Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

It was the fifth year of the Zhenguan era, around the fourth month.

Having finished the sacrificial ceremony at Mount Tai and lingered in Chang'an for Princess Jinyang's full moon celebration, Emperor Zhenguan, Li Shimin, finally embarked on his journey to Chengdu Prefecture in Jiannan Circuit with great reluctance.

"Brilliant! I'm leaving now. You must take good care of your mother... You don't need to worry about Little Sizi; let your mother handle that..."

"I will write to you every month from now on, and the new policies in Chengdu will definitely be handled smoothly... Brilliant! You must not lie to me about what you promised..."

"The arrangements at the horse farm and the military academy need to be expedited. I'm counting on my return from Chengdu to make a name for myself..."

Today should have been filled with at least some sadness and farewell, but amidst the Emperor's incessant chatter, even Empress Zhangsun, standing to the side, was deeply moved by Emperor Li Shimin's seemingly endless conversation with the Crown Prince.

They couldn't help but sigh and rub their foreheads.

Seeing that this fellow was going on and on from dawn till noon, Empress Zhangsun had no choice but to speak up and remind him.

"Your Majesty, if you delay any longer, you will have to spend the night in the wilderness. The journey from Chang'an to Jiannan Circuit is not as long as the journey from Chang'an to Taiyuan Prefecture..."

Li Chengqian, whose arm was being held by his father, the emperor, quickly nodded in agreement.

While pushing his father toward the carriage, he hurriedly offered various words of comfort and assurance.

"Father, rest assured, how could I possibly lie to you about such a matter? Besides, the western expedition is at least four or five years away. Even if Grandfather still wanted to go by then, I would absolutely not agree, would I?"

"The credit for this western expedition belongs to none other than Father Emperor..."

"If Father has anything to say, just have the Embroidered Uniform Guard deliver the message to me. Alright, alright, any further delay will really make the journey more difficult..."

Li Shimin was pushed into the carriage, but he couldn't help but lift the curtain and shout at Empress Zhangsun, who was still holding the baby, with red eyes.

"Guanyinbi, take good care of yourselves. Once I have repaired the official road from Guannei Road to Jiannan Road, I will bring you to Chengdu Prefecture together."

Empress Zhangsun's smile immediately became more reserved.

Go to Chengdu Prefecture?

"Hehe, Your Majesty, I await news from you..."

After dawdling for most of the day, the convoy finally set off with a shout.

Empress Zhangsun, along with Consort Yang, Consort Yin, and other beauties of Li Er's harem, exchanged glances and breathed a sigh of relief.

They're finally gone...

"Finally, some peace and quiet..."

Li Tai shook his head slightly and sighed.

During this period, his father, the emperor, had troubled him with various political matters, either asking for his suggestions on the reforms in Chengdu Prefecture or trying to trick him into going to Chengdu Prefecture to serve as his deputy.

Thinking of this, he took a deep breath and stretched.

"Ah~ Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the time I promised you to serve as regent is only six months. You'd better think about who will succeed you as regent."

Li Chengqian: ".......tsk"

When Emperor Li Shimin left Chang'an, he also took with him a group of key and capable officials selected by the court to implement new policies in Jiannan, Huainan, and Jiangnan regions.

The administrative pressure on Chang'an, Taiyuan Prefecture, Luoyang and other places has also increased significantly.

However, this pressure from the officialdom, coupled with the propaganda of Confucian scholars and the growing steadfastness of the people's hearts in the Tang Dynasty, led to another surge in the number of candidates taking the imperial examinations and promotion assessments for officials in the new year.

"Prime Minister Lu, this is not a rule I set. Foreign officials who wish to serve in our Great Tang court must undergo identity verification by the Six Ministries and Three Departments, as well as the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Hundred Cavalry Division, and must relocate their immediate family members to our Great Tang territory. This is a strict rule set by His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Even if you argue with me until the end, all the civil and military officials in the court have agreed on this matter. If any member of the Lu family of Fanyang wants to return to the court as an official, they will still have to follow the proper procedures."

Liaodong Circuit, Fengtian Prefecture.

As one of the most important cities in Goguryeo, the Tang Dynasty's occupation of Liaodong City caused almost no major damage to it. As a result, although Liaodong City has just been renamed Fengtian Prefecture.

The newly appointed Tang Dynasty officials, including Wang Qingyun, quickly determined the administrative offices for each department.

At this moment, in the reception room of the Prefectural Governor's Office of Fengtian Prefecture.

Wang Qingyun looked at Lu Zhaojing, whom he should have addressed as an uncle back then, but he remained unmoved despite Lu's repeated attempts to persuade him.

Lu Wenhu stood to the side, looking anxious.

"Second...Prefect Wang, we were all once subjects of the Tang Dynasty, and now His Highness the Crown Prince and His Majesty have granted amnesty..."

"Knock knock knock!"

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Wang Qingyun, who had a cold expression, tapping on the table.

“Military Advisor Lu, you are also an official of the court, someone who receives a salary from the court. You should respect the facts when you speak! A pardon? All I know is that the court has granted permission for the Lu family of Fanyang, the Cui family of Qinghe, and the Li family of Zhaojun, as well as those minor aristocratic families of Hedong who defected to the Tang Dynasty to atone for their crimes through meritorious service.”

"When did we say we'd grant you a pardon and allow your sons to return to the court as officials?!"

"Commander Zheng, have His Highness and His Majesty issued such an edict?"

As Wang Qingyun spoke, he looked at Zheng Wuyang, who was also present.

Faced with the anxious gaze of his sworn brother Lu Wenhu, the latter sighed and gently shook his head.

"No."

Seeing that Lu Wenhu was about to act all flustered and confused about his own position, he quickly interrupted him before he could speak.

“Military Advisor Lu, the imperial court has its own rules. Since His Majesty and His Highness have said they are willing to give you a chance to redeem yourselves and atone for your crimes, you should honestly carry out the tasks assigned by His Highness…”

As he spoke, he looked intently at Lu Zhaojing, who was sitting in front of him and had been appointed as the Grand Minister of Goguryeo.

"Prime Minister Lu, wouldn't you agree?"

Their eyes met.

Wang Qingyun and Zheng Wuyang, the two younger members of aristocratic families, remained unmoved by Lu Zhaojing's gaze.

Half an hour passed.

"Alas... I have troubled you. After all, they are all members of the clan and have some talent. I only made this recommendation because I heard that Your Highness is in dire need of talent. Governor Wang and Commander Zheng are right. If we govern Goguryeo well, we will also be serving Your Highness loyally."

With Lu Wenhu's help, he stood up from his seat.

He then bowed slightly to Wang Qingyun and the other person in front of him.

Wang Qingyun smiled slightly. Having served as the Sima in Taiyuan Prefecture for many years, he was no longer a novice in officialdom and was well aware of Crown Prince Li Chengqian's purpose in placing him in this position.

They would never take the wrong stance just because of a few words from the Lu family of Fanyang.

He returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Minister Lu, rest assured, I have received His Highness the Crown Prince's decree, which permits the people of Goguryeo to cultivate the Tianbao Gold Seeds of our Great Tang. In addition, the workshops have also sent people to help Minister Lu with mining and road construction."

Lu Zhaojing said a few polite words, then turned and, supported by Lu Wenhu, walked out of the governor's mansion.

"Clan leader, don't worry. I'll talk to them privately. We're all noble clans. Since the royal family isn't killing us, there's no need for them to keep pressing the issue. I think they're still worried about the royal family's intentions..."

Lu Zhaojing turned her head and looked at Lu Wenhu's dazed and confused appearance.

I couldn't help but sigh.

Who is it that doesn't understand the situation?

He patted the other man on the shoulder: "Alright, let's drop this matter. Don't bring it up again. I just wanted to give it a try; it doesn't matter if it fails..."

It seemed that they were worried that the other party would really insist on going their own way and go to Wang Qingyun and the others to discuss it again.

He added, "Even the civil service examinations and the imperial examinations have to go through assessments. Whether someone can be hired ultimately depends on their performance and ability. It is indeed a bit too hasty for us to enter the court as officials based on a single sentence."

"Let's wait until we govern Goguryeo better. His Highness the Crown Prince is merciful and won't deny us a way to survive."

Lu Wenhu hesitated before nodding.

And at the same time.

As the two walked out of the governor's mansion, Wang Qingyun's face inside instantly turned gloomy and ashen.

"Bang! You idiot!"

The teacup on the table trembled from the impact, and Zheng Wuyang sighed beside him.

"My elder brother is not suited to meddle in court affairs. He's just a brainless brute. He's good at charging into battle, but as for understanding the orders from above..."

He shook his head, looking equally helpless.

Wang Qingyun sneered: "After operating the Embroidered Uniform Guard in India for so many years, he still turns out to be a fool. It's inconvenient for me to do it in person. You should advise him privately and tell him to sever ties with the Lu family as soon as possible."

"If you still don't listen to advice... Third brother, you must learn to protect yourself!"

Zheng Wuyang nodded.

Although Goguryeo is now nominally part of the Tang Dynasty, in reality, the Tang Dynasty has not sent a single soldier there.

They simply dispatched some officials to assist the local area in restoring agricultural and infrastructure production.

The region was still governed by aristocratic clans and the Goguryeo clans under Yeon Gaesomun's command, but the Liaodong army and the Tang allied forces of Silla remained stationed along the northern and southern borders for a long time.

They were originally Goguryeo people, but now they have turned around and become the people of the Goguryeo ethnic group in Liaodong Province under Lord Tang, and they are instantly excited.

The Tang Dynasty promoted the use of the Chinese language and required everyone to learn Chinese characters and the Chinese language, so they all actively devoted themselves to learning it.

The Tang Dynasty required Liaodong Circuit to reclaim wasteland and establish military farms, and these people took the initiative to join in the reclamation and construction in various places.

The governor's office is building roads, and each person will be paid ten coins per day, plus food and lodging.

This group of people were making a fuss, only willing to take five coins... not for anything else, but to register and officially receive the household registration of the people of the Tang Dynasty. If they had a letter of commendation or other official document from the government office, the process could be completed more quickly.

However, this posed a challenge for the aristocratic families of Goguryeo who had been given a "probationary sentence."

The already demoralized populace, upon hearing this news, and especially those with relatives in Liaodong Circuit, desperately sought ways to leave Goguryeo and join the Tang Dynasty's Liaodong Circuit...

Some people even risked crossing mountains and valleys, risking their lives in the wilderness, just to enter Liaodong Road.

Upon receiving this message, Lu Zhaojing immediately responded.

The government issued an order: "Increase industrial benefits, promote hard work in land reclamation and road construction, and those who join the Tang Dynasty will receive government rewards. Goguryeo will be formally incorporated into the Tang Dynasty within three years, becoming a Tang Dynasty Circuit like Liaodong Circuit."

It must be said that the aristocratic families, driven to the brink, have now truly achieved unity of purpose.

As soon as the decree was issued, officials in all cities and counties did their best to comply.

After the Tang government sent officials to guide the local people in restoring production, the people of Goguryeo finally settled down.

As long as there's no war, that's fine. If there's no war, there's still food to eat. Even if it takes a few years to become a citizen of the Tang Dynasty, at least I won't have to leave my hometown...

Time flies.

It has been more than a month since His Majesty Li Shimin left Chang'an.

At the Crown Princess's Palace in Chang'an Imperial Palace, just as dawn was breaking, a flurry of activity was taking place both inside and outside the palace.

The Crown Princess Qian Yingying let out a heart-wrenching cry from inside the palace.

outside the temple.

Prince Li Chengqian, who remained unfazed even when facing the Turkic army of hundreds of thousands, was now completely unable to stay calm.

He was breathing heavily, pacing back and forth, his brow furrowed as he stared at the tightly closed palace doors, listening to the screams coming from inside, his heart filled with anxiety and fear.

"Is it not ready yet? Why isn't it ready yet...?"

"Your Majesty, push! Push! It's almost out! Push!"

"Ahhhh!!!"