Chapter Twenty-Six

Li Chengqian was currently filled with an overwhelming surge of spirit, his momentum surging like a tempest.

With the heavy burdens of his heart cast aside, he felt a hero’s courage, never before experienced, rushing straight to his crown. It was as if all the grievances he had endured over these years—his imperial father’s cold glares, the threats posed by his younger brother, the Prince of Wei, and the constant belittling by the court officials—had finally found an outlet for release.

He stood up abruptly, slamming his palm onto the table, his body as straight and sharp as a drawn blade. A near-fanatical resolve burned in his eyes, ready to erupt.

Beside him, Zhao Mu watched Li Chengqian, who seemed to have been completely reborn, with eyes full of admiration.

"Good!" Zhao Mu slapped his thigh with such force that he overturned the table in front of him, sending fine wine and delicacies scattering across the floor, the fragrance of wine instantly filling the room.

His eyes, usually filled with playful mockery and profound indolence, suddenly turned piercingly bright, and his expression grew grave.

"Your Highness finally possesses the mettle befitting the Crown Prince of our Great Tang!"

"Now that is how it should be! It makes all my painstaking efforts to strategize and rally for you worthwhile!" Zhao Mu stood up abruptly. He bypassed the overturned table and the surrounding mess, closing the distance until he was right in front of Li Chengqian.

His tone shifted sharply. "But since Your Highness is so full of fighting spirit now, why plan to wait until tomorrow?"

"Do you intend to wait until dawn, allowing the lackeys in the Prince of Wei’s mansion to catch wind of this?" Zhao Mu stared straight at Li Chengqian, his breath nearly brushing the Prince’s face as he continued, "Do not forget, the matter of Hou Junji hiding armor is bound to explode! And in the eyes of others, Your Highness is closely associated with him."

"Tonight, that scoundrel even visited the Eastern Palace in the dead of night..."

"Are you not afraid that giving the Emperor time to weigh the pros and cons will only lead to him setting new traps to break your spirit?"

"Procrastination is the thief of opportunity, Your Highness!" Zhao Mu’s voice rose sharply, his words sounding like blades piercing into Li Chengqian’s burning heart.

"You must strike while the iron is hot. You possess the courage of a lone warrior now! But if you wait until tomorrow, after returning to the Eastern Palace and being lulled by the warmth of the hearth, and listening to the nagging of those pedantic scholars—once you wake up tomorrow, how much of this current spirit will remain?"

Stunned by Zhao Mu’s sudden, intense reaction and sharp questioning, Li Chengqian felt his heart tremble. As he followed Zhao Mu’s logic, he realized that the momentum he had just gathered truly seemed destined to wither away.

Noticing this, Li Chengqian instinctively avoided Zhao Mu’s sharp, blade-like gaze, his lips trembling slightly. "Then, according to Brother Zhao’s intent..."

"Do you mean for me to seek out the Emperor right now?"

"But the gates of Daming Palace are already locked at this hour. Without an urgent report, one cannot enter!"

"If Your Highness truly wishes to enter the palace at night, what is there to fear!" Zhao Mu raised his hand, his wide sleeves sweeping through the air as he pointed toward the door. "Do it now, while your blood is still hot and your courage remains unspent!"

"Do it now, while the Emperor still believes you are trembling in fear back at the Eastern Palace. Take him by complete surprise!"

"Take my Imperial Father by surprise?" Whether Li Chengqian understood the literal meaning or was shaken by a deeper implication, he repeated the words.

"Exactly! Take the Emperor by surprise!" Zhao Mu’s eyes flashed with a near-manic light, and he spoke each word with force: "Now! Immediately! At once! Go! Storm the palace!"

"Storm the palace?" Li Chengqian’s spirit instantly deflated like a punctured balloon. The term "storm the palace" felt like a cold, piercing needle driven into his marrow, snapping him out of his feverish state. "Brother Zhao, to force one’s way into the palace is tantamount to treason—it is a capital offense!"

"Treason? A capital offense?" Zhao Mu sneered, his eyes filled with irony.

"Has Your Highness forgotten that you are the Crown Prince of the Great Tang, the future Emperor?"

"If others cannot storm the gates of Daming Palace, does that mean you, Li Chengqian, cannot?"

"Besides, storming the palace today is not for nothing; it is to let the Emperor see clearly that you are not a man who will simply submit, but one who dares to challenge even the highest authority!"

"Therefore, what you must do is cast this resolve right before the Emperor’s feet!"

"Let the Emperor see clearly that you, Li Chengqian!" Zhao Mu pointed directly at the Prince. "As the Emperor’s eldest legitimate son, as the Crown Prince of the Great Tang personally appointed by the Emperor, you are no soft persimmon to be kneaded and molded by others!"

"Even if that person is the Emperor, the Son of Heaven himself—it does not matter!"

Indeed, this long-winded speech from Zhao Mu reignited Li Chengqian’s fighting spirit once more.

In truth, Zhao Mu’s strategy of deliberately letting the Prince’s spirit deflate only to bolster it again was a calculated effort. He knew that if Li Chengqian sought out Li Shimin with nothing but raw, impulsive courage, he would likely not survive three rounds against the Emperor’s scrutiny. That was why he first caused the Prince to lose heart, only to let him cool down and then rebuild his resolve.

Only in this way could he possess both the heroic spirit and the calm mind necessary to face Li Shimin. After all, Li Shimin was an emperor through the ages who had risen to power through the blood and carnage of the battlefield. To show strength before such a man, one needed more than just hot blood—one needed a clear head.

However, perhaps the earlier blow had been too heavy. Zhao Mu noticed that although Li Chengqian had recovered, a trace of unease still lingered in the depths of his eyes.

After a moment of thought, Zhao Mu leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a seductive, low murmur. "Your Highness, think of the Prince of Wei. If one day he truly occupies the Wude Hall, how triumphant will he be?"

"And how will the civil and military officials look upon you then?"

It worked!

The name "Prince of Wei" was like a poisonous thorn, instantly piercing the last vestiges of Li Chengqian’s hesitation and anxiety. He saw in his mind’s eye the Prince of Wei standing in the Wude Hall, looking down upon him with smug arrogance.

The next moment, the raging fire in Li Chengqian’s chest ignited once more, burning away the fear of the palace’s forbidden majesty that had been buried deep within his heart.

"Brother Zhao, enough!" Li Chengqian raised his head abruptly, his voice emerging through gritted teeth with the resolve of one burning his bridges behind him. "I will go... and storm the palace!"

"This time, I will make my Imperial Father see clearly that I am his eldest legitimate son!"

"I am the Crown Prince of the Great Tang!"