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

With the frenzy in the Tang Dynasty stock market and the complete establishment of a modern financial management system, the glaring blood-red alarm panel on Li Chengqian's retina finally stopped flashing wildly.

In that instant, the dark red data turbulence that had filled his field of vision melted away at a visible speed, like snow meeting the midday sun. In its place was a soft, deep, and vibrant blue.

The feeling was like a drowning person suddenly surfacing and taking in their first gulps of oxygen, salty and briny from the sea.

Li Chengqian's previously stiff back finally relaxed little by little as the mechanical voice subsided. He seemed to have lost the last bit of strength, sliding down the curve of the recliner, his Adam's apple bobbing as he let out a barely audible murmur.

【bite--!】

A clear, solemn, and utterly ethereal electronic voice, devoid of any worldly concerns, suddenly and unexpectedly rang out in the very center of his consciousness.

The crisis of civilizational division has been averted.

The automated auxiliary management network has been officially launched, and the social carrying capacity of the Tang Empire has been upgraded. Current version: 1.2 (Industrial and Financial Integration).

As the two lines of golden characters appeared on his retina, Li Chengqian saw that the blood-red dots that had been flashing wildly on the holographic map, representing "technological collapse," instantly transformed into a tranquil emerald green.

The visual healing sensation made him feel as if the whole world had become clear and transparent.

This transformation is not just a change in color.

Through the system's feedback, Li Chengqian clearly sensed that the steel gears of the Tang Empire had meshed again. The high-speed rail dispatching system, which had come to a standstill due to chaotic administrative logic, was now functioning again with the support of computing power. Those precision parts that had begun to rust due to lack of maintenance seemed to have their last bit of durability preserved under the baptism of an invisible magnetic field.

The cracks in civilization were stitched back together at the last moment by the hand called "modern finance".

"call--"

Li Chengqian let out a long sigh of relief.

It was a breath of stale air that had been trapped in his chest for three whole days, now being expelled with a faint whistling sound. He slumped onto the soft recliner as if dehydrated, his eyes unfocused as he stared at the towering coffered ceiling of the Eastern Palace.

In that instant, he felt like a condemned prisoner who had just been taken down from the gallows.

He trembled as he raised his left hand to wipe the fine beads of cold sweat from his forehead. His palm was icy cold, a physiological reaction to lingering fear.

Recalling the heart-pounding moments of the past few days, Li Chengqian's heart still pounded uncontrollably.

He almost watched his hard-earned wealth of decades vanish into thin air. Those aircraft carriers he'd painstakingly built, those launch vehicles yet to pierce the heavens—if they were reduced to scrap metal because of this strike, he felt even suicide wouldn't be enough to atone for the loss of his brain cells.

Fortunately.

A sense of relief at surviving a disaster, like a warm current, slowly seeped into his body along with his thoughts.

"Old man...you really know how to find work for me."

He gave a bitter twitch at the corner of his mouth, his tone revealing a weariness born from escaping death. Although half of his vacation was ruined, as long as these "technology trees" remained and the foundation of the Tang Dynasty wasn't rotten, this salted fish would always have a chance to turn over and lie down again.

Just as he was immersed in these complex emotions, the system's voice sounded again, this time with a touch of cheerful electronic synthesized music.

[Successful guidance of civilization advancement detected; special rewards settled.]

[Reward 1: The stability of Datang's nationwide quantum base stations has been improved by 20%.]

[Reward 2: The Advanced Fully Automated Life Support System – 'Salted Fish Cabin' (prototype blueprints and core modules) has been delivered to the system space.]

[Note: This device can provide deep sleep and micronutrient supplementation, allowing you to achieve peak physiological function restoration while you sleep, supporting up to one month of uninterrupted lying down.]

Li Chengqian's previously lifeless eyes suddenly flashed with a startling glint when he heard the words "support a month of uninterrupted bed rest".

Salted fish hold?

Physiological remodeling?

This is practically a cheating device tailor-made for him!

The exhaustion he had felt earlier vanished almost instantly, replaced by the exhilarating feeling of reaping spoils. This feedback from the leap in civilization made the past few days of hard work seem less unbearable.

He could even imagine himself lying in that futuristic hibernation pod, oblivious to everything around him, with nothing to do but sleep soundly.

The torrential rain outside the East Palace continued to rage.

The sound of raindrops hitting the glazed tiles was heavy and rapid, but to Li Chengqian's ears, it became a beautiful lullaby.

He knew that now that the crisis was over, and that he had personally cultivated the old man's "internet addiction to stock trading," the massive machine of the Tang Empire would, for a long time to come, operate smoothly on its own under the manipulation of that invisible hand called "capital interests."

The world has finally returned to the rhythm that belongs to salted fish.

Thinking of this, the desire for a vacation grew wildly in his heart again, like weeds.

"Snapped!"

Li Chengqian slammed his hand on the armrest, his movement as swift as a startled kangaroo.

He scrambled up from the recliner where he had been slumped for so long, the force causing his slippers to slip and nearly make him stumble. He didn't even bother to straighten his wrinkled shirt, and instead shouted something at the palace gate.

"Old Xu! Xu Xiao!"

Li Chengqian's voice was loud and clear, carrying a sense of eager anticipation.

"Forget about those beggars at the gate! Forget about them freezing to death! Get inside now! Pack your bags! We're going back to Hawaii!"

He roared as he paced rapidly around the main hall, his previous sickly and listless demeanor completely gone.

Now that the crisis was over, and the old man was completely engrossed in watching the stock market, Li Chengqian's desire for a vacation rekindled. He jumped up from his recliner and shouted towards the door, "Old Xu! Forget about those beggars, come in and pack your bags!"