Chapter 1: Li Er ascends the throne, Su Liang is ennobled

The ninth year of the Tang Wude era.

June 4th, Changan City.

Beneath the Xuanwu Sect, the ground is soaked in blood.

Crown Prince Li Chenggan and Qi Prince Li Yuanji have both perished.

At this moment.

Inside the Ganlu Hall of the Taiji Palace.

The Son of Heaven of the Great Tang, Li Yuan, gazes at the court officials under house arrest.

Only after a long while.

Does Li Yuan slowly regain his senses, his eyes deep, his aged face full of weariness.

His sharp gaze.

Stares fixedly at the blood-stained Qin Prince Li Er.

Knowing the situation is lost, he sighs helplessly...

"Transmit my imperial decree!"

"Crown Prince Li Chenggan and Qi Prince Li Yuanji, intending to rebel, have now been executed by the Qin Prince!"

"Depose Crown Prince Li Chenggan, and install Qin Prince Li Shimin as the Crown Prince of our Great Tang!"

"As for how to deal with the remaining rebels, let the Crown Prince handle it with full authority..."

Li Yuan says, his voice weak and listless.

He then slowly turns and walks, step by step, toward the inner chambers of the Ganlu Hall.

Walking toward his own sleeping quarters, effectively retreating behind the scenes.

From now on, he will peacefully live as a carefree Retired Emperor.

A moment later.

Li Er slightly regains his composure.

He lifts his head slightly, looking at the figure of his Imperial Father as it gradually recedes.

That aged, slightly hunched back appears exceptionally lonely!

Li Er cannot help but clench his fists, thinking to himself.

"Imperial Father, you are already old; rest easy and abdicate. Your son will surely become a wise and holy monarch whose name will be remembered for eternity."

"I will let the people of the Great Tang live in peace and prosperity, create a golden age for the Great Tang, and make all nations come to pay homage!"

The next morning.

Inside the council hall of the Qin Prince's mansion.

Every advisor of the Qin Prince's mansion present.

Has bloodstains on them to varying degrees.

Especially Yuchi Jingde, Cheng Yaojin, and the others.

Seeing all this, Li Er cannot help but sigh.

He then steps back a few paces.

And then, facing everyone present.

He bows deeply and offers a slight salute with his hands clasped.

"That we have succeeded today is entirely thanks to the planning of you all."

"When I, Shimin, ascend the throne as Emperor, I will never fail you!"

At this moment, Li Er's eyes are full of sincerity, his expression exceptionally solemn.

Looking at the blood-covered crowd, there is a hint of emotion in those sincere eyes.

"Transmit my orders!"

"Hou Junji, capture the remaining rebels of the former Crown Prince, and remember to pacify the hearts of the people!"

"Cheng Yaojin, follow the Imperial Father's decree to transmit orders to the city barracks to prevent riots!"

"Qin Qiong, take the military tally to take command of the thirty thousand troops outside the city, in preparation for any further rebellion by the remnants!"

The crowd leaves to carry out their orders.

Only by doing these things can he completely control Changan City!

"Your Highness!"

"I have already ordered the Eastern Palace and the Qi Prince's mansion to be completely surrounded!"

"All the family members of the former Crown Prince and the Qi Prince are inside; not a single one has escaped!"

Yuchi Jingde says, cupping his hands.

He looks at Li Er, who has now become the Crown Prince, with a face full of smiles.

"I wonder how the Crown Prince intends to deal with them?"

Zhangsun Wuji, standing to the side, suddenly speaks up.

"If they are all executed, I fear it will cause a backlash from the former Crown Prince and Qi Prince's factions."

Upon hearing this, Li Er's eyes sharpen!

Li Er is naturally very clear about what his brother-in-law is saying, and for a moment, he finds it difficult to decide.

At the same time.

South of Changan City, outside the Mingde Gate.

A youth of fifteen or sixteen, in fine clothes and on a spirited horse, enters Changan.

This child is as beautiful as jade, with sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, peerless and refined, with an innate noble spirit; one wonders how many young maidens in love this worldly young master will attract.

The youth's lips curl slightly, he smiles, and thinks to himself: "Li Er, oh Li Er, you owe me another massive favor!"

Outside the Qin Prince's mansion.

"Your Highness, Your Highness..."

A guard outside the mansion rushes in to report.

"Presumptuous, what matter could be so urgent!"

Zhangsun Wuji, standing to the side, says angrily.

"Reporting to the Crown Prince, there is a young master outside the mansion who says he has a matter to discuss with the Crown Prince."

"That young master says he can resolve the Crown Prince's inner conflict regarding the killing of his brothers and the forcing of the palace coup!" the guard says, trembling.

After a long while, a youth enters, peerlessly handsome and ethereal.

"You are Li Er?" the youth asks, raising an eyebrow slightly, his tone indifferent.

Instantly, the whole hall is shocked into silence!

"Presumptuous, bold commoner, how dare you address the Crown Prince like that!"

Cheng Yaojin scolds angrily.

"It is fine, let him speak in detail."

Li Er also wants to hear what this youth has to say.

"The former Crown Prince and the Qi Prince killed their brothers and forced a palace coup; what does that have to do with the Crown Prince?"

Without waiting for the crowd to ask, the youth continues.

"I, Su Liang, a commoner, saved a person fifty miles south of Changan City three days ago; this person is a personal guard of the former Crown Prince."

"At that time, he was being besieged by a group of men in black, and I happened to be passing by."

"Upon questioning, I learned the truth about the former Crown Prince and the Qin Prince killing their brothers."

"Five days ago, the Qin Prince attended a banquet at the invitation of the Crown Prince, accidentally drank poisoned wine, and General Yuchi fought his way out of the Eastern Palace."

"Three days ago, the former Crown Prince brutally murdered the Zhao Prince of the Western Mansion, Li Yuanba..."

"Presumptuous, you commoner, you speak nonsense; my third brother has been dead for nine years."

Before Su Liang can finish, Li Er roars.

"I have both human and material evidence, how could I possibly deceive the Crown Prince? The Zhao Prince is currently buried thirty miles southeast of Changan City."

"That guard, due to his severe injuries, could not move, so I have placed him in Room Number One of the Heaven Section at the Tongfu Inn."

Su Liang says indifferently.

Instantly, the whole hall is shocked into silence; one could hear a pin drop!

At this moment, Li Er's heart is surging with waves, unable to calm down for a long time.

After a moment, Li Er speaks.

"Li Junxian, take one hundred Thousand-Ox Guards and go quickly to the Tongfu Inn, watch over that guard well; this concerns my third brother, bring his head if you fail!"

"This subordinate obeys!"

"Fuji, go call Guanyinbi, and follow me to welcome my third brother."

"Little brother, I hope you will lead the way."

"Crown Prince, please allow me a word with General Li."

Su Liang turns and says to Li Junxian.

"That guard has one of my bodyguards accompanying him; General Li can take this item, and the bodyguard will know upon seeing it. Do not have any conflict with him; my bodyguard possesses the strength of ten thousand men!"

Two hours later.

Inside the Liangyi Hall of the Taiji Palace.

"Rebellious son! Rebellious son! Rebellious son!"

"Death is too good for them! Well killed! Well killed!"

Li Yuan, looking at the human and material evidence before him, curses loudly.

Li Er, standing to the side, has eyes already bloodshot, his eyes splitting with rage.

His hands are clenched into fists, and the veins on his forehead are bulging.

He wishes he could immediately lead his troops to slaughter the Crown Prince's mansion and the Qi Prince's mansion!

Empress Zhangsun is already shedding tears.

She cannot help but recall that younger brother from before.

Always following behind Li Er and Empress Zhangsun.

Calling them "Second Brother" and "Second Sister-in-law" with every breath.

"Second Sister-in-law, when will you and Second Brother give birth to a little nephew for me to play with?"

"The little nephew is not for Yuanba to play with."

"It is for you, the uncle, to protect."

"Fine, fine, fine, then Yuanba will teach the nephew martial arts."

"Whoever dares to bully my nephew, Yuanba will hammer them to death!"

"Second Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, Yuanba is hungry."

"Yuanba wants to eat the pancakes Second Sister-in-law makes."

"Fine, fine, fine, Second Sister-in-law will make them for you right now."

"Hehe, make more, I can eat it all!"

After a while.

The Son of Heaven, Li Yuan, exhales a breath of turbid air and speaks slowly.

"Transmit my imperial decree!"

"The former Crown Prince and the Qi Prince, having killed their brothers and forced a palace coup, all their descendants are to be executed, and their family members exiled three thousand miles."

"Tang Crown Prince Li Shimin loves the people as his own children, has won the hearts of the people, deeply resembles me, and will surely be able to inherit the throne. He is to succeed me, ascend the throne as Emperor today, and I will move to the Da'an Palace tomorrow!"

As expected, emperors have always been cold-hearted; the imperial family is the most heartless of all. Su Liang sighs slightly and thinks to himself.

The ninth year of the Tang Wude era, June 8th.

Li Shimin ascends the throne as Emperor, with the reign title Zhenguan.

Inside the Liangyi Hall of the Taiji Palace, Li Shimin sits upright on the dragon throne.

"Minister of Personnel, have the things I asked you to do been prepared properly?"

"Your Majesty, your humble servant has prepared everything!"

"Since that is the case, then proclaim the decree!"

"His Majesty has a decree: Since our Great Tang raised troops to found the nation, there has been no lack of ambitious men who have joined our Great Tang and achieved great military merit. The current Emperor rewards and punishes clearly; all those who have merit, regardless of size, shall be rewarded."

"Appoint the Zhangsun clan as Empress, move to the Lizheng Hall, and take charge of the inner palace!"

"Appoint the eldest imperial son, Li Chenggan, as Crown Prince, and have him enter the Eastern Palace!"

"Appoint the third imperial son, Li Ke, as Prince of Shu, and the fourth imperial son, Li Tai, as Prince of Wei..."

"Appoint Zhangsun Wuji as Duke of Zhao, Fang Xuanling as Duke of Liang, Du Ruhui as Duke of Lai..."

"In view of Su Liang's insight into the Xuanwu Sect case, appoint Su Liang as a Founding County Baron, with a fief of three hundred households, a reward of one thousand gold, and grant him a mansion in Wannian County and one thousand mu of fertile land!"

At this moment, Su Liang is overjoyed; he has a house and land, hehehe, he never expected Li Er to grant him a title directly.

But thinking about it, it makes sense; if this young master hadn't helped Li Er so much, Li Er would only be able to wear the hat of a brother-killer and palace usurper for the rest of his life, and be remembered for it for eternity.

Fortunately, he wasn't given an official position; he doesn't want to attend court.

In the Tang Dynasty, court is held at the Mao hour, which is from 5:00 to 7:00 AM; officials generally have to get up at the Yin hour, 3:00 AM, to wash and wait outside the hall early.

Only after court is dismissed can they eat breakfast, and after finishing their work, they get off work around 3:00 PM, which is the Shen hour.

There is lunch and rest time at noon, so it adds up to about eight hours of work, similar to now.

As a good youth of the 21st century, having finally transmigrated to the Tang Dynasty, isn't it great to be a salted fish?

Getting up early is impossible; is the bed not soft enough, are the girls not fragrant enough, or is he unable to lift his spear?

Su Liang has already been in the Tang Dynasty for fourteen years and has long since accepted all of this.

The Tang Dynasty in history was full of disasters, but fortunately, thanks to this guy Li Er, after decades of hard work, he created the Zhenguan Reign, and the people lived in peace and prosperity. From now on, this golden age of the Tang will be guarded by this young master!

Unknowingly, Su Liang's thoughts return to the day he first arrived in the Tang Dynasty.

Fourteen years ago...

Thanks to a system called "Heavenly Pride," Su Liang, who died on a woman's belly.

Transmigrated to the Tang Dynasty, living a second life.

The ninth year of the Daye era, Jiangning Su Mansion in the Jiangnan Circuit.

A Qilin child descended from heaven, named Liang, courtesy name Ziyu.

From that day on, he has been checking in, and the system has also granted him various abilities.

At one year old, he could walk and talk, a natural prodigy, self-taught!

At two years old, he mastered the Four Books and Five Classics and all kinds of books!

At three years old, he was proficient in both literature and martial arts, with ingenious ideas, benefiting the world!

At four years old, he reached the level of a grandmaster in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, military strategy, and formations!

At ten years old, he was peerless in medicine and martial arts, one man and one horse, a pot of wine at his waist, roaming the world with his sword!

This went on for five years...

Su Liang doesn't even know how he got through those five years.

It was all that damn system.

For the first ten years, he checked in at home every day.

Fantasizing about various innate divine abilities every day, really wanting that kind of true man physique...

Thinking about it, in a few years, hehe...

Suddenly one day, the system issued a task: travel the world, requiring five years.

Accept the task: reward a storage ring.

Refuse the task: reclaim all rewards.

Task reward: three times the strength of the Overlord Xiang Yu!

Su Liang was stunned.

Storage ring, storage ring...

Su Liang mutters to himself.

Three times the strength of the Overlord is acceptable; he had already obtained the strength of the Overlord at the age of eight.

After some communication, he learned that the system was not asking him to cultivate immortality.

Although flying on a sword is cool, not everyone wants to cultivate immortality, dealing with life and death at every turn.

Otherwise, the Tang Dynasty would be very dangerous and terrifying!

Three times the strength of the Overlord, after careful thought, he loved it, loved it.

The Zhao Prince of the Western Mansion, Li Yuanba, was braver than Xiang Yu.

His weapon, the drum-beating golden hammers, weighed four hundred jin for a single hammer, and eight hundred jin for the pair.

It was truly a divine weapon, capable of killing gods if they stood in his way, and killing Buddhas if they stood in his way.

In the Battle of Siming Mountain, Zhao Prince Li Yuanba, holding the drum-beating golden hammers, angrily killed six hundred thousand troops, causing the one million two hundred thousand troops of the eighteen rebel kings to throw away their armor and flee.

Since then, many rebel kings have never recovered.

Recalling Xiang Yu lifting a thousand-jin cauldron with one hand, his weapon only weighed three hundred jin, three times the strength of the Overlord, tsk tsk...

This is very good.

In the beginning, Su Liang was cursing every day, but seeing the people in dire straits, he felt relieved.

Fortunately, there is a storage ring; in these five years, Su Liang has also collected many good things...

Until the last official was rewarded, the Minister of Personnel turned to salute Li Er.

"My lords, do you have any objections to the rewards?"

"We have no objections, thank you, Your Majesty, for your great grace!" ===== CHAPTER 2 =====