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

"Click."

The sharp sound was particularly jarring in the deathly silence of the ruins of the Imperial Garden.

The bamboo skewer Li Chengqian used to string cotton candy broke in two, the sharp end piercing his fingertip and drawing out a bead of bright red blood.

But he seemed not to feel any pain.

Her face, which always wore a lazy smile and seemed to be able to cover herself with a blanket even if the sky were to fall, was now covered with a layer of chilling frost.

That look was no longer the nonchalant gaze of a salted fish looking at the world, but rather the fierce golden eyes of a young dragon whose scales had been touched.

"Changle..."

Li Chengqian murmured the name softly.

That was his own sister, the little girl who always followed him around calling him "Crown Prince Brother," and who would always think of him first whenever there was something delicious to eat.

She was the apple of the eye of the Tang Dynasty, the most noble princess of the Li family.

Now, a bunch of barbarians who eat raw meat and drink blood actually want to reach their dirty hands towards her?

"it is good."

"very good."

Li Chengqian casually tossed away the broken token, took out a handkerchief, and slowly wiped the sugar frosting and bloodstains off his hands.

"Old Xu, stop cleaning up."

He turned around and waved to Xu Xiao, who was cleaning up the battlefield, his tone so calm it was almost frightening.

"Let's go to the Taiji Hall."

"Let's go see which fool is so reckless as to think they have too much time on their hands."

……

Taiji Hall.

The atmosphere was oppressive, like dark clouds before a storm, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.

Li Shimin sat upright on the dragon throne, his face ashen, his hands gripping the armrests tightly, his knuckles white.

In the center of the hall stood a large Turkic man dressed in a fur coat with a full beard.

Stubbornness leads to loss of thinking power.

They were an "old acquaintance" of the Turks.

This time, however, he was no longer representing the defeated Jieli, but rather the so-called "steppe alliance" of the Western Turks and the Tiele tribes.

He did not kneel like the officials of the Tang Dynasty, but instead raised his head, pointed his nose at Li Shimin, and wore that nauseatingly arrogant smile.

"Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty."

Zhi Shisi said in broken Chinese, his tone full of provocation.

"Our Khan said that what happened at the Wei River last time was a misunderstanding. We are all neighbors, and fighting and killing would only damage our harmony."

"Now the various tribes of the grasslands have formed an alliance, and there are a million archers! If the Tang Dynasty does not want the borders to be devastated and does not want the tragedy of Youzhou to be repeated in Chang'an, then it must show some sincerity."

"Sincerity?"

Li Shimin sneered, a murderous glint in his eyes. "What kind of sincerity do you want? Gold and silver? Or cloth?"

"Tacky!"

Zhishi Sili waved his hand dismissively, "Gold and silver are such vulgar things; our Khan has no interest in them. What we want is for our two families to form a marriage alliance!"

"I've heard that His Majesty the Emperor has a beloved daughter, whose title is Chang Le?"

"Our Khan has long admired you and has specially sent me to propose marriage! As long as Princess Changle marries into the grasslands, neither the Western Turks nor the Tiele will dare to invade the borders of the Tang Dynasty for ten years!"

"You bastard!"

Li Shimin slammed his hand on the imperial desk and abruptly stood up. "That's my eldest daughter! She's only seven years old! How dare you beasts say such a thing?!"

"Alas, Your Majesty is mistaken."

Not only was Zhishi Sili unafraid, he became even more arrogant, saying, "Children of the grasslands are not concerned with trivial matters. Besides, we can raise him since he's young; our Khan doesn't mind."

"you--!"

Li Shimin was so angry that he trembled all over, wishing he could just draw his sword and kill this guy.

But reason told him he couldn't act impulsively.

Having just quelled the rebellion in Youzhou, and although Bai Qi had annihilated 100,000 rebel troops, the Tang Dynasty's national strength had been severely depleted. If a full-scale war were to break out at this time with the Western Turks and the Tiele, the outcome would be uncertain.

"Your Majesty...please calm down."

Just then, an old and helpless voice rang out.

Prime Minister Xiao Yu walked out of the ranks of civil officials, trembling, and knelt down on the ground, holding his official tablet.

"Your Majesty, a small act of impatience can ruin a great plan."

With tears streaming down his face, Xiao Yu's voice was filled with sorrow as he said, "Now that the internal troubles of the Tang Dynasty have been quelled and the national treasury is full, the soldiers are exhausted. It is truly not advisable to wage war again!"

"That's a million archers! If they really march south, the disaster of Youzhou will likely be repeated, and the people of the world will suffer in the end."

"Princess Chang Le may be noble, but... but if one's life could be exchanged for ten years of peace in the Tang Dynasty, and for the safety of millions of people on the border..."

Xiao Yu kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the ground with a dull thud.

"This is... truly benevolent and righteous!"

"I second that proposal!"

"I second that opinion!"

In an instant, a large number of people in the imperial court knelt down.

Most of the civil officials, especially those who advocated peace, stood on Xiao Yu's side at this moment.

In their eyes, this was a great deal.

Sacrificing a woman, even a princess, to bring peace and save huge sums of military spending is a win no matter how you look at it.

As for whether that woman is willing or not, and whether she will suffer on the grassland?

Who cares?

That was a matter for the royal family; they were victims of the "greater good."

Looking at his kneeling ministers, Li Shimin felt as if a large stone was lodged in his chest, making him feel suffocated.

He looked at Changsun Wuji, who lowered his head to avoid his gaze.

He then looked at Fang Xuanling, who sighed and looked conflicted.

Even the most outspoken Wei Zheng opened his mouth, but ultimately chose to remain silent.

Although they couldn't accept it emotionally, reason told them that Xiao Yu was right.

The current situation is indeed not suitable for turning against the entire grassland.

"You...you..."

Li Shimin pointed at his ministers, his voice trembling, "Do you want me to sell my daughter for personal gain?!"

"Your Majesty! This is for the sake of the nation!" Xiao Yu wept bitterly, as if he were the one who had been wronged.

Zhi Shisi stood aside, watching this grand drama between the emperor and his ministers, his smile growing increasingly unrestrained and smug.

He knew he had won.

That's how Han people are; they're spineless. Just scare them a little, give them a way out, and they'll obediently hand over their most precious possessions.

"Your Majesty the Emperor."

Zhi Shisi took a step forward, his tone filled with undisguised contempt, "It seems your subjects are all quite sensible."

"What? The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty can't even bear to part with his own daughter?"

"If you can't bear to part with her, then don't blame me for being ruthless! When my iron cavalry marches south, it won't be as simple as just taking a princess!"

"It seems the Tang Dynasty is nothing special after all! Hahaha!"

Arrogant laughter echoed throughout the hall, extremely jarring.

Li Shimin clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his flesh, and blood flowed down between his fingers.

He was a father, but also an emperor.

At this moment, these two identities were tearing him apart inside his body, causing him unbearable pain.

It was at this desperate moment.

"That's all?"

A cold, sarcastic voice suddenly came from the entrance of the main hall.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a sharp knife, instantly piercing through the noise in the hall and making everyone's heart skip a beat.

"I think it's none of your business to comment on the state of the Tang Dynasty."

"But you..."

Accompanied by steady footsteps, a boy dressed in casual clothes, holding half a handkerchief in his hand, slowly stepped over the high threshold.

In the shadows against the light, his expression was obscured; all that could be felt was the chill that made one feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

"I think it's your dog's head that's reluctant to part with your neck, isn't it?"