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

"This humble general, Qin Qiong, has come today to request my resignation from Your Majesty!"

Fan Qi, who was about to say something flattering and create a warm atmosphere, suddenly froze on the spot.

The action of taking a step forward was followed by Qin Qiong's actions.

Completely stuck, unable to advance or retreat.

Li Shimin quietly looked at Qin Qiong kneeling before him, and in a daze, he finally realized where the other man's armor came from.

"Shubao, why go to such lengths? If you wish to recuperate, there's no need for you to resign and retire. I cannot bear to part with you brothers..."

As Li Shimin spoke, he was met with Qin Qiong's unwavering gaze.

And the unfamiliar light in those eyes made him speak softer and softer.

Qin Qiong was resolute.

"I am not resigning from my post, but I have come specifically to request permission from Your Majesty to resign!"

Qin Qiong bowed again.

Fan Qi and the others were completely terrified. They noticed that Emperor Li Shimin's face, which had been smiling, quickly turned gloomy.

They all lowered their heads and retreated, hiding in the distance.

Try to avoid hearing the following discussion about the relationship between the emperor and his ministers.

Li Shimin silently looked at Qin Qiong. Their eyes met for a long time before Li Shimin finally squeezed out a question through gritted teeth.

"Why? Are you blaming me for my foolishness that day? If so, I am willing to apologize to you. Ignoring my brother's illness and taking you, who has risked your life with me, was indeed not the behavior of a wise ruler."

As he spoke, Li Shimin was about to give a formal bow.

however.

Qin Qiong simply shook his head.

"When Your Majesty was still the King of Qin, you made mistakes as well. Did I ever say I wanted to leave?"

He sighed, looking at Li Shimin, whose clasped hands were frozen in place, and at the snowflakes falling from the sky, feeling only the impermanence of life.

"I was once a general of the Sui Dynasty. I initially served under General Lai Huer. Later, when the general was murdered by Yuwen Huaji, I followed General Zhang Xutuo to suppress the rebel army. We were defeated, a great defeat. General Zhang died, and we were either killed or wounded."

Qin Qiong's voice was like snowflakes dancing in the wind, fleeting and uncertain.

"Later, I joined the Wagang Army and worked under Li Mi."

"Li Mi has also been defeated."

"I have followed Wang Shichong again... I have obtained the title of General of the Dragon Cavalry, a very high-ranking position. That Taoist priest named Heng Fasi, with just one sentence, 'The king is behind the sheep,' has made Wang Shichong's heart flutter. He can no longer hold back his position as prime minister. He asked His Majesty the Emperor to grant him the Nine Bestowments."

"One book, *Zhuangzi: The Human World*, the other, *De Chong Fu*. One line says, 'The first part discusses the world, the second part discusses fulfillment…' Wang Shichong didn't even want to play the role of prime minister anymore; he wanted to take his place…"

Qin Qiong's voice carried a hint of sorrow, as if a fierce general lamented that he could not find a wise ruler, and that a talented man could not find a virtuous monarch to govern the world.

Her voice sounded like she was about to cry, and her eyes were already red.

Li Shimin listened quietly, his eyes seemingly returning to those of the wise and mighty General Tian Ce, the Prince of Qin.

"At this point, I became a general of the Tang Dynasty again. There were many rumors in the army that I was like Lü Bu, the traitor who served three masters, and that I was a man who would bring ruin to his lord. At that time, the Emperor Emeritus appointed me as a military advisor in the Prince of Qin's court, treating me with great courtesy..."

Qin Qiong's voice was choked with emotion.

"When I fought Song Jingang, the enemy challenged me and even accused Your Majesty of betraying three masters. You ordered me to fight, and I will never forget what you said that day."

Li Shimin: "A man who stands tall between heaven and earth with weapons in hand, what fear is there of talking about gods, ghosts, monsters, or fate? Even if you are destined to be cursed by a star that brings misfortune to its master, today I will send you to take that scoundrel's head! Let's see if these cowardly and treacherous bastards are truly destined to be like me!"

Qin Qiong looked up in astonishment.

Looking at Li Shimin, who suddenly spoke, he recited the words from several years ago without missing a single one.

His face flushed red with excitement.

He couldn't help but call out, "Your Highness!"

Li Shimin: "......"

The emperor and his minister, their expressions complex, stared at each other.

The title "Your Highness" filled Li Shimin with shame and made Qin Qiong sigh softly.

"Now, Your Majesty is Your Majesty, no longer the Prince of Qin."

"My fate has ultimately been to bring misfortune upon yet another enlightened ruler..."

Li Shimin narrowed his eyes: "You want to pledge allegiance to the Crown Prince?"

Qin Qiong took a deep breath.

Under Li Shimin's angry gaze, he nodded heavily.

"Yes!"

"Qin Qiong! I'm not dead yet!" At this moment, Li Shimin finally roared in anger.

For Li Shimin, who regarded Qin Qiong as his sworn brother, the departure of his comrade-in-arms now made him even angrier than being betrayed by a woman.

"I have treated you well! Why do you abandon me?"

"The Crown Prince saved your life, but he is my son! It is only natural for him to address you as uncle. Saving you was simply what he was supposed to do!"

"For this, are you going to betray your monarch, your brothers, and me?"

Li Shimin was furious.

The angry roar startled Fan Qi, who was standing some distance away, and she immediately sensed something was wrong.

He hurriedly summoned two eunuchs to fetch Empress Zhangsun.

Li Shimin paced back and forth.

Qin Qiong remained kneeling there, as if he had already resigned himself to either leaving standing or dying there.

Upon hearing Li Shimin's angry question, he surprisingly raised his head.

"Your Majesty! My only sovereign is the King of Qin!"

"For the sake of the King of Qin, even if I die on the battlefield, my flesh and blood trampled into mincemeat by horses' hooves, and my body left without a trace, I will die without regret!"

"Your Majesty is not a traitor who seeks wealth and power! But Your Majesty is a ruler who indulges in a life of debauchery and neglects the affairs of the state!"

“How dare you!!!”

Li Shimin roared, feeling rejected by his beloved empress and concubines, outshone by his own crown prince, and now even his most trusted general was questioning him.

Qin Qiong may already be contemplating suicide today.

At this moment, facing the furious Li Shimin, he unusually straightened his neck and gritted his teeth.

"Isn't that right, Your Majesty! Please wake up!"

"The world has only been at peace for a short time now. It is the time when a great ruler is needed to govern and expand the territory. Didn't His Majesty say back then that he wanted to destroy the Turks, conquer Goguryeo, manage the Western Regions, and make our Great Tang Dynasty dominate the four barbarians?"

"Your Majesty, have you forgotten?!"

"Look at yourself now, where is the slightest trace of a wise ruler? You spend your days indulging in pleasure, wandering around and indulging in debauchery... just like a spendthrift playboy!"

Li Shimin: "......."

The grinding, teeth-gritting sound came from Li Shimin's mouth as Qin Qiong uttered his rebuke.

He stared at Qin Qiong with bloodshot eyes.

Meanwhile, Fan Qi anxiously led Empress Zhangsun from other palaces to the scene.

Upon entering, he was startled by the fierce rebuttal between the emperor and his minister, which instantly broke out in a cold sweat. He looked for help at Wang De, the personal eunuch of the crown prince who had accompanied him.

"Hahaha, ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! Qin Qiong, do you really think that I am no longer as brave as I once was?"

"Do you really think you're still capable of fighting on the battlefield?!"

"Look in the mirror! You're old! Even if I let you leave, do you think the Crown Prince would want an old man like you?!"

Empress Zhangsun's expression changed drastically, and her steps quickened.

Qin Qiong's originally straight back trembled instantly after Li Shimin's slip of the tongue.

It was already a thorn in his side, and Li Shimin so brutally exposed it.

This made Qin Qiong, who had been eager to join a wise ruler, suddenly seem to lose his courage.

A general's greatest enemy is never any enemy army.

It is precisely that version of ourselves that ages relentlessly...

Li Shimin sneered.

I felt as if I had instantly stood on the side of the victor. My magnificent muscles, set against the backdrop of the surrounding snow, made me look like an unshakeable statue.

Suddenly, he picked up a pair of bronze maces from a shelf and threw them in front of Qin Qiong.

"You want to be a general for my crown prince? Fine! If you can withstand five rounds of attacks from me today, I will let you leave and go to your wise ruler!"

"Your Majesty!" Empress Zhangsun's cold voice concealed her anger.

However, Li Shimin acted as if he hadn't heard, and picked up a long sword from the shelf.

"Duke of Yi, is war possible?"

The contemptuous provocation uttered by Li Shimin startled Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Jingde, who arrived later, both of whom gaped in astonishment.

I can hardly believe that the person in front of me who said such a thing is actually the former Prince Qin, Li Shimin.

Cheng Yaojin shouted anxiously, "Brother Qin!"

Qin Qiong stared blankly at the pair of bronze maces in front of him, then at the monarch he had followed in battle.

After turning his head one last time, he saw several anxious figures in the distance behind him.

Suddenly, he took a deep breath and picked up the weapon from the ground.

Beneath the armor plates were patches, corresponding to the scars on his body, and his hair and beard flew wildly.

His aged pupils gleamed with a moist light, but he gritted his teeth and forced out a sound.

"Traitor Qin Qiong! Requests to fight Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty!"

Li Shimin narrowed his eyes, his gaze growing even colder.

"How brave!"

"Shh!"

......

"Tap Tap..."

"Drive! Drive!"

A fast horse galloped through Yangcheng Palace, and Gao Hai didn't care about any rules at the moment.

He rode his horse at breakneck speed, watching the dragon banner fluttering in the sky draw ever closer, his expression growing increasingly anxious.

"Get out of the way! Everyone get out of the way! We have an urgent report! An urgent report!"

"Get out of the way!"

The Purple Palace.

"Liuli is still a state-controlled commodity. Building greenhouses is too costly, and growing crops doesn't generate much profit, so merchants won't invest. Therefore, winter vegetables still need to be state-run."

"Technically, the Agricultural College is relatively mature. With proper record-keeping and comparative research, and by increasing initial investment, we can save a lot of time. We'll start construction in the villages surrounding Taiyuan Prefecture..."

Li Chengqian was still holding a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Agriculture to discuss matters related to greenhouse vegetable cultivation.

Bang.

The door was then flung open by Gao Hai, who was panting heavily.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened... Your Majesty, Your Majesty and the Duke of Yi are fighting!"

Li Chengqian's pupils immediately contracted.

He stood up instantly and rushed out.

Gao Hai leaned weakly against the palace door and slid to the ground.

But it seems that being a eunuch in this dynasty is especially difficult.

He was panting and muttering to himself.

"Your Majesty, this old servant is truly helpless this time... May you have good fortune."