The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

When Li Shimin stormed out, he saw Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, Changsun Wuji and others being chased and attacked by Chen Huai'an.

He could be described as one person dominating the entire field.

Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, and others were still there watching the excitement.

Li Shimin twitched the corner of his mouth, knowing he couldn't get involved, and quickly shouted, "Alright, what kind of place is this? What kind of behavior is this?"

Chen Huai'an then stopped, threw down the snowball in his hand, and raised his head, as proud as a rooster.

On the contrary, Wei Zheng and others were all knocked down and ran away in a sorry state, their eyes full of resentment.

Li Shimin found it amusing and quickly sent someone into the palace.

After everyone was seated, no one spoke for a moment. Du Ruhui and the others were still looking at Chen Huai'an with resentment.

"Why are you all staring at me? Can't you handle this?" Chen Huai'an glanced at the crowd. "Do you still think my snowball is small?"

"Hmph!" Wei Zheng brushed the snow off his clothes and sneered, "It's a fact that I'm minor, so can't I even say it?"

After saying that, he couldn't help but laugh.

He was fine when he was happy, but when he did, Chen Huai'an and everyone in the hall laughed, including Li Shimin.

The reason Li Shimin did not blame Chen Huai'an and the others was that he knew they were all under great pressure recently. Chen Huai'an was carrying a huge financial burden, and Du Ruhui, the Minister of War, was also under great pressure because he had to send troops to Liang Shidu and prepare for war against the Eastern Turks.

Changsun Wuji felt uneasy hearing the recent rumors about the excessive power of the maternal relatives.

Wei Zheng had just returned from the disaster area and was probably exhausted, both physically and mentally.

Fang Xuanling wasn't exactly having an easy time either.

Li Shimin knew very well that everyone was human, and even he himself sometimes felt confused and needed Empress Zhangsun's comfort.

Besides, what about the group of people who have always followed and assisted him?

"Wei Zheng, Wang Gui, Wen Yanbo, and Sun Fujia, my dear ministers, you have worked hard for the past few months." Li Shimin raised his cup. "Come, let us, ruler and ministers, drink together, firstly to celebrate your safe return, and secondly to celebrate the suppression of the impact of the frost disaster."

He paused, then turned to Chen Huai'an and said, "By the way, Huai'an, is the cup I gave you too small? Should I send someone to get you a bigger one?"

Chen Huai'an: "..."

He was genuinely amused and exasperated; were these people just making jokes?

"Your Majesty, I feel that my official duties are too busy. I am already feeling exhausted and my body is getting worse. I would like to rest for a while."

"Look at you, so impatient!" Li Shimin laughed. "If you hadn't insisted on saying they were too young, would we have bothered teasing you about this?"

Upon hearing this, many good-natured laughs erupted in the hall.

Changsun Wuji spoke up fairly: "Duke Anguo, Feng Qiao'er is only four years younger than you. That difference is negligible. At her age, many women in our Tang Dynasty would already be mothers. Yet you say she's young."

"Aren't you just looking for trouble?"

Chen Huai'an was somewhat helpless. What could he do?

Having the soul of a modern person, he did have some reservations about this matter.

Besides, what if Shen He disagrees?

"Alright!" Li Shimin waved his hand. "Since you say she's too young, but she'll be eighteen next year, I'll issue an imperial decree to grant you a marriage. You can finalize the marriage this year, and then get married next year. No one will be able to find fault with it, how about that?"

"It's just so happens that Feng Zhidai is here today. As Feng Qiao'er's elder brother, he should have the right to make decisions."

Feng Zhidai pondered for a moment and then said, "Your Majesty, I have no objection. This is the best arrangement!"

Chen Huai'an knew very well that if he refused again, he would be disrespecting everyone.

Feng Qiao'er really went all out.

He always remembered Pei Ju's words, which helped him integrate into this era.

He can't fit into many things, but if he can't even fit into this aspect, then that's really going too far.

He didn't understand why Li Shimin wanted him to marry Feng Qiao'er, at least... Chen Huai'an didn't resist Feng Qiao'er.

After all... a great beauty has offered herself up, and she comes with unimaginable resources. The key point is that this is something the emperor wants to facilitate, so there's no need to refuse.

"I have no objection; it is entirely up to Your Majesty to decide." Chen Huai'an paused for a moment before finally relenting.

Li Shimin was pleased: "Very well, since that's the case, I will issue an edict today to bestow a marriage upon you!"

"I am waiting to drink your wedding wine."

"Congratulations, Mr. Chen!" This time, Wei Zheng didn't cause any trouble and genuinely raised his glass to offer his congratulations.

Others also offered their congratulations, and Chen Huai'an responded to each one.

Finally, Chen Huai'an took the initiative to toast Feng Zhidai, who was about to become his brother-in-law.

Feng Zhidai felt a little uneasy.

Firstly, it's because my younger sister, whom I've watched grow up, is getting married, and secondly... it seems like they're the ones who are actively pursuing me.

As the elder brother, Feng Zhidai was naturally unhappy.

Of course, he also knew that these things were not Chen Huai'an's fault.

Since this was essentially a political marriage, and everyone had their own considerations, Chen Huai'an's actions were not problematic before he had figured out Li Shimin's intentions.

Fortunately, Chen Huai'an offered him a toast, which made him feel much better.

"Alright, this matter is settled then." Li Shimin said casually, "Look, it's already November, and the first year of Zhenguan will soon be over."

"Huai'an said that there might be a major locust plague next year, and I have also seen a large number of locust eggs that have been dug out during land reclamation."

"This matter should not be underestimated, much less taken lightly."

"Huai'an has made many preparations, but I still feel it's not enough!" Li Shimin said sternly. "Now that we know in advance, I think we can make even more preparations."

"You should discuss this matter first and come up with a plan, then we can discuss it in detail later!"

"Your Majesty, we obey!" Everyone stood up and responded.

No one dares to underestimate the locust plague.

That's a terrible natural disaster that can easily cause a complete crop failure.

"Your Majesty, there is one more thing," Changsun Wuji said at this moment. "Since the Zhenguan era, the court has appeared stable, but in reality, it is extremely lacking in talent."

"For example, the Duke of Anguo held two positions simultaneously; there are many such examples."

"Just now, the Duke of Anguo himself said that he usually holds the positions of Minister of two ministries, and his official duties are too busy. It's okay in the short term, but in the long term, no one can handle it."

"There is a shortage of capable officials in the imperial court."

"Sometimes, when a position becomes vacant, it takes a long time to find a replacement. This problem cannot be ignored any longer."

Li Shimin frowned; Changsun Wuji had already been tactful enough.

It wasn't that there were no capable people in the court; rather, there were many people that Li Shimin simply didn't want to use. He had always wanted to promote people from humble backgrounds like Chen Huai'an.

Unfortunately, there haven't been any good results so far.

"Your Majesty!" Chen Huai'an said with a smile, "I believe we should reform the imperial examination system and open it up completely!"

"..."