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

Song Jingshu's voice, as tender as a baby bird, kept echoing in the solemn and dignified Tai Chi Hall.

Her small body was trembling slightly, and her lips were quivering slightly. It seemed as if she had used up all her strength to squeeze out every word from her throat.

The voice was trembling and fearful, yet it also had an inexplicable firmness, like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's heart again and again.

The faces of all the ministers were as pale as paper, with beads of sweat rolling down their foreheads, leaving wet marks along their cheeks.

Their necks were twisted stiffly as they stared at Lu Jingsuo intently. The shock in their eyes was like a surging tide, as if it was going to swallow Lu Jingsuo whole.

Among them, Zhang Xianhuai's face was flushed red, and the veins on his neck were bulging. He took a step forward like an angry bull.

His body trembled slightly, like a fallen leaf in the autumn wind, his lips trembled a little with anger, and his teeth made a slight "clack" sound when they opened and closed.

Lu Jingsuo frowned, as if there was an invisible mountain between his brows, pressing him so hard that he couldn't breathe.

His lips were pressed into a line, their color slightly pale due to the force, the corners of his mouth slightly turned down, his eyes were full of a complex expression, including pain, helplessness, and a hint of determination.

He stood there quietly, his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles white, and the veins on the back of his hands winding like a dragon.

He just stood there with his back straight, allowing Zhang Xianhuai to criticize him without any intention of refuting. Only his shoulders occasionally shrugged slightly, revealing his inner unrest.

"Lu Jingsuo, do you know what you are doing?" Zhang Xianhuai shouted loudly. The sound echoed in the empty hall, making people's ears buzz.

He roared and pointed his finger at Lu Jingsuo.

"Have you forgotten the miserable days when you went from house to house on Anning Street begging for food to pay for your mother's medical treatment?"

Who extended a helping hand to you when you were most desperate? It was His Majesty! "

His eyes flashed with a mixture of anger and pain, and his fingers trembled as he pointed at Lu Jingsuo, his fingertips turning slightly red from the force.

"You forgot that you were once a lonely refugee, without clothes to wear, without food to eat, struggling to survive like an ant in that chaotic world."

"It is His Majesty's kindness that has pitied your miserable life and allowed you to go to school, to learn to read, and to understand the principles of life."

"I have helped you grow from a refugee in Xianyang to someone who can now wear a Feiyu suit and hold the rank of a thousand-householder in my Jinyiwei!"

Zhang Xianhuai's voice gradually became choked, and every word seemed to use up all his strength, as if he was dragging a thousand-pound weight.

When he got excited, his chest heaved violently and he gasped for breath.

"How could you do this? Jing Suo..."

His eyes were full of disappointment, a kind of pain of betrayal by someone he once trusted. His eyes were like two sharp swords, piercing straight at Lu Jingsuo.

"How could you, how could you treat His Majesty like this?"

Zhang Xianhuai's voice became hoarse, like an old bellows being pulled with difficulty. The hand pointing at Lu Jingsu seemed to have lost all support and slowly fell down powerlessly, with his arm drooping limply at his side.

There was deep sadness in his eyes, and the fire that had been burning in them gradually died out, leaving only a dimness, as if he saw the friendship that once existed shattered like bubbles at this moment.

"You are sorry to His Majesty! Jing Suo."

……

"Alright, Xian Huai, back off!"

Li Chengqian sat on the high dragon throne with a dignified look on his face. He raised his chin slightly and scanned the court with majestic eyes.

His voice was calm but held unquestionable authority. Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a force that could not be disobeyed.

Zhang Xianhuai looked at Li Chengqian, his eyes filled with heartache and resentment. He opened his lips slightly, wanting to say something else.

"Your Majesty! I..."

His throat seemed to be choked by something, and the words were swirling around his lips, but he couldn't say them smoothly.

He tried to move his feet uncomfortably, his heels making slight noises on the ground.

"I told you to step aside! It's not your turn to speak here. I will naturally handle it."

Li Chengqian frowned slightly, a deep "chuan" character formed between his brows, and the volume of his voice increased, and the sound exploded in the hall like thunder.

Everyone present couldn't help but feel a shock in their hearts, and their bodies trembled subconsciously.

Zhang Xianhuai closed his eyes helplessly, his eyelids trembling violently several times, as if he was suppressing the pain and anger in his heart.

He took a deep breath, his chest puffed out, and then slowly exhaled, as if to expel the frustration in his heart.

Then, he slowly retreated to his original position, each step being extremely heavy, as if his feet were tied to huge rocks.

"You are my commander-in-chief! You must remain calm."

Li Chengqian looked at Zhang Xianhuai, and a complex look flashed in his eyes, showing dissatisfaction with his impulsiveness and satisfaction with his loyalty.

He raised his hand slightly, palm down, and pressed lightly, as if to calm everyone's emotions.

"Remember, you represent my reputation! The emperor's reputation. No matter what happens, remember this! I'll back you up, so don't panic!"

When Zhang Xianhuai heard what Li Chengqian said, his heart warmed and tears welled up in his eyes.

The tears welled up in his eyes, blurring his vision.

The sense of guilt in his heart surged like an endless tide.

Because he knew very well that this incident was caused by his own failure to supervise properly, which led to His Majesty being put on the spot and becoming the target of public criticism.

But His Majesty not only did not blame him, but also defended him and supported him.

He secretly swore in his heart that he would devote his life to the emperor to repay his majesty's kindness.

What virtue and ability have I, Zhang Xianhuai, taken to deserve such great favor from Your Majesty? I cannot repay it!

He thought silently in his heart, his lips trembling slightly, and his hands unconsciously clenched into fists.

After Li Chengqian finished speaking, he ignored the people in the court.

His expression changed, and his originally majestic face showed a patient and gentle face. The corners of his mouth raised slightly, revealing a smile. He looked at Song Jingshu softly, and his eyes were like warm sunshine shining on her.

"Little girl, if you have any grievances, please tell me slowly and clearly. Don't worry, I will listen right beside you."

Li Chengqian's voice was like a spring breeze, carrying a soothing power, and his tone was soft and soothing, as if he was coaxing a frightened child.

He leaned forward slightly, placed his hands on the armrests, and his forward posture showed his attention to Song Jingshu's words.

Song Jingshu looked at Li Chengqian's angry expression and felt a little scared. Her small body was shaking violently like a sieve.

Then he realized that this was inappropriate, so he stopped.

She looked at Li Chengqian timidly, her eyes full of hesitation, and her hands nervously tugged at the corners of her clothes, wrinkling them.

"Your Majesty, can you please not blame Brother Lu? He is a good man. Your Majesty is also a good man."

Song Jingshu seemed to feel the strange atmosphere in the court, which was as sharp as a sword.

All the criticisms were directed at Lu Jingsuo in the audience. She didn't want to see Lu Jingsuo get hurt.

As she spoke, her eyes moved back and forth between Li Chengqian and Lu Jingsuo, her eyes full of pleading.

Lu Jingsuo looked at Song Jingshu, a touch of emotion flashed in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly, revealing a bitter smile.

He shook his head at her slightly but firmly, signaling her not to plead for him.

Li Chengqian glanced at Song Jingshu, neither agreeing nor refusing, but just sighed slightly.

"This is an adult matter, you don't understand yet."

A complex emotion flashed in his eyes, like the depths of a lake, unfathomable.

"Tell me about your grievances. What happened in Taiyuan?"

He sat up straight again, adjusted his sitting posture, folded his hands on his abdomen, and his expression became serious.

After hearing Li Chengqian's words, Song Jingshu nodded slowly, as if she had mustered up great courage.

She took a deep breath, her chest heaving violently, then she slowly opened her mouth and began to narrate her tragic experience.

"Your Majesty, my family lives in a small village near Jinyang, Taiyuan, called Laishan Village."

"It's a small place, and the people in the village live a simple but hard life."

"There are many villages like this around here, and every year many people come door to door to ask for food."

"The food that the villagers had worked so hard to store was taken away bit by bit."

There was a hint of fear in Song Jingshu's eyes. Her eyes were wide open and full of horror, as if those terrible scenes appeared before her again.

As she spoke, she clutched her arms tightly, her fingers digging deep into her skin, leaving red marks.

"The first people to arrive were not wearing official uniforms. They were members of the Wang family."

"In our area, when people hear the name of the Wang family, they say to avoid them if you see them, or they'll be ripped off."

"Regardless of whether the harvest is good or not, they will collect 70% of the tax grain from us."

"We work hard for a year, but almost all the harvested food is taken away by them."

Song Jingshu's voice was trembling a little, and every word was trembling. Tears of anger flashed in her eyes, and the tears rolled in her eye sockets, blurring her vision.

Her lips trembled slightly, as if she was trying hard to suppress the anger and fear in her heart.

“Some people who were unwilling to pay, or simply couldn’t pay that much grain, were beaten to death.”

Having said this, she closed her eyes, as if to drive away those horrible images.

"After we pay 70% of the taxes to the Wang family, the government will come to collect taxes again in a while, and they will also collect 20% from us."

No one wants to hand it over, because after handing it over, there won’t be enough food for a family to survive until the end of the year, and everyone will starve to death.”

"But they didn't care about our lives. Those people in official uniforms called a lot of people, rushed into the village and took away all the food."

"They also said that His Majesty wanted to go to war and asked us to support the court. Otherwise, those foreign tribes would attack us, but we can't even feed ourselves..."

Song Jingshu clenched her small fists tightly, her knuckles turning white from excessive force. Her arms were trembling slightly, revealing her inner anger and grievance.

Hearing Song Jingshu's words, Li Chengqian unconsciously raised his eyebrows, his brows raised upwards, and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes.

His hands were clenched into fists under his dragon robe, his knuckles turning white from the force, and veins bulged on the back of his hands, as if countless small snakes were wriggling under his skin.

"Go on."

Li Chengqian tried his best to keep his tone calm, but beneath that calm tone seemed to contain a huge wave that could destroy everything and could erupt at any time.

His lips were slightly pursed, and his eyes were fixed on Song Jingshu, with even more majesty in his eyes.

"We ran out of food, so we had to go to the mountains to find food. Then, the Wang family posted a notice."

Song Jingshu wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes in a flustered manner, as if she wanted to wipe away all the sadness and fear.