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

The crisp sound of the magnetic lock on the side of the "Salted Fish" at the dock was like a heavy hammer blow, shattering Li Chengqian's last shred of fantasy about a vacation.

He stood stiffly on the deck, letting the salty sea breeze tousle his hair, his eyes fixed on the land that made him feel out of place.

A year ago, although industrialization had begun here, it still retained some of the tranquility and simplicity of the Guanzhong water towns. But now, the scene before us is filled with a kind of wild industrial frenzy.

The long, ancient loess road that once led to Chang'an has now been replaced by a wide, smooth, and shiny black cement asphalt road. Neatly marked with milky-white lines, several steam-powered trucks emitting wisps of white smoke are carrying loads of steel, speeding smoothly along the road.

As the gaze extends further into the distance, the once desolate outskirts of the city are now densely covered with crisscrossing silver railway tracks. Several long-distance freight trains, painted in black, resemble steel dragons, spewing thick smoke and emitting deafening whistles across the wilderness.

Further away, behind the city wall of Chang'an, which once represented the authority and dignity of the emperor, hundreds of huge chimneys made of red bricks stand tall, billowing thick smoke into the air, turning the originally clear sky into a grayish-brown color belonging to the era.

"Old Xu, am I still half asleep? Have we wandered into the wrong theater?"

Li Chengqian rubbed his eyes, his voice trembling slightly. This was no longer the Tang Dynasty; it was clearly an industrial monster that had entered berserk mode.

Xu Xiao was stunned, and the fishing rod he was holding fell to the deck with a thud.

"Your Highness, I just counted, and there are no fewer than fifty large chimneys belching smoke in the east of the city alone. Has Your Majesty burned down the earth's veins beneath Chang'an?"

Empress Zhangsun was also somewhat shocked, but she felt more joy at returning home. She tidied her wind-blown hair and looked at her son with a smile: "Chengqian, now that you're back, you should go and see your father. Chang'an has changed, which is ultimately a good thing."

Li Chengqian wore a bitter expression, his sense of foreboding growing stronger than ever. He had originally planned to return to his leisurely life of "the old man writing official documents while I sunbathe in the backyard," but judging from the progress of the infrastructure construction, the old man had probably turned him into a workaholic.

The group disembarked and boarded a gleaming black steam car that had been waiting at the dock, heading straight for the Taiji Palace along the asphalt road. Along the way, Li Chengqian looked out the window at the people wearing short shirts, riding bicycles, and even holding newspapers and discussing the "Global Trade Index," and felt as if his worldview was collapsing.

Upon entering the palace, the once quiet corridors were now filled with officials hurrying along, each carrying a thick folder. This highly modern work rhythm made Li Chengqian instinctively want to find a hole to crawl into.

Pushing open the door to the Imperial Study, the old man's expected face—a face full of resentment, grievance, and a roar that looked like he was about to punch someone—did not appear.

What came into view was a bizarre scene.

Li Shimin was dressed in a tight-fitting gray outfit with cinched sleeves, his muscles bulging, and he stepped vigorously onto a strangely shaped tracked ramp—a treadmill that Li Chengqian had casually sketched for Mo Ju, originally intended to be used to generate electricity. Several rapidly spinning copper flywheels were attached to the back of the treadmill, emitting a buzzing motor sound.

What's even more jaw-dropping is that there's an adjustable metal shelf in front of Li Shimin, covered with a dense collection of memorials.

Li Shimin's eyes gleamed, his steps quickened, and his hands were also busy. With his left hand, he opened a memorial, and with his right hand, he flicked his vermilion brush and tossed the red-inked annotation into the basket beside him with a thud. His hand speed was so fast that it almost left afterimages; he processed an entire memorial per second on average.

"Nine hundred and ninety-eight...nine hundred and ninety-nine...one thousand! Whew—!"

Li Shimin exhaled a breath of stale air, then abruptly pressed the brake lever beside him, bringing the treadmill to a screeching halt. He grabbed a white towel and casually wiped away his sweat, his eyes sharp as a newly drawn sword.

"Father...Father Emperor?" Li Chengqian stood at the door, his throat moving with difficulty. The polite phrases of "filial piety and parental love" that he had prepared were completely stuck in his throat.

Upon hearing the sound, Li Shimin turned his head sharply. The instant he saw Li Chengqian, his pupils contracted sharply, followed by a burst of wild joy that sent chills down Li Chengqian's spine.

"You unfilial son! You've returned just in time!"

Without any warning, Li Shimin jumped off the treadmill and rushed to Li Chengqian in two steps. He slapped Li Chengqian's shoulder hard, so hard that Li Chengqian almost knelt down on the spot.

"Father, let go...it hurts! I brought Mother back, and you don't even ask about her health. What are you doing?" Li Chengqian cried out, grimacing.

Li Shimin completely ignored this. He pulled Li Chengqian in front of the imperial desk, pointed to several unfinished complex structural drawings next to him, and almost spat on Li Chengqian's face.

"Why ask about An? Guanyinbi is perfectly healthy; I could tell at a glance! Now, sit down right now and draw the feed mechanism diagram for that new 'high-speed precision lathe' from the Ministry of Works! Those incompetent Moju have been messing around with it for three months, always getting stuck on gear meshing!"

"Let me tell you, the Tang Dynasty still has a steel shortage of three million tons this year. I will double the national output! Not only in North and South America, but I will pave every corner of the earth with the steel rails of our Great Tang!"

Li Chengqian was dumbfounded. Looking at Li Shimin's excited face, which was filled with "I want to compete" and "I want to surpass myself", he felt a chill run down his spine.

"Father, please calm down. Steel production must be increased gradually..."

"What are you talking about? I can approve three thousand memorials a day now, and I can even run fifty miles on the side. I can't wait! Hurry up and draw! Don't even think about sleeping tonight if you don't finish drawing!"

Li Shimin pointed to the pen and plotter on the table, and the almost obsessive diligence in his eyes made Li Chengqian realize that his father, who was eager to retire and take care of his children, had been completely "ruined" by the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

Li Chengqian was forcibly pressed into a chair, and a fountain pen was shoved into his hand. He looked up at the window and saw Fang Xuanling with huge dark circles under his eyes, like a panda, carrying a stack of reports that almost buried him, walking unsteadily through the corridor.

"Father... I need to relieve myself. I'll go out for some fresh air and be right back!"

Li Chengqian found an excuse and rushed out of the imperial study in a panic.

At the corner of the corridor, he grabbed Fang Xuanling, who seemed dazed.

"Prime Minister Fang! Lord Fang! Please save me!" Li Chengqian lowered his voice, his tone filled with terror. "What's wrong with the old man? Is he possessed? Or did that old charlatan Yuan Tiangang give him some kind of stimulant? He used to complain of back pain even when reviewing memorials, but now he's like he's on a high-energy diet, he just can't stop!"

Fang Xuanling looked at Li Chengqian, whose once wise eyes were now filled with gloom. His hand trembled as he adjusted his newly fitted reading glasses and let out a desolate sigh.

"Your Highness...you're finally back! Your Majesty has worn us out of our old bodies."

Fang Xuanling leaned closer, his voice hoarse from exhaustion.

"His Majesty was not possessed by evil spirits, nor did he take any medicine. Ever since you left, the fortunes of the Tang Dynasty have been rising like a rocket, and as a result, the side effects of the system in His Majesty's body... have completely erupted."

Li Chengqian was stunned; his nerves, which had been taut with tension, suddenly jolted.

"What side effects? The system? You mean the one I gave him back then..."

Fang Xuanling revealed a smile that looked more like a grimace, and in a low voice, he told Li Chengqian the truth that struck him like a thunderbolt.

"Your Highness, have you forgotten? That gene serum is bound to the nation's destiny. The stronger the Tang Dynasty becomes, the more vigorous His Majesty's energy will be. But when this energy reaches its extreme, it turns into a disease!"

"Now, His Majesty gets anxious, his hands tremble, and he feels unwell all over whenever he's not working. He's not being diligent in his duties; the system has forced him into becoming the most insane...workaholic in the entire Tang Dynasty!"

After hearing this, Li Chengqian stood frozen in place.

He looked at the loud, even slightly manic laughter of Li Shimin coming from the Imperial Study not far away.

"Then... what should I do?"

Fang Xuanling, with a bitter expression, patted Li Chengqian's hand and spoke in a heavy tone.

"Your Highness, your only way out is to find more things for His Majesty to do. Otherwise, once he finishes approving the memorials of the Tang Dynasty, he will start watching your every word and action."

Li Chengqian turned his head stiffly, meeting Li Shimin's green, inward-curling gaze peering out of the window.

"You unfilial son, are you done peeing? If you are, get back here right now and start drawing!"

Li Chengqian's legs went weak, and he almost burst into tears.

This isn't immortality; it's clearly the old man activating a "perpetual motion machine" to drag him down with him into self-immolation!

"Prime Minister Fang, you haven't finished. What does this truth... really mean?"

Fang Xuanling swallowed hard and pointed to the sky.

"This means that as long as the Tang Dynasty continues to progress, Your Majesty will never be able to retire, and neither will you."