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

The late spring rain slanted across the eaves of the Taiji Hall. In the weeping rain, the copper bells on the eaves made a whimpering sound in the wind.

Li Chengqian half-leaned on the armchair, the golden dragon on his black dragon robe flickered in the candlelight. With every breath he took, the jade beads hanging from the crown tassel swayed gently and jingled.

But this gorgeous attire could not hide the fatigue and unwillingness in his eyes. His gaze seemed to penetrate the hall and look into the endless distance.

The Huangmen Minister's movements as he unfolded the plain silk were trembling slightly, his voice filled with undisguised nervousness as he read out: "Three hundred and thirteen people support the ancestral system of establishing an heir!"

The sound echoed in the vast and grand hall, startling the white doves on the beams, which fluttered and flew away, their wings cutting through the stagnant air in the hall.

Li Chengqian's fingertips dug deeply into the gilded dragon-patterned armrest, and the cold touch spread. The sharp edges hurt his palms, but it was nothing compared to the despair in his heart.

He had anticipated the result, but it still made him almost breathless.

Under the Danchi, a crowd of ministers stood like a forest. The ferocious beasts on their official robes appeared and disappeared in the shadows, silently guarding the ancestral precept of "the son inherits the father's throne, and the younger brother inherits the elder brother's throne."

It was as if telling him that any attempt to go against ancestral rules would be crushed.

He looked at the gray sky outside the hall, and the rain blurred the figures of the ministers.

After all, this world cannot be changed by him alone.

He had the idea of ​​innovation, the ambition to break the old rules and create a prosperous era, and he had a grand blueprint in his mind.

But reality was like an indestructible wall, shattering his dreams.

Without supporters, even if you are an emperor, you will be alone and helpless in the vortex of power.

Since His Majesty had no heir, the ministers in the court naturally turned their attention to Li Tai and Li Zhi - they had the orthodox blood of Emperor Taizong and, in the minds of the ministers, were the heirs to the throne.

As for Li Ke, even though he was talented and even though Li Shimin once praised him as "brave and capable like myself", his awkward background was like an insurmountable chasm that doomed him to have no chance of becoming emperor and he could only linger on the edge of power.

Inside the Liangyi Hall, the candlelight flickered in the draft. He sat alone at the desk, repeatedly stroking the papers filled with votes in his hands, as if he wanted to find a glimmer of hope on them, but the words on the papers were as dim as his slim hope.

The cruel reality told him that even as an emperor, ruling the world, he could not decide the ownership of the country as he pleased.

It is as difficult as climbing to the sky to go against the trend of the world.

"Wang Can, go and summon Li Tai, Li Ke, and Li Zhi to the Liangyi Palace."

Li Chengqian's voice was hoarse and a little tired.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Wang Can bowed respectfully, turned around and walked away quickly. The sound of his footsteps gradually faded in the silent corridor, leaving only an empty echo.

Li Chengqian wanted to stand up and stretch his stiff body. Seeing this, Hu Bugui hurried forward to support him.

He waved his hands and shook his head: "Bugui, you don't have to support me all the time. I can't always rely on you to support me."

"Go, help me get that crutch."

There was a hint of stubbornness in his tone, but his pale face and trembling body could not hide his weakness.

Hu Bugui looked at Li Chengqian, his eyes full of worry and heartache: "Your Majesty..."

Li Chengqian forced a smile, which was uglier than crying: "Go, bring it to me."

When Li Tai, Li Ke and Li Zhi hurried over, what they saw was Li Chengqian standing in front of the desk with the help of a cane, looking at the memorials on the table with a lonely expression.

Li Ke's heart tightened, and he stepped forward quickly, asking with concern: "Brother Huang, why are you using a cane?"

Looking at the crutch, he immediately frowned.

"Brother, why are you using this as a crutch?"

There were nine dragon patterns on the ebony cane, and each bump hurt the palm.

This thing was not originally a crutch, but a baton used by Li Shimin during his campaigns.

Because it was a bit prickly, Li Shimin didn't use it later, but now it became the only support for Li Chengqian's broken body.

Li Chengqian shook his head and said calmly: "Nothing, come, sit down."

Then, he turned to Wang Can and Hu Bugui and said, "Wang Can, Bugui, please leave. Guard the door outside and don't let anyone in."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Wang Can and Hu Bugui responded, walked out of the door, and closed the hall door heavily, blocking out the noise from the outside world.

The sound of rain outside the hall grew heavier, but it could not cover up the heavy atmosphere inside the hall.

Only the four brothers were left in the hall. Li Chengqian pointed to a cabinet nearby and said to Li Zhi: "Zhi Nu, go and make some tea. The tea leaves are in the cabinet."

"Yes, my dear brother."

Li Zhi responded respectfully and went to prepare tea.

The sound of the porcelain pot and teacup colliding was crisp and pleasant, but it could not break the suffocating silence.

After a while, several cups of steaming tea were placed on the table, and the aroma of tea rose in the air.

Watching Li Zhi pouring water into the teacup, he suddenly remembered that when the child was young, he always liked to sprinkle flower petals into the tea.

He gently stroked the lotus pattern on the cup wall and suddenly laughed: "Remember the Lantern Festival in the 34th year of Zhenguan?"

"You were flying Kongming lanterns in the East Palace, and Zhinu's lantern got stuck in a locust tree, so Kedi had to climb up and get it."

After hearing Li Chengqian's words, his brothers immediately thought of the past events and the atmosphere became much more relaxed.

Li Chengqian slowly sat back on the armchair, stretched out his hand, and gently touched the teacup, feeling the warmth from the cup, trying to dispel the coldness in his palm and also to dispel the chill in his heart.

"It's spring now, are you cold?"

He broke the silence, his tone seemingly casual.

The three of them looked at each other and shook their heads.

&34;I'm glad it's not cold,&34;

Li Chengqian sighed softly and scanned the faces of the three people one by one.

"We are all brothers, there is no need to be so restrained. You have all seen the current situation. I have no descendants."

He paused and continued.

"Yier is a girl, and I cannot help her ascend the throne. Therefore, only the three of you can sit on the throne."

In fact, the three of them had already guessed Li Chengqian's intention on the way here.

But when he said it so bluntly, the three of them couldn't help but feel panic in their hearts.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became oppressive.

Li Ke spoke first, his tone firm, but he could not hide the helplessness in his words: "Brother Emperor, I don't need it. You know, my status is not enough for that position. Let Qingque and Zhinu do it."

Li Chengqian looked at Li Ke.

"You know, when my father was alive, he wanted to pass the throne to you. He said you were the most like him. Unfortunately, the officials were against it."

He paused and looked at Li Tai, Li Zhi and Li Ke in turn.

"Today, I have called you here to have a heart-to-heart talk with you. Regardless of your background, since you are here, I only have one question for you: who wants to sit in the chair below my brother?"

The three of them were stunned when they heard this, and then fell into a long silence.

They looked at Li Chengqian, unsure how to respond. The hall was completely silent, with only the sound of each other's heavy breathing to be heard.

Li Tai smiled bitterly and touched his face, breaking the deadlock: "Brother, I can't do it, you know."

"Just those things in Tokyo have given me a splitting headache. If you really let me take this position, I'm afraid I will die early. I have finally lost weight, please let me go!"