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

Tianjin Wei Wharf.

As the last wisp of ink-black smoke disappeared below the horizon, the port, which had been bustling for a whole month, gradually returned to its former tranquility. Only the cracks on the shore, etched by the heavy silver bricks, silently testified to the immense wealth that had recently occurred—a wealth so immense it would make history tremble.

Li Chengqian sat in his private steam carriage, listening to the rhythmic clanging of iron wheels outside the window, his whole body slumped on the soft couch like a lump of mud.

He rubbed his aching cheeks and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Phew...we've finally gotten rid of this big shot."

Wu Zetian sat opposite, carefully wiping a newly printed photograph with a silk handkerchief. The photograph showed Li Ke in his commander-in-chief uniform, grinning with his black teeth showing in a comical manner.

"Your Highness, are you referring to the Third Prince, or His Majesty?"

The little girl raised her head, her increasingly deep and intelligent eyes sparkling with a playful light.

"The third son is going to be a beast of burden, I'm not worried about him. I'm talking about the old man at home."

Li Chengqian turned over and took the warm tea that Xu Xiao handed him to moisten his throat.

"You didn't see it. The way the old man stared at the globe just now, it was so green, like a lone wolf from the northern frontier that hadn't eaten for three days."

Recalling that scene in front of the Taiji Hall, Li Chengqian still feels a chill down his spine.

Old Li was genuinely considering retiring.

A genius commander whose body is enhanced by system pills, who has excess energy and is unmatched within the Tang Dynasty, would be absolutely destructive if he were to have free time.

If he were to actually throw away the throne, his lifelong dream of becoming a salted fish would be completely shattered.

"Old Xu, what's the situation in Chang'an right now?" Li Chengqian asked casually.

Xu Xiao stood bowing in the corner of the carriage, his voice as deep as an old millstone.

"Your Highness, after His Majesty returned to the city, he didn't even enter the inner palace. He went straight to the royal martial arts training ground with Chancellor Fang, Lord Changsun, and a group of veteran generals."

"I heard they built a large tent there and placed the globe His Highness gave them right in the center."

"General Cheng and General Yuchi almost ripped the roof off the shed just now because they were arguing about whether 'America' was in the east or the west."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth turn up in a wide smile.

It became.

This is the effect he wanted.

As long as you paint a sufficiently grand picture for these warmongers and point them to a journey so far that they may never finish it in their lifetime, they will never find life boring.

What's so great about ruling Asia?

Compared to the Age of Exploration, this was nothing more than a small-scale skirmish in a beginner's village.

"That's right."

Li Chengqian slapped his thigh, his tone revealing a cunning shrewdness that suggested a successful scheme.

"Let them argue, fight, and figure out how to cross the ocean."

"The old man's mind is full of 'Shimin Continent' and 'Boxing Kangaroo' right now, so he probably won't think about letting me succeed him anytime soon."

The carriage sped along the smooth cement road and soon returned to the long-lost East Palace.

At this time, the Eastern Palace had already undergone a revolutionary renovation under Li Chengqian's will.

As soon as he stepped into the study, a cool breeze that would make ordinary people uncomfortable, but made Li Chengqian feel relaxed all over.

In the four corners of the study, several gleaming copper pipes stood neatly.

Below the pipes, there is a connection to a deep underground ice cellar and a sophisticated steam pump circulation system.

"Your Highness, this is the 'Frosty Jade Circulation Machine' that Master Craftsman Mo just calibrated."

Wu Zetian introduced softly, her eyes also full of surprise.

"Following your idea, a steam engine will drive a water pump to continuously circulate the ice water from deep underground through these copper pipes. Combined with a specially designed fan, the temperature inside this room can be kept at the most comfortable level."

Li Chengqian walked to the copper pipe, reached out and touched the cool, moist layer, and nodded in satisfaction.

This was a miracle in the eyes of the Tang people; in their eyes, it was nothing more than a first-generation, rudimentary central air conditioning system.

Although it was noisy and consumed a lot of coal, in this era before Freon, this was the law.

"Not bad, Old Mo's skills have improved."

Li Chengqian plopped down on the specially made rocking chair covered with the finest cotton cushions.

"What is the purpose of life? Isn't it simply to avoid the heat of summer and the cold of winter, to have money in your pocket, and to be free from annoying people around you?"

As he spoke, he skillfully closed his eyes.

The aura of a crown prince that he exuded on the dock had vanished completely. In its place was a pure, decadent beauty, almost like rotten wood.

Wu Meiniang smiled, walked behind Li Chengqian, and gently massaged his shoulders.

"Your Highness, you've assigned all the hardest and most arduous tasks in the land to the princes and generals, while you yourself hide here enjoying a life of leisure. If His Majesty were to find out, he would surely be furious."

"What does he know?"

Li Chengqian didn't even look up, his tone languid.

"His is called striving, my is called enjoying the fruits of my labor."

"It's like building a house. I drew up the blueprints, bought the materials, and hired a foreman. Now that the house is finished, am I, the landlord, not going to go in and sleep? Am I supposed to go out and carry bricks with those peasants?"

Li Chengqian opened his eyes, his gaze passing through the stained glass window and looking in the direction of Taiji Palace.

He could imagine that Li Shimin must be pointing at the globe with red eyes, surveying the country, and perhaps already imagining himself riding a kangaroo to review the troops.

"This is the proper division of labor in a family."

Li Chengqian muttered to himself, a smile playing on his lips that concealed his achievements and fame.

"The old man goes to conquer the world, helping me guard the home and property. I'll take care of the consumption, helping the Tang Dynasty stimulate domestic demand."

"Each performs their duties; long live the Tang Dynasty."

Just then, Mo Ju's somewhat hurried voice came from outside the door.

"Your Highness, the model of the large iron wheel you requested—the kind that 'can be installed under the ship and spin on its own without wind'—is finished. Please take a look..."

Li Chengqian rolled his eyes helplessly, but didn't move an inch.

"Bring it in."

He looked at Wu Meiniang, a sly glint in his eyes.

"See? Even though I am resting, my wisdom is constantly propelling the Tang Dynasty forward."

Wu Meiniang covered her mouth, her clear laughter echoing in Hengwen's study.

At this moment, the core of the highest power in the Tang Dynasty presented a strange yet harmonious balance.

Lao Tzu was frantically exhausting himself for the sake of the elusive "New World".

A son is elegantly overspending his father's money in order to improve his "retirement life".

And the entire Tang Dynasty, amidst this absurd contest between father and son, surged toward the pinnacle of civilization with unprecedented speed.

"Old Mo, come in."

Li Chengqian adjusted to a more comfortable sitting posture, his tone lazy yet exuding a sense of confidence in control of the situation.

"Since Father Emperor wants to see the world, then I will do something worthwhile and personally help him to... nail this world to the map of the Tang Dynasty."