The Idle Man of Zhenguan Intercepts Wu Zetian at the Start

At this moment, Changsun Dan had no idea what Li Er was thinking. If the Dali Temple didn't know how he distilled his own wine, given Li Er's intelligence capabilities, he probably knew exactly how many times he had gone around in a day, since Meiyuan was buying up large quantities of cloudy wine. Changsun Dan was a high-end wine merchant and a buyer of cloudy wine. Now the Dali Temple was pinning the blame for the horse-riding incident on one of his potential suppliers.

If the real culprit is the Zheng or Li family, or even Changsun Chong, they are more likely than this wealthy merchant surnamed Zhu. However, the culprit that Li Er least wants to see is probably Changsun Chong. He is even more afraid that it will be found out to be Changsun Chong. Therefore, as long as there is even the slightest suspicion against Changsun Chong, Li Er hopes that the case will be closed in the current way.

In the eyes of the powerful and wealthy, other people's children committing crimes are considered heinous, while their own children committing crimes are considered to be young and ignorant. Moreover, Li Er is the supreme god of the Tang Dynasty, and all lives are in his hands. However, he has the same selfish desires as ordinary people, and even more so.

As for whether it was the Zheng or Li family, it didn't matter to Li Er at all. As long as he could save face, it didn't matter whether the aristocratic families died sooner or later. As for the few ordinary people who died, even in the eyes of the most benevolent monarch, it wouldn't cause the slightest ripple. Among the masses, the lives of ordinary people were just a string of cold numbers.

Changsun Dan smiled faintly. Now he knew the purpose of the bow on the dragon's desk. It could be a testament to his achievements, or it could be evidence of his crimes. A strange sense of desolation welled up in his heart.

"Minister Sun is a brilliant judge of cases, and this case is also well-founded. Now that the real culprit has been brought to justice, I am overjoyed."

Li Chengqian stood up at this moment:

"Your Majesty, I believe the real culprit in this case lacks sufficient motive. After all, Brother Tan's winery has not yet opened, so it has not affected him. Moreover, the wine merchant surnamed Zhu only supplies wine to small wine vendors in the community, so there is no competition between the two. Now that they are dead and there is no way to verify the facts, I am afraid the real culprit is still at large. In particular, the Imperial Stud Administration should continue to investigate. I believe that it is difficult for a mere clerk to commit such a huge case of horse trafficking, because foals must be concealed from birth, and after growing up, they have no branding but still mingle in the ranch and stables for many years. Unless the entire ranch administration is corrupt, it is more difficult than climbing to heaven."

Changsun Dan lowered his head, knowing he couldn't say these words himself, but the Crown Prince could.

Empress Zhangsun's coughing up blood has worsened recently, but she is worried that Erlang will put pressure on Dan'er, so she keeps it a secret. At this moment, she is sitting on the throne with great effort. Seeing the deep brotherly affection between Qian'er and Dan'er and their rapid growth, she feels relieved. She smiles slightly, her fair and beautiful face like a plum blossom that may fall at any moment after the rain.

Li Shimin raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing this, feeling immensely pleased. A faint smile appeared on his lips. Chengqian had become much bolder, and most importantly, quite intelligent. However, as the crown prince, sometimes the truth wasn't so important. He took a sip of tea and replied unhurriedly:

"This case involves Chang'an and seven lives. Under the Emperor's nose, if the case is not resolved soon, not only will the people of Chang'an be in a state of panic, but my Dali Temple will also be ridiculed by the world. As for the case of the horse racing incident, whether there are still any real culprits at large, you can slowly investigate on your own. As for the case of the military horses, Chengqian, you can order the Dali Temple to continue the investigation. Since it involves corruption in military supplies, it is not unreasonable for the Crown Prince's Palace to participate personally if necessary."

Li Chengqian had never considered this issue from the perspective of an emperor, but what his father said made sense. He glanced at Changsun Dan with some guilt, sat down, and quietly replied, "Yes." It was rare for his father to acknowledge his analysis, but he didn't feel much joy this time.

Li Shimin picked up the recurve bow and gently pulled it to a full draw:

"Zhijie came to the palace today and said that Qingzhi reads and takes walks every day, and has lost a lot of weight. After each conversation with you, she is radiant and even imitates the soldiers' drills. I am very curious, how did you do that!"

Changsun Dan thought to himself that Cheng Laohei had indeed scared him first, and then spoken well of him to Li Er, which made him feel a little relieved.

"I merely told the King of Yue that if he could persist for twenty-one days as I requested, he might be able to ride a horse to meet Your Majesty!"

Empress Zhangsun was thrilled upon hearing this: It would be wonderful if Tai'er could lose weight and be healthy. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and a few fine wrinkles appeared on her forehead, but she couldn't help but cover her mouth and cough softly. However, Zhangsun Dan heard a severe rales in her voice.

Historical records indicate that although Empress Zhangsun died in June of the tenth year of Zhenguan, he himself had been reborn, and the course of history may have changed. If she had died earlier, he was afraid that he would have followed her. In his anxiety, he did not care that he was present in front of the palace and hurriedly walked to the Empress's side.

Li Er's personal guard drew his sword with a clang, and Wang Youde felt a chill run down his spine. He wanted to reach out and stop him, but then sighed and closed his eyes.

Li Shimin coldly watched Changsun Dan. The boy was standing properly below when he suddenly rushed forward. However, he had no weapon in his hand, so the guards probably wouldn't want to kill him. They simply stood still and watched coldly.

Empress Zhangsun knew that Dan'er had come to see her. She was about to stand up and stop the guards when she suddenly felt weak and started coughing violently while sitting on the gold-threaded prayer mat.

Ignoring everything, Changsun Dan rushed onto the dragon throne. Two swords slammed heavily onto his shoulders, causing his legs to buckle and him to stumble and kneel on the ground. The excruciating pain made the muscles on his face twitch uncontrollably, and tears streamed down his face. Despite the pain, he still managed to hold Empress Changsun's right hand tightly, pry open her palm, and take the bloodstained silk handkerchief into his own.

The two guards exchanged a glance, unsure whether to remove the sword held to his neck or not. Li Shimin had been so focused on speaking that he hadn't noticed Guanyinbi coughing up blood again. Feeling guilty, he waved his hand, and the two guards quickly sheathed their swords and retreated.

Wang Youde's eyes welled up with tears. This child was filial; a bow could scare him so much that he dared not enter the door, but if the Empress coughed, he would truly risk his life!

Seeing that Dan'er couldn't stop crying, and that he had taken her handkerchief again, Empress Zhangsun forced a smile and gently wiped his eyes with the back of her hand:

"Auntie is fine, Dan'er, don't worry."

Changsun Dan was not a doctor, and his knowledge of pathology came entirely from short videos and his own experiences when he was sick. The blood the Empress coughed up was not as bright red as before; some of it had clotted and turned slightly black.

If this continues, it will be difficult to last another four months. His shoulder was so painful that he couldn't stop crying. He was so frightened that his body trembled uncontrollably. Li Shimin and Li Chengqian saw this and their hearts were in their throats!

Empress Zhangsun felt a surge of warmth in her heart, both moved and heartbroken. Last time, when Sizi choked on a jujube, he lost control in the same way and almost lost his life. She had only coughed once, yet Dan'er still hadn't learned his lesson. She feared his reckless nature would eventually lead to disaster. For the first time in front of the Second Prince, she spoke to the imperial guards:

"This child is easily agitated. If he is the one who causes trouble in the future, please be lenient and do not use weapons on him..."

Changsun Dan's tear ducts, which she had finally managed to hold back, broke down again. Human good and evil are irrelevant to everything else…