty; thank you, Crown Prince; thank you, Prince Yue."

He downed a glass of wine with his head held high, feeling both happy and somewhat depressed. His foolish son's path to promotion was simply too unbelievable; whenever Wannian County suffered a disaster, he would inevitably be promoted.

By appointing Yi'ai as an official in the Crown Prince's Palace, His Majesty has clearly paved the way for His Highness the Crown Prince. His usual strictness seems to stem from deep love and concern.

Empress Zhangsun saw that Zhangsun Dan was still standing there, disheveled and dazed, and gently called out to him:

"Jiro..."

Li Shimin's expression softened: "Young man, I'll settle your score with you later. Please take a seat first."

Changsun Dan wiped away his sweat, a huge weight lifted from his heart. This world was terrifying; even the emperor didn't need to execute people in autumn to behead them. He quickly retreated to the back, where there was still an empty seat. He hurriedly sat down.

Cheng Yaojin looked at Fang Xuanling, grinned, and laughed heartily:

"Hey Lao Fang, how come your second son is so lucky? When are you going to teach my unfilial son Cheng Chubi a lesson? He's not young anymore, and he hasn't even been promoted to a Thousand Oxen Guard."

Fang Xuanling's face turned red, but he felt a little smug inside. "My silly son is a lucky charm."

The atmosphere below the stage returned to its lively state. Along the central axis of Chang'an City, on the 20-30 meter wide Zhuque Avenue, various lantern riddle-solving activities, acrobatics, puppet shows, and other performances were held in succession.

Everyone temporarily forgot their troubles and partied all night long, while Li Shimin frowned:

"My esteemed ministers, there has been a snow disaster in Youzhou and Jizhou. The Crown Prince and the Prince of Yue have both offered suggestions. I would like to hear your opinions."

(I'm a new author with a new book, so I don't dare ask for anything. I welcome your feedback on the quality of the writing, and even a few criticisms are welcome. I'm a very open-minded and humble author.)