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

"You may leave." Li Shimin withdrew his hand, his gaze and tone filled with disappointment, a disappointment bordering on despair.

Li Tai's expression changed, and he plummeted from the sky to the bottom of the valley.

"Father!"

"Father!"

"You trust your son, and your son will definitely be a good Crown Prince. Your son will treat everyone kindly, he will treat everyone kindly!"

He gripped Li Shimin's hand tightly, feeling that he was about to lose the position of crown prince.

"Get out!!" Li Shimin suddenly roared.

The sound was as loud as a booming bell, shaking the entire hall and its surroundings.

Li Tai was completely bewildered until he was dragged away, not knowing what had gone wrong, and just kept calling out Li Shimin's name.

He attempted to awaken his father's love through familial affection.

But this time it didn't work.

The greatest surrender a person can make is not anger, but a dead heart. This time, Li Tai is completely finished and can no longer be considered as a successor.

Li Yuanchang watched the person walk away into the distance, his eyes filled with no hatred or disgust; his grudge against Li Tai was over.

All that remains is a profound understanding of human nature and a deep appreciation for history.

"Cough cough cough!!"

At this point, Li Shimin's cough worsened.

Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling rushed forward: "Your Majesty!"

With the two men supporting him from both sides, Li Shimin was able to avoid slipping off the dragon throne.

"Someone, quickly summon the imperial physician!"

"No need!" Li Shimin gritted his teeth, his forehead covered in cold sweat and his face pale, but he still forced himself to stay upright.

"I'm fine, I'm perfectly well!"

He said it twice.

"Your Majesty!" Fang Xuanling cried out in grief.

Li Shimin struggled to sit up straight, but perhaps due to the recurrence of his old ailments such as headaches, he felt somewhat dizzy and only felt better after leaning against the dragon throne.

"Ke'er won't do, and Qingque will be even worse!"

"Who else? Who else?"

He seemed to be asking the ministers, or perhaps talking to himself, with a sense of grief and utter despair!

Perhaps at this moment, he also thought of Li Chengqian, and he also regretted it.

"Your Majesty, there is one more person!" Changsun Wuji suddenly said.

"Who?"

"Child slave!" Changsun Wuji blurted out.

Everyone had actually thought of this person, but it was Changsun Wuji who brought it up.

If Li Tai is not fit, then Li Zhi will be the only legitimate son.

If Li Ke is not suitable, then among the princes born out of wedlock, there is no one else who can.

It seems that Li Zhi was the only one facing the entire Tang Dynasty.

It wasn't just Li Shimin who had to face this; the entire court had to face it as well.

At least that's how it is after Li Tai uttered those treasonous remarks. The high-ranking officials who had previously held some hope for Li Tai now all acquiesced.

Li Shimin was in a daze, and it seemed that only at this moment did he connect the positions of his youngest son and the crown prince.

"Child slave?"

"Zhi Nu is kind-hearted but timid. Can he shoulder great responsibilities?" His voice was hoarse, and his eyes held doubt and worry.

Changsun Wuji bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Jin is of pure and kind nature, truly a wise and benevolent ruler, and a qualified ruler who can maintain the status quo."

"As for being weak-willed, that's not true at all."

"The Prince of Jin was young then, so it was understandable. But the Prince of Jin is different now; he has grown up."

"The Prince of Jin is right outside the door. Why doesn't Your Majesty summon him in for a look?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanchang raised an eyebrow and subconsciously looked outside.

Li Zhi was right outside the door, which means that Changsun Wuji had been prepared for a long time.

He then looked at Fang Xuanling and the others, and not one of them objected; they all acquiesced, which meant that it was in line with the historical trajectory.

Regarding the heir apparent, Fang Xuanling and other important officials of the Zhenguan era were actually in complete agreement with Changsun Wuji.

It was out of necessity due to reality, and also based on considerations of the overall situation.

"Let him in!" Li Shimin said in a deep voice.

"yes!"

"Summon the Prince of Jin to an audience!" The eunuch's high-pitched voice echoed through the palace, like a call from fate, or a torrent of history.

Li Yuanchang, who was in the midst of it all, suddenly realized that the power transition of the Tang Dynasty might be about to be completed without him even noticing.

Before he arrived, he was completely unaware of this, thinking that the position of crown prince would be the subject of a bloody struggle.

But judging from the current situation, that's unlikely!

The frail Prince of Jin walked in step by step, his youthful face and bewildered eyes revealing his inexperience and lack of responsibility.

Li Shimin forced himself to sit up straight, his eyes squinting as he gazed intently into the afterglow of the setting sun.

Li Zhi seemed to know in advance what was being discussed here today, so he was very nervous. His forehead was covered in sweat, his body was even trembling, and he could barely walk.

Facing scrutiny from high-ranking officials and the emperor himself, every step he took was extremely difficult, and he almost fell to the ground.

A hint of disappointment flashed in Li Shimin's eyes.

He couldn't see any aspect of Li Zhi that made him capable of shouldering great responsibilities.

At that moment, he thought of his first choice again: Li Ke.

Changsun Wuji's deep eyes changed drastically, and he cried out in his heart that something was wrong.

He unleashed a speed beyond his fifty years, swiftly snatching a Tang sword from a nearby imperial guard and throwing it at Li Zhi, who was a dozen meters away.

Then he glared at her fiercely with his sharp eyes, conveying a thousand words of advice.

Li Zhi, trembling, felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He shuddered and staggered as he picked up the Tang sword from the ground, then gripped it tightly in his hand.

He tried to regulate his breathing, to stand up straight, and to try to act like an adult.

Perhaps it was truly the will of Heaven that chose him. The dark clouds dispersed, and the golden light of dusk suddenly shone into the hall, illuminating his frail body.

At that moment, the nobility of the royal family, the sharpness of the Tang sword, and the dazzling golden light all gilded it.

Li Shimin sat up straighter and straighter, his squinting eyes meeting the blinding golden light. He saw a Prince of Jin holding a Tang sword, bathed in golden light!

He seemed to vaguely see the grandeur of the Tang Dynasty emperors.

He finally found a reason that could convince himself.

In his weakness and disarray, he murmured, "Zhi Nu, you may be the Crown Prince!"

The ten breaths felt like an eternity, but as the words came out of Li Shimin's mouth, Changsun Wuji struggled to suppress his overwhelming joy.

They then knelt down and shouted, "We pay our respects to the Crown Prince of the Great Tang! May Your Highness be well!"

"We pay our respects to the Crown Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty. May Your Highness be well!!"

The sounds rose and fell in the hall, lingering for a long time.

Li Yuanchang, standing among the crowd, also tacitly acknowledged this fact.

This is not something that can be changed by one person's will. There seem to be many choices, but in reality there is only one. If anyone were in this position, they would cause a bloodbath.

This was not only Li Shimin's choice, but also the choice of the entire Tang Dynasty.

In the summer of 643 AD, the seventeenth year of the Zhenguan era, Li Zhi was officially named Crown Prince!

Changsun Wuji also officially assumed the position of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, serving as his advisor.