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

The dusk was like spilled ink, slowly sinking along with the towering buildings of the Daming Palace.

The flying eaves and brackets of the Zhaixing Tower pierce the clouds, and the bronze wind chimes hanging from the eaves tinkle, as if telling the vicissitudes of time.

This was the first time that Li Zhi climbed this attic that carried countless stories. He sat in a wheelchair, slowly pushed by palace servants. The creaking sound of the axles was particularly clear in the silent twilight, as if every step was knocking on his heart.

In those days, Yuan Tiangang wore a Taoist robe and held a compass. He climbed this tower several times to observe the celestial phenomena at night and deduce the destiny of the country.

He gazed at the vast starry sky, muttering to himself, connecting the trajectory of the stars with the fate of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin and Li Chengqian also stopped here. The broad figure of their father, the high-spirited conversation of their brother, the scene of overlooking the lights of thousands of homes in Chang'an City and discussing the way to govern the country seemed like it was just yesterday.

Now, Li Zhi, sitting in a wheelchair, feels the cold wind blowing at night. The wind carries the chill of time, passing over his pale face and lifting a few strands of gray hair.

He subconsciously pulled the brocade robe closer. Although the robe was luxurious, it could not hide his thin figure. His eyes were always staring into the distance, as if he wanted to engrave everything about Chang'an City into his memory.

Li Zhi's wrists and neck are densely covered with small holes left by acupuncture, like scars scattered all over the place, which are the marks of his struggle with illness.

Over the years, he was tortured by the disease and became unrecognizable. He had difficulty moving and every movement was accompanied by excruciating pain. Even reviewing memorials required a great deal of energy.

But even so, he never slacked off.

Since he ascended the throne, he and Wu Meiniang reviewed memorials together. On the surface, the emperor and empress ruled together, but in fact he bore more pressure behind the scenes.

The memorials submitted openly were the voice of the court, while the secret reports concerned the safety of the country. He had to review each one personally and consider it carefully.

Late at night in Ganlu Palace, he could often be seen, despite his illness, reviewing memorials under candlelight. When he felt sleepy, he would wash his face with cold water, and when he was tired, he would take a short rest before continuing to devote himself to the heavy workload of government affairs.

At this moment, standing on the Zhaixing Tower and overlooking the twinkling lights in Chang'an City, Li Zhi finally understood why his father and brother loved this place so much.

The night market was brightly lit, the streets were bustling with traffic, the hawkers' shouts, the rumbling of horse-drawn carriages, and the laughter of children seemed to float to his ears on the wind.

The Jinwu Guards patrolled the streets on tall horses, their armor gleaming in the moonlight, protecting the peace of the people.

His eyesight was no longer as good as before, and everything in front of him was like a blurry halo, but the smiles on the people's faces clearly appeared in his mind.

Children were laughing and playing, chasing the sugar figures on the street.

The vendors enthusiastically hawked their wares, displaying a wide variety of goods.

The couple walked hand in hand, selecting their favorite items in the night market. Heartwarming scenes unfolded in his imagination. This was the prosperous Tang Dynasty that he had spent his whole life protecting.

"Mei Niang, am I a good emperor?" Li Zhi asked softly, with a hint of nervousness and expectation in his voice, like a child waiting for praise from his teacher.

This was the second time he asked her this question. The first time, he was filled with worry, fearing that he would disappoint his father and brother's expectations. He tossed and turned all night, his heart full of doubts about himself.

Wu Meiniang walked to his side, the moonlight shining on her body, giving her a soft glow.

She did not address him as Your Majesty as usual, but called softly: "Zhi Nu, you are certainly a good emperor. In Mei Niang's eyes, Zhi Nu, you are the best emperor in the world."

Her voice was like a warm current flowing through Li Zhi's heart.

Seeing Li Zhi suffering from illness, Wu Meiniang felt a surge of heartache. The young man who had once followed her, his eyes filled with innocence and admiration, had now become the emperor who controlled the world. However, along the way, he had endured so much, and every step had been extremely difficult.

Li Zhi's thoughts drifted back to his youth.

At that time, he followed Wu Meiniang and listened to her talk about poetry and songs and the affairs of the world.

She stood in the pavilion in the garden, holding a book and reading softly. The sunlight shone on her body through the gaps between the leaves, and she was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting.

He admired her intelligence and appreciated her courage. Later, as fate would have it, they went through all the ups and downs hand in hand and jointly protected the Tang Dynasty.

Over the years, he has used power to consolidate his throne and dealt with various forces, never relaxing for a moment.

He had to deal with the open and covert struggles in the court and the officials' lip service and defiance.

Even Wu Meiniang was just a chess piece of his. He treated his beloved as a chess piece. His heart was harder and crueler than most emperors.

But at this moment, in front of Wu Meiniang, he let down all his guard and was just an ordinary person who longed for affirmation.

"Mei Niang, tell me, after I die, will my father and my brother praise me?"

There was a hint of childish expectation in Li Zhi's voice.

He has been trying to prove himself all his life, wanting to live up to the legacy left by his father and brother.

He rectified the administration, expanded the territory, and continuously expanded the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

He valued talented people, reformed the imperial examination system, and gave the people a chance to succeed.

He quelled the wars on the border and allowed the people to live and work in peace.

He hopes that when he sees his father and brother in the afterlife, he can proudly say, "I did it."

"Yes, young slave, they will be proud of you."

Wu Meiniang walked forward and, as Li Zhi had instructed, gently took him off the wheelchair and placed him on the cushion on the ground.

Her movements were gentle, afraid to hurt him. They snuggled together, feeling each other's warmth.

Li Zhi leaned on her shoulder and listened to her heartbeat. The familiar rhythm made him feel extremely at ease.

As the night deepened, the lights in Chang'an City became brighter and brighter, just like the stars in the sky sprinkled down to the earth, shining in harmony with the stars in the sky.

At this moment, deafening noises suddenly rang out from all over Chang'an, followed by clusters of fireworks soaring into the sky, blooming with brilliant colors in the night sky.

Red, yellow, blue, colorful fireworks lit up the entire Chang'an city like daylight.

People came out of their homes and looked up at the sky, with exclamations and cheers rising one after another.

The children clapped their hands excitedly and ran and played in the streets.

The adults had happy smiles on their faces and told each other how shocked they were by the beautiful scenery.

"Zhi Nu, look! Fireworks! Lots of fireworks!"

Wu Meiniang pointed to the sky excitedly, with a gleam in her eyes.

She had never seen so many fireworks before, not even on the grandest festivals could she see such a spectacular sight.

The fireworks bloomed in the night sky, like blooming flowers, or like shooting stars across the sky, so beautiful that it took your breath away.

Li Zhi looked at the fleeting fireworks in the sky, and a long-lost smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Mei Niang, it's beautiful, really beautiful."

He murmured, his eyes full of nostalgia.

The splendor of the fireworks reminded him of his own life, which was short but glorious.

"It's a pity that I don't have time to take you on a scenic trip in this life. In my next life, if there's a chance, I'd like to go out with you and see what the beautiful mountains and rivers of the Tang Dynasty are like. Let's go see the majestic Mount Tai, the surging Yellow River, and the beautiful water towns of the south of the Yangtze River..."

Wu Meiniang held his hand tightly, tears welling up in her eyes.

Over the years, they have experienced so much together, including laughter and tears.

From the intrigues and deceptions to the hardships of governing a country, they supported each other along the way.

She knew that Li Zhi's body had long been unable to bear the burden, but she never thought that this moment would come so soon.

"Mei Niang, I'm going to Qianling soon to tell my brother that my mission has been completed and I have lived up to his trust."

"If you have a soul, I'll be waiting for you. From now on... there will be no one to protect you from the wind and rain. You must take good care of yourself and don't make me worry down there."

"Da...Tang. Da...Tang...I'll...I'll leave it to you!"

Li Zhi used up his last bit of strength and held Wu Meiniang's hand tightly.

His voice became weaker and weaker, but every word he said was filled with reluctance to leave his country and his lover.

How he wanted to see her one more time, how he wanted to protect the Tang Dynasty with her again.

After saying this, Li Zhi closed his eyes peacefully and leaned into Wu Meiniang's arms.

His face was calm, as if he was just asleep, with a faint smile on the corner of his mouth.

Wu Meiniang hugged him tightly, tears streaming down her face.

"Zhi Nu, wait for me." She whispered in his ear, her voice full of reluctance and attachment.

That night, fireworks were set off in the sky of Chang'an all night long to see the emperor off.

The brilliant fireworks illuminated the entire Chang'an City, and also illuminated the years that Li Zhi and Wu Meiniang walked hand in hand.

On the second day, people were still reminiscing about the spectacular fireworks display.

They didn't know that their emperor was also disappearing in a flash.