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

In the midsummer of the third year of Xianheng, the heat in Chang'an City brought with it the vitality of rebirth after the drought.

Inside the Linde Hall of the Daming Palace, a midwife hurried out holding a crying baby, while the imperial physicians and female officials waiting outside the hall held their breath.

The crisp sound of shattering porcelain echoed from behind the beaded curtain. Li Zhi slumped down on the Panlong chair, staring at the wrinkled little face in the swaddle. His trembling fingers stroked the child's reddened brows and eyes. "Let's name him Li Hong, which means 'glory spreads all around, and harmony prevails above and below.'"

When the news spread, the vendors on Zhuque Street were piling up white flour made from new wheat.

The drought that lasted for a year in the Tang Dynasty finally ended after a timely rain.

Now that the prince had been born, the people hung red silk with the words "God bless the Tang Dynasty" all over the streets and towns, and even the camel caravans of the foreign merchants were hung with festive colorful banners.

Three days later, at a court meeting, Li Zhi carried Li Hong to the dragon throne in front of all the civil and military officials in the court: "This is the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty. He will inherit the ancestral temple and the country in the future."

Amid the shouts of "Long live the emperor", Li Yifu noticed the white hair on the emperor's temples - since he ascended the throne, he had marched west, suppressed rebellions, and resisted natural disasters, and the emperor's back had become slightly hunched.

After the court was dismissed, Li Yifu entered the Liangyi Hall holding the map.

The gilded incense burner emitted wisps of green smoke, making the figures in the "Lingyan Pavilion Meritorious Officials Picture" in the hall seem to float in the clouds.

"Your Majesty, I have observed the celestial phenomena recently and night after night, and purple clouds are rising from the Tianshi Wall, which is an auspicious sign for the groundbreaking ceremony."

He unfolded a blueprint covered with astrological and feng shui symbols. "According to our ancestors' rules, the mausoleum should be located on a dragon vein. I have already sent people to find Mount Zhongnan..."

"That's enough." Li Zhi put down the memorial in his hand. The disaster reports piled up on his desk, still stained with ink. "My dear Li, do you know how many people traded their children for food during last year's drought? And how much rice and grain the court lost in relief?"

He stood up and looked out the window. The newly planted sycamore trees in the imperial garden were drooping under the scorching sun. "The expansion of the Qianling Mausoleum of the late emperor has already cost millions of silver. If I build another mausoleum, what difference would it make me like a tyrant?"

"Choose another room in the area where Qianling Mausoleum is being expanded."

Li Yifu slumped to his knees, his jade tablet clattering against the bricks. "Your Majesty! The regulations for Emperor Taizong Wen's mausoleum were established during the Zhenguan reign. If Your Majesty is relegated to a concubine in Qianling Mausoleum, how will future history books comment on your majesty? I'm afraid that the world will criticize Your Majesty for his poor treatment of the late emperor, and this will only further shake your reputation..."

"Shut up!" Li Zhi turned abruptly, his dragon robe sweeping the bamboo slips off the table. "I'd rather bear the name of an unfilial son than let the people suffer any more hard labor!"

He calmed himself down and spoke slowly, "My brother taught me that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Qianling Mausoleum has excellent feng shui. I will be buried there a hundred years from now. I can be with my brother and at the same time save money for the people's livelihood. Isn't that the best of both worlds?"

Seeing that the emperor had made up his mind, Li Yifu had no choice but to kowtow and leave.

Looking at the prime minister's departing back, Li Zhi rubbed his eyebrows.

On the desk stood a tribute luminous cup, the wall of which reflected his tired face.

Ever since he ascended the throne during the Yonghui period, war has been like a sword hanging over his head. Now that the crown prince has been born, everything is getting better.

Half a month later, late at night, Wu Meiniang came to the study carrying the sleeping Li Hong.

The moonlight shone through the window lattice onto the dragon-patterned floor tiles, making the figures of mother and son appear slender.

"Your Majesty, are you reading memorials again?"

She gently placed her cloak on her husband's shoulders and said, "The doctor said your old illness has relapsed and you should rest soon."

Li Zhi held Wu Meiniang's hand.

"Mei Niang, am I wrong to insist on a simple burial?" He looked at the sleeping child. "I only want to leave Hong'er a prosperous and peaceful Tang Dynasty."

Wu Meiniang leaned her head against his shoulder, a faint scent of camphor wafting through her hair. "Your Majesty cares deeply about the people. The late emperor's spirit in heaven would surely be pleased. Your Majesty braved the rain to inspect the disaster area and personally gave medicine to the people. This kindness is the true auspicious sign for the Tang Dynasty."

These words warmed Li Zhi's heart. He stood up and walked to the window. The lights of Chang'an City in the distance were as bright as the stars.

Suddenly, the sound of a pipa came with the wind. The melody was desolate and sad, and the lyrics were full of the charm of Guanzhong dialect: "I ask the palace in heaven, I don't know when we will meet again..."

This familiar melody struck Li Zhi's heart like a heavy hammer.

He opened the window, the night wind blew up the memorials on the desk, and he was suddenly back to his youth - when he was still the Prince of Jin, following his brother the Emperor in Xianyang,

Every night, this song would be played in the military camp. My brother said that this was a song to cheer up the people.

"Your Majesty?" Wu Meiniang asked hurriedly when she saw that he looked strange.

"Prepare the horses, I want to leave the palace." Li Zhi put on a black cloak, his voice trembling slightly.

At midnight on Zhuque Street, the lights of the night market gradually dimmed.

Li Zhi took Wang Can through the streets and markets, and followed the sound of the pipa to the corner of the West Market.

Under the moonlight, a woman sat by a broken wall, holding a pipa in her arms. Her plain clothes were covered with dust, and tears left two traces on her face.

On the wall behind her, the words "Give me back my wages" were written in charcoal.

"My dear lady, now is the golden age of the Tang Dynasty, why are you singing a lament?" Li Zhi asked softly.

The woman raised her head, her pretty face filled with sadness: "Sir, you don't know."

"My parents were factory workers, but then drought struck our hometown, and they fell ill and couldn't get paid. They were gone..." She choked back tears as she plucked the strings. "I begged all the way to Chang'an."

Li Zhi's memories came flooding back like a tide, and the scene of his royal brother leading them to Xianyang to inspire people with singing was still vivid in his mind.

Unexpectedly, many years later, this song carrying suffering would reappear on the streets of the prosperous Chang'an.

He took out a gold ingot from his sleeve and gently placed it on the woman's knees: "Use this money to find a place to stay and don't wander around anymore."

The woman stepped back in fear: "No! If you like to hear the song, I will sing it again."

"Take it." Li Zhi's voice was filled with a gentleness that could not be refused. "Just consider it as accumulating blessings for the prince."

After saying that, he turned and left, and the moonlight stretched his shadow very long.

On the way back to the palace, Li Zhi looked at the night sky in silence.

Wang Can couldn't help but ask: "Your Majesty, the song that woman sang..."

"That's a memory from my youth."

Li Zhi interrupted him, "Wang Can, what do you mean by a prosperous age? Is it a magnificent palace or a full treasury?"

Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "A truly prosperous era should be one where the people no longer suffer from hunger and cold, and where their songs are filled with only laughter, not sorrow."

The next morning, Li Zhi issued an edict: to reduce taxes in the affected counties for three years, and to allocate funds to repair charity granaries in various places.

When Li Yifu mentioned the mausoleum again, he simply smiled faintly: "My mausoleum does not need to be luxurious. Being able to accompany my royal brother and be with the people is enough."