Tang Dynasty: To win Yang Guifei, they asked Emperor Xuanzong to die.

Previously, at her father's request, Wei Qiongying broke into Li Mao's bedroom at night.

Although Li Mao didn't touch her, he didn't kick her out either. Instead, he let her stay overnight and then kept her in his side hall. He knew that if a woman bore the stigma of having slept with him, her reputation would be ruined for life.

“Consort,” he called to Wang, “this is Qiongying, the daughter of General Wei Zhaoxun. Qiongying will also be a woman of my Prince Shou’s mansion in the future. I still have some things to do in the palace, so you should take her back to the mansion to make arrangements. She is gentle and kind, so you must be careful not to let those ignorant servants bully her.”

Wang was speechless for a moment, and a feeling of utter reluctance welled up inside her.

She had always been quite diligent in taking care of Yang Yuhuan for Li Mao, but that was out of necessity. In her heart, it was perfectly reasonable for Yang Yuhuan, as Li Mao's principal wife, to enjoy the prince's favor.

But... but why does this Wei woman, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, deserve the prince's special attention? Your Highness, how come you can dote on Yang Guifei and Wei woman, yet you are so cold to me? Am I really inferior to them?!

A hint of resentment flashed in her eyes, but it was only fleeting.

She was well aware of her status and situation; only by fulfilling the prince's instructions to the best of her ability could she gain a foothold in the prince's mansion. Even though her heart was in turmoil, she forced herself to remain calm, smiled, and softly replied, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will take good care of Miss Wei."

The sound was as gentle as the spring breeze.

Only Wang herself knew how bitter she felt when she said those words!

Watching Wang Shi and Wei Qiongying leave together, Li Mao felt a great weight lifted from his heart and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had originally thought this matter would escalate into a major conflict, at least with Wang Shi, but he hadn't expected her to agree so quickly.

He couldn't help but smile slightly, thinking: Although there are rumors in Chang'an that Lady Wang has a fiery temper, I think she is actually very sensible. Whether it's taking care of Yu Huan or accepting Qiong Ying, she has done a very good job.

Now that the inner quarters are peaceful, he can finally devote himself to affairs of state.

Thinking it over, Li Mao turned and walked toward the temporary council hall where Guo Ziyi was.

After Shi Siming withdrew his troops, Chang'an City temporarily returned to peace.

However, beneath the calm surface, there are actually undercurrents.

especially……

He specifically asked General Feng about his homework, and General Feng didn't hide anything, saying that he had secretly sent a message to Crown Prince Li Heng the moment Chang'an was recaptured. But so much time has passed, and there has been no news from Li Heng.

General Feng felt uncertain, so he told Li Mao everything.

He wanted Li Mao to find Li Longji and Li Heng, who had escaped.

"Ziyi!" Li Mao called out as soon as he entered the council hall, "Any new information from Father Emperor and the Crown Prince?"

Now that they had won a complete victory and had not suffered many losses of soldiers and generals, Guo Ziyi was in high spirits and his energy had increased considerably.

Upon hearing this, he immediately stood up and replied, "Your Highness, His Majesty did not leave any letters indicating his whereabouts before leaving the palace. He was probably worried that after the fall of the palace, the enemy would know his whereabouts from the letters. In this way, it will be much more difficult for us to rescue him."

That old bastard Li Longji is really afraid of dying.

Li Mao sneered inwardly, stepped forward to examine the map Guo Ziyi had unfolded, but couldn't discern anything. Without personal letters from Li Longji and Crown Prince Li Heng, searching for their traces on such a vast map was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

He told Guo Ziyi the news he had heard from General Feng the night before, and added, "Now that Chang'an has been recovered, the Crown Prince and the Emperor should be eager to return and regain power."

Neither Li Longji nor Li Heng would want to see Li Mao here giving orders about the country.

"But there's been no movement from them. I suspect they've encountered some crisis on their escape route. Ziyi, I thought I could give you and the soldiers a good rest, but now..."

Guo Ziyi immediately replied, "Your Highness, this humble general will obey your orders. The mission of soldiers is to protect our country. Now that the foundation of the nation is in danger, we are naturally willing to die for it. Your Highness need not worry about anything; just give the order and let us do it."

Guo Ziyi's words warmed Li Mao's heart.

He was right about him; he always supports him in adversity!

Thinking it over, Li Mao said frankly, "Actually, I know a place where Father Emperor and Crown Prince are very likely nearby."

……

At this moment, Wang Shi, far away in the Prince's Mansion, was looking at Wei Qiongying with an indifferent expression.

Although she harbored many grievances, she maintained her polite demeanor on the surface.

She spoke calmly, "Miss Wei, since the Prince has allowed you to stay here, you can rest assured for now. However, there are many rules in the Prince's residence, so you must not misbehave."

Li Mao had not yet formally given Wei Qiongying a title, nor did he know whether she would be a concubine or a secondary consort. Therefore, Lady Wang still addressed her as Miss Wei and prepared a guest room for her.

Wei Qiongying lowered her head slightly and said softly, "Thank you for reminding me, Consort. I will abide by the rules."

What a pretentious show-off!

Wang sneered, a hint of jealousy and dissatisfaction flashing in her eyes.

He thought to himself: "Hmph, you'd better remember your place and not do anything out of line. Otherwise... they'll find a pretext to kick you out of the palace, and even the prince won't be able to protect you."

Three days later, Li Mao and Guo Ziyi once again led their troops away from Chang'an.

This time, however, they were not leading an army into battle, but rather going to find Li Longji and others.

Guo Ziyi said somewhat uncertainly, "Why is Your Highness so sure that His Majesty and the others are near Mawei Post Station? Why don't we split up and search separately? That way we'll feel more at ease and there won't be any mistakes."

“No, no, no,” Li Mao shook his head and said, “Shi Siming has already searched other places not far from Chang’an City, and there is no trace of them. Mawei Post Station is a strategic location, and people have been trading there since ancient times, making it the easiest place to hide. Moreover, there are occasional bandits causing trouble near Mawei Post Station, which may be why they cannot return to the palace.”

Of course, the most important point is that historically, after Chang'an was occupied, Li Longji fled to Mawei Post Station with his entourage. At that time, he was with Yang Yuhuan, who tragically died during their escape.

However, Li Mao could not say this to Guo Ziyi; he could only think it to himself.

The war broke out a few years earlier than before, so Li Longji's experience at Mawei Post Station must have been different from historical accounts. Mawei Post Station is not far from Kunlun, a harsh and cold place where bandits occasionally roamed. If Li Longji and his men had encountered bandits, their chances of survival would have been slim!