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

"Crack!"

"Tap Tap..."

Amidst the fierce clashes and Li Shimin's frantic sword strikes, Qin Qiong's double maces repeatedly attempted to retaliate, but all his efforts were thwarted.

Li Shimin was pressing him down, forcing him to retreat repeatedly.

However, it wasn't just that he showed no mercy in the force he used.

Now, he seemed somewhat deranged, like a mad tiger whose sore spot had been provoked. As he swung his long sword, he began to speak incoherently.

"Fight back! Qin Qiong, didn't you say that I am no longer the King of Qin of yesteryear, and no longer possess the talent of a Grand General? Come on, why are you retreating again and again?!"

"Didn't you, Qin Qiong, charge in and out of the battlefield countless times, enduring numerous arrow wounds yet never losing your fighting spirit?"

"Why have we become so weak today?!"

"Come on! You want to follow the Crown Prince? Or do you expect him to take care of you in your old age?! Hahahaha!"

Outside the battleground.

Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Jingde could hardly believe their eyes. They looked at the Emperor and Qin Qiong, who should have been loyal to each other through thick and thin, and now they had torn each other apart to this extent.

Cheng Yaojin suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

But what's more terrifying than the chill in your body is the chill that permeates your heart.

Every word Li Shimin spoke at that moment was more than just a knife piercing Qin Qiong.

It was also the sharpest dagger piercing the heart of each of them.

"boom!"

Blood was almost drawn from the webs between his thumb and forefinger, and his old face alternated between deathly pale and flushed red.

As Li Shimin's long sword, carrying an irreversible force, lifted Qin Qiong's double maces, leaving him vulnerable, Qin Qiong was instantly kicked in the chest by Li Shimin.

"Second Brother Qin!"

"Duke of Yi!"

Cheng Yaojin and the others exclaimed in surprise, and Empress Zhangsun's pretty face changed instantly as she was about to step forward.

Unexpectedly, Qin Qiong, who was almost hunched over and kneeling on the ground supporting himself with his bronze mace, suddenly let out a sharp shout.

"Cough cough cough! Nobody come any closer!"

Qin Qiong's face was extremely pale. He had already suffered a great loss of energy due to the cold, and now, after three months of recuperation, he had recovered a little. But he was facing Li Shimin, who was like a ferocious beast in human form.

They are not even on the same level.

He clenched his teeth.

"Zhijie, Jingde, neither of you come any closer! If anyone interferes in this battle today, don't blame me for disregarding our brotherhood and severing all ties with them!"

Cheng Yaojin and the others were all taken aback and puzzled.

Empress Zhangsun frowned.

"Duke Yi, why do you have to do this? Even if you want to stay in Bingzhou, just tell the Crown Prince, and he will make arrangements for you. You are already unwell, why make things so difficult for yourself..."

Qin Qiong gave a bitter smile.

His voice was filled with endless sorrow and loneliness.

"Your Majesty has indeed become much more absurd these days, but there is one thing you have said that is ultimately true... I am old and frail, and I no longer have the strength to fight on the battlefield. The Crown Prince is benevolent and wise, and has the potential to be a sage ruler for all ages. However, I am ultimately powerless to lead the army as your ruler."

The boy does not cry easily.

However, Qin Qiong couldn't help but choke up a little when he said this.

He took a deep breath, picked up a drooping bronze mace from the ground, and looked back at the figure that now resembled an iron tower standing tall in the wind and snow.

"My life is coming to an end, but if I can exchange my life for the ruler I have served before I die, then it will have been worth it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly stomped his foot.

He immediately charged toward Li Shimin.

"ah!"

The power of the mace pierces the rising sun!

With a whistling sound, and carrying Qin Qiong's resentment and grief, the double maces slammed down on Li Shimin's head.

"boom!"

He blocked with his longsword.

If it were Li Shimin back when Qin Qiong had just joined the Qin Prince's mansion, before he had consumed the red fruit and gained great power, he would never have dared to be so reckless in taking the challenge.

However, nowadays...

Li Shimin's long sword was like an insurmountable iron wall, no matter how Qin Qiong swung his double maces.

The mace technique was displayed brilliantly.

However, the huge disparity in strength and speed meant that this battle had no chance of being won from the very beginning.

Li Shimin took a deep breath and looked at Qin Qiong, whose breathing was gradually becoming heavy, but whose sharp and resolute eyes remained undiminished. He was deeply moved.

"If you stop now and leave, I will pretend that you never came today. After today, you will still be the Duke of Yi, and I will still treat you with courtesy. I will certainly not hold a grudge against your Qin family."

"boom!"

Sparks fly.

Qin Qiong suddenly pressed his body close, intending to launch a flanking attack.

However, before he could even swing the bronze mace in his hand, Li Shimin, with his keen senses, noticed it instantly.

"boom!"

He suddenly pushed the longsword he was using to block with his hand.

Qin Qiong's entire body was sent flying horizontally in an instant.

With a "thump," he fell to the ground rather awkwardly and rolled several times.

"Your Majesty! That's Brother Qin! What's wrong with you?" Yuchi Jingde cried out in despair.

Li Shimin snorted angrily.

"I gave him a chance!"

Qin Qiong coughed violently again, his entire body sending out warning signals that he was about to collapse.

For a fierce general like Qin Qiong, watching his once valiant body gradually decline in strength and lose its sharpness was tantamount to being slowly tortured on the execution ground.

"One year... Your Highness, how could you become such a tyrant in just one year?"

Qin Qiong, filled with grief and indignation, forced himself to stand up once again.

His eyes were bloodshot.

A "hoho" sound came from his throat, like the sound of bellows being pulled.

Li Shimin had one hand behind his back, his fist clenched, and the other hand holding a sword, his eyes flashing and slightly narrowed.

"Shubao, stop pressuring me! Since you despise the court, I can grant you wealth and honor, and allow the entire Yiguo Duke's mansion to live in peace. If you wish to stay in Bingzhou to retire, I can also grant that wish."

"Put down your weapons and leave! This is the last chance I'm giving you!"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yaojin and the others could already sense the chilling intent and the undisguised threat in Li Shimin's words.

They all tensed up.

"Second Brother Qin, stop it! Let's stop this! You're forcing me to abdicate! Let's go..."

"Second Brother Qin, think about that child Huaidao. His Majesty is truly enraged. Let's go!"

Qin Qiong seemed not to hear.

His gaze remained fixed on the figure that was now almost a stranger to him.

"May His Majesty restrain his wickedness, strive for good governance, bestow blessings upon the people, and expand the nation's territory!"

Li Shimin: "......"

The hand behind his back was clenched tightly, and the veins on the back of his hand throbbed.

"Do you really think I wouldn't dare kill you?"

Qin Qiong gritted his teeth, gripped his double maces tightly once more, and walked with difficulty toward Li Shimin.

"If my blood were to splatter five paces, it might awaken the ruler I serve to the truth..."

"Your subject has no regrets in dying!"

He took a deep breath, his eyes meeting those of Li Shimin, who was now completely enraged, his teeth clenched and bloodshot.

"Traitor Qin Qiong! He will once again fight His Majesty the Emperor of Tang!!!"

After speaking, he charged towards Li Shimin like a fierce soldier leading the charge in a siege.

He used almost all the strength in his body.

His death-seeking appearance caused an uproar and a change in expression among Cheng Yaojin and others outside the battle circle.

They shouted and tried to rush forward to stop them, but it was too late.

Li Shimin's eyes were bloodshot.

He thrust out his long sword suddenly.

"Qin Shubao! Then I will grant your wish today!"

The fine steel longsword, forged from the Jingyue County Forging Factory, seemed to emit a buzzing sound the moment Li Shimin thrust it out.

Qin Qiong watched the sword blade getting closer and closer.

The double maces that were about to be swung in his hands suddenly opened.

Li Shimin's pupils contracted, and he was horrified as he watched the other party about to smash his heart into him, wanting to stop.

Even with such a short interval, it was still too late.

In a daze, their eyes met.

All the grief and indignation in Qin Qiong's eyes seemed to turn into a sense of relief at this moment.

Empress Zhangsun and the others all gasped in surprise.

"Your Majesty! No!"

"Second Brother Qin!"

"Duke of Yi!"

Just when everyone was almost in despair, and Li Shimin looked terrified.

"Shhhhhh!"

Three sharp whooshing sounds suddenly came from one side.

The three afterimages were like blades slicing through the air.

In an instant, at an extremely tricky and precise angle, it slammed into Li Shimin's sword, which was about to pierce Qin Qiong's heart.

"when!"

The immense force caught Li Shimin off guard, causing him to loosen his grip.

The arrow grazed the tip of his nose.

It plunged into the wooden weapon rack beside it, its tail feathers vibrating with a buzzing sound.

"boom!"

The longsword in his hand shifted and pierced Qin Qiong's right shoulder.

Blood gushed out, but Li Shimin quickly kicked the other man away and retreated several steps, sword in hand.

He stared blankly at Qin Qiong, who was lying on the ground.

He looked down at the blood-stained tip of the longsword in his hand.

A feeling of lingering fear washed over me.

however.

Before he could say anything, a figure rushed over fiercely.

Seeing the miserable state of Duke Qin Qiong, Li Chengqian's eyes were bloodshot, and thinking of what had just happened, his anger was even greater.

"Li Shimin! You want to kill him?!"

"Have you forgotten that if it weren't for the Duke of Yi risking his life to save you repeatedly amidst the enemy's ranks, you would have died at the hands of Wang Shichong and his men long ago!"

"You actually want to kill him?!"

Li Shimin opened his mouth, looking at his own son, Crown Prince Chengqian, who was so angry that he seemed to want to devour him.

He had originally intended to explain, but now a surge of anger rose within him.

"What? Is the Crown Prince here to win over the hearts of the people?"

"I never imagined that the Crown Prince would even take a liking to someone as close to a foolish emperor like myself?" Li Shimin's voice was cold.

The already unresolved conflict between father and son seemed to have been ignited by today's incident.

"Chengqian..." Empress Zhangsun rushed over.

Unexpectedly, Li Chengqian suddenly raised his hand.

"Yingying, take the Empress away from here!"

Empress Zhangsun's expression changed. Qian Yingying hesitated for a moment, then stepped in front of the Empress.

Cheng Yaojin and the others rushed over and surrounded Qin Qiong. Seeing Qin Qiong's shoulder bleeding profusely, they all looked grief-stricken and angry.

"Second Brother Qin, what are you doing? Why did you do this? Why did you do this...?"

Cheng Yaojin, this burly man, cried like a child whose candy had been stolen.

Qin Qiong looked weakly at Crown Prince Li Chengqian, who had saved him, his eyes filled with tears.

"Your Highness, I can't wake him, I can't wake him..."

"I can't wake the King of Qin... I can't wake him! Waaah..."

Li Chengqian's hand, which was supporting the other person, trembled.

Looking at Li Shimin standing in the distance, holding that sword in his hand.

"Of course you can't wake him... The King of Qin is already dead! He died on the day he ascended the throne!"

Li Chengqian took a deep breath and, under the shocked gazes of Empress Zhangsun and others, suddenly picked up Qin Qiong's double maces.

He stood up and walked towards Li Shimin.

"What? My Crown Prince, you also want to force me to abdicate?" Li Shimin squinted, glancing at Qin Qiong out of the corner of his eye.

however.

The Crown Prince Li Chengqian, who was standing in front of him at that moment, made his eyes turn cold instantly with just one sentence.

"A coup? Father seems to underestimate your son! Today, your son is not coupling... your son is assassinating the emperor!"