I am Li Shen and Li Shimin, the free kings of the Tang Dynasty

In the end, Li Shen compromised and agreed to arrange a place for Li Shimin after he returned.

However, the security issue still needs to be solved by Li Shimin himself.

If he stayed there for a while, it would be fine.

But he said he would stay for a few days, so Li Shen had no choice.

Li Shimin could only lead the Yulin Guards to do the security work himself, but this security work was not easy to do.

They were unfamiliar with the terrain and the forest was huge, so it would take at least two to three thousand men to surround it.

Li Shen couldn't help but sigh that the emperor's travel was indeed a waste of money and labor.

Li Shen did have three thousand men, but according to the rules he could not be used, and Li Shimin would not agree.

Li Shen was almost unable to walk after eating so much.

He ate desperately. He felt that he had lost thousands of coins and he had to eat it back.

On the way back, Li Shen was supported by two personal maids.

It's like a pregnant woman who has been pregnant for several months, with a big belly.

Fortunately, the imperial edict had already been obtained this time, and Li Shimin asked Wang De to go to the three provinces to draft two imperial edicts.

The first one was addressed to Ashina Liang, asking him to lead Ashina's tribe to escort supplies to Chang'an.

Originally, Ma Zhou and others wanted to refute that the Hu people were not allowed to enter the pass.

But as the content of the second imperial edict appeared, they figured out something.

The second imperial edict was addressed to each checkpoint, requiring all states and counties to release the prisoners immediately and not to block or inspect them.

Oh~~~~ Ma Zhou and Yu Zhining, one drafted the imperial edict, and the other reviewed it.

The two of them seemed to understand something in an instant.

They thought that His Majesty must have asked the Ashina tribe to get some rare items, but they were afraid of being criticized.

That's why a secret escort was requested.

They were also afraid that the person would see what it was when passing through customs, so they ordered that it should not be checked.

The two of them acquiesced to this matter at the same time. His Majesty no longer cares about state affairs, so it would not be a big deal to indulge in luxury occasionally.

There was no need for them to give advice, as the crown prince was now regent and would probably inherit the throne soon.

In addition, Wang De implicitly said that this matter should not be told to anyone, which made the two of them more certain of their thoughts.

In this way, due to a beautiful misunderstanding, the two imperial edicts were successfully obtained.

"What happened to the prince? Was he beaten again?"

Seeing two maids helping Li Shen into the back house, Lu Dingniang hurried forward and asked with concern.

Li Shen rolled his eyes:

"Madam, can't you expect me to be better? I'm so full."

"Are you full?" Lu Dingniang was even more speechless. What kind of delicacies must Li Shen have eaten to make him look like this?

He ordered someone to help Li Shen go to the bedroom to rest. Li Shen really wanted to go to the study because he had other things to do.

Lying on the couch in the study, Li Shen ordered Shitou to call the guard who delivered the message.

"I see His Highness Prince Ji."

"Well, no gifts."

Li Shen waved his hands. When the guards saw Li Shen like this, they didn't know what was wrong with Prince Ji.

"Shitou, go call Wang Changshi over."

Li Shen first gave an order to Shitou, then looked at the guard and said:

“I have two imperial edicts here, and you need to deliver them to Liangzhou City immediately. Wang Hongfu will be waiting for you in Liangzhou.

But because it is an imperial edict, I am worried about you sending it alone. I will ask the palace guards to send three people to accompany you to protect the imperial edict.

Remember to deliver it to Wang Hongfu as soon as possible."

The guard immediately saluted and said:

"In compliance with the order of His Royal Highness Prince Ji, I will travel day and night and reach Liangzhou in three days.

I will definitely deliver the imperial edict safely to Manager Wang."

The guards naturally knew the seriousness of the matter, otherwise King Ji would not have sent three people to escort him.

If the imperial edict was lost, none of them would survive, and Prince Ji would probably be severely punished.

"That's good. Come, take him to prepare money and food, and wait for my order."

Li Shen waved his hand and waited for Wang Xuance to come.

The guards followed the servants out, and Li Shen looked at the ceiling, thinking about something.

The matter in Xizhou Prefecture was considered to be concluded, but follow-up work still needed to be arranged. Wang Hongfu said that the workshops there and the office of Prince Ji's Mansion in Xizhou were all closed.

This also requires reassigning one person.

The Anxi Protectorate was very large, with many important towns, and was located on the Silk Road, so it was quite prosperous.

There was a constant stream of merchants passing by, and the Ji Wang Mansion had the largest industrial scale there.

Although it is not as profitable as other industries, it is still profitable from the perspective of people's livelihood, the imperial court, and so on.

Prince Ji’s plan in Anxi is more important than all the industries.

Li Shen is not a person who only knows how to enjoy himself and make money. If he can make money and make the Tang Dynasty strong within his ability,

He was very willing to do it.

The plan of the Anxi Protectorate was to increase the stability of the Tang Dynasty. As long as the local people were prosperous, few people would rebel.

Therefore, the people sent this time must be loyal and trustworthy, and it doesn't matter if they have no experience.

The Prince Ji’s Mansion can provide support, teach, and send people to assist.

The important thing is that this person must be highly loyal, and we cannot have another Wang Wencheng.

"Your Majesty, Wang Changshi has arrived."

Shitou stood at the door and reported.

"Let him in."

Li Shen came back to his senses.

"I see His Highness Prince Ji."

Wang Xuance bowed deeply after coming in.

"Well, sit down." Li Shen nodded.

Seeing Li Shen's expression, Wang Xuance couldn't help but ask:

"Your Majesty, this is..."

He really wanted to say, has the prince been beaten again?

"Oh, it's okay. I'm full and stuffed."

"......" Wang Xuance was speechless. What could he eat to be so full?

How could he know that Li Shen had lost hundreds of thousands of strings of cash in the palace?

"I'm glad Your Majesty is alright. I wonder what your Majesty wants me to do?"

"Well, Wang Hongfu has sent me a letter. Take a look first."

As he spoke, Li Shen pointed to the letter on the desk. Wang Xuance stood up, took the letter, read it, and said,

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, this matter still requires His Majesty's order."

"Why?"

Li Shen asked. Although he had obtained the imperial edict, he did not think of looking for the emperor directly at the beginning.

At first, he was still hesitating whether to send the guard battalion or go to the palace to ask for permission. Later, he went to find the prince, and finally went to Li Shimin.

Why did Wang Xuance know to go directly to Li Shimin after reading it? Didn't he think that it would be troublesome to go to his father?

Wang Xuance didn't know what Li Shen was thinking, so he replied directly:

"Your Majesty, the Hu army is not allowed to enter the pass. Entering the pass is a taboo. If you enter the pass without the order of your majesty or the order of the Ministry of War, you will be punished.

It may be difficult for the prince to get the transfer order from the Ministry of War. The Ministry of War will not agree, so he can only ask for the imperial edict from His Majesty.

As for sending people to support us, the Imperial Guard Battalion would also need His Majesty's order or an official letter from the Ministry of War.

There is no difference between the two. It would be better to directly ask for permission and let the Ashina tribe escort them back to save time."

"What about finding the Crown Prince? Wouldn't it be easier to ask the Crown Prince to issue an order? You also know that it will be very troublesome for me to go to His Majesty."

Li Shen continued to ask.