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

The summer heat of the first year of the Zhenguan era was exceptionally intense.

The cicadas' desperate chirping echoed through the palace walls and willow branches, turning the once cool Taiji Palace into a giant steamer.

Even with a huge ice mirror placed in the corner of the hall, the cool air could not completely suppress the summer heat that seeped out from the cracks in the floor tiles.

The Eastern Palace, a side pavilion of the Xiande Hall.

Li Chengqian lay sprawled on a mat-covered couch, completely unladylike, fanning himself with an ivory folding fan. In front of him was a bowl of cherry biscuits with crushed ice and honey water.

He was about to put a crystal-clear cherry into his mouth when a series of hurried footsteps broke the afternoon's languor.

"Your Highness! Your Highness is very happy!"

Green Bamboo Heart rushed in, breathless, her face beaming with undisguised joy. "News has come from the Hall of State Affairs! Her Majesty the Empress... is pregnant!"

Li Chengqian's fingers paused slightly, and the cherry fell back into the bowl with a "plop," splashing a few drops of red syrup.

He quickly calculated the timeline in his mind.

According to historical records, this child should have been the future Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi.

Li Chengqian's tragedy stemmed largely from Li Tai's later usurpation of the throne and Li Zhi's reaping the benefits.

Although Li Tai has now been tricked into becoming a happy little chubby boy by delicious food and his brother's care, the appearance of Li Zhi, the chosen one, is still a huge variable.

More importantly, the powerful families in the imperial court, especially those Shandong gentry who had not fully submitted to the government, were looking for new political opportunities.

Li Chengqian stood up, straightened his light blue gauze robe, and adjusted his expression in front of the bronze mirror.

"Let's go to the Hall of State Administration."

……

Inside the Lizheng Hall, the fragrance of medicine wafted through the air.

Li Shimin was sitting by the couch, holding a bowl of medicine to prevent miscarriage. He carefully blew on it to cool it down and then fed a spoonful to Empress Zhangsun.

"Guanyinbi, you must take good care of yourself this time. I have already instructed the Imperial Kitchen to make sure your meals are of the highest quality for the next few months." Li Shimin rambled on, completely unaware that the small figure had been standing at the palace entrance for quite some time.

"Father...Mother..."

Li Shimin turned around and saw Li Chengqian standing against the light.

The summer sun was a bit too bright, making him look as if he were melting into the light.

The child's eyes were slightly red, and he clutched the jade pendant he had worn for many years tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning white.

"Yu Nu is here?" Empress Zhangsun smiled and beckoned. "Come here quickly, you're going to have another younger brother."

Li Chengqian did not rush over as cheerfully as usual, but instead dawdled as he walked to the bedside.

He glanced at Empress Zhangsun's still flat stomach, then at Li Shimin's radiant face, a perfectly timed hint of fear flashing in his eyes.

"How is Mother's health?" he asked softly, his voice trembling slightly.

"Very good, the imperial physician says it's a sign of pregnancy." Li Shimin put down the medicine bowl, waved his hand, and reached out to touch his son's head. "What? Are you so happy you've gone mad?"

Li Chengqian slightly turned his head, avoiding Li Shimin's hand.

This dodge left Li Shimin's hand frozen in mid-air.

The atmosphere inside the hall froze instantly.

"What's wrong?" Li Shimin frowned slightly, keenly sensing that something was amiss with his son. "Who upset you?"

Li Chengqian bit his lower lip, his eyes lowered, and his long eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyelids.

After a long while, he finally raised his head and spoke with a sob in his voice.

"Father... I heard that the tutors outside the palace are all talking about it."

"What are you talking about?" Li Shimin's face darkened.

"They said..." Li Chengqian sobbed, as if he had used all his strength to get the words out, "They said that although Yu Nu was the eldest son, Father was only the Prince of Qin when he was born. But the child in Mother's womb is Father's first son after he ascended the throne, a noble son born by the mandate of heaven."

He looked up, and tears finally rolled down his pale cheeks.

"Father, now that we have this little brother who carries the destiny of heaven, will you stop loving Yunu? Will Yunu... no longer be your most beloved child?"

Upon hearing this, Empress Zhangsun's fan fell to the ground with a "thud".

Li Shimin's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and a long-lost aura of violence erupted from him.

In the political context of ancient China, the idea of ​​valuing one's sons as a noble son has always been a powerful tool that undermines the foundation of the state.

Emperors like Li Shimin, who ascended the throne illegitimately, were particularly sensitive to terms like Mandate of Heaven and legitimacy.

At this time, some people used the difference between the sons before and after the ascension to the throne to distinguish their status. This was not only to sow discord between father and son, but also to imply that Li Shimin's status as the Prince of Qin before his ascension was not legitimate, and even to plant seeds for future succession struggles!

"Outrageous! Utter nonsense!"

Li Shimin suddenly stood up, and the corner of his dragon robe knocked over a medicine bowl on the table. The sound of porcelain shattering was particularly jarring in the quiet hall.

"Who's been gossiping about you like this?!"

Li Chengqian was so frightened that he shrank back and hid in Empress Zhangsun's arms like a startled quail.

"No...no one specifically said anything..." He kept his head down, his voice muffled. "It was Yu Nu who overheard a few palace maids sweeping outside the Chongwen Hall talking amongst themselves, and...and the ministers who were attending to me a few days ago were chatting idly in the corridor..."

This is the highest quality eye drops.

Without naming names, they dragged everyone into the mess.

How dare a palace servant speak recklessly? It must be because someone is behind it.

Ministers dare to gossip? That means the political climate in the court is not right.

Empress Zhangsun hugged her eldest son tenderly, wiping away his tears as she looked at her husband with anger in her eyes: "Second Prince, Yu'er is only eight years old. How dare someone in the palace use such hurtful words to frighten the Crown Prince? If this is not thoroughly investigated, what rules will remain in the palace and the court?"

Li Shimin took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart.

He sat back down on the couch, ignoring the mess on the floor, and reached out to pull Li Chengqian out of the Empress's arms, forcibly pulling him onto his lap.

The child is too light.

This was Li Shimin's first reaction.

Looking at his son's tear-streaked face, Li Shimin felt a pang of pain in his heart.

"Look at Father." Li Shimin cupped Li Chengqian's face in his hands, his gaze intense, his tone more solemn than ever before.

"Yu Nu, you must remember. You are my eldest son, the crown prince of this Tang Dynasty. No matter how many sons I have in the future, this empire, this world, I will only entrust to you."

"The so-called 'noble son' is nothing but a load of nonsense concocted by those two-faced scoundrels in their scheming!"

"You are my son, the only crown prince of the Tang Dynasty!"

Li Chengqian sniffed, and asked somewhat uncertainly, "Really? Even if my younger brother was born with auspicious omens?"

"An auspicious omen?" Li Shimin sneered, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes. "I am the greatest auspicious omen of this Tang Dynasty! If I say you are the most honorable, even the Heavenly King himself would have to acknowledge it!"

He wiped away the tears from the corners of Li Chengqian's eyes with his rough fingertips, his voice softening: "Don't be afraid, your father will go to the imperial court right now and sweep away all these messy noises for you. Just stay in the Eastern Palace and study in peace, and wait to see how your father will get revenge for you."

……

The following day, a court assembly was held in the Taiji Hall.

All the officials noticed that His Majesty was in a very bad mood today.

Originally, the Empress's pregnancy was a joyous occasion for the whole country. As soon as the morning court session began, several censors who were good at reading people stepped forward to offer their congratulations. Some even quoted classical texts, saying things like, "Your Majesty's ascension to the throne and the birth of a son by Heaven is a blessing from Heaven for the Zhenguan era." Their words implied the special nature of this pregnancy.

Normally, Li Shimin would have been overjoyed.

But today, Li Shimin sat high on the dragon throne, listening expressionlessly, his eyes like icicles in the dead of winter, scraping at one's face until it ached.

After those people finished speaking, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

"Have you finished speaking?" Li Shimin asked calmly.

"Yesterday in the palace, I heard some interesting things." He slowly stroked the jade belt at his waist, his gaze sweeping over the noble ministers standing below like a hawk.

"Some say that only my sons after I ascended the throne are truly noble, while those born before me have been reduced to worthless weeds?"

Li Shimin slammed his hand on the dragon table, causing the memorials on it to jump.

The ministers below immediately knelt down, their backs instantly soaked with cold sweat.

"I think you've wasted your education! Or do you believe my family affairs are a gamble you can arbitrarily arrange?"

Li Shimin stood up and walked down the steps of the imperial palace, each step feeling as if he were stepping on the hearts of everyone present.

"Since ancient times, the heir apparent has been chosen based on primogeniture and the eldest son of the legitimate wife. Chengqian is my son with the Empress, and whether we were still princes or now that I rule the world, he is my only successor!"

He walked up to the censor who had just been praising the "heaven-sent child," and looked down at the trembling official.

"What? Do you think the Crown Prince is unworthy? Or do you think that you lot can decide for me who is more honorable?"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty dares not! Your Majesty shall die ten thousand times!" The censor kowtowed on the floor tiles, and blood seeped out.

"Issue my decree!"

Li Shimin looked around, his voice resounding throughout the hall, carrying an undeniable imperial majesty.

"Anyone who dares to speak ill of the princes' status, sow discord among the imperial family, or undermine the foundation of the nation will be executed immediately! I don't care which family you belong to or which region you are a renowned scholar from; my blade knows no bounds!"

This swift and decisive action nipped any emerging ambitions in the bud in the bud.

The Shandong gentry, in particular, who had originally planned to use the "new prince" as an excuse to cause trouble, were so frightened that they fell silent.

Although Li Shimin did not name names, every word he said was a warning to them: Don't try to hedge your bets; the one in the Eastern Palace is extremely shrewd!

When the news reached the Eastern Palace, Li Chengqian was sitting under the eaves, watching the palace servants carry basins of ice into the hall.

"Your Highness," Green Bamboo whispered excitedly, "I heard that His Majesty was furious in court, demoting or punishing those officials who spoke out of turn. Now everyone outside is saying that His Majesty's favor towards the Crown Prince is unparalleled, and no one can surpass it."

Although it was a bit unethical to take advantage of the old man's guilt, as long as the outcome is good and everyone is safe and well, that's enough.

"Sister Green Bamboo".

"This servant is here."

"Go to the storeroom and pick out some of the best medicinal herbs, and then find the copy of the Classic of Filial Piety that I wrote. Come with me to the Lizheng Hall later to apologize to Mother."

Li Chengqian stood up, dusted off his clothes, and gave a well-behaved and bright smile.

After all, when you're acting, you have to go all the way.

After playing the villain, you still have to be your father's and mother's sweet little cotton-padded jacket again.