"Damn your ancestor!"
Li Shimin roared, his right hand slamming on the imperial desk as he flipped himself into the air. A kick landed squarely on Xiao Yu's chest.
At fifty-five years old, Xiao Yu was no match for this kick fueled by hatred.
His body folded into a 'C' shape, flying backward seven or eight meters.
He crashed into a pillar in the hall before slowly slumping to the ground.
"Cough... cough..."
"Ptooey..."
After a few coughs, a mouthful of fresh blood spurted out. He struggled to lift his head, a smile contorting his face.
"Your... Your Majesty!"
"If the sovereign wills his minister to die, the minister must die. Why make such a fuss?"
His aged face, his mouth full of blood, made the smile appear somewhat monstrous.
These words sent Li Shimin into a violent tremor.
Shameless!
Having committed such heinous acts, he could still remain so composed after being discovered.
What kind of mentality was this!
He stared at Xiao Yu for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
"I had originally thought, considering your abundant merits, to demote you back to your hometown to enjoy your retirement."
"But now, it seems I was too soft-hearted!"
"Guards!"
Outside the hall, Cheng Chumou and Qin Huaiyu immediately charged in with their men.
"Your Majesty!"
"Drag this old scoundrel out, confiscate his property, and annihilate his clan!"
"Yes!"
As a group of fierce men advanced towards him, Xiao Yu chuckled sinisterly.
"Hehehehe..."
"Li Shimin! If you don't want to sit on this throne, then yield it to another!"
"Abdicate and pass on the throne!"
"Hehehehe..."
"I will await you in the underworld!"
Fang Er: ???
"Wait!"
He quickly called to a halt. The old fellow's words were definitely problematic!
Cheng Chumou and the others stopped in their tracks. Fang Er walked up to Xiao Yu, bending down to stare into his eyes.
"What did you mean just now?"
"Hahaha, nothing!"
"To go against heaven is to invite divine retribution!"
Xiao Yu was still laughing, his laughter unnervingly strange.
Suddenly, his eyes widened, and with a muffled grunt, a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
"Ptooey..."
Then, he spat out a piece of flesh from his mouth. It fell to the ground, still twitching.
Fang Er looked closely. It was his tongue!
The old bastard had actually bitten off his own tongue!
Then he tilted his head, succumbing to the pain and passing out.
Zhang Gongjin watched the scene in shock. Xiao Yu's action was far beyond his expectations.
Fang Er, on the other hand, was completely bewildered.
Damn it, biting off one's tongue to commit suicide was pure nonsense; it didn't kill anyone.
This old fellow couldn't possibly not know that, so why would he do it?
However, Li Shimin, as if seeing through everything, quickly guessed something.
He then called out to Cheng Chumou and the others.
"Take him away!"
"Have Qi Wudao thoroughly search the Xiao manor!"
"I want to see who he's trying to protect by staying silent!"
Fang Er's heart skipped a beat. Connecting this to Xiao Yu's last words—
If you don't want to sit on the throne, then yield it to another.
Abdicate and pass on the throne?
What in the world...
Who was worthy of such staunch support from him?
While he was still trying to guess the answer, Li Shimin had already given his orders to Deng Dengjie.
"Summon Chengyan and all the imperial princes to see me!"
His eyes were cold, filled with killing intent.
Deng Dengjie felt a warmth between his legs. He quickly bowed and hurried out of the hall.
Good heavens...
The times were about to change...
In less than half an hour, a vast number of princes were kneeling in the hall.
The efficacy of the little pill was undeniable!
Ever since Fang Er had introduced this item, the Li family had entered a second spring of procreation.
Those kneeling in the hall now ranged from toddlers who had just learned to walk to about three-year-olds, a total of thirty-seven!
And these were only the imperial princes...
The princesses in the harem outnumbered the princes!
The imperial palace hall at this moment was comparable to a kindergarten.
From this perspective, the old Li family had thoroughly surpassed Emperor Huizong of Song.
Li Chengyan, the eldest and nominally the emperor, but actually still the crown prince, knelt in the very center.
He kept glancing at his father, his heart filled with extreme panic.
"I have just dealt with Xiao Yu!"
"The Yangzhou incident was entirely orchestrated by him!"
"But he has someone behind him, so I'm asking you all: who is it that has their sights set on this dragon throne!"
Li Shimin got straight to the point, walking out from behind the imperial desk and pointing at the dragon throne, asking loudly.
Li Chengyan's small face instantly turned deathly pale. He crawled forward several steps and grabbed his father's leg.
With snot and tears streaming down his face, he wailed.
"Father Emperor, Father Emperor, this son has nothing to do with this matter!"
"This son begs to be demoted, demoted to Australia to raise chickens, alright..."
"Father Emperor, this son doesn't want to be emperor, doesn't want to be a prince, this son only wants to be a commoner and live a peaceful life."
"Please, Father Emperor, grant my wish!"
"Bang!"
Li Shimin kicked him away: "If it wasn't you, why are you so nervous!"
Li Chengyan burst into wails, crying most pitifully.
"Father Emperor, Mother showed this son the History of Tang!"
"In that History of Tang, this son rebelled, was banished to Lingnan, and was sucked dry by giant mosquitoes until he became a dried husk..."
"Every time this son does something, he must consider it thrice, for fear of making a mistake!"
"Even breathing requires immense courage, for fear you might misunderstand and think this son is stealing your breath..."
"I beg Father Emperor to release me, the matter of Xiao Yu was truly not instigated by this son!"
Fang Er: ...
Good heavens! This child has scared himself into such a state?
Li Shimin stood there dumbfounded, not daring to believe his ears.
Was this his son?
How could he be so cowardly!
Looking at Li Chengyan's state, he felt extremely uncomfortable. He strode forward and yanked him up by his collar.
"Come, hit me!"
Li Chengyan: ???
"Father, Father, Father Emperor, stop, stop joking..."
"What, what do you want this son to do, just say it. Even death is fine, just don't do anything else..."
"Slap..."
As soon as he finished speaking, he received a heavy slap across the face.
Li Shimin glared at him: "Come on, fight back!"
"How can my son be so cowardly!"
"Come, hit me. As long as you dare to retaliate, I will have the abdication ceremony held today!"
Li Chengyan trembled in fear: "Father, Father, this son doesn't want to, doesn't want to..."
"Give it to Zhi Nu, give the throne to Zhi Nu. In the History of Tang, he is the true successor!"
"If not, you can give it to Qing Que, or to Li Ke..."
As he spoke, his eyes actually flickered towards Fang Er.
"Yes, yes, and him!"
"Father Emperor, Zhi Nu is still young. If you don't trust him, give the throne to your brother-in-law, let him do it!"
"He will definitely be able to!"
Fang Er: ???
Good heavens!
Wasn't this about Xiao Yu's matter? What were these two doing?
He didn't know that while Xiao Yu's affair was troublesome for Li Shimin, it wasn't a matter of great consequence!
Li Shimin's headache was that his own son had been scared into becoming a wimp by a History of Tang!
"You don't want to be emperor? Fine!"
"Hit me! As long as you slap me across the face, you can do whatever you want afterwards, and I will never stop you!"
Li Chengyan was instantly dumbfounded.
But thinking about the life he had lived these past few years, constantly living in fear.
Fear of being beaten, fear of being punished, fear of being sent to Lingnan to feed mosquitoes...
Now, as long as he delivered a big slap, he would be free...
Slap?
Or not slap?