“No hurry.” Li Shimin held her back, and after they both sat down, he said, “Though I rescued the princess from Yuwen Zhiji this time, she has nowhere to go. I didn’t feel comfortable arranging for her to go to unfamiliar Taiyuan, so I brought her here where I can look after her somewhat. Once we take Chang’an in the future, I’ll make proper arrangements. What do you think?”

Lady Zhangsun was silent for a moment, then quickly smiled, “Having the princess go to Taiyuan alone would indeed be inappropriate. My husband can rest assured—when I have time, I’ll visit the princess more often.”

Li Shimin stared at her, “Don’t you have anything to ask me?”

Lady Zhangsun smiled, “What does my husband think I should ask?”

“I…” Before Li Shimin could continue, Lady Zhangsun said quietly, “Whatever decision my husband makes, I will support you.”

This simple and honest statement was more heartwarming than any flowery words. Li Shimin reached out to embrace her, saying with emotion, “Being able to marry you in this lifetime is truly Li Shimin’s fortune cultivated over several lifetimes!”

Lady Zhangsun lifted her head from his embrace and smiled brilliantly, “In my view, being able to marry my husband—isn’t that also a fortune of several lifetimes?”

Li Shimin laughed helplessly and held Lady Zhangsun even tighter, “So it seems we were destined to become husband and wife.”

Xiuzhu shook her head secretly to the side. Clearly Lady Ji had already warned her repeatedly, yet the miss still allowed the young master to keep Princess Jinyang by his side. Continuing like this would surely lead to great losses. No—she must keep a close watch on that Princess Jinyang for her miss. Seeing how she had the young master so bewitched that he would risk his life to save her, she was definitely no good thing!

This snow didn’t last long—it stopped after one night, leaving only a thin layer of snow on the ground that didn’t impede the army’s advance. At the end of October, Li Yuan led 250,000 troops to Chang’an, encamping outside the Chunming Gate on the eastern side of Chang’an.

As the army set up camp, Li Yuan silently gazed at the towering city gate, his heart surging with emotion. Rising in arms in July, overcoming countless hardships along the way, he had finally arrived at this place. One step… he was only one step away from ultimate victory!

“Congratulations, father.” This voice pulled Li Yuan from his contemplation. He glanced sideways at Li Jiancheng, who had somehow come to his side, “It’s too early to say such things.”

Li Jiancheng said with confident satisfaction, “According to your son’s knowledge, there are only fifty thousand soldiers in Chang’an city. Breaking into the city is just a matter of time.” Speaking thus, he cupped his hands, “Your son is willing to serve as vanguard and open the city gates for father!”

Seeing Li Yuan remain silent, he became somewhat anxious, “Does father think your son cannot do it?”

“Of course not.” Li Yuan shook his head, “It’s just—have you forgotten what I said when I first raised arms?”

Li Jiancheng was stunned and frowned, “Father means supporting Prince Dai Yang You as emperor?” Seeing Li Yuan nod, he said, “But Yang You is just a thirteen-year-old child. What does he understand?”

“Whether he understands or not is one thing, but what I promised must be fulfilled. Otherwise, I would be going back on my word and becoming a person without credibility. How then could I command the trust of hundreds of thousands of soldiers?”

Li Jiancheng thought this made sense and said, “So father wants Prince Dai to open the city gates himself?” Seeing Li Yuan remain silent, he said, “Forgive your son’s directness, but this seems quite difficult.”

Li Yuan nodded, “I know, but no matter how difficult, we must try. If Yang You continues to refuse to open the gates, it won’t be too late for us to attack the city.”

Starting the next day, Chai Baochang, who was Li Yuan’s son-in-law, went to the city gates several times daily to call out, “Listen, soldiers defending the city! Duke Li has come to Chang’an to support Prince Dai and has absolutely no intention of rebelling against Sui. Please go back and inform Prince Dai to open the city gates!”

After more than ten days, Chai Baochang had shouted until his voice was hoarse, but there was still no response from within the city, which was truly frustrating. Some hot-tempered generals could no longer restrain themselves and repeatedly requested Li Yuan’s permission to attack Chang’an. After much deliberation, Li Yuan decided to wait another seven days.

On the third day, Li Shimin appeared in Li Yuan’s tent with an unexpected person, “Father, the princess says she wants to see you.”

“Oh?” Li Yuan put away the map he was studying and asked puzzledly, “What does the princess want to see me about? Have the servants been neglectful and slighted the princess?”

“Duke Li misunderstands.” Speaking thus, Yunyi said, “I know Duke Li is troubled by the Chang’an matter. When I was in the palace, Yang You and I as his aunt got along quite well. Perhaps I can help Duke Li persuade him to open the city gates.”

Hearing this, Li Yuan’s face showed delight, and he stood up, “Would the princess truly be willing to help me persuade Prince Dai?”

Yunyi smiled, “Duke Li has shown me kindness, so I should repay it. Moreover, forcibly attacking the city would certainly cause countless soldiers to lose their lives, which is not what I wish to see.”

Li Yuan quickly said, “Exactly. Unless absolutely necessary, I too would not want these soldiers who follow me to die.”

Yunyi nodded, “Before this, I would like to ask Duke Li to agree to one thing.”

“Please speak, princess. As long as it’s within my power, I will certainly accomplish it for you.” For Li Yuan at this moment, nothing was more important than coaxing Yang You to open the city gates.

“Though Yang You is Yang Guang’s grandson, he is not cruel and tyrannical like Yang Guang. So I hope that after Duke Li enters the city, you will not harm him.”

Hearing it was this matter, Li Yuan immediately said, “Princess, rest assured. I came here to support Prince Dai—how could I harm him?”

“That’s good.” Yunyi knew Li Yuan was a man of his word. Since he had promised, he wouldn’t go back on it. She curtsied slightly to Li Yuan, “Then I’ll go now.”

Li Yuan nodded and said to Li Shimin, “Shimin, accompany the princess and be sure to protect her safety.”

“Yes.” After leaving the tent, Li Shimin looked at the seemingly fragile woman beside him and said gently, “I didn’t expect that when you asked me to bring you to see father, it was for this matter.”

Yunyi looked back with a smile, “When you suddenly appeared in Feixiang Palace, didn’t I not expect it either?”

Li Shimin smiled wryly, then said, “Thank you!”

Yunyi smiled without speaking. When they reached outside Chunming Gate, Chai Baochang was calling out there, his hoarse voice repeating the same words over and over. Unfortunately, the city remained as quiet as always, with only a few patrolling soldiers moving about on the city walls. However, everyone knew that in places they couldn’t see, heavy troops were surely deployed, strictly guarding against any breach.

Before they could speak, Chai Baochang was already shaking his head, “Still the same—no agreement, no opposition, nothing at all.”

“Let me try.” Speaking thus, Yunyi walked forward and called out loudly, “I am Princess Jinyang, personally enfeoffed by His Majesty, and Prince Dai’s aunt. Please go and inform Prince Dai to come meet me!”

This statement surprised the soldiers on the city walls greatly. They all looked down, unable to imagine that a princess would suddenly appear. Was she… truly a princess, or was this Li Yuan’s trick?