A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

Upon receiving the news, Li Yuan immediately summoned Pei Ji, Li Shimin, and Li Jiancheng to discuss the matter.

"Wei Zheng, Qin Qiong, and others from Wagang brought the Imperial Seal of the State and led tens of thousands of troops to surrender. They also brought news that Yuwen Huaji had murdered the emperor and that His Majesty had been forced to commit suicide. Later, Yuwen Huaji died at the hands of Wang Shichong."

"Currently, Li Mi and Dou Jiande have led their armies to conquer Jiangdu and are returning to the Central Plains to vie for the Imperial Seal!"

Do you think this is true or false?

Li Shimin stepped forward and said, "Father, I have just received news that Jiangdu City was captured by Li Mi and Dou Jiande a few days ago, Yang Guang was forced to commit suicide by Yuwen Huaji, and the Imperial Seal was seized by Cheng Yaojin. All of this news can be confirmed."

"good!"

Li Yuan stood up excitedly. That was the Imperial Seal of the State. No one in the Chinese nation, except for members of that family, could refuse it. He was ordained by Heaven and accepted the temptation of eternal prosperity!

"Guards! Quickly invite these heroes to Chang'an!"

Li Yuan immediately gave the order.

"Father, no!"

Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin both spoke up to stop it.

"What's wrong?"

Li Yuan frowned deeply. That was the Imperial Seal of the State. If it weren't for the fact that he still needed to be in charge of Chang'an, he would have loved to personally go to Hedong to welcome Qin Qiong and the others so that he could get the seal as soon as possible.

"Brother, you speak first."

Li Shimin declined.

Li Jiancheng nodded. Time was of the essence; this was not the time for brotherly affection.

"If I'm not mistaken, the armies of Wang Shichong, Dou Jiande, and Li Mi have all marched north. If we obtain the Imperial Seal, we will surely be attacked by them all."

"Our current strength is insufficient to confront these three major powers simultaneously."

"The imperial seal is nothing more than a stone; only by guarding it can it become the Imperial Seal of the State! If it cannot be guarded, it is a death warrant!"

"A death warrant for my entire Li clan!"

Li Shimin then added, "Brother is right. According to intelligence, the armies of Wang Shichong, Dou Jiande, and Li Mi are on their way north and are only a few days away from Shanzhou."

"But that's the Imperial Seal of the State! Mandates of Heaven, may it live forever!"

"That's a priceless treasure of China, passed down for over a thousand years since Qin Shi Huang unified the country, a symbol of imperial power!"

"Even if there's only the slightest chance, we must save it!"

Li Yuan disregarded the dangers posed by the Imperial Seal of the State, firmly believing that as long as he obtained the seal, he would be the true Son of Heaven.

We can definitely defeat Wang Shichong, Dou Jiande, and Li Mi. Then we can unify the world!

"Father, please wake up! If we can unify the world, the Imperial Seal of the State will be within our grasp. We can even carve a seal on any random stone and make it the new Imperial Seal of the State."

"If we seize the Imperial Seal of the State, what use will it be if we die and our clan is wiped out?"

"If you save the person but lose the seal, you can regain both the person and the seal; if you save the seal but lose the person, you can lose both the person and the seal."

Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin continued to dissuade them; both of them were exceptional individuals, and even the Imperial Seal of the State could not cloud their judgment.

Pei Ji stared at the two in shock. Even though he wasn't surnamed Li, he was still blinded by the joy of the Imperial Seal and wanted to persuade Li Yuan to bring it back.

But Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin were Li Yuan's sons and very likely the next owners of the Imperial Seal of the State, yet they were able to resist such temptation!

Especially Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin could be said to have no chance of the throne because he had a powerful elder brother, which made him more rational in his view.

As Li Yuan's eldest son and a direct disciple of the Prince of Yan, Li Jiancheng was practically a shoo-in for the future emperor.

Even he could resist the temptation of the Imperial Seal of the State. He is truly an extraordinary person. No wonder he was valued by the Prince of Yan and taken as a disciple. He is far inferior to him. I am humbled and admire him greatly!

"My mind is made up, no more words are needed! Issue my order: receive the Imperial Seal!"

Li Yuan ultimately could not resist the allure of the Imperial Seal of the State and chose to accept it, rejecting the requests of Li Shimin and Li Jiancheng.

Li Jiancheng wanted to say something more, but Li Shimin stopped him.

"In that case, Father, since you still need to stay in Chang'an, let me go there."

Li Shimin sighed, gave Li Yuan a wink, and then asked for permission from Li Yuan.

"Alright."

Li Yuan nodded. No one knew whether this was a trap or not. Li Jiancheng's identity was his biggest obstacle in his struggle for supremacy, and he could not afford to lose it.

Li Shimin was also his legitimate son, and therefore qualified to retrieve the Imperial Seal of the State on his behalf.

Moreover, he believed that once Li Shimin saw the Imperial Seal, his slight unease would immediately disappear, and he would surely understand him.

That's the Imperial Seal of the State!

"Then this matter will be entrusted to Shimin. Make sure the Imperial Seal is safely delivered to Chang'an!"

Li Yuan gave his instructions.

"Father, rest assured, I understand."

"Time is of the essence, Your Majesty, I shall go and retrieve the Imperial Seal immediately."

Li Shimin bowed and, at Li Yuan's signal, quickly left.

Li Jiancheng watched Li Shimin's departing figure with worry in his eyes.

He was worried about what his brother would do.

Hedong.

Li Shimin met Wei Zheng, Qin Qiong, and others here, and also saw the legendary Imperial Seal of the State.

Li Shimin took the imperial seal from Cheng Yaojin, played with it in his hand for a while, and then handed it back.

The Wagang members looked at Li Shimin in confusion.

"I, Shimin, accept the sincerity of all the heroes on behalf of my father. However, I cannot accept the Imperial Seal of the State for the time being."

"What does this mean, young master?"

Wei Zheng asked.

"The imperial seal is fine, but the beauty of this vast land is even more wonderful!"

"I hope that you will present the imperial seal to Dou Jiande and provoke a great war between Li Mi, Dou Jiande, and Wang Shichong."

"For the sake of the imperial seal, Li Mi, Dou Jiande, and Wang Shichong will fight each other to the death, sparing no expense."

"In this way, we can develop our strength in Guanzhong, and when the three of them are weakened, we can use you all as inside agents to launch a military campaign to wipe out the three major forces in one fell swoop and unify the entire north!"

Li Shimin did not try to win back the imperial seal as Li Yuan had instructed. Instead, he disobeyed Li Yuan's orders, abandoned the imperial seal, and instead used it as a tool for political maneuvering.

The education he received in Yanzhou made him not feel that the imperial seal was particularly sacred. What was sacred was always the people's approval, not simply the imperial throne. Therefore, even though the imperial seal was used for planning, he did not feel the slightest reluctance.

"In ancient times, two peaches killed three warriors; now, one seal has destroyed three heroes."

"Young master, you are truly a hero of unparalleled stature!"

The people of Wagang were all amazed by Li Shimin's magnanimity!

Even though they knew they had no hope of ascending the throne, the moment they saw the imperial seal, the thought of possessing it arose in their hearts.

This is why the Imperial Seal has always been in Cheng Yaojin's hands, because among all the people of Wagang, only Cheng Yaojin has been able to resist the temptation of the Imperial Seal.

But the person in front of him actually refused the Imperial Seal of the State that he had obtained, and wanted to hand it over to someone else, using this most precious treasure of the Nine Provinces to make a scheme.

The generals of Wagang were then completely convinced of Li Shimin's abilities.

After discussing the details of the plan again, Wei Zheng, Qin Qiong, and the others returned to Shanzhou once more with the Imperial Seal of the State.