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

"Come, come! Everyone, drink this cup to the brim!"

In a corner of a side hall of the Taiji Palace, Prince Li Ke of Shu stood with one foot on a stool, holding a Western Region luminous cup in his hand, his face flushed from drinking.

He was surrounded by a large circle of noble sons from Chang'an, such as Fang Yi'ai, Du He, and Changsun Chong, all of whom were looking up at him with extreme admiration.

"Brother, let me tell you, back then, the walls of Gaochang Kingdom were all bombarded and collapsed by cannons, and that old dog Ju Wentai even tried to escape through a tunnel!"

Li Ke spoke with great enthusiasm, spitting as he gestured vividly.

"I used a 'Splitting Mount Hua' move right then and there, slicing him and the door frame back together! The scene was bloody and gruesome, it was incredibly exciting!"

"His Highness the King of Shu is mighty!"

"Your Highness's swordsmanship is probably even more formidable than General Yuchi's!"

A group of spoiled young men frantically flattered Li Ke, making him feel incredibly euphoric.

He was Emperor Yang of Sui's grandson. In the past, in Chang'an, because of his bloodline, although no one dared to say anything to his face, they always felt inferior to him behind his back.

Things are different now!

He went to the Western Regions with his elder brother, the Crown Prince, and returned with maxed-out battle merits, even personally capturing a king.

This immense wealth and glory made him feel that he could finally stand tall in Chang'an.

"Third brother, are you drinking?"

Just as Li Ke was playing his tune with great enthusiasm, an extremely lazy, even sleepy voice suddenly rang out behind them.

Upon hearing this sound, the once noisy corner instantly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Those noble sons were like mice seeing a cat, so frightened that their wine glasses trembled and they quickly knelt down on the ground.

"Greetings, Your Highness!"

Li Ke was startled and quickly put his feet down on the stool, standing properly with an extremely fawning smile on his face.

"Brother! What brings you here? I was just telling them about your unparalleled prowess in the Western Regions!"

Li Chengqian was dressed in loose casual clothes, and he was playing with a small ornament carved from a piece of top-quality Hetian jade in his hand.

He looked at Li Ke, whose face was flushed, with a half-smile, as if he were looking at a fattened lamb ready for slaughter.

"Alright, stop flattering me. You may all leave. I have important matters to discuss with the King of Shu."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, and those纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy and powerful families) were as if they had been granted a pardon, and they scrambled away.

Looking into his elder brother's unfathomable eyes, Li Ke suddenly felt a little uneasy.

He subconsciously touched his neck, feeling a cold breeze blowing into it.

"Big...Big Brother, what can I do for you?"

"Third brother, have a seat."

Li Chengqian very casually pulled Li Ke to sit down at the table and even poured him a glass of grape wine to help him sober up.

This extremely unusual enthusiasm set off alarm bells in Li Ke's mind.

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation!

My older brother usually finds it too tiring to even say an extra word, but today he not only took the initiative to approach him, but also personally poured him wine. This treatment is more terrifying than seeing a ghost.

"Third brother, you've really made a great contribution to this western expedition."

Li Chengqian raised his wine glass, his tone extremely sincere, even carrying a rare hint of emotion.

"You captured the King of Gaochang and wiped out the remnants of the Yanqi army. Your bravery has been seen and appreciated by Father Emperor."

Upon hearing this, Li Ke's initial wariness was instantly dispelled by a sudden surge of vanity.

He was so excited that his face turned red, and he patted his chest suddenly.

"Brother, you flatter me! This is nothing but what I should do! Just say the word, and I'll go through fire and water for you!"

"Good! With you saying that, I can rest assured!"

Li Chengqian slammed his hand on the table, his eyes gleaming with an extremely pure light of "entrusting you with an important task".

"Third brother, do you know where the largest territory of the Tang Dynasty is now?"

"In the Western Regions! In Tibet!" Li Ke answered without hesitation.

"That's right!" Li Chengqian nodded, his tone becoming extremely solemn.

"But that place is too big, and the situation is too complicated."

"Although Wang Xuance is in charge of administration there, he is, after all, a civil official, and he can't keep things under control."

Li Chengqian sighed and rubbed his temples in great distress.

"Now the imperial court wants to plant cotton on a large scale in the Western Regions, build railways on the plateau, and manage hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war and herdsmen."

"I am truly uneasy entrusting such extremely important military and political power, such a crucial infrastructure project concerning the future of the Tang Dynasty for the next century, to those foreign officials!"

At this point, Li Chengqian suddenly raised his head and grasped Li Ke's hand with great affection.

"Third brother, this land was won by the two of us brothers together."

"Looking around the entire court, only you possess both courage and wisdom, as well as royal blood."

"Only by sending you to guard the Western Regions can I feel at ease, brother!"

Li Ke was so moved by Li Chengqian's extremely cheesy and top-notch PUA rhetoric that he almost burst into tears.

He never dreamed that his elder brother would trust him so much!

Such a vast territory, the future of the Tang Dynasty, was entrusted to him so confidently!

This is a high-ranking official who commands a vast territory! This is a true case of granting land and bestowing a title of king!

"Brother! Please stop talking!"

Li Ke suddenly stood up, knelt on both knees, and choked up.

"I'll pack my bags right now! Even if I'm shattered to pieces, I will never betray your trust, brother!"

Li Chengqian helped him up with great satisfaction and patted him on the shoulder.

"Good brother! I have already requested permission from my father."

"From this day forward, you are the 'King of the Western Regions' of the Tang Dynasty!"

"Go there, work hard, don't be afraid of hardship or fatigue, the future of the Tang Dynasty depends on you!"

Li Ke nodded excitedly, even skipping the banquet, and ran back to the palace to pack his luggage.

Watching Li Ke's departing figure, as if he had been injected with chicken blood.

Li Chengqian's lips finally couldn't be contained and he grinned wildly, revealing an extremely cunning capitalist smile.

"Done. A top-notch foreman who works like his life depends on it, we've got him."

Just then, Wu Meiniang, who had been hiding behind the screen, came out carrying her thick account book for the Eastern Palace.

The little girl looked in the direction Li Ke had left and shook her head with great sympathy.

"This Prince of Shu is so stubborn. He's sending people to places with sandstorms to grow cotton and build roads. It's clearly hard labor, but he thinks he's going to be a local tyrant."

As Wu Meiniang muttered to herself, she skillfully turned to the last page of the account book and carefully added a stroke with a brush.

"Free royal high-class labor, plus one."