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

Early the next morning, Chang'an City seemed to be shrouded in a layer of haze, and a tense atmosphere filled the streets and alleys like thick fog.

Outside the Taiji Hall, civil and military officials looked solemn as they hurried towards the court. Some of them were talking in low voices, while others were frowning, wondering in their hearts whether there would be any storm in the court today.

Li Tai was dressed in extremely gorgeous clothes, with patterns embroidered with gold thread gleaming in the morning light, showing his nobility. Surrounded by a group of his trusted aides, he strode out of the court with his head held high.

His eyes were flashing with uncontrollable excitement and anticipation, as if the supreme throne was already within his reach. The slightly upturned corners of his mouth revealed his inner complacency.

Wei Zheng walked into the court with a cold expression, like an iceberg. When his sharp eyes swept across Li Tai's excited expression, a wave of disgust surged in his heart.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is still alive, but the King of Wei is so eager to get his hands on the throne. He is truly ambitious.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glare at the King of Wei. He would never tolerate such behavior of coveting the throne.

Li Tai's action was a blasphemy to the Tang Dynasty's imperial succession system and was a violation of the ancestral family law!

Li Tai, who was immersed in a sweet dream, suddenly felt cold all over, as if a chill was running up his spine.

He subconsciously looked in the direction where the cold air came from, and met Wei Zheng's eyes that were almost spitting fire and staring at his prey like a hungry wolf.

The anger and hatred in his eyes startled Li Tai, but he quickly suppressed his inner panic.

Everyone in Chang'an City knew Wei Zheng's temper. He was a fearless man. Anyone who challenged him would suffer a bad outcome. Li Tai did not want to conflict with him at this critical juncture and ruin his own plans.

As one important official after another entered the court, the atmosphere in the Taiji Hall became increasingly oppressive.

Important officials of the court such as Fang Xuanling, Zhangsun Wuji, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Jingde, Hou Junji, Li Ji, Li Jing, and Ma Zhou arrived one after another. The appearance of each of them seemed to add a bit of weight to the depressing atmosphere.

Among these familiar faces, there was an official standing next to Fang Xuanling who looked quite unfamiliar.

However, the court has a frequent turnover of personnel, and the appearance of new faces did not attract much attention. Everyone was speculating on the direction of the court situation today.

After everyone arrived, Changsun Wuji walked to the center of the court with steady steps.

His expression was solemn, and his gaze swept across the courtiers with authority. Then, raising his voice, he said, "As you all should know, His Majesty has passed away. His Majesty's passing is a devastating blow to the nation. I, Changsun Wuji, have followed His Majesty's orders to keep the news a secret, simply to prevent Chang'an from plunging into chaos due to this sudden change. Three days have already passed."

He paused, a trace of grief flashing in his eyes, and then he continued, "Today, His Majesty's coffin will be closed. In the coming days, you must all go to the Daming Palace to pay your respects every day to express your grief for His Majesty. At the same time, all entertainment activities throughout the country must be suspended. Weddings, sacrifices, and the slaughter of livestock are also prohibited. Any violation will be severely punished according to the law."

As soon as Changsun Wuji finished speaking, the eyes of many old ministers in the court suddenly turned red, and their bodies trembled slightly, as if they had lost their backbone and were in a daze.

These old ministers still seem to have not come out of the shadow of Li Shimin's death. They really can't understand why His Majesty, who had always been in good health, suddenly passed away?

Their hearts were filled with grief and reluctance, and many ministers were secretly wiping away tears. The suppressed sobs could be faintly heard in the corners of the court.

When Changsun Wuji saw this scene in the court, he looked at Li Tai calmly.

Li Tai understood. He took a step forward and said loudly, "Lord Changsun, before His Majesty passed away, didn't he leave two wills to you and me? Now is a good time to announce His Majesty's will! So we can confirm the successor!"

As soon as Li Tai uttered these words, Wei Zheng, like an enraged lion, took a giant step forward. His eyes widened as he glared at Li Tai fiercely, and he demanded, "What do you mean, Your Highness? After the emperor's death, according to the ancestral system of the Tang Dynasty, the crown prince will naturally ascend the throne before the coffin. The Tang Dynasty already has a clear heir apparent, so why would a future ruler need to re-establish one? Your Highness, do you have ulterior motives?" Wei Zheng's words were righteous, each word like a sharp blade, piercing Li Tai directly. He stood firm in upholding the orthodoxy of the Tang Dynasty, his aura so powerful that no one else could refute him.

Wei Zheng turned his head and looked at Changsun Wuji again, his eyes full of questioning: "Changsun Wuji, I, Wei Zheng, really don't understand. Since His Majesty has passed away, you kept the news a secret in order to prevent unrest in Chang'an, but why haven't we seen any sign of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince until now? You must give everyone an explanation! Tell me, where is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?" His eyes were bright and the majesty and oppression in his eyes made Changsun Wuji slightly stunned.

When the ministers in the court heard Wei Zheng's questioning, they suddenly realized the seriousness of the problem.

Yes, today is such an important day. As the crown prince, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince should have succeeded to the throne in front of the coffin, but now he is nowhere to be seen. What should we do?

The state could not afford to be without a ruler for even a day. Without the Crown Prince, the court felt like it had lost its pillars, instantly devolving into chaos. Ministers began whispering among themselves, discussing various matters. Speculations and concerns spread throughout the court, and the clamor was like a surging tide, nearly drowning the entire Taiji Hall.

Changsun Wuji frowned and waved his hand. Immediately, two eunuchs holding golden gongs came out from both sides and walked quickly. They struck the gongs vigorously, and the "dangdangdang" sound echoed in the court, crisp and loud.

"quiet!"

Changsun Wuji shouted loudly. Under the intimidation of this majestic shout and the sound of the gong, everyone gradually quieted down, and a sense of order was restored in the court.

Zhangsun Wuji cleared his throat and spoke slowly, "The reason His Royal Highness the Crown Prince hasn't come isn't because I haven't informed you, but because he's already terminally ill and beyond medical help. He's fully aware of his condition and has specifically ordered me to come and preside over the court affairs and handle the many matters following His Majesty's passing."

After hearing what Changsun Wuji said, the ministers' faces suddenly became unpredictable.

In particular, the official next to Fang Xuanling who was disguised as Li Shimin, under the magical disguise of Sun Simiao, dressed in a fourth-rank official uniform, cleverly blended into the court.

When he heard Zhangsun Wuji say that the prince was terminally ill, he felt as if his heart was pierced by a sharp thorn.

"Cheng Qian...how could that be?"

He wondered in his heart, Cheng Qian is so young and has always been in good health, how could he suddenly get a terminal illness and be so seriously ill?

He really couldn't accept the news.

"I'm not dead yet, is my son going to die before me?"

His heart was filled with pain and doubt, and his hands unconsciously clenched. Fang Xuanling noticed Li Shimin's unusual expression and calmly hooked his little finger at him, signaling him to remain calm. Li Shimin was slightly startled, then looked up at Fang Xuanling, finding a trace of comfort in his eyes, and his heart finally settled down a little.

Zhang Sun Wuji continued, "I do have a copy of the late emperor's will here. It was handed to me and His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei personally by His Majesty. I ask His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei to bear witness to this!"

Li Tai nodded excitedly upon hearing what Changsun Wuji said, and hurriedly said, "Yes, I testify that this will was indeed given by my father to me and Lord Changsun. It contains two edicts. According to my father's last words, one is the edict deposing the crown prince, and the other is the edict establishing the future ruler!"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the officials in the court were in an uproar and started whispering to each other.

They looked at Changsun Wuji and Li Tai with eyes full of suspicion. This matter seemed weird no matter how they looked at it, and it didn't seem real.

Fang Xuanling glanced at Li Shimin calmly, and Li Shimin shook his head slightly, his eyes revealing his rejection of the will. At the same time, Li Ji, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Jingde and others also keenly received the signal conveyed by Li Shimin.

What does this mean? This clearly proves that Zhangsun Wuji and the King of Wei are in collusion. They are forging the imperial edict. Even now, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is in danger of his life. He may have already fallen victim to their murderous schemes!

Yuchi Jingde's face flushed with anger. He clenched his fists and was about to explode when he suddenly felt Li Shimin's piercing gaze fixed on him, a look filled with warning. Although Yuchi Jingde was seething with rage, he suppressed his anger and slowly retreated, his furious gaze still fixed on Changsun Wuji and Li Tai.

Li Shimin observed the expressions of everyone in the court calmly. He had just taken a quick look around.

He found that less than 20% of the officials had doubtful expressions on their faces, while the other 80% of the officials looked confident and composed, as if they had already known that the outcome of today's court meeting would be like this.

Li Shimin was shocked, and he understood almost instantly that the aristocratic families must be behind this and fanning the flames.

For their own interests, these aristocratic families attempted to manipulate the court and support the princes who were beneficial to them to ascend to the throne.

Li Shimin's eyes turned cold, and he glanced at Li Tai, who was still gloating, with disappointment in his eyes. In his heart, Li Tai had completely lost the qualification to inherit the throne by doing so.

He secretly made up his mind that if things got out of control, he would be ready to step forward, mobilize the army to suppress everyone here, and then reveal his true identity to restore order to the Tang Dynasty.

"Now, I will read the edict deposing the crown prince!" Zhangsun Wuji's expression was serious as he unfolded the edict and began to read it. As his voice echoed in the court, every word struck the hearts of some ministers like a heavy hammer.

After the edict to depose the crown prince was read, Wei Zheng could no longer suppress his anger. He rushed forward like a mad bull and kicked Changsun Wuji.

The kick was so fast and fierce that Changsun Wuji was caught off guard and was kicked back a few steps. However, he was quickly stopped by the gang members on both sides and pulled aside.

Wei Zheng roared angrily, "Zhangsun Wuji! Do you know what you are doing? You are forging an imperial decree! The Crown Prince has always been diligent and dedicated to the Tang Dynasty, and has done nothing wrong. How could His Majesty depose a Crown Prince who has done nothing wrong for no reason? You are forcing the emperor to abdicate, you are rebelling! Aren't you afraid of divine punishment?"

There was a flame of anger burning in his eyes, and the voice echoed in the court, making everyone's ears buzz.

Changsun Wuji, however, was not angry. He straightened his clothes, looked at Wei Zheng calmly, and said slowly, "You know I, Changsun Wuji, have always been fair in my actions. How could I do such a treasonous thing? Lord Wei, please do not act rashly. Please listen to the contents of the edict from the successor monarch. It will not be too late to make a decision."

After hearing this, Wei Zheng snorted coldly. He glared at Changsun Wuji with the anger in his eyes not diminished at all, but he also knew that he had to first find out who the successor king would be in order to better deal with this sudden change.

Changsun Wuji no longer paid any attention to Wei Zheng's anger. With a solemn expression, he took out the succession edict, unfolded it, and read aloud: "The edict appoints the Prince of Jin as the Crown Prince: In the past, the wise king received the map, and the great sage set an example..."

King Li Tai of Wei, who was originally full of joy and immersed in the dream of ascending the throne, was struck by lightning when he heard the first words of Zhangsun Wuji, and his face turned ashen in an instant.

He stared wide-eyed, pointing at Changsun Wuji, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word for a long time. In the eyes of the crowd, anyone could overturn the will in Changsun Wuji's hands, anyone could question its authenticity, but Li Tai alone couldn't! Because he was one of the witnesses to this so-called will, if it was false, he would inevitably become the target of public criticism.