Chapter 18

"Who is beating the drum on the city wall?" Li Er woke up from the gradually fading drumbeats and turned to ask Changsun Wujì beside him.

"This melody has never been heard before, it stirs the blood. I wonder which talented person created such divine music, it truly expresses the passion in a man's heart. I really want to meet him!" Changsun Wujì was also deeply moved.

"I didn't expect that even your vast knowledge and strong memory, Wujì, have never heard this melody! It seems we need to ask the city gate commander! I, the Prince, really like this performance, ha ha... In my view, this melody is no less impressive than 'The Qin King's Array Breaking Music.'" Li Er was very fond of this "General's Order" and even compared it to his favorite "The Qin King's Array Breaking Music."

"That's easy, we can send a Black Armor Guard to inquire!" Changsun Wujì replied.

The army was about to enter the city, and here Li Er and the other generals would have to separate from the ordinary soldiers, as the three thousand Black Armor Guards could not enter Chang'an City, which was crucial for the emperor's safety. Therefore, the ordinary soldiers could only be stationed in the camps outside the city, while only the generals could enter.

After Li Er separated from his generals and soldiers, the eunuch sent by Li Yuan came forward to announce the imperial decree: "The Emperor decrees: Prince of Qin, Li Shimin, has defended the country against the barbarians, and his contributions are great. Now that he has returned victorious, he is specially allowed to visit his family, and to attend the court tomorrow morning! So be it!"

"Your humble son thanks the Emperor!" Li Er dismounted and knelt on one knee, listening to the eunuch read the imperial decree and then kowtowing to show his gratitude.

"Sir, you have waited long. I have traveled a long distance and have nothing to offer, but this white wolf skin captured from Tuli. I offer it to you, hoping for your favor!" This eunuch, who could announce the decree for a prince, must be a trusted confidant of Li Yuan. It was necessary to curry favor, as sometimes no matter how well you perform outside, it can't compare to the words of these people.

Li Er had a deep understanding of this. In the past two years, he had never taken these eunuchs seriously, and as a result, many of them were bought off by Li Jiancheng, who said many bad things about him to Li Yuan, even suggesting that he had disloyal intentions. This made the Tian Ce Fu fall into a difficult situation. If it weren't for Changsun's skillful handling and subsequent measures, Li Er might have been suppressed by the Crown Prince and Prince of Qi, Li Yuanji, long ago.

Li Er signaled, and Changsun Wujì untied the bundle from his body and handed it to the greedy eunuch.

The eunuch took the bundle and said with a smile, "I still need to return to report to the Emperor, so I won't disturb the Prince's reunion with his family."

"Sir, please walk slowly!" Li Er didn't try to retain him and bowed to see off the greedy eunuch. Then he hurried to where Changsun had been waiting at the city gate for a long time.

"Second Brother, you're back!" Changsun had a thousand words to say, but they all got stuck in her throat, and only a simple greeting came out.

"I'm back! Guanyin, you've worked hard these past few days!" Li Er looked at his still beautiful wife, reached out, and gently stroked her cheek, his eyes filled with tears. He knew how hard this beautiful woman had worked for his dreams. He silently vowed to himself: This is the woman you must treat well for the rest of your life. If you don't take good care of her, you are not a man.

"Alright, you two can be affectionate later. There's plenty of time when we get back to the mansion. I, your brother, am still here watching!" Changsun Wujì teased the couple showing affection in public. Changsun blushed, but Li Er, with his thicker skin, didn't care at all.

"Brother! You're back too. How was this campaign?" Changsun quickly changed the subject, knowing that her brother wasn't a good person. Both of them had lost their parents at a young age and relied on their uncle Gao Shilian, which made Changsun Wujì develop a thug-like demeanor as a way to protect his sister.

Living under someone else's roof always meant being looked down upon. Although Gao Shilian took good care of them, the other cousins were not so friendly. Don't be fooled by Changsun Wujì's refined appearance; if it came to a fight, three or four burly men wouldn't be a match for him.

"Ah!" When it came to this campaign, both Li Er and Changsun Wujì couldn't help but look grim, as behind them was a carriage carrying the injured Princess Pingyang. The long march had made her condition very serious.

"Guanyin, you take the others back to the mansion and wait for me. I'll take Third Sister to the Imperial Hospital first." Li Er said, about to turn and leave.

"Second Brother, what's wrong with Third Sister?" Changsun, who wasn't qualified to read the battle reports, didn't know about Princess Pingyang's injury.

"Third Sister is injured, and we couldn't find suitable medicine on the grasslands, so we could only use emergency measures to save her life and bring her back to the capital for treatment," Changsun Wujì explained to his sister.

"Children, pay respects to your father!" Just as Li Er was about to leave, two voices in unison greeted him.

Only then did Li Er notice two young soldiers kneeling on his left. Upon closer inspection, they were his eldest son, Li Chengqian, and his third son, Li Ke. Both were dressed in bright armor, holding spears on the ground, and behind them were two fine horses with small bows hanging from the saddles.

"Good, you are worthy of being my son, Li Shimin!" Li Er, seeing how much they resembled him, felt greatly comforted. He smiled, went forward to help them up, looked at one, patted the other, and was very pleased. Then he turned to look at Changsun and Li Ke's mother, Consort Yang, giving them a grateful look: Thank you for raising such excellent sons.

Changsun smiled slightly, while Consort Yang blushed. Both were beautiful women, and at that moment, they were both stunningly beautiful.

Li Er happily mounted his horse, signaled to the two young boys who were imitating their father, pulled the reins, and his famous black horse reared up, neighing loudly. Truly, he was like a tiger, and his horse like a dragon. He drew his spear and thrust it forward, a cold light flashing, the wind howling. It was as if: the cold light came first, and then the spear emerged like a dragon.

Li Chengqian and Li Ke watched with wide eyes, their admiration for Li Er growing immensely, without limit.

Li Er rode into the city, and Changsun Wujì also mounted his horse and followed closely. At that moment, a young voice came from above: "Wah wah wah... Father didn't see Lizhi first, Second Brother is a liar!" The little girl on the city wall was crying sadly.

Li Er quickly stopped and listened for a moment. "That's the little girl Lizhi. How did she get up on the city wall?"

Changsun Wujì was also puzzled. How did the little girl Lizhi get here? He hadn't noticed her earlier, as she was hidden in the crowd: "I didn't notice. She must have been hiding in the crowd!"

"No, she's on the city wall!" Li Er said to Changsun Wujì.

"How is that possible? The city wall is a military stronghold. How could a little girl get up there?" Changsun Wujì was confused.

"But her voice definitely came from the city wall! There's no mistake, and Lizhi is crying." Li Er's hearing was very good.

"Little sister, why didn't you see the little girl Lizhi?" Changsun Wujì turned to ask Changsun.

"It snowed a few days ago, and you know Lizhi's health. She's sick and still at home!" Changsun was puzzled. Why was her brother asking about her daughter? When she left in the morning, the little girl was still sound asleep.

"Guanyin, Lizhi is on the city wall!" Li Er also turned and said.

"What?" Changsun was surprised and couldn't believe Li Er's words.

"Let's go up and see!" Changsun Wujì said.

"Alright!" Li Er then instructed the others to go home first, as he wanted to go up to the city wall to see if his daughter was really there.

Cheng Yaojin, Qin Qiong, Li Shiji, and others, who hadn't had a chance to speak, bowed in agreement and rode off.

Li Er and Changsun Wujì dismounted again and met up with Changsun. The three of them walked up the stone steps to the city wall. As they went higher, they heard two familiar voices more clearly: "Fragrant Second Brother, stinky Second Brother! Father didn't see Lizhi, you lied to me, you promised to stay with me, if you hadn't beaten the drum, Father would have heard Lizhi calling him!"

"Yes, yes, yes, little princess, it's Second Brother's fault, it's Second Brother's mistake! Second Brother shouldn't have beaten the drum!" Li Kuan was very humble, as he couldn't afford to offend this little girl, and the term 'Fragrant Second Brother' had him completely under her control.

The three adults looked at each other, not expecting not only Li Lizhi but also Li Kuan to be there. From their conversation, it seemed that Li Kuan was the one who had been beating the drum.

This fact was hard for Li Er and Changsun Wujì to believe. They knew very well what Li Kuan was like before. Changsun had once written a letter about how this boy had changed, but they hadn't taken it seriously. They never expected this little boy to be able to play such an inspiring melody, one they had never heard before.

Changsun, however, wasn't surprised by Li Kuan's performance. During the magical drumbeats, she had thought of this little boy, though she hadn't been sure. She didn't know what had happened to her best friend's son, but she didn't think it was a bad thing.

As Li Kuan was actively admitting his mistakes and trying to gain the little princess's forgiveness, the three adults, accompanied by Chang He, had already reached the city wall and approached the two little ones who were signing an unequal treaty in the corner.

"Second Brother, Lizhi wants to eat the cotton candy you mentioned, the popsicles, the meat buns, and more..." Li Lizhi said, her little mouth full of food, her big eyes sparkling with stars.

PS: Please recommend and collect! If you like it, please collect and give a recommendation! One recommendation won't make you pregnant!

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