Chapter 66 Li Shimin was stunned; the Imperial Academy army set out on the expedition.

The next day.

Military camp, training ground!

Tens of thousands of soldiers stood ready for orders...

The contests of civil and military affairs will proceed simultaneously, with civil affairs taking precedence over military affairs.

On the high platform, several refined elderly men stroked their beards and chatted amongst themselves...

Yu Shinan, Chu Suiliang, Ouyang Xun...

A debate, in its literary form, naturally requires a referee.

And these few people were the referees for this literary debate.

Kong Yingda was also among them.

Changsun Chong stood in the training ground with one hand behind his back, his eyes filled with arrogance.

"His Majesty has arrived."

As a sharp voice rang out, everyone fell silent and turned to look in one direction.

Li Shimin arrived with important ministers such as Wei Zheng and Changsun Wuji.

Everyone quickly bowed and paid their respects.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Tens of thousands of soldiers shouted, their voices soaring into the sky.

No need for formalities.

Li Shimin stood on the high platform, filled with boundless pride!

This is the mighty lion of his Tang Dynasty!

He chose the military camp as the location for the duel not only because the martial arts competition required a venue, but also because he wanted to take a look around.

Despite being an emperor who rose to power on horseback, he still fondly remembered his days in the military.

"At the end of the Sui Dynasty, chaos reigned, millions of rebels rose up, and heroes from all walks of life emerged. However, our Great Tang Dynasty, divinely ordained, swept across the world..."

"Seven years after my ascension to the throne, I destroyed Liang Shidu and swept away the Eastern Turks..."

"All of this is thanks to everyone's hard work!"

"But we also need to dedicate ourselves to nurturing the next generation..."

"I have heard that Changsun Chong is exceptionally talented and Cheng Huailiang is unparalleled in bravery, and I intend to marry my two princesses to them. However, since the Wei family has a son, Shuyu is not satisfied and has granted permission for a duel..."

Li Shimin was an emperor who cared a lot about his image.

Such a grand occasion naturally deserves to be boasted about.

"The Tang Dynasty is mighty! The Tang Dynasty is mighty..."

As Li Shimin finished speaking, the soldiers raised their spears in agreement.

"Then... let the duel begin."

Li Shimin finally sat down and picked up a cup of tea to sip.

I'm still a little thirsty after talking for so long.

However, the entire room fell silent!

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty," Kong Yingda said, forcing a smile as he stepped forward and bowed, "Wei Shuyu has not yet arrived!"

puff.

Li Shimin immediately spat out his tea.

"What did you say?"

I have won the battle, but Wei Shuyu has not?

Does he think he's more important than me?

"Wei Shuyu hasn't arrived yet," Kong Yingda could only reply, forcing himself to speak.

"Where are the others?"

Li Shimin roared in a low voice, then looked at Wei Zheng: "Where is your son?"

Wei Zheng stood up and bowed to Li Shimin: "Your Majesty, Shuyu has not returned home since he left Chang'an yesterday."

"..."

Li Shimin is a muggle.

He gave a passionate speech, but the person in question didn't show up.

So, who is the one who is shameful, him or Wei Shuyu?

"What are you standing there for? Go find it!"

Li Shimin wished he could just walk away in a huff.

But that impassioned speech had stirred up everyone's emotions.

Kidnapping a princess—what a sensational story!

He claimed that he was the only one of his kind in the world.

They openly and secretly encouraged people, saying that anyone with the ability could have a chance to marry a princess...

The stage is all set up, but the main character is nowhere to be seen.

What the hell?

The soldiers were all eagerly waiting to see the hero snatch the princess...

Li Shimin wanted to slap himself hard.

Why pretend to be so high and mighty?

Now look what's happened, he's put himself in a very difficult situation...

"The Imperial Academy's army is setting out; all idlers should retreat!"

Just then, Cui Shenji and Fang Yi'ai, along with their friends from the Imperial Academy, burst in.

I have to be there to support my brother in this battle!

Kong Yingda's eyes twitched repeatedly when he saw this scene.

It's bad enough that the three of you skip school every day, but now you're even leading the children of all the powerful and wealthy in the Imperial Academy to skip school?

What does that mean?

They dislike my job title...

No, I'm just a supervisor, not a chief priest...

Kong Yingda secretly glanced at the old man to the side.

The other person's face turned purple.

It seems... I might be getting a promotion?

"Zhijie, bring them here!"

Li Shimin gave the order with a livid face.

"promise."

Cheng Yaojin, accompanied by several soldiers, walked menacingly toward his companions.

Choi Shin-ki and Fang Yi-ai are currently rallying their friends...

He was instructing his older brother on how to shout when he was trying to show off.

How to mock someone when they're showing off.

They even secretly gave everyone two eggs...

"Cui Shenji, come here!" Cheng Yaojin shouted angrily.

"Which king is sighing..." Choi Shin-ki suddenly turned around.

Why is it the Cheng family again?

We usually only see each other once or twice a month.

Why do we keep running into each other every few days these past few days...?

“Layer upon layer…” Choi Shin-ki stuttered again.

"All of you, come with me to see His Majesty!" Cheng Yaojin said, then turned around.

"Godbase is doomed."

"Yes, we're too flashy."

"I told you we couldn't come together. Now look what happened, His Majesty and the Grand Master of Ceremonies found out."

The friends muttered to themselves.

However, he dared not delay his footwork for even a moment.

His Majesty summoned me; this brings glory to my ancestors!

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

The children bowed respectfully.

"Where is Wei Shuyu?" Li Shimin asked directly.

The group looked at each other, somewhat bewildered.

"Shenji, tell me, where is Wei Shuyu?" Li Shimin asked him by name.

"ah?"

Choi Shin-ki was stunned for a moment: "Uh... I don't know."

“You spend all your time with him, how could you not know?” Li Shimin rebuked sternly.

"We didn't hang out together today," Choi Shin-ki replied timidly.

"What did you say?"

Li Shimin glared at him: "Whether you know it or not, he must appear on the martial arts stage within one incense stick's time, otherwise..."

"Otherwise, you can go on stage and perform!"

The group of friends were all dumbfounded.

Soon, the time it takes for an incense stick to burn was over.

In this hot weather, I'm getting a bit irritable.

The soldiers also sensed that something was wrong.

"Zhijie, throw them onto the martial arts stage!" Li Shimin ordered.

"promise."

Cheng Yaojin accepted the order, then looked at his companions and asked, "Should you go up yourselves, or should I escort you up?"

"..."

Under pressure from Cheng Yaojin's intimidating presence, the group reluctantly went on stage.

Cheng Yaojin, holding a spear, watched them from behind like he was herding ducks.

"Godbase, what do we do?"

"You're asking me? Who should I ask?"

"Yiai, you are skilled in both literature and martial arts, you come..."

“Wang Xiu is good at reading, let him compose poems and couplets.”

"Shandao knows martial arts, let him go!"

The friends kept passing the buck...

"With Big Brother absent, Shenji takes charge. Shenji, move in!"

Suddenly, one of my friends said something.

Then, surprisingly, everyone agreed, took three steps back, and pushed him out...

"..."

Choi Shin-ki glanced at his friend, then at Cheng Yaojin.

Cheng Yaojin glared at him, and Choi Sin-ki immediately backed down.

Go ahead and go.

It's not like everyone doesn't know a little martial arts...

"Watch closely, everyone! I'm going to perform a set of military boxing for you!"

"ha!"

Choi Shin-ki shouted loudly and firmly planted himself in a horse stance!

He began to perform a powerful and energetic fist dance.

Although it was all show and no substance, for some reason, everyone was drawn to it...