Little Sizi came to my house and became the family's darling, and Li Shimin got anxious.

Li Shimin turned to Empress Zhangsun, "Guanyinbi, about Gaoming's matter..."

Empress Zhangsun knew what he was going to say and nodded gently.

"Is Erlang worried that it's too early to tell Chengqian?"

"Hmm." Li Shimin walked with his hands behind his back towards the inner chamber of the Lizheng Hall, with Empress Zhangsun following beside him.

"Xiao Xun has agreed and said she would resolve the issue of her identity, but there's still no definite answer." Li Shimin entered the inner room and waved for the palace servants to leave.

"Gao Ming is sensitive and stubborn. He is self-conscious and depressed because of his leg ailment. For so many years, the imperial physicians have been helpless, and he has long given up hope. If we tell him now that there is a chance to treat him, he will be overjoyed and eagerly await the treatment."

"But what if something goes wrong with Xiao Xun, or the hospital can't help him, and this huge hope is dashed? He might not be able to bear it, and his condition will only get worse."

Empress Zhangsun immediately understood Li Shimin's deeper meaning after hearing this. If he gave him hope and then shattered it with his own hands, it would be more cruel than never having any hope at all.

Empress Zhangsun sat down by the couch and remained silent for a while.

"What Erlang is worried about is that being disappointed is more hurtful than having no hope at all."

"Yes." Li Shimin sat down opposite her. "So I think we should wait. Once Xiao Xun has settled her identity matters and it's ready for the trip, then we can talk to Gao Ming."

"Alright, let it be as you say, Erlang. It's best for you and me to know about this. We shouldn't tell Gaoming or anyone else."

The couple often share the same ideas on many things.

Peony Palace.

Princesses Qinghe and Princess Yuzhang, each carrying an exquisite brocade box, came together to visit Li Lizhi.

"Qinghe, Yuzhang, what brings you here so late?" Li Lizhi asked them to sit down.

Qinghe placed the brocade box on the table in front of Li Lizhi and opened it.

Inside was a small box of pearls.

Yu Zhang also opened his box, which contained two jade hairpins.

"Sister, we want to ask you for a favor."

"What is it?"

Qinghe: "Could you... next time you see your aunt, ask her to help us buy two cell phones? Like the ones my mother has, the ones that can take pictures?"

"Yes, sister, we'll trade this for it!" Yu Zhang pointed to the jewelry on the table. "This should be enough, right? If not, we'll go get more!"

Li Lizhi looked at her two younger sisters and felt a bit of a headache.

"I can't agree to this right away. I need to ask my aunt first, and if it's okay, I'll get back to you."

Qinghe and Yuzhang were both sensible and insightful people, so they naturally understood Li Lizhi's concerns and immediately nodded in understanding.

"Okay, we'll follow your arrangements, Sister. We're not in a hurry."

"Sister," Yu Zhang couldn't contain her curiosity and asked, "Besides cell phones, what else is fun to do over there? Tell us more!"

Qinghe watched longingly.

Li Lizhi thought for a moment and picked out some things she could say.

"The buildings over there are very tall, and it's brightly lit even at night. The iron carriages on the roads don't need horses; they can move on their own and are very fast. There are places that sell all kinds of food, some of which aren't even available in the palace. Women can go out freely to shop, go to school, or work..."

The two little girls listened intently, their eyes widening as their minds wandered into that fantastical world of their imaginations.

Yu Zhang couldn't help but sigh softly.

"I wish I could see it with my own eyes someday."

Ganlu Temple.

Li Shimin dismissed everyone, leaving him alone in the hall.

He went behind the desk and took out the Tang Dynasty history book that Li Lizhi had brought back from a hidden compartment.

A few days ago, Guanyinbi disappeared without a trace, and he was worried all day long, unable to eat or drink, so he had no mind to look at this.

Now that Guanyinbi has returned safely and is in good health, his worries have been completely relieved. He finally has time to calm down and read carefully how later generations view him and evaluate the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin stretched out his slender fingers and gently stroked the pages of the book.

His eyes were deep, and his mood was complex.

He was both apprehensive and somewhat arrogant.

He ushered in the prosperous Zhenguan era, worked diligently to govern the country, and brought peace and prosperity to the people. He considered his achievements outstanding and wanted to see how future generations would praise him.

However, he was also aware that his life was not perfect, and he didn't know how future generations would judge the Xuanwu Gate Incident alone.

……

Modern apartment.

Li Yinxun had a simple dinner with the little princess and helped Xiao Tuanzi wash up.

Today, the little princess ran around taking pictures and playing, which exhausted her a lot. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was breathing evenly and fell into a deep sleep.

Her little face was rosy, her mouth was slightly open, and she was sleeping soundly and peacefully.

Looking at the little princess sleeping soundly, Li Yinxun gently tucked her in, the smile on her face slowly fading.

His brows were furrowed, his heart filled with sorrow.

She kept thinking about Li Chengqian coming to treat her illness. Treating the illness was not a problem. If they went to a more expensive private hospital, no one would bother to check her identity.

The problem is that Li Shimin and his entourage would definitely need to appear in the modern world frequently, so their identities would be essential.

With the internet so developed and information so transparent, if a few people without household registration or identity documents suddenly appear out of nowhere, claiming to be from the deep mountains, they will definitely be trending on social media within tomorrow, attracting countless netizens to investigate and question them.

It would be impossible to explain at that time, and it would very likely expose the secret of time travel, with unimaginable consequences.

She scratched her hair, picked up her phone, and subconsciously scrolled through her WeChat Moments.

She was marking names when her fingers paused.

A post popped up: "Brother Peng's cross-border business, professionally solving all kinds of difficult problems, compliant and legal, welcome to inquire."

The accompanying picture shows a man in a suit, smiling smartly.

Li Yinxun's eyes lit up. This man was called Brother Peng, Guo Tao's college roommate. After graduation, he started a multinational business. He was said to have a wide network of connections and be reliable in handling matters.

After the college entrance examination, Guo Tao took her on a trip abroad, and she asked him to take care of her passport and other travel documents.

When we needed to send materials, they added each other on WeChat.

The two occasionally exchanged greetings during holidays; they weren't close friends, but they were acquainted.

She immediately opened the chat window.

[Peng, are you asleep? I have something urgent to ask you.]

After waiting a few minutes, they called back.

My sister-in-law rarely calls me, what's up? As long as it's not asking me to open an account on Mars, it's all good.

"Well, I have a special situation here. My friend's family are descendants of Chinese immigrants who settled overseas many years ago. Their ancestors lived in secluded Chinese communities overseas for generations, never returning to China, never obtaining any Chinese household registration documents, and having no identity verification whatsoever—they are essentially undocumented. They want to register their household in China. Do you think there's any way to do that?"

Peng Ge's computer showed "typing" for quite a while.

Don't they have any relatives living in the country?

"No," Li Yinxun replied, forcing herself to speak.

【This is a bit troublesome, sister-in-law. This is like a rootless duckweed; following the normal procedures, it's almost hopeless.】

Li Yinxun's heart sank.

【but】

Peng sent another message.

It's not entirely hopeless; there's still room for maneuver, but it takes time and requires some networking. The fees aren't cheap, 10 yuan per person, and you'll need to act as a guarantor. If that's acceptable, send me their information.