My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

He pursed his lips and let out a long sigh.

"Alright, give the Empress Dowager some face, Old Deng, you're lucky today."

Li Chen turned around, put his right index and middle fingers together, and made a very casual, light stroke in mid-air.

A sudden flash of golden light.

Accompanied by a dull, heavy metallic scraping sound, a huge, illusory ancient book slowly materialized in mid-air in the courtyard.

It was that book that people both loved and hated, "The History of Time".

"See for yourself."

Li Chen ignored the history books above his head.

He strolled leisurely to the stone table, dragged over the repaired bamboo rocking chair, and plopped down comfortably.

Immediately afterwards, with a thought, he opened his soul space.

Under the horrified gazes of Li Chengqian and Li Tai, Li Chen, as if by magic, pulled out a large plate of fragrant roasted sunflower seeds from his sleeve, then brought out a large piece of neatly cut chilled watermelon, and finally even produced a pot of fine grape wine.

He crossed his legs, grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, cracked one open with a snap, and struck a pose of pure excitement, like someone watching a grand spectacle from the front row.

Crown Prince Li Chengqian and Prince Wei Li Tai stood under the corridor, and seeing Li Chen's "watching the show" expression as if he were afraid the world wouldn't be in chaos, their hearts skipped a beat and their scalps tingled.

The two looked at each other and saw deep fear in each other's eyes. This shouldn't have anything to do with us, right?

The fact that the sixteenth brother can make such an expression is definitely not a good thing. Father Emperor is probably going to have a stroke today.

But at the same time, their curiosity was like a cat's claws scratching at them.

In the original course of fate, who exactly squeezed them out and ascended to that supreme throne?

midair.

The heavy cover of "The History of Time" was slowly lifted.

Golden text appeared line by line in the void, quickly converging into incredibly clear, flowing images.

The image depicts the late Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty. (Li Chen projected this himself; how can a textual version compare to the power of a visual presentation?)

Li Shimin was getting old.

He lay on his sickbed, looking emaciated.

Kneeling before his bed was a handsome young prince with a sorrowful expression.

The elderly emperor, trembling, reached out and solemnly handed the Imperial Seal, symbolizing the highest power of the Tang Dynasty, to the prince.

The golden narration beside it slowly appeared:

Emperor Taizong died and passed the throne to Prince Jin, Li Zhi.

"Child slave?!"

Li Chengqian and Li Tai both gasped in shock, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

The two brothers had been fighting each other in the court for so many years, wishing they could beat the dog brains out, but in the end the throne actually fell into the hands of the ninth brother who usually just followed behind and wiped his nose.

Li Shimin looked at the screen, and although he was shocked, the expression on his face softened slightly.

Zhi Nu is kind and gentle by nature. If Cheng Qian and Qing Que have really made a grave mistake and are beyond redemption, passing the throne to Zhi Nu would be a good choice to preserve their family.

but.

The pages of the history book turned with a rustling sound.

Sudden change in painting style.

The scene remains the same palace filled with the smell of medicine.

Li Shimin was sleeping soundly with his back to the outside and facing the wall, occasionally letting out painful coughs.

Outside the sickbed stood a young woman, her features blurred and her figure graceful. The history books thoughtfully labeled her name above her head: [Emperor Taizong's Consort, Wu Meiniang.]

Just then, Li Zhi, who had become the crown prince, walked in carrying a bowl of medicine.

Li Zhi walked to the bedside.

Instead of waking his sickbed father, he turned around and stared intently at the young and beautiful Wu Cai Ren.

The two were standing less than three feet apart, right next to the Tang emperor's sickbed.

Wu Zetian's eyes flickered, as if she wanted to speak but hesitated, while Li Zhi's breathing quickened and his eyes burned with passion.

next moment.

Behind the sleeping old emperor, Li Zhi reached out and tightly grasped Wu Meiniang's soft, boneless hand.

Their hands were tightly entwined under the cover of their wide sleeves, and the forbidden and lingering look in their eyes was clear to everyone, even across hundreds of years.

In mid-air, a line of scarlet-gold characters crashed down like a thunderbolt:

[Stealing fragrance from a sickbed, a green hat is forged.]

The courtyard was deathly silent.

"Click."

Li Chen spat out a sunflower seed shell, picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and sighed, shaking his head:

"Tsk tsk tsk, that's really something. Stealing his own father's woman right in front of his sickbed—this plot is unbelievable! Even movies wouldn't dare to portray something like this!"

Li Shimin stood in the center of the courtyard, as if all his strength had been drained away.

His charred face miraculously took on a deep, iron-green hue.

He clutched his chest tightly, feeling as if his heart had been struck by a sledgehammer, and his breath caught in his throat.

"Child slave...it's actually a child slave..."

Li Shimin's vision blurred, and he gasped for breath like a broken bellows.

But this is just the beginning.

History continues to turn relentlessly.

The scene shifts rapidly, showing Li Zhi ascending the throne, a weak and sickly man.

Wu Zetian rose step by step from a nun at Ganye Temple to the thrones of Zhaoyi and Empress, and finally even openly referred to as "the Two Saints" alongside Li Zhi, ruling from behind the curtain.

After Emperor Gaozong's death, the massacre began.

The Tang Dynasty's imperial court turned into a sea of ​​blood. Those old ministers of the Lingyan Pavilion who had followed Li Shimin in conquering the country were framed and their entire families were executed.

The imperial relatives, princes, and princesses of the Li Tang dynasty were poisoned, forced to commit suicide, or exiled and executed.

Li Chengqian and Li Tai watched as those somewhat familiar faces were dragged to the execution ground like pigs and sheep, their legs went weak, and they collapsed onto the wooden floor of the corridor.