My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

Inside the Taiji Hall, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Several officials kneeling on the ground were sweating profusely, the sweat dripping down their cheeks onto the gleaming gold bricks.

They couldn't understand why His Majesty could remain so calm in the face of such a capital offense—violating ancestral rules and competing with the people for profit.

"Clang!"

A dull metallic clanging sound broke the deathly silence of the hall.

Four burly Imperial Guards carried a metal object, about half a person's height, and strode into the hall. The bottom of the object was red-hot, and eerie blue flames were spewing out from the notch at the top.

A scorching wave of air instantly dispelled most of the chill in the hall.

"What...what is this?"

The censor kneeling at the front was startled and instinctively covered his mouth and nose, desperately shrinking back.

"Poisonous smoke! Your Majesty, be careful! This must be the poisonous gas from the burning coal!"

Upon seeing this, several officials covered their mouths and noses with the wide sleeves of their court robes, making a pitiful appearance as if they were about to be poisoned.

Li Shimin ignored the ugly behavior of these clowns.

He slowly stood up and walked down the white jade steps one by one.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the entire court.

The Tang emperor walked straight to the blazing iron stove. Instead of covering his mouth and nose, he stretched out his hands and placed them above the dark blue flames, comfortably warming himself by the fire.

"poison gas?"

Li Shimin took a deep breath, his broad chest rising and falling slightly.

He turned his head, his deep dragon eyes coldly sweeping over the people kneeling on the ground, his eyes revealing an unyielding mockery.

"I've been standing by this furnace for half an hour, breathing easily and feeling warm all over. How come I'm still alive, but you're already struggling to breathe?"

Li Shimin raised his foot and kicked the leading censor in the shoulder without any mercy, sending him rolling on the ground.

"Open your dog eyes and look carefully! This stove burns without a trace of black smoke or any sour smell! It's a life-saving fire that can help the poor survive the harsh winter!"

Li Shimin turned around, strode back to his desk, grabbed the thick memorial on it, and slammed it hard into the faces of the officials who were criticizing him.

"You keep saying that the King of Wei treats human life like dirt. Then take a good look at this memorial that the Jingzhao Prefecture just submitted this morning!"

Li Shimin's voice suddenly rose in pitch, like thunderous fury, booming under the dome.

"Last December, a heavy snowfall resulted in the freezing deaths of over four hundred bodies in and around Chang'an! The Jingzhao Prefecture's hearses were used to collect corpses from morning till night!"

"And this year? The city was also locked down by a blizzard. But because of the three-copper-coin stove that King Wei made, the number of people who froze to death in these three days was zero! Not a single one!"

Inside the main hall, the assembled officials were in an uproar.

Even the neutral officials gasped in shock when they heard the number "zero," their eyes filled with astonishment.

"You sit in your warm chambers burning silver-boned charcoal, dressed in fine silks and satins, spouting nonsense about morality and propriety, about competing with the people for profit!"

Li Shimin pointed at the group of officials and berated them sternly.

"The King of Wei is selling these for three copper coins; he's practically paying out of his own pocket to keep the people alive! Whoever can keep the people from freezing to death this winter, I'll reward them! Any of you with the ability, go and fight for such a benefit for me!"

The censor who was hit in the face by the memorial was now pale and his lips were trembling violently.

"Your Majesty...we are only acting for the sake of the royal family's reputation..."

"Still making excuses!"

Li Shimin suddenly waved his hand.

Li Junxian, who was standing to the side and behind, immediately strode forward.

In his hands he held a huge scroll, about two zhang long, made of coarse cloth.

"Splash—"

Li Junxian shook his hands forcefully.

The huge roll of coarse cloth rolled down the white jade steps, spreading out all the way to the knees of the officials.

The military officers and civil officials inside the hall all craned their necks to look, and instantly gasped in shock.

That's not calligraphy or painting at all.

The rough, yellowish cloth was covered with countless handprints of all sizes!

Some handprints were made with soot from the bottom of a pot, while others were made by biting a finger and pressing it with fresh blood! The black and red colors were intertwined, a shocking sight!

Next to those handprints, several large characters were written crookedly: "All people bow in reverence, may King Wei live a thousand years."

"This is a petition signed overnight by 30,000 households from the West Market and the South City!"

Li Shimin pointed at the roll of coarse cloth, his chest heaving violently.

"This is the will of the people of the Great Tang! You bunch of barking parasites, how dare you try to suppress the life-saving grace of these 30,000 people with a few tattered memorials?!"

"Someone come here!"

Li Shimin no longer bothered to look at this group of people and coldly issued the decree.

"Strip these officials who spread rumors and form cliques for personal gain! Throw them out of their court robes! Throw them into the Dali Temple's death row and thoroughly investigate who they've been bribed with!"

The Imperial Guards outside the palace rushed in like wolves and tigers.

Amidst a chorus of pitiful pleas for mercy and cries for mercy, several officials who had just been spouting righteousness and morality were dragged out of the Taiji Hall.

Li Chengqian, standing at the head of the princes' line, yawned lazily and reached out to touch the white gauze wrapped around his head.

He looked at the unfortunate men being dragged away, a smug, malicious grin spreading across his face.

"Now look what happened. Not only did we fail to drag Qingque down with us, but we've also lost our own lives."

……

Half an hour later.

The backyard of the Prince of Qin's residence.

The winter sun pierced through the clouds and shone on the warm bluestone slabs paved with floor tiles.

Li Chen lay on the rattan chair, holding a crystal-clear spiritual fruit in his hand, casually popping it into his mouth.

Qin Wan'er sat on a small stool to the side, holding an exquisite jade fan in her hand, staring intently at the bronze alchemy furnace that was half a person's height in front of her. The firelight at the bottom of the furnace illuminated her beautiful face, and a fine layer of fragrant sweat appeared on her forehead.

"Bang!"

The moon gate in the backyard was kicked open.

Li Chengqian, without even having time to change out of his court robes, rushed in excitedly with a conspicuous white gauze covering his head.

"Sixteenth Brother! That was wonderful! Today's morning court session was absolutely fantastic!"

Li Chengqian strode to the stone table, picked up the teapot, and took a big gulp, then casually wiped the water from his lips.

"You didn't see it, Father Emperor moved that iron furnace right into the main hall today. Those officials who dared to criticize turned green with rage, and in the end, they were all stripped of their official robes and thrown into the death row!"

Li Chengqian, beaming with excitement, recounted the events that had transpired in the court to Li Chen, embellishing the story.

Li Chen listened quietly.