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

At that moment, time seemed to freeze in the backyard of the Qin Prince's mansion.

Tears welled up in Li Chengqian's eyes like pearls from a broken string, finally rolling down in large drops when he uttered a trembling "Father."

He wanted to stand up and rush into that broad embrace.

But after kneeling for an hour, his knees had lost all feeling, and as soon as he stood up, he uncontrollably fell forward.

"Jade slave!"

Contrary to expectations, Li Chengqian fell into a firm embrace.

"Dad... I feel so cold."

Li Shimin hurriedly tried to push away the person in his arms, fearing that the coldness on his body would make the already weak and sickly child sick.

"Father, you're covered in mud and blood. Don't get your clothes dirty..." Li Shimin's voice was dry, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.

"Not dirty."

Li Chengqian shook his head. "How could Yu Nu despise Father? Yu Nu only regrets that she is too young to fight alongside Father. She can only stay here... here pray to the Bodhisattva to bless Father."

After saying that, he seemed to be exhausted and leaned back into Li Shimin's arms.

Li Shimin took a deep breath, and his eyes instantly reddened.

He faced so many Turkic cavalry on the front lines without flinching, but now, holding his eldest son, his hands were trembling violently.

This is his son, Li Shimin's eldest son.

Compared to his aloof and suspicious father in the palace, and his younger brother Prince Qi who only knew how to gossip in front of his elder brother, the five-year-old child in front of him who fasted to pray for him and knelt until his legs were numb was the one who truly cared about him.

"well……"

Li Shimin's throat tightened, and all his words ultimately turned into a long sigh.

He no longer cared about the mud and cold, and scooped Li Chengqian up in his arms, striding towards the bedchamber.

"Summon the physician! Prepare ginger soup! Light all the charcoal braziers!"

……

However, the warmth of this night did not last long.

The nights in Chang'an are destined to be cold.

According to custom, a triumphant army should have its roads paved with yellow earth, streets sprinkled with clean water, officials welcoming it, and captives presented at the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

Even though this was a peace negotiation, Li Shimin protected the people of Chang'an without shedding a drop of blood. This was not only a merit, but also a miracle that has shaken the world.

But there was nothing there.

There were no flowers, no drums, and no victory banquet.

Li Shimin changed out of his armor and into his everyday clothes before being hastily summoned to the Taiji Palace by palace eunuchs.

It wasn't until the moon was high in the sky that he returned to the Qin Prince's mansion, feeling even colder than when he left.

Inside the study, the candlelight flickered.

Li Chengqian did not sleep.

He was wearing a thick white fox fur coat and holding a copy of the Spring and Autumn Annals that he had long since grown tired of reading, but in reality he was staring blankly at the system panel in the void.

[Host, according to historical records, tonight marks a low point in Li Shimin's political career. Li Yuan not only failed to reward him, but instead harbored murderous intentions.]

"I know," Li Chengqian replied calmly to himself. "If this tiger isn't driven to the brink, how could he have made up his mind to bare his fangs at Xuanwu Gate? My cheap grandfather really squandered a winning hand."

Just then, the door creaked open.

Li Shimin walked in.

He didn't speak, but silently walked behind the desk and sat down, staring blankly at the flickering candlelight.

Li Chengqian put down his book, obediently climbed down from the soft couch, and with his short legs, picked up a cup of warm ginseng tea from the table and walked to Li Shimin's side.

"Father, have some tea."

Li Shimin came to his senses and looked at his exquisitely handsome son, the gloom in his eyes dissipating slightly.

He took the teacup but didn't drink it; he just held it tightly in his hand, as if it were his only source of warmth at that moment.

"Yu Nu," Li Shimin suddenly spoke, his voice terribly hoarse, "tell me, why is it so difficult to do the right thing?"

Li Chengqian tilted his head, a hint of wisdom beyond his years flashing in his bright eyes, but he quickly concealed it and asked in an innocent tone, "Father, are you referring to the retreat?"

"The entire court is rejoicing at surviving such a calamity." Li Shimin gave a bitter laugh, his fingers tracing the rim of his teacup. "But when your grandfather asked me why the Turks retreated so decisively, do you know the look those ministers gave me?"

Li Chengqian remained silent.

Of course he knew.

Li Shimin slammed the fish-shaped tally, symbolizing military power in the capital region, heavily onto the table.

The crisp sound was particularly jarring in the quiet of the night.

"They say the Turks are greedy by nature, how could they possibly retreat for mere wealth? Unless..." A sharp, pained glint flashed in Li Shimin's eyes, "Unless I, Li Shimin, have long been in cahoots with the Turks, and this is all a charade for your imperial grandfather! They say I'm raising an enemy to enhance my own power!"

"absurd!"

Li Chengqian suddenly stood up straight, his small face full of anger. "The army of Khagan Jieli was pressing in! If it weren't for Father's decisive action, devising a feint, and personally risking his life to negotiate, Chang'an would have been devastated! Where were those civil officials who only knew how to talk? Where were my uncles then?"

"Not only are they ungrateful to Aja, but they're also throwing this dirty water on his head?"

Seeing his son's excited expression, Li Shimin felt a warmth in his heart, but also a deeper sense of sorrow.

Even a five-year-old child understands this principle, so why doesn't the person sitting on the dragon throne understand it?

Why doesn't his biological father understand?

No, Li Yuan understood.

He was just pretending not to understand.

Li Shimin closed his eyes, and the scene from the Taiji Palace just now flashed through his mind.

There's no such thing as a loving father and a filial son.

Li Yuan sat on his high throne, toying with a string of glass beads given to him by the Turks, his eyes coldly fixed on his second son kneeling below.

"Second Prince," Li Yuan's voice was unreadable, "I've heard that the promises you made to Khan Jieli have nearly emptied our Tang Dynasty's treasury."

"Father, wealth is but an external thing; what matters is the people..."

"Enough." Li Yuan interrupted him impatiently. "The people, the people, all you care about is the people. Do you still have me, your sovereign and father? You're using my treasury to buy your reputation for benevolence and righteousness. Very well, very well indeed."

"Your subject wouldn't dare!"

"What wouldn't you dare to do?" Li Yuan sneered. "Your prestige is now immense; the Turks even call you the Heavenly Khan. I'm afraid that in this Chang'an city, the people only know the Prince of Qin, and not me, the Emperor?"

Finally, Li Yuan casually tossed out a sentence: "Now that the Turks have retreated, you shall hand over the military seal of the Imperial Guard. You have worked hard on the front lines, so rest well at home for a while and don't trouble yourself with state affairs anymore."

Even a cup of poisoned wine can give you a quick death.

The most painful kind of cutting is done with a soft knife.

Li Shimin opened his eyes, looked at the cold military tally on his desk, and a self-deprecating smile appeared on his lips.

He pulled the Tang Dynasty back from the brink of destruction, but in return, he was stripped of his military power and confined to his residence.

They even had to bear the infamy of "colluding with foreign enemies and emptying the national treasury".

"Ah Ye..."

A warm little hand gently covered Li Shimin's clenched fist.

Li Chengqian had somehow bypassed the desk and come to his side.

He didn't offer any grand words of comfort, but simply gazed at Li Shimin with his clear, bright eyes and said softly, "Father, a fine sword is forged through tempering. Father is a divine dragon from heaven; these shallows cannot hold you back."

"Yu Nu," Li Shimin grasped that small hand in return, the warmth from his palm making his cold heart beat again, "Aren't you afraid? If your father loses, if your father really becomes the traitor they call him, you, as your father's eldest son, will be doomed forever."

Li Chengqian tilted his head slightly, revealing his beautiful and delicate neck, but his eyes held an almost obsessive trust.

"Aye won't lose."

"Even if Father loses, then Yunu will lose with Father."

"Wherever Father goes, Yunu will go. If Father is a traitor, then Yunu is the son of a traitor."

As Li Chengqian spoke, he deliberately wrinkled his nose and made a face, "Anyway, Yu Nu only recognizes Father as her hero. Uncle and Fourth Uncle are not even worthy to carry Father's shoes."

"Pfft."

Li Shimin finally couldn't help but laugh.

That smile seemed to dispel much of the pent-up frustration in my chest.

He picked up Li Chengqian and placed him on his lap, rubbing his newly grown stubble on his chin against his son's delicate cheek, making Li Chengqian giggle and beg for mercy while dodging.

Outside the window, the rain started falling again.

The pattering autumn rain tapped against the windowpane, as if playing the prelude to the impending bloody storm.