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Previously, it was mentioned that Xu Zhen devised a literary strategy for King Wei Li Tai, sparking a literary event that further endeared Sage to King Wei. This made Prince Li Zhi quite uneasy, prompting him to conspire with Changsun Wuji, who viewed Xu Zhen as a thorn in his side.
Changsun Wuji, hailing from the Changsun clan in Henan, was raised by his uncle Gao Shilian. He shared a close friendship with Sage, who later married his sister, Empress Wende, thus establishing a familial bond. After Gaozu raised an army, Changsun Wuji fought alongside the current Sage in various battles and became a trusted advisor. He also played a key role in planning the Xuanwu Gate Incident, which helped elevate Sage to the throne.
Due to his significant contributions, Changsun Wuji held numerous important positions such as Left General of Martial Affairs, Minister of Personnel, Right Chancellor, Minister, Grand Commandant, Imperial Attendant, and Chancellor. He was granted the title Duke of Zhao and ranked first among the meritorious officials at Lingyan Pavilion, making him second only to the emperor.
Confident in his high status and power, Changsun Wuji refrained from directly confronting Xu Zhen. During a banquet with Fang Xuanling and other senior officials supporting Li Zhi, he inadvertently expressed discontent by stating that Xu Zhen was a military figure who disrupted literary affairs instead of expanding territories.
These senior officials were astute and it is unclear who leaked this information to Li Jue. While pacifying Qizhou, Li Jue began to regard Xu Zhen with newfound respect. Concerned for her future, he summoned her to his residence and urged her to focus on achieving merit without distractions.
Xu Zhen was well aware that she had offended Changsun Wuji but felt that Li Zhi's ambitions were too limited. Even if he eventually ascended to power, he would still be under Changsun Wuji's influence, which left her feeling uneasy.
However, as they served in the same court, Changsun Wuji did not dare to harm her directly. Instead, tensions continued between King Wei and Prince Jin; today one would hold a literary event while tomorrow the other would introduce new initiatives, both vying for Sage's favor.
Yet Sage remained hesitant regarding the issue of succession.
As March approached its end and the territory flourished with vibrant life and abundant harvests on the horizon, Xu Zhen received a secret letter.
Since Yin Zong and Gao He Shu arrived in Youzhou, border conflicts had been frequent. They accompanied Governor of Yingzhou Zhang Jian to survey terrain and gather intelligence along Goguryeo's border. Generals like Xie Anting, Qin Guang, and Xue Dayi had achieved military successes and become pillars of the army.
The secret letter stated that Goguryeo and Baekje had united two armies to wage war against Silla. Silla had long been subservient to Tang Dynasty and had sent requests for aid through Queen Seondeok. Sage had been preparing for this situation for some time; it seemed likely that an offensive against Goguryeo would soon be launched.
Upon receiving the secret letter, Xu Zhen felt anxious. One major reason for the fall of the Sui Dynasty was Sui Yangdi's prolonged warfare against Goguryeo, which drained national strength and alienated public support. Although Tang Dynasty was prosperous, once war broke out, many lives would inevitably be lost.
Though Xu Zhen understood the likely outcome of Tang's campaign against Goguryeo, she worried that due to changing circumstances and Sage's delay in establishing a Crown Prince—contrary to what Historical Records indicated—the outcome of this campaign might also change.
If the Sage has not established a successor before the campaign against Goguryeo, then when the Sage personally leads the expedition against Goguryeo, how should Prince Li Zhi and King Wei Li Tai be dealt with?
Alternatively, the Sage must have foresight and would certainly have decided on the matter of succession before embarking on the campaign. Given the current situation, Li Zhi has no chance of winning; rather, King Wei Li Tai has a greater likelihood of success. If this is indeed the case, then the course of history will change, all because the Xu Zhen provided a good strategy to King Wei.
In this way, the Xu Zhen begins to worry again. Her every word and action truly have a critical and close impact on the Tang Dynasty, and she must do her best to eliminate these influences; otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
However, she has already offended Li Zhi and Changsun Wuji. Even if she wishes to change the situation, she cannot shamelessly go to the Sage to plead for Li Zhi.
Furthermore, with the Sage's favoritism towards Li Chengqian, who would dare to speak ill of Li Chengqian in court?
The only plan now is to find Li Jue and persuade him to convince the Sovereign to postpone the campaign against Goguryeo, hoping that Li Zhi can catch up and be able to stand against King Wei. Otherwise, Tang's third emperor will truly be replaced by Li Chengqian.
Li Jue has experienced the Sui-Tang wars and naturally understands the hidden dangers of Goguryeo. Back in Gaozu's time, when the Tang Dynasty had not yet developed, Gaozu worked hard to establish good relations with Rongliuwang, exchanging prisoners of war. Rongliuwang even accepted Tang's era name, and Gaozu subsequently conferred upon Rongliuwang the title of King of Liaodong Commandery and King of Goguryeo.
After ascending to power, the Sage inherited Gaozu's strategy and continued to maintain friendly relations with Goguryeo. However, as a great emperor who conquered all under heaven, the Sage believed that Goguryeo occupied Liaodong, which has historically been Han territory. Now that most regions are stable, only this corner remains unsettled; thus, the Sage has long regarded conquering Goguryeo as the final part of unifying Huaxia.
The Sage sent envoys to visit Goguryeo but discovered that Goguryeo was hoarding many soldiers from previous dynasties. Had it not been for concerns about exhausting the people and depleting resources or disturbing Shandong's foundations, he would have already attacked Goguryeo.
However, two years ago, Rongliuwang Gao Jianwu and several ministers secretly conspired to assassinate Yuan Gaisuwen but were instead ambushed and killed. Yuan Gaisuwen then established his nephew Gao Baozang as king and proclaimed himself Great Mo Li Zhi, seizing military and political power over Goguryeo. The Sage originally intended to attack but was dissuaded by Changsun Wuji and could only confer upon Baozang the title of King of Liaodong Commandery and grant him Grand Minister status. Despite this, the Sage had already decided in his heart that he must conquer Goguryeo.
Until last year, Goguryeo expended tremendous manpower and resources to build a wall along Tang's border from Fuyu City to Bohai Sea, stretching over a thousand miles. It seems that the Sage can no longer tolerate this.
After listening to Li Jue's analysis, the Xu Zhen grew increasingly worried. Now that Baekje has allied with Goguryeo to attack Silla, the Sage will undoubtedly send envoys to order Goguryeo and Baekje to cease hostilities. If Yuan Gaisuwen refuses to obey the Sage's command, then it is likely that military action will be taken against Goguryeo!
Li Jue was aware that Princess Jinyang was worried about the issue of succession, but he personally supported the campaign against Goguryeo. If Sage decided to lead the expedition himself, Li Jue would certainly volunteer to join. He also hoped that Princess Jinyang could accompany them to Liaodong to achieve great accomplishments. Therefore, he reassured her not to worry too much, stating that Sage might have already made a decision; as long as internal troubles were not resolved, Sage would not easily deploy troops.
Princess Jinyang could only smile bitterly. Although Sage had made a decision, she feared that it might involve placing King Wei Li Tai on the throne as the crown prince. If that happened, she wouldn't know how to handle the situation.
At this point, Princess Jinyang could only send a message to her brothers in the army, urging them to strive for victory in battles so that Sage could be at ease and refrain from deploying troops too early.
However, just at this critical moment, news of war came from the west, reporting that Tuguhun had encroached upon most of the territory of the Tuguhun. Their new king, Songzan Ganbu, had consecutively defeated Tangxiang and Bailan Qiang, pressing into Songzhou within Tang Territory and sending envoys to seek marriage. They threatened that if there was no alliance through marriage, they would invade Tang Territory with a large army!
Upon receiving this military intelligence, Princess Jinyang couldn't help but recall Princess Guanghua of the Sui Dynasty and strategist Murong Hanzhu fleeing to Tuguhun after the Battle of Tugu Hun. She instinctively felt unrest, leading her to believe that Tuguhun's actions were undoubtedly connected to these two individuals!
Given Sage's temperament, how could he tolerate Tuguhun's clownish behavior? It was likely that he had already dispatched a large army to crush Tuguhun into dust!
However, this time Sage seemed hesitant. This hesitation likely stemmed from his inability to make a choice between Prince Jin and King Wei while still being concerned about the campaign against Goguryeo.
If he couldn't quickly resolve the issues with Tuguhun and succession, how could Sage feel secure in leading an expedition against Goguryeo?
Tuguhun had been rejected in marriage proposals six or seven times already; it was no wonder they were becoming agitated. This time they chose a good opportunity for their proposal. It would be hard to believe they didn't have exceptional strategists assisting them.
After several court meetings, Sage still seemed indecisive. Many civil and military officials held differing opinions and argued incessantly, creating pressure on Sage to establish a successor first. Xu Zhenxin grew increasingly worried.
One day, while having drinks with Caesar and Zhang Suling, an unexpected guest arrived at Brave Duke's Mansion—it was Li Wushuang!
Although Li Wushuang had never regarded Princess Jinyang highly from the beginning, Princess Jinyang didn't mind. However, at this critical juncture, Li Wushuang's visit likely indicated that Sage had decided to agree to Tuguhun's marriage proposal since Li Wushuang was none other than Wencheng Princess who had married into Tuguhun!
Sure enough, Li Wushuang hesitated for a moment, and seeing Xu Zhen dismissing Caesar and Zhang Suling, she finally explained her purpose for coming.
It turned out that Li Wushuang was deeply favored by Li Daozong. During her time in Ganzhou, she had met Songzan Ganbu. Although Songzan Ganbu was only dealing with Xu Zhen at that time, both she and Li Mingda were aware of Songzan Ganbu's identity. Therefore, they were displeased and unwilling to marry into the remote mountains of Tuguhun.
Now that the Sage indeed showed signs of agreeing to a marriage proposal and had been searching among many royal princesses for candidates, although there were numerous princesses, few met the age and qualifications required. Li Wushuang undoubtedly became one of the most suitable candidates.
For this reason, Li Daozong would strongly advise the Sage against the marriage alliance and would actively volunteer to lead troops to crush Tuguhun's provocations, showcasing the grandeur of the Tang Dynasty.
However, it was clear that the Sage's thoughts were not focused on Tuguhun. Many civil and military officials would certainly not support Li Daozong's proposal. But if Xu Zhen stood by Li Daozong's side, it was possible that the Sage would truly reject the marriage alliance.
After hearing Li Wushuang's request, Xu Zhen couldn't help but smile bitterly. She did not wish to initiate a war because war always brought death and injury. However, sometimes dignity was more important than life. If she agreed to Tuguhun's marriage proposal, it could indeed avoid war and bring peace and stability to the northwest, allowing the Sage to focus on personally leading an expedition against Goguryeo.
But if she truly agreed to the marriage alliance, it would be equivalent to showing weakness to Tuguhun. In that case, Tuguhun would surely underestimate the courage of the Tang Dynasty. With strategists like Murong Hanzhu inciting them, how could one guarantee that they wouldn't take advantage of Tang's campaign against Goguryeo to invade Tang Territory?
Although Li Wushuang's thoughts were somewhat naive, Xu Zhen still agreed, promising her that when Li Daozong made his advice known, she would definitely stand behind him. However, Xu Zhen knew in her heart that even if they repelled Tuguhun, in order to appease and ensure no future troubles while attacking Goguryeo, in the end, the Sage would still marry off a princess. It just remained uncertain whether it would be Li Wushuang or someone else.
Hearing Xu Zhen agree to her request filled Li Wushuang with joy; she had never found Xu Zhen so likable before. As she was about to leave, she finally turned around with a flushed face and said, "Hey, thank you..."
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