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

After Li Simo and Li Ji retreated, the aura of their departure seemed to still linger in the Liangyi Hall.

Li Chengqian frowned slightly and whispered an order to the young eunuch beside him. After receiving the order, the young eunuch quickly replaced a lamp in the Liangyi Hall with a brighter one.

In an instant, the light in the hall became clearer, and light and shadows swayed on the golden nanmu windows.

Li Jing still sat quietly in his seat, his posture as straight as a pine tree, but he said nothing, like a silent mountain.

Li Chengqian did not say anything either. He just waved the brush in his hand with peace of mind. In front of him were piles of memorials sent by Fang Xuanling for him to make decisions. He sometimes frowned slightly, sometimes a trace of determination flashed in his eyes, and he reviewed them attentively. Every stroke of his pen was accompanied by an unquestionable majesty.

In the silent Liangyi Hall, the sound of the brush rubbing against the rice paper is particularly clear. The rustling sound seems to be the footsteps of the passing of time, echoing in this empty palace.

In this way, time passed slowly in silence, and half an hour passed without realizing it.

Li Jing finally couldn't help himself. He coughed lightly, breaking the silence. "Your Majesty! May I ask why you summoned me?"

His voice was low and hoarse, carrying the vicissitudes of life. Li Chengqian simply raised his head slightly to glance at Li Jing, his eyes as deep as the abyss, but did not answer him. He then lowered his head and continued to review the memorials in his hand, as if he had not heard Li Jing's words.

Only after he finished reviewing the memorial did Li Chengqian slowly put down his brush and let out a long sigh of relief. He picked up the already cold tea, took a sip, and frowned slightly, as if he could feel the coolness of the tea.

"Come here, General Li's tea has gone cold. Make him another cup of hot tea."

he shouted.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The young eunuch waiting outside the door took action immediately. After a while, he brought a cup of freshly brewed hot tea to Li Jing. The steaming tea aroma instantly filled the air.

After the young eunuch left, Li Chengqian spoke again.

"General Li, I have a question for you."

Li Chengqian stared at Li Jing closely, with a probing look in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, please ask. I will tell you everything I know."

Li Jing bowed slightly, a trace of fatigue on his face. After all, he was old, and at this point sleepiness was already coming over him like a tide, and he tried hard to stay awake.

"Are you old?"

Li Chengqian's question was simple and direct, but it was like a sharp blade, stabbing straight at Li Jing.

"Your Majesty, I am seventy years old this year. I am already old."

Li Jing answered truthfully, with a hint of helplessness in his tone, and the traces of time were clearly visible at this moment.

Hearing Li Jing's answer, Li Chengqian looked at him deeply, with a complicated look in his eyes.

Then he said, "General Li, you remain silent in the court, making yourself completely transparent and marginalized. I want to ask you, do you want to be the Sima of Jin?"

Li Chengqian said this calmly, but this sentence was like a blockbuster bomb, exploding in Li Jing's heart.

Li Jing was not calm at all when he heard this. He was startled and his sleepiness disappeared without a trace.

He stood up hurriedly, feeling panicky, and walked quickly to the side, about to kneel down.

But then he heard Li Chengqian's angry rebuke: "Don't kneel! I didn't ask you to kneel. Go back and sit down! I'm talking to you, just answer my questions!"

Li Chengqian's voice was extremely majestic and echoed in the palace.

"I'm asking you again!"

"Do you want to be the Sima of Jin?"

Li Chengqian stared at Li Jing closely, not missing any expression on his face.

After hearing what Li Chengqian said, Li Jing did not return to his seat. Instead, he bowed to Li Chengqian and said, "Your Majesty, this old minister has absolutely no such intention!"

His eyes were firm and sincere, as if he wanted to reveal his inner thoughts to Li Chengqian.

"I know, I know you don't have that intention, I just want to tell you directly."

Li Chengqian's tone softened a little.

"I am not the late emperor. I don't like beating around the bush. I called you here today because I wanted to have a frank chat with you."

He stood up and slowly walked towards Li Jing.

"I have never been wary of you."

"The old general has nothing to hide."

Hearing Li Chengqian say this, Li Jing slowly raised his head. In the dim light, he tried hard to see clearly the young master of the Tang Empire.

How young! A young man of twenty-two!

There was a calmness and majesty beyond his age on that young face, and wisdom and courage in his eyes, as if he was a rising star, emitting a dazzling light.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li Jing's voice trembled slightly.

Li Chengqian looked at Li Jing with an inexplicable look in his eyes.

He slowly spoke, "General Li, if I remember correctly, you were born into a branch of the Longxi Li family, right?"

"Your Majesty, I am indeed from the Longxi Li family."

Li Jing replied, feeling somewhat confused as to why Li Chengqian suddenly mentioned this matter.

"You also know that I don't get along with aristocratic families and I don't like them. General Li was born into an aristocratic family, and like me, he hates them to the extreme."

Li Chengqian paced in the hall as he spoke.

"Hongfu girl, Kunlun slave, tiger under the hall."

"These three were your favorites when you were young."

"In the fourth year of Wude, you pacified Xiao Xing and brought glory to Lingnan! In that battle, you were like a celestial being sent down from heaven, defeating Xiao Xing without a fight back. Lingnan was completely annexed by the Tang Dynasty, and your fame spread far and wide."

"In the sixth year of Wude, you destroyed Duke Wu Hu! You once again demonstrated your extraordinary military talent and eliminated a major hidden danger for the Tang Dynasty."

"In the eighth and ninth years of Wude, you conquered the Eastern Turks! You fought against the Turks in the icy and snowy lands, protecting the borders of the Tang Dynasty."

"In the fourth year of Zhenguan, Jie Li Khan was captured! What a feat that was! It terrified the Turks."

"In the ninth year of the Zhenguan reign, you pacified Tuguhun! You penetrated deep into enemy territory, overcame numerous difficulties, and made immortal contributions to the stability of the Tang Dynasty."

"You've fought countless battles, big and small, and spent your entire life in the military."

Li Chengqian stopped and looked at the seventy-year-old pharmacist with a sharp gaze.

"I really don't understand, Pharmacist Li, are you really willing to die in bed like this?"

Li Jing opened his mouth slightly, wanting to say something, but he felt as if something was choking his throat, and for a moment he couldn't say anything.

"Your Majesty, are you not afraid of me?"

Li Jing held it in for a long time before finally uttering these words.

A complex look flashed in his eyes, including surprise, emotion, and a hint of doubt.

Hearing Li Jing's words, Li Chengqian couldn't help but burst into laughter. The laughter echoed in the empty palace, with a sense of confidence and open-mindedness.

"Li Jing, I thought you were a famous general, but I didn't expect you to be a naughty old man."

He walked over to Li Jing with a smile and patted him on the shoulder.

"What do I have to fear? I'm so young, why should I be afraid of a seventy-year-old old man like you coming to take my place?"

"Even if you take my position, how many years can you still be emperor, Li Jing?"

At this point, a smile flashed in Li Chengqian's eyes.

He slowly walked to Li Jing's side, put his hand on his shoulder, his eyes full of trust.

"Pharmacist, I want to give you military power because I trust you. Do whatever you want to do boldly."

"I want you to go to war with Tubo and help me dampen their morale. Of course, you don't have to annihilate them, just keep them outside the borders of the Tang Dynasty."

"When next spring comes, I will be free to completely exterminate Tubo."

Li Jing was about to speak when Li Chengqian interrupted him: "Although the Tubo invasion is urgent, there is no need to rush in the next two days. Pharmacist, go back and have a good rest."

He waved his hand.

"The court will give me a reply the day after tomorrow."

"By the way, this is for you, Pharmacist."

As he spoke, Li Chengqian took out something from his arms and threw it towards Li Jing.

Li Jing subconsciously caught the thing that Li Chengqian threw to him. He subconsciously took a closer look and found that it was a bronze-carved dragon.

The bronze dragon was lifelike, as if it was about to take off. Each scale was carved with extreme precision, and sparkled with mysterious light under the light.

"Pharmacist, this is the military talisman of my three thousand battalions. These are three thousand heavily armored cavalry. They are better equipped than my father's Black Armor Army. Their only shortcoming is that they haven't seen much blood."

"I'd like to ask the pharmacist to help me lead this team." Li Chengqian said solemnly.

After saying that, Li Chengqian waved to Li Jing, then turned and walked towards the inner hall, leaving Li Jing alone there.

After a while, Li Chengqian's figure disappeared into the darkness, and it seemed that he went back to sleep.

In the Liangyi Hall, Li Jing sat back in his seat, holding the military token tightly, as if it was the most important thing in his life.

He picked up the teacup and drank the tea in it. A hint of determination flashed in his eyes, as if he had made some important decision.

……

Ganye Temple.

The moonlight was like water, sprinkling on the ancient temple, casting a veil of mystery over everything.

Beside the well, a young girl sat quietly at the wellhead, like a beautiful painting.

Her eyes were like stars, clear and bright, sparkling charmingly under the moonlight, as if hiding countless secrets.

Her skin is whiter than snow and as delicate as mutton-fat white jade. It glows with a warm luster under the moonlight, as if it is the purest jade in the world.

Even if all her black hair fell out, it could not hide her charm. That charm came from her bones, like a poppy blooming in the dark night, beautiful and dangerous.

"Coo, cho, cho."

On the path behind the door, the cuckoo's call broke the silence of the night.

When the girl heard the voice, her heart moved. She looked around and found that there was no one around. Then she stood up quietly. Her movements were as light as a cat.

She took small steps to the side yard and gently opened the back door.

Outside the door was a young man dressed in green with a handsome face.

The moonlight shone on him, creating a faint halo around him.

"Zhi Nu, you're here!"

There was surprise in the girl's eyes, and that surprise was like fireworks that suddenly bloomed in the night sky, lighting up her eyes.

Her voice was as gentle as the spring breeze, with a barely perceptible tremor, a mixture of excitement and joy.

When Li Zhi saw the girl with bright eyes and white teeth, his heart almost melted.

His eyes were full of love, as if the whole world only had the girl in front of him.

"Mei Niang! I miss you so much! After you left, I was so bored every day in the palace! There was no one to play with me!"

Li Zhi's voice had a hint of coquettishness, and his face was filled with an innocent smile, which looked particularly bright under the moonlight.

When Wu Meiniang heard Li Zhi's words, she couldn't help but laugh, and her smile was as beautiful as a blooming flower.

"You fool! You're a prince now! You can do whatever you want! You can play everywhere!"

She scolded him softly, her eyes full of doting.

"Mei Niang!"

Li Zhi looked at her seriously, with a firm look in his eyes.

"There will be a court meeting the day after tomorrow. I have decided to attend. I ask my royal brother to let me go out and open a government office and build a palace! By then, I will have my own palace! I can secretly bring you, Mei Niang, over!"

His tone was full of anticipation, as if he had already seen a bright future.

Hearing Li Zhi's words, Wu Meiniang's expression instantly became serious. She frowned slightly, and a hint of worry flashed in her eyes.

"No, young slave! Even if you were a prince and took me into the palace, if someone found out, you would still be ruined!"

Her voice was low and serious, like an alarm bell ringing in the night sky, shattering Li Zhi's beautiful fantasy.