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

Holy crap!

Li Yu was completely stunned by this beastly operation.

However, considering the actions of Emperor Taizong (Li Er) and Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) in history, it becomes clear that the Li family was no less ruthless when it came to being beasts.

Thinking of this, Li Yu said to Wenren An, "Why don't you go back first? If you need manpower, I can send a few of my family retainers with you."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "By the way, take my waist token back with you too. I don't know if it will be useful. If it really doesn't work, Chu Mo and the others will go with you."

Wenren An waved his hand: "No need. My father has many old brothers working in the governor's mansion, so their safety is not a concern for the time being. It's more dangerous for you. Recently, men in black have been sneaking into the mansion, and I even shot one of them."

"I can go back after I've spent this time with you. The Xie family just wants the registrar in Changzhou to replace my father, because that registrar is a member of the Xie family."

"Alright!" Li Yu nodded, but did not express his gratitude. He simply said, "My father will be returning to court in the next few days. I will ask him to write a letter of divorce to the Xie family to temporarily protect your father's position. I believe the Xie family will still give our Zhao Prince's Mansion some face."

"Hmm." Wenren An nodded, and just as he was about to say something, he saw a family retainer on horseback coming from the front, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Upon closer inspection, the two realized that the man was Lai Fu, so they spurred their horses to go and meet him.

"Young Master! Hongling has come with urgent news!"

As the smoke cleared, Laifu, panting, said, "There's news from the Prince..."

"How is my father? Don't panic, tell me slowly!" Li Yu said anxiously.

"Hulao Pass has fallen, and the Prince..."

Upon hearing this, Li Yu's heart sank completely.

"His Highness led five thousand men through the encirclement, but is now severely wounded and unconscious. He is being escorted back to Chang'an by men sent by His Highness the Prince of Qin!"

"..."

The spring breeze grew increasingly noisy, making a buzzing sound as it hit people's ears.

Li Yu felt his vision go black and he almost fell off his horse, but fortunately Wenren An caught him in time.

"Where is my father now? What is the extent of his injuries?" After a long pause, Li Yu asked in a trembling voice.

Lai Fu replied tremblingly, "Young master, the escort team for the prince has already arrived in Shanzhou. Mr. Sun has already rushed there on horseback, and before leaving, he instructed his subordinates not to act rashly."

Li Yu couldn't help but act impulsively at this moment. He decided to turn his horse around and head to Shanzhou without even going home.

"Young Master! Young Master!"

Lai Fu hurriedly stopped Li Yu, "Madam also instructed me that you must not leave Chang'an without permission, lest something unexpected happen along the way!"

"Phew~"

Li Yu took a deep breath, realizing that he really couldn't act impulsively at this moment.

These past few days have been unsettling at home. If I were to leave the manor, leaving behind a large family of women and children, the Crown Prince and Prince Qi might take action.

Thinking of this, Li Yu gritted his teeth and said resentfully, "Return to the manor!"

.........

The vast Prince Zhao's mansion did not cease functioning despite the uncertainty surrounding the fate of its head.

The production of baijiu (Chinese liquor) continued, and the tea-frying apprentices trained by Lu Tong were also working busily.

The only exception was the cook in the Prince's mansion, who reheated the prepared food again and again, only to have it eventually taken back to the kitchen.

Not only Li Yu, but everyone in the Prince's mansion, except for Li Zhao who was still young and naive, even the usually domineering Liu Shi, quieted down.

The atmosphere in the mansion was extremely oppressive until the eldest grandson arrived with his sons, which eased the tension somewhat.

"My lady, you can rest assured. Erlang has already sent someone to deliver a message saying that Mr. Sun arrived in Shanzhou by fast horse three days ago."

"The old man didn't even have time to rest after dismounting before he began treating Xuanba. Xuanba's life has been saved; although he lost a leg, he is safe and sound."

Perhaps because they had prepared for the worst from the beginning, everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they heard the result from Changsun.

Especially Dugu Jin, who had been in a daze for the past few days because her husband's life was unknown, finally couldn't hold back her emotions and hugged Li Yu, wailing heartbreakingly.

Feeling his mother's tears streaming down his collar, Li Yu felt a wave of weariness wash over him.

He hadn't slept for several days because he was worried about Li Xuanba. Although Green Robe was always by his side, he felt incredibly lonely.

Every time Li Yu recalls the scene on the Shu Road where that man held him and wept, he can't help but shed tears...

"God, I'm never calling you 'Grandpa' again!"

These were his words when he saw his mother staring blankly at the family account books, and Liu Shi hiding in the pavilion, drinking and crying at the same time.

Hearing that his father was still alive made Li Yu feel much better.

It's just a broken leg; a prosthesis will do. As long as the person is alive, that's more important than anything else, more important than anything else...

.........

Li Yu didn't know how he got back to his bedchamber. He undressed under the help of a maid in green and fell asleep in a daze.

I slept relatively soundly, but because I was preoccupied with worries, I kept having dreams.

The dream has evolved from ancient times to the present, and there is even a scene where his father, Li Xuanba, and his father from a later life, with two blurry faces, are drinking and chatting happily at the dinner table.

One person boasted about how outstanding Li Yu was in school and how he sent money home every year after starting work.

Another person praised Li Yu for his quick thinking, saying that he single-handedly took charge of the entire Prince's mansion's finances.

Finally, the two embraced, and their blurry faces gradually became clear, revealing that they were identical.

The two figures gradually merged together, becoming Li Xuanba lying on the bed groaning in pain, his left leg a bloody mess.

Upon seeing this, Li Yu tried to shout, but couldn't utter a sound.

Finally, he woke up from his dream with a start, clutching his neck...

.........

"How long have I been asleep?" Li Yu's voice was a little hoarse as he woke up.

"Young Master, you've been asleep for two days and two nights," said the man in green, his eyes red, as he leaned over the headboard.

"You silly girl, haven't you been sleeping at all?" Li Yu said in a hoarse voice, rubbing the slightly messy hair of the girl in green.

"Young Master, Green Robe is scared..." Before she could finish speaking, Green Robe buried her face in Li Yu's chest and burst into tears.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid! I'm fine, young master, I'm just a little tired these past few days."

Li Yu perked up after hearing Green Robe cry.

Turning their heads, they found Li Chengqian, Cheng Chumo, Changsun Chong, and others standing beside them, looking at them with strange eyes.

"Ahem!"

Seeing Li Yu looking over, the group coughed awkwardly twice and said, "You guys continue, we didn't see anything... we didn't see anything..."

.........