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

When Li Chengqian returned to the Eastern Palace, the sky was already beginning to lighten.

He did not return to his bedchamber, but went straight to the tallest building, the Star-Picking Tower.

The wind was strong on the rooftop, making his brocade robe flutter loudly.

He stood before the railing, looking down at the majestic city slowly awakening in the morning light.

The bloodshed and carnage of the night seemed to have left little scar on the city. The bloodstains on Zhuque Street had been washed away overnight, and the doors and windows of the market were open again, with wisps of smoke rising and bringing the lively atmosphere of a new day.

It felt as if last night's harrowing cleanup was just an unreal dream.

But Li Chengqian knew that something had changed forever.

The dark clouds that had hung over the city for centuries have dissipated.

"Your Highness, you haven't slept all night. Please have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up."

Xu Xiao appeared behind him at some point, holding a steaming cup of ginger tea.

Li Chengqian took the teacup, the warmth spreading from his fingertips throughout his body. He took a sip, the spicy warmth sliding into his stomach, dispelling the last trace of chill.

"Old Xu, do you think this counts as... peace and prosperity for the country?"

Li Chengcheng looked at the rising sun in the distance and asked softly.

Xu Xiao followed his gaze and saw a complex emotion flash in those cloudy old eyes.

"Your Highness, at least... no one dares to complain about being hungry anymore."

Li Chengqian smiled.

This is enough.

Just then, the long-silent system notification finally appeared in his mind.

【Ding! 】

[The host has been detected to have eradicated the malignant tumor of powerful clans that had dominated the Tang Dynasty for hundreds of years with swift and decisive action, completing the hidden epic mission—"Destroying the Old and Establishing the New"!]

[The Tang Dynasty's national fortune has received an epic boost!]

[Task reward settlement in progress...]

[Congratulations, host, you have received reward one: 100 bags of super hybrid rice seeds!]

[Note: This is the culmination of Shennong Yuan Gong's life's work. It is cold-resistant, drought-resistant, disease-resistant, and insect-resistant, with a yield of up to 2,000 catties per mu! Enough to completely solve the food problem in southern Tang Dynasty!]

[Congratulations, host, on receiving Reward Two: The Infrastructure Maniac's Grand Gift Pack!]

[Includes: High-grade cement formula (for building skyscrapers), flat glass firing technology (to light up the world), and... an advanced black powder formula (for splitting mountains and cracking rocks, with immense power)!]

[Congratulations, host, on receiving Reward 3: Legendary Building Blueprint – "The Tang Dynasty Never Sleeps"!]

[Note: This drawing not only incorporates forward-thinking urban planning concepts, but also includes groundbreaking core technologies—a rudimentary form of electricity (hydropower generator set) and a biogas lighting system!]

boom--!

With a barrage of rewards coming his way, even someone as seasoned as Li Chengqian was still reeling from the shock.

Hybrid rice? Cement and glass? Black powder?

They even managed to get electricity out of there?!

This system is trying to fast-forward the Tang Dynasty directly from a feudal society to the Industrial Revolution era!

Li Chengqian's breathing became rapid instantly.

He closed his eyes, and the blueprint titled "The City That Never Sleeps in the Tang Dynasty" slowly unfolded in his mind.

That was no longer the ancient, market-style Chang'an of today.

It's not a city, it's a true megacity!

Wide cement roads crisscross the landscape, and tall glazed tile buildings stand side by side.

As night fell, the deathly silence of curfew was replaced by a blaze of lights, as bright as day. The enormous biogas lamps illuminated Zhuque Avenue like a modern pedestrian street, lined with shops, bustling with people and traffic, all night long.

In the heart of the city, there is even a towering "Tang Dynasty TV Tower" (although it is just a concept), with searchlight beams piercing the night sky from its top, proclaiming the city's extraordinary nature to all directions.

Beneath the city lies a dense network of sewers and biogas pipes, transforming urban filth into light.

"This...this is fucking..."

Looking at the dazzling, dreamlike future Chang'an in his mind, Li Chengqian felt his blood boiling.

This is the Tang Dynasty he wanted!

This is the golden age that truly deserves the title of "Celestial Empire"!

What is this Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai?

Compared to this city that never sleeps, it's incredibly tacky!

"Your Highness? Your Highness, what's wrong?"

Xu Xiao was startled to see his master suddenly freeze in place, his face flushed with an odd redness. "Are you alright? Should we summon Doctor Sun?"

"I'm fine! I'm perfectly alright!"

Li Chengqian suddenly opened his eyes, and his eyes burst forth with an unprecedentedly brilliant light, so bright that Xu Xiao dared not look directly at them.

"Old Xu! Don't just stand there! Go!"

Li Chengqian shoved the teacup in his hand into Xu Xiao's arms, excitedly spinning around on the spot.

"Go and seize Duan Lun! Tie up that Minister of Works and bring him here! No, bring him here!"

"And Mo Ju! Tell him to gather all his disciples and followers!"

"And...and Dai Zhou! Tell him to bring his money bag and come see me!"

Xu Xiao was completely bewildered by this sudden series of orders: "Your Highness, what does this mean...?"

"What do you want to do?"

Li Chengqian suddenly stopped and slammed his hands on the cold railing with a loud "thud".

He looked down at the city that had just been baptized by blood and fire, and his youthful voice carried a grandeur and determination like that of a god.

"We have the money."

"We have land now."

"Those pesky flies were all swatted dead."

"So, what's next..."

Li Chengqian slowly spread his arms as if to embrace the whole world, his eyes burning with intense light.

"Let's turn this entire city of Chang'an upside down!"

"Transform it into something unique in the world, a place where all nations pay homage—"

"The First Miracle!"

……

Half an hour later.

Duan Lun, the Minister of Works, who had just fallen asleep less than an hour ago, was dragged out of bed and "invited" to the Eastern Palace.

He knelt on the ground, staring dumbfounded at the enormous drawing that His Highness the Crown Prince had spread out on the table, covered with lines and symbols he couldn't understand.

"Your Highness... what... what is this?"

Pointing to the thing on the drawing marked "Central Square Roundabout Interchange," Duan Lun asked tremblingly, "Is this... is this the Heavenly Palace?"

"The Heavenly Palace?"

Li Chengqian chuckled, picked up his pen, and made a heavy mark on the drawing.

"No."

"This is a gift from me... cough, this palace to the Tang Dynasty."

He raised his head and looked at the rising sun outside the window, his eyes filled with unprecedented ambition.

"This is also... the beginning of a new era."