In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

Li Yuanchang struggled to slowly kneel up.

But he can no longer even make such a small movement.

Seeing this, Li Shimin frowned and waved his hand. Two trusted confidants from the Inner Palace stepped forward to help Li Yuanchang up.

"Your Majesty, kill me."

"You think I wouldn't dare kill you?" Li Shimin's voice chilled the entire prison, his eyes flashing with a surging, uncertain killing intent.

Li Yuanchang, weak and listless, said indifferently, "If the ruler commands his subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die."

"Is there anything in this world that Your Majesty wouldn't dare to do?"

Li Shimin's blood pressure soared. He seriously suspected that Li Yuanchang was subtly mocking the Xuanwu Gate Incident, but he had no evidence and was not comfortable mentioning those words himself.

"I warn you, don't mistake my mercy towards your brothers for an excuse to act lawlessly!"

Li Yuanchang chuckled.

Although his face was deathly pale and he was on the verge of collapse, he remained clear-headed and steered the conversation toward serious matters.

"kindness?"

"Your Majesty, look at your brother, is there any good spot left on his body?"

"Don't forget, I am also of the Li family bloodline!"

Li Shimin was instantly speechless.

Perhaps it was to compromise because of Li Yuanchang's desire to die, or perhaps it was a sudden pang of conscience.

He spoke directly, decisive and ruthless.

"I'll give you one more chance!"

"I will no longer make you kowtow and apologize in person. Instead, I will send you to your fiefdom under the pretext of being banished from Chang'an, with no salary for three years. This will serve as your punishment!"

"I have also chosen a new princess for you, the eldest daughter of the Situ family of Liangzhou. There will be no grand wedding, and the marriage cannot take place in Chang'an to avoid suspicion! Moreover, you are not allowed to set foot in Chang'an without a transfer order!"

"You've caused such a huge disaster; I must give the Chai family an explanation, and an explanation to the world!"

After saying this, Li Shimin stared intently at him, as if to say, "I have already forgiven you enough; don't be ungrateful."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanchang sneered inwardly.

They make it sound so noble, but frankly, it's all about sacrificing him for the greater good; it's all about self-interest.

He felt that he was the only one who was unlucky enough to be bullied because he had no real power and was therefore the easiest target to bully.

However, that's enough.

He can take the position, but he can't do it for nothing!

"good!"

"But I have one condition!"

"If Your Majesty does not agree, then collect my corpse!" Li Yuanchang raised his head and stood up straight with all his might, even though his body was trembling with pain.

This is the moment to go all in; it's life or death!

Li Shimin was proud his whole life, and no one had ever dared to threaten him openly like this before. Moreover, he had already said he would give him another chance, but Li Yuanchang was undoubtedly taking advantage of his kindness.

His knuckles cracked, and a flickering killing intent rose and fell in his sharp eyes!

At that moment, the atmosphere in the prison truly reached freezing point!

A terrifying imperial aura enveloped Li Yuanchang, but he withstood it. His stubborn and resolute gaze seemed ready to overturn the table at any moment.

One second, two seconds... a full ten seconds passed!

The two men stared at each other without blinking, and Li Yuanchang's head could fall to the ground at any moment.

Finally, the murderous aura subsided, and the atmosphere in the prison warmed up.

It's obvious that Li Yuanchang won!

What Li Shimin wanted was for Li Yuanchang to confess his crimes and accept punishment, and to uphold the legitimacy of imperial power, not for Li Yuanchang's life.

Moreover, he saw no way to make Li Yuanchang yield; he was truly risking his life.

This matter is similar to that of the Prince of Han in the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Zhanji could not kill him, but he could not spare him either. He frantically promised benefits to coax the other party into admitting his mistake in order to maintain the correctness and authority of the emperor.

Later, Zhu Zhanji couldn't hold back and killed his second uncle. He felt good, but he carried the infamy of harming his own relatives for hundreds of years, which became a source of deep sorrow for him. It was even made into a TV series in the 21st century.

When you reach a certain level of status, your way of thinking becomes completely different from that of ordinary people.

"What are the conditions?" Li Shimin finally agreed.

"Give Wu Meiniang her freedom, and Your Majesty must promise never to kill her!" Li Yuanchang blurted out.

Li Shimin's eyes narrowed instantly, exuding a strong sense of pressure.

He suddenly realized that after going through all this trouble, it seemed that Li Yuanchang had only planned this in advance to save this woman from the Wu family.

"Do you know why I have placed her under house arrest?"

Li Yuanchang stated directly, "I know, isn't it that prophecy?"

"If this child were a girl, she would be the ruler of the world!"

"But Your Majesty, don't you find it ridiculous?"

"A ridiculous prophecy, and you've already broken up this loving couple, gone back on your word, making everyone in Chang'an point fingers at me!"

Li Shimin turned away, seemingly realizing that he hadn't considered Li Yuanchang's feelings.

"I told you at the time that this was due to my lack of consideration and oversight, and I would compensate you!"

"But don't even think about the wedding anymore. There's absolutely no possibility between you and her!"

He was very tough.

Li Yuanchang also knew that restoring the marriage agreement was impossible, and such a prophecy remained a thorn in Li Shimin's side.

Even if it seems absurd now—how could a woman possibly rule the world—the union of such a woman with a member of the royal family...

He absolutely could not accept it.

There needs to be a limit to bargaining.

Although Li Yuanchang was extremely reluctant, his first priority was to ensure Wu Meiniang's safety, otherwise Li Tai might try to kill her!

"If Your Majesty grants her freedom and promises not to kill her because of rumors, I will plead guilty and accept punishment!" Li Yuanchang repeated.

"This is the compensation Your Majesty should give to your younger brother!" He added another way out, very cleverly turning compromise into compensation.

The difference between the two words is like heaven and earth.

As expected, Li Shimin was not so opposed to it, but rather puzzled.

"compensate?"

"Yes, compensation!"

"Your Majesty clearly knows that it was the Chai family who provoked my brother first, using offensive language and insulting Meiniang, which was in fact an insult to me, yet Your Majesty has placed all the blame on me."

"Chai Lingwu brought nearly a hundred men, while I only have a few. Who is plotting this?"

"You expect me to confess my guilt, accept punishment, and bear the infamy to appease all sides and Your Majesty's loyal ministers? Shouldn't this be compensation?"

Li Yuanchang deliberately criticized the loyal ministers who were trying to appease the emperor, thus exposing Li Shimin's true intentions.

Li Shimin was speechless for a moment, and even a little embarrassed.

He did sacrifice Li Yuanchang to appease the family power behind Chai Lingwu, which is why the details of the brothel case were never made public.

Li Shimin took a deep breath: "Alright, I agree. She will be free, but she must leave Chang'an forever and is not allowed to set foot there again."

"And you are not allowed to associate with her, not even with your concubines!"

Li Shimin gave a warning look.

Li Yuanchang knew that, in the end, he was also wary of him.

But he wasn't sad. That's just how the royal family is. He had already gotten everything he wanted, so the deal wasn't a loss.

He then bowed deeply and said, "Your subject confesses his guilt and accepts punishment!"

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness!"