Da Tang Xiao Si Zi: I have a little pouch-like boy.

In the entire Tang Dynasty, there was no one who could enter the Taiji Hall so openly and brazenly without prior notification.

Besides Empress Zhangsun, there was only one other person.

That was Princess Jinyang.

So when the group heard the childish voice calling out, they immediately knew who it was.

Qi Qi turned their heads to look and saw Si Zi leading a somewhat frightened Cheng Yang as they ran inside.

"Greetings, Princess Chengyang and Princess Jinyang."

Changsun Wuji and the other two stood up and bowed.

Upon seeing this, Sizi quickly stopped and, following the etiquette her mother had taught her, returned the greeting.

"I've met Uncle~ I've met Fang Bobo~ I've met Wei Bobo~"

"Greetings, Uncle! Greetings, Uncle Fang! Greetings, Uncle Wei!"

Chengyang followed Sizi, and the two bowed at the same time.

Upon seeing his youngest daughter arrive, Li Shimin's anger subsided considerably. He realized that all the good things he had today were thanks to his precious daughter.

She looked at Sizi with a smile and asked, "Sizi, is there something you need from your father?"

Normally, Sizi rarely comes here.

People usually only come to complain or vent their grievances when they have been bullied or wronged by someone.

Judging from Si Zi's expression now, it doesn't seem to be either of those two situations, so Li Er is very curious about what Si Zi wants to do by coming to find him.

"Hehe~ Ah-Ya~ I was amazing today~ I brought back so many goods~ I delivered them all~"

"My lord, mother, and elder sister all praised me! I'm so great, so amazing!"

The little girl raised her proud face again, signaling her father to hurry up and proceed with the procedures.

Li Shimin knew exactly what the little girl was thinking, and wanting to tease her, he pretended not to hear and instead asked:

"Did Sizi eat anything good today?"

The delicacies that the little princess brought back a few days ago were all incredibly delicious, even captivating this Tang Dynasty emperor.

I wonder what they brought back today. The wine just arrived, so it's perfect to have with it.

When the topic turned to food, Sizi immediately forgot that her real purpose in coming was to offer praise, and said with a grin:

"I had a meal today, dessert, and a huge, huge platter, bigger than me!"

The scene played out again at Changsun's place, where the emperor and his ministers watched as Princess Jinyang gestured with a large crab.

Apart from Li Shimin, the other three looked at each other in bewilderment.

What is all this talk about?

What kind of meal is this? What's the dessert? And a crab bigger than a princess?! Does such a thing even exist?

Li Shimin couldn't help but swallow hard, and quickly asked the question that concerned him:

"So what did you bring for Father?"

Sizi was stunned, tilted her little head, and stared blankly at her father.

A few seconds later, he suddenly chuckled, "I forgot~ I didn't bring anything today~"

Li Shimin: "..."

Somewhat disbelieving, he looked again at Chengyang.

Chengyang, upon being looked at by Li Shimin, immediately whispered, "The young master didn't order much food today... we ate it all, so..."

Okay, it seems they really didn't bring anything back.

He nodded somewhat disappointedly, it seemed there weren't any good snacks to go with the wine today.

"Dad~~ Mommy's cooking was a huge help today~~"

After talking about food, Sizi remembered the important matter and looked at Li Shimin with her big, bright eyes.

The sight of this girl made the four of them, the emperor and his ministers, chuckle. The little girl was simple-minded and couldn't keep secrets.

Even if you know you shouldn't ask for praise or compliments directly, what's the difference between that and saying it directly?

"Yes! Your mother is right. My princess has indeed been a great help. She is the most amazing princess, the best of the best!"

"Hehe~ I think so too~" When she was happy, Si Zi's eyes immediately curved into crescent moons.

"Does Father want to try the spicy food of Qi Xiaonangjun?" Si Zi blinked her bright eyes and looked at Li Shimin.

Li Shimin readily admitted, "Yes, I did want to, but since you didn't bring it back today, let's not talk about it. Remember to bring an extra portion next time so Father can have more to try."

"I can go find Little Nang-jun~ Dad, wait for me~ I'll be back soon~"

After saying that, without waiting for Li Shimin's reply, he grabbed Chengyang and disappeared into the Taiji Hall in front of Changsun Wuji and the other three.

Changsun Wuji: "???"

Fang Xuanling: “???”

Wei Zheng: "???"

What did we see? What's going on here?

Li Shimin's eyes widened. Did this little girl not know there were outsiders here? How could I explain her disappearing so brazenly?

The three of them looked at each other, and in each other's eyes they saw shock, disbelief, and horror.

Qi Qi turned to look at Li Shiming, hoping to get an answer from him.

"Ahem..." Li Shimin looked somewhat embarrassed, coughed twice, and then, sitting upright, said in a deep voice:

"This matter is a royal secret, and I do not wish for outsiders to know about it, otherwise..."

Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling nodded in unison and quickly agreed.

Only Wei Zheng, after the initial shock, saw that Li Shimin seemed somewhat used to the matter.

His eyes narrowed instantly, and he said, "The royal family has no private matters! As the Son of Heaven, His Majesty should set an example for the world, and the royal family should be no exception!"

"Your Majesty, please enlighten me: why did Princess Jinyang and Princess Chengyang suddenly disappear just now?"

"Furthermore, who is the young man His Majesty and His Highness mentioned during their conversation? When are other men allowed to enter and leave the inner palace?"

Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling exchanged a silent glance, both sighing inwardly: Wei Xuancheng's head is truly made of iron.

It was obvious that the emperor didn't want anyone to mention or know about these things, yet he still dared to question them to their faces. He truly deserved to be called a loyal minister with a neck harder than a knife.

"You are presumptuous!!"

As expected, Li Shimin immediately flew into a rage in the face of Wei Zheng's aggressive questioning.

"This is a private matter concerning the Prince of Si, how can I discuss it with you, an outsider? Do you have no regard for the proper conduct between ruler and subject, or the respect between superiors and inferiors?"

"When did it become anyone's business to interfere in my family affairs? Do you have a death wish? Do you want me to behead you right now?"

"Hmph!" Li Er's rage was nothing to Wei Zheng, who stiffened his neck and coldly snorted:

"If it were truly a private matter of Princess Jinyang, I would naturally not interfere. But we all witnessed what just happened; such a scene is no different from the tales of ghosts and gods!"

"We scholars do not believe in ghosts and gods, but what is happening before our eyes is too bizarre, so we naturally want to find out the truth!"

"This matter concerns the orthodox doctrines of scholars throughout the land; I humbly request Your Majesty to enlighten me!"

"As for that so-called young master, Your Majesty, please explain why he is with the princess?"

At this moment, Li Shimin's murderous intent began to rise, and he did not want to reveal anything about Li Qin.

Judging from Wei Zheng's current state, he won't let this go until we get to the bottom of things.

"Guards! Bring Wei Zheng to me..."

"Aiya~ I'm here!"

Li Shimin: "..."

(Six chapters completed for today~)