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

Li Shimin's eyes, with the scrutiny unique to an emperor, were fixed firmly on Li Chengqian.

He raised this crucial question about the direction of the world, and now he hoped to get a unique and insightful answer from his son.

Unexpectedly, Li Chengqian, who always appeared confident in many matters, lost his usual self-confidence when faced with this question from Li Shimin.

He lowered his head slightly, rubbing his forehead. After a moment, he shook his head helplessly, forcing a wry smile on his face and said, "Father, if I could really come up with a perfect solution, I wouldn't be worthy of being called a mortal. I'd probably be ranked among the immortals and become a free and easy god in heaven."

After he finished speaking, he raised his eyes, a trace of unusual determination flashed in his eyes, and then he said: "However, there is a seemingly unreliable method that I mentioned to you before."

When Li Shimin heard this, his sword-like eyebrows instantly twisted into the shape of the Chinese character "川".

He slowly leaned back in his chair, his right hand subconsciously stroking his chin, lost in thought.

"It's not a solution, and it's already been told to me..."

These words echoed in his mind again and again, and he tried to find the key clues from Li Chengqian's obscure words.

Li Shimin always prided himself on his intelligence and his ability to solve problems independently. He felt somewhat unwilling to be given a riddle by Li Chengqian, but he also felt a strong desire to explore more.

He secretly challenged himself to solve the mystery on his own.

During the time when Li Shimin was in deep thought, Li Chengqian actually relaxed his tense nerves.

He walked slowly to the window, squinted his eyes slightly, and immersed himself in the comfort brought by the warm sun.

A gentle breeze brought the rich fragrance of flowers and plants in the garden outside the window, adding a rare touch of relief to the depressing atmosphere.

After an unknown amount of time, a flash of lightning struck Li Shimin's mind, and inspiration suddenly struck him.

He clapped his hands suddenly, his movements were quick and decisive, and his eyes instantly regained their former sharpness.

He looked at Li Chengqian anxiously and asked loudly, "Chengqian, is this the spring planting plan?"

Li Shimin stood up and paced back and forth in the hall, his steps hurried, analyzing clearly as he walked: "Spring planting, spring planting, at present, this plan has not yet truly taken root and borne fruit."

"Are you talking about the children of the Tang Dynasty?"

His voice unconsciously rose a few notes: "You intend to pass on your ideas to the children of the Tang Dynasty, so that they can pass them on from generation to generation."

"In the future, if anyone attempts to monopolize power, those children who have grown up will be able to perceive it and know that they have betrayed the people and deviated from the ideal of 'the world belongs to all.'"

"So, the children will rise up in rebellion, they will overthrow the rule of those who violate justice, and restore everything to the way it was before, and then the cycle will continue."

"From now on, no one will dare to defy the principle of 'the world belongs to the public, and the people live long', right?"

Admiration flashed in Li Chengqian's eyes. He really didn't expect that Li Shimin could guess his thoughts so accurately.

He nodded in conviction and praised sincerely, "Aye is indeed one of the smartest people in the world. He guessed it exactly right."

"The children of the Tang Dynasty are indeed our hope for the future!"

Despite receiving Li Chengqian's affirmation, Li Shimin's brows not only did not relax, but became even tighter.

He said with confusion, "Cheng Qian, I'm not trying to discourage you, but in my opinion, your method is simply not feasible. I really don't see any chance of success."

Li Shimin sighed slightly.

"Cheng Qian, do you know what the problem with your method is?"

"I never expected my son to be so naive as to believe that human nature is inherently good."

"As the Son of Heaven, are you so gullible about human nature?"

"Throughout history, it has been widely acknowledged that 'human nature is evil.'"

Li Shimin's tone was heavy as he slowly recited, "When greed and profit entice, competition arises; greed is like a ravine, jealousy is like thorns. Hypocrisy hides a smile in front of others; the filthiness of the world is beyond words."

"I can foresee this outcome at a glance."

"First of all, the person who holds the highest power could never have been elected by the people."

"The first thing he will do after taking office will definitely be to weaken the people's power."

"Although the Tang Dynasty has withdrawn its armor, it has not banned the use of swords. However, once he takes power, it will become inevitable that every household will ban the use of swords and weapons."

"Besides, our Tang army is now equipped with powerful firearms."

"By then, facing a ruler with such powerful military force, how could those unarmed people dare to easily resist?"

"Aren't they afraid of death? If anyone dares to stand up, the rulers will surely be the first to eliminate them and set an example."

"If this continues, all your grand ideas and hopes will be ruthlessly burned to ashes."

"Just like the people of Jin in the past, their bones were bent under the oppression of powerful forces. It's really sad and lamentable."

Li Shimin stared at Li Chengqian with a hawk-like gaze and asked again, "Chengqian, how could you be so naive as to choose to believe in human nature? Do you really think human nature is worth trusting?"

Faced with Li Shimin's series of sharp and to-the-point questions, Li Chengqian was stunned on the spot.

He opened his mouth, but his throat seemed to be blocked and too dry to make any sound. For a moment he didn't know where to start.

In fact, Li Chengqian never believed in human nature.

But he believed it!

He had witnessed too much of the world's vices and evils.

He had seen the despicable behavior of people who betrayed their close friends for petty gains, the chaotic scenes of people scrambling for food during famine years, regardless of the lives of others, and the ugly faces of officials in the court who fought openly and secretly for power and used all means to achieve it.

But even in the quagmire, he still found the shining kindness among the people.

He once went on a tour in disguise and saw villagers in remote villages helping each other during the busy farming season. When one family was in trouble, the whole village would support them.

He also saw people spontaneously organize themselves to rescue their displaced compatriots during famines.

The heartwarming scenes of ordinary people supporting and helping each other in times of hardship were deeply engraved in his heart and never faded.

Because of this, the fire of hope ignited in Li Chengqian's heart.

He knew that the road ahead was full of thorns and difficulties, and the hope of success was as slim as a star, but he was still determined. For the sake of his trust in the kindness of the people, he was willing to give it a try and embark on the path that his teacher had taken.

Li Chengqian took a deep breath, slowly raised his head, looked at Li Shimin with a firm gaze, and said, "Father, I am not blindly trusting human nature. I also know the ugliness and unbearableness of human nature."

"But I saw something different in the people: a simple and pure kindness and a persistent yearning for a better life."

"I would like to believe that as long as we pass on the right ideas to the next generation, they will continue to fight for the justice and righteousness in their hearts."

"Even if the hope is slim, I still want to give it a try, because it is for the happiness and well-being of the people of the world."

Li Shimin stared at Li Chengqian quietly, the expression in his eyes was complex and difficult to discern, including worry, relief, and a new scrutiny and understanding of his son.

After a long while, he slowly spoke: "Cheng Qian, although your idea is a bit idealistic, it is not without reason."

"I'm old, you can do whatever you want, I can't control you anymore."

Li Shimin shook his head.

"I will make this world belong to the people!"

Li Chengqian looked into Li Shimin's eyes and muttered to himself.