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

"Not a single one...died?"

Li Shimin's voice was light and airy, as if he were walking on cotton, conveying a sense of unreality and illusion.

He gripped the battle report, still warm from the messenger's body, tightly in his hand. His knuckles turned white from the excessive force, and the thin piece of paper seemed to weigh a ton in his hands.

Inside the Taiji Hall, you could hear a pin drop.

The civil officials, who had just been trembling at the mention of "god of death" and "massacre," now stared wide-eyed, their mouths agape.

The military officers were in an uproar.

Cheng Yaojin pinched his thigh hard, wincing in pain, before he was sure he hadn't misheard.

"Wow! Zero casualties?"

"I've fought my whole life, and I've never heard of such a fantastical story! Even capturing 100,000 pigs would exhaust several men, wouldn't it?"

"quiet!"

Li Shimin took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the overwhelming shock in his heart.

He reopened the battle report, his gaze fixed on the name "Bai Qi," and the image of that fleeting crimson figure in the Eastern Palace flashed through his mind.

The man whom Chengqian casually referred to as a "household servant".

In half an hour, they defeated an army of 100,000.

Is this what that rebellious son meant by "just practicing"?

"Announce!"

Li Shimin slammed the battle report shut, his voice trembling slightly with excitement, "Summon the Crown Prince to the palace! I...I want to ask him myself!"

……

Fifteen minutes later.

Li Chengqian strolled leisurely into the Taiji Hall with his unique, aloof gait.

He was clearly in a bad mood today; his eyelids were drooping, he looked like he hadn't slept well and was grumpy when he entered the hall, and he even yawned widely when he entered. He was extremely perfunctory in his greetings.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

Li Chengqian casually cupped his hands in greeting, "It's so early in the morning, it's immoral to disturb someone's sleep. Can't you wait until I'm awake to talk about it?"

"So early in the morning?"

Li Shimin glanced at the midday sun outside the palace, and his eye twitched violently.

But he couldn't concern himself with such details now. He raised the battle report in his hand, leaned forward, and stared intently at his son.

"Chengqian, Youzhou has been pacified."

"oh."

Li Chengqian remained completely unfazed, even scratching his ear. "If it's settled, it's settled. It's no big deal. Is it worth you summoning your son here?"

"What's the big deal?!"

Li Shimin raised his voice, "Those were 100,000 rebels! The Prince of Lujiang! Your servants… that Bai Qi, they slaughtered them in just half an hour! Not a single casualty!"

"Such an extraordinary feat, such a miracle, and you just say 'oh'?"

Seeing his father's unworldly appearance, Li Chengqian sighed helplessly.

"Father, calm down."

He walked two steps in the center of the hall with his hands behind his back, looking exactly like an old scholar giving pointers on the state of the country.

"I told you long ago that Li Yuan is nothing but a chicken and a dog, don't take him too seriously."

"As for Bai Qi..."

Li Chengqian curled his lip, looking disgusted. "It took him half an hour to finish? Looks like this old guy's gotten rusty. I'll have to dock his pay later."

puff--!

Fang Xuanling, who was standing in the front row, felt his legs go weak and almost lost his balance.

You think it's too slow to wipe out an army of 100,000 in half an hour? You want to deduct my salary?

Your Highness, have some decency!

Li Shimin was also choked half to death and didn't recover for a long time.

"Chengqian."

Li Shimin's tone was complex, "Do you know that now the entire court, and even the people of the whole country, are praising your fame? They say you are a god descended from heaven, and that you are the guardian deity of the Tang Dynasty."

"I was initially worried that you were too young to shoulder the responsibility of regent. But now it seems that your burden is too light."

"Please don't!"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian instantly became wide awake and his whole body bristled.

"Father, please don't flatter me to death!"

He took two steps back in terror, as if avoiding some raging flood or ferocious beast.

"All these rumors—gods descending to earth, guardian deities—are just that! Absolutely rumors!"

"Your subject only wants to be a quiet, handsome man, basking in the sun and eating hot pot. This kind of fighting and killing is not in line with your temperament at all."

At this point, Li Chengqian looked up at the dome of the main hall at a 45-degree angle, a look of lonely sorrow on his face.

"Actually, I really just want to keep a low profile."

"I just want to be an ordinary, unremarkable prince, sleeping in until I naturally wake up every day and counting money until my hands cramp."

"But……"

He sighed, spread his hands, and looked helpless.

"They forced me to take action."

"If Jieli tries to disturb my sleep, I can only tell him to shut up; if Li Yuan tries to take my place, I can only make him disappear."

"Sigh, I want to keep a low profile, but my abilities won't allow it."

"To be invincible is such a lonely thing."

After these words were spoken, the entire Taiji Hall fell into a deathly silence.

Versailles.

It's too Versailles!

Is this the legendary "using the most cowardly tone to act the most ruthless"?

Wei Zheng's beard was trembling. He wanted to scold him for "not knowing humility," but when he thought of the other man's achievements, which were truly hardcore, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.

Cheng Yaojin and the others had their eyes shining, wishing they could rush up and hug his leg, shouting "Big boss, take me with you!"

Only Li Shimin.

He sat on the dragon throne, looking down at his son with a smug, irritating expression, his feelings incredibly complex.

Are you proud?

That's for sure. A son should be like Li Chengqian; this rebellious son's abilities have truly exceeded his expectations.

But my hands are really itching to get started!

Is this even human language? What does "my strength doesn't allow it" mean? What does "how lonely it is to be invincible" mean?

I, the Supreme General of Heavenly Strategy, am still sitting up there! And you're just pretending to be an expert?

"Alright, alright, stop putting on an act for me."

Li Shimin waved his hand impatiently, "Now that Youzhou has been pacified, when will Bai Qi return to the capital?"

"Going back to Beijing?"

Li Chengqian shook his head. "Why go back to the capital? There are so many prisoners and warhorses over there. Doesn't someone need to watch over them? I'll have him turn over the land there while he's at it, so we can plant potatoes next year."

Let the god of war, Bai Qi, lead troops to grow potatoes?

The entire court of officials burst into laughter once again.

This Tang Dynasty is likely to be ruined by this crown prince.

"Get out of here, just seeing you gives me a headache."

Li Shimin rubbed his temples; he was truly furious with his rebellious son.

"Alright! Your subject takes his leave!"

Li Chengqian felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He turned around and ran away, more than twice as fast as when he came, for fear that his father would change his mind and give him more burdens.

Watching Li Chengqian's cheerful departing figure, Li Shimin couldn't help but smile, but then shook his head helplessly.

This rebellious son, though he's a scoundrel, seems... quite reassuring to entrust the Tang Dynasty to him?

And it was behind a pillar in the corner of the main hall.

A round little head peeked out.

That was Li Tai, the seven-year-old Prince of Wei.

He witnessed his elder brother's "performance" in the court, watching his elder brother infuriate their father to the point of jumping up and down but being helpless, and watching the civil and military officials treat his elder brother with the awe of a god.

that moment.

It seemed as if two flames were burning in the chubby boy's eyes.

It wasn't jealousy, nor was it ambition.

Rather... it's worship!

That kind of worship, where you prostrate yourself before your elder brother and treat him like royalty!

"So handsome..."

Li Tai clenched his chubby little fist and muttered to himself.

"No need to get up early, no need to memorize, eat when you want, sleep when you want, and you can even destroy a country with a flick of your wrist, leaving your father completely bewildered..."

"Is this what life is like for the eldest brother?"

"I want to be a salted fish too!"

"I want to be like my older brother, an ordinary yet unparalleled master!"

A seed named "Salted Fish No. 2" thus took root and sprouted in the heart of the future King Wei of the Tang Dynasty.