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

Inside the side hall, you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on Qin Qiong, and they even deliberately slowed their breathing, afraid of disturbing this hard-won sliver of hope.

Qin Qiong lay on the soft couch and felt that he was sleeping very soundly.

In the past, even in his sleep, the old arrow wound in his chest would ache faintly, as if countless ants were gnawing at his bone marrow. On rainy days, the pain would be so intense that he wished he could rip his heart out.

But now...

It was a warm and comfortable place.

That long-lost feeling of being full of energy and blood flowed through my limbs and bones, like a dried-up, cracked riverbed finally receiving the nourishment of spring water.

"call--"

Qin Qiong took a deep breath, his chest heaving.

There was no stinging, no blockage, and it was so smooth that he could hardly believe it.

"Shubao?"

Li Shimin called out cautiously, his voice trembling as if he were holding a fragile porcelain vase, "How...are you feeling?"

Qin Qiong blinked, and his gaze finally focused.

He looked at the emperor, whose face was streaked with tears, and then at the crown prince next to him, who was playing with a strange pair of scissors. Memories flooded back into his mind like a tidal wave.

He braced himself against the bed frame, used his waist and abdomen to push himself up, and actually sat up!

Holy crap!

Cheng Yaojin jumped back in fright, his eyes widening in shock. "It's come back to life?!"

"Shut your mouth!"

Yuchi Gong slapped Cheng Yaojin on the back of the head, his eyes fixed on Qin Qiong, his face full of disbelief. "Old Qin, you... you can move?"

It's more than just being able to move.

Qin Qiong threw off the covers and put his feet on the ground. He tried to clench his fist, and his knuckles made a crisp "crackling" sound.

A long-lost sense of power gathered in my palm.

"ha!"

He instinctively threw a punch, the wind from which howled, creating a sound that shook the curtains beside him.

This punch, though not as powerful as it was at its peak, hardly resembled that of a dying man who had just stepped one foot into the gates of hell.

This is clearly a tiger that has just awakened!

"It's all better...it's really all better..."

Qin Qiong looked at his hands, his eyes instantly reddened, and hot tears slid down his resolute face.

The sheer joy of surviving a catastrophe, the awe of being reborn, made even this tough man, who never sheds a tear, choke up and lose his voice.

"Thump!"

Qin Qiong turned around abruptly and knelt heavily before the small figure who was packing up the medicine box.

His knees slammed into the ground, the sound shaking the roof tiles.

"Your Highness!"

This roar was filled with gratitude and awe that burst forth from the depths of the soul.

"The kindness of being reborn is like that of parents who gave me a second chance!"

"Qin Qiong's life was given to him by His Highness! From this day forward, as long as this body remains, as long as His Highness gives the order, even if it means facing mountains of knives and seas of fire, or the deepest hell, Qin Qiong will go!"

"I would gladly die a thousand deaths!"

boom! boom! boom!

He kowtowed three times, each time with a solid thud, and his forehead instantly turned a bruise.

Inside the side hall, there was an eerie silence.

Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, Li Jing... these top generals of the Tang Dynasty looked at the eight-year-old boy who was packing his things with his back to them, and their eyes changed completely.

If their previous awe of Li Chengqian stemmed more from the mysterious and unpredictable Great Snow Dragon Riders and Embroidered Uniform Guards, then...

At this moment, I am completely convinced.

The kind of respect that makes you prostrate yourself in awe!

They can make money to fill the national treasury, grow grain to support the people, and even repel the pro-peace faction. Now... they can even snatch people from the clutches of the King of Hell!

Is this the Crown Prince?

This is clearly a deity who has descended to earth to save all living beings!

Following a crown prince like that is like having one's ancestors' graves emitting auspicious smoke!

"Hey, Uncle Qin, what are you doing?"

Li Chengqian was startled by the scene and quickly threw the hemostat in his hand into the box, then jumped over to help Qin Qiong up.

"You are an elder, and a war god of the Tang Dynasty. If you kowtow to me, wouldn't that shorten my lifespan?"

As he brushed the dust off Qin Qiong's knees, he didn't forget to strike that signature "salted fish" pose, lazily saying:

"Besides, I didn't save you for nothing."

Qin Qiong was taken aback, then immediately straightened his back, his face serious: "What are your orders, Your Highness? Do you want me to kill Jieli, or to pacify the four directions?"

"Why kill? It's too tiring."

Li Chengqian curled his lip, looking disgusted.

"I was thinking that now that you're healthier, I won't have to worry about the hard and tiring work like fighting in the future."

He patted Qin Qiong's broad shoulders and said earnestly:

"As you know, I hate trouble the most; I'd rather lie down than sit."

"If the Turks dare to bare their teeth again, take your double maces and smash their front teeth."

"I'll just bask in the sun at the East Palace, drink some tea, and give you a couple of '666's' cheers. That's enough for me."

"Do you understand?"

Qin Qiong was stunned.

Li Shimin was stunned.

All the military officers in the room were stunned.

So all that effort you went through, using those amazing divine techniques to save people, was just so... you could be lazier in the future?

Is this the legendary "because of laziness, we need to cultivate stronger workers"?

"Pfft."

Cheng Yaojin couldn't help but laugh out loud, and gave Li Chengqian a thumbs up.

"Your Highness, your reasoning... is quite compelling! I, Old Cheng, am convinced!"

Qin Qiong was both amused and exasperated, but looking into Li Chengqian's clear yet weary eyes, he was deeply moved.

He knew that the Crown Prince was trying to reassure him and didn't want him to feel burdened.

"Your Highness, rest assured!"

Qin Qiong clasped his hands in a fist salute once more, his eyes burning with fighting spirit. "As long as Qin Qiong has a breath left, he will never allow the Turkic barbarians to disturb Your Highness's peaceful dreams!"

"That's right."

Li Chengqian nodded in satisfaction and yawned widely.

"Alright, that's enough for today. Old Xu, take the suitcase, let's head back to the palace."

"Every day is filled with arguing and surgeries, it's exhausting."

He waved his hand, turned around and was about to leave, his desolate figure revealing a sense of joy that "finally I'm off work."

Li Shimin stood aside, watching this scene unfold.

Looking at his loyal and devoted general, the general looked at his son with even more affection than he looked at himself.

Seeing those usually unruly military officers fawning over their son, as if they wanted to give him their hearts.

He felt incredibly gratified and proud, but also inexplicably... a little sour.

This feeling is like the cabbage you painstakingly raised has not only learned to root around the pigs, but has also bribed all the pigs in the sty.

Besides, he's also greedy!

Seeing Qin Qiong's youthful appearance just now, and then thinking about how I've been working so hard lately reviewing memorials that my back aches and I sometimes feel exhausted at night...

Li Shimin gritted his teeth, as if he had made up his mind.

"Chengqian..."

He took two quick steps and stopped Li Chengqian, who was about to step out the door.

"Um... don't rush off yet."

Li Chengqian stopped and looked at his father warily: "What? No money, no overtime, no blind dates."

"It's not those things."

Li Shimin blushed, looked around to make sure no one was paying attention, then leaned close to Li Chengqian's ear and quietly covered his lower back with one hand.

He forced a fawning, slightly lewd smile onto his face and said in a low voice:

"Father, lately, I don't know if it's because he's been sitting for too long reviewing memorials, but his back... always feels a bit sore and uncomfortable."

"Look... is there any more miracle medicine in that box?"

"Or, could you give me a couple of acupuncture treatments? To fix it up?"