Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

Money inside, money inside! ?

Both Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui felt a sudden tightness in their hearts.

The two men, already exhausted from a long day and having spent almost their entire lives reading classics and historical texts to coax Li Yuan into reviewing memorials, felt their heads sink even deeper.

There's a terrifying feeling that my lifespan is being drastically shortened.

"Your Majesty, we would never dare! We would never dare! If Your Majesty finds out, our lives will be in danger! Your Majesty, please spare us, for the sake of your humble servant who has devoted himself to the Tang Dynasty and worked tirelessly every day!"

"The imperial treasury must never be touched, Your Majesty! It contains His Majesty's private wealth; we..."

"Go away, get out of here! He's the emperor, and I'm the emperor's father! What's wrong with taking some of his money?" Li Yuan shook off the two men who were supporting him from both sides.

His face showed displeasure, but he was actually giving orders to the eunuch of the Wude Hall standing to the side.

"Go, summon all my concubines to wait before that rebellious son Li Shimin's private treasury!"

"Ah, ah?"

The eunuch's legs went weak, and he was about to kneel on the ground.

"If you don't go today, I'll take your head right now! If anything happens tomorrow, I'll send you to Bingzhou to find the Crown Prince; he can save your life... So, will you go or not?"

Li Yuan's gaze was cold and dangerous.

Even though he had abdicated the throne more than a year ago, his imposing presence and ruthlessness still made the eunuch tremble immediately.

"Huh? Aren't you going yet?!"

"Go, go, go! I'll go right away, I'll go right away..."

Watching the eunuch flee as if running away to call for help, Li Yuan snorted lightly, ignoring the anxious and fearful attempts by Fang Xuanling and the other man behind him to persuade him.

They turned around and headed towards Li Shimin's private treasury.

"Shengbao Hall... Heh, I just found out that Li Shimin actually renamed this place Shengbao Hall. What in it did he earn himself? Wasn't it all obtained by my grandson Chengqian?"

Li Yuan looked at the gleaming golden plaque and snorted coldly.

A wave of his hand.

"Open the door for me!"

The imperial guards standing guard on either side looked troubled and exchanged bewildered glances.

Yet no one dared to make a move.

"Very well, I, the retired emperor, have truly become a lonely figure! If you won't open it, I will open it myself!" Li Yuan's face darkened, and he immediately strode towards the palace gate.

"Your Majesty, let it go. If these people fail to guard the treasure properly, they will all lose their heads..." Fang Xuanling seemed to be advising Li Yuan, but it also seemed to be warning the imperial guards around him.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the expressions of the imperial guards all tightened.

The two people standing on either side of the palace entrance took a step forward and blocked the entrance.

His expression was solemn, and he looked very vigilant.

"Heh heh, Fang Xuanling, you old geezer, you're really annoying!"

Fang Xuanling hurriedly bowed and clasped his hands: "Your Majesty, as a subject, I dare not be negligent!"

Li Yuan snorted coldly.

"What if I insist on barging into this magnificent palace today? Are you all going to chop me up, the retired emperor?"

Before Fang Xuanling could reply, Li Yuan's expression suddenly froze.

"Hmm? It doesn't seem like a bad idea!"

Li Yuan's lips curled into a mocking smile, and he suddenly opened his arms to Fang Xuanling and the others.

"Come on, Fang Xuanling, behead me, the regent emperor, and send my head to Bingzhou, so that the crown prince can send back your son's head as well!"

Fang Xuanling and the others' expressions immediately changed, and they hurriedly took two steps back, looking terrified.

"Your Majesty, what makes you say such a thing? We would never have such a rebellious thought!"

"Then you're blocking my way here!!!"

While the argument was raging, one by one, Li Yuan's concubines and other ladies-in-waiting arrived at the scene. Upon seeing the tense situation, they were all terrified and turned pale.

Just as Fang Xuanling turned to look at the people who had come, his face filled with worry and distraction...

"Stab!"

With a sharp sound of a sword being drawn, Li Yuan suddenly drew the waist sword of an imperial guard standing nearby.

Under the horrified gazes of the crowd, it was placed directly against their necks.

He looked at everyone with a half-smile.

"Fang Xuanling, make these people move aside, or I will kill myself here today! Then, while Emperor Li Shimin is on tour and the Crown Prince is not in Chang'an, you will attempt to seize power and usurp the throne..."

"Thump thump!"

Several sounds of kneeling were heard, and Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui felt a dizzying sensation.

"Your Majesty, why are you going to such lengths? We are merely Your Majesty's subjects. Why do you have to be so relentless in your persecution of us?"

"Your Majesty, please spare us! If you need money, we'll find a way. But you absolutely mustn't touch the imperial treasury!"

"Waaaaah, His Majesty will take our heads..."

Li Yuan retorted angrily, "Crying, crying, all you know how to do is cry! If Li Shimin wants your heads, do you think my good grandson Chengqian would do the same? Your sons are in Bingzhou too, so you can all go to Bingzhou!"

As he spoke, he looked at the guards on duty beside him, who all looked tense and fearful.

"Make way for me today. I will issue a memorial to you all, sending your military records to Bingzhou. I don't need to say how well my Crown Prince and grandson treat you soldiers, do I?"

"Nowadays, if we're talking about military achievements, besides following the Crown Prince, do you really think that your emperor, who spends his days fishing, playing with birds, and indulging in his harem, can help you build up military merits?"

Every word Li Yuan uttered struck a nerve with everyone.

Seeing that the crowd was wavering, a smug look flashed across Li Yuan's eyes.

“My prince, Prince Lu, Li Yuanchang, is currently working for the Crown Prince in Bingzhou. He owns many properties, all of which are exquisitely renovated two-story houses with small courtyards. Even if your wives give birth to several more children, including your parents, you can still live comfortably.”

"Today's wise man, I have ordered Prince Lu to gift him a courtyard house!"

"Gulp..." Someone couldn't help but swallow.

Fang Xuanling's expression changed, and he was about to say something.

Li Yuan's blade moved closer to Fang Xuanling's neck, and seeing the faint line of blood already appearing, Fang Xuanling swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

Seeing the tension among the crowd, Li Yuan's gaze slowly fell on the commander of the imperial guards stationed at the Shengbao Hall.

He didn't say anything, just stared at the other person coldly.

Under the gaze of so many eyes, the commander of the Imperial Guard glanced at the men behind him, some of whom dared not meet his gaze, and sighed inwardly.

Suddenly, to everyone's astonishment, he slammed his head against a pillar with a loud bang.

The force wasn't great, but the helmet made a loud bang.

The commander of the Imperial Guards immediately fainted.

Upon witnessing this scene, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were filled with sorrow and sighed.

Following suit, the guards, who had already given up on stopping them, all imitated her, staggering and "fainting" on the ground.

"Hahaha! Good! You are a smart man. I keep my word. Tomorrow all of you will receive your military transfer documents!"

Li Yuan laughed heartily and threw away the knife in his hand.

He stepped forward, pushed open the palace door, and waved to the nervous concubines behind him.

"Come in, all of you! Take whatever you want, don't be shy with me! Come in, all of you..."

Some hesitated and dared not step forward.

Some people looked nervously at Fang Xuanling and his group.

And then there are the bolder ones...

"Alright, you few I like, ten pieces each, and the rest, five pieces each!" Li Yuan waved his hand, his magnanimous manner as if the imperial treasury were his own.

Immediately, Li Yuan's concubines were overjoyed and began to carefully select jewelry from the boxes and shelves marked with them.

Anything that Li Shimin put into the imperial treasury could be a precious heirloom.

In later generations, it could be described as a treasure that integrates the combined strength of nine generations of ancient craftsmen.

It was not even in the same league as ordinary headdresses and hairpins bestowed as gifts.

Seeing the concubines smiling and dancing like butterflies flitting among flowers, excitedly choosing among themselves, their chatter filled with admiration for their retired emperor, he was overjoyed.

The old man couldn't help but stroke his beard with a touch of pride.

The fatigue from reviewing memorials all day seemed to vanish at this moment.

"hehe......"

Li Yuan chuckled lightly, then suddenly noticed Fang Xuanling standing outside the hall, looking anxious and seemingly discussing something with Du Ruhui. He raised an eyebrow.

"Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, you two come in and choose as well. Take anything you like back to give to your wife."

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui's expressions changed immediately, and they hurriedly waved their hands.

"No, no, no, we appreciate the Emperor Emeritus's kindness, but we would never dare to..."

"Hmm~?" The smile on Li Yuan's face slowly disappeared.

"You really don't want it?"

Fang Xuanling and his companion smiled awkwardly, "Your Majesty, please forgive us. You can take these things; His Majesty won't say anything. But if we take them, well..."

He watched as the two men kept bowing and making obeisance to him.

Li Yuan snorted coldly, then suddenly let out a long sigh.

"What you say makes sense. I am nothing but an empty shell who has lost all power. What kind of retired emperor am I? I probably don't even have a single trusted eunuch in this palace."

"That's all~"

"Now that I have taken it today, that rebellious son Li Shimin will surely punish you. How can I bear to see you suffer as a result?"

Fang Xuanling and his companion instantly showed expressions of surprise and delight.

However, just when the two thought that Li Yuan had decided to withdraw,

But then Li Yuan spoke in a low voice.

"The Crown Prince is short of money. That rebellious son Li Shimin went to Bingzhou but didn't bring any support to the Crown Prince. He just went there to cause trouble. As the grandfather, I can't bear to see my grandson, a young man, sighing every day because of money and food."

"I had intended to take the risk and send the spare money from the imperial treasury to Bingzhou... tsk tsk tsk, never mind!"

"Fang and Du were truly remarkable!"

"You arrogant old man, what can I do with you now that I've lost all power?"

"What a pity..." Li Yuan looked at the two people whose faces were gradually turning pale with a half-smile.

"Since you two, Chancellor Fang and Chancellor Du, say that the imperial treasury cannot be touched, then I will not touch it. Tonight I will write a letter to the Crown Prince and tell him that his imperial grandfather is incompetent and unable to fight against the fathers of Fang Yi'ai and Du He."

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui: "..."

Li Yuan looked at the two of them with a calm yet strange gaze.

If you don't take it, how can I take it? If I don't take it, how can the Crown Prince take it?