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

"Get out of my way! Anyone who dares to block my way, I'll chop them down too!"

Li Shimin, carrying the Emperor's sword, charged into the Imperial Garden like a thunderstorm, leaving a trail of sparks and lightning. Wang De and his gang of old, frail eunuchs followed behind, running themselves ragged, but they couldn't even touch the hem of His Majesty's robes.

As soon as I stepped through the moon gate, a wave of heat mixed with a strong smell of burning hit me.

Li Shimin stopped in his tracks. In that instant, he felt as if his heart had been squeezed tightly, and the pain was so intense that he couldn't breathe.

The once lush and vibrant Imperial Garden now appears as if it has just been ravaged by war.

His most beloved "Wei Zi" cypress, which he had paid a fortune to transplant from Luoyang, was now reduced to just a few dark branches, swaying forlornly in the wind. As for the "Yao Huang" cypress trees next to it, which should have been in full bloom this season, not even a trace remained; only a pile of black ash, still emitting wisps of smoke, lay on the ground.

The place was a complete mess, a truly pitiful sight.

"My flowers...my money..."

Li Shimin's hands trembled, his lips trembled, and his eyes instantly reddened. This wasn't just burning flowers; it was burning his own heart!

"Slurp—"

At this suffocating moment of grief, an extremely untimely licking sound came from behind the artificial hill not far away.

Li Shimin suddenly turned his head, his eyes blazing with fury.

Beside the pile of expensive charcoal that had not yet been completely extinguished, two small black men with faces smeared like African refugees were squatting on the ground.

Prince Wei, Li Tai, huddled in a ball, his entire body trembling violently. The cotton candy he was holding had long since fallen to the ground in fright, covered in black ash. He stared at his father, the emperor, charging towards him with his sword drawn, the sound of his teeth chattering audible even from afar.

And what about Li Chengqian?

This guy was holding a skewer of golden-brown, oozing marshmallows, sticking out his tongue and licking the stringy strands with obvious enjoyment. When he saw Li Shimin looking over, instead of showing any remorse, he raised the skewer in his hand, grinned, and revealed two rows of teeth that shone white against his dark face.

"Father, you've come at the perfect time!"

"Try it! This sugar, made with Wei Zi peony seeds, is truly exceptional; it exudes an air of luxury!"

boom--!

The string of "reason" in Li Shimin's mind snapped completely at this moment, making a crisp cracking sound.

An air of wealth and nobility?

I will grant you wealth and honor! I will send you to the Western Paradise to enjoy ultimate bliss and riches!

"You traitor! Come and accept your fate!"

Li Shimin roared and, without even drawing his sword, swung the Emperor's Sword, still in its heavy scabbard, and lashed it at Li Chengqian's buttocks.

"Oh no! Father has killed someone!"

Li Chengqian let out a strange cry and reacted incredibly quickly, shoving the cotton candy in his hand into Li Tai's arms before taking off running.

"Qingque, hold this for me, I'm going to visit Father!"

Holding the scalding hot cotton candy, Li Tai was so frightened by his father's murderous aura that his eyes rolled back and he almost fainted on the spot. He could only cover his head and shrink into the crevice of the artificial hill, pretending to be dead.

"You still dare to run?!"

Li Shimin was furious, drawing his sword and relentlessly pursuing him. "If I don't break your legs today, I won't be emperor!"

"Father, this is unreasonable!"

While using the Qin King's skillful maneuvering to dart around the pillars, Li Chengqian didn't forget to turn back and tease his father, "It's just a few flowers! Out with the old, in with the new! Your son is helping you get rid of the old and welcome the new, symbolizing a prosperous and thriving Tang Dynasty!"

"Prosperous and thriving?"

Li Shimin was so angry that he stumbled and almost stepped into the flower bed. "I'll give you a good spanking!"

"Halt! Stop right there!"

When it comes to military campaigns, Li Shimin is undoubtedly a master. But in this narrow and complex imperial garden with its artificial hills, catching an eight-year-old boy who is more cunning than a monkey and more slippery than an eel is something he really struggles with.

After chasing for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Li Shimin was panting heavily, his dragon robe torn in several places by tree branches, yet he hadn't even touched a hair on Li Chengqian's head.

"If you're so capable, then don't run away!" Li Shimin said, holding his knees and panting heavily.

"If you're so capable, then don't chase me!" Li Chengqian hid behind a Taihu rock, peeking out half of his black head with a grin.

"well……"

Li Shimin was so angry that he laughed. He straightened up, took a deep breath, and stopped chasing.

He glanced around, grabbed a long bamboo pole used for watering nearby, and blocked the direction where Li Chengqian was hiding.

"Where do you think you're going to run to!"

This time, Li Chengqian miscalculated.

He tried to slip to the left, but found a high wall there; if he ran to the right, Li Shimin was blocking his way with a bamboo pole and a sinister smile.

dead end.

"Hehe, Father, let's talk this out. A gentleman uses words, not fists..."

Li Chengqian retreated step by step until his back pressed against the cold palace wall. A hint of panic finally appeared on his face. "Violence won't solve anything. We must win people over with virtue!"

"Winning people over with virtue?"

Li Shimin sneered, approaching step by step, the bamboo pole in his hand whistling through the air with a chilling sound. "Today, I will use this bamboo pole to teach you what 'virtue' really means!"

"Come here! Lie down properly!"

Li Shimin raised the bamboo pole high, he was truly enraged. If he struck with that stick, the buttocks would be swollen for half a month, if not completely bruised.

Li Chengqian looked at the falling bamboo pole, subconsciously closed his eyes, and covered his head with his hands.

"Oh no, oh no, we've really messed up this time!"

"Brother Tongzi, help me!"

Just as the bamboo pole, whistling through the wind, was only 0.01 centimeters away from Li Chengqian's buttocks, about to leave an indelible mark on the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty's esteemed rear,...

Sudden.

The surrounding temperature dropped to freezing point without warning.

The autumn wind, which was still howling, seemed to have been abruptly cut off by an invisible hand.

Li Shimin felt a chill run down his spine.

The feeling was like being stared at from behind by a ferocious beast that had emerged from the ancient wilderness.

A thick, suffocating stench of blood, mixed with a terrifying killing intent as vast as mountains of corpses and seas of blood, instantly enveloped his entire body, making his hand, which was raised in mid-air, stiffen and unable to fall.

That killing intent wasn't just directed at the body, but pierced straight to the soul.

It was as if if he dared to bring his bamboo pole down, the next second, the Emperor's Sword, and even the Emperor himself, would instantly turn into a cold corpse.

Cold sweat instantly beaded on Li Shimin's forehead.

He swallowed hard, his neck stiffening like a rusted bearing, and slowly turned his head.

It was less than three steps behind him.

A ghost-like figure had silently appeared there sometime earlier.