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

In the West Market of Chang'an, there is the "Drunken Immortal Pavilion".

This is where foreign merchants love to gather, and the air is filled with a strange smell of cumin, roasted meat, and cheap wine all year round.

It was lunchtime, and the building was bustling with noise.

The blonde, blue-eyed Persian woman swayed her hips on stage, while the patrons below played drinking games, boasted, and spat flew everywhere.

In the corner, a Sogdian merchant, his face flushed from drinking, was clutching a wine jar, crying and cursing.

"Damn it! This is fucking bad luck!"

"I've lost everything on this trip, down to my last penny!"

Across from him sat a Han Chinese bartender who looked shifty and was pouring him drinks attentively.

"Oh dear, Uncle An, what's wrong?"

The bartender lowered his voice, his face full of gossip. "Didn't you just come back from the Western Regions? I heard that gold is everywhere there now. We can trade our Tang Dynasty wool sweaters for jade there. You must have made a fortune!"

"Make money my ass!"

Grandpa An slammed his hand on the table, making the wine bowls bounce around.

He let out a burp, and his cloudy blue eyes were bloodshot, a result of anger.

"The goods are good, and the route is familiar."

"But who could have imagined... this road... it's gone!"

The bartender's eyes flashed, but his hands didn't stop moving: "Broken? That can't be, right? Our Crown Prince has already pacified the Northern Turks, shouldn't the Silk Road be unobstructed?"

"The north is flat, but the west is in chaos!"

Grandpa An took a big gulp of wine, as if trying to wash away all the bitterness in his heart.

"The Kingdom of Gaochang! And that Tibet!"

"These bastards! They used to treat Tang Dynasty merchant caravans like their own fathers, but now they've turned their backs on us!"

"My caravan was captured by the Gaochang army as soon as it passed Yumen Pass!"

"What are you saying... what are you saying? The Tang Dynasty just fought a battle with the Turks, and now it's at its last gasp, a toothless tiger!"

"They not only stole my wool sweater, they even took my camel!"

Grandpa An became more and more excited as he spoke, and his voice unconsciously grew louder.

"I also heard from that general from Gaochang that the Tibetan king named Song...Songshiyaobu has already spoken with the king of Gaochang."

"They say that the Tang Dynasty is currently weak, with an empty treasury and exhausted troops."

"If I don't take a bite now, I'd be doing a disservice to the opportunity given to me by the Eternal Heaven!"

"They're going to join forces... to snatch the Silk Road, this lucrative prize, from the mouth of the Tang Dynasty!"

The patrons at the surrounding tables were startled by these words and turned to look at each other.

The bartender still had a smiling face, but his eyes, which were originally somewhat cloudy, suddenly became sharp as knives.

Without making a sound, he filled Grandpa An's bowl again.

"Sir, you've had too much to drink. You can't say things like that, or you'll be beheaded."

"Nonsense? I saw it with my own eyes!"

Grandpa An, slurring his words, pulled a torn travel document from his pocket and slammed it onto the table.

"See? They've scratched off all the stamps on it!"

"They're...they're slapping the Tang Dynasty in the face!"

The bartender glanced at the document and memorized every detail on it.

Then, he stood up and patted Grandpa An on the shoulder.

"Alright, sir, please enjoy your drink. I'll go to the kitchen and hurry up with your order."

After saying that, he turned and disappeared into the noisy crowd, his figure as slippery as an eel, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

……

Fifteen minutes later.

The East Palace, the royal fishing garden in the back garden.

The warm autumn sun shines on the lake, making it sparkle.

Li Chengqian lay on the iconic golden nanmu rocking chair, a copy of the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" covering his face, breathing evenly, seemingly asleep.

The fishing rod was placed on the stand next to it, with the fishing line hanging in the water, motionless.

Since Li Tai was tricked into going to the grasslands, the Eastern Palace has indeed become much quieter, and even the air seems to have become sweeter.

"Your Highness."

A deep, emotionless voice suddenly rang out from behind the rocking chair.

Li Chengqian didn't move, but lazily let out a nasal sound from under the book.

"Um?"

"Just received the news."

Qinglong, dressed in a flying fish robe, held in his hand a secret report that he had just received from a spy and that still smelled of alcohol.

"Our undercover agents in the West Market have reported that someone in the Western Regions is acting suspiciously."

"Oh?"

Li Chengqian finally took the book off his face.

He squinted, glanced at Qinglong, then at the secret report, but did not reach out to take it.

"How exactly are you being dishonest?"

"Are you trying to renege on your debt? Or do you want a refund?"

"If it's a return, tell them that products from the Tang Dynasty are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. If they dare to renege on their promise..."

Li Chengqian yawned. "Then let Shen Lian teach them how to be good people."

"It's not about defaulting on a debt."

Qinglong shook his head, his tone turning somewhat chilling.

"It's a robbery."

"The Kingdom of Gaochang and Tibet joined forces to seize thirteen merchant caravans of our Great Tang, confiscating all their goods and imprisoning their people."

The reason is...

Qinglong paused, seemingly considering his words.

"Speak?" Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow.

"They said that the Tang Dynasty had just destroyed the Eastern Turks and was severely weakened, so it was now just a 'paper tiger'."

"They also said that the Silk Road was their territory, and that the Tang Dynasty had overreached, so they had to... chop it off."

"puff--"

Li Chengqian almost dropped the teacup he had just picked up.

He looked at Qinglong with a strange expression, as if he had heard some huge joke.

"A paper tiger?"

"Severely weakened?"

Li Chengqian pointed to his nose and then to the north.

"Do they have some misunderstanding about the term 'no-damage clear'?"

"Are we fighting a war? We're just going to buy supplies, okay!"

Azure Dragon remained expressionless, but a hint of disdain flashed deep in his eyes.

"Your Highness, the barbarians fear power but do not cherish virtue."

"They only saw that we didn't mobilize the entire nation's resources, and they concluded that we were incapable."

"This is... testing the bottom line of the Tang Dynasty."

"Testing the limits?"

Li Chengqian sat up straight, the languor on his face gradually fading, replaced by a wistful look.

He reached out and took the secret report from Qinglong, then casually unfolded it and glanced at it.

"King Ju Wentai of Gaochang... Songtsen Gampo of Tibet..."

"Tsk tsk tsk, all familiar faces."

"Especially this Songtsen Gampo, how come his eyesight is already so poor at such a young age?"

Li Chengqian flicked the secret report lightly with his fingers, making a crisp "snap" sound.

"I was originally thinking of letting Lao Huo stay on the grassland for a few more days and not head south so soon."

"Now it seems..."

He stood up, walked to the edge of the pond, and looked at the koi carp that had scattered because they had no food. A cruel smile appeared on his lips.

"Some people are tired of living, and insist on walking into the line of fire at this time."

"Tell me, should I grant their wish, or should I grant their wish?"

Qinglong bowed, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his whole body radiating a faint killing intent.

"Please give your instructions, Your Highness."

"Should we send Shen Lian to assassinate him, or...?"

"Assassination?"

Li Chengqian shook his head, casually tore the secret report to shreds, and threw it into the pond.

White scraps of paper fell like snowflakes, instantly swallowed up by the swarming fish.

That's too petty.

"To deal with these bratty kids who think they're all grown up, a sneaky beating isn't enough."

"We have to slap them in the face in front of everyone."

"They'll only realize this when they've been drawn into a state of broken bones, when they've questioned the meaning of life..."

Li Chengqian turned around, his back to the sunlight, and at that moment his small figure appeared incredibly tall and sinister.

"Who is the true father of this continent?"