26: Your Highness, please accept my order! Ascend to Jingzhou! You are not allowed to leave the capital without my order!

He stood among the officials, his posture as straight as a pine, his court robes worn without an ounce of excess, instead making him appear even more handsome and upright.

His face showed no anger from the attacks of Wei Zheng and others, nor joy from Zhangsun Wuji's defense.

He just stood there, watching with cold eyes.

This storm, capable of stirring the fate of the Great Tang, was merely a farce unrelated to him.

Li Shimin remembered the Xuanwu Gate.

On that day, blood flowed like rivers, and he too had faced his father, faced the factions of his brothers.

But he remembered how fast his heart had pounded then, his palms slick with cold sweat.

He had fear, determination, and a desperate gamble on the future.

But what about Chengqian?

On that calm, almost cruel face, he saw no emotion.

No, it wasn't a lack of emotion.

Li Shimin's pupils suddenly constricted.

He understood.

That wasn't calm; it was indifference.

It was an indifference towards these so-called pillars of the nation, these so-called trusted officials in the imperial court.

It was a kind of... indifference of a player overlooking a chessboard.

These people, including himself, were merely chess pieces!

This realization sent a chill down Li Shimin's spine.

He had considered himself the strategist, only to find he was already within the game.

He thought he was testing his son, but discovered his son was also weighing the worth of him, his father, this emperor.

Who gave him such audacity?

Was it the troops from Yi Province?

Was it the mysterious Shu Mountain?

Or was it a more terrifying power hidden in the darkness that he didn't know about?

It was in this air, so heavy it seemed to drip, that Li Chengqian moved.

He simply lifted his foot gently and took a step forward.

This simple step, however, landed squarely on everyone's hearts.

“Thump!”

Everyone's gaze, whether supportive or opposing, focused on him.

Li Chengqian surveyed his surroundings, his gaze sweeping across the faces of Wei Zheng and Fang Xuanling, then over Zhangsun Wuji, before finally resting steadily on the Dragon Throne, meeting Li Shimin's unfathomably deep eyes.

He bowed slightly, his voice not loud, yet clearly reaching every corner of the Taiji Hall.

“Imperial Father, esteemed sirs, you have debated for so long, you must be tired.”

His tone was as flat as if he were remarking on the good weather.

“Whether to go to the fiefdom or not is not something a subject can decide. Affairs of state, and family matters, all rest on Imperial Father's single thought.”

He paused, then raised his head, with three parts deference and seven parts detachment.

“Your son will obey Imperial Father's decision.”

Boom!

As soon as these words were uttered, thunder exploded in the minds of all the civil and military officials!

What did he mean?

Obey his decision?

How filial, how respectful these words sounded!

A Crown Prince, facing such a torrent of attacks, not defending himself in the slightest, but instead entrusting everything to the Emperor's judgment—what magnanimity was this?

But everyone present, who among them wasn't a shrewd individual?

They instantly discerned the vastly different implication in those words.

These words were a checkmate to everyone!

He didn't care at all whether he went to the fiefdom or not!

He used this method to tell everyone, 'You argue until your faces are red, but in my eyes, you are merely clowns.'

He also directly kicked the ball back to Li Shimin.

Imperial Father, look, you've watched enough of the show; now it's time for you, the player, to make your move.

If you want me to go, I'll go.

If you want me to stay, I'll stay.

However, no matter how you choose, it proves that this court session, from beginning to end, was you, the Emperor, coercing your own son.

Wei Zheng's face instantly turned ashen.

Zhangsun Wuji's eyes were also filled with shock and confusion.

They all felt like fools, completely played by this young Crown Prince.

On the Dragon Throne, Li Shimin looked at the still respectfully standing figure below, his fingers suddenly clenching the armrest, his knuckles turning white from the force.

What a Li Chengqian!

What a “Your son will obey Imperial Father's decision”!

He spoke the most arrogant words with the most deferential posture!

Li Shimin felt his imperial authority, at this moment, had been fiercely provoked by his son in an invisible way.

Inside the Taiji Hall, it was so deathly silent that one could hear the faint crackle of agarwood in the censer.

Li Shimin’s chest heaved violently, a scorching rage surging from his Dantian straight to his crown, almost incinerating his reason.

He stared intently at his upright son below, the Crown Prince who had given him the loudest slap with the most submissive tone.

Good, what a “Your son will obey Imperial Father's decision”!

This was putting him on the spot!

No matter what decision he made, after today, historical records would note: In the Zhenguan era, the Emperor suspected the Crown Prince, and under the guise of “training,” effectively exiled him.

All the civil and military officials were merely his pawns.

He felt his authority was like a magnificent robe being gnawed by insects, still outwardly splendid, but inwardly riddled with holes.

Li Shimin took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the scorching anger, transforming it into a cold, unquestionable imperial majesty.

His voice no longer held any warmth, as if from beneath the nethermost Xuanbing.

“Since the Crown Prince has such filial piety, We shall grant your wish.”

Every word was squeezed out through his clenched teeth, accompanied by a harsh, metallic friction sound.

“Jing Province is a thoroughfare of nine provinces, with deeply entrenched aristocratic families and complex relationships. The Crown Prince is young and should go to such a place to temper his Heart-Nature and enhance his abilities.”

These words were spoken with grand righteousness, the earnest expectation of a loving father for his son.

But the officials present, from Wei Zheng to Zhangsun Wuji, from Fang Xuanling to Du Ruhui, all felt a sudden heavy sinking in their hearts.

It had come.

The final revelation of the dagger.

Li Shimin's gaze was like a knife, sweeping across the entire hall, finally settling back on Li Chengqian.

“The Crown Prince shall proceed to Jing Province immediately; there must be no delay!”

“Proclaim Our imperial edict!”

He practically roared it out.

The chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department scrambled out from the side, his high-pitched voice trembling as it echoed through the vast hall: “Your Majesty has an imperial edict...”

A scroll of bright yellow imperial edict was unrolled, the already drafted words on it proving that this court session had been a meticulously prepared banquet for Li Chengqian from the very beginning.

The eunuch tremblingly held the imperial edict, taking small steps to Li Chengqian's front, his head bowed so low it almost touched his chest, his hands raised high: “Please, please, Your Highness the Crown Prince, receive the imperial edict! Depart for Jing Province! You shall not return to the capital without an imperial decree!”