Transmigrated into Li Chengqian, he effortlessly ascended the throne and became emperor.

Meanwhile, outside the central command tent.

Changsun Wuji frowned, staring intently at the heavy felt door of the central command tent.

"Lord Zhao, this...this is not right." Chu Suiliang, following behind, lowered his voice. "It's past Chenshi (7-9 AM), and since His Majesty ascended the throne, there has never been a precedent of him not raising his military tent by midday. Moreover, today is a crucial day for Generals Li Shiji and Li Daozong at the front to encircle the enemy. How could His Majesty still be sleeping soundly?"

Changsun Wuji did not respond, but his hands, hidden in his wide sleeves, clenched unconsciously.

It's too quiet.

There wasn't even a clear cough from inside the tent, the usual sound of an emperor calling for his attendants when he got up.

"Wang De!" Changsun Wuji turned around abruptly. "Didn't you go in and report to His Majesty half an hour ago? What exactly did His Majesty say?"

Wang De was so frightened that he knelt down with a thud, trembling and crying as he said, "Lord Zhao, please understand, this servant did call out twice outside the tent half an hour ago, but... but there was no response from inside! This servant thought that His Majesty had been overseeing military affairs for days and was ill from overwork, and had finally managed to get a good night's sleep, so I dared not disturb His Majesty's presence..."

"Foolish!" Changsun Wuji shouted in a low voice.

On ordinary days, it would be fine, but at this moment, the army at the front is fighting a desperate battle with 40,000 elite Goguryeo troops. The commander-in-chief has not yet appeared. If the morale of the army wavers, the consequences will be unimaginable!

"In this urgent situation, we must act expediently, and disregard any crime of overstepping our bounds!" Changsun Wuji gritted his teeth, strode forward, and shoved aside the Imperial Guard who tried to stop him. "Get out of the way! If His Majesty blames me, I will bear the full responsibility!"

The heavy felt door was flung open.

As the cool morning breeze swept into the tent, a faint, peculiar fragrance, neither quite orchid nor quite musk, instantly entered the nostrils of Changsun Wuji and the others.

The fragrance was extremely faint, almost completely masked by the strong ambergris in the tent. But Changsun Wuji was incredibly perceptive. Almost the instant he caught a whiff of the scent, his heart sank, and an extremely ominous premonition spread wildly through his mind.

The tent was dimly lit, with the candlelight of a few ever-burning lamps flickering in the wind.

Changsun Wuji quickly walked around the sandalwood dragon-carved screen and saw Li Shimin lying quietly on the couch, his face rosy, his breathing long and steady, and his chest rising and falling rhythmically, clearly in a deep and sound sleep.

"Your Majesty? Your Majesty!" Changsun Wuji stepped forward quickly, his voice filled with anxiety. He even disregarded the proper etiquette between ruler and subject and gently nudged Li Shimin's shoulder.

The man who would instantly wake up at the slightest snort from a warhorse outside the tent was now as if all his senses had been drained. No matter how Changsun Wuji called or nudged him, he didn't even flinch and slept soundly.

Upon seeing this, Chu Suiliang was terrified and cried out in alarm, "Your Majesty?! Quickly! Summon the imperial physician! Issue the imperial physician's decree!!!"

The tent instantly descended into chaos.

The imperial physician accompanying the army rushed in carrying his medicine box. As soon as he took Li Shimin's pulse, his expression became extremely strange.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is in good health, your pulse is steady and strong, and your internal organs are in good condition... It's just... it's just..."

"Just what?!"

"However, His Majesty seems to have been drugged with an extremely potent... sedative." The imperial physician carefully chose his words. "This drug is incredibly potent, completely non-toxic, and even has a calming and nourishing effect on the heart and blood vessels. But its sedative and hypnotic power is unparalleled in the world! Without a unique antidote, His Majesty will likely... likely need to sleep for at least another twelve hours before he naturally awakens!"

The mighty Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, in the very heart of the central army camp, protected by countless cavalry and imperial guards, was somehow drugged without anyone noticing?!

This is not only appalling, it's downright unbelievable!

Who on earth has such audacity?

It felt as if a million thunderbolts struck Changsun Wuji's mind at once, and countless thoughts intertwined wildly in a flash.

Without much reasoning, an answer that is utterly absurd yet the only reasonable one gradually emerges.

Last night... last night, who was it that personally brought a bowl of calming soup that they had brewed themselves into this central military tent, saying they wanted to show filial piety and help His Majesty rest?!

It's Li Chengqian!!!

Changsun Wuji gasped.

"Your Highness...where is the Crown Prince?!"

Wang De shrank back in fear at the murderous look in the eyes: "Reporting to Lord Zhao, after His Highness the Crown Prince served His Majesty the calming soup last night, he said it was stuffy in the tent and that he wanted to go back to the side hall to rest... This servant... this servant has not seen him since..."

"broken!!!"

Changsun Wuji no longer cared about his demeanor. He suddenly lifted his long hem and rushed out of the central command tent like a whirlwind, running wildly towards the Crown Prince's camp, which was only a few dozen steps away.

Chu Suiliang and the others couldn't catch up at all, and felt that the usually composed Duke Zhao seemed to have gone mad today.

Changsun Wuji kicked away the annoying felt cloth blocking the doorway.

It was empty and deathly silent inside.

On the table, an exquisite white jade teacup stood alone, the tea inside long since cooled.

The gold-threaded soft armor that was originally hanging on the clothes rack next to him had disappeared. Turning his head, he saw that the elite troops of the Eastern Palace Six Guards, who should have been stationed around the training ground outside the window to protect the Crown Prince, along with their horses and even the iconic black five-clawed golden dragon flag, had all vanished.

A morning breeze blew by, lifting a piece of gold-flecked paper that was lying on the table.

Changsun Wuji stepped forward with trembling hands and grabbed the note in his hand.

[Your Majesty has been weary from days of toil, a great calamity for the nation. Your son, Chengqian, has received a mysterious gift of a bewitching elixir from a strange man. This substance is extremely beneficial to the mind and spirit, and I wish to grant Your Majesty a peaceful night's sleep. However, the flames of war in Liaodong have not yet subsided, and Uncle Daozong is deeply besieged. The Tang Dynasty cannot afford to fall. As I have assumed the responsibility of overseeing the state, I should naturally share the burden of my sovereign and father, and supervise the battle at the front in Your Majesty's stead. I am leaving now, please do not worry. If Your Majesty has an attack after waking up, I earnestly hope that you, Uncle, will intervene on your behalf. Chengqian bows deeply.]

Changsun Wuji's vision went black, his legs went weak, and he collapsed heavily to the ground.

It’s over.

It's all over.

The Crown Prince actually drugged the Emperor?!

Not only did she bewitch the emperor, but she also audaciously mobilized the Six Guards of the Eastern Palace without authorization, secretly sending them to support Li Daozong and Li Shiji?!

Changsun Wuji felt as if everything was going dark.

"Lord Zhao! This... Your Highness, what is this...?" Chu Suiliang, who had just arrived, picked up the note on the ground. After only one glance, his eyes rolled back and he almost fainted.

"Quickly..." Changsun Wuji scrambled to his feet, his once meticulously combed hair now disheveled. "Seal off the main camp! Seal off the central command! If even a single word of what happened today leaks out, the entire camp will be implicated and executed without mercy!"

His Highness the Crown Prince is truly his living ancestor! He rebelled without even giving a heads-up. His entire family is in grave danger!