My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

Taiji Palace, a secluded and quiet palace, yet filled with the strong smell of bitter medicine.

Because it was the dead of winter, the doors and windows inside the hall were sealed shut. Even with several braziers burning, the air was still filled with a lingering chill and deathly atmosphere.

Li Chen followed behind Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun as they entered the inner palace.

On the carved canopy bed lay a thin, bony girl of about thirteen or fourteen years old.

Her face was deathly pale, almost devoid of any color, and her weak breaths seemed as if they might cease at any moment in the cold winter. This was Princess Runan of the Tang Dynasty, a pitiful girl who, in official history, did not even live past the tenth year of the Zhenguan era.

"Runan... Your father has come to see you."

Li Shimin walked to the bedside and looked at his daughter, who should have been beautiful but was now ravaged by illness. The iron-blooded emperor couldn't help but choke up.

Upon hearing the sound, Princess Runan opened her dull, lifeless eyes with great difficulty.

"Father...Father Emperor, Mother Empress..."

She tried to force a smile, but her voice was so weak it was like a thread, as if even uttering a single word would exhaust all her strength.

"Good child, don't speak." Empress Zhangsun held her cold, icy little hand with heartache, tears streaming down her face.

"Your mother and father have brought your sixteenth brother. He is now a celestial being of our Great Tang Dynasty; he will surely be able to cure your illness!"

A faint hint of doubt flashed in Princess Runan's dim eyes. Following her mother's gaze, she saw the handsome young man in white robes standing by the bed, exuding an otherworldly aura.

Li Chen didn't waste any words and stepped forward directly.

He extended his long, slender, and fair index and middle fingers and gently placed them on Princess Runan's wrist, which was as thin as a withered branch.

He scanned the area with his divine sense.

"With congenital deficiency and heart and lung failure, coupled with the lifeless and sunless atmosphere of this deep palace, even a good person would get sick from being cooped up, let alone a girl who is weak and sickly."

Li Chen shook his head inwardly.

If he hadn't revealed the secrets of the "History of Time" today, given the girl's current physical condition, she would have only lasted another half a month before passing away completely.

"Chen'er, is there any hope for Runan...?" Li Shimin was so nervous that he stopped breathing.

"Don't worry, they can save you."

Li Chen said it casually.

Immediately afterwards, with a thought, his vast and boundless true essence at the Golden Core stage instantly transformed into an extremely pure and vibrant wood-elemental spiritual power!

"Buzz!"

A ball of emerald-like, crystal-clear green light bloomed at Li Chen's fingertips, and then, like warm spring water, flowed down Princess Runan's wrist and continuously into her eight extraordinary meridians!

Wood gives birth to all things, embodying the vitality of creation!

For mortals, this kind of pure wood-elemental true essence is a hundred times more miraculous than the legendary medicine that can bring the dead back to life!

Visible to the naked eye.

A healthy blush quickly spread across Princess Runan's previously deathly pale face. Her breathing, which had been so faint it was almost inaudible, gradually became steady and long.

Even her withered skin, nourished by this life-giving power, regained the radiance that a young girl should have!

"call……"

Princess Runan exhaled a long breath, feeling the coldness and pain that had tormented her for over a decade vanish instantly, replaced by an unprecedented warmth and ease.

"I...I'm not in pain anymore?"

She sat up in disbelief, looked at her hands, then at Li Chen standing by the bed, too shocked to speak.

"A miracle! This is truly a divine miracle!"

Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun were so moved that they wept with joy, repeatedly clasping their hands in gratitude. Crown Prince Li Chengqian watched in stunned silence, utterly impressed by his sixteenth brother's supernatural abilities.

"Alright."

Li Chen withdrew his finger and clapped his hands.

"This only provides initial protection for her heart meridian and cleanses her marrow. However, she is severely depleted and will require long-term spiritual nourishment to fully recover."

Li Chen glanced at the lifeless palace with disdain.

"This wretched place doesn't even have a trace of spiritual energy. Staying here will only worsen her condition. Quickly, have someone pack her up and send her to my Prince Qin's residence. I have a spirit-gathering array there. After half a year of recuperation, I guarantee she'll be as energetic as ever, ready to go toe-to-toe with the Crown Prince."

"Yes, yes, yes! I'll have someone do it right away!" Li Shimin now obeyed Li Chen's every word and wished he could stuff all the sick people in the harem into the Prince of Qin's residence.

……

three days later.

The backyard of the Prince of Qin's residence.

The warm winter sun shines on the cozy courtyard with its heated floor.

Li Chensheng slumped helplessly in the rattan chair, covering his face in anguish with his hands.

He peered through his fingers at the chaotic scene before him, a veritable "chaos of demons," and felt a sudden headache coming on.

In the courtyard, Little Sizi was like a husky that had broken free of its reins, holding a blade of grass in its hand, chasing a butterfly all over the yard, its silvery laughter making people's ears ring.

Behind her, the timid Princess Chengyang followed like a little tail, stumbling along with her short legs, occasionally letting out a soft, sweet gasp.

Not far away, bathed in sunlight, lay on a chaise lounge covered with thick fox fur, where Princess Runan, looking much better, was watching her younger siblings play with a beaming smile, enjoying this long-lost vitality.

In addition, there's the Crown Prince and the Qin family father and son who smash the stone lock every day in the east courtyard, and Li Tai, the "mad scientist" who makes small explosions every day in the side courtyard.

"They've gone mad, they've all gone mad..."

Li Chen looked up to the sky and sighed, letting out a helpless cry from the depths of his soul.