Chapter 1: Your Majesty, They’re Holding Hands

In the second year of the Zhenguan era, on the streets of Chang'an.

The crowd was bustling, and carriages and horses were lined up like dragons.

In the late autumn, the cool breeze carried a bone-chilling chill.

"Mr. Tang... Mr. Tang..."

At a stall in the eastern district of Chang'an, Tang Sufan, who was half-asleep, seemed to hear a clear and ethereal voice of a young girl.

"You're resting here again. Be careful not to catch a cold."

Tang Sufan instinctively wrapped himself tighter in his fur coat, then slowly opened his eyes and saw a girl sitting opposite him, wearing a light blue silk robe.

Her skin was as white as snow, her almond eyes sparkled, and her black hair fell loosely, tied with a light blue ribbon.

She seemed to embody the purity and ethereal beauty of the world, just as the ancient saying goes, "Her smile is charming, her eyes are captivating."

The moment Tang Sufan recognized her, his drowsy expression vanished, and he put on a melancholic look.

"Ah, the ends of the earth have limits, but longing has no bounds... Xiaorou, I can only occasionally wait for you here~"

In his heart, he sighed, having been in the Tang Dynasty for almost a year, he still couldn't shake off the habit of not sleeping well without some noise.

The girl's face turned slightly red upon hearing the poem.

Tang Sufan's handsome appearance and his otherworldly, carefree demeanor, combined with the love poem, had a bomb-like effect on an unmarried girl.

Old Shuan, who was cooking snacks nearby, glanced at Tang Sufan and thought to himself, "If I had the literary talent and charm of this young man when I was young, I wouldn't have ended up with such a wife~"

The girl lightly tapped Tang Sufan's arm, blushing and speaking softly, "Oh, Mr. Tang..."

Tang Sufan's eyes lit up, and he immediately showed a charming smile.

"Hey, Xiaorou, didn't we agree earlier that you should call me Brother Fan?"

The girl lowered her head, not daring to look directly into Tang Sufan's eyes, but remembering that she had promised to call him Brother Fan and not to be formal.

So, she blushed and replied softly, "Okay, Brother Fan..."

"Xiaorou, why did it take you so many days to come out?"

"My father is very strict and doesn't allow me to go out often."

Tang Sufan complained, "Your father is really overbearing..."

"He's just doing it for my own good..."

...

At a corner of the street, in a wine shop across the way, three people were intently watching Tang Sufan and Li Rou'er. Behind them stood several armed guards.

The guards wore silver armor under their clothes, their eyes fierce, and their bodies taut like drawn bows, clearly at the highest alert.

Clearly, these were not ordinary guards.

The middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table had eyebrows as dark as ink, tiger-like eyes, and was dressed in a magnificent white brocade robe.

Despite showing signs of being slightly overweight, he still exuded a commanding presence.

He was none other than the current Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong Li Shimin!

A burly, rough-looking middle-aged man with a look of pity in his eyes said in a coarse voice, "Your Majesty... Boss, is it this young man?"

"Why provoke the royal family, especially Princess Yuzhang? This is like setting fire to the outhouse, asking for trouble."

Li Shimin's brows furrowed, and he replied in a low voice, "Yes, it's this young man."

An elderly man with a kind face, sitting on the other side, squinted his old eyes and observed Tang Sufan from a distance.

"Boss, this young man has an extraordinary demeanor; he's definitely not from an ordinary family..."

These two men were none other than the current Duke of Su, Cheng Yaojin, and the Chancellor and Left Minister of the Secretariat, Fang Xuanling.

The girl by Tang Sufan's side was none other than the current Emperor Li Shimin's sixteen-year-old daughter, Princess Yuzhang, Li Rou'er!

Recently, his daughter, who rarely left the palace, had suddenly started going out frequently, and each time she returned, she was smiling.

As a seasoned lover, Li Shimin naturally knew what this meant.

Sure enough, when he questioned the secret guards protecting Li Rou'er, he found out that Princess Yuzhang was leaving the palace to meet a man in secret!

This matter, concerning the dignity of the royal family, Li Shimin naturally did not publicize.

He ordered the Hundred Riders to investigate and found that this young man had connections with the Wang family of Taiyuan.

Even though Li Shimin was furious—

As a naturally cautious emperor, he still decided to have the Hundred Riders thoroughly investigate the young man's background before making any decisions.

But unexpectedly, Li Shimin, who had just finished court, received news that his daughter had left the palace again, so he brought Cheng Yaojin and Fang Xuanling to conduct a private investigation.

He wanted to see which scoundrel dared to reach out to the royal family, thinking that his sword was no longer sharp?

"Ah!!"

As Cheng Yaojin was about to take a sip of tea, his large hand trembled, and he stared in shock, pointing at Tang Sufan and exclaiming, "Your Majesty, they're holding hands!"

Cheng Yaojin was so shocked that he forgot to change his address.

Li Shimin immediately turned to look, his chest heaving like a drum, and his eyes blazing with anger!

Li Shimin growled in a low voice, "Qian Niu Wei!"

The guards around him immediately responded, "Here!!!"

"Go and capture this young man!!!"

The guards obeyed without hesitation.

...

On the other side, Tang Sufan was holding Li Rou'er's small hand, using the most cliché and common pick-up line from his previous life's bars, explaining palm reading to her.

"Xiaorou, look, this is the life line, and this is the love line..."

When he mentioned the career line, Tang Sufan quickly glanced at it—

It seems this girl's career line still needs some development...

Li Rou'er, whose hand was being held, blushed even more. Why was she talking about fortune-telling with him? But Brother Fan's words made so much sense.

The maid standing behind Li Rou'er, however, turned pale. He was holding the hand of a royal princess!

Even though the princess had forbidden her from reporting anything about Mr. Tang to the inner servants, the crime of knowing and not reporting was now firmly established. What should she do?

A month ago.

Princess Yuzhang Li Rou'er, feeling sad due to her mother's memorial day, rarely left the palace to clear her mind.

At a street corner, she was drawn to Tang Sufan, who was sitting by the roadside, chatting and laughing with a group of merchants.

Somehow, they got to know each other.

After a few words from Tang Sufan, the princess, who was using the alias Li Rou'er, felt very happy, and their conversation was filled with profound truths.

Over time, the two became more familiar and close.

Even in the deep palace, at midnight, Princess Li Rou'er would think of that playful and handsome young man, and sometimes, she would even blush and think more...

But she knew that they could never be together, separated by the palace walls, like being in different worlds.

But even so, Li Rou'er still wanted to see him, even if...

"Bold scoundrel, release my lady's hand!"

Tang Sufan, who was earnestly explaining, was taken aback.

Then he turned to look and thought, "Oh no, this is bad. Could it be that her family has found me?"

Just as Li Rou'er's thoughts were racing, she saw the people running towards Tang Sufan.

In a panic, she quickly pulled her hand back and said, "Brother Fan, run!"

How could she not recognize the Qian Niu Wei, who were often by her father's side? It seemed her father had found out!

When in doubt, act decisively.

Tang Sufan didn't hesitate, he sprang up and ran away like a rabbit.

Li Rou'er, left behind, was in a panic. What should she do? Father knows!

No, going to Father now would be useless. She had to go to Mother, maybe she could intercede.

Even if she faced severe punishment, she had to protect him...

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