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

Xijing in late autumn was shrouded in a solemn atmosphere. Withered yellow fallen leaves covered the bluestone roads, swirling in the wind and making rustling sounds.

There were few pedestrians on the street, and occasionally a few horse-drawn carriages hurried past. The coachmen were all wrapped tightly in cotton coats and kept their heads down, as if they were afraid of being recognized.

The shops along the street closed their doors early, leaving only a few dim lanterns swaying in the wind, making the ancient city look even more desolate.

Di Renjie's mansion is located in a corner of Xijing. It is made of blue bricks and gray tiles. Although it is not luxurious, it exudes a calm and majestic atmosphere.

At this moment, the candlelight flickered in the study, and the desk was piled with files and documents. Di Renjie was writing quickly at the desk, and his vigorous handwriting flowed on the rice paper.

He was wearing a plain robe, his temples were already gray, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes hid the vicissitudes of life, but his eyes were still deep and bright, revealing a light that could see through everything.

Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps came from afar, breaking the silence of the study.

"Di Gong! The messenger is from Chang'an!" The voice of the personal guard reporting came from outside the door, with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

Di Renjie paused slightly with the pen in his hand, raised his eyes from the file, and looked at the closed door.

He gently put down his pen, straightened his collar, and said in a deep voice, "Xuan."

The door was pushed open and a messenger walked in quickly. He was exhausted, his clothes were still stained with dust from the road, and he was holding a bright yellow scroll tightly in his arms.

The messenger knelt on one knee, raised the scroll above his head, and said in a loud voice: "Di sent an envoy to the capital, with the Queen Mother's decree!"

Di Renjie walked forward slowly and took the scroll.

The moment he touched it, he felt the familiar texture of silk and the faint scent of ambergris.

He was very familiar with this scent; it was Wu Meiniang's unique incense.

Slowly unrolling the scroll, the vermilion handwriting came into view. It was powerful and vigorous. It was Wu Meiniang's imperial handwriting: "Order Di Renjie to come to the capital immediately to discuss state affairs."

These few short words seemed to carry a tremendous weight, weighing down Di Renjie's heart.

He silently rolled up the edict, placed it on the desk, then walked to the window with his hands behind his back.

The sky outside the window was terribly gloomy, as if a rainstorm would fall at any moment.

Di Renjie looked at the city wall in the distance for a long time without saying a word. He just sighed softly, and that sigh was full of worry and helplessness.

"Di Gong? Why are you sighing?"

At some point, Li Yuanfang had quietly arrived at the door of the study.

He was dressed in tight clothes, with the cold and shining Youlan sword on his waist. Seeing Di Renjie's strange expression, he couldn't help but ask curiously.

Di Renjie turned around, sighed again, and said, "The Queen Mother sent an order to summon me to the capital."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanfang showed a look of surprise and confusion on his face.

In his opinion, being summoned by the Queen Mother is undoubtedly a sign of being valued.

These days, since the Jinyiwei was abolished, all matters of the court, big or small, have been decided by the Empress Dowager, and many officials have tried their best to gain the Empress Dowager's favor.

Since the Empress came to power, many officials from Xijing were transferred to Chang'an. Not only were they promoted and given titles, but they also became the Empress's confidants.

Given Di Renjie's relationship with the Empress Dowager, his future will surely be bright when he enters the capital this time, and it is not impossible for him to be appointed as prime minister and be granted a title of nobility.

"Di Gong, the Queen Mother summoned Di Gong to the capital. Isn't this a good thing? Why is Di Gong sighing?"

Li Yuanfang couldn't help but ask, his eyes full of confusion.

Di Renjie smiled bitterly, shook his head, and did not answer immediately.

He walked back to the desk, picked up the imperial edict, and gently stroked it, as if recalling something. After a long while, he finally spoke: "Yuan Fang, you don't understand. Although we are far away in Xijing, you should have heard about the situation in Chang'an."

"There are not many people in this world who can understand me, but there are some things that I have to be on guard against."

Li Yuanfang frowned, took a few steps forward, and said in a deep voice, "Di Gong, I also have some understanding of the affairs in Chang'an."

"Your Majesty is ill, beset by a stroke and unable to handle state affairs. The Crown Prince is still young, so the Empress is temporarily in charge of state affairs."

"Now, all court affairs are decided by the Empress, and this is a helpless move. This time, the Empress summoned Di Gong to the capital, perhaps because she values ​​Di Gong's talents and wants to entrust him with important tasks. Why is Di Gong so worried?"

"A helpless act?" Di Renjie chuckled, but his smile was tinged with sarcasm. "Yuan Fang, you only know one side of the story."

"Your Majesty is suffering from a stroke, and the Crown Prince is young. This is a crisis for the court."

"And your majesty's dismissal of the Jinyiwei is an even more risky move."

"Although the Jinyiwei are ruthless, they are an important force for Your Majesty to control the court and monitor all officials."

"What does it mean if it's being cut now?"

Li Yuanfang pondered for a moment and said, "I believe that Your Majesty may feel that the Jinyiwei are too ostentatious and have caused a lot of dissatisfaction, so disbanding them can be considered as complying with the people's wishes."

"Furthermore, the fact that the Emperor is temporarily taking charge of state affairs and abolishing the Imperial Guards may also be an effort to better control the situation and avoid the dispersion of power."

Di Renjie shook his head, his eyes filled with deep worry: "You still think things are too simple."

"The Imperial Guard has existed for many years. Although they have made many enemies, they are a sharp sword in the hands of Your Majesty."

"If there is no foolproof plan, how could Your Majesty easily lay off the troops?"

"Now that the Jinyiwei have withdrawn, there is no one in the court who can check and balance the Empress."

"The Empress Dowager is ruling the country from behind the scenes, holding all the power. If Your Majesty..."

Di Renjie paused at this point, a trace of pain flashing in his eyes. "If Your Majesty passes away, what will become of our Great Tang Empire?"

Li Yuanfang was shocked. He never thought that things would be so serious.

In his opinion, the Queen Mother temporarily took charge of state affairs for the sake of the stability of the Tang Dynasty. When the Prince grew up, he would naturally return the power.

But after hearing what Di Renjie said, he suddenly realized that things might not be as simple as they seemed.

"Di Gong, if your Majesty passes away, the Queen Mother will become the Queen Mother and continue to rule the country from behind the curtain, assisting the Crown Prince."

"The Crown Prince is young and cannot bear the heavy responsibility of governing the country for the time being. With the Empress's assistance, the Tang Dynasty can maintain peace."

"Furthermore, His Majesty has now disbanded the Imperial Guards, perhaps intending to allow the Empress to take control of the government and hand it over to the Crown Prince when he reaches adulthood. This is also for the benefit of the Tang Dynasty."

Di Renjie smiled bitterly, looked at Li Yuanfang, and said, "Yuanfang, what kind of person is your sister Wu? Can't you see clearly?"

"Others may not understand her, but I've known her for many years. How could I not know her ambitions?"

"The position of Queen Mother is far from enough to satisfy the Queen's ambition."

"Back then, she returned to the palace from Ganye Temple and worked her way up to her current position. Her methods were so ruthless and her mind was so meticulous that it's hard for ordinary people to even begin to match her."

"What she wants is probably this world! What a pity, Your Majesty underestimated the Queen!"

Li Yuanfang frowned, finding it difficult to agree with Di Renjie's words.

In his opinion, Your Majesty is so wise and powerful, how could he not see through the Queen Mother's thoughts?

"Di Gong, I think you're wrong. Your Majesty has experienced countless hardships in his life. How could he not see the Queen clearly?"

"What Judge Di can see clearly, Your Majesty can certainly see clearly too."

"I feel that this is more like what Your Majesty did intentionally."

"Your Majesty may be hoping to leverage the Empress's power to stabilize the court. With powerful enemies surrounding us from without and various forces within ready to make moves, the Tang Dynasty is in danger without a powerful figure to take control."

"Although the Empress is ambitious, she does have the talent to govern a country. Your Majesty may want to let her take charge of power temporarily and then take back the power when the Crown Prince grows up."

Di Renjie was silent for a long time, looking out the window at the gloomy sky. He had to admit that Li Yuanfang's words made some sense.

Your Majesty is a man of great talent and strategy, and perhaps he is really playing a big game.

But the worry in his heart did not decrease at all.

No one knows when Wu Meiniang's ambition will explode.

"Yuan Fang, I hope it's as you said."

"But the world's situation is unpredictable, and people's hearts are even more unpredictable. This time I enter the capital, it is hard to predict whether it will be good or bad."