My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

Upon hearing the words "Prince Qin's Mansion," Li Shimin's eyes twitched twice.

OK!

The Crown Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty, neglecting the mountain of national affairs, spends all his time running to his unreliable sixteenth brother's courtyard! Is he treating the fate of the Tang Dynasty like a child's game?

"Prepare the horses!"

Li Shimin suddenly stood up, the hem of his dragon robe stirring up a gust of angry wind.

Half an hour later.

The red-lacquered gate to the backyard of the Prince of Qin's mansion was violently kicked open from the outside with a loud "bang".

Li Shimin strode into the courtyard with a dark face and barely suppressed anger. Empress Zhangsun, worried about her husband's temper, hurriedly followed behind with several palace maids.

The scene in the courtyard instantly ignited the Tang emperor's anger to its peak.

In the center of the courtyard.

Crown Prince Li Chengqian was shirtless, revealing his strong, muscular physique, and was drenched in sweat.

He was in a horse stance, wildly punching the century-old locust tree in the yard that required two people to hug.

And under the shade of trees not far away.

Li Chen lay comfortably in the bamboo rocking chair, with chilled watermelon and roasted melon seeds on the small square table next to him.

Little Sizi, dressed in a pink dress, held a slice of watermelon in her hand, standing next to the rocking chair, clapping and cheering excitedly like a dutiful little cheerleader.

This scene is simply the ultimate example of being obsessed with trivial pursuits and neglecting one's duties!

"Chengqian!"

Li Shimin let out a deafening roar.

"What are you doing, you little brat?"

Li Chengqian, who was engrossed in practicing his boxing, was startled by the shout and turned around abruptly.

Seeing his father's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot, he hurriedly withdrew his fist and stood there helplessly.

"Uh! Eh! Father... Father Emperor, what brings you here?"

Li Shimin rushed forward in three strides, his finger almost poking the crown prince's nose.

"What are you doing, kid?!"

Li Shimin, spitting as he spoke, launched into a tirade of abuse.

"What kind of nonsense are you up to all day! Always messing around with this and that, instead of going to the Regent's office to review memorials, what are you doing here causing trouble?"

Li Chengqian was sweating profusely from the scolding and stammered, unsure how to explain himself.

Li Shimin grew increasingly angry as he spoke, his chest heaving violently.

"I gave you the title of Crown Prince! So that you would share the burdens of your emperor and father, and strive for the well-being of the people! And you're just going to spend all your time in the palace cultivating?"

Just when the tension between the father and son reached its peak.

The little ox, who was holding a watermelon, suddenly ran over to Li Shimin's side.

"My brother, the Crown Prince, wants to be a brute!"

Quiet.

The courtyard was deathly silent.

Upon hearing this earth-shattering instigation, Li Chengqian's vision went black, and his knees felt weak; he almost knelt down before his own sister on the spot.

Li Shimin's eyes widened instantly, becoming larger than copper bells.

"You unfilial son!" Li Shimin pointed at Li Chengqian, his fingers trembling with anger.

"Look at how useless you are! You give up being the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty, and instead come here to cultivate like a brute?"

Li Chengqian's face turned red with anxiety, and he waved his hands frantically, "No, Father, I didn't..."

"Why didn't my brother, the Crown Prince, go to court yesterday!"

Little Sizi didn't give Li Chengqian a chance to explain at all, and delivered another precise blow, her innocent little face filled with the seriousness of "sacrificing family for the greater good".

The knife went straight into Li Shimin's lung.

"You unfilial son!" Li Shimin's roar rose another octave.

"You dared to skip court yesterday? Where did you run off to last night? Don't you want the Tang Dynasty's throne anymore?!"

Little Sizi licked the watermelon juice from the corner of her mouth and continued to speak crisply.

"My brother, the Crown Prince, is skipping court to cultivate his spiritual practice."

Three consecutive sentences were meant to incite conflict, each one potentially fatal.

Li Shimin was on the verge of losing control. He stared intently at Li Chengqian, his eyes seeming to want to devour him.

"Cultivation?"

Li Shimin sneered repeatedly, his tone full of disappointment and sarcasm.

"You're never this diligent in reviewing memorials when you're in the Eastern Palace! Now, to act like a brute, you even dared to skip court yesterday?"

Cold sweat poured down Li Chengqian's back like a waterfall.

He glanced resentfully at Xiao Sizi, who was still munching on a watermelon, and could only brace himself to meet his father's murderous glare.

"Um! That..."

While wiping away sweat, Li Chengqian frantically tried to organize his thoughts in his mind.

"Father, please calm your anger. After returning from the expedition to the island nation, I suddenly had some inspiration and developed a completely new style of boxing."

"Develop a boxing style?" Li Shimin laughed in exasperation.

"So, have you made any progress in your research?"

At this point, a confident glint flashed in Li Chengqian's eyes.

He straightened up abruptly and answered loudly, "Yes!"

"Then practice for me!"

Li Shimin stood with his hands behind his back, staring coldly at him.

"I want to see what kind of earth-shattering, awe-inspiring martial arts you've mastered these past few days, while you haven't even attended court! If you don't satisfy me, I'll break your legs today!"

Li Chengqian took a deep breath.

He turned around and faced the sturdy, century-old locust tree again.

He bent his knees slightly, assuming a fighting stance. The spiritual energy within his body flowed rapidly along his meridians, converging on his right fist.

"Father, please look! This is the fist technique I have researched and practiced!"

Li Chengqian shouted and punched out with his right fist.

"drink!"

however.

This punch was thrown without any astonishing momentum or the sound of wind and thunder.

His fist landed lightly and softly on the rough tree trunk, like a little girl throwing a tantrum.

A soft "snap" sound.

Only a single withered leaf on the treetop was shaken down by the slight tremor and slowly drifted to the ground.

The bark of that century-old locust tree was completely undamaged, without even a white mark.

A long, deathly silence fell over the courtyard.

Qin Wan'er stood under the eaves, looking completely bewildered.

Li Shimin was stunned.

He stared at the old tree whose bark wasn't even broken, then looked at the prince who was still in a punching stance. His expression changed from anger to absurdity, and finally to utter speechlessness.

Is this over?

Is that weak punch enough to warrant you, the Crown Prince, skipping court for days? Is it enough for you to call yourself a brute?!

Just as Li Shimin was about to unleash a torrent of curses and grab a stick to beat someone up.

Little Sizi jumped out again and ran to Li Shimin's side.

She held up her juice-stained hand to her mouth, striking a snitch-like pose, and turned her head to stir things up:

"He's playing a trick on you, Your Majesty!"

"You unfilial son! You are deceiving me..." Li Shimin said, then suddenly realized what he was saying.

The Emperor? What Emperor? There was no such title in the Tang Dynasty.

The curse that Li Shimin had just uttered was abruptly swallowed back down his throat.

He turned his head and stared in astonishment at the exquisitely beautiful little dumpling.

"Hmm? Your Highness, what did you just call me?"