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

This is definitely not an illusion.

Li Shimin lowered his head and looked at his hands. The skin, which had become slightly rough and dry due to the ravages of time, was now firm and elastic.

The power contained within the bones was like a prehistoric beast that had been trapped for many years, now unleashing a deafening roar.

"Bang!"

He instinctively slammed his fist on the imperial desk in front of him.

A dull thud.

That large, sturdy imperial desk was crafted from the finest thousand-year-old golden nanmu wood.

Under this punch, it was like a fragile piece of tofu, cracking open in the middle with a terrifying fissure before collapsing with a deafening roar!

Wood chips and scattered musical notes flew everywhere.

The old eunuch standing nearby trembled with fright, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

"This...this is the power of the divine medicine?!"

Li Shimin stared at his fist in disbelief.

That peak state, which seemed to be able to tear the sky apart, was even ten times stronger than when he charged into the enemy lines alone at Hulao Pass at the age of twenty!

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Li Shimin suddenly threw his head back and let out a wild, powerful laugh. The sound pierced through the stained glass windows of the imperial study and echoed for a long time in the Taiji Palace.

"I believe I could defeat ten more Goguryeos right now!"

"No! Even if I go to the Western Regions and fight those barbarians from the Abbasid Caliphate hand-to-hand, I can beat them to a pulp!"

Looking at his father's youthful and ferocious appearance, as if possessed by a god of war.

Li Chengqian stood to the side, his lips twitching subtly twice.

The drug's effects were more potent than he had anticipated.

But that's exactly the result he wanted.

The more powerful the old man, the more stable the Tang Dynasty's rule would be. And he, as the crown prince, could legitimately continue to be a powerless nobody.

"Father's imperial might is unparalleled; Heaven blesses the Tang Dynasty!"

Li Chengqian quickly put on a filial son's face, his eyes even slightly reddening with emotion.

He strode forward and grabbed Li Shimin's stiff arm.

"Seeing Father Emperor so vigorous and powerful, I can finally put my mind at ease."

Li Chengqian's voice carried a perfectly timed sob.

"Your Majesty, I am young. Without you, my father, as the pillar of strength, I truly do not know what to do with this vast Tang Dynasty and its many officials!"

"Your Majesty, I ask for nothing more than that you live a long and prosperous life, and that the Tang Dynasty may continue to flourish!"

These words were spoken with such emotion and fervor that they brought tears to my eyes.

Li Shimin listened to these heartfelt words of filial piety and looked at his son's tender face, which was full of dependence and affection.

The once raging, iron-fisted emperor suddenly felt a surge of tender paternal affection.

"Good child, I'm sorry you had to go through this."

Li Shimin patted Li Chengqian on the shoulder with such force that he almost knocked Li Chengqian over.

He has now completely given up on the idea of ​​abdicating.

With my current health, I can work for at least another seventy or eighty years! Since my son is so sensible and needs me so much, how can I, as his father, pass on such a heavy burden to an eight-year-old child?

"Chengqian, don't worry!"

Li Shimin patted his chest with great pride, making a loud, resounding thud.

"As long as I am alive, I will shoulder the burden of this Tang Dynasty's court and the entire world's mess for you!"

"You can just stay in the Eastern Palace and focus on your inventions and creations, and enjoy the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty!"

"After I pass away... no, after I have conquered this world so that there is no enemy left who dares to bare their teeth, I will hand over a perfect Tang Dynasty to you!"

Li Chengqian lowered his head, obediently concealing the sly elation hidden in his eyes.

A hundred years from now?

If you drink this longevity gene potion, you won't die even after five hundred years, let alone a hundred!

You'll stay here in this backbreaking position, welding this precious Phoebe zhennan wood for me for five hundred years!

"Your Majesty is wise! Your son will certainly study diligently and live up to your trust!"

While Li Chengqian shouted hypocritical slogans, he was already planning what kind of barbecue to have at Qujiang Pool that evening.

Just then, a series of noisy footsteps suddenly came from outside the Imperial Study.

It turned out that the noise from Li Shimin smashing the imperial desk with his fist was too loud, alarming the prime ministers and imperial guards waiting outside.

"Your Majesty! What has happened?!"

Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling, accompanied by several Imperial Guards, rushed into the Imperial Study with tense expressions.

however.

When they saw Li Shimin standing in the center of the hall.

These top intelligent people of the Tang Dynasty were all frozen in place, completely dumbfounded.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty?"

Fang Xuanling rubbed his eyes, looking incredulously at the middle-aged man in front of him with jet-black hair, bulging muscles, and a terrifying vitality emanating from his entire body.

Where is this the emperor who was slightly hunched over from years of governing?

This is clearly the same General Tian Ce who was so powerful and influential at Hulao Pass twenty years ago!

"Auxiliary Machine, Xuanling, you've come at the perfect time!"

Li Shimin excitedly turned around, opened his arms, and showed off his body.

"The Imperial Advisor has concocted a divine elixir! I now feel that my body is ten times stronger than when I was young!"

Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling exchanged a glance, their breathing becoming rapid.

Rejuvenation? A miracle drug?

Although they were staunch Confucian believers, all their preconceived notions collapsed instantly after witnessing this extraordinary miracle that defied common sense.

"Auspicious omens descend from the heavens! This is divine blessing upon the Tang Dynasty!"

Changsun Wuji was so excited that he knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face.

Fang Xuanling also knelt down, his voice trembling violently.

"His Majesty is at the height of his power, and with this miraculous medicine, the Tang Dynasty will surely last for millennia, unifying the world!"

With such a divine blessing, the imperial power of the Tang Dynasty would be stabilized to a terrifying degree. Those remnants of aristocratic families who originally wanted to make trouble in secret would probably have their thoughts of resistance completely crushed when they saw this emperor who was like a god of war descending to earth.

Li Chengqian watched this scene with satisfaction.

The grand performance has ended, and my goal has been successfully achieved.

"Father, since you are in good health, I will take my leave now. There are still a few machine blueprints at the Eastern Palace that need to be revised."

Li Chengqian obediently bowed, preparing to retire after achieving his goal.

"Go on, go on, don't overwork yourself." Li Shimin waved his hand affectionately.

Li Chengqian turned and walked out of the imperial study.

The moment he stepped across the threshold, that mask of obedience and filial piety vanished instantly.

He stretched lazily, yawning in the bright early autumn sunshine, a mischievous smile playing on his lips, a smile that hinted at hidden accomplishments.

"Phew... finally done."

"The strongest working emperor of the Tang Dynasty has been launched. Now I can enjoy this wonderful world in peace."

Li Chengqian walked away with his hands behind his head, humming a little tune as he took a relaxed step.