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

**Chapter 377 Chengqian's Comfort: Father, if you reign for another five hundred years, I'll take care of you in your old age.**

"Father, are you sure you mean it?"

Li Chengqian's half-dead rhetorical question, coupled with his heavy breathing like a candle flickering in the wind, instantly extinguished Li Shimin's anger, which had just been fueling his desire to shirk responsibility and abdicate.

Those large hands, which had been typing away on the keyboard with lightning speed and explosive power, were now frozen in mid-air. Li Shimin looked at his son, who was almost old and frail, and all the anger in his heart turned into an indescribable bitterness.

"Chengqian, you...you mustn't get agitated." Li Shimin grasped those withered hands, feeling his palms were covered in cold sweat. He had always been decisive and ruthless, and what he couldn't bear most was the separation of family members, let alone seeing the once spirited crown prince reduced to this miserable, frail old age.

Li Chengqian slumped deep into the sofa, followed by a series of heart-wrenching coughs. His entire frail body trembled violently on the leather sofa, as if his internal organs were about to be coughed up.

Xu Xiao quickly handed over some warm water and wiped away two non-existent tears. His actions were so practiced it was heartbreaking.

"Father, I know my own body best." Li Chengqian held the water cup tremblingly, the water sloshing violently, spilling a few drops onto his expensive cashmere coat.

He raised his head, and his once clear, peach-blossom eyes were now covered by a murky disguise, revealing a sense of desolation as he approached death.

"Your Majesty, I'm getting old, and my mind really isn't what it used to be. Yesterday, I even needed reading glasses to read the newspaper; I'd read the top line and forget the bottom one. My memory is worse than that old yellow dog at the door. And look at you! You were in your prime, full of energy and vigor, strong enough to dive into the sea and catch dragons. If it weren't for you, this pillar of strength, holding the Tang Dynasty together, it would have crumbled immediately!"

Li Shimin's eyes were red, and he gritted his teeth as he said, "But Chengqian, I'm tired too. There are dozens of provinces on this earth, and tens of thousands of telegrams every day. Even if I were made of iron, I would rust one day. I also want to go to an island to bask in the sun, and I also want to go fishing for some big fish in the Pacific Ocean."

"Father, how can you say you're tired? The well-being of all the people of the Tang Dynasty rests entirely on your shoulders!" Li Chengqian suddenly raised his voice, and due to the excessive force, he coughed out a series of hoarse sounds.

He struggled to sit up straight, gripping Li Shimin's dragon robe sleeves tightly, his eyes filled with pleading and an almost fanatical moral blackmail.

"Look at that map on the wall! From the heavy industrial bases of North America to the parliaments of Europe, and then to the rubber plantations of South America. Which province doesn't need your strategic planning? Although those vassal kings and princes each govern their own regions, they only ever submit to you, the Heavenly Khan!"

Li Chengqian patted his chest, making a dull thud.

"If you were to abdicate now, even if this old man were forcibly placed on the throne, who among those arrogant and fierce generals would be convinced? I fear that the moment I ascend the throne, the Tang Dynasty would be engulfed in war, and all the hard work of our Li family for generations would be destroyed! Even in the afterlife, I would have no face to face our ancestors!"

Li Shimin was stunned. Looking at his son's heartbroken expression, he pictured the vast and suffocating territory of the Tang Dynasty.

Indeed, apart from him, an "immortal" with limitless energy, who else could control this grand scheme spanning the ocean? The gears of the world are turning too fast; without him, everything would probably collapse instantly.

"Father, the safety of our descendants rests entirely on your shoulders." Li Chengqian reached out with trembling hands and gently patted the back of Li Shimin's hand, speaking earnestly.

"Rest assured, Father, as long as you continue to work, even if I have only one breath left, I will have someone push me in a wheelchair to the door of the Imperial Study. I will be there to applaud and cheer you on. And when the day comes that you can no longer work, I will crawl there to take care of you in your old age and see you off in your final days!"

These words were undeniably venomous.

An elderly son with white hair, facing a young and strong father, cried out that he would take care of him in his old age and see him off in his final days. This stark visual contrast and ethical shock shattered Li Shimin's defenses.

Looking at the murky tears in his son's eyes, Li Shimin felt as if a wad of wet cotton was stuffed into his chest, making him feel suffocated. He, the mighty Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, had actually fallen to the point of needing a dying son to comfort him.

"You brat, you're all old and you're still thinking about the Tang Dynasty's empire."

Li Shimin took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the stinging in his eyes. He abruptly stood up, his dark gold modern dragon robe fluttering in the wind under the bright incandescent lights, exuding an aura of domineering power capable of sweeping away thousands of troops.

"Enough! Since your health is truly failing, I cannot stand by and watch the foundation of the Tang Dynasty crumble."

Li Shimin strode to the enormous steel desk and slammed his hands heavily on it. He stared at the mountain of printed reports and the constantly fluctuating data on the LCD screen, his eyes regaining their resolute and frenzied intensity.

That was the national destiny engine given by the system being reignited, and the flames of involution were burning fiercely once again.

"For the sake of the Li family, for the sake of all the people under heaven, what harm is there in me taking another five hundred years? As long as I have a breath left, the rules of this earth shall be ruled by me! Anyone who dares to slack off, I will exterminate their entire family!"

Li Shimin turned his head and looked at Li Chengqian, who was slumped on the sofa. His tone was unusually gentle, even carrying a hint of a kind fatherly affection.

"Chengqian, just go back to the Eastern Palace and recuperate. No matter how fierce the storms outside, I'll be there to protect you. Whatever medicine you need, even if it's just a star in the sky, I'll have the Ministry of Works build a rocket to pluck it down for you! You just need to live well!"

Li Chengqian was deeply moved and nodded repeatedly, tears streaming down his face.

"Your Majesty's boundless grace is immense, your son... your son will certainly live well and witness with his own eyes the creation of this unprecedented spectacle! Even on my sickbed, your son will pray for Your Majesty day and night!"

"Xiao Wang! Quickly arrange for the highest-ranking imperial carriage to safely escort the Crown Prince back to the Eastern Palace. If he gets bumped or injured on the way, I'll skin you alive!" Li Shimin roared at Xiao Wang, the eunuch at the door.

"Your servant obeys!" The eunuch Wang was so frightened that he scrambled out to arrange the carriages.

Supported by Xu Xiao and Eunuch Wang on either side, Li Chengqian, leaning on his sandalwood dragon-head cane, staggered out of the imperial study. His hunched back conveyed a sense of desolation and sorrow, as if he were on the verge of death.

Li Shimin stood before the huge floor-to-ceiling window, watching his son's figure disappear at the end of the corridor. He sighed deeply, then turned around abruptly, like a tiger released from its cage, and plunged back into the mountain of electronic comprehension documents.

"Da da da".

The cane tapped against the smooth marble floor outside the Taiji Palace, producing a dull sound.

When the heavy sandalwood gate behind them closed completely, and when the Imperial Guards' view was completely blocked by the high wall around the corner, an astonishing miracle occurred.

Li Chengqian, who had just been unsteady on his feet and seemed on the verge of dying, suddenly stood still in the night wind.

He disdainfully shook off Xu Xiao and Eunuch Wang's support, then abruptly swung his arm away.

A crisp "clang" was heard.

He tossed that priceless dragon-headed cane into the nearby flowerbed as if it were trash.

Li Chengqian straightened his back instantly. His previously hunched back seemed to be infused with the elasticity of steel, and a faint cracking sound could be heard from his bones. The bitterness, weakness, and old age on his face vanished in the chilly night wind, replaced by a sly, fox-like grin.

"Your Highness, your ability to change your expression is truly astounding, even if I were to watch it for another hundred years." Xu Xiao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and glanced nervously towards the direction of the Imperial Study, fearing that the Emperor Juan might suddenly rush out.

Li Chengqian tugged at the tight collar, unbuttoned the thick cashmere coat, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Pretending to be sick is hard work. I even pinched my thigh until it turned purple just now to squeeze out those two tears. But if it can get the old man to willingly stay for another five hundred years, this deal is definitely a win-win situation."

He strode into the wide square, his steps as light as a street rogue who had just received a reward.

It was late at night, and the clouds over Chang'an had long since dispersed. Thanks to the strict control of industrial emissions by the Eastern Palace, the sky was exceptionally clear. Countless stars twinkled like scattered diamonds on dark velvet, shimmering with a mysterious light.

Li Chengqian stood with his hands behind his back, head tilted back. His gaze passed over the towering television tower, over the Earth's stratosphere, and fixed intently on the vast and boundless deep space of the universe.

He knew very well that the Tang Dynasty's territory had already expanded to its physical limits on Earth. If the national destiny engine within the old man didn't receive new fuel, it would eventually go completely insane due to a lack of work.

The problems on Earth have been solved; it's time to find new challenges.

Looking at the starry night sky, Li Chengqian slowly curled his lips into a wildly arrogant smile.

"Let's go, Lao Xu, it's time to head back."

"Your Highness, shall we go back to sleep?"

"Sleep for what? We've exhausted all the resources on Earth; it's time to find a new map for the old man to exploit."