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

"Bang--!"

The main gate of Lizheng Hall was slammed shut, the bolts rattling loudly.

Li Chengqian leaned against the door, slid down to the ground without any regard for his image, and gasped for breath, looking just like a rabbit that had just escaped from a wolf's den.

"You scared me to death... no, I scared you to death!"

He patted his chest, still shaken. "Has Old Li taken the wrong medicine today? What's gotten into him? Why is he trying to force the throne into my hands? He's pushing me into a fire pit!"

Xu Xiao floated over like a ghost, carrying a half-eaten plate of grapes.

"Your Highness, His Majesty values ​​you."

"What do you mean, 'value it'? He just wants to slack off!"

Li Chengqian rolled his eyes and was about to stand up to drink some water to calm his nerves.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

A dull knock sounded, followed by Li Shimin's slightly drunk but unusually persistent voice.

"Open the door! I know you're in there! Don't play dead!"

"You were running faster than a rabbit just now, how come you're hiding like a turtle now?"

Li Chengqian felt a chill run down his spine and frantically waved his hands at Xu Xiao, mouthing: Just say I'm not here!

Xu Xiao looked troubled and was about to start making excuses when the sounds from outside came in again, this time with a touch of desolation.

"Chengqian...open the door."

"I won't force you to become emperor, okay? I just want to... have a heart-to-heart talk with you."

"My heart is filled with bitterness..."

That voice sounded like that of a young wife who had suffered injustice for eight lifetimes.

Li Chengqian sighed.

He's his own father after all; once he starts this self-inflicted injury, it's really hard to stop him.

"Open the door."

Li Chengqian waved his hand helplessly, readjusted his expression, put on a "weak but strong" look, and slumped back onto the soft couch.

The door opened.

Li Shimin walked in with his hands behind his back. The smell of alcohol on him had dissipated somewhat, but his dejected air was even stronger. He didn't put on any airs of an emperor. He went straight to the chair opposite Li Chengqian, plopped down, and looked like a lump of mud.

"Father, what's wrong...?"

"I'm so tired."

Li Shimin sighed and pointed to the few faint white hairs at his temples.

"Chengqian, look."

"I am only in my early thirties, and I already have gray hair. In the past few months, for the Northern Expedition and for supplies, I have been working day and night and haven't had a full night's sleep."

"Although we have won the war and expanded our territory, I feel empty inside."

Li Shimin stared blankly at the ceiling.

"I've been thinking, what's the point of a person's life?"

"You spent the first half of your life killing people on horseback, and the second half working yourself to death at your desk? I also want to go fishing at Qujiang Pool, soak in the hot springs at Lishan, and... like you, grill some meat and sleep in late."

"I no longer want to be that lonely, high-ranking ruler. I want to be a wealthy old man, enjoying my grandchildren and living out my old age in peace."

These words were spoken with heartfelt sincerity, and they saddened all who heard them.

If it were someone else, they would probably have been moved to tears and knelt down to comfort them.

But who is Li Chengqian?

He was the number one salted fish in the Tang Dynasty and a fighter against involution.

He understands this "wanting to retire" feeling all too well!

Because he understood, he was even more terrified!

"Dad! Calm down!"

Li Chengqian jumped up from the bed, alarm bells ringing in his mind.

If Old Li comes to his senses and really retires, wouldn't the entire burden of the Tang Dynasty fall on his shoulders?

In the end, I'll be the one who gets up earlier than the rooster, sleeps later than the dog, and is the one who will die from exhaustion at my desk!

No!

Absolutely not!

The Tang Dynasty cannot exist without Li Shimin, just as the West cannot exist without Jehovah!

"Father, you're not tired, you're just weak!"

Li Chengqian's eyes darted around, and he leaned closer with a serious expression. "Think about it, you're in the prime of your life, how could you have such decadent thoughts? This is clearly a sign of declining physical function leading to mental lethargy!"

"Illegible?"

Li Shimin was taken aback. "Am I... weak?"

"This is too illusory!"

Li Chengqian was heartbroken. "Look at your complexion, so sallow! And look at your eyes, so lifeless! This is a classic case of qi and blood deficiency, and insufficient kidney qi!"

"This can't go on. It will not only affect the governance of the country, but also... cough cough, the harmony of the harem."

Li Shimin blushed slightly and subconsciously straightened his back: "Nonsense! I'm in perfect health!"

"Whether it's good or not, you'll only know after taking the medicine."

As if by magic, Li Chengqian reached into his robes and began to rummage around.

"System, redeem 'Super Strengthening Pills'! The enhanced version! The kind that can poison a cow to death... no, the kind that can exhaust a cow to death!"

[Exchange successful! 500 Salted Fish Points deducted.]

A dark, thumb-sized pill, emitting a strange, pleasant fragrance, appeared in Li Chengqian's palm.

"Father, this is what I obtained from that... divine physician Sun Simiao."

Li Chengqian, with an expression of "filial piety moving Heaven," held the pill to Li Shimin's lips.

"This is called the 'Nine-Turn Rejuvenating Tonic Pill,' which is specially used to cure all kinds of fatigue, weakness, and reluctance to go to work."

"Eat one, and you'll feel refreshed; eat two, and you'll live forever... Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but anyway, it's a good thing."

"Would you like to try some?"

Li Shimin looked at the dark pill and hesitated, "This thing... can I eat it?"

"Would I possibly harm you?"

While his father was speaking, Li Chengqian swiftly flicked the pill into Li Shimin's mouth.

"Glug."

Li Shimin swallowed instinctively.

The pill was swallowed.

It didn't taste bitter as I had imagined; instead, it turned into a scalding hot current that exploded in my stomach instantly.

That feeling was like swallowing a small sun.

The heat flowed through the meridians, rushing wildly to every part of the body, washing away every tired cell.

The soreness in my lower back? Gone.

The stiffness in my neck? It's gone.

Even the groggy feeling from drinking too much earlier was completely gone!

Li Shimin's eyes widened suddenly, and two beams of light shot out from his pupils.

"hiss--!"

He gasped, feeling an inexhaustible surge of energy coursing through his body, his heart pounding powerfully, as if he had returned to the age of eighteen, when he first donned armor and went into battle!

"What...what kind of miracle drug is this?!"

Li Shimin suddenly stood up, his movements as agile as a cheetah.

He clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking loudly.

"It's hot! I feel hot all over!"

"I feel... I could kill a tiger right now!"

Li Chengqian looked at his father's ruddy complexion, as if he had been injected with ten pounds of chicken blood, and nodded in satisfaction.

That's right!

This is what a Tang Dynasty emperor should be like!

"Father, how are you feeling?"

Li Chengqian asked with a smile, "Do you still want to retire?"

Li Shimin took a deep breath, feeling the surging vitality within his body, and those thoughts of despondency and exhaustion were long since swept away.

retire?

What retirement?!

I'm so energetic right now that I want to run a marathon!

I can still approve a thousand more memorials! I can still conquer ten more countries!

"I don't want to think about it anymore!"

Li Shimin waved his hand grandly, exclaiming with boundless pride, "I feel that I am in even better shape now than on the day I ascended the throne!"

"Hahaha! Good son! This is truly a miracle drug!"

He excitedly patted Li Chengqian on the shoulder, so hard that he almost knocked Li Chengqian to the ground.

however.

Just as Li Shimin was immersed in the joy of "returning to the age of eighteen".

Li Chengqian took a step back, crossed his arms, and a sly smile appeared on his lips.

"That's good."

"Since Father is in excellent health and has a good appetite."

"Then the Tang Dynasty's empire, the mountains of memorials, and the territories yet to be conquered..."

Li Chengqian pointed in the direction of the Imperial Study, his tone wistful.

"I'll have to trouble you for another thirty to fifty years."

"After all, with your current physique, people would believe you could live to be a hundred."

"I'm not going to join in this fun. I'm going back to sleep."

The smile on Li Shimin's face froze instantly.

He stared blankly at Li Chengqian, then looked down at his own powerful body.

That's not right.

Didn't I just come here to resign?

How come taking one pill actually... blocked my path to retirement?

This person has so much energy that they can't sleep at night. What else can they do if they're not working?

"The traitor!"

Li Shimin finally realized what was happening, pointing at Li Chengqian with his fingers trembling.

"You...you've set me up!"

"I want to retire and enjoy a peaceful life, not work overtime like a model worker!"

"You'll ruin my retirement!"

Li Chengqian shrugged, looking completely innocent.

"Father, how can this be called setting a trap? This is called—"

"For the sake of the Tang Dynasty, please fight for another thirty years!"

"Go for it! You can do it!"