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

Before setting off, whether it was the advisors like Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, or the military generals like Hou Junji and Yuchi Gong, they all felt a clear sense of unease.

It's simply a matter of the arrow being on the bowstring, and there's no turning back.

But in front of everyone, Li Chengqian not only instructed Fang Xuanling and the others to take care of Princess Qin and her younger siblings, but also said that he had prepared apology gifts for the families and relatives of everyone present.

Although they didn't know what the scroll represented, the people seemed to believe that it contained something immense that would ensure their families' safety.

In an instant, even Li Shimin clearly noticed that the personal guards and generals of the Prince of Qin's mansion around him had all become imposing and powerful.

It has a kind of "Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Chu, burned his boats and risked everything" attitude.

The horseshoes were wrapped in cloth, making a dull sound.

Walking on the dimly lit road, the sound seemed to resonate with the heartbeats of the Qin Prince's soldiers present.

Li Chengqian, dressed in the same chainmail as the Qin Prince's personal guards around him, carried a long spear and followed in the procession, attracting glances from people in the procession every now and then.

They seemed to find it hard to believe that the heir of the Prince of Qin's mansion had also been involved in this matter.

After a period of stealthy movement, as the troops quietly arrived outside Xuanwu Gate, Li Chengqian immediately saw Yuchi Gong and his men begin sending signals to the Xuanwu Gate.

"Cuckoo!"

After a series of calls resembling those of cuckoos, Chang He, the garrison commander who had been stationed there, immediately ordered the city gates to be opened.

No one said much, and their cooperation seemed to be tacitly understood.

As they entered Xuanwu Gate, everyone breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Quickly, Jingde, hide the troops!"

Li Shimin rode on his warhorse, his figure, along with the personal guards around him, hidden in the woods.

Everyone was experiencing this for the first time. Even Li Shimin would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't nervous. For some reason, his gaze involuntarily drifted toward his son, Li Chengqian, who was quietly crouching under a tree to the side.

Li Chengqian stared intently at the Xuanwu Gate, which had been closed again by Chang He.

Their task was to block the Eastern Palace and Qi Prince's troops from rushing in after the Xuanwu Gate reopened and Prince Li Jiancheng and Prince Li Yuanji entered.

However, unlike the tension of others.

At this moment, Li Chengqian's eyes were filled with desire and anticipation for the upcoming battle.

Now, with his martial arts skills enhanced by the [Dragon Essence Fruit], he couldn't wait to charge into the enemy ranks and fight his way through.

"Chengqian, didn't you say you were afraid of death?"

Li Shimin ultimately couldn't resist, or perhaps he simply wanted to find someone to talk to in this deathly silence to ease his tense state of mind.

Li Chengqian was taken aback and looked up, just as Yuchi Gong, Hou Junji, and others around him were also looking over.

"Of course I am afraid of death, but I often hear my uncle and the guards of my father’s household say that on the battlefield, the more afraid of death one is, the faster one dies."

"Those who truly survive are those who are not afraid of death."

Li Chengqian's expression was serious, but his words caused everyone present to gasp in shock.

It's hard to believe that the person before me is really the unassuming and lowly heir of the Qin Prince's Mansion, His Highness the Prince of Zhongshan.

"We must fight to the death to survive. Father, when the battle begins, please do not let your son distract you. The important matter is paramount, and I will take care of myself!"

Li Shimin: "......"

He opened his mouth, but the serious look on his eldest son's face made him feel ashamed.

Did I worry that something might happen to Chengqian?

It seems there should be, but... Li Shimin coughed twice, not daring to look at his eldest son, who had a serious expression on his face, again.

"Stay close to Hou Junji and the others for now, and don't act impulsively."

Li Chengqian nodded.

They waited for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before the sky gradually brightened.

The creaking of the Xuanwu Gate made everyone's hearts jump.

"Everyone hide! Don't alert them!"

Li Shimin hurriedly gave the order.

As Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and Prince Qi Li Yuanji rode into Xuanwu Gate, the people from Prince Qin's residence on Li Shimin's side tried their best to hide themselves.

Li Chengqian licked his lips, looking at his two uncles, the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi, whom he remembered.

At this moment, Li Chengqian naturally had none of the affection between uncle and nephew.

His mind was filled with thoughts of taking down the two approaching heads in front of him, hoping his father would become a dragon, and then he himself would become the crown prince, fulfilling his grand ambitions.

In the deathly silence, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, who had just entered Xuanwu Gate, both felt inexplicably uneasy.

It was as if something was secretly watching them.

"Big brother, why do I feel like something's not right...? Maybe..."

Li Yuanji cautiously surveyed his surroundings before he finished speaking.

Just as he pulled on the reins, a cold, low growl suddenly came from the jungle behind him.

"Your Highness, Prince Qi, how have you been?"

The two men turned around in shock, and when they saw Li Shimin, dressed in full armor, with Yuchi Gong and a group of Qin Prince's personal guards behind him, their expressions changed drastically.

The King of Qi was greatly alarmed, his outward appearance fierce but his inner strength weak.

"How dare you! Li Shimin, what are you doing?!"

"What?"

Li Chengqian, with a sinister smile that seemed out of place for his age, held a long spear and blocked the two's path toward Xuanwu Gate.

"Uncle, Fourth Uncle, your nephew greets you!"

Li Jiancheng frowned, looking at Li Chengqian dressed in soldier's armor. Hearing his address, he seemed to realize something and looked somewhat surprised and uncertain.

"You are Chengqian, the eldest son of Shimin?"

Li Chengqian's smile was icy: "I am flattered that my uncle still remembers me, a mere servant! However, I would like to borrow the heads of my uncle and fourth uncle for a while."

Upon hearing the word "household slave," both Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji showed a fleeting, barely perceptible embarrassment on their faces for a moment.

However, this fleeting change in expression was instantly captured by Li Shimin.

In an instant, the anger in my heart was completely released.

He suddenly pulled out his longbow.

Li Jiancheng was instantly shocked.

"Protect the King! The King of Qin has rebelled! Quickly, protect the King, um..."