Chapter 501: Chang'an, the Wind Is About to Rise Again!

Changsun Chong had thought today he could see a good show, so he eagerly followed Gao Yang for a while, watching her kick the door open floor by floor.

Not until she kicked her way to the third floor did he finally see Chen Yan.

At that moment Changsun Chong got excited, his ears perked up, his neck stretched out two li, eager to see what fun would follow.

However, to his disappointment, Gao Yang slammed the door shut, and shortly after, the previously defiant Princess Gao Yang, like a well‑behaved baby, lowered her head slightly and walked out behind Chen Yan.

Changsun Chong was instantly dumbfounded.

That woman who looked like a newly‑wed bride—was she really Gao Yang?

"Eh, Changsun Chong, what are you doing here too?" Chen Yan raised his eyebrows slightly, feigning surprise.

"Ah… ahhh!" Changsun Chong nodded dumbly, still unable to believe that the person behind was Princess Gao Yang, who had given him no respect earlier.

"Alright then, Brother Changsun, you can have fun first. If you find it boring, you still have two relatives inside; they told me they haven't seen you in a long time and want to catch up."

Chen Yan smiled, "Just so, you should also take this chance to have some fun; who knows if you'll be able to come here so happily again."

"That's that, I have some urgent matters at home, I'll take my leave now."

After speaking, he gave a polite gesture and left, taking Gao Yang and Qing'er with him.

Changsun Chong was baffled—what does 'take this chance to have fun, otherwise you won't be able to come so happily again' mean?

His family's estate—how could it not be able to come happily?

After thinking for a while without figuring it out, Changsun Chong gave up on pondering and, recalling Chen Yan's mention of his two relatives, curiously knocked on the door and entered.

"...... Uh, too......"

"Too what, too!" Li Chengqian's eyes lit up, "Cousin, you've arrived just in time!"

"......"

In Ganlu Hall, Li Shimin sat at the desk, cradling a memorial in his hands, his thoughts already drifting elsewhere.

Counting the days, that kid and Du Gou and the others should have returned from Weinan County, right?

I haven't known when they'll enter the palace again; I haven't seen Sizi, Cheng Yang, Xiao Sui An in a long while.

Speaking of it, that kid is about to hold a coming‑of‑age banquet… well, that's appropriate; now that he's officially serving at the Court in Chang'an, it's indeed time for such a banquet.

Should I carve out some time to go with the Guanyin Maid?

As he thought, he set the memorial down and fell into contemplation.

"His Majesty!"

Wushe bent over and entered, holding a secret report: "The Duke of Wei and His Highness the Princess have already returned to Chang'an; Prince Li Tai has also been brought back by the Duke of Wei."

"But…"

Upon hearing the first part, Li Shimin's eyes lit up; he had been waiting a long time for that kid to return to Chang'an. Yet when Wushe added the 'but…', his brow lifted. "But what?"

"Enough, present it to me; I'll read it myself!"

He waved impatiently, snatched the secret report Wushe handed over, and opened it.

When his gaze landed on the part saying Chen Yan was ambushed by horse bandits on his way back, his heart tightened, and his expression turned dramatically vivid.

"Horse bandits… ambush?"

Li Shimin could hardly believe it—could Chen Yan really have been ambushed by horse bandits on the road from Weinan County to Chang'an?

"Are you kidding?"

He hurriedly read on, and upon seeing Chen Yan's party safely return to Chang'an under the escort of the Jinwu Guard, he showed a thoughtful expression.

With so many princesses beside Chen Yan, as well as Prince Li Tai, his protective detail was naturally strong; low‑level horse bandits could not pose any danger to them.

The timing of those horse bandits' appearance… was indeed a bit coincidental.

Li Shimin tapped his finger on the table, pondering, "Let Li Daozong follow those leads and investigate whether those horse bandits were ordered by someone or covertly guided."

"Yes, His Majesty!"

After Wushe left, Li Shimin set the secret report down, let out a cold chuckle, rose, walked out of the hall, crossed his arms, gazed into the distance with a calm, watery look, his thoughts unreadable.

After an indeterminate time, a female official approached gracefully, respectfully saying, "His Majesty, the Empress requests you to go have lunch."

"Hmm, I'll go right away."

Li Shimin withdrew his gaze, hands behind his back, and walked to Empress Changsun's bedroom.

Since Chen Yan often delivered meals for Empress Changsun, he developed the habit of dining together to satisfy his cravings.

Even though the palace now has chefs who can replicate the taste of Chen Yan's family dishes, he still keeps this habit.

The family eats together daily, sharing amusing stories; this atmosphere he truly enjoys.

"His Majesty, the Shangshi Bureau prepared a new dish today called Red‑braised Lion's Head; please try it!"

As soon as Li Shimin arrived, Empress Changsun pulled him to a seat, pointing at a porcelain plate on the table, her tone tinged with novelty.

"Lion? I recall the Xiyu once sent this beast as tribute, but it was only for display; I've never tasted it." Li Shimin, thinking the Red‑braised Lion's Head was literally a lion's head, was momentarily surprised.

"Your Majesty is mistaken; this 'lion's head' is actually a larger meatball. Zi An gave it that name, and the palace chefs followed suit."

"Then what kind of lion's head is this?"

Li Shimin's mind went black, his anticipation wasted.

He patted Prince Li Zhi's head beside him, picked up a Red‑braised Lion's Head, tasted it, then nodded, "The name may be odd, but the flavor is indeed good."

"By the way, I forgot to tell you, that kid has already returned to Chang'an, and Qingque was brought back as well."

"Returned?" Empress Changsun felt a surge of joy.

Chen Yan's return to Chang'an means Sizi and the others have also come back, and this time they won't have to go to Weinan County again; from now on he can see his daughters often.

"Hmm, they have returned." Li Shimin clicked his tongue, "Speaking of it, when they returned… … … …"

Empress Changsun was startled, her gaze gradually darkening.

Knowing Zi An's identity yet still ambushing him on his return—was it sheer stupidity or a premeditated plot?

Having lived in the palace for so long, she has seen too many dirty deeds; she never hesitates to assume the worst of others.

"His Majesty, do you think this matter is suspicious?" Empress Changsun asked tentatively.

Li Shimin set down his chopsticks, let out a light sigh, "Whether it's suspicious or not, it's hard to say now. According to the secret report, Zi An seems to have probed those horse bandits. On the surface they're just a bunch of foolish horse bandits; I don't know if there's anyone behind them."

"But I know that, regardless of whether anyone is behind them, it's actually irrelevant now. Zi An has already returned to Chang'an; everything is settled."

"A year of relatively quiet days has passed, and I even feel a bit unaccustomed. This kid comes back… Chang'an is about to stir up again."