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

The room was dimly lit. An oil lamp in the corner emitted a weak and flickering light, casting the figures of the three people on the wall.

The words of the young man in blue, Xu Yuan, successfully aroused Li Jingyou's strong curiosity.

Li Jingyou straightened his back slightly, his eyes fixed on Xu Yuan, his eyes full of inquiry, and asked anxiously: "Xu Yuan, what do you think?"

Xu Yuan is two years older than Li Jingyou, and his background is quite famous in Xianyang City.

He studied with Li Jingyou at Xianyang National Academy. Xu Yuan's father, Xu Shoutian, served as the chief secretary under Wen Ruchu and was a formal fifth-rank official.

Xianyang was a key location in the Tang Dynasty. Local officials like Xu Shoutian, relying on Xianyang's special status, could often display a unique style when meeting with officials of the same level from other regions. Compared with the officials in Chang'an City, they were not inferior at all.

Xu Yuan has been aware of his father's concerns since he was a child. Xu Shoutian was worried about making further progress in his career every day. He often racked his brains and was full of anxiety to find opportunities for promotion.

But since meeting His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Li Jingyou, many things that seemed extremely difficult in the past have begun to turn around and become smooth.

However, Xu Yuan knew very well that in this sensitive period when the situation was tense and the Jinyiwei were omnipresent, he must not mention his father's official position lightly. If he was not careful, it might be noticed by the Jinyiwei who were always paying attention to the movements of all parties, and then cause disaster.

Therefore, he took a different approach and cleverly directed his ideas to those who were taking the exam.

Recalling the beginning, when the three of them had just come together, although Li Jingyou was the crown prince, he had no foundation in the court and no real power in his hands.

How easy is it to quickly accumulate your own power with just the title of prince?

After careful consideration, they turned their attention to the students who were heading to the imperial examinations with great ambitions.

Naturally, they did not have the courage to openly interfere with the imperial examination, so they came up with a way to recruit students who were already outstanding in talent and had a high chance of passing the exam.

After all, the saying "It's easy to be an official if you have connections in the court" is deeply rooted in people's minds. Who would easily refuse the olive branch thrown by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?

You know, the Crown Prince in front of you is definitely the future Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

Relying on this method, the three of them slowly built up a force that could not be underestimated.

Behind all this, Xu Yuan’s careful planning and clever planning are indispensable.

He always finds a way out of seemingly hopeless situations, cleverly utilizing various resources to achieve his goals step by step.

This also made Li Jingyou sincerely sigh in his heart that Xianyang was indeed a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers were hidden and talented people were born in large numbers. It was also for this reason that Li Jingyou had great confidence in Xu Yuan's abilities.

Xu Yuan paused slightly, as if giving everyone time to think, or as if organizing what he was going to say next.

Jiang Liu'er on the side also turned his gaze towards him with curiosity.

"I have been observing Your Majesty carefully in secret. After a long period of contemplation and analysis, I have discovered that Your Majesty does not completely trust the officials of the Tang Dynasty. I wonder if you have noticed this?"

After hearing what Xu Yuan said, Li Jingyou and Jiang Liuer both showed puzzled expressions on their faces, their eyes full of confusion.

In their opinion, if Your Majesty, as the supreme ruler of the Tang Dynasty, does not trust the officials under him, how can the country be governed?

Can he still be considered a qualified monarch?

Seeing the two people's confused faces, Xu Yuan patiently continued to explain: "Think carefully, since His Majesty ascended the throne, there are only a handful of people who can truly trust him without reservation."

"One is Grand Tutor Qi. He is Your Majesty's right-hand man and holds great prestige within the court. For many years, he has provided Your Majesty with advice and handled countless government affairs."

"One is President Lin of the Qianyu Chamber of Commerce. His Majesty seems to value his outstanding talents in the business field. With the help of the Chamber of Commerce, he has provided a lot of support for the economic development of the Tang Dynasty."

"There is also Zhang Xianhuai, the commander of the Imperial Guards. He is responsible for monitoring all officials on behalf of Your Majesty and controls many confidential information within the court."

"And Qin Ruzhao, the great general of the Divine Martial Guard, holds military power."

"As for the others, even the outstanding students who graduated from the first and second classes of Xianyang National Academy, His Majesty only placed them in mid-level positions and did not give them sufficient importance and promotion."

Hearing this, Jiang Liu'er was still bewildered. He really couldn't figure out what the hidden meaning was. He couldn't help but ask, "Boss Xu, what does this mean?"

Li Jingyou frowned slightly, as if thinking about something. Listening to Xu Yuan's detailed analysis, he seemed to have vaguely grasped a key clue. Some originally vague ideas in his mind began to gradually become clear, but still needed Xu Yuan to clarify further.

Xu Yuan then went on to analyze further: "Look, there are many officials in the Tang Dynasty, but His Majesty only trusts a handful of them. This is enough to show that His Majesty is suspicious of most officials."

"Furthermore, His Majesty has repeatedly emphasized that the only way for Tang officials to advance is to truly benefit the people."

"He always mentioned the word 'people' and vigorously advocated 'the people are the people, and the world is for all.' All his decisions and reforms seemed to revolve around the people."

"Since His Majesty is now sending the Imperial Guards to the countryside to find representatives of the people and let them participate in the decision-making of the Tang Dynasty's affairs, then I think we may be able to find an opportunity for breakthrough from these people."

“Once the people become our representatives, they may not be useless to us.”

There was a firmness in Xu Yuan's tone, as if he had seen a road full of hope slowly unfolding before them.

Hearing this, Jiang Liuer's brows instantly furrowed into the shape of a "川" character. He looked at Xu Yuan with a worried look on his face and quickly retorted: "Can the people be used by us?"

"Your Majesty's prestige among the people is at its peak. The support he has won cannot be easily shaken by us!"

"The people are definitely firmly on Your Majesty's side. How could they possibly come to help us?"

As a poor child born in the lower class of Xianyang, Jiang Liuer knew better than anyone the lofty status of His Majesty in the hearts of the people. It was an existence that was almost like a belief. In his opinion, seeking help from the people was simply a fantasy and there was no possibility of it being realized.