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

The title "Emperor Taizong Wen" was uttered by Li Chengqian.

Li Shimin, who had originally been eager to end this torment of being controlled by his own son, suddenly became docile again.

Seeing that Li Chengqian was about to personally call the imperial kitchen staff to serve the dishes, he quickly grabbed him.

"Hey? Chengqian, let that old geezer Wang De handle this. You come, sit down and let's talk again... about that Emperor Taizong you mentioned earlier, cough cough..."

Li Shimin's face showed three parts expectation, three parts nervousness, three parts excitement, and one part lack of confidence.

At this moment, she pulled her eldest son to sit down again and picked up the book she had just read.

"Chengqian, the posthumous title of Emperor Wen, is something I naturally desire as well, but such matters have never been decided by me, nor even by you, the successor... If I truly accomplish the new policies in the southern border, will I truly be able to obtain this sacred title?"

"Furthermore, Emperor Taizong... cough cough, am I really capable?"

As Li Shimin spoke, he touched his beard rather awkwardly.

He would cough occasionally to suppress the laughter that was about to escape his throat.

A pair of eyes looked at Li Chengqian with anticipation.

Li Chengqian chuckled softly.

"What? Does Father Emperor think that such a great achievement is not enough to be granted the title of a mere Emperor Taizong Wen?"

A mere...Emperor Taizong Wen?!

Li Shimin was so frightened by his son's tone that he waved his hands repeatedly, but the smile on his face was gradually getting out of control.

"Not young anymore, not young anymore, Chengqian. Since ancient times, those who can be called ancestors are already rare talents in this world. As the emperor, I don't even dare to dream of achieving such a feat."

He waved his hands repeatedly, as if he would appear somewhat disappointing in front of his son if he didn't voice his true thoughts.

He even considered saying, "If the court and the people can now call me Emperor Taizong Wen, then even sending me to the imperial mausoleum right now wouldn't be out of the question..."

Li Chengqian simply smiled.

With a flicker of her eyes, she chuckled and waved the book in her hand.

"Father, do you think I'm deceiving you? You probably didn't understand what I said just now, but you must have sensed the value contained in these strategies."

"If Your Majesty can follow the instructions in this book and use both kindness and force towards the barbarians in the southern border, so that their leaders will willingly serve you as their lord, and the barbarian people will sincerely come to our China and become citizens of our Great Tang."

"Let them be cared for in their old age, supported in their youth, able to read and write, and able to fight and achieve great deeds."

"Do you think that if there were an emperor like you who was completely devoted to them, and he suddenly passed away one day... Your son has heard that the barbarians have many customs. In order to commemorate the sages or wise rulers in their hearts, they would take the initiative to kill themselves or cut off their ears and pierce their faces."

"Think about it—how many emperors has China produced throughout history? How many people have claimed the title of 'I am alone' or 'I am lonely'?"

"But how many foreign leaders were willing to die guarding the imperial tombs and follow them to their deaths...?"

Only Li Shimin and his son Li Chengqian were inside the hall.

Li Chengqian spoke without any restraint, and his gentle words, falling into Li Shimin's ears, immediately painted a picture of his own death, with all nations mourning and the world draped in white...

If that day ever comes, even if it means my death, it will be worth it!

Li Shimin was breathing heavily, and his eyes were faintly bloodshot.

Li Chengqian smiled.

"Your Majesty, I merely persuaded the Turks and some Tangut and Xianbei people to submit to my Great Tang and become my subjects, yet they respectfully regard me as the True Khan..."

"Father, if you win the hearts of the barbarian peoples in the south, I believe that the title of Heavenly Khan is truly deserved!"

Li Shimin: "!!!"

Before anyone knew it, Li Chengqian had appeared behind Li Shimin and placed his hands on the other man's shoulders.

He called out in a soft, almost seductive voice.

"Long live the Heavenly Khan! Long live the Heavenly Khan! Long live the Heavenly Khan!"

"hiss!!!"

Li Shimin sprang up from his armchair like a spring, pacing back and forth in the hall with a flushed face, like an ant on a hot pan.

Overwhelmed with excitement, he became flustered, stroking his beard and touching his cheek...

He kept murmuring the titles "Heavenly Khan" and "Emperor Taizong Wen".

"Chengqian, wait a moment, I'm a bit confused right now... Let me calm down first..."

He spoke with a hint of excitement and urgency.

He paced back and forth inside the hall.

Li Chengqian wasn't in a hurry. With his ruthlessness and the bait of "technology and ruthless tactics," not to mention Li Shimin, there was no one in the world who could resist him.

He stood there quietly, watching Li Shimin struggle internally, constantly trying to cool himself down, but it only fueled his inner turmoil, making him even more agitated...

A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Father, you run, I chase, you can't escape!

After a while, Wang De came twice, and Li Shimin finally seemed to restrain himself a little.

"What you've said is all part of the reason I can still return to Chengdu. Right now, your mother is probably contemplating regicide..."

When Empress Zhangsun was mentioned, it reminded me of how she, like myself, had improved her physical condition after eating the red fruit.

Li Shimin's legs trembled involuntarily.

Empress Zhangsun might not kill him directly, but she could kill him on the badminton court, the football field, the horse racing track, or even in bed...

Li Chengqian smiled faintly.

I've been waiting for you to say that.

He took a scroll from his desk and handed it to Li Shimin.

"Father, please look. Your Majesty's predicament has long been prepared. With this item, Father only needs to make a little effort, and Mother will certainly not make things difficult for you. Furthermore, with your intercession, a big problem can be turned into a small one, and a small problem can be resolved altogether..."

Li Chengqian smiled and handed the scroll to the other party.

Li Shimin opened it and glanced at it, then seemed to realize something.

"This...this is a prayer for offering sacrifices to Heaven?"

Li Chengqian nodded: "Since ancient times, emperors have issued edicts of self-reproach. Apart from some special occasions, such documents are used during the grand ceremony of worshipping Heaven. Few emperors in the world would set an example or make promises to the world and the people."

"In my humble opinion, if Your Majesty could set a precedent, make a solemn oath to ensure the well-being of all people, and then take a do-or-die approach to implement the new policies."

"Not only will the people of our Great Tang Dynasty understand from the bottom of their hearts that General Tian Ce of that time not only had the ability to save the world, but also a heart to help the people!"

"Future generations of Chinese descendants should also regard our father as a sage ruler like Yao and Shun. Yu the Great controlled the floods to save the world, and our father performed a grand sacrifice to Heaven, which was an even greater merit!"

"What do my father's minor flaws matter in the face of such a grand ambition?"

Li Chengqian smiled slightly: "Father, don't you think so?"

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

Inside a side hall of the Shougong Hall.

Empress Zhangsun and several of Li Shimin's concubines gasped in shock upon hearing the clear voices coming from the other side.

Even Empress Zhangsun was amazed by her eldest son's eloquence.

Fortunately, he was so eloquent and quick-witted, born into the Li Tang royal family, and was the eldest son of the legitimate wife.

If one were born into an ordinary family... perhaps the very name of the world would change again.

"Sister, if His Majesty really does as the Crown Prince says, will you really forgive him?"

Consort Yin asked in a low voice.

Empress Zhangsun did not speak, but looked thoughtfully at the set of bright armor in the side hall.

The craftsmanship at Yangcheng Palace in Taiyuan Prefecture is significantly better than when Li Er left Taiyuan Prefecture.

There has been tremendous progress.

However, Li Shimin, whose mind was full of grand promises made by his son, found the delicacies and fine food tasteless. After dinner, he said he was tired and headed towards his assigned bedchamber, preoccupied with his own thoughts.

In the quiet palace, late at night, Li Shimin still lay stiffly on his bed, his eyes fixed on the curtains above.

"Father, you deserve the title of Emperor Taizong Wen."

"What does the title of Heavenly Khan mean to you, Father Emperor, given your achievements?"

"The leader of a foreign tribe voluntarily committed suicide to guard the tomb."

"Long live the Heavenly Khan! Long live the Heavenly Khan! Long live the Heavenly Khan!"

"Wow!"

Li Shimin instantly sat up.

He swallowed hard, his mind filled with the blueprint drawn up by the Crown Prince, and he had no desire to sleep.

After glancing at the silent night sky outside, he finally put on his clothes and left the palace.

He walked through the palace gardens with a heavy heart. Suddenly, he felt a mist quietly spreading around him. By the time he realized what was happening...

A figure appeared silently and indistinctly not far in front of him.

Li Shimin frowned slightly and gave a low shout.

"Who goes there! How dare you break into the palace at night? Aren't you afraid...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Shimin suddenly opened his mouth in astonishment, as if he had seen a ghost.

He stared blankly at the figure that he could never forget.

She was dressed in a woman's armor, which had several obvious repairs.

The bright red color seemed to accentuate the imposing cloak of the armor's wearer.

A phoenix-feathered flintlock pistol, paired with the face shield of the now-disbanded women's army...

Li Shimin trembled, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

He felt as if a fishbone was stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single coherent sentence.

The dual shadows of physical and psychological trauma, after several years, have returned to him in an extremely intense way.

"Erlang, have you gone out to attract women again?"

There was not a single flaw in his voice; it was exactly the same as the voice of Princess Pingyang, Li Xiuning, that he remembered, which made Li Shimin tremble even more violently.

It felt like I had returned to the time when I was still wandering around Taiyuan, indulging in debauchery with my cronies.

The scene of being caught by her own older sister.

Same tone, same words.

And...the same outfit.

He staggered backward almost instinctively, the surrounding air seeming to carry a chill that didn't belong to this season.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you, you're not dead?"

"You're still alive? Royal sister, you, you have to listen to my explanation, I... I was just putting on an act, I..."

"call!"

With a fierce whooshing sound, the Phoenix Feather Fire Spear came hurtling towards them in an instant.

Startled, Li Shimin instinctively dodged, but the owner of the spear seemed to have anticipated this, and with a turn of the spear, the spearhead instantly grazed Li Shimin's shoulder.

A powerful, sweeping strike!

"Snapped!"

"Ouch...that really hurts! Ouch!"

On a viewing pavilion in Yangcheng Palace, Li Chengqian, instead of sleeping late at night, held up a monocular telescope and looked at the scene inside the palace walls in the distance, letting out a laugh that made Qian Lou, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard beside him, want to cover his face.

Li Chengqian glanced at him sideways.

"Tell everyone below to cooperate well. Since the Empress Dowager is in such a good mood, I, as her son, must serve her well. If anyone makes a mistake and it is discovered later, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Just then, another scream of Emperor Taizong of Tang was heard.

"Ah! My royal sister, I was wrong... Guards! Guards! Help me! Help me!"

Li Chengqian: "Hahaha, Father, Father, keep yelling, no one will come even if you yell until your throat is hoarse~ Hahaha..."