My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

"call--!"

Li Shimin exhaled a breath of stale air and pushed aside the half-finished proclamation.

He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples.

The sky outside the window was faintly turning a pale white—he had sat there all night.

Conquering Japanese pirates, naval forces, provisions, ships, and silver mines.

Urgent reports from the Liaodong, Denglai, and Yangzhou Military Governorates; the Imperial Workshop's progress report on ship repairs; and the Ministry of Revenue's seventh accounting of funds and provisions for the Eastern Expedition...

Every single matter, every single detail, weighed heavily on this three-foot-wide imperial desk.

He opened his eyes, gazed at the dragon holding a pearl deep within the caisson ceiling, and exhaled a long breath of stale air once more.

—It will be soon.

Waiting for Cheng Yaojin's army to set sail, waiting for the money and provisions of the Wang family of Taiyuan to be transported to Dengzhou, waiting for the map of the East China Sea silver mine to be placed on his imperial desk...

He can finally get a good night's sleep.

I'll go to Chen Mo's hotel to sleep then; his bed is soft and comfortable.

Ah!

Sleeping alone is ultimately not very comfortable.

Then call Guanyinbi...

"His Majesty."

Chang Tu's figure appeared silently in the shadows of the palace gate, bowing his head to report.

"His Highness the Crown Prince requests an audience."

Li Shimin was slightly taken aback and looked up at the sky outside the window.

Early morning of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM).

Did this child not sleep all night, or did he get up early this morning?

"Let him in."

Li Chengqian stepped into the hall, his steps solemn and dignified, his crown tassels remaining perfectly still.

He stopped three steps in front of the imperial desk and bowed respectfully.

"Your subject pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"Alright, there's no one else around early in the morning, no need to stand on ceremony."

Li Shimin waved his hand and glanced at him.

"So pale right now, didn't you sleep all night?"

Li Chengqian paused for a moment, but did not deny it.

Li Shimin remained silent and waited.

Sure enough, Li Chengqian raised his head, his eyes filled with intense intent.

"Father, I have something to ask of you... I would like to request your permission."

"explain."

"Your subject wishes to..."

Li Chengqian's Adam's apple bobbed.

"I wish to establish a personal guard that belongs solely to me."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Li Shimin put down his hand that was rubbing his temples and looked up at his eldest son.

"...Why are you building that thing? Don't you have the Crown Prince's personal guards?"

His voice was flat, devoid of emotion.

Li Chengqian did not dodge.

He met his father's gaze and spoke, word by word.

"Your subject wishes to take your father's place in the eastern expedition to punish the Japanese."

"The emperor guards the nation's gates, the monarch dies for the state; though I am not the monarch, I am still the crown prince of my Great Tang!!!"

"Father needs to remain in the central government to oversee affairs, so please allow me to go to Japan!"

This time, the silence in the hall lasted even longer.

Li Shimin remained silent.

He simply looked at Li Chengqian, from the center of his brow to the corner of his eye, from his tightly pursed lips to his slightly taut jawline.

That young face still carried a hint of immaturity, but the lines of its jaw already showed a subtle, sharp curve.

He suddenly remembered many years ago.

Another young man stood in front of his father in the same way and said...

"I am willing to be the vanguard and help my father conquer Luoyang."

Li Shimin was unaware that the corner of his mouth had slightly turned up.

He spoke again, his tone still calm, but with a hint of unreadable gentleness.

"The conquest of the Japanese was a naval war. Have you ever fought a naval battle?"

"no."

Have you ever traveled by sea?

"no."

"Do you know how treacherous the East China Sea is, how deep the Japanese water fortresses are? This journey is thousands of miles long, and it will take several months to transport 30,000 elite troops?"

"Your subject does not know."

Li Chengqian neither bowed his head nor dodged; he simply stood there, letting his father bombard him with these questions one after another.

Then he said.

"But I know that when Father Emperor attacked Luoyang, he did not actually defeat Luoyang."

The hall fell silent once more.

This time, Li Shimin remained silent for a long time.

A very long time,

Then, Li Shimin suddenly smiled.

"Hahaha--"

He laughed heartily, more heartily than he had ever laughed in front of his ministers.

"good,"

He stopped laughing, but a lingering light remained in his eyes as he stared intently at Li Chengqian.

"My son, you look just like I did back then!"

Li Shimin picked up a memorial to the side and asked questions while reviewing it.

How many people do you need?

"Eight hundred."

Li Shimin: !!

Li Chengqian barely paused.

"Your Majesty, I only need eight hundred men! I will recruit and train them myself, without costing the Ministry of War a single soldier or unit, or consuming a single grain of rice from the national treasury, only..."

"no."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Shimin, as if provoked, vehemently rejected the idea.

Li Chengqian was stunned.

"...Why?"

"No means no."

Li Shimin, with a stern face, shook his hand.

"This number is too unlucky."

Li Chengqian: ……

Li Chengqian remained silent for a moment, then tentatively asked.

"...Then I'll ask for five hundred?"

Li Shimin pondered for a moment.

"I'll give you three thousand!!!"

Li Chengqian suddenly looked up, a blank look flashing in his eyes.

"You choose the people, and you pay them yourself."

Li Shimin lightly tapped the edge of the imperial desk with his fingers.

"Not a single soldier will be added or removed; just these three thousand men. When you launch the eastern expedition, you will take these three thousand men and place them under Cheng Zhijie's command, where they will be at his disposal."

Li Chengqian could hardly believe his ears.

Three thousand personal guards.

It's not eight hundred, it's not one thousand, it's three thousand.

Moreover, these were three thousand men who were recruited and trained by themselves, not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War, and only under his command.

What this means—any prince who grew up in Chang'an knows it.

This is a power that even the former Crown Prince never possessed.

He looked at Li Shimin.

Li Shimin was also looking at him.

There was no probing, no scrutiny, and not even the playful smile in those deep eyes.

Only one kind of calm, composure, almost indulgent—

and many more.

Li Chengqian's Adam's apple bobbed.

"Father," his voice was hoarse, "aren't you worried about your son...?"

He didn't finish speaking.

But he knew his father understood.

Li Shimin looked at him and suddenly grinned.

That smile contained three parts mischievousness, three parts unrestrainedness, and three parts something heavy that Li Chengqian couldn't understand.

"I have heavy artillery at Xuanwu Gate," he said casually, as if he were talking about the fine weather, even with a hint of anticipation. "And armored vehicles and tanks too."

"In addition, a large number of heavy machine guns were also deployed."

Li Shimin leaned back in his chair, looking at him with a smile.

"You can come anytime you want."

"As long as you think your three thousand men can break through."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Li Chengqian stared blankly at his father.

Three thousand people?

Let alone three thousand people?

Even if you gave him 10,000 men, he might not be able to break through.

But Li Shimin was willing to give him three thousand men, which far exceeded his original expectations.

Li Chengqian suddenly felt a tightness in his throat.

After a while,

He took a deep breath, stepped back, straightened his clothes, and bowed deeply to his father on the throne.

"Your Majesty..." His voice trembled slightly, but he enunciated each word clearly, "I will certainly live up to your expectations, Father."

Li Shimin did not speak again.

He simply waved his hand, signaling him to step back.

Li Chengqian turned around and strode towards the palace gate.

Li Shimin watched that figure disappear into the morning light.

a long time.

He withdrew his gaze, looked down at the mountain of memorials piled on the table, and then at the gradually brightening sky outside the window.

"Apply regularly."

"This servant is here."

"Do you think... I'm getting old?"

Chang Tu lowered his head and did not answer.

Li Shimin did not need his answer.

He simply leaned back in his chair, gazing outside, the smile on his lips lingering for a long time.

"I should go see Father Emperor later! If he's not dead, I'm not that old yet! Hmm!"

Li Shimin pondered for a moment, thinking it was still not safe.

"No, what if that kid really wants to cause trouble? We'll prepare a few tanks in the palace later, and hmm~, we'll also put some guns under the bed, just in case."

Frequent application: ...