Li Shimin faked his death? Then I will be powerful enough to conquer the world!

The news of Li Shimin's sudden death was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, instantly causing a thousand waves and catching everyone off guard.

Once this emperor, who was like a stabilizing force, fell, the ambitions that were usually suppressed by his majesty began to grow wildly and involuntarily like demons released from the darkness, and spread like weeds inside and outside the court.

As soon as King Li Tai of Wei received the news, he anxiously summoned all his confidants to his mansion.

There was an atmosphere of tension and excitement in his mansion, as if a fateful storm was about to brew here.

Li Tai sat in the upper seat, his eyes sweeping over his trusted followers sitting below. His brows furrowed slightly, as he pondered to himself that there were only a handful of people in the court, and even fewer who truly had a say.

Apart from Wei Ting and Du Chuke, who are somewhat influential, Chai Lingwu and Fang Yiai, apart from their prominent family backgrounds that can add some prestige to themselves, really have no talents to show off.

Fortunately... Li Tai's eyes fell on the three middle-aged men in luxurious clothes sitting in front of him, and a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes.

These three people exuded an innate noble temperament, which was the unique aura of aristocratic families. Even when facing King Wei Li Tai, these people were not even a little bit behind.

Li Tai was unhappy, but he didn't show it.

"Everyone, I think you've all received the news. The entire palace is under martial law, and the Qianniu Guards have surrounded it tightly. My uncle has taken over the palace, and it's very likely that my father has passed away."

"I suppose you all already know why I called you here today?"

Li Tai broke the silence, his voice echoing in the quiet hall with a hint of eagerness and expectation.

"Your Highness, how sure are you?" The middle-aged man in the lead narrowed his eyes, his gaze as deep as a pool. He stared closely at Li Tai who was sitting in the upper seat, as if he wanted to see through his heart.

Li Tai shook his head helplessly, a wry smile on his face: "I'm not sure."

"The entire court is leaning towards my eldest brother, even though I've already earned the emperor's favor and moved into the Wude Hall. But none of those important officials are on my side. Instead, they're siding with a prince who spends all his time pursuing illicit tricks. Wouldn't a man like that, even if he became emperor, still be a tyrant?"

When he said this, his tone was filled with resentment and resentment, and his eyes flashed with the fire of desire for the throne.

He glanced at the three elegantly dressed men again and raised his voice, "Although I'm not sure, this opportunity is rare. I can only say that instead of letting my eldest brother take the position, you should help me take it. Once I take the position, the benefits to you will definitely be much greater than my eldest brother. One person helping me can increase my chances by 20%!"

His words were like tempting bait, thrown to the three people in front of him, waiting for their response.

The three leading men glanced at each other, their gazes meeting, a thousand messages seemingly conveyed. After a moment, their gazes settled slightly, as if they had reached some kind of consensus.

"Since this is the case, I, the Qinghe Cui family, am willing to lend a helping hand to Your Highness!" One of them said loudly, his voice full of confidence and determination.

"The Lu family of Fanyang is willing to lend a helping hand to Your Highness!" another person said immediately, with ambition flashing in his eyes.

"The Wang family of Taiyuan is willing to lend a helping hand to Your Highness!" The last person also expressed his attitude firmly. The voices of the three people echoed in the hall, making Li Tai's face bloom with joy.

With the help of the three great families, even without the support of those important officials in the court, his bargaining chips are enough! Li Tai was secretly proud in his heart, as if he had already seen the day when he would ascend to the throne.

The Duke of Ying's Mansion in Chang'an.

"Old Sun, your Turtle Breathing Pills will only be effective until midnight tonight. We must all go to the palace to fetch His Majesty and replace the dummy at midnight tonight."

Li Ji looked at Sun Simiao seriously and said, his eyes revealing a hint of nervousness and worry.

"Why does His Majesty do so many weird things? Faking an emperor's death is unprecedented in history!"

Yuchi Jingde's face was full of confusion. He spoke carelessly and looked with interest at the mannequin on the bed that looked 70% like Li Shimin.

This dummy was made extremely delicately. It was carefully crafted by the King of Medicine Sun Simiao using his superb medical skills, using pig skin and cowhide.

It lay quietly on the bed. At first glance, it was 70% similar to Li Shimin himself. If it rested for a while, it could reach 90% with luck, which was enough to be mistaken for the real thing in a dim environment.

Fang Xuanling glanced at Yuchi Jingde and said leisurely, "Jingde, you don't have so many complicated thoughts and can't see the current situation in the court clearly."

He sighed slightly, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is obsessed with illicit arts and is unable to extricate himself. He is indifferent to the affairs of the court. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei is eyeing that position covetously."

"His Majesty favors the Prince of Wei and allows him to reside in the Wude Hall. He practically grants every request. Even if we submit a petition, it has little effect. With such a signal, everyone in the court is at a loss as to what to do."

Fang Xuanling continued speaking, his brows furrowed, as if there was an unsolvable fog before his eyes.

"Your Majesty feared a repeat of the Xuanwu Gate Incident, so he faked his death and took a step back. I always feel like everything in the court is silently controlled by an invisible hand."

Having said this, Fang Xuanling closed his eyes and said no more.

Everyone present knew in their hearts that only those few thousand-year-old families could plot against the court and His Majesty!

Their power is intertwined and complex, like a giant python hiding in the dark, ready to devour its prey at any time.

Yuchi Jingde's face turned cold, and he slammed the table and shouted, "Don't worry. The King of Qin holds the bow, and Yuchi Jingde holds the spear. Who in this world can stop us? We were not afraid of the Xuanwu Gate Incident back then, so why should we be afraid of these conspiracies and tricks now!"

His eyes were full of heroism and fearlessness, which was the firmness that came from having experienced countless wars.

Changsun Mansion.

Changsun Wuji sat alone in the study, rubbing his temples, feeling his thoughts were in turmoil.

His Majesty's passing was so sudden, like a sudden storm, disrupting all his plans. He hadn't had time to prepare for many things, and the most urgent matter now was the issue of the crown prince position.

Crown Prince Li Chengqian is still in Xianyang. According to common sense, the throne of emperor is a foregone conclusion for him.

But when he thought of Li Chengqian, a cold light flashed in Changsun Wuji's eyes.

Neither Crown Prince Li Chengqian nor Prince of Wei Li Tai was a good candidate for emperor in his mind.

Li Chengqian had been the crown prince for such a long time. He was both the eldest son and the legitimate son, so people's hearts were on his side.

But he is obsessed with those weird things all day long and seems to have no interest in state affairs. Can such a person really be responsible for the Tang Dynasty?

Li Tai was smart and studious. He united a large number of children of nobles under the pretext of compiling books, and he had the shadow of a noble family behind him.

If he ascended the throne, the court would probably fall into the control of the aristocratic families, which is definitely not what Changsun Wuji wants to see.

No matter who succeeds to the throne between Li Chengqian and Li Tai, they will not be under his control.

Changsun Wuji knew very well the taste of power. If he wanted to maintain his power, he had to find an emperor who was easy to control.

Prince Jin Li Zhi is the best candidate in his mind, but now the crown prince is still alive, and the throne of emperor is almost in Li Chengqian's pocket. How can he let Li Zhi sit on that position?

Changsun Wuji closed his eyes and began to quickly search for a solution in his mind.

Now the situation seems to be under his control, but in fact it is full of dangers.

Is it possible to produce an imperial edict deposing the crown prince and then produce a will to allow Li Zhi to ascend the throne? But he also knew that this would not be an easy task.

To accomplish such a thing, I alone do not have enough power. Your Majesty's old ministers are not all dead yet. Old guys like Li Ji, Li Jing, Cheng Zhijie, and Fang Xuanling are still around. They are loyal to the Tang Dynasty and will never watch me do such a treasonous thing as forging an imperial edict.

I must find someone influential to support my plan, but where is this person?

"Prime Minister, Prince Li Tai of Wei is asking for a meeting at the door of the Prime Minister's residence!" Suddenly, the servant's announcement interrupted Changsun Wuji's thoughts.

Upon hearing this news, Zhangsun Wuji's eyes flashed. King Wei... you've arrived just in time!

Isn't this exactly the right-hand man he needs now? Although Li Tai has his own ambitions, as long as he is used properly, he might be able to serve his own purpose.

"Hurry up and invite His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei in!" Changsun Wuji said loudly. He straightened his clothes and prepared to welcome Li Tai's arrival.

"Uncle!" As soon as Li Tai entered the door, his face was full of smiles. He walked forward enthusiastically and took Changsun Wuji's hand affectionately.

"Your Highness, I dare not." Changsun Wuji cautiously withdrew his hand. He did not want to appear too close to Li Tai, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble.

But unexpectedly, as soon as he pulled his hand back, Li Tai grabbed it again.

"Uncle, what are you talking about? You are my mother's brother, my biological uncle!

"If a nephew has a problem, who else can he ask for help except his uncle?"

Li Tai held Changsun Wuji's hand tightly, his face full of smiles, but a hint of imperceptible cunning flashed in his eyes.

Hearing Li Tai's words, Changsun Wuji also raised his head and looked straight at Li Tai.

His eyes were like sharp eagle eyes, as if he could see through Li Tai's thoughts.

Li Tai met Changsun Wuji's eyes and felt as if his uncle saw through him. He felt panicked and could only keep smiling to ease the embarrassment.

"In that case, I am offended.

"I wonder what your highness wants to talk to me about?" Changsun Wuji asked knowingly, wanting to see what Li Tai was planning.

Li Tai didn't say anything either. He let go of Changsun Wuji's hand, found a chair to sit down, then picked up the hot tea that the servant had just brewed on the desk, opened the lid, and took a sip.

He frowned, as if he was not satisfied with the taste of the tea. "Uncle, I still can't get used to this tea. I'm sure you already know what I want today. I just want to ask you two things."

"First, is it true that my father has passed away?" Li Tai put down his teacup and stared at Changsun Wuji.

"Second, does my uncle really want to support my eldest brother to take the position?" His eyes were full of expectation and desire, hoping to get an answer that would be beneficial to him from Changsun Wuji.

Zhangsun Wuji stood there, looking solemnly at Li Tai who was sitting before him. He was silent for a moment, then spoke softly, "His Majesty has indeed passed away, but the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne is legitimate. He is not only the Crown Prince, but also the eldest son. No one would agree if he didn't take that position."

Hearing Changsun Wuji's words, Li Tai was delighted. He felt that he had a chance to persuade Changsun Wuji.

"Uncle, my eldest brother is obsessed with tricks and cunning practices all day long, and doesn't do his job properly. The emperor has long been dissatisfied with him and dislikes him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to let a prince go to Xianyang and cause trouble. It's obvious that the emperor has long been thinking about deposing the crown prince and appointing someone else!"

Li Tai became more and more excited as he spoke. He stood up and walked to Zhangsun Wuji: "Uncle is in power now. We can definitely write an imperial edict..."

Before Li Tai could finish his words, he was interrupted by Changsun Wuji! Changsun Wuji's face darkened and he shouted angrily, "Nonsense! Your Highness, Prince of Wei, do you know what you are talking about? You are forging an imperial edict! This is rebellion! Your Highness, please leave now. I will pretend that I have never seen Your Highness, Prince of Wei today, and that Your Highness has never been here today!"

His eyes were full of anger and majesty, as if if Li Tai said another word, he would immediately make what he said public!