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

Inside the Taiji Hall, the lights were on, as bright as day.

The sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air as dozens of graceful dancers twirled in the center of the hall, their long sleeves billowing and creating a fragrant breeze.

But this is not the point.

The focus is on the man sitting on the dragon throne.

Li Shimin was very happy tonight, or rather, a little too excited.

He had already downed most of the century-old wine in front of him. His usually dignified and profound face was now as red as Guan Yu's, and his eyes, though glazed over, revealed a wild and unrestrained spirit.

"Drink! Drink it all!"

Li Shimin, holding a golden cup, swayed unsteadily and roared with a thick tongue.

"Today... anyone who walks out of this Taiji Hall upright is disrespecting me! They are defying my imperial decree!"

The civil and military officials below dared not disobey. They all wore bitter faces, picked up their wine cups and poured it down their throats, while still having to smile and say, "Your Majesty has a great capacity for alcohol."

Cheng Yaojin was already quite drunk. He had one foot on the table and was playing a drinking game with Yuchi Gong, his voice so loud it could lift the roof off.

After several rounds of drinks...

Li Shimin suddenly slammed the golden cup heavily on the table.

"Snapped!"

The entire hall fell silent instantly. The dancers were so frightened that they quickly retreated, and the musicians pressed down on their strings.

Everyone was watching the emperor, wondering what kind of trouble he was going to cause this time.

Li Shimin swayed as he stood up, leaning on the dragon table, his gaze sweeping across the room before finally settling on... Li Chengqian, who was wrestling fiercely with a roasted lamb leg in the corner.

"belch--"

Li Shimin let out a burp, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.

"My ministers, do you all feel... that my northern expedition was a disastrous one?"

"Do you think that my being trapped at Longmen Mountain was due to underestimating the enemy and being reckless, or... that I'm getting senile?"

The ministers below were so frightened that they broke out in a cold sweat and shook their heads like rattles.

"We dare not!"

"Your Majesty's divine might is unparalleled; that was a trap to lure the enemy deep into your territory!" Fang Xuanling reacted the fastest, quickly offering a compliment.

"Yes! Lure the enemy deep into our territory!"

Li Shimin slapped his thigh suddenly, pointed at Fang Xuanling, and exclaimed, "Xuanling understands me best!"

He left the dragon throne and stumbled down the steps, unleashing a frenzied "Versailles" mode as he went.

"You guys don't know anything!"

"Was I trapped? I was... I was fishing!"

"If I didn't use myself as bait, would that old fox Jieli have taken the bait? Would his 300,000-strong army have gathered together for us to wipe them out in one fell swoop?"

"What do you call this? This is called sacrificing oneself to feed a tiger! This is called a spirit of selfless sacrifice!"

Li Shimin became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he had really played a game of earth-shattering strategy.

"What were I thinking when I was in the valley, gnawing on tree bark and drinking muddy water?"

"What I'm thinking is, as long as I can destroy the Turks, what does this little hardship matter? Even if I starve to death, even if I jump off this mountain, I'll hold Jieli back!"

"And the result?"

Li Shimin spread his hands, his face showing a look of "loneliness as snow".

"As it turns out, my risky move was the right one! The territory of the Tang Dynasty has doubled! I have become the true Heavenly Khan!"

The ministers looked at each other, feeling that His Majesty was exaggerating, but seeing his flushed face and lingering murderous aura, who dared to refute him?

All they could do was give a thumbs-up and exclaim, "Your Majesty is wise! May Your Majesty live forever!"

Li Shimin was very satisfied with the result.

He felt he had regained his dignity and restored his authority.

But that's not enough.

He sauntered over to Li Chengqian's table.

At this moment, Li Chengqian was holding the huge lamb leg in both hands, gnawing on it with his mouth full of oil, and had no time to pay attention to his father's "speech".

Seeing a pair of bright yellow boots stop in front of him, Li Chengqian had no choice but to look up and blink blankly.

"Father? Are you finished speaking? Can I pack my things now?"

Looking at his son's carefree attitude, Li Shimin suddenly felt a surge of extremely complex emotions.

It was this kid who pulled me back from the brink of death.

It was this kid who filled the national treasury.

It was this very young man who brought about the prosperous era that the Tang Dynasty enjoys today.

Although I'm a bit lazy, a bit greedy, and a bit annoying...

But I have to admit, this rebellious son is better than me.

"Chengqian..."

Li Shimin suddenly bent down and grabbed Li Chengqian's greasy wrist.

"what?"

Li Chengqian was startled and instinctively protected the lamb leg, saying, "I've already bitten into this meat, you can't take it from me!"

"I won't steal your meat."

Li Shimin chuckled, a smile that conveyed a sense of relief and... madness that defied comprehension.

He suddenly pulled him up from his seat, regardless of whether Li Chengqian wanted to or not.

Then, she pulled him along, step by step, staggering, to the very center of the main hall.

"My lords! Open your eyes wide and see clearly!"

Li Shimin raised Li Chengqian's small, greasy hand, which was still clutching a lamb leg, as if displaying a rare treasure.

"This is my crown prince! This is the heir apparent of the Tang Dynasty!"

Li Chengqian looked completely bewildered. His arm, which was being held up, was aching terribly, while his other hand was desperately trying to keep the lamb leg from falling. His posture was extremely comical.

"Father, have you had too much to drink? Put me down, I'm so embarrassed..."

"I'm not drunk! I'm perfectly sober!"

Li Shimin roared, his voice echoing throughout the hall, causing the candlelight to flicker wildly.

He looked around, the drunkenness in his eyes fading somewhat, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity.

"Throughout my life, I've fought countless battles, killing countless people. What kind of heroes haven't I seen?"

"But I have to admit it."

Li Shimin turned his head and looked at his son beside him, his eyes as tender as if he were looking at his first love.

"A son should be like Li Chengqian!"

"With a son like this, what more could a husband ask for!"

"He is smarter than me, richer than me, more ruthless than me, and even... knows better than me how to be an emperor!"

Li Chengqian's heart skipped a beat.

Something about that doesn't quite sound right.

Is this a case of praising someone to death?

Before he could react, Li Shimin's next words were like a nuclear bomb, exploding directly in the Taiji Hall.

"I'm tired."

Li Shimin sighed deeply, his face showing deep exhaustion.

"I've fought half my life and worried half my life. This trip to the north made me realize that I'm really getting old."

"This world ultimately belongs to the young."

He took a deep breath and, in an almost roaring manner, uttered that earth-shattering statement:

"Therefore, I have made my decision!"

"This vast land of the Tang Dynasty..."

"I'm not sitting here anymore! I'm retiring!"

"I hereby abdicate in favor of the Crown Prince! Effective immediately!"

boom--!!!

In that instant, time seemed to stand still.

The air freezes.

The palace maid who was pouring wine trembled, and the wine pot shattered.

Cheng Yaojin, who was playing rock-paper-scissors, opened his mouth wide, almost dislocating his jaw.

Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji, Du Ruhui... these pillars of the Tang Dynasty stood there dumbfounded, as if struck by lightning, their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

Zen... the abdication throne?!

Your Majesty is only in your early thirties! You are in the prime of your life!

So... I'm old?

Is he... about to retire?

What a joke!

Li Chengqian, the person involved, was completely stunned.

His small hands, which had been gripping the lamb leg tightly, now seemed to have lost all strength.

"Clatter".

The half-eaten, sizzling, oily roasted lamb leg slipped limply from his hand.

It crashed heavily onto the gleaming gold bricks of the Taiji Hall.

It rolled twice.

It stopped moving.