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

The fourth day of the sixth month of the ninth year of Wude (1520), Gengshen day.

As dawn broke, an eerie pale white appeared on the horizon, like a piece of rotting flesh that had been soaked in water and turned white, exuding an unsettling aura of death.

Inside the inner palace deep within the Taiji Palace, Li Yuan had already risen.

The founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty did not enjoy the service of palace servants as usual today, but dressed up early.

His bright yellow casual clothes couldn't hide the haggard look on his face; his deep eye bags were the marks left by tossing and turning all night.

"Change your clothes." Li Yuan's voice was hoarse as he waved away the young eunuch who was about to comb his beard.

Today is not only the grand assembly, but also the day he decides to lay his cards on the table.

Pei Ji, Xiao Yu, Chen Shuda... these high-ranking officials and ministers should already be waiting outside the palace.

Jiancheng, Yuanji, and Erlang Shimin, whom he both loves and hates, will all have to make their points clear in court today.

As a father, he naively believed that as long as he remained in power, he could keep these tigers in check as they grew stronger.

However, what Li Yuan didn't know was that on this morning, the wheels of history had quietly deviated from his intended path, rolling forward through the blood-stained dust.

Just as Li Yuan picked up a cup of ginseng tea, preparing to moisten his throat—

"Thump, thump, thump."

A series of hurried and chaotic footsteps suddenly pierced through the heavy nanmu wood doors of the sleeping quarters.

Those were not the light steps of eunuchs or palace maids, but the dull sound of war boots pounding on the gold brick floor, like a series of death-dealing drumbeats, striking hard on Li Yuan's heart.

"Who?!" Li Yuan's hand trembled, spilling ginseng tea onto his dragon robe, but he didn't care about that anymore and suddenly looked up at the door.

No one made an announcement.

The palace doors were roughly pushed open from the outside, and the chilly morning wind, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible stench of blood, instantly filled the warm interior.

A burly military general strode in, followed by a completely unfamiliar face.

He was wearing bright armor, but although the armor was of excellent quality, he did not wear any fish-shaped talisman to indicate his identity.

Behind him followed four fully armored soldiers, their hands on their swords, their faces covered by iron armor, revealing only pairs of cold, emotionless eyes.

Li Yuan's pupils suddenly contracted.

How could someone like that be in his bedchamber?!

"Who are you?" Li Yuan suppressed the overwhelming fear in his heart, put his hands behind his back, and tried to use his imperial authority to control the situation. "Where are my guards?!"

The military officer did not kneel, nor did he even bend his waist; he merely gave a cold, curt bow.

"Your Majesty, there are bandits causing trouble outside the palace, which may disturb your presence. I am here on orders to request that Your Majesty move your residence to avoid the area for the time being."

Thieves causing trouble?

This is the Taiji Palace. How could a thief have managed to silently reach the entrance of the emperor's bedroom?

Unless... this thief is inside our own house!

"I ask you, who are you? Whose orders are you on?!" Li Yuan's voice rose a few decibels. Although he tried his best to remain calm, the slight tremor in the last syllable betrayed his inner panic.

The general remained expressionless, not even lifting his eyelids, but simply took a step forward, his hand resting intentionally or unintentionally on the hilt of his sword.

"There are bandits causing trouble outside the palace. Your Majesty, please move your carriage to take refuge temporarily!"

The same words were spoken, but the tone was several times stronger than before.

Li Yuan watched as the armored soldiers slowly dispersed, forming a semi-encirclement that blocked all his escape routes.

At that moment, he felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness.

Those eunuchs who usually fawned over him, and those imperial guards who swore to serve him to the death, all seemed to have vanished into thin air, not even a ghost could be seen.

He lost.

Although he didn't know who he had lost to, he knew that if he didn't leave now, the sword might really be drawn.

"Fine...fine!" Li Yuan laughed in anger, his facial muscles twitching slightly. "Since it's for my safety, then I...will move the carriage!"

Half an hour later.

A sedan chair, escorted by several armored soldiers, hurriedly passed through the secluded paths of the Imperial Garden.

The Imperial Garden, once filled with birdsong and the bustling activity of palace maids, is now as quiet as a giant tomb.

All the sentry posts along the way were empty, the Imperial Guards who were usually responsible for patrolling were nowhere to be seen, and not even a single palace servant could be seen sweeping.

Only the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the treetops sounded like the whispers of countless wronged souls.

Li Yuan sat in the sedan chair, lifting a corner of the curtain to look outside, and the more he looked, the colder his heart became.

This deathly silence was sharper than the sword of that general.

This suggests that the entire harem, including his concubines, princes, and princesses, is likely now under the control of others.

Who is it?

Jiancheng? Or... Shimin?

The sedan chair finally stopped by the sea pool deep in the Imperial Garden.

The sea pool is a huge artificial lake with sparkling water and pleasant scenery.

Li Yuan loved to boat and enjoy the scenery here in his leisure time, but today, the lake seemed unfathomable to him, like a gaping maw waiting to devour everything.

"Your Majesty, please board the ship." The military officer gestured for him to proceed.

Li Yuan stepped shakily down from the sedan chair.

A royal pleasure boat, usually used by the emperor, was moored on the shore.

Li Yuan took a deep breath and stepped onto the springboard as if he were heading to the execution ground.

However, when he stepped into the cabin of the pleasure boat, the scene before him froze him in place.

I originally thought I would see fierce-looking executioners or a rebellious son trying to seize power.

But what he saw was a beautifully sculpted child.

It was a child who looked only five or six years old, wearing a light blue brocade robe with exquisite silver cloud patterns embroidered on the collar, which made his little face look even whiter and more like jade.

He was kneeling beside the table, fiddling with an exquisite tea set, his movements as elegant as a painting.

"Yu...Yu Nu?" Li Yuan called out in disbelief, his taut nerves momentarily relaxing.

Upon hearing the sound, Li Chengqian looked up, and a radiant smile, as bright as spring flowers, immediately bloomed on his exquisitely handsome face.

"Grandpa!"

Li Chengqian immediately dropped the tea set in his hand, ran over barefoot and happily, hugged Li Yuan's leg, looked up at him innocently with his big, watery eyes.

"Why did you take so long, Grandpa? Yu Nu has been waiting here for ages."

"Yu Nu... how did you get here?" Li Yuan's voice trembled slightly as he instinctively tried to protect his grandson. "Did those... did those bad guys do anything to you?"

"Bad people?" Li Chengqian tilted his head, looking innocent and bewildered. "There are no bad people. Father asked Yunu to wait for Grandfather here."