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

"Guanyinbi, Chengqian, Qingque, Lizhi, Chengyang, Gaoyang."

Li Shimin muttered the names of his wife and children, his eyes filled with struggle.

"Isn't there any other choice? What if Father is just wary and won't actually harm me?"

"After all, besides me, only my eldest brother could rise to the position, and my position was given to me by my eldest brother."

Li Shimin looked at Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui with longing eyes, hoping to get a positive answer from them.

"When did Your Highness become so naive? People change. We cannot entrust our lives to others."

"Even if His Majesty doesn't want to, there are many of His Highness's enemies in the court. If someone were to bewitch His Majesty or issue false edicts, would His Highness simply surrender like Fusu did in the past?"

"All of Fusu's children were executed, none of them survived; this serves as a warning from the past."

Li Shimin: "..."

"You may all leave. Let me think this over."

Li Shimin waved his hand, his figure somewhat dejected.

Since he could remember, he had accomplished everything he set out to do, and he was always full of vigor and confidence. When had he ever been so dejected?

Indeed, the one who can hurt you the most is never an outsider, but only one's own people.

"Your subject takes his leave."

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui sighed. They knew it would be difficult to get Li Shimin to make this decision, but as his advisors, they had to bring it up.

"Let's go find the Crown Princess."

Fang Xuanling was about to leave the Eastern Palace when Du Ruhui stopped him.

"Looking for the Crown Princess?"

"Kemin, what do you want?"

Fang Xuanling was extremely astute; after being reminded by Du Ruhui, he immediately understood what Du Ruhui was thinking.

"Go, go quickly!"

The two exchanged a glance, confirming each other's thoughts, and hurriedly went to find Crown Princess Changsun Wugou, led by the guards.

Empress Zhangsun was a famous virtuous concubine in history, so she naturally knew the importance of this matter.

Although Li Yuan was her father-in-law, he was not her biological father, and she did not have the same feelings for Li Yuan as she did for Li Shimin.

Li Yuan wanted to harm her child, but she would never offer herself up for execution.

"I understand this matter. I know what to do. After you two return, contact the former generals of the Crown Prince's residence who you can still trust, and persuade His Highness together."

"Also, write letters to Qin Qiong and Cheng Yaojin, instructing them to lead their troops back to Luoyang secretly."

"promise."

Upon hearing Empress Zhangsun's words, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui both breathed a sigh of relief.

They all knew about the relationship between Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun, and with Empress Zhangsun's persuasion, the probability of persuading Li Shimin would greatly increase.

"Madam remembers often taking the young princes to visit His Highness, especially the newborn princess."

Du Ruhui reminded him.

Empress Zhangsun understood that she was to take advantage of Li Shimin's paternal affection to force him to choose between his son and his father, who was targeting him. This choice was easy to make.

After seeing Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui off, Empress Zhangsun led her entire family to the study to visit Li Shimin.

She also had several children carry gifts they had prepared for Li Shimin, and she personally cooked for him, making his favorite dishes, and had them taken along.

When Li Shimin saw Empress Zhangsun and the children, he quickly put on a normal demeanor.

"Guanyinbi, Chengqian, Qingque, Lizhi, Chengyang, what brings you here? And you even brought Gaoyang, who is so young."

Li Shimin smiled as he looked at his wife and children, and his frustration dissipated considerably.

"The children heard that His Highness had returned and they all clamored to see him."

"Your Highness's journey to war is extremely dangerous, and the children are very worried."

Empress Zhangsun slowly said, handing the baby Gaoyang from her arms to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin rubbed his hands together before taking Gao Yang.

When he went to war, Gao Yang had just been born and hadn't even opened his eyes yet. In the blink of an eye, when he returned, he was already this big.

"Father!"

The other children also gathered around, each holding a gift they had prepared.

"What are you holding in your hands?"

Li Shimin looked curiously at the clay figurines, drawing paper, kites, wooden swords, and other items in the hands of the children, and couldn't help but ask a question.

"Father, this is the gift we prepared for you."

Li Chengqian raised the wooden sword in his hand, "This is a wooden sword that I carved myself, and I want to give it to my father."

"Your son will one day be like your father, a great general who wins every battle!"

"In this way, Chengqian can go to war in place of his father, so his father won't be in so much danger, and Mother won't have to worry so much."

"Good, good, good. If Chengqian becomes a great general, he will definitely be an even more powerful general than his father."

Li Shimin smiled, looking at his young son, and couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat.

He never expected that Li Chengqian wanted to become a great general not for any other reason than to worry about his father and his mother.

Du Ruhui's words flashed through his mind, but he quickly put them out of his mind again.

Li Tai handed over the painting he had personally drawn. Li Shimin held Gao Yang in one arm and took it with the other. He unfolded it with one hand and saw that it depicted a family of several people. The one in the middle wearing armor should be him, and the one next to him is Empress Zhangsun.

Chengqian, Qingque, and even the youngest Gaoyang were there.

Li Tai's skill in painting was already evident at such a young age.

"Good, good, good, Qingque is drawn very well."

Li Shimin praised it.

Li Lizhi handed over the kite he had made by hand. It didn't look very exquisite, but Li Shimin liked it very much and carefully put it away.

This was a gift from his beloved daughter, so it naturally carries special significance.

"Alright, alright, your father has just returned from a campaign and must be exhausted. Now that you've seen him, let him rest."

Empress Zhangsun smiled as she watched the little ones chattering around Li Shimin. After a while, seeing a hint of weariness in Li Shimin's eyes, she quickly said something.

"All right."

The children's tone was clearly reluctant, but they still obediently followed Empress Changsun away.

Li Shimin watched Empress Zhangsun and the children leave, his heart filled with increasing turmoil.

"Father, please don't force your son!"

"Big brother, have you changed too?"

Li Shimin's soft voice echoed in the study, seemingly filled with doubt or self-reflection.

Qin Wangfu.

Li Jiancheng sat in the study that once belonged to Li Shimin, his gaze equally deep. What Li Shimin could see, he could naturally see as well.

What is he going to do?!