Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

As Li Tai turned to speak, the large fish struggled and escaped due to improper handling.

"Hey!"

"What a pity, such a big fish!"

After the big fish splashed in the water and left, Li Zhi finally snapped out of his daze and began to think about how to answer his fourth brother Li Tai's question.

A moment of silence.

Li Zhi said with a somewhat unnatural expression, "Fourth Brother, I suddenly feel a little sad because I don't know when we will meet again after you return to Japan."

"If your fiefdom is also around the Tang Dynasty, we can go hunting together in our spare time."

Upon hearing Li Zhi's words, Li Tai's expression showed a hint of doubt.

Something is wrong!

Based on his understanding of Li Zhi, he knew that Li Zhi wouldn't be so sentimental; Li Zhi must be hiding other secrets.

However, Li Tai knew that everyone had secrets, so he didn't press the issue to find out more.

Li Tai patted Li Zhi on the shoulder and said, "This world is too big. I plan to ask my elder brother for permission to lead an army of 10 to conquer the Western Regions!"

“I have too many sons, and that little land is not enough for them to divide among themselves. I must conquer a larger territory.”

"I'll leave Zhen Dong Kingdom to Li Xin, and I'll go to the far west to meet those blonde, blue-eyed women!"

Well...

Li Zhi's expression paused slightly.

Thinking of his fourth brother's hundreds of children and more than ten nephews who were about to be born, he was filled with admiration for his fourth brother.

Moreover, Fourth Brother's ambition to expand territory seems different from others!

Li Zhi hesitated for a moment before saying, "Fourth Brother, you have so many concubines, why do you still want to take a blonde maid from the far west as a concubine?"

"Can your body handle it?"

Of his brothers, he admired his eldest and fourth brothers the most.

He admired his eldest brother's ability to manage people, and he also admired his fourth brother's ability to control people. He was afraid that he would never be able to catch up with his two older brothers even if he spent his whole life doing so.

"hehe."

Li Tai smiled slightly, then patted his chest and said, "Zhi Nu, you underestimate me. Even if I take in another 100 concubines, I can still handle it with ease."

"Now that you are the Prince of Zhenbei, with an incredibly vast fiefdom, you should take more concubines."

It's unclear what Li Zhi was thinking, but he spent all his time with his three or five concubines and never took any action to take on new ones.

The joy of having many wives and concubines can only be understood by those who have experienced it!

Li Zhi touched the tip of his nose in annoyance and said, "Fourth Brother, there are no people in my fiefdom yet. Let's talk about taking a concubine later."

“I am physically weak and do not have your extraordinary talent.”

Seeing Li Zhi's strange appearance, Li Tai's face showed a thoughtful expression.

If his guess is correct, what Li Zhi is worried about is women!

The two chatted for a while.

Li Tai changed the subject and instructed, "Zhi Nu, you need to cultivate a good relationship with Du He during this period, and it would be best if your offspring were to befriend Du He's offspring as well."

Li Zhi asked in confusion, "Why?"

Unlike other officials, he already had the fiefdom he deserved, so he didn't need to curry favor with the powerful minister Du He.

However, it is still necessary to be on good terms with Du He.

Li Tai said in a low voice, "After the Tang Dynasty unified the world, after several hundred years, there will inevitably be disputes among the princes."

“Du He is very capable. His offspring are all prodigies. If you can become his ally, you will not have to worry about your fiefdom being attacked by others.”

"We need to plan ahead!"

Throughout the thousands of years of Han history, the most brutal battles were the internal conflicts among Han people.

Take the war in which Qin unified the six states as an example. Millions of soldiers were killed or wounded, which is hundreds or thousands of times more than those killed by foreign tribes.

Li Zhi said with a solemn expression, "Thank you for the reminder, Fourth Brother. I understand what to do!"

...

On the other side, when Du He returned to the palace under the protection of a group of imperial guards, the sky had already become extremely dark.

After reporting to Li Chengqian, Du He took a carriage back to the princess's residence.

When they were still several hundred steps away from the princess's residence, the carriage slowly came to a stop, and then Zhang Shizheng ran over and reported in a low voice.

"Sir, a woman named Wu Zetian is looking for you."

She said she was an old friend of yours.

Wu Zhao?

When Du He heard that Wu Meiniang was looking for him, his brows furrowed slightly.

After thinking about it for a while.

Du He said softly, "Send someone back to tell the princess that I am having tea and chatting with friends. Let them rest first and don't wait for me."

"promise!"

After receiving the order, Zhang Shizheng quickly ran forward.

After a cup of tea.

Du He met Wu Meiniang, whom he hadn't seen for several years, in a private room on the second floor of a nearby tavern.

When Du He saw that Wu Meiniang's belly was slightly protruding, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Good guy!

Wu Zetian actually became pregnant with Emperor Gaozong's child!

If he had known this news beforehand, he should have demanded an exorbitant 10 strings of cash from Li Zhi when Li Zhi asked for his help!

With this weakness, what conditions wouldn't Li Zhi agree to?

What a loss!

Wu Meiniang smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I apologize for inviting you so late at night."

"It's alright." Du He waved her hand, then said with a smile, "I didn't expect you and the Prince of Zhenbei to conceive so quickly. Congratulations."

Upon hearing Du He's congratulations, Wu Meiniang's brows furrowed in worry.

A moment of silence.

"Hey~"

Wu Zetian sighed softly.

She said softly, "King Han, the Emperor Emeritus is still in good health. As long as he is alive, I cannot become a concubine of the Prince of Zhenbei."

"But I am already six months pregnant, and my child will be born in a few months, but he cannot have a legitimate identity."

It turned out to be the case.

No wonder Wu Zetian dared to meet him alone at such a time; it turns out she was planning for the future of her offspring.

Now that the Wang family of Taiyuan is at the height of its power, the position of the Princess of Zhenbei will become more and more secure, making it extremely difficult for Wu Zetian to push her off the throne.

If Li Shimin had not died, Li Zhi would not have dared to take Wu Meiniang as a concubine.

Pause for a moment.

Wu Meiniang bowed slightly to Du He and said, "I am sorry to have met you today. I hope that for the sake of the child, the King of Han will show me a way to survive."

"When he grows up, he will surely be grateful for your great kindness."

What?

For the children?

This sounds so strange, as if Wu Zetian was pregnant with his child?

Du He pursed her lips: "Wu Meiniang, you need to speak more clearly, or people will misunderstand that I got you pregnant."

Wu Meiniang quickly explained, "Your Highness, please don't misunderstand. I misspoke."

"I only wish for a bright future for the child in my womb. I hope the King of Han can help me. I will repay him handsomely."

She was filled with regret as she explained.

If she could win over Du He that night at Cuiwei Palace and conceive Du He's child, her future would be much easier.

Although she can't be the Queen of Han, being an ordinary concubine is fine too.

The entire Central Plains are Du He's territory, and given his great abilities, he will likely become a regional overlord in the future.

It's all Du He's fault for having such a servant who stays up all night and insists on keeping watch!

This means she can't even get a proper title now!