70: I also have a trump card!

Li Shimin’s fists were clen ched tightly beneath his Dragon Robe, his knu ckles turning a frightenin g white from the excessive force.

Blood seemed to congeal in his veins.

The entire Taiji Hall was so silent that he could hear his own frantic heartbeat.

“Try it?”

How could he try?

He knew better than anyone that Li Chengqian was not lying.

That rebellious son had not uttered a single false word from beginning to end.

The existence of the Shu Mountain Sword Immortal was like an invisible poisonous thorn, deeply embedded in Li Shimin’s heart. He could deceive all the civil and military officials, he could deceive the people of the world, but he could not deceive himself.

Yuan Tiangang, that mysterious Imperial Diviner, the commander of the Bad People of the Great Tang, had probably truly sided with the Crown Prince.

Otherwise, where would Li Chengqian get the courage to speak such treasonous words in the Taiji Hall with such a calm tone?

If Yuan Tiangang were truly summoned to the Hall, and in front of everyone, he bowed to Li Chengqian, called him “Your Highness,” and obeyed his orders… then what would Li Shimin be?

A Puppet whose power had been usurped? A joke, manipulated by his son and subordinates?

“Negligence in supervision, aiding the wicked!”

These eight characters, like a curse, wildly crashed in his mind.

He could imagine Wei Zheng’s ashen face, and the greedy glint in the eyes of the representatives of those aristocratic families.

They would be like a pack of hungry wolves smelling blood, swarming forward to tear him to shreds.

By then, he would not only lose all his prestige but would be forced to abdicate and yield his position!

To hand over the Empire he had personally built to this son whom he could no longer understand at all.

No!

Absolutely not!

He, Li Shimin, was the Khan of Heaven! He was the Emperor who had fought his way out of the Xuanwu Gate, treading on mountains of corpses and seas of blood!

His throne was won by his own sword and spear; it was not something anyone could take away so easily, not even his own son!

Suppressed rage and an unprecedented panic intertwined in his chest, forming an impenetrable net. He felt his breathing become difficult, and his vision swam.

He stared intently at Li Chengqian below the Hall.

That figure, though still familiar, was so strange that it sent a bone-chilling cold through him. That calmness, that composure, was the greatest mockery to him, the Emperor.

It seemed to say: “Imperial Father, you are old; it is time for you to leave the stage.”

“Your Majesty…”

Fang Xuanling’s voice, with an almost imperceptible tremor, broke the suffocating silence.

He wanted to offer advice but didn't know where to begin.

The current situation had exceeded everyone’s control.

This was a confrontation between imperial father and son, a clash between imperial power and the Crown Prince; any words seemed pale and powerless.

Li Shimin ignored Fang Xuanling.

All his focus was on fighting against the sense of powerlessness that almost swallowed him.

Just then.

“Thump, thump, thump…”

A steady yet hurried sound of footsteps came from outside the Hall.

In this Hall where a pin drop could be heard, the sound was as clear as a drumbeat.

Everyone’s gaze was involuntarily drawn to it.

A guard, clad in black armor, strode into the Hall, knelt on one knee, and spoke with a voice like a booming bell.

“Reporting to Your Majesty! The Great Tang Bad People, three hundred sixty-five Heavenly Star Captains, have assembled outside the palace city!”

“Awaiting Your Majesty’s command!”

Boom!

These words, like a clap of thunder, exploded in Li Shimin’s mind!

Bad People!

Assembled!

He suddenly froze, the Chaos of rage and panic in his eyes instantly replaced by an extremely sharp glint.

That’s right!

He still had the Bad People!

How could he forget that he still had this sharpest hidden blade of the Great Tang, an organization that only obeyed his commands!

They were Li Shimin’s eyes, his claws, the absolute power hidden beneath the Empire’s shadows!

What about the Shu Mountain Sword Immortal?

No matter how mysterious or powerful, they were ultimately outsiders, ghosts who could not see the light of day.

But the Bad People were officials of the Great Tang! They were the Empire’s instrument of force!

They were created by him, the Emperor!

An unparalleled confidence, like a volcanic eruption, instantly surged from the depths of his heart to the top of his head.

The sense of powerlessness that had almost crushed him was washed away by this force, vanishing into thin air.

His back straightened again.

The cold touch of the Dragon Throne no longer made him panic; instead, it brought a sense of solidity, of having everything under control.

He looked at Li Chengqian below the Hall, his gaze completely transformed.

It was no longer anger, no longer panic, but a condescending scrutiny, a coldness that held the power of life and death.

“Li Chengqian, do you think you have already won?”

“Do you think that with a vague Shu Mountain, you can force me to bow my head?”

“You are too naive!”

“I can give you the position of Crown Prince, and I can take it back at any time!”

“I can create a prosperous Great Tang, and I can crush any force that dares to challenge imperial power!”

“Haha…”

A low laugh rolled from Li Shimin’s throat.

This time, the laughter was no longer dry or cold, but filled with imperial majesty and immense self-confidence.

He slowly sat back on the Dragon Throne, his movements composed; the king who had been on the verge of losing control just now was merely a figment of everyone’s imagination.

He tapped his finger gently on the armrest of the Dragon Throne, making a “thump, thump” sound.

Each tap seemed to strike at the hearts of all the civil and military officials.

“Imperial Diviner Yuan Tiangang bears the heavy responsibility of the Imperial Observatory, praying for the nation, observing stars, and divining fortune. How can he be easily disturbed by such a trivial matter?”

His voice was steady and clear, without anger, yet it contained an unquestionable will.

He was making a statement.

He rejected Li Chengqian’s request.

He would not summon Yuan Tiangang to the Hall.

This high-stakes gamble between father and son, he, Li Shimin, would not play!

He would resolve this crisis in his own way!

“Crown Prince,” Li Shimin’s gaze, as sharp as an eagle’s, locked onto Li Chengqian, “as the Crown Prince, you should understand the nation’s decorum. The Bad People are a vital instrument of the state, specifically charged with the power of supervision and arrest, directly under me.”

“Today, you openly attempted to mobilize the Bad People in court for your personal grievances. Do you know your crime?!”

The tone shifted, revealing murderous intent!

He no longer dwelled on evidence, no longer entangled himself with Shu Mountain.

He directly slapped Li Chengqian with the serious charge of “attempting to meddle with forbidden matters and shake the foundation of the state”!

This was the art of the Emperor!

This was Li Shimin’s true method!

No matter what conspiracies or Immortal techniques, in the face of absolute imperial power, they would all be crushed to dust!

“Li Chengqian, you have the Shu Mountain Sword Immortal; is that so impressive?”

“I have the entire Great Tang!”

“I have the loyal Bad People, whom I personally created!”

“When have I ever been inferior to you?!”

The imperial confidence Li Shimin had just regained, that immense aura of power capable of crushing everything, brought by the Bad People, had not even had time to fully warm in his chest.

Clang—!

A clear and exceptionally sharp sword cry came from outside the Hall without any warning.