Traveling through the Gaowu Tang Dynasty, Li Kuan and Li Shimin became the second sons of the Prince

"General Pei, don't you plan to accompany His Highness into the palace?" As a newcomer, Wang Hanzhang obviously didn't know the value of Zhang Zhenxuan, the young minister of the Dou family.

"With the little Heavenly Master here, Your Highness's trip to the palace will be foolproof." - Although Pei Xingyan had just joined the ranks of Dou's retainers, he was very clear about Zhang Zhenxuan's origins - he was able to be rescued at the beginning thanks to the old Heavenly Master Zhang Yun's bold move at the critical moment. Although he was known as the "enemy of ten thousand men", he was still not good enough in front of the old Heavenly Master.

The young Taoist priest in front of him was acknowledged by the old Taoist priest himself that his future achievements would far surpass those of all the ancestors of the Zhang family and he would be comparable to the peerless Taoist genius Zhang Jiao.

Therefore, with him by the side of His Royal Highness the King of Chu, Pei Xingyan naturally felt relieved. Of course, although Pei Xingyan thought so, this former enemy of the Sui Dynasty now also mastered the skills of coaxing the King of Chu: "Besides, His Royal Highness the King of Chu is a young hero, and he is not an ordinary person."

"Xing Yan, I like what you said." His Royal Highness the King of Chu smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will give you enough manpower on the day of the operation. By the way, I will also hand over Huairen and the others to you. Although the trip to the palace is not dangerous, it is a life-and-death battle with the imperial guards after all. I am afraid that you will be worried and unable to move freely when the battle starts."

"Yes!" Pei Xingyan naturally had no way to refuse the order of His Royal Highness the King of Chu. Moreover, in his opinion, attacking the city gate was indeed the easiest task of the day - but... after taking the city gate, how to hold it firmly was another matter.

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Unlike His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu who was discussing matters with his retainers in the study, Quan Gaisu Wen seemed to be a loner.

He did not even go to discuss the matter with his father, the previous Goguryeo Grand Councilor Yeon Tae-jo. Ever since he made the agreement with His Royal Highness the King of Chu, he often locked himself in a secret room in his mansion, looking at the map of Goguryeo in front of him for a long time without saying a word.

Yeon Tae-jo noticed his son's abnormality and asked him several times, but he only got one answer: "Father, I am just thinking about how to take down Silla and Baekje."

"Is that really the case?" Yuan Taizuo looked at the son in front of him whom he had always considered to be the most outstanding. A hint of the majesty of a father flashed in the corners of his eyes. "Since you came back last time, everything has shown that something is wrong... Su Wen, tell me the truth, are the rumors outside... true?"

"Father, those are just Gao Jianwu's despicable tricks to try to hurt his son. How can you take them seriously?" Seeing his father's doubt, Quan Gaisuwen blurted out almost subconsciously: "My son... I have no choice..."

"Are you still obsessed with that woman?" Yuan Taizuo looked at his absent-minded son, and a bad premonition gradually arose in his heart.

"Father, how could it be..." Quan Gaisuwen calmed down slightly and began to take his father's question seriously: "My son understands that the current situation is very unfavorable to us. At this time, how could my son lose his judgment of the overall situation because of his love for his children? Besides, now she and I... have no chance. All my son can do is to humble himself and maintain absolute patience. Only in this way can he stabilize his position in the chaotic and complicated court struggle until the opportunity comes and he can turn things around in one fell swoop!"

"Well said! You are worthy of being my son, Yuan Taizuo!" At this time, Yuan Taizuo did not know what kind of "opportunity" Quan Gaisuwen mentioned. The old man just tasted his son's tenacious character and his flexible and resilient heart from his son's words: "Su Wen, remember, as the helmsman of the family, you must always remain absolutely calm, do not be tempted, do not be threatened, everything is based on the interests of the family, everything is based on the overall situation, only in this way can you be considered a qualified head of the family!"

"Father, I will keep your teachings in mind!" After receiving Yuan Taizuo's earnest teachings, Quan Gaisuwen immediately bowed to him and said, "Father, I swear to you that I will never bring disgrace to our family's reputation in this life!"

"Su Wen..." After hearing his son's solemn statement, Yuan Taizuo did not show a look of relief at the first time. Instead, he was silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Have you ever blamed me? At the beginning... it was me who stopped you from eloping with that woman..."

"Father, I am almost thirty now, and I am no longer the reckless young man who was not yet an adult." When Quan Gaisuwen answered this question, he even felt that his soul was floating in the air, looking down at the shameless poor fellow kneeling on the ground with contempt: "My background is destined to make it impossible for me to live an ordinary life. Some things cannot be peaceful without fighting. Ordinary people may really have a bright future if they take a step back when encountering problems.

However, although we are a family of officials with a long history of nobility and status, we have always been prosperous. However, it is precisely because of this prosperity over the years that our Yuan family has made countless enemies, both openly and covertly.

If we take a step back when faced with difficulties, we will be doomed! Of course, the monarch is an exception - all the honors we have as subjects come from the monarch's appreciation and trust in us."

"Su Wen, I'm glad that you can recognize this..." Yuan Taizuo is now an old man. What he worries about most is that the heir he chose fails to grow into the backbone of the entire family as he wishes.

Now it seems that his worries were unnecessary.

"Father, it is really...really great that your praise can be given to your son..." Quan Gaisuwen, who was now as hypocritical as his father, thought for a while and then gave the answer that his father wanted to hear the most: "I was so happy that I felt like there was something stuck in my throat."

"Su Wen, Daddy's good son, get up." Yuan Taizuo twitched his eyebrows slightly when he heard this. His son had obviously grown up to be what he expected him to be, but at this moment, he did not feel much joy in his heart.

"Father, your birthday is coming soon. I want to hold a birthday banquet for you to show my caution." After hearing his father's words, Quan Gaisuwen did not stand up immediately. Instead, he kowtowed respectfully to him and said, "The relationship between the king and my son is tense now. I'm thinking, why don't we lower our posture and invite those ministers who don't get along well with me to the mansion, so that the king can know our intentions." Because of his father's repeated tests and warnings, Quan Gaisuwen finally got rid of the last hesitation in his heart at this moment.

"Su Wen, there are some things that you and I as subjects should say all the time, but there are some things that you and I as members of the Yuan family must stick to until death. Do you understand what I mean?" After hearing his son's plan, Yuan Taizuo neither agreed nor opposed it. He just said something that seemed to have nothing to do with the birthday party.

He was testing his son to see if he really understood how to be a powerful official.

"Father, I feel that the stock of glassware in our home is still a bit too much. It's time to give some more to our students and old friends." Quan Gaisu Wen seemed to be answering a question irrelevant at this moment, but in fact, the question and answer between them, father and son, were both unexpected and reasonable.

"Go prepare the invitations." After getting the answer he wanted, Yuan Taizuo sighed slightly: "These days, I often dream about your mother. Speaking of which... compared to a birthday banquet with many guests, I actually want to eat a bowl of clear soup noodles cooked by your mother. It's a pity... I won't be able to eat it in this lifetime..."