Tang Dynasty: Starting at Xuanwu Gate, this prince is better off not being one.

"My father?"

Upon hearing that something had happened to Li Xuanba, Li Yu became extremely anxious.

"What's the panic? Your father is perfectly fine."

Hearing Li Er say this, Li Yu finally felt relieved and asked curiously, "What is the situation with my father?"

"Your father is currently trapped at Hulao Pass by Dou Jiande and Wang Shichong's army of 100,000 men."

Upon hearing this, Li Yu immediately became restless, so much so that he didn't hear a word of what Li Er said afterward.

Is this what you call "all right"? We're surrounded by an army of 100,000, and you expect me not to panic?

"I told you not to panic, what kind of behavior is this!" Li Er said casually, glancing at Li Yu.

"No way! My father only brought 50,000 men, and they're trapped in an encirclement by 100,000. How can I sit idly by?"

"Who said your father brought 50,000 men?"

He had only mounted his horse halfway when, upon hearing Li Er's words, Li Yu silently withdrew his raised foot. But before his foot even touched the ground, he was terrified by Li Er's next words.

"Your father only brought 20,000 men, and now their food supplies have been cut off. They are barely surviving on the remaining food in the city."

"..."

Li Yu had only spurred his horse a few steps when he suddenly realized, "The grain is in the city? My father has already breached the city?"

"Otherwise what? So you've been ignoring everything I've been saying?"

"No, not at all! I was just worried about my father, so I was a little anxious."

Having calmed down temporarily, Li Yu smiled politely on the surface, but inwardly he was already cursing.

That damned Li Er, that whole family loves to keep things a secret, it's made my heart race to this day...

Military strategy states that if your forces outnumber the enemy by five times, then attack the city.

This means that as long as the old man doesn't encounter any unexpected events while defending the city, the enemy will always be the first to retreat.

After all, the amount of food needed for an army of 100,000 is not small. With my father's military talent, it shouldn't be a problem to hold out until the enemy retreats.

It's important to understand that in this world, Li Xuanba's title of "Prince of Zhao of the Western Prefecture" wasn't earned by competing with Yuwen Chengdu in hammer-wielding as depicted in the novel. Rather, it was bestowed upon him by Li Yuan based on his outstanding military achievements.

So even if he can't compare to a monster like Li Er, he's still more than capable of defending a city.

Given this, Li Yuan must have received the news, which is why he sent Li Er to cut off the enemy's food supply.

But wouldn't he be afraid that his two sons, who are closely related, would lead a large army to force him to abdicate?

After all, the current crown prince is still Li Jiancheng. Li Yu doesn't believe that Li Er, an ambitious and powerful man, would be so content.

A story that has been played out once will not lie.

"That's why I told you to behave yourself during this time. You and Chengqian are essentially hostages left in Chang'an by Father, understand, boy?"

Li Er's ability to see through other people's thoughts is indeed terrifying.

"Nephew will remember this."

.........

On his way back to the mansion, Li Yu finally witnessed what it meant to have immense power.

The Marquis Wu, who had previously refused to allow himself to ride a horse in the city, surprisingly opened the city gates for Li Er without any scruples, even though it was already curfew time.

Back at the Prince's residence, the eldest grandson and his mother were chatting with a Taoist priest in the main hall, occasionally letting out silvery laughter, appearing extremely happy.

Upon seeing Li Er bring Li Yu in, the three of them stood up, and the old Taoist priest even stepped forward to greet Li Er.

"Master Yuan, you are too kind. Besides asking about this year's harvest, I have another request to make."

"Your Highness, please speak freely."

Li Yu rarely saw Li Er being so polite to anyone; the last person he had seen like that was Sun Simiao.

Who exactly is this old Taoist priest? How could he have the same influence as Old Sun? Master Yuan? Could he be Yuan Tiangang?

As if to confirm his suspicions, the next moment, Li Yu was pulled in front of the old Taoist priest by Li Er. "This is my nephew, Li Yu, the eldest son of Xuan Ba. This child was lost before he was even a month old, and was not recognized by his ancestors until he was eight years old."

"At the time, I was in a state of mental confusion. It wasn't until recently, when I suffered a near-death experience, that my headaches were unexpectedly cured."

"I have inquired with Master Sun, but I still cannot understand the cause of his illness. Therefore, I would like to trouble you to calculate whether this boy's headaches will recur in the future?"

After explaining his intentions, Li Er nudged Li Yu again: "This is Master Yuan Tiangang, also known as Xuanweizi. Young man, go and pay your respects quickly."

Since Li Er had spoken, Li Yu had no reason not to pay his respects. Moreover, considering the other party's age of fifty or sixty, it was only right to pay a visit.

He then clasped his hands in a fist salute, bowed, and said, "Junior Li Yu pays respects to Master Yuan!"

After bowing, Li Yu secretly sized up the other person.

He wore a turban and a plain Taoist robe. His face was thin and his long beard flowed freely, giving him a somewhat otherworldly and Taoist air.

In fact, Li Yu had always been a materialist who respected ghosts and gods but kept his distance from them. It wasn't until he experienced the absurdity of time travel that he was forced to develop a sense of awe for the mysterious things called metaphysics.

Now that the legendary diviner who supposedly predicted Wu Zetian's fate as emperor is standing right in front of me, it would be a lie to say I'm not curious.

Like Li Yu, Yuan Tiangang looked him up and down before bowing slightly and saying, "May you live a long and blessed life! I dare not accept Your Highness's great courtesy, but I would like to ask Your Highness to tell me your birth date and time."

"That's natural."

Although we didn't ask for this person, we still couldn't let Li Er's good intentions go to waste.

So Li Yu ordered someone to bring him a pen and paper, wrote down his birth date and time on the paper, and handed it to Yuan Tiangang.

Yuan Tiangang did not accept Li Yu's birth date and time. Instead, he bowed slightly and said solemnly, "The essence of divination lies in sincerity. Therefore, I ask Your Highness to dismiss your attendants for now and concentrate your mind."

Upon hearing this, Dugu Jin and Changsun both stood up, bowed gracefully to Li Er and Yuan Tiangang, and then left the main hall with their servants.

For a moment, only Li Yu, Li Er, and Yuan Tiangang remained in the main hall.

Seeing that Li Er remained unmoved, Yuan Tiangang calmly glanced at him without saying anything and took the paper from Li Yu's hand.

After glancing at Li Yu's birth date and time, he folded the paper.

After folding it, he pinched one corner of the paper with two fingers, then shook it while muttering something.

The next moment, a shocking scene unfolded: the paper with the birth date and time written on it suddenly burst into flames and turned to ashes in an instant.

Looking at the ashes scattered on the ground, Li Yu was so shocked that he couldn't speak. He really wanted to ask the old Taoist how he had done it.

However, after smelling a pungent, fishy odor, Li Yu's expression gradually calmed down.

This is just white phosphorus!

.........