My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

Soon, two bowls of instant noodles were gone, and two bottles of strong liquor were also finished.

"Phew!"

Li Shimin exhaled a breath of stale air, feeling that the life of this person from the future was truly comfortable.

But after a satisfying meal, all sorts of troubles often begin.

Li Shimin's gaze swept across the television, and the words "Please Your Majesty be called Crown Prince" from before surged into his mind again, causing his previously decent expression to darken instantly.

Upon seeing this, Fang Xuanling bowed and clasped his hands in greeting.

"Your Majesty, I'm going back to my room now. I'm in the next room. Please feel free to call me if you need anything."

Li Shimin nodded but did not speak.

So Fang Xuanling returned to his room.

Li Shimin went downstairs alone.

Chen Mo was leaning over the counter, scrolling through his phone, calculating how much RMB that golden melon seed could be exchanged for, enough to pay several months' worth of utility bills, when he heard footsteps and looked up.

"The taste is alright, isn't it?"

He asked with a grin.

Li Shimin walked to the counter, his expression slightly solemn.

His previous imperial demeanor had become much more restrained, but the doubt and a hint of anxiety between his brows could not be concealed.

"Manager Chen," he began, his voice steady yet questioning, "what was said on the television just now... that Chengqian... is indeed..."

He seemed hesitant to speak, paused, and then changed his approach.

"What are the evaluations of this man in later historical records?"

Chen Mo put down his phone, looked at Li Shimin's complex expression, which was clearly filled with worry, and raised an eyebrow.

You mean Li Chengqian?

"In history books, he's basically been defined as the unfortunate crown prince who almost followed in his uncle's footsteps."

These words were so blunt and crude that Li Shimin was stunned for a second before realizing who "his uncle" referred to, and his face visibly darkened.

Normally, matters concerning Xuanwu Gate and Li Jiancheng were taboo in the palace.

But Chen Mo didn't care at all and continued to complain.

"If you ask me, Lao Li, you also bear some responsibility for this, no! You should say you bear the main responsibility."

"I...me?"

Li Shimin was taken aback, his brows furrowing.

"What responsibility do I have?"

"It sounds like you're blaming me?"

"yes!"

Chen Mo started counting on his fingers.

"First, your own rise to power was quite unique, and your sons followed suit, thinking that it's no big deal to fight for this position, which puts a lot of psychological pressure on them."

"Secondly, you've spoiled that kid Li Tai way too much. He's become so spoiled that he doesn't know his place and thinks he can compete with us."

"Of course we have to sow discord between him and his older brother. It's the same old story of brothers fighting amongst themselves."

"Thirdly, you have too high expectations for Chengqian and are too strict with him. The child is under a lot of pressure, and his legs aren't very agile yet. He must feel frustrated, so he needs to find some excitement, right?"

"Keeping a male lover or doing cosplay are just ways to vent your frustrations."

"The more you look at it, the less satisfied you become, and the more he gives up and tries to ruin things."

"Finally, there's the precedent of you."

"What if Li Taizhen were to follow your example and stage a coup at Xuanwu Gate? Do you think Li Chengqian would be afraid?"

Chen Mo looked at Li Shimin.

"After a few quick moves, it was all over. In a moment of impulsiveness, I figured I was going to die anyway."

"Why not take a gamble and force him to resign? What if it works?"

"In the end, your skills were too rough, and since you're an experienced person who always succeeds in putting things into practice, you didn't succeed."

"That's how it's described in history books, and that's how it's portrayed in later films."

Chen Mo's words came out like a torrent of beans.

Li Shimin's expression changed erratically upon hearing this.

That's incorrect!

Li Shimin frowned, and his voice deepened.

"I place high hopes on Chengqian and discipline him strictly because he is the crown prince and will have to shoulder the responsibility of the world in the future!"

"Jade must be carved to become a useful object; how can we allow it to remain uncarved?"

"As for Qingque, he has been frail since childhood, but he is intelligent and eager to learn. It is only natural for me to dote on him a little more. How can that be considered excessive?"

"I have never intended to change the heir apparent!"

This was his deepest thought; he believed that his strictness towards Chengqian stemmed from a sense of responsibility.

Her affection for Li Tai was innate.

Or perhaps it's a sense of indebtedness, a kind of indebtedness that Li Tai, destined not to become emperor, wanted to make up for as much as possible.

However, after listening, Chen Mo scoffed, rolled his eyes, and started to criticize even more harshly.

"Come on, my dear Boss Li!"

"You can only fool yourself with that."

"Does the crown prince have to be driven to the brink of death? He's the crown prince, not a prisoner!"

"Put your hand on your heart and tell me, did your father pressure you like this when you were a child?"

At this point, Chen Mo paused and whispered.

"Of course, you didn't listen to your father much afterward."

"And then there's Li Tai, frail? Intelligent? Fine, even if he really is a child prodigy, how much more doting do you show him?"

"You're spoiling him rotten! He's being treated almost like the Crown Prince. Who in the entire court can't see that?"

"What do you expect Chengqian to think?"

"He was already under a lot of pressure, and his leg injury made him feel inferior."

"Looking back, I realized that my father treated my younger brother much better than me. He would praise my brother to death for even the slightest achievement, while he would scold me to death for even the smallest mistake."

"Your younger brother is so outstanding, and many officials in the court are still fawning over him. Wouldn't you be devastated if you were in his shoes?"

"I……"

Li Shimin's mouth moved, but Chen Mo was quick-witted and didn't give Li Shimin a chance to interrupt.

"You're a classic example of a parent showing favoritism without even realizing it!"

"On one hand, she puts immense pressure on her eldest son, and on the other hand, she showers her youngest son with warmth and care."

"You get angry when your eldest son makes a mistake, but you beam with joy when your youngest son acts cute."

"Oh, so all the benefits go to the younger son, while the older son bears all the burden? What kind of logic is that?"

"Has there never been any intention to change the heir apparent?"

"You didn't say it explicitly, but what you did didn't make those shrewd ministers below you suspicious? Didn't it make that brat Li Tai harbor unrealistic ambitions?"

"Actions themselves are attitudes! My Second Empress! Are you playing word games with me?"

This barrage of criticisms, like a series of arrows, shot swiftly at Li Shimin, each word piercing his heart.

He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, "I didn't," "That's not how it is."

However, they discovered that everything the other party mentioned seemed to correspond to some vague scenarios and veiled advice from court officials.

In the end, all those words were reduced to a single sentence.

"I also have my own difficulties."

"Difficulties? Which father doesn't have difficulties?"

Chen Mo directly retorted.

"But no matter how difficult the situation, you can't treat the children like this! Not treating them equally is the biggest sin!"

"Is it finally done?"

"One rebellion failed and was ruined, and no one else benefited. You yourself must be feeling terrible. What was the point? What was the point?"

"If you ask me, being an emperor is tiring, and being the emperor's son is tiring too."

"Dad's too awesome, being a son is tough."

"Chengqian might not have been a bad person at heart, but he was pushed too far, his mentality collapsed, and he went to extremes. It's a pity."

"So you should learn from Old Zhu in this regard. He really treated his sons well. The crown prince was his own flesh and blood, and the others were all raised like children."

"I wish the crown prince would rebel quickly so I could become the retired emperor."

"And what about you?... "

Chen Mo finally shrugged.

"That's why I say, your ability to be an emperor is top-notch, but your ability to be a father is lacking."

"Tsk, I really need to take a course to improve myself, I'm just too useless!"

"Pu...pull your hips?"

Li Shimin was completely silenced by this last new term.

He stood there, his face alternating between pale and flushed.

Chen Mo's words may be rough, but the reasoning behind them is sound.

Was there favoritism?

Perhaps... there is.

Was too much pressure placed on Chengqian?

It seems...yes.

Doesn't the person bear any responsibility for the tragedy that ultimately occurred?

……

Li Shimin slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, his shoulders slumping almost imperceptibly.

In the end, he said nothing, but turned around and silently looked at the fake prosperity of Hengdian at night, his back view looking somewhat lonely.

After a long time,

"So... will future generations all think that I... failed to properly educate my sons, causing brothers to fight?"

Li Shimin finally spoke, his tone filled with desolation.

"That's not entirely true."

Chen Mo thought for a moment.

"People mainly think you were a good emperor, after all, the Reign of Zhenguan!"

"It's just that I didn't handle this little thing at home well, so..."

Chen Mo paused for a moment before replying.

"Well, no one is perfect. Compared to your achievements in conquering the country and your ability to govern, the fact that your son wasn't raised well is just a piece of gossip, something people talk about over tea."

Chen Mo paused, then muttered to himself again.

"Of course, there were indeed a lot of scandalous stories about the Tang Dynasty later on... like sons with their fathers' concubines, fathers with their sons' concubines, and even princesses and monks..."

"Gossip...news?"

Li Shimin heard another incomprehensible word.

"It's just unimportant gossip."

Chen Mo gave a perfunctory explanation, then, seeing Li Shimin's still somber expression, patted the counter.

"Alright, Mr. Li, don't worry anymore."

"That's all in the past, there's no point in dwelling on it now. Why not think about getting a good night's sleep tonight?"

"Then be nicer to Chengqian when you go back."

"They did a really good job with the initial preparations!"

Li Shimin remained silent and went upstairs alone.

He didn't turn on the light, but slowly walked to the bedside using the light coming in from the window.

He didn't lie down immediately, but reached out and pressed the overly soft mattress again; the touch was still unfamiliar and strange.

Li Shimin sighed and finally lay down fully clothed, his body instantly captivated by the soft, enveloping sensation.

However, even such a soft bed could not bring him peace of mind.

He stared with his eyes open at the blurry outline of the ceiling light on the ceiling.

"Am I really that bad a father?"

In the darkness, Chen Mo's words echoed in his mind again and again.

"Your own rise to power was rather unique..."

"They're spoiling that kid Li Tai way too much..."

"As for Chengqian, the expectations are too high, and the control is too strict..."

……

"His fatherly skills are terrible..."

Each word was like a tiny needle, pricking him uncomfortably, yet he couldn't pull it out.

He recalled Chengqian's clever and quick-witted appearance as a child, and the laughter of him riding on his neck.

I recall the increasingly gloomy look in his eyes after his leg injury.

I recalled the furious outburst I had when he was struggling with his studies.

She recalled the clever and endearing appearance of Qingque when she presented him with her newly written "Kuodi Zhi" and the generous praise and rewards he had given her.

I recalled the whispers and tactful remonstrations from the court officials about the excessive courtesy shown to Prince Wei, Li Tai…

Could it be... that what that seemingly uncouth boy said was all true?

Was it I who pushed Chengqian step by step to that dead end?

Was it her own unbridled favoritism that ignited Qingque's unwarranted ambition?

Could the shadow of Xuanwu Gate have truly struck back on his own sons in a more subtle and cruel way?

In an instant, an immense, unprecedented weariness and a heavy sense of guilt overwhelmed him.

This made him feel even more powerless than facing a massive army or handling heavy state affairs.

As an emperor, he was perhaps close to perfect.

But as a father, he might really be just as Chen Mo said... utterly defeated.

The neon lights outside the window cast blurry, shimmering patches of color on the wall, while the distant noises of modern city nightlife drifted in.

All of this reminded him that this was no longer his Tang Dynasty.

His troubles and merits have long been recorded in a few lines of history books from a thousand years ago, for people to comment on and even ridicule.

A thousand years later, Li Shimin slowly closed his eyes.

Physical exhaustion and mental shock finally broke down her taut nerves.

He fell into a deep sleep on that overly soft, unfamiliar bed.

In my dream, there were palaces in Chang'an, Chengqian's smiling face as a child, and Qingque's longing eyes.

In the end, it all culminated in that chilling, piercing phrase on the television screen: "Your Majesty, please become the Crown Prince."

……