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

The night was as dark as ink, hanging heavily over the sky of Chang'an City.

In the past, the streets and alleys at this time should be quiet and peaceful, with the occasional sound of the night watchman beating the clock, but tonight there is a chilling and murderous atmosphere in the air.

Zhang Xianhuai, commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was wearing a Feiyu suit and an embroidered spring sword on his waist. He held tightly in his hands one list after another, which were densely packed with the names of many officials.

He nodded slightly, signaled to his men beside him, and said, "According to the list, there must be no omissions."

The Jinyiwei who received the order were well-trained. They quickly dispersed, their figures weaving through the dim streets and alleys, running towards the mansions of those officials.

For a moment, the sounds of footsteps and horses neighing intertwined, breaking the tranquility of the night.

Whenever they arrived at a mansion, the Jinyiwei would quickly surround it, break in through the door, and loudly scold the people inside.

The sounds of furniture colliding and family members crying and shouting rang out one after another, and the originally magnificent mansion was instantly thrown into chaos.

The residence of Xu Anmin, the chief official of Xianyang, was not spared either. When the Jinyiwei broke in, Xu Anmin was still reading by candlelight in his study, trying to find a trace of peace in this turbulent situation.

This sudden change terrified him.

He stared at the ferocious Jinyiwei with wide eyes and asked in a trembling voice, "What are you doing? I am an official appointed by the imperial court!"

But all he got in response was cold handcuffs and ruthless ropes.

Soon, Xu Anmin's entire family was escorted out of the mansion and taken to the execution ground in the dark.

Xu Anmin's wife burst into tears and hugged her young child tightly, while the child cried loudly in fear.

On the execution ground, Xu Anmin looked at the sky, his eyes full of despair.

As the executioner raised his knife and blood splattered, Xu Anmin's entire family was executed and became the dust of history.

At the same time, Wang Ming, the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, also received an order to cooperate with the Jinyiwei to thoroughly investigate the whereabouts of Xu Yuan and Jiang Liuer.

He did not dare to slack off in the slightest and hurriedly summoned his capable constables to deploy the task in detail.

"Xu Yuan and Jiang Liu'er are on the run. They pose a serious threat to the safety of His Majesty and the court. They must be apprehended as quickly as possible!"

Wang Ming looked solemn, his eyes swept over every constable, and he spoke in a firm tone.

The detectives took the order and quickly dispersed to every corner of Chang'an City, starting a carpet search.

Ministers like Xu Jingzong and Tang Jian, who usually had great power in the court, were escorted out of their residences by the Embroidered Uniform Guards and sent to Zhaoyu Prison.

Zhaoyu, a place that officials feared, was dark, damp, and filled with a foul odor.

When Xu Jingzong was pushed into the cell, his usually arrogant face was filled with anger. He slammed the cell door and shouted, "This must be a misunderstanding! I am loyal to Your Majesty. How could you treat me like this?"

However, all he got in response was the cold gaze of the jailer and the desperate groans of other prisoners.

Tang Jian sat slumped in the corner of the cell, his eyes empty, as if he had not yet recovered from this sudden change.

Li Yifu stood in the attic of his own mansion, looking at the Jinyiwei who were busy carrying out their mission outside. The heavy stone in his heart finally fell to the ground, and he breathed a long sigh of relief.

Recalling what Dai Zhou said before.

"If you don't want to be dragged into this vortex, you must take a stand."

"Hurry and give the banknotes Xu Yuan gave you to Master Qi. This is your only chance."

Li Yifu finally followed Dai Zhou's advice and handed over all the banknotes to Grand Tutor Qi.

He knew in his heart that this action was a token of his loyalty to His Majesty. From then on, he had completely drawn a line between himself and the prince's camp and could never go back to join the prince's camp.

But he does not feel sorry about this. In his opinion, only by seizing the current opportunities can one have a bright future.

Those officials who defected to the prince thought they had a bright future when they accepted the prince's silver notes, but they did not expect that disaster would befall them and they would soon pay the price of their lives for their choice.

On this turbulent night, Dai Zhou sat alone in his study, the flickering candlelight illuminating his slightly tired face.

He spread out the rice paper, dipped it in ink, and began to carefully write one recommendation letter after another for Li Yifu.

In addition, he also carefully wrote a memorial recommending Li Yifu and prepared to submit it to His Majesty.

The next morning, the sun shone on the Taiji Hall, but the golden light could not dispel the haze in Li Jingyou's heart.

The moment he stepped into the court with trepidation, the scene before him shocked him so much that he stood there in shock.

He watched as the team he had painstakingly built was completely replaced overnight.

Among the six ministers, Li Chengqian directly dismissed two.

The sudden blow made his legs weak, his body swayed, and he almost fell.

Li Chengqian sat high on the dragon throne with a dignified look.

He just glanced at Li Jingyou lightly, and then stopped looking at him.

At this time, Zhang Xianhuai strode forward and reported to Li Chengqian in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, all the traitors were executed last night."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly, his face expressionless. He didn't ask Zhang Xianhuai to present the report. He just waved his hand and said calmly, "Show the report to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Jingyou took the report handed to him by Zhang Xianhuai with trembling hands. When his eyes swept over the words "Xu Anmin and his entire family were executed", he was struck by lightning.

His hands began to tremble violently and uncontrollably, and the report rustled in his hands.

He slowly raised his head, his eyes wide open, staring at his father sitting on the dragon throne.

His heart was filled with guilt. Xu Yuan's family was killed by his father, and he felt he had no face to face Xu Yuan again.

Li Chengqian seemed unaware of Li Jingyou's expression. He slowly glanced at the ministers below.

"Yes, the fact that you can stand here and see me today proves that you have behaved quite well during the time I was away."

"Of the six ministers, I have no choice but to dismiss two. In selecting officials, the Tang Dynasty has always prioritized the capable over the incompetent."

Having said this, he paused for a moment, his eyes fell on Li Yifu in the crowd, and he said loudly: "Li Yifu."

When Li Yifu heard Li Chengqian calling his name, his heart suddenly started beating violently and he felt ecstatic.

He hurriedly and solemnly took a step forward, bowed deeply to Li Chengqian, and responded, "I am here!"

Li Chengqian looked at him with a faint smile on his face and said, "Li Yifu, you have done a good job. Since the head of your Ministry of Rites has been dismissed by me, the position of Minister of Rites will be yours from now on."

"Remember, you must work hard for the welfare of the people and never let me down."

Li Yifu was overjoyed and quickly expressed his gratitude.

Then, Li Chengqian looked past the crowd and towards the back of the court.

There I saw an old man standing in a wheelchair, hunched over, with a young man beside him.

Li Chengqian walked down from the dragon platform and walked slowly towards the old man.

He came up to the old man, leaned forward slightly, and said softly: "General Li Ji, I haven't seen you for a long time."

After hearing this, Li Ji slowly opened his slightly cloudy eyes and raised his head with difficulty.

He pointed at Wu Tianyan beside him with his dry finger and said in a slightly hoarse voice: "Your Majesty, I have found the person."

Looking at Li Ji's aging appearance, Li Chengqian couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion. He squatted down, so that his eyes were level with Li Ji's, and said gently, "Don't worry, old general. I will definitely use him. Wu Tianyan, you will serve as my Minister of War first."

With just this one sentence, Wu Tianyan rose from obscurity to fame.

His eyes were red with excitement, tears glistening in them. He bowed to Li Chengqian and said in a trembling voice, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"