My father, Li Shimin, requests Your Majesty to become the Retired Emperor.

Chapter 34 Li Chengqian: Su Gui, let her go!

Fang Yi'ai laughed after hearing what the woman in red said: "The physician said that this is not a problem, but a psychological effect. It's mainly because you are too beautiful, which makes my heart beat faster."

"My lord, do you really think I'm good-looking?" the woman in red asked in return.

"Yes, in my opinion, neither Diao Chan nor Xi Shi can compare to you. You have a face that could make fish sink and geese fall from the sky, and a beauty that could shame the moon and flowers. You are simply an unparalleled beauty."

The woman in red laughed, her voice soft: "Hmm, you're quite the smooth talker."

Fang Yi'ai then removed all the clothes from the woman in red, revealing her naked body.

Fang Yi'ai gently picked her up and placed her on the couch, kissing her neck, and the two became intimate.

Su Wan blushed and her heart pounded.

She tugged at Xue'er's sleeve, and the two of them left Fang Yi'ai's residence.

After Chunhua mounted her horse, she galloped eastward at breakneck speed, with Su Gui in hot pursuit. A moment later, Su Gui caught up with her.

Su Gui flashed forward and stood in front of the horse, blocking her way.

Chunhua was also startled; she hadn't expected anyone to be following her.

She reined in the horse and asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"

"I am Su Gui, the captain of the Imperial Guard. We check everyone who leaves the city. What are you doing in the middle of the night? Please dismount and be checked immediately." Su Gui stood tall and proud, hands on his hips.

"How dare that little captain block my way! He's asking for it!"

Chunhua rode over, drew her sword, and swung it at Su Gui's head.

"I didn't want to fight a woman, but I didn't expect you to be so vicious." Su Gui was furious and brandished her pear blossom spear to fight her.

You don't know until you fight. Once you start fighting, Su Gui was taken aback. No wonder this woman was so domineering. It turned out that her swordsmanship was unique and distinctive. She would often strike from unexpected angles, making it impossible to defend against. Su Gui did not dare to be careless and dealt with the situation carefully. After about ten rounds, Su Gui kicked the sword out of her opponent's hand.

Chunhua was taken aback.

In the brief moment she was stunned, Su Gui had already captured her and pulled out a rope from behind her to tie her up.

"Do you know who I am? You dare to arrest me? Let me go right now!"

Su Gui ignored her and reached out to take the letter from her arms.

"You dare touch my breasts and take advantage of me? Give me back the letter right now!"

Su Gui tore a piece of cloth from her clothes and gagged her, then lifted her onto the horse.

Su Gui mounted his horse and carried her back.

The Eastern Palace.

Li Chengqian is exercising.

He was very interested in Turkic wrestling, and through continuous practice, his wrestling skills have greatly improved.

He practiced for about an hour, and a little sweat appeared on his forehead.

He drank a bowl of tea, and then began to sort out his thoughts.

He wondered what his uncle, Changsun Wuji, really thought of him.

Wherever the mind moves, the strategy simulator displays:

Both you and Li Tai are nephews of Changsun Wuji. Changsun Wuji is currently maintaining a neutral stance and has not taken sides.

Before the situation became clear, Changsun Wuji chose to remain at home and observe the political climate.

[Fang Xuanling instructed his son, Fang Yi'ai, to befriend Li Tai, while he himself remained out of the public eye. However, he declined the position of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, which suggests that Fang Xuanling did not support you.]

The Emperor already knows the cost of building the flower bed and planting the mulberry trees; in other words, he knows you've pocketed a profit from it.

However, the Emperor's approval of your insistence on your opinion shows that you have a strong ability to withstand pressure.

"Can't you let me do whatever I want, give me as much money as I want? Then give me another ten thousand taels of silver."

[Host! I'm sorry, but we adhere to principles. Correct answers are rewarded, incorrect answers are not. We gave you a thousand taels of silver in advance last time, and you've already made money; please repay it as soon as possible!]

"What? An advance? And you have to pay it back? I'll fucking beat you to a pulp!"

[Host, please use polite language!]

Just then, Su Wan walked in from outside.

Su Wan looked tense and worried: "Your Highness, we have discovered something new."

"What's going on?"

Su Wan then recounted her visit to Fang Yi'ai's residence, and then handed over the letter that Su Gui had intercepted to Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian opened the letter and was quite surprised. It turned out that Fang Yi'ai had recorded in detail all the recent events in Chang'an and the palace. If Li Tai got hold of this information, it would be very disadvantageous to him: "So, Fang Yi'ai supports Li Tai."

"He doesn't just support Li Tai; he's Li Tai's accomplice. Moreover, they've secretly trained a group of female assassins. These assassins are all beautiful and alluring, but they are also highly skilled in martial arts and have vicious hearts!"

"Is that so?" Li Chengqian was also surprised.

"Yes, and one of the women in red was Fang Yi'ai's lover. They were organized and had a plan."

Li Chengqian deeply felt that, on the surface, the palace was calm, but in reality, undercurrents were surging. He increasingly felt that the situation was not good and that he was being besieged.

"Your Highness, what should we do with Chunhua?"

Where is she now?

"It's right outside the palace gate."

"Bring her in; I want to question her."

"promise!"

Not long after, Su Gui brought in the woman in purple.

When Chunhua saw Li Chengqian, she stood instead of kneeling.

Su Gui angrily retorted, "Why didn't you kneel before the Crown Prince?"

Chunhua stared at him without saying a word.

Su Gui planned to forcefully pin her to the ground.

Li Chengqian waved his hand.

Su Gui then gave up.

Li Chengqian said, "Untie her ropes and take the cloth out of her mouth."

"promise!"

Chunhua's arms were numb from being tied up, so she stretched them out.

Li Chengqian looked at her and indeed found her to be quite attractive: "What's your name?"

"Spring flowers".

"Hmm, a good name. It's so late, what brings you out of the city on horseback?"

"Since you've already taken the letter, why ask again?"

"Very well, I'll ask you again, when did you enter Fang Yi'ai's residence?"

About a year ago.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian and Su Wan exchanged a glance, thinking to themselves that Li Tai was a precocious child, and they hadn't expected that he had started training assassins a year ago.

"What did you do at Fang Yi'ai's residence?"

"Every day, besides sword practice, we ride horses and shoot arrows! Our main responsibilities include delivering information, gathering intelligence, reconnaissance, and assassinations."

How many people are in your organization?

"I don't know the specifics, but there were five of us at Fang Yi'ai's residence."

"Are all five of you women?"

"Yes."

At this moment, Su Wan walked over with her hands behind her back and her head down, and asked, "What's the name of that woman in red? What's her identity?"

"How did you know there would be a woman in red?" Chunhua couldn't help but ask.

"You don't need to worry about that. Just answer my questions truthfully."

"She is Qiu Tianjiao, the daughter of Qiu Ran Ke, and a disciple of Hong Fu Nu."

"The daughter of the Bearded Stranger?" Su Wan and Li Chengqian were both surprised to hear this, because the Bearded Stranger was one of the Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust, and was very famous.

Su Wan asked, "Didn't they say that Qiu Ran Ke went to Fuyu Kingdom? Why didn't he take his daughter with him?"

"Yes, Buyeo Kingdom was adjacent to Goguryeo, and it is said to be Baekje. At that time, due to the war, Qiu Ran Ke hurriedly left with his men, leaving Qiu Tian Jiao behind to be raised by Hong Fu Nu, and also teaching her martial arts."

Later, when Fang Yi'ai formed his own team, Qiu Tianjiao secretly signed up. Hong Fu Nu objected, but she wouldn't listen.

"I see. So, according to you, Hong Fu Nu doesn't support Qiu Tian Jiao joining your organization?"

"Yes."

Su Gui said, "Your Highness, the people in their organization are all cold-blooded animals, ruthless and heartless. This woman is vicious and cruel. The moment we met, she attacked with a killing move, as if she wanted to cut me in two with one sword. Such a person is definitely not a good person. In my humble opinion, it would be better to kill her to prevent future troubles."

Upon hearing this, Chunhua's shoulders trembled.

Li Chengqian pondered for a moment, then calmly said, "No need, let her go back."

"Release her?" Su Gui couldn't help but ask. "No, Your Highness, I finally managed to capture her, and you're just going to let her go like that?"

"She is Fang Yi'ai's woman. If we kill her, wouldn't we be creating enmity?"

There's no need for us to break ties with them right now.

However, Chunhua, let me tell you, you're not allowed to do anything illegal again. If we catch you again, it won't be so easy for you.

Spring flowers bowed their heads and remained silent.

Li Chengqian said to Su Gui, "Return the sword to her."

Although Su Gui was unwilling, the Crown Prince had already spoken, so she had no choice but to hand the sword back to Chunhua.

Chunhua took the sword and drew it out with a "whoosh".

Su Gui was taken aback and asked, "What do you want to do?"

Chunhua's sword flashed, slashing a two-inch-long gash across her arm, the blood instantly staining her clothes red.

Why are you doing this?

"If I don't leave some mark on myself, how will I explain myself when I go back?"

Li Chengqian observed this and thought to himself that this woman was truly ruthless: "So how do you plan to explain this to Fang Yi'ai when you get back?"

"I told them I was robbed on the way."

Li Chengqian nodded and said to Su Gui, "Take her back."

"promise!"

After Su Gui and Chunhua had gone far away, Su Wan said to Li Chengqian, "Your Highness, have you noticed that Li Tai is extremely cunning and has too many tricks up his sleeve?"

He had begun having Fang Yi'ai recruit assassins a year ago, and these five women were just one part of that.

Li Tai must have had other assassins under his command, otherwise, how could the person who went to report to the emperor that the Eastern Palace had buried a wooden figure suddenly die?

How could someone attack me?

Furthermore, I heard that Du He was also injured at home. Connecting these events, we can conclude that these incidents were most likely orchestrated by Li Tai.

Li Chengqian rested his chin on his hand and pondered for a moment: "So, Li Tai had planned this all along."

"Yes, and this matter has also involved Hong Fu Nu. Hong Fu Nu is Li Jing's wife. If Li Jing supports Li Tai, then this matter will be even more troublesome."

Could Li Jing possibly withstand this? A legendary war god, virtually undefeated in battle, wielding immense military power.

Li Chengqian couldn't sit still any longer. He stood up and paced back and forth in the hall: "I don't think Li Jing is that kind of person. He is extremely low-key and cautious in his dealings with others."

How could he possibly support Li Tai?

"I hope he won't, but in any case, Li Tai is building his own team and actively mobilizing all his resources in an attempt to compete with you for the position of Crown Prince."

You give in to him again and again, but he keeps pressing you.

I think you need to take the initiative.

"How should we attack? Li Tai is not in Chang'an, and he has not publicly made any statements attacking me."

"Why don't we do it this way?"

At Fang Yi'ai's residence.

Fang Yi'ai was embracing Qiu Tianjiao in a passionate embrace on the bed.

Qiu Tianjiao asked, "Didn't you say you could do it? Why can't you?"

"Uh—," Fang Yi'ai blushed, "maybe it's because I was too nervous."

Qiu Tianjiao rolled her eyes at him: "Your body looks pretty sturdy, so why is it so useless?"

"That physician was incompetent; the medicine he prescribed was completely useless. I'm going to hold him accountable!"

"You're really something! It's clearly your own fault, but you're blaming others! Are you suffering from kidney deficiency?"

"..."

Just then, Chunhua burst in from outside. Fang Yi'ai was startled to see that her arms and body were covered in blood. Fang Yi'ai and Qiu Tianjiao quickly dressed and got off the bed.

Fang Yi'ai asked irritably, "Chunhua, what's wrong with you?"

Chunhua clasped her hands in a fist and said, "My lord, I encountered a group of bandits as soon as I left the city. I fought with them, but I don't know where the letter went."

"What? You lost the letter?"

Chunhua knelt on one knee: "Your subordinate is incompetent, please punish me, sir!"

Seeing that she was already injured, Fang Yi'ai couldn't bear to punish her any further, so he waved his hand and said, "You may leave now, and let the physician treat you."

"Thank you, sir!"

Chunhua stood up and stepped back.

Fang Yi'ai paced back and forth in the room anxiously, his hands behind his back.

He said to Qiu Tianjiao, "What if that letter falls into the hands of the Crown Prince after it's been lost?"

"What's the use of being anxious now that things have come to this?"

"Then do you think I should write a second letter and send Qiuyue to deliver it?"

"In my opinion, you should play it safe for now, observe the situation first, and see if losing this letter will cause any big uproar. We can talk about it after things have calmed down."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yi'ai nodded: "You really are my strategist; your analysis of the problem is insightful and to the point."

"Stop flattering me. I just want to ask you, when will you be cured of your illness?"

Being together now is like scratching an itch through a boot.

"It'll be soon, don't rush." ​​As Fang Yi'ai said this, sweat broke out on his forehead.