Princess Jinyang's illness was a constant source of pain for Li Shimin. When the child was very young, the renowned physician Sun Simiao diagnosed her, saying that she probably wouldn't live past the age of fourteen.

The child is already twelve years old this year, and with the time of Doctor Sun's prediction fast approaching, Li Shimin lives in constant fear.

Whenever he heard that Sizi was having an attack, he felt as if he were going through the gates of hell.

Therefore, upon hearing that Sizi had fallen ill again, Li Shimin immediately abandoned Li Jing and ran back to the Lizheng Hall.

"Sizi, how is it?"

Si Zi's face was pale, and large beads of sweat dripped down her forehead. Even though she was enduring such pain, when she saw her father, she still managed to force a smile despite the pain in her heart.

"It's alright..."

"This is just an old ailment of our daughter's; the pain will subside in a while, Father, don't worry..."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin was heartbroken and burst into tears. Did Sizi really think that his father was blind and couldn't see the child's clothes soaked with sweat and the large beads of sweat on his forehead?

It's alright?

How could it hurt this much if it's nothing serious?

This kid will say anything to avoid making me worry!

Li Shimin held his daughter's hand tightly, fearing that the next moment would be a separation of life and death.

"Don't be afraid, little one, your father is with you!"

"Yes, Sizi has never been afraid, she's just afraid that Father will be heartbroken if he loses Sizi..."

"Good child, you won't die. Even if I have to turn the Tang Dynasty upside down, I will find a miracle doctor who can cure you!"

Sizi nodded obediently upon hearing this, but in reality, she already knew her condition. If even Doctor Sun couldn't cure her, who else could?

"Uh-huh!"

"My daughter believes in me. I'm sure you can find a miracle doctor to heal me, hee hee..."

When Li Shimin heard his daughter's forced laughter, he felt even more pain and tightness in his chest.

But what can I do if I feel heartbroken?

He couldn't keep Guanyinbi, he couldn't keep his eldest son, and perhaps in the end he couldn't even keep this obedient and sensible daughter...

Thinking of this, Li Shimin suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself twice, startling Sizi who quickly reached out to block him, fearing that he would continue to harm himself.

Li Shimin grasped his daughter's hand again and burst into tears.

"Father is so useless. All these years, he still can't cure your illness, boohoo..."

"It's not Father's fault. Father has already given his daughter the most love and found her the most skilled physician in the world, Physician Sun. It's just that his daughter is not blessed and I'm afraid she won't be able to stay with Father for much longer..."

"No!"

"Father wants to see you married and have children, to see you with a large family!"

Si Zi smiled and said.

"Uh-huh!"

"Don't worry, Dad, your daughter will try her best, hee hee..."

"Father, your daughter is not in so much pain anymore. You can go about your business. You don't need to stay by my side all the time."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin, like a willful child, held his daughter's small hand tightly and refused to let go.

"No!"

"Today, Father will not go anywhere but stay with my little ox!"

"Father, you're a grown-up! How can you be so clingy like a little kid!"

"I don't care about adults or children, I just want to stay by Sizi's side and watch him sleep before I can feel at ease!"

"this……"

Upon hearing this, Si Zi could only lie in bed and try to sleep, but as soon as she closed her eyes, her mind was like a picture book, flipping through page after page.

One minute a big cake appears, the next a big egg tart, and finally a chubby face appears.

What annoyed her even more was that this chubby face kept nagging at her.

"Auntie, could you please reduce the amount..."

"Auntie, I'll be exhausted from writing so many words!"

"Auntie, hurry up and write this down for me, or I'll never make you a cake again!"

As Sizi was thinking, she suddenly burst out laughing.

This laughter was different from the forced smile just now; it was a genuine, unrestrained laugh from the heart.

Li Shimin immediately sensed something was amiss and quickly asked with great interest.

"Have you thought of something interesting?"

"yes!"

"My daughter remembered that my nephew kept pestering me to do his homework for him, hahaha!"

Li Shimin couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.

"Your nephew is truly mischievous to the extreme, daring to ask you, his teacher, to do his homework, hahaha!"

"There's nothing we can do; he has a weakness that he can exploit with his daughter."

"Weakness?"

"Cake!"

"Your dear Mr. Sun threatened me with a cake, saying that if I don't help him with his homework, he won't bake me a cake!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin asked with some uncertainty.

"Then what?"

Si Zi stuck out his tongue guiltily.

"Then his daughter did it for him, hehehe..."

"You're his own aunt, how could you help this child lie!"

"Forgive me, Father. I didn't want to help either, but I just couldn't resist the temptation, hehe..."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin affectionately pinched Sizi's nose and chuckled as he scolded him.

"You're such a little glutton!"

"It's all because Dad spoils her, hehe..."

After chatting and laughing for a while, Sizi suddenly said with some melancholy.

"Father, I miss my nephew..."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin's heart stirred, and he smiled strangely.

"Are you craving the cake your nephew made?"

"Yes, I do... but I really miss him..."

“Ever since Ninth Brother moved out of the palace, I’ve had no one to keep me company for a long time. I’ve been very happy at my nephew’s place these days. I want to spend my last days with him so he can take care of me in my old age and see me off when I die…”

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!