Taiji Palace in Chang'an.

Since Li Shimin went on his campaign, Li Zhi had been sitting in the position of regent.

However, as victories continued to come from the front lines, Li Zhi's mood became increasingly gloomy.

The reason is simply that these contributions were too great, and a large part of them should be attributed to Li Jue.

Conquering Liaodong and Anshi were two great achievements, enough for Li Jue to replace him as crown prince!

On this day, Li Zhi sat listlessly at his desk, lost in thought, when Gao Shilian walked in carrying a stack of documents.

"Your Highness, these documents require an official seal!"

"oh……"

Li Zhi took the document with little interest, didn't even look at it, and then stamped it with the imperial seal.

Upon seeing this, Gao Shilian couldn't help but sigh.

"Your Highness, shouldn't you check it?"

"If I were a treacherous minister, and my documents contained even a trace of my own self-interest, wouldn't Your Highness be being used by me?"

Li Zhi smiled gently upon hearing this.

"Uncle Gao, you jest. Even if I don't trust everyone in the world, I would never doubt you!"

"well!"

Although Gao Shilian had a better impression of Li Jue, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret upon hearing Li Zhi say this.

"Since Zhou Yu was born, why was Zhuge Liang born as well?"

In Gao Shilian's view, both Li Zhi and Li Jue were exceptionally good children.

In terms of ability, Li Jue had an overwhelming advantage over Li Zhi.

However, in terms of character, Li Zhi was more tolerant and gentler than Li Jue.

Seeing Li Zhi so worried, he, as an elder, also felt bad.

Seeing that no one was around, Gao Shilian immediately asked in a low voice.

"Is Your Highness worried about losing the position of Crown Prince?"

"ah?"

Li Zhi was startled by these words, but when he saw Gao Shilian's serious expression, he couldn't help but burst into tears.

"Uncle Gao, do you also think I'm not fit to be the Crown Prince? Waaaaah..."

Upon hearing this, Gao Shilian quickly shook his head.

"No, no, no!"

"Your maternal uncle has always thought you were a good candidate, very suitable to be the crown prince!"

Li Zhi felt much better after hearing this, but when he thought of Li Jue, he couldn't help but feel resentful again.

"But why does Father Emperor prefer Li Jue and not me? Waaaaah..."

"this……"

Gao Shilian, being an elder brother-in-law himself, naturally knew what Li Shimin was thinking.

After all, any family with a grandson as intelligent as Li Jue would cherish and nurture him as the next head of the family!

"well!"

"Although your uncle is unwilling to admit it, Li Jue is indeed more suitable than you to be the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty..."

"Uncle, do you think so too?"

Gao Shilian nodded upon hearing this.

"yes!"

"But you are not without merits. You are kind-hearted and gentle, and you are also a good candidate for heir apparent."

"However, in handling government affairs, he lacks assertiveness and decisiveness."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi's eyes widened suddenly, and he asked with a look of anticipation.

"Uncle, I can change it!"

"change?"

Gao Shilian smiled bitterly upon hearing this. Some things can be changed, but some things can never be changed.

But he really couldn't bear to hurt Li Zhi, so he could only smile and give a perfunctory reply.

"Okay, okay!"

"You should learn from the elders in the court how to handle state affairs, and do your job diligently until your father returns..."

"Uh-huh!"

As the two were talking, Yuchi Jingde and Li Jing walked in.

"Prime Minister Gao is here too?"

Gao Shilian was surprised to see the two of them arrive together.

"Aren't you two on duty today?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jing quickly replied.

"Oh, oh, oh, I just received a letter from His Majesty. His Majesty has ordered the selection of a group of young officials to be sent to Pyongyang."

Pyongyang?

"Isn't Pyongyang the capital of Goguryeo?"

"It used to be, but it's not anymore."

"Not anymore?"

"You mean His Majesty has taken Pyongyang?"

"certainly!"

Upon hearing Li Jing's words, both Gao Shilian and Li Zhi gasped in shock.

"How is this possible?"

"Pyongyang was the capital of Goguryeo, which ruled for over a century..."

Li Jing smiled slightly upon hearing this.

"There's no 'but'!"

"His Majesty is a master strategist, and with the power of heavenly thunder borrowed by his eldest grandson, let alone a mere Pyongyang, even a fortified city like Chang'an can be easily conquered!"

"This...this..."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi's heart sank. He had a feeling that Li Jing's words were directed at him.

Gao Shilian naturally understood Li Jing's implied meaning and immediately smiled and said.

"Duke Wei's joke has gone too far!"

"The eldest grandson has always been filial; how could he lead troops to attack Chang'an?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jing smiled slightly and stopped fighting Gao Shilian.

Some things are best left unsaid; those who understand will understand, and those who don't won't understand even if you drag them by the ear.

Yuchi Jingde didn't understand, and upon hearing Gao Shilian's words, he immediately curled his lip in disdain.

"I've seen the eldest grandson's thunderous attack firsthand. Its power is so great that it could blast apart not only Chang'an, but even a mountain!"

Upon hearing this, Li Jing glared at Yuchi Jingde.

"Shut up!"

"Prime Minister Gao, the selection of officials is entrusted to you. His Majesty's intention is to incorporate Goguryeo into the Tang Dynasty and implement the prefecture-county system over Goguryeo..."

"Oh, Duke Wei, rest assured, I will make all the arrangements!"

"Oh, by the way, His Majesty didn't say when he'd be back?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jing shook his head.

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