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

Li Shimin's hand was already outstretched into the air.

That large, calloused hand, which had been holding a sword for years, was now trembling slightly, palm up, in a perfectly standard posture, waiting to receive the commander's seal.

His smile was reserved yet dignified, his chin slightly tucked in, and his eyes were filled with an arrogant air that seemed to say, "Since you have sincerely begged me, then I will mercifully grant your request."

He even prepared his acceptance speech.

The first sentence praises the son's filial piety, the second sentence looks forward to the grand ambition of the western expedition, and the third sentence...

"So I decided—"

Li Chengqian's voice boomed like thunder through the megaphone.

"This western expedition will be personally led by me!"

"I, Li Chengqian, am your Grand Marshal!"

"roar--!!!"

Huo Qubing, standing below the stage, was the first to raise his gun and roar. Immediately afterward, more than 10,000 soldiers roared in unison, their voices crashing against the training ground like a tsunami.

"The Crown Prince is mighty!"

"Victory is assured in the western expedition!"

Li Shimin's hand froze in mid-air.

That once radiant smile seemed to freeze instantly, solidifying on her face before cracking and shattering little by little.

The wind whistled through the air.

The wind made his gleaming golden cloak flutter loudly, making him look exceptionally...

desolate.

alone.

Redundant.

"What...what did you say?"

Li Shimin mechanically turned his neck, making a "crackling" sound, and looked incredulously at his son who was enjoying the cheers of the army.

"You...are taking command?"

"yes."

Li Chengqian slung the Crown Prince's sword over his shoulder, turned around, and looked at his father with an innocent expression.

"Father, why are you stretching your arm out so far? Do you want to give me a high five to celebrate?"

"Snapped!"

He reached out his small hand and gently patted Li Shimin's stiff, large hand.

"Thank you for your encouragement, Father! Your son will certainly live up to your mission!"

"Who's going to encourage you?!"

Li Shimin finally realized what was happening, and disregarding any imperial decorum, he grabbed Li Chengqian's shoulder and roared angrily.

"Nonsense! Absolutely nonsense!"

"How old are you? Eight! Have you even been weaned yet? How dare you lead an army?"

"Is the Western Regions even a place for humans? Sandstorms rage, it's deserted for miles, and Gaochang and Tibet are tough opponents!"

Li Shimin was so anxious that his face turned red and his neck bulged, and he spat all over Li Chengqian's face.

"I will go! I must go!"

He patted his chest, making a loud thud as he patted his golden armor.

"I've fought battles my whole life, eaten more salt than you've eaten rice, and crossed more bridges than you've walked roads!"

"For a war of annihilation like this, it's best to have an experienced veteran like myself in charge!"

"Experienced?"

Li Chengqian wiped the drool from his face, his eyes suddenly turning somewhat strange.

He didn't argue with his furious father, but instead took a step closer, stood on tiptoe, and asked in a low voice that only the two of them could hear.

"Father."

"The experience you mentioned..."

"Are you referring to that experience in Longmen Mountain, where we were surrounded by Jieli and ended up eating tree bark because we were so hungry?"

boom--!

These words were like an invisible hammer blow, striking Li Shimin's most vulnerable spot with perfect precision.

crit.

True damage.

It's the armored kind.

Li Shimin's previously aggressive expression instantly crumbled.

His flushed old face turned deathly pale at a visible speed, and then turned liver-colored.

Longmen Mountain.

That was a lifelong pain for him, the only indelible stain on his glorious record.

They gnawed on tree bark, drank muddy water, and slaughtered warhorses...

The despair and humiliation of those days are still his nightmare.

"You...you..."

Li Shimin pointed at Li Chengqian, his fingers trembling as if he had Parkinson's disease, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

"That...that was an accident!"

He tried to salvage his reputation, but his voice was so weak that even he didn't believe it.

"The bark... is actually quite brittle..."

"Alright, alright, my dear dad."

Li Chengqian sighed, unable to bear rubbing salt into his father's wounds any further.

He reached out and supported Li Shimin's swaying body, pressing him down onto the armchair beside him.

"Please sit down and talk, don't hurt your back."

"Father, there is something you need to understand."

Li Chengqian squatted down and helped Li Shimin straighten his crooked gold belt, his tone unusually gentle, even showing a bit of the patience to coax a child.

"You are the emperor, the supreme ruler."

"You are the face of the Tang Dynasty, the pillar that stabilizes this vast land."

"How could we possibly let you do such hard and tiring work, going far away, eating sand, and sleeping in tents?"

"What if you... cough, what if you get a tan and lose weight? Wouldn't Mother be heartbroken when we get back? Wouldn't I be the one who suffers then?"

As Li Shimin sat in his chair and listened to his son's words, his anger subsided considerably, replaced by a bittersweet feeling of gratitude.

This unfilial son...

Although she's a bit sharp-tongued, she still cares about me.

He was afraid that I would suffer and that I would be in danger.

"But...you're still young."

Li Shimin looked at his son, who was not even as tall as his chest, his eyes reddened, and his voice became choked with emotion.

"The Western Regions are dangerous. If anything were to happen to you, how... how would I explain it to your mother?"

Don't worry.

Li Chengqian stood up, patted his silver armor, and a smile of extreme confidence appeared on his lips.

"I have Huo Qubing, the Divine Machine Battalion, and Meiniang to manage the money."

"When I go to the Western Regions, it's like a tiger descending the mountain or a dragon entering the sea."

"Others are the ones who should be afraid of me; there's no reason for me to suffer a loss."

"Besides..."

He winked at Li Shimin.

"I'm just sitting at home doing nothing, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to go on a business trip and bring you back some specialties from the Western Regions."

"I heard the raisins over there are quite sweet. Shall I get you two truckloads?"

Looking at his son's relaxed and carefree demeanor, Li Shimin finally sighed helplessly.

He knew he couldn't stop it.

When the fledgling eagle grows up and its wings harden, it will eventually have to soar through the sky on its own.

"You..."

Li Shimin reached out to touch his son's head, but found that Li Chengqian was wearing a helmet, so he could only pat him on the shoulder in frustration.

"Since you have made up your mind, then I... will not stop you."

"but!"

Li Shimin straightened up abruptly. Although he was sitting in a chair, his imperial majesty remained undiminished.

He stared intently at Li Chengqian and said, word by word:

"You must return unharmed!"

"If even a single hair is missing, I will hold you responsible!"

"besides……"

Li Shimin sniffed, suppressing the stinging in his eyes, straightened his chest, and patted his golden armor.

"Don't think that I'm really too old to fight anymore."

"I was being lenient with you!"

"My body is in excellent condition... I could kill a bull with one punch!"