16: Angrily retorted to Li Shimin: "I, the Crown Prince, train the troops and command the generals, and defend the Tang Dynasty, what's wrong with that?"

Why should he leave?

He is the Son of Heaven of the Great Tang!

He is the sole Dominator of this land!

The one standing in the dimly lit distance, surrounded by a group of young rascals, is his son, the Crown Prince he personally appointed!

Why should he flee in a panic, like a thief caught in the act?

A king's fury and dignity, far surpassing fear, erupted from his heart like a volcano.

The chill of being seen through, of being schemed against, was instantly swallowed by scorching lava.

He could lose to anyone, but he absolutely could not show even a hint of cowardice in front of his own son!

"Your Majesty?"

Fang Xuanling called out in a low voice, his tone filled with worry.

Li Shimin did not answer.

He slowly, inch by inch, turned his body, which had already turned away, back again.

His gaze, like a drawn sword, tore through the layers of night, piercing directly towards the boisterous training ground.

He no longer hid in the darkness.

He took a step, then two... with the stride of a Dragon and the bearing of a tiger, he emerged from the shadows with the force of thunder, stepping into the main courtyard, which was as bright as day from the torches.

With his appearance, the entire Eastern Palace was gripped by an invisible hand.

The shouts that had been like mountains and seas, full of fervor, the moment before, came to an abrupt halt.

"Clang!"

Someone's horizontal saber slipped from their hand and fell onto the bluestone slab, letting out a jarring, crisp sound.

That sound, in the deathly silence, seemed particularly abrupt, like a needle pricking everyone's excited nerves.

Yuchi Baolin's face, which had been flushed red with excitement, instantly drained of color and turned pale.

His mouth slightly agape, he stared blankly at the towering figure who had descended like a deity, his mind a blank.

Luo Tong, Cheng Chumo, and the others stiffened all over, as if frozen in place, their fervent expressions solidified into a comical mask.

They almost instinctively, in a flurry, dropped their weapons, their armor rubbing together with a chaotic clatter, and then with a thud, they uniformly knelt on the ground.

"Your son... greets Imperial Father!"

"Your subjects... greet Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty, long live, long live!"

Their voices trembled, carrying undisguised fear.

The air solidified, the crackling of burning torches was clearly audible, and everyone's heartbeats were like drumbeats.

They prostrated themselves on the ground, their heads pressed tightly against the cold earth, not even daring to steal a glance at that figure from the corner of their eyes.

The Emperor's personal visit to the Eastern Palace late at night, without retinue, without announcement, appearing like a ghost.

What did this mean?

Everyone's hearts were stirred by tumultuous waves, and a cold current named "fear" instantly extinguished all their fervor and loyalty.

Li Shimin paid no attention to the young generals kneeling on the ground; his gaze, from beginning to end, was fixed on the only person still standing.

His son, Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian stood before the crowd, his posture as straight as a pine.

He did not panic like the others, and even the expression on his face did not change much.

He just quietly watched his father, walking towards him step by step.

In those deep eyes, there was no surprise, no fear, still that unfathomable calm; he had long anticipated that his father would choose to emerge from the darkness.

"Chengqian,"

Li Shimin finally spoke, his voice terrifyingly calm, "Do you know your crime?"

He did not question, did not roar, just three simple words, yet they carried the weight of Mount Tai, making everyone kneeling around him tremble like chaff.

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui followed behind the Emperor, their hearts in their throats.

How could they not see that tonight, the Eastern Palace had become a battleground for father and son, and they, along with all the descendants of generals in the courtyard, were merely pawns and spectators in this storm.

Li Chengqian bowed slightly, performing a standard Crown Prince's Rei, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Your son does not know; please, Imperial Father, enlighten him."

"Do not know?"

Li Shimin let out a cold laugh, the laughter filled with icy Killing Intent, "You privately gathered the descendants of generals, practicing martial arts and training within the Eastern Palace, with swords and blades having no eyes, and Killing Intent soaring to the heavens. Is this not a crime?"

With each sentence he spoke, he pressed one step closer.

The powerful imperial pressure, like a tangible wave, crashed against Li Chengqian's body in successive surges.

Any other person would have probably collapsed and knelt under this pressure, becoming incoherent.

However, Li Chengqian merely raised his head, looking directly into his father's eyes, which burned with rage.

The corners of his mouth even carried that faint, unsettling smile.

"Imperial Father's words are mistaken."

His voice was clear and not loud, yet it clearly entered the ears of everyone present.

"I am the Crown Prince of the Great Tang, the future Crown Prince of the Empire."

He paused, then looked around at Yuchi Baolin and the others who were kneeling on the ground, not even daring to raise their heads, his voice suddenly rising, filled with a metallic resonance.

"They are the Qilin children of the Yuchi family, the swift steeds of the Cheng family, the tiger cubs of the Qin family, and the future pillars of talent for my Great Tang! Their gathering in my Eastern Palace today is to select talent for the nation and share the Emperor's worries!"

"As the Crown Prince, I spar with the nation's pillars of talent, honing their blood and spirit, letting them know what comradeship is, what loyalty and righteousness are, so that in the future, they may expand the territory for my Great Tang and guard the four directions!"

At this point, he suddenly turned his head back, his gaze like a torch, meeting Li Shimin's eyes without flinching, speaking each word with powerful resonance: "As the Crown Prince of the Great Tang, training soldiers and commanding generals, guarding the Great Tang, what is wrong with that!"

"What is wrong with that!"

"What is wrong with that..."

The last four words, like a clap of thunder, echoed repeatedly in the silent courtyard, making everyone's eardrums hum.

In an instant, the entire world fell silent.

Li Shimin stared intently at his son, his chest heaving violently.

He wanted to refute, to scold, to immediately seize this audacious rebellious son.

But he opened his mouth and found that he could not utter a single word.

Wrong?

What is wrong?

The Crown Prince training generals for the nation—if these words were spoken, who could find fault with them?

If Wei Zheng were here, he would probably clap his hands in praise of the Crown Prince's foresight, saying he had the style of his father!

He did not mention himself at all in his every sentence, and every word was about the Great Tang.

This grand and impeccable rhetoric blocked all of Li Shimin's questions, making him feel like he was punching cotton, with strength but nowhere to apply it.

What made him even more afraid was that Li Chengqian's words were not only for him but also for the group of young people kneeling on the ground.

You see, everything I do is for the Great Tang.

Yet, Your Majesty questions me for it.

What a vicious open scheme this was!

In Li Shimin's mind, a bloody scene, a nightmare he could never escape from in his life, uncontrollably surfaced.

Xuanwu Gate!

Those cold city walls, that splattering blood, the wails of brothers... Could it be... could he really be... A thought that sent shivers down his spine wildly grew in his heart.

Could this son, whom he had raised with his own hands, truly be preparing to emulate himself and launch a new Xuanwu Gate Incident?!

He looked at Li Chengqian's young yet overly calm face; there was no father-son affection in those eyes, only a pure, indifferent scrutiny.

He was not answering a question.

He was making a declaration.

Li Shimin suddenly felt dizzy, and his vision darkened.