Tang Dynasty: Starting at Xuanwu Gate, this prince is better off not being one.

"You're saying the earth is round? We live on a sphere!?"

Inside the room, Li Chengqian and Li Tai looked at the messy map in front of them and thought that Li Yu was talking nonsense.

"Keep your voice down, I'm not going to tell anyone!" Li Yu quickly covered their mouths.

Li Chengqian broke free from Li Yu's hand that was covering him, still full of disbelief: "How is this possible? According to you, there are people on the other side of the sphere, wouldn't they fall down?"

"It's hard to explain in a few words. Just remember, besides this map, there's another land on the other side of the sphere, where there's an amazing yield of grain, and many strange and wonderful trees..."

Li Yu didn't intend to explain universal gravitation to the two first and second graders. He only mentioned it because he was feeling frustrated, so he treated it as a story.

"Could that be a paradise?" the two exclaimed in unison.

"Where is there any paradise on earth?"

Li Yu rolled his eyes at the two of them and continued, "The weather there is unpredictable. In droughts, the land is parched and barren, and in floods, it's a vast expanse of water. Besides that, there are also swirling hurricanes. Tell me, what kind of immortal could live there?"

"Why do you talk like you've been there?" Li Chengqian scoffed, clearly not believing Li Yu's words.

Instead, Li Tai asked Li Yu with a puzzled look, "Little Fish, if I keep walking in one direction, do you think I'll get there?"

"If I don't stop in the middle, will I end up back where I started?"

Li Tai's barrage of questions caught Li Yu off guard. He was momentarily at a loss for words, but after a moment's thought, he nodded. "That's right, but if you're going to do that, it's almost impossible to succeed!"

Why?

"because……"

Just as Li Yu was about to reply, he suddenly heard the voice of a eunuch outside announcing an imperial decree: "His Majesty has decreed that the Crown Princess, Lady Changsun, is summoned to the Eastern Palace for an audience. All officials are to accompany him!"

The sound was loud and clear, and could still be heard clearly even when it reached the back of the house.

That's impressive!

The voice was strong and powerful; without even thinking, one could tell that the old eunuch was a hidden master.

Li Yu couldn't help but feel a little admiring. He noticed that both Li Yuan and Li Er were always surrounded by a large group of experts, while he himself only had Wenren An by his side, and even that was something he had obtained through trickery and deception, and now Wenren An had already left him...

"Young Master!"

The voice in green interrupted Li Yu's thoughts: "The master instructed that you and the other princes should also accompany the emperor to the Eastern Palace."

"knew……"

.........

This was not the first time Li Yu had attended a banquet at the Eastern Palace; however, last time it was Li Er who sat in the head seat, while this time it was Li Yuan.

It is said that this banquet was personally organized by Li Yuan. The old man was in such high spirits that he even personally choreographed the songs and dances.

Therefore, all those attending the banquet were members of the imperial family and high-ranking officials of the third rank or above, except for that old Taoist priest, Yuan Tiangang.

This left Li Yu feeling somewhat bewildered. Logically, the banquet should have been held at the Taiji Palace. Moreover, even if it was held at the East Palace to celebrate the victory report from Hulao Pass, they should have waited for Li Er to return to celebrate together!

Suddenly recalling Qiu Ji's conversation with Li Yuan that day, Li Yu was startled.

Could it be that Li Yuan really agreed to the terrible idea of ​​changing the name of the country?

Thinking of this, Li Yu couldn't help but feel overjoyed.

It wasn't that he was particularly attached to the official historical name of the dynasty, "Tang." To him, whether the dynasty was called Zhou or Tang, it had absolutely nothing to do with him.

But if he could use this opportunity to reconcile Li Yuan and that lecherous Li Er, then his goal would be achieved...

"Gentlemen! Today, all those present are ministers of my state, so I will speak frankly."

At the head of the table, Li Yuan, dressed in an ochre-yellow robe, slowly raised his wine cup.

Upon seeing this, all the officials below rose from their seats and listened quietly as he continued.

"My son, Shimin, captured two kings in one battle, and the Central Plains were pacified! From the uprising in Jinyang to today's attainment of the empire, all this is thanks to Shimin!"

As soon as Li Yuan finished speaking, everyone's hearts involuntarily jumped.

The fact that such words were spoken at this time suggests that His Majesty intends to pass the throne to the Crown Prince; they could think of no other reason.

Just as everyone was waiting for Li Yuan to announce his decision, Li Yuan did not continue speaking, but instead drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.

After a long silence, he finally spoke: "I am now old and unable to manage state affairs, while the Crown Prince is well-versed in the ways of governing the country and is qualified to be the ruler of the world."

"I have therefore decided to bestow upon myself the title of Emperor Emeritus, and all state affairs shall be decided by the Crown Prince. When the army returns to the capital, I will pass the throne to Crown Prince Li Shimin, who will then ascend the throne. What do you, my esteemed ministers, think?"

Li Yuan's words immediately caused an uproar in the hall.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

Pei Ji was the first to step forward. He arrived at the center of the hall, knelt down with a thud, and said with tears streaming down his face, "Your Majesty is in the prime of your life, and we old ministers still rely on Your Majesty's protection. How can you abdicate the throne to the Crown Prince at this time!"

With Pei Ji taking the lead, Li Yuan's close ministers also stepped forward one after another.

Among them, the highest-ranking official, the Grand Secretary Feng Deyi, stepped forward and advised, "Your Majesty, in the past, King Wuling of Zhao passed the throne to his young son Zhao He, but in the end, he starved to death in the Shaqiu Palace. Therefore, I beg Your Majesty to rescind your decree!"

"We humbly request Your Majesty to rescind your decree!"

"..."

In an instant, everyone in the center of the hall knelt down.

Looking at these people, Li Yu felt that they were no different from the dead.

Especially that brainless Grand Secretary, who actually dared to compare Li Yuan to King Wuling of Zhao, he was practically courting death!

Li Yu thought so too, as did the loyal ministers who were devoted to Li Er.

They had originally intended to argue for their master, but after hearing Feng Deyi's words, they were momentarily unsure which side the old man belonged to.

"You bastard!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan was also enraged. He pointed a finger at Feng Deyi and said in a trembling voice, "How dare you compare me to King Wuling of Zhao? What are your intentions?"

"Your Majesty!" Feng Deyi replied, slamming his head on the ground, "This humble subject believes that His Highness the Crown Prince is not yet thirty years old, and his actions are prone to impulsiveness. A hasty abdication in favor of the Crown Prince would likely be difficult for the ministers to accept!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan was momentarily speechless.

Although he had made the decision to pass the throne to Li Er after careful consideration, after hearing Feng Deyi's analogy to King Wuling of Zhao, he found that he had actually hesitated about the decision.

Although he knew his second son well, anyone can lose their mind in the face of power. He thought of his sons, some of whom were dead and some were injured. This was the best example of that.

Just as he was about to retract his decision after considering this, he heard a furious shout suddenly rang out from the back of the hall.

"Bullshit!"

.........