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

Come down from the city wall.

For the first time ever, Li Chengqian did not ride in a palanquin, but instead traveled at full speed, directly entering the most heavily guarded underground chamber of the Eastern Palace.

The heavy dragon-slaying stone crashed down behind them.

Inside the sealed room, several incandescent lamps emitted a steady glow.

Li Chengqian walked to the large rosewood desk, carefully took out the vial of medicine that emitted a pale purple glow from his pocket, and placed it on the soft velvet cushion.

"call……"

He exhaled a long breath.

In this absolutely safe private space, he no longer needed to hide his inner shock.

A lifespan of five hundred years.

This is something that countless emperors, generals, Taoist priests, alchemists, and even immortals in myths and legends have dreamed of.

Back then, Qin Shi Huang sent Xu Fu with three thousand boys and girls to sea, and Emperor Wu of Han built a great dew-collecting plate in search of the elixir of immortality.

If they knew that there really was a miraculous medicine in this world that could keep people young for five hundred years, they would probably rise from their graves and crawl out of their tombs.

"This damn system really knows how to give people difficult problems."

Li Chengqian pulled up a chair and sat down, crossing his hands to support his chin, staring intently at the tube of purple liquid.

According to common sense.

As the crown prince of an empire with absolute power, his first reaction to such a miraculous medicine would undoubtedly be to unhesitatingly pull out the stopper and gulp it down.

After all, who wouldn't want to live forever? Who wouldn't want to rule this super empire they built from scratch for generations to come?

But Li Chengqian was no ordinary person.

His soul is that of a modern working-class man tormented by the cutthroat world of modern life, who, after transmigrating, only wants to be a top-tier salted fish.

"If I drink it..."

Li Chengqian quickly imagined his future after taking the medicine.

The Tang Dynasty's territory has now expanded to the Americas and Europe. The daily memorials sent back to Chang'an, even if transported by steam train, would take several train cars.

Although the old man Li Shimin is still full of energy, he is, after all, just a mortal. Even if he takes health-strengthening pills, he can only live to be a hundred or eighty years old at most.

Once the old man passes away...

This court of civil and military officials, this world of people, and those brothers who have been enfeoffed to various parts of the world.

They would not hesitate to put on the dragon robe, which represented the highest power and the highest labor intensity, without hesitation!

"Every day at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), I would get up to go to court and review the mountain of official documents."

"And we still have to listen to those old men like Wei Zheng nagging on and on."

"Wherever I go, the official in charge of recording my daily activities follows me. Even taking a nap is considered neglecting my duties."

Li Chengqian imagined that kind of dark and endless imperial life and couldn't help but shudder dramatically.

"If I had to do this inhuman labor for five hundred years..."

"I might as well just find a block of tofu and smash my head against it right now!"

Li Chengqian shook his head violently, instantly extinguishing the thought of taking the miraculous medicine.

Immortality is tempting.

But if the price of this immortality is endless overtime and loss of freedom, then for him, this thing is the most vicious curse in the world.

"If we don't eat it ourselves, who will?"

Li Chengqian stroked his chin and began to ponder.

"The Empress Dowager must give me one."

He recalled Empress Zhangsun's gentle and loving face.

In the original history, Empress Zhangsun died young due to illness, which was a lifelong pain for Li Shimin and a regret in the history of the Tang Dynasty.

Although this tube of gene lock optimization solution contains only one dose, the system instructions mention that it can be diluted before use, although the effect will be weakened accordingly.

"Give one-third to the Empress Dowager. Even if she doesn't live for five hundred years, at least she'll be immune to all diseases and live to be a hundred."

Li Chengqian made a decision.

"What about the remaining two-thirds?"

Li Chengqian's gaze wandered around the secret room.

For Wu Zetian?

Although this little girl is obedient now, her empressial potential is becoming increasingly apparent. If she were allowed to live for several hundred years, the Tang Dynasty would inevitably fall under her surname. She certainly didn't want to be constantly on guard against her husband seizing power centuries from now.

For those younger brothers?

Li Tai and Li Ke are now being misled by themselves into running around the world reclaiming wasteland.

But if they knew the effects of the drug, these guys would fight tooth and nail for it, maybe even starting a world war.

This won't work, that won't work.

Li Chengqian suddenly felt that this vial of medicine was like a hot potato.

I can't bear to throw it away, but I don't trust others to do it for me.

Just when he was at his wit's end.

A scene suddenly flashed through his mind.

That was a few days ago in the square of Taiji Palace.

The comical scene of Li Shimin shamelessly trying to stuff a twelve-tasseled crown into his arms in order to abdicate and go to Luoyang to take care of his grandson.

"That old fox spent his whole life pursuing unparalleled martial arts skills. Now that he's finally become invincible, he just wants to quit and enjoy a peaceful retirement."

"If he retires, who will replace Gu Dinglei? Who will review those tedious memorials every day?"

Li Chengqian's eyes suddenly lit up, with the ecstatic joy of discovering a new continent.

A cunning and ruthless logical loop instantly formed in his mind.

"As long as the old man doesn't die, as long as he stays at the peak of his 25-year-old self, full of vigor and energy, wishing he could take on ten Goguryeos every day."

"Then even if he wanted to throw away the throne of the Tang Dynasty, he couldn't!"

"He'll just have to keep doing all the hard and tiring work in the world!"

Li Chengqian slammed his hand on the table in excitement and stood up abruptly.

"yes!"

"This isn't some kind of elixir of immortality! This is practically a 'super-duper overtime life-extending potion' tailor-made for Dad!"

As long as Li Shimin drinks this medicine.

Li Chengqian could then comfortably and confidently remain a nobody in the position of Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty for hundreds of years!

Who dares to urge him to ascend the throne?

His Majesty is in excellent health; he hasn't aged at all, but rather seems to be getting younger with each passing year. His voice is even louder than that of a military general when he attends court every day! What else could you ministers possibly be dissatisfied with?

Thinking about this...

Li Chengqian stared at the purple liquid in the test tube, his lips curving into an uncontrollable, wild grin. In the end, he let out a low, villainous laugh in the confined space.

"Father, Father, didn't you always say that your son is young and ignorant? Is it really up to you to shoulder the burden of the Tang Dynasty?"

"Didn't you always dream of conquering those barbarians still living in the primitive age and carving their names on a globe?"

"Today, your son will fulfill your great and arduous imperial ambition!"

Li Chengqian carefully found a small glass bottle and used a specially made crystal dropper to extract one-third of the medicine from it, intending to leave it for Empress Zhangsun.

then.

He poured the remaining two-thirds into an exquisite purple-gold gourd that was originally used to hold tribute wine from the Western Regions.

He gently shook the small gourd, listening to the subtle sounds of the liquid inside colliding.

Li Chengqian turned his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the thick walls of the Eastern Palace, landing precisely in the direction of the Imperial Study in the Taiji Palace.

"Father."

"For the eternal prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, and for my own great cause of salted fish."

"This blessing of 'Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!'"

"Please, sir, accept this with your own humility."