Li Shimin was furious after reading it and immediately summoned Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling and others to berate them.
"I ordered you to send envoys to the Turks, but where are the people you sent? Why have we not heard from them yet?"
Upon hearing this, Fang Xuanling looked up at Li Shimin, said nothing, and then lowered his head again. Changsun Wuji frowned slightly upon hearing this, pondered for a moment, and then slowly spoke.
"Your Majesty, Yang Hongli is getting on in years; perhaps he walks a little slowly?"
"A bit slow?"
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin immediately pointed at Changsun Wuji's nose and cursed him.
"Did you deliberately recommend Yang Hongli so that he would slow things down and delay my affairs?"
"this……"
"Your Majesty, you have wronged this humble subject to no end! It was you who agreed to send Yang Hongli as an envoy to the Turks! Waaah..."
"I……"
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin immediately lost his temper and then chased him away as if he were swatting a fly.
"Fang Xuanling, stay!"
Fang Xuanling was about to follow along when he heard this, so he immediately stopped and gave Changsun Wuji a rather smug look.
Changsun Wuji glared at Fang Xuanling fiercely, threatening him not to speak recklessly, before leaving in a huff.
Fang Xuanling was not intimidated by Changsun Wuji, and immediately reported him to the emperor after he left the hall.
"Your Majesty, have you seen Changsun Wuji's wolfish ambitions?"
"The eldest grandson is a matter of national importance, yet he dared to recommend Yang Hongli to delay the inevitable, thus missing the best opportunity to retrieve Li's tomb!"
"Fang Xuanling, I am now ordering you to send someone to the Western Turks. Are you confident that you can bring that person back to me?"
Fang Xuanling did not rush to agree upon hearing this, but instead asked Li Shimin a question first.
"May I ask Your Majesty, who exactly is this Li Zhong, and what is his relationship with Your Majesty?"
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin's face showed a hint of doubt, and then he asked with a touch of anger.
"Does this have anything to do with you?"
"Your Majesty, this matter has nothing to do with me, but it does concern the selection of the people I sent out."
“If Your Majesty only wants to bring him back, then sending any envoy will suffice. But if you want Li Zhong to return willingly, then you need to think carefully about who to choose.”
"First, this person must be someone Li Zhong trusts; second, this person should ideally be related to Li Zhong by blood; and finally, this person must be able to relieve Li Zhong of any worries."
"These three are indispensable; otherwise, the Western Regions are so vast that if the Western Turkic Khan were to loosen his grip even slightly, Li Zhong could cross the Pamir Mountains and reach the even more distant Western Regions..."
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin was enlightened. He realized that he had missed the best time and that the person he sent next had to be of high caliber!
But who should we send?
Li Jing?
No, this person is too old. If we make him go through this ordeal, he might just die on the way.
Yuchi Jingde is a suitable candidate. He is not only an old acquaintance of the eldest grandson, but also the eldest grandson's master of the horse spear.
"I understand. You may leave now. I will consider this further and then decide who to send..."
"promise!"
After saying this, Li Shimin ordered a carriage to be prepared, intending to personally visit Yuchi Jingde's residence. However, as soon as he boarded the carriage, he saw Sizi running towards him carrying a nine-sectioned wolf.
"Father!"
"Sizi?"
"Father, your daughter wants to ask you to grant me permission to go to the Turks and bring my nephew back, sob sob sob..."
"this……"
Li Shimin felt both heartache and gratitude upon hearing this. If it weren't for the affairs of state he was busy with, he would have wanted to personally go and bring that grandson back.
"Sizi, your body..."
"Father, our daughter is much better now!"
"Moreover, my daughter has been studying medicine with Dr. Sun for the past six months, and she can treat most illnesses on her own!"
"well!"
"In that case, you shall come with me to Yuchi Jingde's residence!"
"promise!"
Before long, the two arrived at Yuchi Jingde's residence.
Since Li Jue fled the Tang Dynasty, Yuchi Jingde has never attended the morning court session again, and he even avoids the emperor's invitations.
He blamed Li Jue's departure entirely on Li Shimin. He felt that Li Shimin's procrastination and refusal to acknowledge his eldest grandson led the grandson to mistakenly believe his identity had been exposed, causing him to hastily flee to the Western Turks.
Therefore, when he heard that Li Shimin was coming to visit, his first instinct was to feign illness.
"Your Majesty, my master has caught a cold and is unable to personally greet you. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness..."
"It's alright!"
"I have a good remedy. If your master takes it, he will surely recover!"
Li Shimin followed the steward of Yuchi Jingde's residence to the bedroom and saw Yuchi Jingde lying on the bed like a bear. He kindly went over and covered him with a thick quilt.
"Jingde, you've caught a cold, why don't you take care of yourself?"
Yuchi Jingde was extremely annoyed when he heard this. It was the hottest time of the year, and he felt hot even when he was naked. The emperor was actually covering him with a blanket. Was he trying to smother him to death?
"Your Majesty... cough cough... please forgive me for not being able to pay my respects to you..."
Li Shimin chuckled upon hearing this.
"It's alright!"
"We've been ruler and subject for so many years, when have we ever cared about these empty formalities?"
"Someone come here and get two more blankets for your master. Can't you see he's shivering from the cold?"
"I……"
Upon hearing this, Yuchi Jingde could no longer bear it and sat up in bed in anger.
"Your Majesty, please stop teasing this old minister. If you really gave me two more blankets, I'd be suffocated!"
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