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

"Fishing?"

Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji looked at each other, their expressions a fascinating mix of emotions.

The choice of words is rather... casual.

That's His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, the supreme ruler! How come in the Crown Prince's mouth, it's like a shoe that fell into a well or a duck that's drowning in a river, something that needs to be "fished out"?

"Your Highness, are you...are you serious?"

Changsun Wuji's lips twitched, and he lowered his voice, "Longmen Mountain has a treacherous terrain, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Now it's surrounded by 300,000 troops like an iron barrel. You think you can just take it? Do you think it's your Crown Prince's fishpond?"

"More or less."

Li Chengqian covered his face with the storybook in his hand and said in a muffled voice, "Anyway, it's all a trap, except this time, my father is the turtle."

"puff--"

Du Ruhui almost spat out a mouthful of blood. He quickly covered his mouth, looked around, and was afraid that if these words got out, he would be beheaded.

"Alright, look how anxious you all are."

Li Chengqian ripped the storybook off his head and sprang up from his recliner.

He walked barefoot on the thick wool carpet and took a few steps to the huge military sand table.

"come over."

He waved his hand, as if beckoning to a few obedient puppies.

Although the three prime ministers were inwardly distressed, they still obediently gathered around.

Li Chengqian picked up the thin bamboo stick he used to point out the landscape and gently tapped it on the red circle on the sand table—the Longmen Valley.

"Look, my father is right here."

"The black circle around us is Jieli's 300,000-strong army."

"It looks pretty scary, doesn't it?"

Fang Xuanling nodded frantically, cold sweat pouring down his face: "It's more than just frightening, it's a death trap! An ambush from all sides, there's no escape!"

"shallow."

Li Chengqian chuckled and drew a circle on the sand table with the bamboo pole.

"You only see the danger, but you don't see the opportunity."

"Chance?"

The three of them were stunned, their faces full of confusion.

"Yes, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Li Chengqian's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly stopped holding the bamboo pole.

"The Turks now are like a swarm of flies that have smelled blood, all gathered together, circling around my father's... cough, this piece of fat meat."

"Their attention was entirely focused on the Longmen Valley."

"Their backs were completely exposed to us."

A cruel smile curled at the corner of Li Chengqian's lips.

"If I send troops to rescue them now, it will be a head-on confrontation. When the Turks see reinforcements coming, they will either divide their forces to intercept them or scatter and flee. That would be a poor strategy."

"If you want to wipe them all out, you'll have to wait."

"wait?"

Changsun Wuji asked, puzzled, "When? When?"

"Wait until they think they've already won."

Li Chengqian hoisted the bamboo pole onto his shoulder and struck an extremely arrogant pose.

"Wait until they commit all their forces, until they fight tooth and nail for my father's head, until their pockets are tautest."

"At that time, we'll kick it hard from the outside again."

"Bang!"

Li Chengqian made an explosion gesture while making a sound.

"That's what you call—a central attack leading to total annihilation!"

"What's this called? This is called monster gathering! Do you understand?"

"Gathering the monsters together and then wiping them all out with a single ultimate skill—that's the kind of play a pro player does!"

Fang Xuanling and the other two were completely confused.

What is "gathering monsters"? What is "ultimate move"?

Although they couldn't understand these strange words, they roughly understood the meaning behind the prince's words.

They're using His Majesty the Emperor as bait to catch the big fish, Jieli!

"But...but..."

Du Ruhui wiped his sweat, his voice trembling, "This plan is excellent, but the risk is too great! What if... what if His Majesty doesn't hold on, and before we arrive..."

"He just hung up?"

Li Chengqian finished the second half of the sentence for him.

Du Ruhui turned pale with fright and hurriedly waved his hands, "I wouldn't dare! I didn't say that!"

"Don't worry."

Li Chengqian stretched, yawned, walked back to the recliner, and plopped down.

"I already told you, don't rush."

"Let the bullets fly a little longer."

He picked up the tea that had long since gone cold, took a sip, and his eyes revealed a reassuring certainty.

"My dad, although he's a bit ambitious, he's a man of principle."

"The Xuanjia Army is a tough nut to crack."

"Don't even mention three days, even if it's ten days or half a month, as long as they still have a breath left, they can still bite off a piece of flesh."

"We'll see."

Li Chengqian put down his teacup, looked up at the three patriotic and concerned old ministers, and the playful expression on his face subsided slightly.

"I'm here for you."

Just three simple words.

But it was like a stabilizing force, instantly striking the hearts of the three prime ministers.

"Although I, Li Chengqian, am lazy and love to play, I never do anything without being sure of success."

"Since I dared to use him as bait there, I'm confident I can keep him safe."

Even if he really only has one breath left, even if the King of Hell has already crossed out his name with his pen.

Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes, and a chilling glint flashed deep within his pupils.

"I can go to the underworld and retrieve his soul!"

So, put your mind at ease.

"Go back to sleep and get some rest."

"Wait for my news."

These words were domineering and arrogant, yet they also exuded an undeniable confidence.

Looking at the eight-year-old boy before him, Fang Xuanling seemed to see, in a daze, the General Tian Ce who once charged into battle alone at Hulao Pass, regarding all the heroes of the world as mere weeds.

No.

It's even stronger than that.

Because this guy is not only good at fighting, but also good at strategizing, and more importantly... he's ruthless and vicious!

"Your Majesty... understands."

Fang Xuanling took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Li Chengqian.

"We... will return now and await Your Highness's good news."

Changsun Wuji and Du Ruhui also bowed. Although they were still very uneasy, they had no choice but to trust this extraordinary crown prince since things had come to this point.

The three bowed and retreated, their steps still heavy, but at least they were no longer as flustered and helpless as when they arrived.

The doors of Lizheng Hall were closed again.

The light dimmed.

Li Chengqian's domineering aura instantly crumbled, and he reverted to his usual listless, slumped appearance.

"Oh dear, I'm exhausted."

"Pretending to be cool is also hard work."

He rubbed his face, which had stiffened from smiling, and picked up the storybook that had been thrown away again, but he couldn't concentrate on reading it at all.

He turned his head and looked at the sand table.

His gaze pierced through the layers of mountains, locking onto the red circle surrounded by layers of black chess pieces.

That's his father.

It is also the soul of the Tang Dynasty.

"Old Li, Old Li."

Li Chengqian muttered to himself, a wicked smile that was both helpless and somewhat gloating curling at the corners of his mouth.

"You've really gone too far this time."

"But that's fine too. How will you know how important your son is if I don't push you to the brink?"

Hang in there!

"I hope you brought enough food, so you don't end up so hungry you don't even have the energy to cry."

"In that case, I won't feel a sense of accomplishment when I save you."