20: Sword and axe unsheathed

"Your Majesty," Fang Xuanling finally mustered his courage and spoke with difficulty, "It's useless to pursue these matters now. If… if Zhangsun Wuji's guess is true, then the power Your Highness the Crown Prince possesses, I'm afraid..."

He didn't dare to finish, but everyone understood his unspoken words.

To annihilate 150,000 Xiongnu troops overnight—what kind of terrifying combat strength was that?

Even with the Great Tang's full national power, they might not be able to achieve such a clean and decisive victory.

And this was merely a single scale revealed by that "Latent Dragon."

What a colossal entity must the entire Dragon be?

Li Shimin staggered back a step, his body heavily colliding with the imperial desk, sending the memorials on it clattering to the floor.

He clutched the corner of the desk, gasping for breath, his chest heaving violently.

He remembered too much.

He recalled Li Chengqian's "mediocrity" over the years, his "forbearance" in court, his "obedience" when he requested to leave the capital for his fiefdom, his "filial piety" when he presented auspicious omens… It was all fake!

It was all a disguise!

He, this father, this Emperor of the Great Tang, was like a fool, manipulated by his own son!

An unprecedented wave of humiliation and fury surged to his head. Li Shimin suddenly swept his hand, knocking all the brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones off the imperial desk!

"Issue my decree!"

His roar echoed through the empty hall, carrying endless killing intent, "Mobilize the Jinwu Guard, and… and surround the Eastern Palace for me!"

Before he finished speaking, he abruptly stopped, his body frozen in place.

Surround the Eastern Palace?

And then?

How would the people of the world view him, this Emperor, then?

He had already performed the drama of father and son slaughtering each other once.

Was he to do it again?

Moreover, the claws of that "Latent Dragon," that sinister entity called "Shu Mountain," were watching from the shadows.

If he moved against Li Chengqian, would that ghostly army, capable of annihilating 150,000 troops, appear at the gates of Chang'an city the next moment?

A bone-deep chill instantly extinguished all his rage.

Li Shimin slumped onto the Dragon Throne, completely drained of all strength. For the first time, on this chair symbolizing supreme power, he felt utterly isolated and helpless.

The deadly silence in the hall could swallow all sound; even breathing seemed jarring.

Li Shimin lay slumped on the Dragon Throne, his eyes, once as sharp as a hawk's, now murky and bloodshot.

He was like an old lion king trapped in a cage, his fury spent, leaving only endless exhaustion and a bone-deep chill.

Surround the Eastern Palace?

The thought was like a poisonous thorn, piercing his mind, only to be brutally pulled out by himself, leaving a bloody wound.

He couldn't do it.

He could still smell the blood from Xuanwu Gate to this day.

He couldn't let the historians of Chang'an record another heavy stroke against him, another blood debt of father and son killing each other.

Moreover, he didn't dare.

Shu Mountain… that phantom, only heard of but never seen.

That army of gods and demons capable of annihilating 150,000 Xiongnu cavalry overnight.

If he moved against Li Chengqian, would that sharp sword, hanging over the heads of all rulers in the world, fall on his, Li Shimin's, neck the next moment?

He dared not gamble.

"Your Majesty…" Zhangsun Wuji's voice was dry and hoarse, breaking the suffocating silence, "This matter… requires long-term deliberation. We must not act rashly."

"Long-term deliberation?"

Li Shimin let out a low, beast-like growl. He suddenly looked up, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Zhangsun Wuji, "How can we deliberate? My Crown Prince, right under my nose, has become a true Dragon that I cannot see through! He wants to devour his master! How do you expect me to deliberate?"

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui exchanged glances, both seeing deep worry and fear in each other's eyes.

"Your Majesty," Fang Xuanling bowed, his voice extremely low, as if afraid of disturbing unseen spirits outside the hall, "Your Highness the Crown Prince… is still the Crown Prince, after all. If he has no rebellious intentions, then the power of 'Shu Mountain' would be a blessing for the Great Tang. If…"

He didn't finish, but his meaning was clear.

Li Shimin, of course, understood.

He slowly closed his eyes, his chest heaving violently a few times, as if forcibly suppressing the raging fury and humiliation that threatened to consume him.

When he opened his eyes again, the madness had receded, replaced by the cold, piercing rationality befitting an Emperor.

He couldn't act openly.

"Issue my verbal command."

His voice regained its usual majesty, but with an added, undeniable coldness, "Order the 'Hundred Cavalry Division' to keep a close watch on the Eastern Palace for me. Every blade of grass, every tree, every brick, every tile, every person entering or leaving, every word spoken, every action taken – I want to know it all."

Hundred Cavalry Division!

At the mention of that name, the hearts of Zhangsun Wuji and the other two tightened.

That was the Emperor's most secret and sharpest blade, directly subordinate to the Emperor himself, unchecked by any official department.

They were hounds in the shadows, ghosts in the night.

Deploying the Hundred Cavalry Division meant the Emperor had already deemed the Crown Prince a threat of the highest Rank.

"Remember," Li Shimin's gaze swept over the three, his eyes as cold as the Siberian wind, "Just watch; do not alarm him. I want to see how many secrets my good son is truly hiding."

He waved his hand wearily, "You may all withdraw. Leave me to myself for a while."

The three bowed and left. As they exited the hall, the night wind of Chang'an was unusually cold, making their spines shiver.

They knew that the heavens of the Great Tang were about to change… The next morning, at first light.

Inside the Eastern Palace's bedchamber, Li Chengqian slowly opened his eyes, his gaze clear, without the slightest hint of morning grogginess.

He didn't immediately get up, but lay still, his ears twitching slightly, listening to the sounds from outside the window.

The chirping of birds, the rustling of wind through leaves, the shouts of early morning vendors on a distant street… everything was no different from usual.

It was too quiet.

Or rather, too "normal."

The Hwamei bird, which usually loved to chirp noisily on the branches outside the window, wasn't there today.

On the tiles of the opposite roof, there was an unnatural patch of slightly darker moss, like a lurking eye.

Even in the wind, there seemed to be a faint, imperceptible scent of strangers.

"Heh heh…"

A soft chuckle escaped his throat, carrying a mix of understanding and… pleasure.

Imperial Father, you finally couldn't resist, could you?

You finally couldn't sit still in this game of chess and decided to enter the fray yourself.

That's good.

He slowly rose and put on the casual clothes the maid had prepared earlier.

The entire process was fluid, without any hesitation, as if completely unaware of the pervasive surveillance.

He pushed open the door and walked into the courtyard.

The soft morning light fell on him, elongating his handsome figure.

He took a deep breath of the cool morning air, his expression calm and content.

"Excellent."