My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

"You mean...?"

Li Yuan's voice was dry and hoarse.

"I am now...in the future? A thousand...a thousand years from now?"

As he finished speaking, his gaze unconsciously swept across the entire room once more.

"good."

Li Shimin nodded.

Li Yuan fell silent, his cloudy eyes shifting slightly as if he were rapidly processing the information.

"Now that you mention it..."

He spoke slowly, his tone carrying a hint of realization and a touch of sarcasm.

"The 'immortal realm' you spoke so confidently about in court, and those supposedly novel items you obtained from the 'immortal realm'... were they taken from this 'future' place?"

"Yes."

Li Shimin nodded again, his expression unchanged.

Now that we've decided to reveal the truth, there's no need to hide it here.

Li Yuan's throat bobbed, and he let out a sound that was almost a sigh.

He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, his gaze became complex and unfathomable. He continued to press for answers, his voice lowering slightly.

"So... Chengqian was seriously ill before, and Guanyinbi... they were able to recover from their illness by coming here?"

"Yes."

Li Shimin nodded for the third time.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Then, Li Yuan's face darkened visibly, his chest began to rise and fall noticeably, and his withered hands unconsciously clenched on the bed, as if searching for something.

My gaze swept over the bedside table—it only had a monitor and a call bell on it, no teacup, and certainly no inkstone or brush washer.

But that didn't stop him from expressing his anger.

"You! You little beast!!!"

Li Yuan's voice suddenly rose, and he laboriously raised one finger to point at Li Shimin, his arm trembling slightly.

"There is... there is such a blessed land, capable of saving lives! You bring your son! You bring your wife! But not your old man?!"

"Do you really have to wait until I'm on the verge of death, barely clinging to life, before you'll reveal this place?! Huh?!"

In his rage, he instinctively wanted to find something to smash this "unfilial son," but...

Weak and powerless, he could only futilely pound the sheets, which only caused him to cough violently and turn his face red.

"Father, please calm down! Take care of yourself!"

Li Shimin's expression changed, and he hurriedly stepped forward to pat him on the back to help him catch his breath.

Li Yuan pushed his hand away, panting heavily. His cough gradually subsided, but the anger on his face did not disappear.

Seeing this, Chen Mo sighed and stepped forward to comfort him.

"Sir, please calm down. Your health is important. Old Li this time..."

"Old Li?"

"And who are you?"

Li Yuan's voice was hoarse as he looked Chen Mo up and down, his gaze sharp.

"This place is mysterious, and it can be explained if Shimin is here. But you, a commoner with an unusual appearance and rude speech, call the current emperor 'Old Li'? Do you people of later generations not understand etiquette at all?"

Chen Mo shrugged, met Li Yuan's scrutinizing gaze, straightened his back, and gave a casual smile.

"My name is Chen Mo. I am an ordinary citizen in this place—in your words, more than a thousand years later—who runs a small inn to make a living."

He pondered for a moment.

"As for the nickname 'Old Li,' it's a way of addressing him that we adopted after we got to know each other, with his permission."

Chen Mo paused.

"I have not only Old Li, but also Old Zhu, Old Liu, and Brother Zheng..."

"Old Zhu? Old Liu? Brother Zheng?"

Li Yuan frowned.

"One was an emperor from later generations, and the other two were Emperor Wu of Han and Qin Shi Huang..."

Li Shimin explained from the side.

Li Yuan was slightly taken aback and fell silent.

Chen Mo was still talking.

"As for why I'm here, it's simple. Your son needs to come here to save you, and the rules, things, and ways of speaking and doing things here are completely different from where you are. He needs someone familiar with the situation to help him, and I happen to be that person."

"I've helped him before, and I've also helped the Crown Prince and the Empress, so he came to me again this time. That's all."

Li Shimin listened from the side, his eyes flickering slightly.

Chen Mo's approach to dealing with people was so different from that of the court officials that he was already used to it, and even appreciated it to some extent for its directness.

But seeing him act this way in front of his father still made him nervous.

However, he did not correct or reprimand Chen Mo, but remained silent, as if he tacitly accepted this explanation.

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly and looked Chen Mo over again.

The young man's attitude was peculiar; there was no reverence, no fear, but it was not arrogant or rude either. It was more like... an equal statement.

This attitude was something Li Yuan rarely encountered, especially when it came to matters of imperial power.

"Ordinary people...helping the emperor?"

Li Yuan repeated slowly, his tone ambiguous.

"It's just mutually beneficial."

Chen Mo answered decisively.

"Your Majesty needs the medical care here to save you, and I need... well, the inn also needs customers and revenue."

Li Yuan remained silent for a long time, only looking at Chen Mo and then at the silent Li Shimin.

After a long time,

"Never mind..."

His voice lowered, and he stopped dwelling on Chen Mo's identity.

"I... am tired."

He stopped looking at anyone, turned his head to the other side, and turned his back to the two of them.

Seeing this, Li Shimin sighed again and gave Chen Mo a look.

The two left the hospital in silence, neither of them speaking.

Back at the hotel, Li Lizhi and Xiao Sizi, who had been anxiously waiting, immediately greeted them upon their return.

The two were somewhat relieved to learn that their grandfather had been temporarily out of danger but needed to remain in the hospital for observation.

"Are you having dinner here tonight?"

"No need, I still have matters to attend to in the palace."

Li Shimin shook his head, facing Chen Mo with a complicated expression.

"Manager Chen, regarding Father's situation... it has stabilized initially, but the subsequent treatment and recuperation will likely take time. Although I would like to visit him frequently,..."

He paused, his voice lowering.

"Now that Father Emperor knows the wonders of this place, his doubts remain. If I am always by his side, I fear that his worries will only intensify, which would be detrimental to his rest and recuperation."

"After much deliberation, I realize that among all the people here, besides myself, only you are familiar with the basics and the rules and artifacts of this place. Could you... please take care of things for me on a daily basis?"

"If there are any changes in needs, or if the Emperor has any questions... you may respond accordingly and inform me in a timely manner."

Chen Mo listened, scratched his head, and told the truth.

"Old Li, taking care of me is no problem. I can deliver meals and water, and communicate with the doctors and nurses."

"But that's your father. Some things, whether I say them or do them, will have the same effect as if you did them?"

"What if he asks me something I shouldn't?"

Li Shimin gave a wry smile; he was well aware of the difficulties involved.

"Father is a reasonable man... at least, in trivial matters, or out of curiosity about your 'future self,' he will temporarily outweigh everything else."

"If you really have to ask, just answer truthfully, and don't speak up for me."

He recalled Chen Mo's somewhat "tough" and straightforward manner in the ward earlier, and added.

"Perhaps... if you treat him normally, he will get used to this place more quickly."

"Alright then."

Chen Mo nodded and accepted the task.

"I'll go check on you every day and contact you immediately if anything happens. But Lao Li, you need to keep an eye on things regarding the old man too."

"We can't let the old man leave with such worries, can we?"

Upon hearing this, a deep and complex expression flashed across Li Shimin's face.

He walked to the door, gazed at the dim lights outside that did not belong to his era, and remained silent for a long time.

"I understand..."

"I entrust my father to you."

Li Shimin turned around and solemnly cupped his hands in greeting to Chen Mo.

He glanced one last time in the direction of the hospital, his eyes churning with emotion before finally settling into a deep, still silence.

"I'll return to the palace now. I'll come again tomorrow."

Having said that, he didn't linger and disappeared through the doorway.

Chen Mo looked in the direction he disappeared and sighed.

Royal family matters... are really hard to explain!!!

Amidst my mixed feelings, I heard a child's innocent cry for help coming from the kitchen.

"Little cyst!!! Help!!! My sister's cooking!!! Come quick!!!"