Li Ke was about to go north for the sake of rituals. Even if Concubine Yang was reluctant to leave, she would never try to obstruct him, and would not mention a word to Li Shimin.

Concubine Yang was the daughter of Emperor Yang of Sui in the previous dynasty. She knew the taboos of the royal family, knew what to say, what not to say, what to say, what to say useful, and what to say would only backfire.

Concubine Yang knew Li Ke’s ambitions, and she also knew the reason why Li Ke asked for his own request. In addition to protecting the Tang Dynasty from war, she naturally had other considerations. Li Ke wanted to use this to accumulate reputation and win the favor of Li Shimin and all officials.

As Li Ke said earlier, Li Ke was the third son, and he was the same year as the crown prince. He would naturally be involved in the dispute over the throne, whether he wanted or not.

Moreover, although the Turks were a barbarian country and did not know etiquette, Li Ke was a prince after all. Unless the Turks made up their minds and wanted to be enemies with the Tang Dynasty, Li Ke would suffer at most and his character and fortune should be safe.

Concubine Yang is a smart person who knows the general idea and knows how to do it, so she will never make things difficult for Li Ke.

The period of alliance will be tomorrow. After the alliance, Jie Li will return north, and Li Ke will also go north with Jie Li at that time, so Li Ke should be out of seclusion tomorrow.

Concubine Yang and Li Ke gave a few instructions, then went into the inner room and personally dressed up for Li Ke.

Shortly after Li Ke left, soldiers guarding outside the hall passed the order, and Cen Wenben, the chief of the Shu Palace, asked for a visit from the inner chamber.

The inner yard is located in the East Palace and is close to Chongwen Hall. Ordinary ministers are not allowed to enter, but because Cen Wenben and Li Ke have the name of master and apprentice, they can also enter and leave.

Although Li Ke's request for self-proposal was not long, the news had spread throughout most of the Chang'an officialdom, and Cen Wenben naturally came for this matter.

"Just just now, my disciple failed to explain to Master Cen personally because he was in important matters. I hope Master Cen will not blame him." As soon as Li Ke entered the side hall of the inner yard, he bowed to Cen Wenben and said.

Cen Wenben stepped forward and hurriedly helped Li Ke up and said, "Your Highness does not hesitate to ask for the people. Compared with Ban Chao and Zhang Qian, Zhang Qian is still better than him. Cen is ashamed of himself."

After hearing Cen Wenben's words, Li Ke's expression turned slightly red and replied, "If others don't know, that's fine. Cen is a wise man and his life ambitions. Cen should be able to see that his disciples also have selfish intentions, so how dare he be with the wise men of the ancients."

Li Ke asked for his own qualities. Although he wanted to avoid disasters for the people, he still mixed it with a lot of self-interest. Li Ke didn't even know how much he was for the people and how much he was for his ambitions.

When Cen Wenben heard this, he replied, "Your Highness is not a saint, so how can you be too demanding? Your Highness's actions are profitable to protect the country and love the people, so that is enough."

Li Ke sighed: "The road ahead is hard to tell. The student's actions today are like a big gamble. If he wins, he will naturally be lucky. If he loses, he will probably be buried in the north of the desert."

Cen Wenben comforted him: "This highness is so relieved. The Tang Dynasty is not as powerful as the end of the Sui Dynasty. The Turks seem to be powerful, but in fact there are different divisions in the country. The Turks also have concerns about the Tang Dynasty. Your Highness's safety and danger in the Turks should be safe. Moreover, if it is decided today, there are plenty of food and grass, and your majesty is ready for the Northern Expedition. I believe there will be actions within ten years, and then it will be the opportunity for Your Highness to return to the country."

After hearing Cen Wenben's words, Li Ke looked up at him, and a strange look flashed in his eyes.

Now that the Tang Dynasty has not been established for a long time, it has not yet fully recovered. At this time, the Turks were still the strong wild wolf in the north. There were not many people who could say that the Tang Dynasty would defeat the Turks in the future, let alone Cen Wenben was still a civil official.

Cen Wenben looked at Li Ke's expression and thought Li Ke was puzzled by his words, so he continued to explain: "The Turks now seem to have 400,000 troops, and travel thousands of miles apart, but in fact they are already troubles inside, and strong on the outside and strong on the inside. Since the second year of Wude, after the fall of the Turkic Shibi Khan, the Turkic Khan's throne has been brothers and brothers. The son of Shibi Khan, Tuli, and the son of Chuluo Khan, Aoshishi was dissatisfied with his uncle Jie Li. In addition, in recent years, Jie Li has been fighting for wars for many years. The Khitan, Tuyuhun, and Shibu, which were originally dependent on him, have gradually become disinterested. The Turkic Khan has long been no longer as powerful as before. The Tang Dynasty defeated the Turkic Khan and took back His Highness. "

Li Ke listened to Cen Wenben's explanation and nodded in agreement.

Li Ke was very clear about the Turks' current situation, and Li Ke knew that the decline of the Turks would definitely be much faster than Cen Wenben expected.

In the next three years, the Turks will face unprecedented challenges, including snow disasters, famines, Tuli surrender to the Tang Dynasty, and Xue Yantuo will become independent... The power of the Turkic Jie Li Khan will fall like a meteor within three years, and will eventually be defeated in the Northern Expedition of the Tang Dynasty and will no longer be qualified to compete with the Tang Dynasty. This is also because Li Ke considered asking for his own request.

Li Ke asked Cen Wenben: "If there is no accident, my disciple will be on the north side of Jie Li tomorrow. How should I deal with my disciples? I hope Master Cen will give me advice."

Li Ke was young and had not yet gone out to open a palace. Cen Wenben, the chief minister of the royal palace, was also famous and untrue. What's more, Cen Wenben also had a job as a side job. According to the court rules, Cen Wenben could not follow Li Ke north. But it was not early now, and it was time to close the palace gate after an hour. Cen Wenben also made a special trip to find Li Ke at this time, and there must be something to explain.

Cen Wenben said to Li Ke: "If your highness goes to the Turks, if you are in good condition, your nature and fortune will be safe, but if you want to be foolproof, your highness must remember to be careful."

"Who?" Li Ke frowned and asked in a low voice.

Cen Wenben replied: "Princess Yicheng."

Cen Wenben's words were heard, and Li Ke suddenly realized.

Li Ke asked solemnly: "Mr. Cen is worried that Princess Yicheng will deliberately deal with me in order to force the Tang Dynasty and the Turks into mortal enemies?"

Li Ke is the prince. If Li Ke died in the Turks, the Tang Dynasty and the Turks would be in a state of dying. This is naturally what Princess Yicheng of the former Sui Dynasty wanted to see.

Cen Wenben nodded and said, "'The bend of the zither is to seek faith. The hibernation of the dragon and the snake is to maintain one's body.' The Turks are many arrogant people. If Your Highness goes as a charity, he may be humiliated. Your Highness must not be so arrogant, but he will hurt himself."

Cen Wenben's words are nothing more than worrying about Li Ke's youthful spirit, being upright, and being easily hurt by himself. Li Ke naturally also knows Cen Wenben's intention.

Li Ke nodded and responded: "Teacher Cen warns you that you can remember what Mr. Cen says."

Seeing that Li Ke's face was solemn, Cen Wenben was worried that he would be shocked by his words, so he continued, "But Your Highness is not too worried. According to the court rules, although I cannot go north with Your Highness, I still have an old friend to recommend him to Your Highness. Although this person is white, he is very good at erratic methods. Your Highness can use it to help."

Cen Wenben has the talent of the prime minister, so Cen Wenben would naturally not be bad for his ability. Li Ke bowed and thanked: "Mr. Cen loves his heart and students remember it in his heart. After the students left, the disciples were out of reach for Chang'an, and everything was taken care of by Master Cen. The disciple had explained carefully to his mother before. When his brother grew up, he asked him to learn literature with Master Cen. At that time, he hoped that Master Cen would not give up his hard work."

After hearing Li Ke's words, Cen Wenben felt a little moved.

Li Ke was about to go north, and entrusting him like this at this time was equivalent to handing over his wealth and life into his hands. What Li Ke did not only treat Cen Wenben as a national scholar, but this was clearly regarded as a close elder.

As the saying goes, a scholar dies as a confidant. Cen Wenben has always regarded himself as a "scholar". How could he hesitate if Li Ke treats him like this?

Cen Wenben leaned over and replied, "Your Highness has his life, Cen Wenben is willing to die."
Chapter completed!