The crowd entered the courtyard, and Empress Changsun and Chai Yue rose simultaneously to bow to Li Shimin.
Old Li hid his right hand, which was swollen like a pig's trotter, behind his back. He used his left hand to help Empress Changsun up and smiled at Chai Yue, saying there was no need for formality at home.
After speaking, he sat in the chair Empress Changsun had just vacated, watching the two little ones babbling.
Changsun quietly gave him a questioning look, and Li Shimin nodded imperceptibly in response.
This immediately pleased Empress Changsun. Her gaze towards Fang Er gained a different depth. She reached out, pulled Chang Le to her side, and smiled.
"Come, let Mother see if you've gotten tanned from being out for so long."
Chang Le, holding the half-finished lollipop jar, obediently walked to her side. "Mother, eat candy. It's very sweet."
Saying this, she opened the jar, took out a lollipop, and handed it to Empress Changsun.
"Good, good, good! Chang Le is growing up and knows to be filial to her mother. Unlike your fourth brother, who has only visited Mother twice since she arrived."
Changsun couldn't help but complain about Li Tai, wondering what he was so busy with that he didn't even visit his own mother.
Of course, Li Ke was also in Shenyang, but he was not her own son, and complaining might lead others to misunderstandings.
Li Shimin watched the mother and daughter clinging to each other, a satisfied smile curving his lips.
"Cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world."
Now his harem was peaceful, his children were filial, and his court officials were all rejuvenated. The territory of the Great Tang had expanded by nearly a quarter in these few years.
He even felt a hint of contentment, but he immediately cast the thought aside.
"No, I am the monarch who will transform the Great Tang into an empire upon which the sun never sets. How can I be satisfied with these achievements?"
Thinking this, his previously softened expression once again turned resolute.
That evening, after returning to the small courtyard where they lived, Empress Changsun eagerly asked about the journey.
Li Shimin smugly took out the marriage contract and showed it to her.
However, upon seeing the dowry of ten million strings of cash and the absence of any betrothal gifts, Changsun was somewhat bewildered.
"Your Majesty, you..."
Li Shimin knew what she wanted to ask – about the betrothal gift being waived and the sky-high dowry.
He smiled, took out a small bottle from his embrace, and dipped his finger into the liquid, smearing it on the marriage contract.
Instantly, a line of small characters appeared in the blank space where "not a single string of cash for betrothal gifts" was written.
Empress Changsun was utterly shocked by the content.
"Your Majesty, is this real?"
Li Shimin blew the marriage contract dry, carefully folded it, and put it away, smiling.
"Whether it's real or fake, even if it's fake, that boy must make it real for me."
"Hehehehehe, no matter how cunning that boy is, he cannot escape my control!"
"You, how can you scheme against him like this? Aren't you afraid of a falling out later?" Empress Changsun playfully patted Li Shimin's hand, as if sticking up for her future son-in-law.
"Hahahaha, it's getting late, my love. Let us rest early~"
Li Shimin lasciviously put his arm around Changsun's waist, but Empress Changsun slapped his hand again.
"Pah! Pah! Pah! What do you mean rest? You're so excited about An Zhi that you can't even speak properly. Read Books!"
Saying this, she reached out to help Li Shimin remove his clothes. It was then that she noticed his right hand. "Ah, Er Lang, what happened to your hand? Why is it so swollen?"
Li Shimin said dismissively, "Don't worry about my swollen hand for now~"
Firstblood
In the backyard, Fang Er was also confessing to Chai Yue about being tricked by Li Shimin. Of course, he wasn't referring to the hidden characters on the marriage contract; he had no idea about that.
In his eyes, the marriage contract itself was a trap.
Forcing a marriage with a nine-year-old girl? Was this a "raising" game?
After listening, Chai Yue smiled faintly. "My lord, do you still not know why?"
"Calculate it yourself, how many things have you produced recently?"
There were some things Yue'er couldn't say, as they might bring disaster if they spread.
"Given our family's current situation, accepting Uncle's overtures is the best option. Unless my lord wants to~"
Saying this, she pointed towards Chang'an, her meaning self-evident.
Fang Er shook his head disdainfully. "That position? Only a fool would covet it."
"Sleeping later than dogs, waking earlier than chickens, working harder than donkeys, eating less than pigs."
"Sitting in that chair for a year will shorten your life by at least three years!"
Chai Yue burst into laughter upon hearing this.
"My lord, where did you hear that? It's hilarious. I have to tell Aunt tomorrow, it's too funny."
"Let's not talk about tomorrow. Let's get through tonight first~ Hahahaha!"
Fang Er instantly transformed into a ravenous wolf and pounced on her.
Doublekill
For the next period, Li Shimin stayed in Shenyang city, ostensibly to let Fang Er and Chang Le cultivate their relationship.
Fang Er saw this as blatant lying. It was indeed because of Chang Le that he was kept here.
Don't think that no one knows about his frequent visits to the Eastern Third Courtyard. The girls redeemed from the Myriad Flowers Tower were settled in that courtyard.
Changsun, as expected of a wise empress, pretended not to know about this, as long as he didn't suggest bringing those three women into the palace. After all, given their identities, bringing them into the palace might lead to some awkward situations.
Fang Du and Wei Zheng returned to Chang'an, and Li Xiaogong returned to Dengzhou.
It wasn't until a month later that Lai Yi Fa found Li Shimin, Chai Shao, and Fang Er, who were fishing by the Taihe River, with a telegram.
"Your Majesty, Duke, urgent dispatch from the Western Regions!"
The three immediately stood up, handing their fishing rods to the nearby Xuanjia Army. Li Shimin looked at the telegram in Lai Yi Fa's hand and uttered a single word with a poker face.
"Read!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Facing his old employer, Lai Yi felt no impropriety and began reading the telegram.
"Ardashir IV of Sasanian Persia has arrived at Suyab City, requesting troops to escort him to Chang'an!"
"At the same time, he mentioned encountering individuals who claimed to be the Martial Saint Guan Yu and Hegemon Xiang Yu!"
"Envoy of Khorasan and envoy of Khwarazm have successively arrived at Suyab City!"
"Both countries claim to have been penetrated by a firearm army of tens of thousands, and it is speculated that the army's target is Suyab City."