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

March 10, the 15th year of Zhenguan, is a glorious day destined to be recorded in the history of the Tang Dynasty.

On this day, the sunlight was like a dazzling golden gauze, gently sprinkling on every inch of land in Chang'an City. The sky was clear and blue like the deep sea, without a trace of clouds to disturb it.

The entire city of Chang'an was shrouded in a rich and festive atmosphere, as if surrounded by a layer of gorgeous auspicious light.

The source of this joyous occasion was that Yuan Tiangang, the imperial preceptor of the Tang Dynasty, had calculated countless times and concluded that the most auspicious date for His Majesty to get engaged was July 10th, and the wedding was scheduled for February 2nd of next year.

The news that His Majesty had gotten engaged and given the betrothal gifts today spread like a spring breeze, quickly spreading to every corner of Chang'an City. No matter it was the bustling streets or the narrow alleys, everyone knew about it.

When the people in the streets and alleys heard the news, they put down their busy work and rushed to the streets like a tide.

Suddenly, the street, once wide enough for several carriages to pass side by side, was crammed to the brim with people, a clamor of clamor and bustle. The crowds jostled shoulder to shoulder, each face brimming with excitement and anticipation. The bustling scene was like a vivid painting of the human world.

"I heard that His Majesty is getting engaged today. This is a great joyous event for our Tang Dynasty!"

A white-haired old man had a smile on his face, and that smile was like a blooming chrysanthemum, and joy was hidden in his deep wrinkles.

His voice was trembling slightly with excitement, and his eyes were shining with beautiful visions of the future of the Tang Dynasty.

"Yes, yes, Your Majesty's marriage is a blessing from heaven for our Tang Dynasty. I hope Your Majesty can give birth to a child soon to continue the dragon vein and make our Tang Dynasty prosperous."

A young woman next to her was holding a child, rocking it gently, her eyes full of anticipation.

Her eyes revealed respect for the royal family and her eager hope for the prosperity of the country. The child in her arms seemed to feel the festive atmosphere, and looked around curiously with his eyes wide open.

The engagement procession was seen marching forward in a mighty procession, like a colorful dragon winding through the city of Chang'an.

The team was magnificent, with two teams of guards in red leading the way in front. They were as tall and straight as pine trees, with their heads held high and their chests puffed out, their steps neat and powerful, and each step carried a majestic rhythm.

They had smiles on their faces, and that smile was like the warm spring sun, and they kept throwing wedding candies to the people on both sides of the road.

In this era, sugar is an extremely rare and precious thing. Ordinary people can only save some money from their teeth during festivals and holidays to buy a small amount to satisfy their children's cravings.

At this moment, the people looked at the wedding candies falling like raindrops, their eyes flashing with excitement, as if they saw the most precious treasure in the world.

The children were so excited that they danced with joy, and their enthusiasm was high. Cheers and laughter were intertwined together. The sound was like a surging wave, rushing straight into the sky and echoing in the sky above Chang'an City for a long time.

"Wow, it's wedding candy! Your Majesty is so generous!"

A chubby little child struggled to break free from the adult's arms and ran over to pick up the candy like a nimble little monkey.

His face was filled with pure joy, his smile was like a blooming flower, his eyes were shining brightly, and his heart was filled with the joy of receiving the wedding candy.

"Hurry up and grab it! This is His Majesty's wedding candy. Eating it will bring you some good luck!"

Someone in the crowd shouted, and this shout was like lighting a powder keg, making the crowd even more excited.

People stretched out their hands, and some even jumped up, all wanting to grab the wedding candy that symbolized good fortune.

If it weren't for the Jinyiwei in flying fish uniforms and embroidered spring swords on their waists who were maintaining order in the streets with a serious expression, I'm afraid the engagement procession would have been unable to move forward.

The Jinyiweis' eyes were as sharp as lightning, and they scanned the crowd around them vigilantly. They guided the crowd in an orderly manner to ensure that the team could move forward smoothly.

In sharp contrast to the noise outside, the Liangyi Hall was unusually quiet at this time, so quiet that you could almost hear the sound of sunlight falling and a pin drop.

Zhang Xianhuai stood respectfully in front of Li Chengqian's imperial desk, not daring to breathe. He leaned forward slightly, lowered his head, and stared at the ground.

Li Chengqian frowned slightly, his brows like two small hills. His slender fingers kept flipping through page after page of intelligence in his hand. The paper rustled in his hands, as if telling the secrets in the intelligence.

His expression gradually grew gloomier and uglier as he read, and a storm gradually surged in his originally bright eyes, like the sky covered with dark clouds before a storm.

"Your Majesty, these are the norms of the aristocratic families. They have always acted like this, without any scruples or concerns. They simply have no regard for the law."

Zhang Xianhuai looked at Li Chengqian's face and spoke cautiously, his voice low but with a hint of ruthlessness that was hard to conceal.

His fists clenched slightly, and a cold light flashed in his eyes, as if he was extremely angry at the behavior of the aristocratic family.

Li Chengqian slowly shook his head, a hint of helplessness in his movements, his eyes revealing deep worry: "My Great Tang is now at war on two fronts, with internal and external troubles. The court is under great pressure."

"Killing all the noble families might be easy, but what happens next? How do we fill the vacancies of local officials? This is the most difficult problem."

"Xianyang National School is able to continuously cultivate outstanding students. Now, young officials from Xianyang account for half of the court."

"Is it the same in other places? All officials cannot come from Shaanxi Province. There will be chaos."

"Is Shaanxi the only province in the Tang Dynasty? We need talents from all over the country to ensure long-term peace and stability in the Tang Dynasty."

"Your Majesty, I understand."

Zhang Xianhuai nodded seriously, the fierceness in his eyes gradually faded away, replaced by a calmness after deep thought.

He knew very well that His Majesty had to think long-term and should not act impulsively out of momentary anger.

"I will tolerate these noble families for a while longer. Xianhuai, go inform Mr. Qi later and tell him that the seedling cultivation plan has started, and he will understand."

Li Chengqian gave the order in a firm tone, with a flicker of determination in his eyes, like a chess player laying out his plans, ready to deal with a complex situation.

"Yes! I obey your order."

Zhang Xianhuai accepted the order in a solemn tone.

Li Chengqian picked up another secret report from Chang'an, looked at it carefully, and frowned even more tightly. The wrinkles on his face were like ravines, deep and solemn.

His eyes were fixed on the contents of the secret report, as if he wanted to find some hidden mystery in it.

"Xian Huai, have you carefully checked this secret report codenamed 12003?"

Li Chengqian raised his head and looked at Zhang Xianhuai with a questioning look in his eyes.

When Zhang Xianhuai heard Li Chengqian mention this, his expression became serious and he took it seriously and nodded.

"Your Majesty, I have carefully investigated this matter."

There was a hint of confidence in his eyes, and he was proud of his careful investigation.

Li Chengqian looked at Zhang Xianhuai with some approval, and a hint of relief flashed in his eyes.

"It seems like you really learned something. Tell me what you think."

There was some encouragement in his tone, hoping that Zhang Xianhuai could express his own insights.

"Yes!"

Hearing Li Chengqian praising him, Zhang Xianhuai suddenly became excited, his chest slightly puffed out, and his voice unconsciously rose a few decibels.

"Your Majesty! This piece of information may seem insignificant, but it actually has many suspicious points."

"I specifically asked 12003. This so-called personal guard of Li Ji had eaten hot pot with Li Ji, Yuchi Jingde, and Cheng Yaojin at Songhe Tower the night before."

"The scene seemed ordinary, but upon closer inspection, there were many suspicious points. He also paid the bill in the end, and even packed ten bottles of Xiaobaigan when he left."

"At the time, there was a waiter named Xiao Jiang, whose full name was Jiang Si. He was a student in the third term of Xianyang National School. His performance in school was average, nothing special. He then went to work at Songhelou to earn a living."

"It's understood that most of the people Xiao Jiang talked to were this personal guard. His words and actions didn't seem like those of an ordinary personal guard."

"The other three generals showed great respect to this personal guard, which is even more strange."

"The most suspicious thing is that General Li Ji went to Zhaoling early the next day and brought everyone with him except this personal guard."

"And this personal guard slept in and went to the second floor of Songhe Tower to enjoy the service."

"What caught my attention most was that it was the late emperor's mourning period. Everyone followed the etiquette and rules. Even when His Majesty arranged for the funeral procession to stay in Songhua Courtyard, no one dared to overstep the boundaries."

"The only people who dared to go out for dinner at that time were the three generals and the personal guard."

"The rest of the people were quietly waiting in the room for our food distribution. Therefore, I concluded that the guard was not ordinary. Since it was not a serious matter, I did not report it to Your Majesty."

After listening to Zhang Xianhuai's report, Li Chengqian closed his eyes, as if thinking about something, leaned weakly on his golden nanmu armchair, and did not speak for a long time.

After a while, he slowly spoke.

"Xian Huai, there's no need to investigate this matter any further. Let's stop here."

There was an unquestionable authority in his tone.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Although Zhang Xianhuai had some doubts in his heart, he still obeyed the order. He knew that His Majesty had his own considerations.

"Go find Mr. Qi first. I want to be alone and quiet."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, his movements looking a little tired.

"I'll take my leave! Your Majesty, please take care of your health!"

Zhang Xianhuai keenly noticed Li Chengqian's sudden loss of mood, a trace of worry flashed in his eyes, and he walked out after saying that.

"Don't worry, just go about your business."

Li Chengqian waved again.

After Zhang Xianhuai left, the entire Liangyi Hall fell silent, so quiet that it made people feel uneasy. The silence seemed to be able to swallow up everything.

Li Chengqian closed his eyes, thoughts surging in his mind. The previous scenes flashed through his mind like a kaleidoscope, and each scene was extremely clear.

The military token and fish token that Changsun Wuji could not find were important items related to the military lifeline of the Tang Dynasty. They seemed to have disappeared into thin air.

But after a few days, Fang Xuanling placed all the military talismans and fish talismans on his imperial desk as if by magic.

How could Emperor Li Er have the ability to predict the future?

The fact that he could entrust everything to Fang Xuanling seems to be shrouded in mystery.

Based on the intelligence from Xianyang City and the situation of Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Jingde some time ago, it was known that these two veteran generals had been sick at home since then and had never attended court meetings again.

Li Chengqian sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate, and found out that these two veteran generals had not left the mansion for more than a month.

Yuchi Jingde has always been patient, so he can understand that. But how could someone like Cheng Yaojin, who has a devilish personality, stay patiently in his own house?

Last month, not even a single cow died in Cheng Yaojin's mansion. This is totally unreasonable.

In the past, Cheng Yaojin's mansion was very lively, with new and interesting things coming out from time to time, but now it was eerily quiet.

Yuchi Jingde, Cheng Yaojin and Li Ji had a very close relationship with Li Shimin. They were both monarch and subject, and brothers.

The friendship between them was extremely deep, but on the day of Li Shimin's funeral, they actually took a personal guard to Songhe Tower to eat hot pot and drink wine. If they were really sad, how could they still happily drink and eat meat together?

All the clues were intertwined and collided in Li Chengqian's mind. Each clue was like a piece of a puzzle, and ultimately pointed to a result that he could hardly believe.

That is, his father should still be alive, and he should most likely be following Li Ji's army to conquer Xueyantuo.

Once this idea appeared in his mind, it grew wildly like weeds, making his heart beat faster involuntarily.

Thinking of this, Li Chengqian couldn't help but feel a headache and mixed emotions in his heart.

How could my father, the emperor, play such a trick of faking his own death? He's already so old!

According to official history, he only had seven more years to live.

What if something unexpected happens on the way to the expedition?

His heart was filled with worry, as if an invisible hand was clutching his heart tightly.

Thinking of this, Li Chengqian suddenly felt like an ant on a hot pan and began to get anxious.

He paced back and forth in the hall, his steps hurried and chaotic.

In the past, Li Chengqian might have hated Li Shimin deep in his heart. After all, there were many conflicts between father and son during their growth.

Those conflicts were like scars engraved on his heart. But after personally escorting him to Zhaoling Mausoleum, in that solemn and dignified atmosphere, all the resentments were put aside.

There is no overnight hatred between father and son. In the relationship between Chinese father and son, all the knots will often not be truly untied until the moment the father dies.

Li Chengqian had actually let it go long ago. When he guessed that Li Shimin might still be alive, his first reaction was joy. It was a kind of joy of regaining what he had lost, like seeing a ray of light in the darkness.

No, we must not let father fall into danger.

Even though he had handed over the Black Armor Army to Li Ji, Li Chengqian was still worried.

Whether it was the Black Armor Army, the Divine Martial Army, or any other Tang army, Li Chengqian was actually not very confident. He only trusted the three major camps that he had brought up!

That is his hard work and his strongest support.

"Someone, summon Qinru to Liangyi Palace!"

Li Chengqian suddenly opened his eyes, and there was a determined light in his eyes, which was like a burning flame.