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

With a deep rumble, the heavy palace gates slammed shut behind them, shutting out the last trace of the hustle and bustle of Chang'an.

Inside Xuanwu Gate, it was eerily quiet.

This is the alleyway of the Linhu Palace. Normally, at this time, there should be eunuchs responsible for sweeping, imperial guards on patrol, and even the distant sound of the morning bell from the Taiji Palace.

But at this moment, apart from the restless hooves of a few horses striking the bluestone slabs, it seemed that only the whistling of the wind passing through the long corridor remained in the world.

The deathly silence was like a huge, sealed coffin.

Li Jiancheng reined in his horse, "Huleibo," which seemed to sense the strong stench of blood in the air. It paced restlessly, its breath turning into white mist in the cool morning air.

Something's not right...

Li Jiancheng muttered to himself as he looked around, his gaze sweeping over the closed palace doors and the empty corridors.

As the crown prince who had lived here for decades, he knew every breath of this palace like the back of his hand.

Now, this palace is "dead".

A bone-chilling coldness shot up his spine and straight to the top of his head, instantly freezing all his remaining hope.

"Chang He..." Li Jiancheng gritted his teeth and uttered the name, the Xuanwu Gate guard whom he considered to be of great kindness and a trusted confidant.

Only now, looking at this desolate wasteland, did he finally understand the source of the despair in Zhang Jieyu's eyes.

"Big brother! Something's wrong!"

Li Yuanji, standing beside him, finally snapped out of his fervent desire to "purge the court of corrupt officials."

"That scoundrel Chang He has betrayed us! This isn't the road to the Emperor, it's the road to the Yellow Springs!" Li Yuanji suddenly drew his sword from his waist, the blade scraping against the scabbard with a piercing sound. "Retreat! Retreat quickly! Back to the Eastern Palace!"

"Walk!"

Li Jiancheng made a decisive decision without the slightest hesitation.

All talk of defending oneself before the emperor and displaying the majesty of a crown prince becomes a joke in the face of naked survival instinct.

Li Jiancheng suddenly pulled on the reins, turned his horse around, and tried to rush towards the Xuanwu Gate that had just closed.

However, just as the two brothers turned their horses around, before they had even gone ten paces...

"Li Jiancheng, Li Yuanji, now that you're here, why the rush to leave?"

This call was no longer the usual insincere and polite address of "Your Highness the Crown Prince" or "Your Highness the Prince of Qi" in the court, nor was it even a "elder brother" with a trace of warmth.

The voice was cold and mocking, yet it possessed a metallic quality, piercing through the morning mist and striking the two people directly in the back.

That voice is so familiar.

So familiar that it woke them from countless nightmares.

Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji froze, instinctively reining in their horses and turning back.

From the shadows of the trees beside the Linhu Palace, a rider slowly emerged.

The man rode a pure white warhorse, and the person on its back was none other than Prince Qin, Li Shimin.

But Li Shimin at this moment was completely different from the Prince of Qin they remembered, who was obedient to his father and argued vehemently in court.

He removed the purple robe and jade belt that symbolized the nobility of a prince, revealing a set of cold, bright armor.

The rising sun pierced through the clouds and shone on his armor, reflecting a dazzling, cold light, as if a god of war had descended to earth.

Li Shimin stood quietly by the roadside, holding a large black bow in his hand, the bow gleaming with a cold, eerie light in the sunlight.

He didn't rush to make a move, but instead coldly stared at his panicked older and younger brothers with his beautiful phoenix eyes.

In his mind, neither the brotherhood of the past twenty years nor the Tang Dynasty that was about to be acquired flashed by.

It was Li Chengqian.

He forbade him from killing Li Jiancheng.

"Li Shimin!!"

A loud shout interrupted Li Shimin's thoughts.

Li Yuanji's eyes were bloodshot, and the extreme fear in them turned into madness.

As the Prince of Qi, he was also a renowned fierce general in the Tang army. He could not bear the humiliation of being cornered in a dead end like prey.

"Hey! Do you want to die?!"

Li Yuanji shouted angrily, his voice becoming sharp and distorted due to extreme tension.

He cursed as he frantically grabbed the longbow from beside the saddle.

This was his last chance to live!

If Li Shimin can be killed first, these 800 ambushers will be leaderless. When the Eastern Palace guards rush in, it will be uncertain who will win!

"Go to hell, Li Er!"

Li Yuanji roared, holding the bow in his left hand and grabbing the arrows from the quiver with his right, trying his best to draw the bowstring.

However, fate played a cruel joke on him at this crucial moment.

If Li Yuanji had been wearing military uniform, his arrow would have already been released.

But today, in order to enter the court and meet the emperor, and to file this complaint before Li Yuan, he was wearing a wide-sleeved court robe.

Those elaborate and gorgeous silk robes have now become deadly shackles.

Because he left in a hurry, and without bringing the bow bag to hold the bowstring, the huge bow slipped between his silky sleeves.

"collapse!"

The first time, the bowstring got tangled in the cuff and couldn't be pulled out.

Cold sweat poured down Li Yuanji's forehead like a waterfall, and his heart pounded wildly.

"Damn it!"

He frantically flicked his sleeves and tried again.

"collapse!"

The second time, due to excessive tension and sweaty hands, his fingers slipped off the bowstring.

Li Shimin, sitting opposite him, continued to look at him quietly, a hint of pity even appearing in his eyes, as if he were looking at a dying insect struggling in a spider web.

This silent contempt completely shattered Li Yuanji's rationality.

"I don't believe it! I don't believe in fate!!"

Li Yuanji roared and raised his bow for the third time.

This time, he didn't even bother to adjust his posture; he just wanted to shoot that damned arrow.

But it was all too late.

Just as Li Yuanji was about to draw his bow for the third time, Li Shimin on the other side made a move.

On the highest stage of political struggle, there is only life and death, fast and slow.

Li Shimin's movements were fluid and fast, almost too fast to see clearly.

The left hand is like supporting Mount Tai, and the right hand is like holding a baby.

Draw the bow, nock the arrow, and the moon is full.

The powerful bow, weighing several stones, seemed as light as a feather in his hands.

This arrow was not only for the throne, but also for the lives of hundreds of people in the Qin Prince's mansion.

In order to ensure that this prosperous Tang Dynasty would be free from internal strife and bloodshed.

A fierce glint flashed in Li Shimin's eyes, and his original trajectory tilted slightly. "Go!"

A crisp, clear bowstring twanged, like a sudden clap of thunder.

The air was torn apart by the arrow, producing a piercing whistling sound.

Li Yuanji only felt a flash of cold light before his eyes, and the aura of death was already rushing towards him.

His bow, which he had only half-drawn, remained frozen in his hand, and his wide sleeves fluttered in the morning breeze.

Li Yuanji's pupils dilated instantly, and he let out a muffled "clucking" sound.

The specially made wolf-tooth arrow pierced his throat with perfect accuracy.

The immense kinetic energy propelled his body backward, causing the bow and arrow in his hand to slip from his grasp and fall to the ground with a clatter.

Blood gushed out like a fountain, instantly staining the magnificent court robe embroidered with golden pythons on his chest.

"Fourth brother!!!"

Li Jiancheng, standing to the side, had eyes wide open in horror and let out a piercing scream.

Li Yuanji's body swayed twice on the horse's back, but he finally couldn't hold on and fell down like a rag doll.

"Bang!"

Dust flew everywhere.

This once arrogant Prince Qi, who had made outstanding contributions in the war to establish the Tang Dynasty, died by the arrow of his own brother.

Until his death, his eyes remained fixed, as if he couldn't believe that it had all ended so quickly and so absurdly.

Li Shimin slowly lowered the longbow in his hand, his face expressionless, but the knuckles of his fingers gripping the bow were slightly white from excessive force.

A morning breeze blew by, ruffling the bright red cloak behind him, making it flutter loudly.

"Li Jiancheng, I made a promise with Yu Nu to spare your life." Li Shimin took a deep breath and drew the bow again. "But the throne, I will not leave it to you."