After Li Jiancheng spoke those words, Li Yuan seemed to have aged decades. His hands trembled slightly. He looked at Li Jiancheng in silence for a moment before slowly asking him.
"Eldest Brother..."
"Since you trust her so much, what did you come back for?"
Hearing Li Yuan's question, Li Jiancheng fell silent.
Was Li Yuan saying he should not have returned? How could he think of him that way?
"Because I am your son. I was once the Crown Prince of the Great Tang, and I am now the elder brother of the Great Tang's emperor. No matter what, I have been sustained by the ten thousand people of the Great Tang, so naturally I must do my part for them."
Li Jiancheng looked steadily at Li Yuan and took a deep breath.
Then he knelt directly before Li Yuan, pressed his head to the ground, and solemnly performed a grand bow.
"Father Emperor, your son will be filial to you, but please treat the Crown Prince Li Jiancheng as having died long ago. And I... am merely a son of yours who wandered far from home and has now returned."
When Li Jiancheng said this, Li Yuan fell silent.
Only after a long while did he let out a heavy sigh.
"You've grown up! Every last one of you... no longer needs Zhen to tell you this or that. Fine, very well! Go, find the emperor. If there is nothing important in the future, do not come here. Zhen does not wish to see you, nor does Zhen wish to see your younger brother."
With that, Li Yuan waved Li Jiancheng away, rose to his feet, and walked toward the rear of Taiji Palace.
Li Jiancheng watched Li Yuan's retreating back, his gaze complicated.
Verdant Green Maiden did