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

The bronze crane lamp in front of the Hanyuan Hall emitted wisps of green smoke, which condensed into gossamer mist in the morning light.

When Zhang Xiaojing raised his hand, the gilded animal head on his armor shone with a cold light, and the vermilion lacquered door behind him burst open. The creaking sound startled the copper bells on the eaves, and the clear sound echoed in the empty square.

Di Renjie walked up the white marble steps, the corners of his black official robe lifted by the draft.

The Hanyuan Hall before us stood majestically like a lurking giant beast, its double-eaved hipped roof making the sky seem three feet lower. Its gargoyles swallowed the flowing clouds, and the gilded ornaments on its tails made people squint in the sunlight.

He suddenly recalled the time when he first entered officialdom and followed Emperor Qianwu to discuss government affairs in the Taiji Hall. The court was bustling with people at that time, and even the gaps between the floor tiles were filled with vigorous energy.

As he stepped over the foot-high threshold, the scent of sandalwood mixed with medicine hit him. Di Renjie's boot soles rolled over the gold bricks, making a subtle rustling sound.

The light in the hall was fragmented by the twenty-four dragon-coated pillars. His shadow grew longer and shorter in the shadow of the dragon-patterned caisson. Every step he took seemed to be measuring the passage of time.

"Hey, the Di Qianjing envoy is finally here. It's been a long time since we last met."

An old voice came from behind the bright yellow curtain, with a hoarse voice from the passage of time.

Di Renjie's pupils shrank slightly. The voice was like a rusty knife, cutting a bloody mark deep in his memory.

The curtains moved without wind. Chen Fusheng was leaning on a rosewood armchair. He wore a dark brocade robe embroidered with silver cloud patterns. His temples were as white as snow. Only his eyes were still as bright as the fishing lights on the banks of the Wei River.

"Chen sent an envoy to the capital?" Di Renjie's voice trembled a little, and the scene in Youzhou thirty years ago flashed back in his mind.

At that time, Chen Fusheng was dressed in fine clothes and rode a horse, and the Longquan sword at his waist could cut iron like mud. Now the scabbard is covered with dust and he has become old.

Chen Fusheng clapped his hands and laughed, his laughter tinged with emotion: "I didn't expect that after so many years since we met when we were young, Di Qianjingshi would still remember me."

"You truly deserve the reputation of having a photographic memory."

He raised his hand to signal, and Di Renjie then noticed the layout of the hall - four armchairs were arranged in a crescent shape, Li Tai's bright yellow dragon-patterned patch was eye-irritating, Su Jin's green robe also had patches on it, and the empty chair had half-faded red silk wrapped around its armrests, like an old dream forgotten by time.

"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei, and to the envoy Su from the capital."

As Di Renjie saluted, he heard a slight crisp sound from his joints.

Li Tai stood up tremblingly. His once plump body was now thin and his eye sockets were sunken. He looked like a different person.

Su Jin's eyes were still as sharp as an eagle.

Just then, the sound of dragging footsteps was heard behind the screen.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Li Zhi holding the shoulders of a palace maid and moving towards the dragon throne step by step.

The ochre-yellow robe on his body was empty, as if it was just a skeleton supporting the gorgeous clothes.

The jade crown that used to hold her hair together was replaced by a soft silk headscarf. A few strands of white hair hung in front of her forehead, swaying gently with her steps.

"Your Majesty!" Li Tai took a half step forward, but was stopped by Li Zhi who raised his hand.

The back of the emperor's hands were covered with age spots, and the blue veins were entangled like dead vines, but the movement of waving his sleeves still carried the majesty of an emperor.

He lay on his side on the dragon throne, a corner of the brocade quilt slipped off, revealing the layers of medicine bags inside.

"Fourth brother, it's alright, you can still live."

Li Zhi's voice was so light that it seemed to float in the clouds, but it instantly froze the atmosphere in the hall.

Li Tai's eyes were red and he turned his head away to wipe the corners of his eyes.

Su Jin gripped the armrests of the armchair tightly, his knuckles turning white.

Chen Fusheng stroked the carved armrests of the armchair, making a slight creaking sound.

Di Renjie looked at the figure on the dragon throne and suddenly remembered the young emperor galloping on his horse in front of the Taiji Hall during the Yonghui period.

At that time, Li Zhi was full of ambition and said that "everywhere the sun and the moon shine will be the territory of the Tang Dynasty." But now he even has difficulty sitting up straight.

The sun outside the hall gradually set in the west, and the shadow of the person on the dragon throne was stretched out very long, overlapping with the shadow of the coiled dragon on the beam, like a faded ancient painting.

"Everyone, this time, the Queen Mother summoned Lord Di to the palace, and I have also summoned you all here."

"Because if I don't call you, it will be too late."

Li Zhi coughed and tapped the armrest of the dragon throne with his knuckles. "If nothing unexpected happens, this will be the last time you see me."

"I am dying, and now I am just holding on with my last breath."

His eyes swept across the crowd, lingering longest on Li Tai's face: "What I am worried about is the future of my Tang Dynasty.

Hong'er had the potential to be a wise ruler, but it's a pity that he died young..."

At this point, the emperor choked with suppressed sobs, "As for the virtuous child now..."

He coughed violently, the quilt sliding off his body as he trembled. "Among all my sons, except Hong'er, no one can shoulder the responsibility of the Tang Dynasty today. The Tang Dynasty is now too big, and it requires a powerful leader to take the lead. Even I have to walk on thin ice to stabilize the current situation."

From outside the palace came the sound of drums, beating again and again, making people tense. Li Zhi suddenly stood up, a sharp glint in his eyes: "Only my father and my brother can govern this vast world well."

"So, I had no other choice but to call you here this time. I want you to think about what the Tang Dynasty should do next."

Chen Fusheng was the first to stand up, the corner of his robe sweeping across the floor tiles. "Your Majesty, I believe the most urgent task is to stabilize the border."

"The territory of our Tang Dynasty is too vast, and the West is eager to take back their homeland..."

"I have my own arrangements for border affairs! What I want is... the inheritance of this vast country!" He gasped violently, and the brocade quilt slipped off completely, revealing his bony back.

"Xian'er is cowardly... If I leave, who will be able to control this court?"

Li Tai stepped forward, his white hair scattered in front of the dragon throne: "Your Majesty! I am willing to assist my virtuous son..."

"Fourth brother, you are old too." Li Zhi's voice suddenly became gentle. He stretched out his hand to touch his brother, but it fell down weakly in mid-air. "You are all old, and I am old too... But this world cannot grow old."

Di Renjie looked at the gradually darkening sky outside the palace and suddenly remembered a line from "Zhenguan Zhengyao": "Starting a business is difficult, but maintaining it is even more difficult."

The solemn atmosphere in Hanyuan Hall at this moment is even more suffocating than when they faced thousands of troops.

The emperor on the dragon throne and the loyal ministers below the steps are all like puppets controlled by the threads of fate, as small as ants in front of the wheel of history.

"Your Majesty," Di Renjie stepped forward.

"I dare to make a suggestion. Perhaps... what the Tang Dynasty needs is not a ruler who sticks to the status quo, but one who can break the deadlock."

His voice echoed in the empty hall, startling the night owls on the beams and causing them to let out shrill cries.

Li Zhi suddenly looked up, a long-lost light in his eyes: "Break the situation? How?"

"The Crown Prince is young, and so are His Majesty's many sons. They are not capable of shouldering the responsibility."

"Your Majesty, I believe that Your Majesty has already thought of the person who will break the deadlock!"

Having said that, Di Renjie sighed.

Hang your hands respectfully.

No more words.