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Li Chengqian vowed to kill Li Zhi. This news eventually reached Changsun Wuji, who summoned Chancellor of Justice Zhu Suiliang to advise him, stating that they were of the same root and should not harm each other. If Li Chengqian were established as the heir, then Li Zhi and even the deposed Tubo would find it hard to protect themselves.
Li Shimin understood the character of Azure Sparrow and was aware that Li Zhi and Li Chengqian had developed a deep enmity. If he delayed any further, it would inevitably trigger a new round of court struggles. After much hesitation, Li Shimin ultimately abandoned King Wei Li Tai and instead established Prince Li Zhi as the heir.
Cen Wenben and others who supported Li Chengqian naturally argued for him in court, but Li Shimin had made up his mind. He declared in the court: "Cheng Qian is rebellious, and Tai is dangerous; neither can be established!"
A few days later, the Sovereign personally visited Chengtian Gate and issued an edict to establish Prince Li Zhi as the Crown Prince, stating: "If I establish Tai, it would imply that the position of Crown Prince can be obtained through manipulation. Since Cheng Qian has lost his way, both he and the vassal kings who covet power will be discarded. This shall be passed down to future generations as a law; if Tai is established, then both Cheng Qian and Zhi will not be secure; if Zhi is established, then both Cheng Qian and Tai will be safe!"
Li Chengqian knew he had failed in his bid for succession and was restless day and night. Shortly thereafter, the Sage relieved him of all his positions, including Yongzhou Governor, Xiangzhou Governor, and Left General of Martial Affairs, demoting him to Donglai County King. All officials in his court who were his confidants were exiled to Lingnan.
Li Chengqian was unwilling to accept this fate and sought favor by crying out in front of the Sage. The Sage, unable to bear it, had no choice but to reappoint Li Chengqian as Shunyang Wang and relocated him from Chang'an to Junzhou Yinxiang County.
Once Li Zhi took control of the Eastern Palace, he began to build his own network. The Sage appointed Changsun Wuji as Crown Prince Grand Tutor, Yuzhining as Crown Prince's Mentor, Zhang Xingcheng as Crown Prince's Right Assistant, while Gao Jifu became Crown Prince's Left Assistant. Murong Hanzhu officially entered the Tang Court as Crown Prince's Horse Keeper and received honorary titles such as Chancellor, becoming a key figure in the Eastern Palace.
Princess Jinyang had long known that Li Chengqian could not succeed. However, since Li Zhi trusted Changsun Wuji and Murong Hanzhu too easily, she had no choice but to distance herself from him. Now that Li Zhi had risen to power and become the master of the Eastern Palace, he naturally aimed at Princess Jinyang.
However, since Li Zhi had just become Crown Prince, if he acted recklessly, it would inevitably lead to impeachment by old ministers like Cen Wenben and Xiao Yu. Therefore, he temporarily spared Princess Jinyang and listened to Murong Hanzhu's suggestion to send someone to cultivate goodwill with her.
Princess Jinyang understood that reconciliation with Li Zhi was impossible; she only hoped that he would stay away from toxic figures like Murong Hanzhu and power-hungry officials like Changsun Wuji to avoid being controlled in the future.
Now that the matter of establishing an heir had been settled, the Sage felt relieved. The long-standing issue regarding Liao finally came to fruition; Silla had requested assistance multiple times. The Sage could no longer hold back; recent court meetings focused heavily on military campaigns against Liao.
At this critical moment, news arrived from Yingzhou that Goguryeo had audaciously detained our Tang Empire's envoy!
After Queen Seondeok of Silla sent a letter requesting aid, the Sage dispatched Minister of Agriculture Li Xuanjiang to Goguryeo with orders for them to cease their attacks on Silla. However, Yuan Gaisuwen rejected the Sage's request and continued attacking Silla. Tensions between Goguryeo and our Tang Empire's border escalated.
About a month ago, Goguryeo began mobilizing its forces. Governor of Yingzhou Zhang Jian sent someone to mediate; however, Goguryeo detained our Tang envoy outright—this was clearly a provocation against our Tang Empire!
The Sage was furious and discussed military action against Liao. Yet Chancellor of Justice Zhu Suiliang opposed this plan, arguing that Sui Yangdi lost his kingdom due to three campaigns against Liaodong. Although the Tang Empire was strong at that time, prolonged warfare brought hardship upon its people; we must not repeat such mistakes.
If a different monarch were in charge, Zhu Suiliang's words would have already led to his demise. Fortunately, our Tang Dynasty's Sage has always been known for his tolerance, but he still rejected the advice of Chancellor of Justice Zhu Suiliang, insisting on launching an expedition against Liao and determined to send the vanguard to Yingzhou, joining forces with Governor of Yingzhou Zhang Jian to lead the army's advance.
Li Zhi was worried about not having a chance to deal with Xu Zhen, and upon hearing that a vanguard was to be sent to Yingzhou, he suggested that the Loyal Martial General Xu Zhen take command. At that time, Xu Zhen was the Shangfu Negotiation Commander and had experienced several major battles. Although she could not be called an undefeated general, she was certainly a seasoned veteran.
The Sage had long intended to cultivate Xu Zhen, so he promoted her to Yingzhou Commander and also appointed her as Youying Inspector. She was to immediately head to Yingzhou for inspection and supervision, assisting Governor of Yingzhou Zhang Jian and Youzhou Inspector Gao Lvxing in commanding the Imperial Guards from You and Ying states, coordinating with the Khitan, Xianbei, and Mohe tribes to gather intelligence on Goguryeo.
Xu Zhen was a rising star; moving from military headquarters to the local command and being personally appointed as inspector meant that the Sage was officially beginning to rely on her!
Xu Zhen had never wanted to stay in Chang'an, a place filled with intrigue. Moreover, she had received a Confidential Report indicating that the captured Tang Army envoy was none other than Qin Guang, who had previously been sent to Yingzhou!
Qin Guang was a commander from the Brave Warriors Camp led by Xu Zhen. He fought alongside her during the Battle of Tugu Hun, sharing life and death together. Now that her brother was in trouble, how could Xu Zhen stand by? She immediately entrusted Understood with her affairs, leaving only Moya at the noble residence to enjoy retirement while gathering her other companions to prepare for their journey to Yingzhou.
Li Zhi initially thought of sending Xu Zhen to the front lines in Yingzhou for hardship but did not expect the Sage to assign such an important military position as Yingzhou Commander to her and grant her the title of inspector. This truly meant she would be inspecting on behalf of the emperor!
In court, the Sage frequently praised Xu Zhen and even bestowed upon her armor and allowed her to continue using the name of Tian Ce for the Red Armored Fourteen Guards, granting her numerous rewards. This clearly showed the Sage's favor towards Xu Zhenzhi!
After returning home, Xu Zhen found everything in order. Zhou Cang and others heard that Qin Guang had fallen into enemy hands and were about to join their Lord on the battlefield, feeling excited.
Zhang Suling came from a brothel; although she possessed some cleverness and quirks, she was still just a delicate young girl. Xu Zhen did not want her to take risks, but this little girl insisted on following her. With no choice left, Xu Zhen allowed her to accompany them.
Many officials and nobles in court noticed the Sage's affection for Xu Zhenzhi and would not miss such an opportunity to curry favor. The noble residence became bustling with visitors; those coming to bid farewell trampled over each other's feet. Xu Zhen welcomed everyone without exception and received gifts until her hands grew sore.
After visiting Li Jing and Li Jue's homes, Xu Zhen remembered one more person. After hesitating for a moment, she ultimately decided not to go say goodbye at Shuyi Courtyard.
Li Zhi returned angrily to Eastern Palace and summoned Murong Hanzhu and others for discussion. They resolved that they must take advantage of the Sage's absence from leading an expedition personally and ensure that Xu Zhen remained in Yingzhou permanently; otherwise, she would become a significant threat in the future!
In truth, Xu Zhen had no desire for conflict since she already knew that Li Zhi would eventually ascend to power. However, under the instigation of Murong Hanzhu and Changsun Wuji—two sycophants—Li Zhi viewed Xu Zhen as a thorn in his side that needed immediate removal.
Governor of Yingzhou Zhang Jian was a grandson of Gaozu Li Yuan and had always been connected with the Changsun family. Youzhou's Gao Lvxing was also Gao Shilian's eldest son; at this time, Gao Shilian was serving as Crown Prince's Grand Tutor. Both were under Li Zhi’s command; dealing with someone like Xu Zhen would be easy for them!
Li Zhi was still uneasy, so he ordered Murong Hanzhu to personally go to Yingzhou and Youzhou to communicate with both sides and stir up trouble. He could not allow the Xu Zhen to develop further in this manner.
Murong Hanzhu gladly accepted the order, bidding farewell to the Cui Clan, and hurried ahead of the Xu Zhen to visit Gao Lvxing in Youzhou.
Meanwhile, the Xu Zhen finally left Chang'an. On this clear day, she set out with three hundred personal guards and secretly concealed Jingzhe Thunder. Everything was ready as she exited the residence.
Just as she was about to pass through Mingde Gate, a fiery red horse came galloping from Vermilion Bird Street. Wasn't that Li Mingda?
In Chang'an, aside from Li Mingda, who else would dare ride so recklessly?
Li Mingda intercepted the Xu Zhen, while Caesar wisely avoided them, leaving space for the two to talk. Zhang Jiunian and Zhou Cang led their men out of the city first.
The Xu Zhen smiled wryly; she had intended to spare this girl any worries by leaving without saying goodbye. Although Li Mingda had formed a sibling bond with her, the Xu Zhen knew well the girl's ambiguous feelings. She truly did not want to get entangled in palace disputes and thus wished to keep her relationship with Li Mingda free of romantic implications.
However, Li Mingda had already set her heart on the Xu Zhen and was unwilling to let go. Seeing the Xu Zhen still smiling, she dismounted and shouted in anger, tears brimming in her eyes.
Her frustration was not because the Xu Zhen had left without notice but because she was heading back to the front lines, risking her life. This big liar always feared death yet insisted on charging into battle; wasn't that just a way to make others worry?
The Xu Zhen didn't know how to respond. She gently tapped Li Mingda on the head and squinted her eyes with a smile, saying, "Be good."
Before Li Mingda could reply, the Xu Zhen took her horse and exited Mingde Gate without looking back, only waving her hand at Li Mingda behind her.
Li Mingda clenched her fists tightly, watching the Xu Zhen's figure grow distant. She didn't know what to say. When the Xu Zhen was far away, she finally came to her senses and hurriedly ran after her, wrapping her arms tightly around the Xu Zhen from behind!
Mingde Gate was the southern gate of Chang'an, bustling with people, and the City Wall was heavily guarded. For a young girl like Li Mingda to embrace the Xu Zhen in broad daylight was enough to draw attention!
Moreover, behind Li Mingda stood a group of tall female knights clad in bright armor. Such a scene could hardly go unnoticed!
But Li Mingda paid no mind to any of that; it seemed as if this time the Xu Zhen would leave without returning. She refused to let go. Having grown taller now, she was already a graceful young woman. This closeness made the Xu Zhen blush and feel flustered as she quickly pushed her away gently.
"Girl, go to the palace and keep the Sovereign company. I believe he will soon be leading an expedition..."
The Xu Zhen did not understand why she was being so cold. She looked around, trying to change the subject, but Li Mingda's expression darkened. Biting her lip, she still held her head high.
"Brother Xu, come here. I have something to say..."
Seeing her wave, the Xu Zhen bent slightly and leaned in to listen, but Li Mingda suddenly slapped the Xu Zhen across the face!
The slap left the Xu Zhen stunned!
It is said that a girl's heart is as deep as the ocean. Li Mingda was known for her grace, but only the Xu Zhen knew how willful and headstrong she could be in private. Perhaps this incident at Xuanwu Gate, which others viewed as wise and sensible, was only a display of her true nature in front of the Xu Zhen.
"Girl..."
Before the Xu Zhen could start speaking, Li Mingda had already turned and walked away, leaving behind a confused Xu Zhen with a red handprint on her face.
Li Mingda had not taken a few steps before tears began to fall. She murmured softly to herself, "Does it hurt? Perhaps this way you will remember me..."
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