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

Since his first visit to Da'an Palace, Li Ke had made it a daily routine.

He would go there every two or three days. Sometimes he would go alone, and sometimes he would bring his younger siblings. Li Chengqian was busy with his studies and could not go often, but Li Zhi and Li Lizhi were frequent visitors. Li Zhi was only two years old and at the age where he was very clingy. He would follow Li Ke wherever he went. Li Lizhi was nine years old and was sensible at a young age. She would bring her own homemade snacks every time she went.

Li Yuan's attitude was also gradually changing.

The first time they went, Li Yuan merely said a few indifferent words and let them leave. The second time, he glanced at Li Ke a few more times. The third time, he asked Li Ke what he was studying. The fourth time, he had Eunuch Zhang serve them tea. The fifth time, the corner of his mouth twitched—it was unclear whether he wanted to smile.

Li Ke was in no hurry. He knew that deep-seated problems don't arise overnight. The wall in Li Yuan's heart was built up over four years of resentment, sorrow, and loneliness. To tear down this wall, brute force wouldn't suffice; only persistent, gradual effort would.

That day, Li Ke went to Da'an Palace again. This time, he didn't bring Li Zhi with him—the little boy had a slight cough that day, and the wet nurse dared not let him go out. He brought Li Lizhi and Prince Li Yin of Shu.

Li Yin is his younger brother, seven years old this year. He's a lively and impulsive boy, fearless except for Li Ke. Or rather, he admires him—ever since Li Ke fell into the water, he's become much more composed, speaking and acting with reason and logic. Although Li Yin doesn't say it, he respects his third brother.

"Third Brother, are we going to Grandfather's again today?" Li Yin muttered as they walked. "Grandfather hardly ever talks, it's so boring..."

"If you don't want to talk, then don't talk. Just stay with me," Li Ke said.

"But……"

"Yin'er," Li Ke glanced at him, "Grandfather lives alone in Da'an Palace, with no one to talk to. If we go and sit with him for a while, it will be a great comfort to him."

Li Yin opened his mouth, but said nothing more.

Li Lizhi walked on the other side of Li Ke, carrying a food box containing osmanthus cakes she had made.

"Third Brother," she said, "do you think Grandfather would like to eat osmanthus cake?"

"Yes, Grandfather will." Li Ke said, "Grandfather will definitely like what you make."

Li Lizhi smiled, pursing her lips.

Upon arriving at Da'an Palace, Eunuch Zhang came out to greet them. Seeing Li Ke with his younger siblings, a faint smile appeared on his face—a smile that Li Ke noticed.

"Your Highness the Prince of Shu, Your Highness the Sixth Prince, Your Highness Princess Chang Le, and the Emperor Emeritus are in the palace. He seems to be in good spirits today; he even asked this morning, 'Is Ke'er coming today?'"

Li Ke felt a warmth in his heart.

"Eunuch Zhang, I brought something with me." Li Ke held up a wooden box in his hand.

Eunuch Zhang looked at it curiously and asked, "What is this?"

Li Ke smiled and said, "You'll find out soon enough."

Li Yuan looks quite well today.

He was wearing a slightly worn gray robe, his hair neatly combed, and he sat on the couch by the window, holding a book in his hand. When he saw Li Ke and the others come in, he put down the book and his gaze swept over the faces of the three children one by one.

"Three people came today," he said, his tone still calm, but much gentler than when they first met.

"Grandchildren pay their respects to their Imperial Grandfather." The three children knelt down in unison.

Get up.

Li Lizhi stepped forward and handed over the food box: "Grandfather, this is osmanthus cake that I made. I brought it for you to try. Please don't mind if it's not very good."

Li Yuan took the food box, opened it, and glanced inside. The osmanthus cake was neatly cut and sprinkled with osmanthus powder. Although the shape wasn't particularly exquisite, it was clear that it had been made with care.

"Did you do this?" Li Yuan asked.

"Yes." Li Lizhi nodded. "I learned it from the kitchen maid. I made it three times, and the first two times I failed. This time it's barely passable."

Li Yuan picked up a piece and took a bite. The osmanthus cake was sweet but not cloying, and soft and glutinous. It was not quite as good as the pastries made by the imperial kitchen that he usually ate, but he tasted something else—the sentiment of a nine-year-old child.

"Not bad," he said. Just two words, but Li Lizhi's eyes lit up immediately.

"Really? Grandfather likes it?"

"Um."

Li Lizhi was so happy she almost jumped up, but she held back, just smiled and stepped aside.

Li Yin also stepped forward: "Grandfather, I brought something too!"

Li Yuan looked at his empty hands: "What did you bring?"

"I brought..." Li Yin scratched his head, "I brought... myself!"

Li Yuan was taken aback.

Li Ke stood to the side, helplessly rubbing his forehead.

Then, Li Yuan smiled.

It wasn't the kind of smile where the corners of the mouth twitch slightly; it was a real smile—the corners of the mouth turned up, the eyes narrowed, and a few teeth were revealed.

Li Yin scratched his head, not knowing what his grandfather was laughing at, but when he saw his grandfather laughing, he also started to laugh like an idiot.

Li Ke felt a warm glow in his heart as he watched this scene. He noticed that Li Yuan's smile was very similar to Li Shimin's—the father and son's eyebrows, eyes, and the curve of their mouths were practically identical.

"Grandfather," Li Ke stepped forward, "I brought something with me today and would like to invite you to play with me."

He opened the wooden box in his hand.

Inside were over a hundred small dominoes, polished smooth and flat, each engraved with patterns and numbers. Li Ke had spent half a month having Li An find craftsmen to make them.

Li Yuan glanced down and frowned. "What is this?"

"Mahjong," Li Ke said.

"Mahjong?" Li Yuan had never heard of this word before.

"It's a game." Li Ke took out the dominoes and laid them out on the table. "My grandson came up with this game when he had nothing else to do. It's fun for four people."

Li Yuan looked at the colorful dominoes, then at Li Ke's expectant eyes, and hesitated for a moment.

"I don't know how to play."

"It's alright, your grandson will teach you."

Li Yuan remained silent for a while, then got off the couch and sat down at the table.

"Then let's give it a try," he said.

Li Ke was overjoyed, but he didn't show it on his face. He called Li Lizhi and Li Yin over as well, and the four of them sat around the table.

"This game is very simple," Li Ke began explaining the rules. "Each person receives thirteen cards. You draw one and discard one, and you win by forming specific combinations. These combinations are called 'winning hands.' For example, this one—"

He picked up a few cards and arranged them into a set: "One of Wan, two of Wan, three of Wan, that's called a 'straight.' And this one—five of Tiao, five of Tiao, five of Tiao, that's called a 'triplet.' Finally, add a pair of the same suit as the 'pair,' and you can win."

As Li Yuan listened, his brows furrowed even more deeply.

"I don't understand," he said.

Li Ke laughed: "It's alright, you'll understand after playing a couple of rounds. Your grandson will play with you and teach you as we go."

In the first game, Li Ke deliberately let Li Yuan win.

Li Yuan stared blankly at the cards in front of him: "This... I've already won?"

"Yes, Grandfather won!" Li Lizhi clapped her hands and said, "Grandfather is amazing!"

Li Yuan's lips curled slightly. He wasn't stupid; he knew Li Ke was throwing the game—how could the person who invented this game lose the very first round? But he didn't call him out on it. He knew the boy was trying to make him happy.

In the second round, Li Ke didn't hold back, but Li Yuan had already grasped some of the tricks of the trade. He began to actively think about which cards to keep, which cards to play, and which cards to wait for.

In the third round, Li Yuan won. This time it wasn't a throw-in; he won on his own.

"I have won!" His voice was a little louder than before, and there was a childlike sense of pride on his face.

"Grandfather is amazing!" Li Yin exclaimed from the side, "He won after only three rounds!"

Li Yuan glanced at Li Yin and snorted, "You brat, you just stand by and watch the show, without learning anything."

"My grandson is learning!" Li Yin said with a grin. "Once he's mastered it, he'll play with his imperial grandfather!"

Li Yuan didn't speak again, but his expression was noticeably more relaxed than before.

For the next few days, Li Ke went to Da'an Palace almost every day.

Today he brings Li Lizhi, tomorrow Li Zhi, the day after tomorrow Li Yin, and the day after that Li Chengqian. Sometimes he brings one, sometimes two, and sometimes a whole group. Da'an Palace has gone from being deserted to bustling with activity. Eunuch Zhang is so busy he barely has time to breathe, serving tea and snacks all the time.

Li Yuan's mahjong skills improved by leaps and bounds.

In the first week, he was still asking, "Can I eat this?" In the second week, he could already count cards. In the third week, he started complaining that Li Ke played too slowly.

"Hurry up, hurry up!" Li Yuan banged on the table. "What are you thinking about for so long?"

Li Ke was both amused and exasperated: "Grandfather, your grandson is thinking about how to play his cards."

"What are you thinking? Your hand is written all over your face." Li Yuan rolled his eyes at him. "Don't play that five of wan in your hand, or you won't be able to get a winning hand."

Li Ke looked down—Li Yuan was right. If he discarded the five of wan in his hand, he really wouldn't be able to get a winning hand.

"Grandfather is amazing," Li Ke said sincerely.

Li Yuan snorted, but the corners of his mouth curled up.

Li Lizhi sat next to Li Yuan, and every time it was Li Yuan's turn to play a card, she would whisper, "Grandfather, play this one, play this one."

Li Yuan never listened to her, but every time he won a game, he would share a piece of pastry with her.

Li Zhi was the most mischievous. He was too young to play mahjong, but he always squeezed to the edge of the table and reached out his little hands to grab the tiles. Li Yuan couldn't handle his antics, so he had to hold him on his lap. The little dumpling sat quietly on the Emperor Emeritus's lap, occasionally looking up at Li Yuan's face and calling out "Grandfather" in a childish voice.

Every time Li Yuan heard this sound, his hand would pause slightly.

One day, Li Ke took Li Zhi to the Da'an Palace. Li Zhi got tired from playing and fell asleep on Li Yuan's lap. Li Yuan looked down at the small, soft child and remained silent for a long time.

"This child..." he said softly, "is like his father when he was a child."

Li Ke remained silent. He knew that the "father" Li Yuan was referring to was Li Shimin.

"Shimin was like that when he was a child," Li Yuan said in a low voice, as if talking to himself, "round face, big eyes, he followed me everywhere I went. Wherever I went, he followed."

Li Ke listened quietly.

"Once, I was working in my study when he ran in, climbed onto my lap, and fell asleep there. I didn't dare move for fear of waking him. I just sat there for an hour."

Li Yuan gently stroked Li Zhi's hair, his movements very light, as if afraid of disturbing a sleeping dream.

"Later..." He didn't finish his sentence.

Then came the Xuanwu Gate Incident. He lost his two sons, his throne, and his freedom. Later, the child who slept on his lap became the emperor who forced him to abdicate.

Li Ke said softly, "Grandfather, Father... misses you very much too."

Li Yuan paused for a moment!