The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

Li Zhen and his three little lads perked up immediately, tilting their heads high and unable to hide their smugness.

Cheng Chumo gestured with his chin towards Cheng Yaojin, as if to say, "See that old man? This is all thanks to me."

Cheng Yaojin's face was ashen, but he didn't say anything.

Pei Ji finally broke his silence this time, letting out a soft chuckle. "Laughable? What's so funny? I don't find it funny at all; I only find it lamentable."

He slowly raised his head, looking at the future emperor with a complicated expression, and said to himself, "I come from a family of officials. My grandfather, Pei Rong, once served as the Grand Master of the Wood, and my father, Pei Yu, served as the Prefect of Jiangzhou."

"It was a great start, but an accident caused me to lose my father at a young age and be raised by my older brother."

"As the saying goes, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. My family was indeed glorious in the past, but all of that disappeared with my father's death."

"My brother has limited abilities. It's already difficult enough for him to take care of the whole family, let alone raise me, which puts him under even more pressure."

Even so, when my family was so poor that we couldn't support ourselves, I never went hungry as a child. I watched my older brother and sister-in-law suffer from hunger and leave the best for me.

"At that time, I vowed that I would make something of myself in the future, repay my brother and sister-in-law, and provide them with a better life!"

Pei Ji roared madly, "I want power! To restore the glory of the Pei family!"

"I want countless amounts of money! To let myself and my family enjoy endless wealth and luxury!"

"For this, I poured my heart and soul into it, endured countless hardships, and finally I did it. I reached the summit, saw the view from the top, felt the raging winds, and stood tall and firm!"

"I've brought the Pei family to new heights!"

"I possess countless riches. I dress my family in the finest clothes, use the most luxurious items, and feed them only the finest delicacies!"

"Even...those who once offered me the slightest help have become incredibly successful because of me!"

"Tell me, what's so funny about this?!"

Chen Huai'an sneered, "A gentleman loves money, but he acquires it in a proper way. This is not a reason for you to be so unscrupulous and frantically amass wealth."

"What do you know?" Pei Ji retorted without hesitation. "Have you ever eaten grain with chaff? Do you know how hard it is to swallow? Have you ever worn coarse linen clothes? Do you know how uncomfortable they are to wear? Have you ever experienced the hardship of having to mend even a pair of straw sandals?"

"You are all of noble birth, born to stand at the top of the mountain. What gives you the right to judge everything I have suffered based on your own assumptions?"

Chen Huai'an asked strangely, "What? You want to compete with me in misery?"

Pei Ji was speechless for a moment.

Only then did he realize that Chen Huai'an was probably the most miserable one.

"Idiot." Chen Huai'an scoffed.

Pei Ji: "..."

Li Shimin looked at him as if he were a clown jumping around.

As the saying goes, there is no harm without comparison. Compared to Chen Huai'an, everything Pei Ji said just now was so ridiculous.

Li Shimin no longer wanted to pay attention to him, because he had thought of something quite important.

"He Ming, write down the list of officials who have colluded with Pei Ji over the years. I need a comprehensive list, along with evidence of their joint actions!"

He Ming remained silent for a moment, then wrote down a line: "I can grant Your Highness's request, but I would like to speak with Mr. Chen alone first."

Li Shimin did not agree immediately, but instead looked at him quietly.

He Ming met his gaze without flinching, seemingly having made up his mind.

Li Shimin said coldly, "Fine, I grant your request."

"Huai'an, take him out."

Chen Huai'an was helpless, not understanding what He Ming was up to this time, but since Li Shimin had spoken, he couldn't refuse.

He stepped forward, gestured, and then walked out.

He Ming only suffered a serious mouth injury. Although his groin was also badly injured, he can still walk with difficulty after so much time has passed.

And so, the two arrived at another empty room. As soon as they closed the door, He Ming immediately knelt down and kowtowed heavily.

"What are you doing?" Chen Huai'an asked, puzzled, and took two steps to the side.

He Ming did not get up, but took out paper and pen and wrote down a sentence: "Please save my children, sir."

Upon seeing this, Chen Huai'an raised an eyebrow: "I promised to protect your family, and I will certainly do so."

"Actually, before I informed Your Highness, I had already sent Tang He to escort your family out of the city."

"You've done so many dirty things for Pei Ji over the years, you must have a considerable fortune, enough for them to live a life of luxury."

"Could it be... that you're afraid I'll break my promise?"

He Ming shook his head, picked up his pen and wrote: "These family members who were sent away are destined to have no way to survive."

"Although I am not a member of the imperial court, I have met too many people and understood too many things over the years. Therefore, I know very well that, given the current situation, if Pei Ji's misdeeds are exposed, it will inevitably implicate countless people."

"Your Highness can not only use this matter to obtain a huge amount of gold and silver treasures to bribe soldiers and officials, but also use it to reorganize the court and control both internal and external affairs."

"And all of this is because of me!"

"Those people will never let my family go. Even if you send them out of the city, they will find my family and make sure they die without a burial place."

"They won't survive..."

He Ming's hands were trembling as he wrote this sentence. Even when he was beaten up by Cheng Chumo and his gang, and when Chen Huai'an slapped him so hard that he almost lost consciousness, he did not shed a single tear.

But now her eyes are red with tears.

Chen Huai'an opened his mouth, gritted his teeth, and said, "I can find them a place and personally protect them for the rest of their lives."

"No need..." He Ming shook his head and refused, "I wouldn't dare trouble you like that, sir. You don't owe me anything."

"I have two illegitimate children who are being raised in a small house in Xishi. I don't know if anyone knows about this, and I don't want to take any risks."

"So...only if those people you arranged to send away die will my children have any chance of survival..."

Chen Huai'an didn't know what to say, so he could only force a consolation, "Don't be too pessimistic. Maybe things won't turn out the way you think?"

He Ming smiled, though the smile looked rather comical: "Sir, you don't need to comfort me. We both know this is inevitable."

"I have nothing to repay you with. Later, I will write down a list of officials who colluded with Pei Ji, and I will give it to you alone."

"Then, I will commit suicide."

"This is the only thing I can do for you, and I think it should be enough to earn you more credit."

"Besides, most of my wealth has actually been left to them. If you agree, it's all yours."

"I only hope that, sir, you can lend a helping hand just once when my children are in trouble, just once..."

"He Ming... has no way to repay this kindness. If there is any chance, He Ming will repay your great kindness by repaying you in the afterlife."

"Sir... I beg you."

"......"