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

The East Palace, the back garden.

This place should have been the most pleasant and relaxing place in the entire Tang Dynasty.

The water in the pond is flowing water, crystal clear.

Although it is late autumn, the willows on the riverbank still retain a tenacious green.

That rocking chair made of Phoebe zhennan wood was placed under the willow tree.

Li Chengqian held the priceless green bamboo fishing rod in his hand.

The fishing line dangles in the water.

Not moving.

Qinglong stood three steps behind him, having just finished reporting the unpleasant things that had happened in the Western Regions.

Gaochang detained people.

Tibet provoked.

They demanded 100,000 catties of fine salt.

And then there's that reckless statement, "The Tang Dynasty is a paper tiger."

Each word was like a nail, driven into the air.

That concludes the report.

Azure Dragon lowered his head, deliberately suppressing his breathing to a minimum.

He's been following this prince for so long, he knows his temperament all too well.

If the young master jumps up and curses, that's a good thing; it just means he's in a bad mood.

If the Crown Prince says with a smile, "This is interesting," it means someone is about to be in trouble.

But now.

The Crown Prince remained silent.

He didn't even change his posture.

He just stared quietly at the calm water, as if he had become a lifeless sculpture.

The wind stopped.

Even the cicadas in the trees seemed to sense the suffocating oppression and wisely shut their mouths.

The entire East Palace was eerily quiet.

The silence was unsettling.

I don't know how much time passed.

It might be a quarter of an hour, or it might be an hour.

"Azure Dragon".

Li Chengqian finally spoke.

The sound was very soft.

It was as light as a feather falling on the water, without creating a ripple.

But to Qinglong, it sounded like a thunderclap, making his scalp tingle.

"Your subordinate is here."

Qinglong lowered his waist even further, his hand instinctively pressing down on the Embroidered Spring Blade at his waist, his knuckles turning white.

"I remember……"

Li Chengqian did not turn around.

He continued to stare at the motionless float, his tone as calm as if he were chatting about everyday matters.

"We killed quite a few people in Chang'an a few months ago, didn't we?"

Azure Dragon trembled and answered in a low voice:

"Return to your highness."

That night, the Embroidered Uniform Guard purged the remnants of aristocratic families, beheading more than 1,300 people.

"The executions were carried out at Caishikou, and more than 500 people were beheaded."

"Um."

Li Chengqian nodded, seemingly unconcerned about the number.

"And... what about the north?"

"North..."

Qinglong swallowed, his voice becoming somewhat hoarse.

"General Bai Qi massacred three thousand rebel soldiers in Youzhou."

"In the Longmen Valley, the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry and the Beiwei Army killed more than 100,000 Turks in battle."

"Later, during the suppression of the rebellion on the grasslands, General Bai, in order to intimidate the various tribes, dealt with about 20,000 to 30,000 people."

"Added together..."

Qinglong took a deep breath.

"In the past few months, we've killed at least 200,000, if not 300,000."

Two hundred thousand.

This is a number that would make anyone's heart skip a beat.

These numbers are built from blood and bones.

"Two hundred thousand...!"

Li Chengqian sighed and finally moved.

He slowly turned his wrist and lifted the fishing rod.

The fishing hook was empty.

The bait had long since dissolved in the water, or been eaten by clever fish.

"We've killed so many people."

"Uproot the roots of the aristocratic families."

"They filled in all the Turkic graves."

"They even used Jieli's head as a football to kick around."

Li Chengqian stared at the empty fishhook, his expression a half-smile, but his eyes were as cold as a stagnant pool.

"Logically speaking..."

"Everyone in the world should know how to write the word 'fear,' right?"

"You all know that one shouldn't touch the beards of the Tang Dynasty, right?"

Qinglong dared not reply.

He felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and the surrounding temperature seemed to drop to freezing point instantly.

"But what about it?"

Li Chengqian casually tossed it aside.

"Snapped!"

He slammed the valuable bamboo fishing rod hard into the water.

Water splashed everywhere.

The koi in the pond were so startled that they scattered and fled.

"There are still some people who can't remember."

"There are still people who feel that the swords of the Tang Dynasty are not fast enough."

"There are still people who think that I, Li Chengqian, am a pushover who only knows how to sleep."

Li Chengqian stood up.

He turned his head and looked at Qinglong.

That little face, which usually had a bit of baby fat and looked harmless, was completely expressionless at this moment.

Only those eyes.

Deep and secluded.

dark.

Like two deep wells leading to hell.

"It seems..."

"It's been so long since I've killed anyone."

"So long that these flies from the Western Regions have forgotten what blood tastes like."

"It's been going on for so long that they feel like they can point their fingers at me and curse me as long as they're a little further away."

Li Chengqian's lips slowly curled up.

That curve was filled with mockery, with violence, and with...

A murderous intent that instills despair.

"Looks like we haven't killed enough."

"Two hundred thousand?"

"Oh."

"To some people, it may just be a number."

"Since they can't count."

"Since they have bad memories."

"Then I'll take the trouble to help them make a deeper impression."

Li Chengqian clapped his hands, as if to brush off non-existent dust.

"There are always some beasts who never learn their lesson and insist on coming up here and buzzing around."

"If we don't slap it to death, it won't know what it means to be arrogant and ignorant."

The blood in Qinglong's body was burning.

he knows.

The "living Yama" who terrified the aristocratic families and filled the Turks with despair has returned.

And this time...

It was more terrifying than ever before.

This time, it's not just about interests, but also about the dignity of the Tang Dynasty and the Crown Prince's reputation!

"Your Highness!"

Qinglong knelt heavily on one knee, his voice powerful and menacing.

"Three thousand elite guards are ready to be dispatched at any time!"

"At your command, Shen Lian will lead the team to set off immediately!"

"I guarantee that within ten days, the head of the King of Gaochang will be on your desk!"

"Assassination?"

Li Chengqian shook his head.

He walked to a small table nearby, picked up a cup of ice-cold tea, and poured it on the ground.

"No need for that."

"Assassination is the means of the weak."

"To deal with such a fool who doesn't know his own mortality by assassination is to give him too much credit."

"What I want is not just his life."

"What I want is to conquer the entire Western Regions, those thirty-six kingdoms, and that arrogant Tibet..."

"From this day forward, anyone who hears the words 'Great Tang' must kneel down!"

"Just hearing the name 'Li Chengqian' makes me tremble!"

Li Chengqian slammed the empty teacup onto the table.

"when!"

A sharp crack resounded, chilling everyone to the bone.

"Azure Dragon".

"exist!"

"go."

Li Chengqian pointed towards the study, his tone languid yet exuding an aura of absolute dominance.

"Go and fetch that map of the Western Regions."

"Hang it on the wall."

"Hang it higher."

"I'd like to take a good look."

"This is the Kingdom of Gaochang."

"And that Tibetan."

"Their head..."

Just how iron-clad is it?!

Azure Dragon suddenly raised his head, his eyes blazing with fanaticism.

he knows.

The sky over the Western Regions is about to collapse.

The dragon, which had just drunk its fill of blood in the North, was now slowly turning its murderous vertical pupils.

They turned to the West.

"promise--!!!"

Qinglong accepted the order, stood up, and strode towards the study.

That figure carried a resolute air of wanting to overturn the heavens and earth.

yard.

Li Chengqian lay back down in the rocking chair.

He closed his eyes and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest.

"Da, da, da."

The rhythm is light and cheerful, like humming an unknown little tune.

"system."

He whispered it in his mind.

【exist. 】

The system's voice remained cold, but it seemed...

A hint of anticipation has arisen?

"That red-clad cannon from last time..."

Li Chengqian's lips curled slightly.

How much inventory is left?

"Give me...all of it."

"This time, I'm going to make a big show of it."

"A... a grand spectacle that will make the whole world hear it."