Shanhaiyuan.

Li Shimin, Yuchi Jingde, and Li Jing were staring blankly at the pond. Beside them knelt a group of palace maids and eunuchs, along with Consort Yang, Xu Hui, and others.

"Duke of Wei, who do you think could have done this?"

Li Jing smiled dismissively upon hearing this.

"Your Majesty, it doesn't matter who did it; what matters is that the other party might be 'playing the sword in Xiang Zhuang'!"

"Xiang Zhuang's sword dance?"

Upon hearing this, Yuchi Jingde was completely stunned and quickly asked.

What does "Xiang Zhuang's sword dance" mean?

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin glared at Yuchi Jingde with annoyance.

"I've told you before that you should read more books, but you just wouldn't listen!"

"Your Majesty, what does this have to do with studying?"

Haven't you heard the story of "Xiang Zhuang's sword dance was aimed at Liu Bang"?

"Oh, oh, oh... so it's a historical allusion!"

"And who is Liu Bang?"

Li Shimin was completely speechless and immediately stopped paying attention to this big fool.

In fact, Li Shimin had already guessed the other party's purpose; the other party most likely wanted to create trouble for Li Jue through Li Xiang.

After all, Li Xiang was Li Jue's only relative in this world, and Li Jue couldn't possibly ignore anything that happened to Li Xiang.

But what exactly does the other party want to do?

What good would it do them to kill Li Xiang's fiancée?

"Lord Wei, I still can't understand the logic here..."

Li Jing smiled slightly upon hearing this.

"It's good that Your Majesty can't figure it out. Why don't you summon Consort Yang and Consort Xu and let them analyze it for you? Then Your Majesty might understand!"

"oh?"

"If even I can't understand it, how could those two women possibly understand it?"

Li Jing smiled again upon hearing this.

"Your Majesty, perhaps only a woman could truly understand this matter!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin had no doubts and immediately summoned Xu Hui and Consort Yang.

"You two come here for a second!"

Consort Yang and Consort Xu looked at each other in surprise, then stood up and came to Li Shimin.

"May I ask what Your Majesty's orders are?"

"You two, tell me, what is the purpose of this villain in harming Yan Lide's granddaughter?"

The two shook their heads upon hearing this, but just as they were about to say they didn't know, Li Jing gave them a hint.

"You two esteemed guests may not know this, but Yan Lide's granddaughter is already engaged to Li Xiang, and is considered Li Xiang's betrothed!"

Upon hearing this, the two immediately realized what was going on.

"I see!"

"No wonder Li Xiang was so nervous, even risking his reputation to save the Yan family's daughter. It turns out he was saving his fiancée!"

"But why have I never heard of this before?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin began to explain.

"Not many people knew about this matter. Only Qingque and his wife mentioned it to me once. I saw that the two children were about the same age, and it would be a double blessing for them to marry, so I agreed."

"If I hadn't gone on the eastern expedition last year, my two children might have already gotten married!"

"Oh, I see..."

"Your Majesty, then it's not hard to guess. Someone might want to kill the Yan family's daughter so they can marry Young Master Xiang!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Hui quickly chimed in, since Consort Yang rarely guessed the answer correctly on her first try.

"right!"

"Sister Yangfei is right, that's exactly what the thief intended!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin felt it was utter nonsense and immediately looked puzzled.

"Li Xiang is only the son of the deposed crown prince. Although he has the title of Prince of Dunhuang, it is not real and is more of a title."

"What's the point of them going to such lengths to arrange a marriage with him?"

Consort Yang chuckled upon hearing this.

"Your Majesty, this is certainly meaningful!"

"Think about it, if they were to form a marriage alliance with Li Xiang, Li Xiang would definitely side with them."

"Moreover, they could also influence the relationship between Li Xiang and his brother Li Jue through Li Xiang's wife."

"Could Li Xiang's wife affect the relationship between the brothers?"

Li Shimin looked puzzled again, but when Li Jing's words enlightened him, he immediately realized the importance of the matter.

"Has Your Majesty forgotten what happened at Xuanwu Gate back then?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin was startled. If it weren't for the concubines around Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji stirring up trouble, his own brother wouldn't have poisoned him. If it weren't for Consort Zhang slandering him to his father, his father wouldn't have suspected him.

This shows that the saying "women and petty people are difficult to deal with" is no exaggeration!

"I understand!"

"They want to control Li Xiang in order to control Li Jue!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Hui smiled sweetly.

"Your Majesty, it doesn't necessarily have to be control; just a little influence, utilization, or even a bit of coercion is enough."

"For example, the eldest grandson would certainly not offend His Majesty, much less rebel or do anything to harm the Tang Dynasty. But if they frame Li Xiang and drive him to the brink of despair, wouldn't the eldest grandson do something to harm His Majesty in order to save his brother?"

"Once the eldest grandson does it, they will inevitably have leverage over him. They can then use this leverage to threaten the eldest grandson, or they can directly denounce him, causing His Majesty to dislike him!"

"Oh oh oh..."

After listening to the two concubines, Li Shimin finally had some clues about the case.

"I understand!"

"Thank you both for your guidance today!"

Consort Yang smiled shyly upon hearing this.

"Your Majesty is too kind. How could I possibly enlighten Your Majesty? I was merely speaking some womanly words."

Li Shimin smiled with satisfaction upon hearing this, then leaned close to Consort Yang's ear and whispered something.

"Wait for me tonight!"

Upon hearing this, Consort Yang glanced at the dozens or even hundreds of people around her and immediately blushed with embarrassment. She spoke with a mixture of reproach and anger.

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