Li Jue simply couldn't tell the truth in front of everyone. He was afraid of seeing their disappointed faces, so he could only slink back to his Mirror Lake Villa.

Although Li Jue had been gone for several months, the Mirror Lake Villa remained spotless and dust-free.

Li Jue didn't even need to ask to know that the village chief must have sent people to clean up every day.

He had barely sat down when the village chief, Hu Delu, came running over.

"This humble servant greets Your Excellency!"

Although Li Jue is now the Prince of Qin and Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Hu Delu still likes to call him "Young Master".

This seems to have become a privilege of Sanglin Village; only by calling someone "Young Master" can one feel affection and distinguish themselves from others.

"Uncle Hu, are the villagers doing well these days?"

"Thanks to the Duke, they're all living incredibly well..."

"Every household has plenty of food and firewood, and the able-bodied men in the village can earn money by following Lord Jue. They are all living very comfortably!"

"That's good……"

"Is something on your mind, sir?"

Hu Delu, being an experienced and shrewd man, had long since noticed that Li Jue was troubled; otherwise, he wouldn't have come over to comfort him.

"I want to go to war with His Majesty, but His Majesty won't let me go..."

Upon hearing this, Hu Delu smacked his lips, wishing he could slap this bastard to death.

"My lord, war means death. If I were His Majesty, I wouldn't let you go either!"

Li Jue was well aware of these principles, but the thought of his comrades in the General's Office filled him with guilt.

They were all passionate young men of the Tang Dynasty, but because they were assigned to their own military headquarters, they missed the opportunity to make military achievements.

"Old Hu, personally speaking, I'm fine with going or not. But those young men in my military headquarters... they need military merits, don't they?"

"This..."

In fact, there are quite a few young people from Hujia Village in Sanglin Zhechongfu, including Hu Delu's two sons.

Therefore, from the perspective of making meritorious contributions, he also hoped that Sanglin Zhechong Prefecture could follow His Majesty in the war, and then achieve the rank of Nine-Rank Military Merit, so that someone from his family could also become an official.

But when it comes to the young lord, this matter becomes more complicated.

Let alone His Majesty, even ordinary families would never send a ten-year-old child to the battlefield!

If this gets out, foreign lands will think that the Tang Dynasty has no one left!

"My lord, if we miss it this time, there's always next time, isn't there?"

"When you become emperor in the future..."

Hu Delu glanced around warily after saying this, and seeing that there were no outsiders, he spoke in a low voice.

"Once you become emperor, will you still be afraid that these monkeys under your command won't have any military achievements?"

"Hehehe..."

Li Jue rolled his eyes in annoyance as he listened to Hu Delu's wicked laughter.

"Uncle Hu, I also want to go and beat up those Korean bastards..."

Taiji Palace in Chang'an.

When Li Shimin learned that Li Jue had fled to Xianyang, he merely snorted coldly and then ignored him.

In his view, it was just a child throwing a tantrum.

The most important thing now is for my little bird to wake up early so as not to miss the New Year.

"Ananda, go and send someone to ask if that rebellious grandson is coming back for the New Year!"

"What are you saying, Your Majesty? How can the eldest grandson not come back for the New Year?"

Li Shimin snorted coldly upon hearing this.

"It's hard to say!"

"That grandson is stubborn to the core. I went against his wishes this time, and he probably hates me a lot now."

"Oh, by the way, remember to go to the Ministry of War and urge them to submit the final list of the General Staff Headquarters!"

"promise!"

Ministry of War.

Because Minister of War Li Shiji was leading troops in Goryeo, the actual work of the Ministry of War was done by Vice Minister Cui Dunli.

Cui Dunli had already completed the selection of the Zhechong Prefecture, but just before the submission was about to be completed, Chu Suiliang came to review it, which delayed him considerably.

"Lord Cui, which military commanderies are being recruited this time?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, it mainly refers to the military governorates in Shangzhou and Yongzhou."

"oh?"

"What are the military prefectures in Yongzhou? Let me see them."

"promise!"

Chu Suiliang looked through them one by one, and when he saw that Sanglin General's Office was not listed, he immediately said with a gloomy face.

"The Duke of Lu has instructed that Shan Daozhen must accompany the army on this year's expedition. How could you forget about the Zhechong Prefecture where Shan Daozhen is stationed?"

"Shan Daozhen?"

"My lord, if I remember correctly, Shan Daozhen is the deputy commander of the Sanglin Garrison Command..."

Upon hearing this, Chu Suiliang's face immediately turned cold.

What happened to Sanglin Garrison?

"Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king. On the shores of the whole land, all people are subjects of the king."

"His Majesty is personally leading the expedition against Goguryeo. Even the Crown Prince is eager to join the army and has submitted several petitions to His Majesty requesting to serve!"

Upon hearing this, Cui Dunli swallowed back the words he was about to say.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

“You’re right, sir. I will add Sanglin Garrison Commandery to the list immediately.”

Chu Suiliang nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this.

"There's no need to add it in voluntarily..."

"ah?"

"My lord, what do you mean by that?"

"You can give this to the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, who will then review it before passing it on to His Majesty..."

"Minister of the Imperial Secretariat?"

"Oh, oh, oh, I understand!"

The position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat had been vacant for a long time, so much so that Cui Dunli was stunned for a while before realizing that His Majesty had recently appointed a new Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.

Li Jue stayed in Sanglin Village until the 29th before reluctantly returning to Chang'an. But as soon as he arrived at Taiji Palace, he saw a minor official in the robes of a seventh-rank official waiting for him.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!