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

With a low, mechanical roar, the bronze doors of the Taiji Hall swung open completely, and a cold draft, carrying fine dust, rushed into the depths of the hall.

Li Chengqian's fair and slender right hand was firmly resting on the tiger tally at the messenger's waist. The cold metallic texture of the tiger tally traveled through his palm, but the force in his hand was as heavy as Mount Tai, pressing the captain, who was in a hurry to run for his life, to the spot.

"Do you want to set back the technology of the Tang Dynasty by five hundred years?"

Li Chengqian's voice echoed in the hall, each syllable chillingly cold, exuding a sense of oppressive power that sent shivers down one's spine.

Li Shimin, who was roaring wildly at the holographic screen, suddenly froze in that instant.

He slowly turned his head, the lingering murderous intent in his eyes like two tangible blades, piercing straight at his rebellious son standing at the door. The pent-up rage of the entire day found its outlet in that instant. The veins on Li Shimin's forehead throbbed violently; in his excessive anger, his gaze towards Li Chengqian even carried a hint of hostility befitting an emperor.

This look was not like looking at one's own blood relative, but rather at a traitor who dared to defy the might of Heaven.

The messenger who had been held down by Li Chengqian was now completely limp.

Caught between the terrifying pressure emanating from the father and son, he felt as if he were in an ice cellar. Large beads of cold sweat streamed down the edge of his helmet, tracing lines across his pale, bloodless face. His legs trembled violently, the faint sound of his kneecaps striking each other audible. He dared not move, dared not even breathe loudly, staring in terror at the hand pressed against the tiger tally, as if it were some kind of deadly curse.

"You unfilial son... what did you just say?"

Li Shimin's voice was terrifyingly deep, like a tiger gathering its strength, each word carrying a strong, bloody aura.

"My empire is collapsing, my kingdom is being trampled on by those treacherous subjects! And now you come here to tell me I should swallow my anger for the sake of those beasts who cut the power?"

He slammed his hand on the control panel, creating a deafening roar that caused the holographic screen to distort violently.

Li Chengqian, however, showed no intention of backing down.

He released the messenger, and the captain, slumped in a state of blissful relief, strode up the steps. His slippers clicked on the expensive white marble tiles, the sound particularly jarring in the somber atmosphere, yet carrying an unusual air of composure.

"Father, are you still asleep?"

Li Chengqian stopped three steps away from Li Shimin, a mocking smile curving his lips, his eyes meeting Li Shimin's bloodshot gaze.

"Murder? Suppression? Do you think this is about cutting down Turks on the grasslands or arresting rioters in the mud? Let me tell you, the precision machine tools of the industrial age are not hoes! You put a knife to the neck of a serf, and he will bend down to farm in order to survive, because farming only requires strength."

Li Chengqian suddenly stepped forward, getting close to Li Shimin's nose, speaking rapidly, each word like a heavy artillery barrage.

"But look at those factories in North America! They have high-frequency oscillating cutters, molecular-level grinders! If you put a bayonet to the neck of those highly skilled technicians, and they panic even for a second, and their fingers tremble by even a fraction of an inch, your prized blast furnace will explode into the sky due to pressure imbalance!"

"At that point, you won't just lose a few percentage points of stock, but the industrial capital that Datang has accumulated over the past few decades! Do you want to turn the entire North American heavy industry zone into scorched earth?"

Li Shimin was stunned by the barrage of questions.

His raised finger trembled slightly, and the words about "bloody suppression" caught in his throat. Although he didn't understand what molecular-level polishing was, he understood what "explosion" and "scorched earth" meant.

Inside the holographic projection, Li Tai, located in North America, was staring intently at this scene.

Watching through the high-definition camera as his elder brother dared to confront their father, who was on the verge of exploding, the shock stunned him, causing his mind to go blank. Li Tai subconsciously swallowed, looking at Li Chengqian's not-so-robust back, a surge of indescribable fear and awe welled up inside him.

"Big brother...you've really gone mad..."

Li Tai muttered to himself, the sea of ​​torches behind him still churning. He suddenly realized that his elder brother was protecting not only the lives of those workers, but also the crumbling future of the Tang Dynasty. Faced with this debate that was about to ignite the entire empire, he, the Prince of Wei who usually prided himself on his intelligence, didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

"Shouldn't those who rebel be killed?"

Li Shimin still held his neck straight, his voice trembling violently; this was his last act of stubbornness as an emperor.

"If we don't kill them, what will become of the rules of this world? If we don't kill them, will factories all over the world follow North America's example and cut off their power to threaten me tomorrow?"

"Killing can resolve hatred, but it cannot solve productivity problems."

Li Chengqian sneered, his eyes revealing a clear-headed perspective on the times.

"Father, you must understand one thing. In the logic of the Tang Dynasty before, people were tools, cattle and horses. But in the logic of the present, these workers who have mastered the core technologies are the most valuable parts of the empire. If you smash the parts, the machine is ruined. Military suppression will only destroy the industrial system that has been built up with great difficulty, and make the Tang Dynasty regress to the Stone Age where we could only rely on the weather for food."

"Is this the result you wanted? To bury our entire universe just to vent your anger?"

An eerie stalemate ensued in the main hall.

Li Shimin's chest heaved violently, like an old bellows panting heavily. He stared intently at Li Chengqian, the redness in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by a look of embarrassment at having his sore spot exposed.

Although he was stunned by the consequences of the "machine tool explosion" and the "industrial ruins," his imperial pride still made him grit his teeth and point at the glaring green on the screen.

"Not kill them? Are you just going to let them stop working? Are you just going to watch the stock market plummet? What kind of magic do you have to make these hundreds of thousands of rioters obediently go back to work?!"

Li Shimin's roar was hoarse with a kind of despair.

Looking at his father's desperate struggle, Li Chengqian sighed inwardly. This cognitive gap caused by generational differences couldn't be bridged with just a few words.

He reached into his trench coat pocket, pulled out a ballpoint pen, turned around, and slowly tapped it on a corner of the expensive holographic screen.

"I don't have magic, but I have brains."

Li Chengqian pointed to his head and, under Li Shimin's astonished and uncertain gaze, calmly uttered two words.

"system."