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

"What?!"

Li Shimin's heart, which he had just put in his pocket, instantly jumped into his throat again.

Looking at Li Chengqian's smiling face, he felt increasingly uneasy as the more radiant the rebellious son's smile became.

Transfer of payment?

What accounts are we going to settle?

Do I not have any idea what kind of expenses your "security teams" incur?

The Great Snow Dragon Riders ate more beef in a day than my Xuanjia Army ate in a month!

If this money were really taken from the national treasury, the tens of millions of taels of silver that were just confiscated would probably be squandered by this rebellious son before he even had a chance to enjoy them!

"Cough cough."

Li Shimin coughed twice, trying to salvage the situation, "Chengqian, I was just joking with you. Look at you, you have absolutely no sense of humor."

He stepped forward and affectionately put his arm around Li Chengqian's shoulder, his expression as kind as could be.

"We're father and son, why are we distinguishing between us?"

"What's mine is yours, and what's yours... isn't it still yours?"

"I will keep this money for you for now. When you grow up and get married, I will..."

"stop!"

Li Chengqian interrupted his father's "pie-in-the-sky" rhetoric without any politeness, his face full of distrust.

"Father, you're talking like you're deceiving a child. No, you are deceiving a child."

Li Chengqian broke free from Li Shimin's arm, took two steps back, and maintained a safe distance.

"Let's not beat around the bush. I was the one who handled everything from beginning to end. The intelligence was gathered by my Imperial Guards, the people were arrested by my Imperial Guards, and those five hundred assassins were also wiped out by my Imperial Guards."

He pointed to the mountain of gold and silver, "And what about you, Father Emperor? You just issued an imperial edict and stamped it."

"If this were based on KPIs, you'd be nothing more than a tool for stamping documents, not even a project manager. Now that the project is successful, you want to take all the bonuses? There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

"A tool? A KPI?"

Li Shimin was confused, but he understood the general meaning.

This unfilial son is criticizing him for not putting in any effort and wanting to take all the benefits for himself!

"presumptuous!"

Li Shimin was furious. "I am the emperor! I am the sovereign and father! It is my right to take your things! You dare to negotiate with me?"

"Father, stop trying to pressure me with the emperor's name. That trick won't work on me."

Li Chengqian picked at his ear, looking completely unconcerned. "Let's settle this score today."

He held up three fingers.

"30/70 split."

Li Shimin was taken aback: "What do you mean by 30/70 split?"

"I get seven, you get three."

Li Chengqian said matter-of-factly, "I took full responsibility for the intelligence, manpower, and risks. You only asked for 30%, and that's only because you're my father. With anyone else, forget about even 10%!"

"You...you're dreaming!"

Li Shimin was so angry his beard trembled. "Nine-one! I'll give you nine-one! That's the most I can give you! That's a reward from me!"

"Two-eight." Li Chengqian remained unmoved.

"Eighty-two! I'll take eight, you'll take two!"

"Sanqi".

"Qi San!"

"make a deal!"

Li Shimin: "..."

He felt as if he had been tricked by this rebellious son.

Wait a minute, wasn't it 91 just now? How did it become 73 in the blink of an eye?

"Chengqian..."

Li Shimin wanted to try one more time, so he started to play the emotional card: "Look, you are my only eldest son. Isn't the Tang Dynasty all yours in the future? Why are you making such a big deal out of it now? It hurts our feelings."

"Father, don't try that on me."

Li Chengqian curled his lips, "Even close brothers keep clear accounts. Besides, what if you suddenly have a brain fart and have a few more brothers, and insist on starting some kind of 'Nine Princes' Succession Struggle'? Then it's hard to say whether my position as crown prince will still be secure."

"By then, I'll have neither money nor power. Who will I cry to then?"

"This is called... proactive risk management and securing profits."

Li Shimin was stunned.

This unfilial son, only eight years old, how can he think so far ahead? The struggle for the throne among the nine princes? Where did he hear these nonsensical terms?

"I promise you! I swear! From now on, you will be the only crown prince, and I will never change him!" Li Shimin was anxious, afraid that his son would not believe him.

"That's hard to say."

Li Chengqian shook his head. "The heart of an emperor is like a needle at the bottom of the sea. I certainly can't trust him."

He was secretly delighted to see Li Shimin's constipated expression, as if "the cooked duck had flown away," but on the surface he looked like he was in a "dilemma."

"How about this, Father? Seeing how pitiful you are, I'll compromise further."

"It's 40/60, I get 60% and you get 40%, no less than that. That's my bottom line."

Li Shimin was still hesitating, because this was tantamount to cutting off a large portion of the national treasury at once!

"If you still don't agree..."

Li Chengqian sighed softly, his gaze drifting towards the direction of the Eastern Palace. His voice wasn't loud, but everyone present could hear him clearly.

"Then there's nothing I can do."

"The only thing we can do is call over those three thousand brothers from the Great Snow Dragon Riders who have been starving for half a month, and let them have a proper discussion with you, the Emperor of the Great Tang."

"Tell me, do they listen to you, or to me, the one who pays their salaries?"

The air froze instantly.

Looking at his son's harmless face, Li Shimin felt a chill run down his spine.

He recalled the three thousand killing gods on the banks of the Wei River.

I remembered the young general in white robes who stabbed the Turkic general into a bloody mist with a single shot.

I remembered that lame old devil who stood amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, saying, "The Crown Prince didn't let you leave, so who dares to move?"

Threat.

This is a blatant threat of force!

This unfilial son not only knows how to use economic warfare, but now he's even learned "physical persuasion"!

"You...you dare threaten me?!"

Li Shimin pointed at Li Chengqian, his hand trembling.

"Father, please don't misunderstand."

Li Chengqian spread his hands innocently, "How dare I threaten you? I am merely stating a fact."

"The Great Snow Dragon Riders are all crude warriors who don't understand any profound principles of loyalty between ruler and subject, father and son. They only care about money and fists."

"What if, during the argument later, some clueless person accidentally touches you somewhere...?"

"I cannot bear that responsibility."

Li Shimin's face turned pale, then bluish, and finally turned a deep liver color.

He looked at the mountains of gold and silver, then at the unfilial son before him who was unyielding and impervious to reason.

He finally understood.

In front of this kid, he, the emperor, really seems to have... no prestige at all.

"Fine! I accept it!"

Li Shimin squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth, each word dripping with blood.

"Just like you said, 40/60!"

"But! Don't even think about taking a single penny from the national treasury again to cover the expenses of your few armies!"

"Alright! Father Emperor, you're too kind!"

Li Chengqian's face immediately lit up with a smile, and he ran over eagerly to massage Li Shimin's legs.

"Your Majesty is wise! Rest assured, Your Majesty, I will certainly use this money to make greater contributions to the eternal prosperity of the Tang Dynasty!"

"roll!"

Li Shimin kicked him away, feeling so heartbroken he could hardly breathe.

Forty percent...

That works too.

It's better than nothing.

Li Shimin comforted himself, just about to have someone start counting the 40% that belonged to the national treasury.

Li Chengqian's voice rang out again, softly.

"By the way, Father."

"We were just talking about cash and jewelry, split 40/60."

"As for these land deeds, property deeds, shops..."

Li Chengqian pointed to the other small hills and laughed like a fox who had stolen a chicken.

"I believe these properties would be easier to manage if they were under the Crown Prince's name. What do you think?"