If I traveled back to the Tang Dynasty, all I really wanted to be was a carefree prince.

The next morning, Qin Qiong entered the palace.

He hadn't gone to the palace on his own initiative for a long time. In the past two years, he had claimed to be ill and stayed at home, skipping court assemblies and celebrations, and even declining several private audiences with Li Shimin. It wasn't that he didn't want to go, but that he dared not go—he was afraid that people would see him in his sickly state, afraid that people would say "Qin Qiong is useless," and even more afraid of the fleeting disappointment in Li Shimin's eyes when he saw him.

But today, he came.

He wore a brand-new official robe, his hair was neatly combed, and his beard had been trimmed. Although he was still thin and pale, his spirits were much better than before. As Madam Qin helped him change, she secretly wiped away tears—she hadn't seen her husband dress up so solemnly in a long time.

Qin Qiong didn't ride in a sedan chair, but instead rode a horse. When he mounted, the pain in his right shoulder made his vision blur, but he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound. He couldn't let anyone see that he was incapacitated.

Upon arriving at the palace gate, Zhang De, the eunuch who served Li Shimin, was already waiting there. Zhang De was a veteran of the imperial court, having served Li Shimin since the time of Prince Qin's residence, and was extremely adept at reading people's expressions. When he saw Qin Qiong riding towards them, he quickly went to greet him with a beaming smile.

"General Qin, you've finally arrived! His Majesty is waiting for you in the Lizheng Hall. He's been asking since early this morning why Shubao hasn't come yet."

Qin Qiong nodded and dismounted. His movements were somewhat slow, but still steady.

Zhang De stepped forward and helped him up, saying in a low voice, "General, His Majesty is in a good mood today. Your arrival makes him happier than anything else."

Qin Qiong glanced at him, said nothing, and followed him through palace gates and long corridors.

The eunuchs, palace maids, and guards they encountered along the way were all taken aback when they saw Qin Qiong—General Qin? What brings General Qin here?

The news spread like wildfire throughout the palace.

Li Shimin had been waiting in the Lizheng Hall for half an hour.

He wasn't wearing court robes today, but only a casual black robe, his hair tied up with a jade hairpin. He didn't look like an emperor, but rather like the head of some wealthy family.

Empress Zhangsun sat beside him, holding a round fan and gently fanning herself. The June weather was already quite warm, and an ice mirror was placed in the hall, emanating a slight coolness.

"Your Majesty," Empress Zhangsun said softly, "Shubao is here, please don't put too much pressure on him."

Li Shimin glanced at her: "When did I put pressure on him?"

"Your presence here creates a sense of pressure," Empress Zhangsun smiled slightly. "That's why I'm here with you. My presence helps to ease the tension."

Li Shimin remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

"You're right," he said. "Shubao is a shy man who doesn't like to talk about his feelings. If I'm too formal, he'll be even less likely to speak."

Just then, Zhang De's voice came from outside: "General Qin has arrived—"

Li Shimin stood up.

Qin Qiong entered the hall, his steps somewhat slow, but his back ramrod straight. Seeing Li Shimin standing, he quickly took a few steps forward and knelt to pay his respects.

"Your subject Qin Qiong greets Your Majesty—"

"Shubao." Li Shimin walked over quickly and held his arms with both hands. "Get up, get up quickly."

Qin Qiong stood up and, seeing Empress Zhangsun behind Li Shimin, was about to bow again.

"Uncle Bao, there's no need for such formalities," Empress Zhangsun said with a smile. "We're all family, why be so polite?"

Qin Qiong's eyes welled up with tears. "Family." He hadn't heard that word from the royal family in a long time.

Li Shimin pulled Qin Qiong to sit down, then sat opposite him. Zhang De served tea, then quietly slipped away to the side.

"Shubao, you've lost weight." Li Shimin looked at him with concern in his eyes. "You've lost a lot of weight since the last time I saw you."

Qin Qiong lowered his head: "Your Majesty, I am useless and have caused you worry."

"What's this about usefulness and uselessness?" Li Shimin frowned. "You dare to say such things to me?"

Qin Qiong remained silent.

Li Shimin looked at him, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He recalled Qin Qiong from years past—at Hulao Pass, a single horse and a spear were enough to deter Dou Jiande's thousands of troops from advancing. Back then, Qin Qiong was the sharpest blade in the world, and the man Li Shimin trusted most.

Now the knife is rusted. Not because he doesn't want to use it, but because he's afraid to use it, fearing it will break.

"Shubao," Li Shimin's voice lowered, "I heard from Ke'er that you are not at ease."

Qin Qiong's hand paused slightly.

"minister……"

"You don't need to explain," Li Shimin waved his hand. "I know everything."

He stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to Qin Qiong. Outside the window was the direction of Da'an Palace, its gray walls appearing exceptionally quiet under the summer sun.

"Shubao, how many years have you served me?"

Qin Qiong thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, it has been almost thirteen years since the first year of the Wude era."

"Thirteen years," Li Shimin repeated. "In those thirteen years, how many times have you saved my life?"

Qin Qiong was taken aback for a moment: "Your Majesty, I was merely fulfilling my duty—"

"Once at Hulao Pass, once at Luoyang, and once at Xuanwu Gate." Li Shimin turned around and looked at him. "Three times. You saved my life three times. Each time was more dangerous than the last. That knife at Hulao Pass almost took your own life. I remember it clearly; your blood splattered all over me, all over my face."

Qin Qiong's eyes reddened.

"I will not forget." Li Shimin's voice was a little hoarse. "I will never forget. You are my savior, not my subject. I don't care if you can still go to the battlefield or attend court. You are Shubao, my brother. That will never change."

Qin Qiong's tears fell.

He lowered his head, his shoulders trembling, tears dripping onto his official robes, forming a small stain. He hadn't cried in a long time. Back then on the battlefield, he hadn't even flinched when a knife was held to his throat. But today, Li Shimin's words had torn a gash in his heart.

"Your Majesty..." His voice choked with emotion, "I thought... I thought Your Majesty no longer needed me."

"Don't need me?" Li Shimin walked over, squatted down in front of him, and looked him straight in the eye. "Shubao, when did I ever say I didn't need you?"

Qin Qiong's tears flowed even more fiercely.

"I can no longer fight. I can't lift my right shoulder, I can't squat down with my left knee, and the wound on my back hurts so much on cloudy days that I can't sleep. I...I'm useless."

"Crippled?" Li Shimin's voice suddenly turned stern. "Who said you're crippled?"

Qin Qiong remained silent.

"Shubao, look at me," Li Shimin said.

Qin Qiong raised her head, looking at him through teary eyes.

"Are you crippled, or are you afraid?" Li Shimin asked, enunciating each word clearly.

Qin Qiong's body jolted violently.

"Are you physically useless, or are you afraid?" Li Shimin's voice softened. "You're afraid you're useless, afraid I'll despise you, afraid there'll be no place for you in the court. So you lock yourself in your house, refusing to see anyone, not attending court, not even seeing me. You're hiding, Uncle Bao. You're not useless, you're hiding."

Qin Qiong opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Because every word Li Shimin said was correct.

"Why are you hiding?" Li Shimin's voice held a hint of heartache. "Are you afraid I'll forget you? Are you afraid I'll end up like Liu Bang, discarding you once the birds are gone?"

Qin Qiong lowered his head, not daring to look at him.

"Shubao," Li Shimin reached out and placed his hand on his shoulder, "I am not Liu Bang. You are my brother, not my subject. I can live without the empire, but I cannot live without you."

Qin Qiong's shoulders trembled violently.

He recalled the moment he charged into the enemy ranks at Hulao Pass and rescued Li Shimin. Back then, he wasn't afraid to die because he knew he was protecting someone worthy of protection. Over the years, he thought he had fulfilled his mission and that it was time for him to retire.

But he was wrong.

That person has never forgotten him.

"Your Majesty..." Qin Qiong choked back tears and knelt down, "Your subject... Your subject was wrong."

Li Shimin also knelt down, placing his hands on his shoulders and his forehead against his.

"Shubao," his voice choked with emotion, "you did nothing wrong. It's my fault, it's my fault for making you uneasy."

The two knelt on the ground, weeping facing each other.

Empress Zhangsun stood to the side, gently wiping the corner of her eye with a handkerchief. She did not step forward to disturb them, but simply stood there quietly, watching the two men—an emperor and a general—embrace each other and weep like two long-separated brothers.

Zhang De stood outside the hall and, hearing the crying inside, quietly closed the door. He instructed the eunuchs to stay away and not approach.

Some scenes should not be seen by others.

They cried for a long time before they gradually calmed down.

Li Shimin helped Qin Qiong to his feet and then sat him down again. Empress Zhangsun handed him a handkerchief, and the two of them wiped their faces.

"Shubao," Li Shimin's voice was still a little hoarse, "what did Ke'er say to you at your residence yesterday?"

Qin Qiong thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness examined my illness and prescribed a medicine. He also said..." He paused, "and that His Majesty often mentions me."

"What are you muttering about?"

"Tell me about the events at Hulao Pass. Tell me that I saved Your Majesty's life. Tell me that few throughout history have been able to match my bravery."

Li Shimin nodded: "What I said is the truth."

"His Highness also said that he wants to become my student."

"I grant your permission," Li Shimin said. "From today onwards, you will be Ke'er's teacher. Teach him military strategy, horsemanship and archery, and how to be a general of the Tang Dynasty."

Qin Qiong looked at Li Shimin, his eyes filled with emotion, but also with a hint of hesitation.

"Your Majesty, my health..."

"Take your time to recover," Li Shimin said. "Didn't Ke'er prescribe a medicine for you? He said you would get better, and I believe him."

Qin Qiong remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Your Majesty and Your Highness will certainly not betray your trust."

Li Shimin looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"Uncle Bao, do you know that your smile is uglier than your cry?"

Qin Qiong was taken aback for a moment, then he smiled.

The two men looked at each other and laughed like children.

Qin Qiong stayed in the Lizheng Hall for the entire morning.

Li Shimin invited him to lunch, and Empress Zhangsun personally served the dishes. Looking at the table full of food, Qin Qiong was filled with emotion—he hadn't eaten in the palace for a long time.

During the meal, Li Shimin did not ask him about state affairs or his health, but only about family matters—how are Huaidao's studies going? How is the lady's health? Is there anything the household lacks?

Qin Qiong answered them one by one, feeling a warm glow in his heart.

After the meal, Li Shimin escorted him to the palace gate.

The June sun felt warm against their skin. Li Shimin stood under the eaves, looking at Qin Qiong.

"Shubao," he said, "come often from now on. No need to wear official robes or perform formalities, just come in plain clothes and chat with me."

Qin Qiong nodded: "Your subject... obeys the decree."

"Still calling me 'Your Majesty'?" Li Shimin feigned anger.

Qin Qiong paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Uncle Bao understands."

Li Shimin nodded in satisfaction.

Qin Qiong turned to leave, but suddenly stopped.

"Your Majesty—no, Shimin."

Li Shimin looked at him.

"Back then at Hulao Pass," Qin Qiong said in a low voice, "when I rushed in to save you, I had only one thought in my mind—this person is worth risking my life to protect. Today, I still have the same thought."

Li Shimin's nose tingled, and his eyes reddened again.

"Shubao..."

"I'm leaving now," Qin Qiong smiled. "I'll come back in a few days."

He turned around and strode out of the Lizheng Hall.

Li Shimin stood at the palace gate, watching his figure disappear at the end of the long corridor, and remained motionless for a very long time.

A summer breeze blows by, carrying the fragrance of lotus flowers from the courtyard.

When Qin Qiong left the palace, he encountered a person at the palace gate.

Li Ke.

He stood outside the palace gate, dressed in a moon-white robe, holding a medicine box in his hand, fine beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. It was a hot June day; he had clearly been waiting for quite some time.

"Your Highness?" Qin Qiong was taken aback. "What are you doing here? It's so hot outside, you shouldn't be out in the sun."

"I'm waiting for my master." Li Ke smiled and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. "I was afraid the imperial physicians wouldn't take the prescription I wrote yesterday seriously, so I went to the Imperial Hospital myself to get the medicine and brought it to my master."

Qin Qiong looked at the medicine box, then at Li Ke's slightly reddened face, and suddenly felt a lump in her throat.

This child is only eleven years old, yet he already knows how to worry about people.

"Your Highness," Qin Qiong said, "I went to the palace to see His Majesty today."

"I know," Li Ke said. "My father told me last night that my master is coming today."

Qin Qiong remained silent for a while.

"Your Highness," he said, "what you said to me yesterday—that His Majesty often speaks of me, that His Majesty will not forget me—I have verified all of that before His Majesty today."

Li Ke looked at him with a gentle gaze.

"Master, I didn't lie to you, did I?"

Qin Qiong smiled.

"No," he said. "Your Highness did not deceive me."

He reached out and took the medicine box. The medicine box wasn't heavy, but his hands were trembling slightly.

"Your Highness, from this day forward, I shall be your teacher."

Li Ke stepped back, straightened his clothes, and then respectfully performed a deep bow.

"Disciple Li Ke greets Master."

Qin Qiong's eyes reddened again, but he held back. He reached out to help Li Ke up, looking into the boy's eyes—clear, firm, and warm.

"Good," he said. "Good apprentice."

The sunlight shone on the master and apprentice, warm and cozy, carrying the unique warmth of early summer.

Outside the palace gates, willows sway gently, and cicadas chirp incessantly.

The summer of the fourth year of the Zhenguan era seemed to arrive earlier and be warmer than usual.