Deposed? I couldn't be happier! I wouldn't even be a dog to the crown prince.

[Warning: Insufficient host privileges.]

[According to the "Salted Fish Conservation Law," if the host wishes to retire early, all main quests must be completed. The current main quest, "The Road to Global Domination," is only 5% complete. The road ahead is long and arduous; please do not be overly ambitious and take a pragmatic approach.]

The cold, mechanical voice ruthlessly shattered Li Chengqian's unrealistic fantasies.

"Depend on!"

Li Chengqian gave the air the middle finger, sat up from the soft couch, and looked utterly dejected.

"So, I have no choice but to save my father?"

"Don't we still have to clean up his messes?!"

Li Chengqian scratched his hair in frustration, making his already messy hair bun look even more like a bird's nest.

If I had known being an emperor would be this troublesome, I shouldn't have...

No, he didn't want to be one!

It's all because of this damn system!

[System Prompt: Complaining won't solve anything, it will only increase the host's resentment level. The host is advised to face the situation positively, complete the task as soon as possible, and achieve financial freedom... oh no, I mean, the freedom to be a "salted fish" (a derogatory term for someone who is financially independent and financially secure).]

"roll!"

Li Chengqian cursed inwardly, but still had no choice but to accept reality.

There's no way around it; when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.

Who can blame them when the system is the boss?

……

Half an hour later, in the study (game room) of the East Palace.

Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Changsun Wuji, and Yuan Tiangang, who had just finished calculating the secrets of heaven and had a "doomsday" expression on his face, gathered together once again.

The atmosphere was so heavy it seemed like it could drip water.

"Your Highness, this matter really cannot be delayed any longer!"

Fang Xuanling was so anxious that blisters formed around his lips. "The latest military report just arrived from the northern border. His Majesty's army has already engaged the Turkic vanguard! Although the first battle was a victory, but... but the marching route is exactly the same as the one you simulated on the sand table!"

"In other words, Your Majesty is stepping into the trap set by Khan Jieli!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Changsun Wuji also looked grave. "If His Majesty is trapped, the consequences will be unimaginable! Not only will the border be in danger, but the court... I'm afraid chaos will ensue!"

"Your Highness, I implore you to immediately dispatch troops to reinforce the northern border!"

The four high-ranking officials bowed deeply to the young man who was sitting behind the table, leisurely sipping tea.

However, this was a situation that was almost like a coup d'état.

Li Chengqian's reaction, however, was excessively calm.

He put down his teacup, even having the leisure to pinch a piece of osmanthus cake and stuff it into his mouth, mumbling indistinctly:

"What's the rush?"

"My dad is like a cat, he has nine lives. He survived being surrounded like that at Hulao Pass, so he won't die this time either."

He dusted the crumbs off his hands, stood up, and walked to the huge map.

Those eyes, which were usually sleepy, now seemed to pierce through layers of palace walls, seeing the snow-covered grassland thousands of miles away.

"Besides, even if he's really unlucky and accidentally uses up all nine of his lives..."

Li Chengqian turned around, a familiar, irritating smile on his face, but his eyes revealed an undeniable domineering aura.

"But what about me?"

He pointed to his nose and raised an eyebrow at Yuan Tiangang.

"Old Yuan, aren't you good at fortune telling? Then tell me, does the King of Hell dare to come to my Eastern Palace to collect people?"

Yuan Tiangang was taken aback, then stroked his beard and smiled bitterly.

"Your Highness is the reincarnation of the Purple Star Emperor, a destiny of nobility that this humble Taoist... cannot fathom."

That solves it.

Li Chengqian spread his hands, his tone incredibly arrogant.

"Let alone his 300,000-strong Turkic army."

"Even if the King of Hell himself stood before my father with the soul-reaping rope, he would have to think twice."

"Measure it up, ask the knife in my hand, will you agree or not!"

That's what I meant.

mad.

That's outrageous.

But for some reason, when it came out of the Crown Prince's mouth, it seemed so natural.

Looking at the boy in front of them, who was only eight years old but seemed to have the whole world under his control, Fang Xuanling and the others' anxious hearts were actually put at ease.

Yes.

With this man around, the sky over the Tang Dynasty will never fall down.

"Then...when does Your Highness plan to send out troops?" Li Jing, as the military representative, couldn't help but ask.

"Send troops?"

Li Chengqian shook his head. "It's not the right time yet."

"The time isn't right yet. My dad hasn't given me enough of a beating. If I go now, he won't appreciate it; he might even think I'm stealing his credit."

"That……"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, indicating that they could leave. "Go back and do what you were doing. The sky isn't falling."

"Oh, by the way, Mr. Fang, how's that 'Five-Year Plan' you wrote last time coming along? Don't slack off."

Fang Xuanling's lips twitched, and he bowed to accept the order.

After getting rid of those patriotic old men, Li Chengqian finally had some peace and quiet.

He stretched, feeling every bone in his body protesting.

"Sigh, why is it so hard to be a salted fish?"

Just as he was about to lie back down for a nap, that cold, mechanical voice in his mind rang out again at an inopportune moment.

【Ding! 】

[The system detected that the host is facing a "father-saving" crisis and is exhibiting a proactive attitude of "saying one thing but doing another."]

[Special daily check-in task triggered!]

[Check-in Location: Former Site of the Xuanjia Army Camp!]

[Task Reward: ???]

"The Xuanjia Army camp?"

Li Chengqian was stunned for a moment.

Wasn't that place already emptied out by Li Shimin? Now it's just an empty shell. What good stuff can you get by signing in there?

However, some reward is better than none.

[Accept the mission?]

"I accept, I accept."

Li Chengqian waved his hand impatiently.

Since I had nothing better to do anyway, I figured I might as well take a stroll after dinner.

He stood up and shouted towards the door, "Old Xu! Get the car ready!"

"Let's not go fishing, let's go somewhere else today."

"Let's go to the Xuanjia Army camp and take a stroll."

……

Half an hour later.

Li Chengqian's luxurious carriage stopped at the gate of the once-renowned but now somewhat desolate Xuanjia Army camp outside Chang'an City.

When the old soldiers guarding the gate saw the prince's entourage, they were so frightened that they immediately knelt down and paid their respects.

"What brings Your Highness here?"

Li Chengqian jumped off the carriage and looked at the empty training ground and the faded "Tang" banner fluttering in the wind. He felt a sense of emotion.

This place was once the starting point of the most elite troops of the Tang Dynasty, and also the place where his cheap father's dream began.

"It's nothing, just browsing."

Li Cheng-

With his hands behind his back, Qian strolled around the empty training ground like a leader on an inspection tour.

As he walked, he silently repeated in his mind, "System, sign in."

[Ding! Check-in successful!]

[A strong aura of "championship" and "invincibility" has been detected remaining here...]

Li Chengqian's eyes lit up.

There is a play!

[Matching the most suitable reward for the current scenario for the host...]

【Successful match! 】

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained—]

Before the system could finish announcing the rewards, a clear, arrogant voice, carrying the unique arrogance and sharpness of a young man, suddenly rang out behind Li Chengqian.

The voice seemed to have pierced through a thousand years of time, carrying the chilling aura of war and battle.

"With the Xiongnu not yet defeated, how can I think of a home?"

Li Chengqian suddenly turned around.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, a handsome and valiant young general, dressed in bright silver armor and holding a gilded spear, had appeared behind him.

The boy looked no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and an air of arrogance that looked down upon the world.

His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's and as piercing as a knife.

That's not the look of this era.

That was the gaze of a glorious era filled with brilliant generals and ruthless battles!

Li Chengqian looked at him, and his breath caught in his throat.

The young general was also sizing him up.

He glanced at Li Chengqian's magnificent princely robes, then at his delicate, slender frame, and frowned slightly.

"Are you my lord?"

The boy's voice carried an undisguised disappointment and...disdain.

"He looks... a bit weak."

"He doesn't even know how to ride a horse."

"With this much, you think you can achieve the ultimate goal of conquering the enemy?"