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

"Smack."

A crisp snap of the fingers stood out starkly in the East Palace courtyard, which was filled with the aroma of cumin and mutton.

One second ago, this place was a warm and cozy scene of smoke and fire, with brothers enjoying barbecue skewers.

The next second, the air seemed to be gripped tightly by some unseen giant hand, instantly freezing.

The darkest shadow in the corner of Lizheng Hall twisted without warning, like a drop of ink falling into clear water, quickly spreading and spreading.

The temperature suddenly dropped on what was originally a clear and crisp autumn afternoon.

That kind of cold wasn't the biting wind of winter, but a chilling cold that seeped into your bones, like someone gently blowing a breath of cold air from the deepest hell on the back of your neck.

Li Tai, who was gnawing on a lamb chop, suddenly shuddered, and the meat in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

"B-Big brother, why did the weather suddenly change?"

Li Shimin's hair stood on end. Years of battlefield experience had honed his instincts, causing him to instinctively grip the hilt of his imperial sword at his waist. His eyes were fixed on the distorted shadow, and he shouted sharply:

"Who goes there?!"

The shadow did not answer.

It just slowly wriggled, and finally spat out a human shape.

It was a man wearing dark red armor.

The armor was an extremely dark color, not like dye, but more like layers of dried black blood, gleaming with a chilling matte sheen in the sunlight.

He wasn't wearing a helmet, revealing a face as hard as granite, devoid of any expression or life.

The most terrifying thing was those eyes.

There were no whites of the eyes there, only an endless abyss and mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Just one glance from him made Li Shimin feel as if he were in a battlefield of carnage, with only mournful howls and the sounds of limbs being torn apart.

murderous look.

A palpable killing intent!

The murderous aura was so intense that it made the surrounding air thick and even made breathing difficult.

"This...this is..."

Li Shimin's pupils dilated sharply, and his palms, gripping the sword hilt, were covered in cold sweat.

He had seen countless fierce generals in his life—Qin Qiong's bravery, Yuchi Gong's ferocity, Cheng Yaojin's madness—but none of them could make people feel as if they were witnessing death itself simply by standing there like the man before him.

This is not human.

This is a deadly weapon born for slaughter!

"Don't be nervous, Father."

Li Chengqian's lazy voice rang out at the right moment, breaking the suffocating deadlock.

He slowly swallowed the lamb kidney in his mouth, then picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth before pointing to the man who resembled the Grim Reaper and casually introducing him:

"These are the servants I recently hired to guard the house."

"House... servants?"

Li Shimin's lips twitched violently as he pointed at the man who reeked of blood and looked like he'd crawled out of a pile of corpses. "You call this a servant? What kind of servant looks like this?!"

"Oh, don't worry about the details."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, stood up and walked to the man's side, even reaching out to pat the dark red shoulder armor.

"Let me introduce you, his name is Bai Qi."

"Bai...Bai Qi?!"

Li Shimin felt a buzzing in his head, and he stumbled, almost losing his balance.

These two words were written in blood in the history books!

The foremost of the four great generals of the Warring States period!

Human butcher!

The Battle of Changping resulted in the massacre of 400,000 surrendered Zhao soldiers, striking fear into the hearts of the other six states and plunging the world into mourning!

Although reason told Li Shimin that the god of war had been dead for hundreds of years, the one in front of him was probably just someone with the same name.

But looking at the other person's chilling aura, and recalling his own son's endless tricks...

Li Shimin swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly: "Chengqian, you...you tell me honestly, is it...is it that Bai Qi?"

Li Chengqian smiled mysteriously, not answering directly, but turning to look at Bai Qi.

"Old Bai, you heard that too."

"That guy from the north named Li Yuan is so arrogant and doesn't know his place. He keeps making trouble and it's giving me a headache."

"Father has been unwell lately and doesn't want to move around. Go to Youzhou and help him relieve his burdens."

At this point, Li Chengqian paused, a coldness beyond his years flashing in his eyes.

"Remember, the main purpose of this trip is to let you practice and loosen up your muscles."

"As for that Li Yuan... I don't want to hear him yelling anymore."

Bai Qi slowly raised his head.

There was no grand and impassioned oath-taking ceremony, nor any declaration of loyalty or righteousness.

He simply faced Li Chengqian, kneeling heavily on one knee, the friction of his armor producing a grating metallic sound.

"promise."

There is only one word.

Hoarse, dry, like two rusty iron pieces rubbing against each other.

But the composure and confidence contained in that one word sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.

After saying that, he stood up, without looking at Li Shimin or the terrified Li Tai.

Turn around.

Take a step.

With each step he took, the ground seemed to tremble slightly. He didn't head towards the door, but instead walked back into the shadows.

Just as his figure was about to completely disappear into the darkness, a bloody storm, as if it were a tangible substance, suddenly erupted, instantly sweeping across the entire East Palace, even shattering the withered leaves on the trees.

next second.

The figure disappeared.

Only a whispered sentence drifted away on the wind, echoing in the courtyard.

"Before sunset, Youzhou City fell."

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

Only the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire remained in the courtyard.

The lamb skewers in Li Tai's hand had long since fallen into the dust. His chubby face was deathly pale, and he trembled as he tugged at Li Chengqian's sleeve, "B-Big Brother, I...I'm scared..."

Li Chengqian patted his dog's head and handed him a new string of coins with a smile: "What are you afraid of? Those are our family members, they specialize in beating up bad guys."

On the other side, Li Shimin finally came to his senses.

He exhaled a long breath, looking in the direction where Bai Qi had disappeared, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

fear?

A little.

But more than anything, it evokes a strong sense of unreal absurdity.

Li Yuan, the Prince of Lujiang, who caused him sleepless nights, commanded an army of 100,000, and held a fortified city...

In this rebellious son's eyes, was he really just a target to "practice with"?

Before sunset, will Youzhou fall?

If anyone else had said this, Li Shimin would have certainly punished them for deceiving the emperor.

But these words came from the mouth of that figure with his back turned, and for some reason, Li Shimin believed them.

even……

He pictured Li Yuan drinking and making merry on the walls of Youzhou, and a strange sense of sympathy welled up in his heart.

Why rebel against this rebellious son of all people?

"Chengqian..."

Li Shimin turned to his son, who was nonchalantly continuing to grill meat, and said with a strained tone, "Tell me the truth, this Bai Qi... do you know how many people he's killed?"

Li Chengqian flipped the meat skewers over and casually sprinkled some chili powder on top.

"Don't worry, Father."

"He may have killed countless people in the past, but now he's my henchman."

"As long as Li Yuan's 100,000 men don't act too ungratefully, perhaps... a few will be spared?"

"perhaps?"