The little princess ate with great relish, picked up the water cup and said, "Cheers, Uncle Xi~"

"Hahaha! Cheers, Sizi!" Cheng Yaojin quickly picked up the wine glass.

"My dear nephew, what do you think?"

"Good meat! Very delicious!" Xiao Ran put down his chopsticks, "What's wrong with the cow in my uncle's house?"

"I fell!" Cheng Yaojin said with a look of grief, "I didn't want this to happen!"

"Uncle, who would believe what you said!" Xiao Ran picked up the water glass.

"Oh, that's not the main point. This beast dares to eat grass today, and he'll hurt people tomorrow. I can't let him go..."

Everyone: “…”

It was not until nightfall that Xiao Ran left with the princesses.

Cheng Yaojin never said a word about taking care of Cheng Tiehuan from beginning to end.

"Sizi, is it delicious?" Princess Yuzhang hugged the little princess.

"Hmm~Good~Good again~"

Li Shimin didn't say anything even though Cheng Yaojin did this, which is very rare.

No one else reported it. Cheng Yaojin is indeed popular and very good at dealing with people.

......

Things were going smoothly at the academy, and Li Shimin was looking forward to the changes this would bring to the Tang Dynasty.

Thinking of his political achievements over the years, Li Shimin felt proud and gradually had other ideas.

Early in the morning, Zhang Ananda was asked to ring the doorbell.

When Xiao Ran saw that the little princess brought Zhang Ananda, he guessed that she was calling him for something.

"Uncle Zhang, sit down and eat!"

"No, thank you for your kindness, young master. His Majesty said that the war report from the Western Regions has arrived, and asked you to go to Taiji Palace."

"Okay, okay, I'll go right away!" Xiao Ran had almost finished eating and put down his chopsticks.

The little princess grabbed the corner of Xiao Ran's clothes. Without saying anything else, Xiao Ran knew what to do.

He took Zhang Ananda and the little princess and drove to the Taiji Hall.

Although I don't know the details, I have a rough idea in my mind.

When we arrived at the Taiji Hall, we saw that not only Li Shimin was there, but almost all the civil and military officials were there.

Xiao Ran was a little resistant and didn't want to come.

I don't hold any official position, so it's inappropriate for me to get involved in these matters.

Li Shimin pointed and asked Xiao Ran to sit down and listen.

The little princess lay obediently in Xiao Ran's arms without saying a word, but when she saw Cheng Yaojin, she was a little excited and waved her little hand to greet him.

No yelling!

Seeing Xiao Ran coming, Li Shimin picked up the rice paper and said, "Let's put aside the previous things and talk about the Western Regions first."

"Hou Junji sent back a telegram saying that the army is unstoppable and has already wiped out all resistance in the Western Regions. Now all the countries in the Western Regions are behaving themselves..."

Hou Junji completely crushed the country in the past. After killing the chicken to scare the monkey, all the small countries became obedient.

"It is all because of your majesty's wisdom, the boundless power of heaven, and the blessings bestowed upon the world that you have enabled your soldiers to be fearless and courageous, to win battle after battle, and to achieve unparalleled achievements for our dynasty. This is the blessing of your majesty, the blessing of our country and all the people of the world!"

"Hahaha!" Li Shimin knew that it was flattery, but he felt comfortable.

"This is the credit of Hou Junji and the countless soldiers. They have made tremendous contributions to the Tang Dynasty. I will reward them accordingly..."

Xiao Yu looked at Li Shimin and said, "Your Majesty, the world is now at peace, the country is prosperous, and the people are safe. All the people come to pay homage to your majesty. This is due to your great achievements. The Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai will announce to heaven and earth your majesty's virtue and achievements, unparalleled in history. This is in accordance with the will of heaven and the will of the people. It will surely enhance the prestige of our Tang Dynasty and be recorded in history forever."

Another stepped forward, "I second the motion! Your Majesty is wise and virtuous, and your achievements in civil and military affairs have won the hearts of the people. Now that the country is prosperous and the people are well-off, and the army is strong and powerful, it is the perfect time for the Fengshan ceremony. This ceremony will fulfill the will of heaven and bring peace to the people, allowing Your Majesty's heroic name to be passed down through the ages and become a model for future generations."

"Your Majesty, your benevolence is like a brilliant star, illuminating every inch of the Tang Dynasty. Today's prosperous era is the fruit of your Majesty's painstaking efforts. The Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai is a noble tribute to your majesty's great achievements and a showcase of the Tang Dynasty's prosperity to the gods of heaven and earth. It is truly a heaven-sent opportunity that must not be missed."

Li Shimin's achievements were obvious to all, and many people began to persuade Li Shimin.

Li Shimin was also moved.

Li Shimin was very happy, but he didn't say anything. Fang Xuanling and other confidants didn't say anything either, but Li Shimin knew that these people would definitely support him.

There was no speech because Wei Zheng did not speak.

"Wei Zheng!" Seeing that Wei Zheng had been silent, Li Shimin called Wei Zheng's name.

"Your Majesty, I disagree! I think it's inappropriate!"

Li Shimin still had a smile on his face, but he was very unhappy in his heart. Others were also unhappy with Wei Zheng and felt that he was spoiling the fun.

"Is it because my achievements are not high enough?"

"Your Majesty is certainly a great hero!"

"Is it because I am not virtuous enough?"

"Your Majesty is certainly virtuous!"

"Is Kyushu not stable?"

"Of course Kyushu is stable!"

"The four barbarians are not yet subdued?"

"Of course the four barbarians will submit!"

"The harvest is not good?"

"Of course the harvest is abundant?"

"Fu Rui hasn't arrived yet?"

"Of course Fu Rui has arrived!"

Xiao Ran knew that a big part of the reason why Li Shimin did not offer sacrifices to heaven and earth on Mount Tai was because of Wei Zheng.

I don’t know the details, but I didn’t expect to see this scene.

Li Shimin was so angry that he laughed, "The conditions are already in place, so why can't I perform the Fengshan ceremony?"

Xiao Ran couldn't help but look at Wei Zheng.

Wei Zheng calmly replied, "Your Majesty, although these six conditions are met, the population has not recovered since the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, and the granaries are still empty. If you were to send a thousand chariots and ten thousand cavalry on a tour eastward to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the gods, it would be difficult to provide supplies along the way."

"Furthermore, when Your Majesty performs the Fengshan ceremony, all nations will gather. There will undoubtedly be barbarian rulers who will serve as retinues. Currently, the areas east of Yi and Luo are sparsely populated and overgrown with vegetation. This will allow the barbarians to clearly see the weakness of the Tang Dynasty."

"Moreover, Your Majesty's rewards, though countless, cannot satisfy the desires of those far away; and even a few years of exemption from corvée labor cannot compensate for the hard work of the people. What good is it for Your Majesty to pursue empty reputations while suffering real harm?"

"Your Majesty, Wei Zheng's faction..." Someone was unhappy with Wei Zheng and stood up.

Li Shimin raised his hand to interrupt, "Wei Zheng has a point!"

Li Shimin really wanted to perform the Fengshan ceremony to commend his achievements, and no one refused.

People without any achievements can be enfeoffed as emperors even if they are thick-skinned. Li Shimin's achievements are real.

"This matter ends here! Let's withdraw from the court!"

All civil and military officials stood up, saluted, and left the Taiji Hall.

Cheng Yaojin walked up to the little princess and rubbed her head.

The little princess handed Cheng Yaojin a bag of green beans.

The friendship between the two, one big and one small, is growing deeper and deeper.

"Xiao Ran, come to the front and talk!" Li Shimin shouted.

Zhang Ananda knew that Li Shimin was going to say something very important, so he asked everyone else to leave.

"Uncle! You didn't become an emperor in the end!" Xiao Ran knew what Li Shimin wanted to ask and gave the answer directly.

"Aren't my achievements enough?"

"It's not a question of whether it's enough... Although Your Majesty didn't confer it, Zhinu did, and Wu Zetian also conferred it..."

Li Shimin's face turned green!

"You little bastard, are you really trying to piss me off?"

Xiao Ran could have avoided mentioning Wu Zetian, but he insisted on mentioning her to disgust Li Shimin.