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

The bloody light from the aristocratic families seemed to linger in the sky above Chang'an, and the chilling smell of rust still lingered in the air.

After that night of "physical purge," the power of the five clans and seven noble families in Guanzhong was uprooted. The once arrogant patriarchs are now either frequent visitors to the Jinyiwei prison or have long since turned to ashes in that fire.

The people of Chang'an had not yet recovered from the buying frenzy at the royal salt shops, and the entire court seemed to have a rare chance to catch their breath.

However, before he could catch his breath, a piercing roar forced him back down.

"Report—!!!"

"Urgent dispatch from Youzhou!"

Inside the Taiji Hall, Li Shimin, who was just about to announce the end of the court session, hadn't even left his dragon throne when this shout made his eyelids twitch wildly.

A messenger with a red feather tucked into his back stumbled into the main hall and fell to his knees with a thud. He had run so fast that blood even came out of his throat.

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Lujiang, Li Yuan... has rebelled in Youzhou!"

"What?!"

Li Shimin abruptly stood up, the movement so forceful that it overturned the memorials on his desk. "Li Yuan? Has he gone mad? I have treated him well, why would he rebel?"

The messenger trembled as he pulled a proclamation from his pocket and presented it above his head with both hands.

"The Prince of Lujiang raised his banner and said... he said, 'We will cleanse the court of corrupt officials and punish the treacherous ministers.'"

"A treacherous official?" Li Shimin's brows furrowed deeply. "How could there be a treacherous official in the court?"

The messenger lowered his head even further, his voice barely audible: "He said... the treacherous official is... His Highness the Crown Prince. He said the Crown Prince is cruel and inhumane, slaughtering noble families and wreaking havoc on the court, and that he wants to... act on behalf of Heaven."

"fart!"

Cheng Yaojin was the first to explode, jumping out and pointing north while cursing, "What kind of scum is Li Yuan? Does he even deserve to act on behalf of Heaven? I think he's just in cahoots with those remnants of aristocratic families, trying to take advantage of the chaos!"

Li Shimin took the proclamation, skimmed it through quickly, and his face turned as black as if he had just crawled out of a coal pile.

Indeed, this is the work of a prestigious family.

Although the powerful families of Chang'an were wiped out, like a centipede that dies but does not fall, their influence in the local areas remained. Li Shimin would never have believed that Li Yuan's rebellion wasn't backed by the financial and logistical support of the remaining powerful families.

"With an army of 100,000, they held Youzhou and cut off Liaodong's supply lines..."

Li Shimin slammed the proclamation to the ground, gritting his teeth, "This isn't purging the court of corrupt officials; this is clearly trying to uproot the Tang Dynasty!"

"Your Majesty, let's fight!"

Yuchi Gong stepped forward, his dark face flushed red, and volunteered for battle. "Give me 50,000 elite troops, and I'll twist that traitor Li Yuan's head off and use it as a football!"

"fifty thousand?"

Li Shimin gave a bitter smile, slumped back onto the dragon throne, and rubbed his throbbing temples.

"Jingde, look at our forces, do we still have 50,000 soldiers left?"

This question stumped all the military officers in the court.

Although the Battle of the Wei River frightened away Jieli, it was the Crown Prince's Great Snow Dragon Cavalry that did it. To guard against a possible Turkic comeback, the main force of the imperial army was stationed on the northern border and dared not move.

The remaining Imperial Guards were tasked with protecting the capital and suppressing the powerful clans of Guanzhong who had just undergone a purge, leaving them with no manpower to spare.

"Then... twenty thousand will do!" Yuchi Gong reluctantly held up two fingers.

Changsun Wuji sighed and shook his head.

"Jingde, Youzhou's city walls are high and sturdy, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Li Yuan also has an army of 100,000; even if they are a rabble, they cannot be easily taken down by 20,000 men. If the siege drags on, the Turks will take the opportunity to move south again..."

The consequences could be disastrous.

This is a dead end.

The aristocratic families chose the perfect timing for their counterattack, catching the court at a critical juncture when the old forces had been exhausted and the new forces had not yet emerged.

A deathly silence fell over the main hall.

The generals who were shouting for battle just moments ago now looked like wilted eggplants, each bowing their heads and counting the gold bricks on the ground.

No soldiers, no money, no food.

How do we fight this battle?

Li Shimin stared at the huge map of the Tang Dynasty, his gaze lingering on the glaring red circle around Youzhou for a long time, a sense of powerlessness spreading through him like a tide.

Am I, the Supreme General of Heavenly Strategy, really so incapable of dealing with a mere Prince of Lujiang who only knows how to eat, drink, and have fun?

"His Majesty."

Fang Xuanling, who had been silent all along, suddenly took a step forward, slightly raised the tablet in his hand, and pointed to the east of the palace.

"Although the imperial court has no troops to send, there is still an invincible army in Chang'an."

Li Shimin was taken aback and looked in the direction Fang Xuanling was pointing.

Through the windows of the Taiji Hall, one can vaguely see the majestic eaves and brackets of the East Palace.

The Eastern Palace.

There are three thousand Great Snow Dragon Riders there.

There are elusive Imperial Guards.

And then there's that rebellious eight-year-old son he both loves and hates, who always manages to cause a huge commotion.

"You mean...Chengqian?"

Li Shimin's gaze was somewhat complicated.

He had considered having the crown prince send troops.

But just thinking about that kid's usual lazy, "if I can lie down, I won't sit" attitude, and that mouth that could drive anyone crazy, made Li Shimin's head ache.

Moreover, those were the Crown Prince's private troops.

Although they nominally submitted to the Tang Dynasty, they actually only obeyed the Crown Prince's orders. If he, as their father, were refused when he went to borrow troops, where would he put his face?

"Your Majesty, the one who tied the knot must untie it."

Fang Xuanling said meaningfully, "Li Yuan rebelled under the pretext of 'killing the Crown Prince.' As a party involved, shouldn't His Highness the Crown Prince make a statement?"

"Furthermore, His Highness the Crown Prince is incredibly powerful; perhaps... he's hiding some trump card that we're unaware of?"

Li Shimin remained silent.

Yes.

That unfilial son is like a treasure chest; every time you think he's emptied it out, he can pull out a big treasure for you.

Potatoes are like this, fine salt is like this, and so is the Great Snow Dragon Rider.

Can he create a miracle this time, facing 100,000 rebels?

"But……"

Li Shimin sighed, his tone filled with uncertainty, "That rebellious son is so lazy, he can't even be bothered to attend the morning court session. Would he really send troops out for such a 'trivial matter'?"

"If Your Majesty doesn't try, how will you know His Highness won't agree?"

Changsun Wuji also stepped forward to chime in, "Although Chengqian is sharp-tongued, he has the Tang Dynasty in his heart. Besides, Li Yuan insulted him so rudely; given Chengqian's temper, could he tolerate it?"

Li Shimin stroked his beard, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

Yup!

That kid is extremely protective of his own, and also the most vengeful.

Li Yuan was practically defecating on his neck, yet he still wanted to "purge the court of corrupt officials"—how could he tolerate that?

"good!"

Li Shimin suddenly stood up, and with a wave of his hand, the gloom and despair on his face vanished.

"Prepare the carriage for the Eastern Palace!"

"I want to see if this rebellious son can still sleep soundly in the face of the provocation of an army of 100,000!"

"Wang De, hurry up! I have a feeling that if we're late, that brat might be up to something again!"

The group left the Taiji Hall in a grand procession and headed straight for the East Palace.

However, before even entering the gates of the East Palace, a familiar aroma, carrying cumin and chili, wafted into Li Shimin's nose on the wind.

Li Shimin paused, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

This unfilial son...

What time is it?! You're still eating?!

"Your Majesty, this smell..." Wang De swallowed, "It doesn't seem like hot pot, it's more like... barbecue?"

Li Shimin, his face dark, gritted his teeth and forced out a sentence:

"Go in! I want to see what kind of monsters he's roasting!"