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

Su Qing watched her go, gazing at her retreating figure in a daze, and murmured to herself, "The Princess Consort of Han is truly blessed."

"..."

"Your Highness, you've finally come out! Where have you been? We've been looking for you for ages!" the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review said anxiously.

Li Yuanchang joked, "I was looking for a toilet earlier, but I couldn't find one. I went around in circles for ages. Your Dali Temple is really huge!"

The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review grabbed his arm: "I see!"

"Your Highness, you should hurry. His Majesty just sent someone to summon you, saying that you must come to the palace immediately."

"Enter the palace immediately?"

Li Yuanchang was slightly surprised. Wasn't this the case that he had just been assigned to handle?

"Your Highness, yes, he seems quite anxious."

"..."

Li Yuanchang had no time to think. He bid farewell to the people from the Dali Temple and rushed to the palace to meet the emperor.

Inside the Imperial Study.

Li Shimin was wrapped in a blanket and sat cross-legged on a specially made dragon throne with bubbling hot water underneath, as if he were in a sauna.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!"

Li Shimin was drowsy, as if he had fallen asleep. Li Yuanchang called out to him several times but received no response until a eunuch came forward to wake him up.

Li Shimin then opened his eyes, which were bloodshot and showed signs of exhaustion.

Li Yuanchang glanced at it and immediately sensed that something was wrong.

During the morning court session, it was too far away to see clearly, but upon closer inspection, Li Shimin had indeed aged considerably. He had fought battles in his youth, toiled for decades over state affairs, and suffered various psychological blows, which ultimately wore down the once mighty Khan.

It was obvious to the naked eye that his energy and spirit were far inferior to what they used to be.

It's not the gray hair that brings it, but rather a feeling; some people can still be energetic even with a full head of white hair.

"Seventh Brother is here."

"Yes."

"Sit down," Li Shimin said, gesturing to the side.

Li Yuanchang cupped his hands in greeting and then slowly sat down.

"Seventh Brother, the main reason I've summoned you here is to ask you to do something."

"Please give your instructions, Your Majesty," Li Yuanchang said.

"Legend has it that there is a fairy mountain in the East Sea, where a deity lives. I want you to go there yourself and bring him back, or bring back an elixir of immortality."

"Huh?" Li Yuanchang was surprised and taken aback, thinking he had misheard.

What's going on?

Send the Minister of War to find the elixir of immortality?

Li Shimin coughed and said, "I had someone divine my fate, and they said I would hardly live past the age of 50."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanchang was startled again, and his eyebrows involuntarily furrowed.

The number five is fifty-five, and historically, Li Shimin did not live that long.

But what surprised Li Yuanchang even more was who had the audacity to calculate and, even more so, to say it!

"But I believe I can live to be eighty!"

When Li Shimin uttered these words, a look of longing and determination flashed in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, the words of alchemists should not be entirely trusted. Your Majesty is still young. With proper care and rest, your health will surely be guaranteed," Li Yuanchang said.

Li Shimin said, "But I have to admit that I'm getting old. My health has been deteriorating over the past year, and I've fallen ill several times already. That's a fact."

"I don't want to lie here forever; I have many things to do."

"Legend has it that on that immortal mountain in the East Sea, there is a medicine that can grant immortality!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanchang's heart skipped a beat!

broken!

Li Shimin also reached this point; even the most powerful emperors didn't want to die in the end and were frantically pursuing immortality.

"Your Majesty, has someone given you any kind of elixir?"

Li Shimin frowned: "How did you know?"

Li Yuanchang's heart sank completely. He had started taking drugs. No wonder his health had been so poor!

"Your Majesty, forgive my bluntness, but most of those elixirs are bad for your health. As the saying goes, every medicine has its side effects. Your Majesty shouldn't have listened to those alchemists!"

"Moreover, birth, aging, sickness, and death are like the passing of spring and the coming of autumn—it's a natural law. How could there possibly be an elixir of immortality in this world?"

"Has Your Majesty forgotten the lessons of Qin Shi Huang?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin was immediately displeased, his brows furrowing deeply.

"presumptuous!"

"Can such tyrants as Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han be compared to me?"

During the Tang Dynasty, Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han did indeed have a bad reputation, and it would be offensive to describe an emperor in this way.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me."

"I misspoke for a moment. I only did not want Your Majesty to be harmed by these unorthodox methods," Li Yuanchang said in a deep voice.

Li Shimin took a deep breath and restrained his emotions.

"That's not some unorthodox method. I was able to stand up this time entirely thanks to those elixirs."

"I understand my body; I have to give it my all!"

As he spoke, he pressed down on the dragon throne with one hand, as if pressing down on the entire world, and his ailing body once again exuded the might of a dragon.

His eyes were resolute: "Among all the nations of the world, are there still those who do not submit to the Great Tang!"

"I am not afraid of death, but I am unwilling to die of old age like this. I want to make the whole world submit to the feet of the Tang Dynasty while I am still alive!"

"Eliminate all hidden dangers in one fell swoop!"

His voice was firm and resolute, his single hand clenched with an air of dominance and unwavering determination.

Li Yuanchang frowned as he looked at Li Shimin in this state.

Some say Li Shimin was afraid of death, but he lived because he wanted to conquer the world and accomplish more great national undertakings.

It is said that Li Shimin was not afraid of death, so he started taking drugs again and began to pursue those illusory things.

Many emperors in ancient times died young, largely due to the use of "elixirs of immortality." However, many of the ingredients in these elixirs were not only ineffective in curing diseases, but were also highly toxic!

You won't see any effects after taking it once or twice, but long-term use will inevitably lead to sudden death.

It seems history is true; Li Shimin was indeed tormented by illness in his later years and started taking drugs indiscriminately.

"Your Majesty, perhaps..."

Li Shimin looked over suddenly, his eyes showing some displeasure: "But what?"

"Don't even you understand me?"

"Or perhaps you don't want to see me safe and sound?"

Li Yuanchang was taken aback, seeing irrationality in Li Shimin for the first time.

Even though Li Shimin was a ruthless emperor, he was by no means unreasonable. On the contrary, he was a monarch who would listen to others.

But at this moment, Li Yuanchang sensed a hint of the senility that comes with the late years of a great emperor, which is almost a given.

Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang preferred to travel the world rather than enjoy wealth and honor in Chang'an, which seems to have been foreseen.

"Your Majesty, I did not mean that."

"I just feel..."

Li Shimin interrupted decisively, brooking no argument: "Then go and do it!"

"Of all the officials in the court, you are the most capable and have the most ideas. I order you to go to the East Sea and bring the person back to me!"

Li Yuanchang's first reaction was that he didn't want to go.

He did not believe in immortality, much less in gods.

Moreover, his departure will last at least a year. After being away from the court for so long, by the time he returns, things will likely have changed drastically, making it even more difficult for him to contend with Changsun Wuji.

He even suspected that Changsun Wuji was behind it all, with the aim of transferring him away.

But the way he looked at Li Shimin was not a look of negotiation; if he refused, Li Shimin would surely be angry.

He is now tormented by illness and betrayed by his son's comrade-in-arms, and his emotions are very unstable.

"Your Majesty, I... shall go!" Li Yuanchang was forced to accept the decree.

Li Shimin's complexion improved slightly, but he then coughed violently and sat back down.

"However, Your Majesty, I still think it's best to consume fewer elixirs of immortality," Li Yuanchang added as a reminder.

"Hmm." Li Shimin nodded in response and closed his eyes to rest.