Li Shimin was pleased to see Sun Simiao praising his elder brother, but he felt a little awkward about Sun Simiao using the phrase "managing the world and benefiting the people" to praise Li Jue.

This is my own exclusive property, how can I use it on that grandson?

Li Shimin stayed at Sanglin Manor for a few more days. Seeing that Sizi had almost recovered, he returned to Taiji Palace in Chang'an to live a secluded life.

Although Li Shimin didn't have much to do even while he was in the Taiji Palace, as most affairs of the court were handled by the Three Departments and Six Ministries, there were always many matters that required his personal approval, such as those concerning the Western Regions and Goguryeo.

On the first day of the second month, Goguryeo sent envoys to pay homage to the emperor.

To demonstrate his respect for Goguryeo, Emperor Taizong (Li Er) specifically received the Goguryeo envoy during a court assembly.

Of course, this also includes the idea of ​​saving money.

Otherwise, gathering so many civil and military officials together would be a huge undertaking, not to mention the need to provide them with lunch...

The envoy sent by Goguryeo this time was Yeon Jo-saeng, the younger brother of the powerful minister Yeon Gaesomun. As soon as Yeon Jo-saeng entered the palace, he expressed his admiration for Li Shimin and flattered him extensively.

"Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, your glory shines through the ages, and your heart is as vast as the sea. Please recall the two powerful armies that have been sent to conquer Goguryeo, and let Goguryeo and the Great Tang Dynasty reconcile!"

Li Shimin sneered upon hearing this.

"sure!"

"As long as Goguryeo withdraws its troops and returns the occupied Silla lands, I will immediately recall Zhang Liang and Li Shiji!"

"Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, our Goguryeo has merely reclaimed the land that was seized by Silla. How can it be called a return?"

"Even if it's a return, it should be Silla returning Goguryeo's land, not Goguryeo returning it to them..."

Yuan Zuosheng is just making excuses. After all, it's hard to say who's in the right in that kind of place, like the Korean Peninsula.

Basically, whoever has the bigger fist gets to call the shots!

"Hmph!"

"Since you put it that way, then I have no choice but to continue the military campaign. We can reason things out on the battlefield then!"

Upon hearing Li Shimin's words, Yuan Zuosheng immediately ordered his servants to bring over an exquisite gift box.

"Although the Great Tang attacked our country without cause, our king is magnanimous and not only dares not offend the majesty of the Celestial Empire, but also specially sought out skilled craftsmen to create a gift for Your Majesty!"

Li Shimin was not interested in the gifts from Goguryeo. He had seen many rare treasures in his life, and what good things could that godforsaken place like Goguryeo possibly send?

As expected, when Yuan Zuosheng opened the box, there was only an ordinary crystal ball inside.

"Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, this is a national gift presented to you by our King Baozang on his behalf!"

"I hope you will accept this!"

Although the gifts presented by Goguryeo were not very good, Li Shimin still ordered them to be accepted.

"Thank you for your gift. I will reciprocate with a gift in return. Please have the envoy convey it to your king!"

"promise!"

When Yuan Zuosheng saw that the Tang Dynasty was about to put away the gifts, he immediately spoke up to stop them.

"Wait!"

"Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, this object has a hole inside. Our king originally intended to thread it through with gold thread, but he failed to do so despite trying many methods."

"I have heard that your country has many intelligent people, so I would like to ask your country to guide me on how to thread the gold thread through this ball!"

"oh?"

Li Shimin laughed upon hearing this. Such scenes often played out in the Tang Dynasty court, usually when envoys from small countries posed difficult questions to their ministers, hoping to embarrass them.

"Ananda, bring the crystal ball up so I can see it!"

"promise!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Anan immediately handed over the crystal ball. Li Shimin took it and saw that there were indeed holes inside the crystal ball, and they were quite twisted and convoluted.

"Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, this object is a work of nature. Its internal holes are as complex as the roads within the borders of my Goguryeo Kingdom. Therefore, my small country has racked its brains but has been unable to thread the gold thread through it. We beg your country to provide guidance!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin's face darkened. Yuan Zuosheng was using the hole inside the crystal ball to intimidate him and try to force him to retreat!

Li Shimin stared at the crystal ball several times, thinking to himself that he didn't have the ability, and immediately handed the crystal ball to his ministers.

"Try it and see if you can thread the gold thread through the crystal ball..."

Everyone took a crystal ball and examined it one by one. They found that the holes inside were indeed very complex and extremely narrow. Not to mention ordinary gold thread, even iron wire could not pass through!

When Yuan Zuosheng saw that none of the Tang Dynasty officials could solve the problem, he immediately laughed triumphantly.

"Gentlemen, the holes inside this crystal ball are the roads within the territory of my Goguryeo."

"If you can't even figure out the path within the ball, I find it hard to believe you can figure out the path within my Goguryeo territory, hahaha!"

Upon hearing this, Yuchi Jingde immediately shouted.

"Stop being so arrogant!"

"With a million armored warriors, our Great Tang Dynasty could easily annihilate Goguryeo!"

Yuan Zuosheng smiled jokingly upon hearing this.

"Then why don't you just destroy it!"

"you!"

"I didn't expect that the officials of the Tang Dynasty weren't so clever after all. They couldn't even cross the border of my Goguryeo Kingdom, hahaha!"

"Oh, by the way, I've heard that your Tang Dynasty's Crown Prince is very intelligent. Perhaps I could ask him to give it a try!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi, who was standing to the side, felt a chill run down his spine.

What did I do to deserve this? Why is he bringing me up for no reason?

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin immediately looked at Li Zhi and beckoned to him.

"Child, you try!"

Li Shimin made this arrangement with a purpose. After all, Li Zhi was just a child, and there was nothing shameful about it even if he couldn't do it.

In comparison, the other people in the main hall were either meritorious officials of the Lingyan Pavilion or high-ranking officials of the Three Provinces and Six Ministries.

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