"This son greets Imperial Father. This son was late and was used by the rebel army, causing Imperial Father and Imperial Mother to be frightened. This is a capital crime." Li Zhi rushed into Jiuchong Palace and saw Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun kneeling on the ground with tears on their faces.
He had rushed through the night and had just arrived at Ninety Percent Palace when he saw the flames soaring into the sky. He had also learned that the rebel army had used his name to assassinate His Majesty. He had been greatly alarmed. If he was really convicted, even if he was a prince, he would not be able to bear the consequences.
Everyone looked at Li Zhi and couldn't help but sigh. They didn't know if His Highness Prince Jin was lucky or unlucky. The unlucky one was that he had suffered an undeserved calamity, but the lucky one was that he had miraculously avoided this calamity because of a gust of wind.
"Get up! This matter has nothing to do with you. "Li Shimin naturally did not suspect Li Zhi. Seeing that Li Zhi was safe, he also let out a sigh of relief.
"Many thanks, Imperial Father!" Li Zhi gratefully stood up and said.
Empress Zhangsun pulled Li Zhi into her embrace and carefully examined him. After confirming that he was fine, she cried with joy.
"Your Majesty, the mastermind behind the scenes has been found!" Xi Junmai hurriedly came in and reported.
"Who is it?" Li Shimin asked with a gloomy expression.
"The Ashina Society is the mastermind. They have conspired with the Turks to support Heluhe as the Khan and have contacted the Western Turks in a futile attempt to revive the Turks. Right now, the Ashina Society has already fled north. Qin Huaiyu and the others have already gone to pursue them." Xi Junmai said in a clear voice.
After being pursued by the guards of Ninety Percent Palace, there were naturally rebels who were captured alive. After being interrogated, they quickly confessed.
"The Turks are reviving their country?" Li Shimin felt a chill in his heart. He believed that he had already treated the Turks very well. He had moved the Turks to the warm south of the Yellow River so that they would no longer have to fear the snowstorm. More than half of the officials in the imperial court above the fifth rank were from the Turks. Just their annual salary alone was a huge expense. As long as Li Shimin won over the leaders of the Turks, the Turks would naturally submit to him. However, reality gave him a fierce slap in the face.
In reality, there were still many Turks who were dissatisfied with the Tang dynasty and wanted to return to the grasslands. This made his title of Heavenly Khan, which he was most proud of, a joke.
"Investigate, investigate thoroughly. Immediately send people to Chang 'an City to arrest He Luohe," Li Shimin said with an ashen face.
The Ashina Society naturally could not cause much trouble. However, He Luohe had inherited the position of Heavenly Khan and was nominally the leader of the Turks. If a thorough investigation was not carried out, it was likely that the peace of the Turks, which had been peaceful for ten years, would be stirred up again. The northern border would no longer be stable.
"Yes!" Xi Junmai shouted as he received the order. He waved his hand and immediately a guard led the troops to Chang 'an City.
Li Shimin stared at the fire in the Jiuchong Palace gradually being extinguished. However, the fire in his heart still burned fiercely. He, Li Shimin, the Heavenly Khan, had actually suffered an assassination attempt and a rebellion. This was something that the proud him could not accept.
"The autumn night is cold. Father, you have been frightened for a night. Please rest early." Li Zhi stepped forward and said considerately.
Li Shimin said angrily, "Rest for what? When the sun rises, immediately return to Chang 'an City."
Such a big thing had happened in the Ninety Palace, and it even involved the Turks, the biggest unstable force in the Tang dynasty. How could Li Shimin sleep peacefully? Naturally, he wanted to return to the imperial court as soon as possible.
Li Zhi suddenly had an embarrassed look on his face. This time, it could be said that he had flattered the wrong person.
Meton sighed and stepped forward to persuade him, "Your Majesty, your body is in good health. However, I'm afraid that the Empress may not be able to hold on and rush back to Chang 'an City. As long as Your Majesty is fine, the Tang dynasty will not fall into chaos."
Li Shimin was shocked. Just now, he had been thinking about the state affairs and neglected the weak Empress Zhangsun. He saw that Empress Zhangsun was shivering in the autumn wind, but she still insisted on staying by Li Shimin's side.
"Quick, help the Empress into the palace." Li Shimin hurriedly accompanied Empress Zhangsun into the room. Only then did he not insist on rushing back to Chang 'an City.
Seeing Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun enter the room, Meton immediately turned back and rushed back to the Jiuchong Palace. He was afraid that Princess Changle had been waiting for him for a long time.
When Meton rushed back to the Jiuchong Palace, he happened to see Princess Changle anxiously waiting outside the palace. When she saw Meton appear, she immediately cried with joy.
"It's over, it's all over!"
Meton held Princess Changle in his arms and comforted her. However, Princess Changle still held onto Meton's clothes tightly, unwilling to let go. She had been worried about Meton when he was far away outside the Jade Gate Pass, but who would have thought that he would encounter such danger even in the safest Jiuchong Palace?
Meton's words made sense, but Meton knew that the real storm had just begun. This assassination officially ended the ten-year honeymoon period between the Tang dynasty and the Turks. From now on, there would be an insurmountable gap between the two races.
"Giddy up! Giddy up! "
On the south bank of the Wei River, the leader of the Ashina Society, who had caused the rift between the Han and Turks, was running for his life. He took the lead in obtaining a war horse and led several loyal subordinates to escape to the north. Everyone was riding three horses each to the Wei River. Once they crossed the Wei River, they would be like fish in the sea, completely shaking off their pursuers.
"Is the Wei River in front?" A Turk rebel cheered.
The leader of the Ashina Society looked over and saw a wide embankment. They had finally arrived at the Wei River. He was overjoyed and hurriedly rode forward.
"Quickly find a boatman and cross the Wei River." The leader of the Ashina Society ordered.
However, what drove the leader of the Ashina Society crazy was that after searching for more than ten li, he did not find a single boatman.
"How is this possible?" The leader of the Ashina Society was going crazy. Right now, time was life, but he was wasting time looking for a boatman. Normally, there was no lack of boatmen on the Wei River. Why was there not a single one today?
"The Wei River Bridge is about to open. Those boatmen are about to lose their livelihood and have all gone to find a way to survive." Only when he found a farmer did the leader of the Ashina Society understand the reason.
The Wei River Bridge that had been under construction for five years was finally going to be completed. The benefits of the Wei River Bridge were self-evident, but it was not beneficial to everyone. Especially for the ferries along the coast, it was a huge blow. Once the Wei River Bridge opened, who would take the ferry?
"Mo Jiazi!"
The leader of the Ashina Society gnashed his teeth in anger. He suddenly realized that the Wei River Bridge was also Mo Jiazi's work. Meeting Mo Jiazi was simply an unlucky year for him.
"That's right, we can cross the Wei River Bridge." The leader of the Ashina Society was moved. The Wei River Bridge was about to be opened to traffic. It should be more or less completed. There should be no problem for horses to cross it. Otherwise, those boatmen would not have left.
The leader of the Ashina Society made a prompt decision and led his men to rush towards the Wei River Bridge.
Soon, the magnificent Wei River Bridge was reflected in the eyes of the Ashina Society. Everyone could not help but rush over. The Wei River Bridge was their last hope.
"Don't run!"
Suddenly, the sound of hurried horse hooves came from behind. The leader of the Ashina Society turned around and was shocked. He saw Qin Huaiyu and the other two chasing after him.
The leader of the Ashina Society was filled with hatred. If he had not wasted so much time looking for a ferry, the Tang Army would not have caught up with him.
"General, hurry up and leave. We will block the Tang Army!"
The people following the leader of the Ashina Society were all his loyal followers. When they saw the situation, they immediately turned their horses around and rushed towards Qin Huaiyu and the other two, trying to buy time for the leader of the Ashina Society to escape.
Qin Huaiyu and the other two were anxious. They watched as the leader of the Ashina Society galloped towards the Wei River Bridge. They had overdrawn their horses to chase after the leader of the Ashina Society. If the leader of the Ashina Society crossed the Wei River Bridge, they would not be able to chase after him.
Unfortunately, they were now entangled with the Turks and could only watch as the leader of the Ashina Society rushed towards the Wei River Bridge.
The leader of the Ashina Society was about to escape.
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