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

There was a depressing atmosphere in the air, as if even the wind had become cautious.

On the eaves of Taiji Palace, crows were calling noisily, and their hoarse cries echoed in the empty palace, as if foreshadowing something ominous.

The thick palace walls blocked out the hustle and bustle of the city, and only the sound of the night watch was particularly clear in the dead silence. The news of Li Zhi's death was like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue, quietly wandering around every mansion and courtyard.

This prosperous capital city was like a calm lake with a huge rock thrown into it, causing layers of disturbing ripples, undercurrents surging beneath the bluestone slabs, and even the branches of the palace locust trees twisted into strange shapes in the twilight.

At this time, various forces were undercurrents in the palace.

Although the princes are young, the forces surrounding them are like long-dormant beasts. They have smelled the bloody scent of power change and have stretched out their fangs from the shadows.

The lanterns in the Prince's Mansion were kept lit all night long, Li Xian's followers were toasting each other in the West Market Restaurant, and Li Dan's secret guards were walking through the streets in the moonlight.

Among these princes, Crown Prince Li Xian has the greatest power. However, beneath this vast appearance, he hides deep worries - he has only more than 20 officials in the Eastern Palace, and his power to review memorials has long been taken away by the Empress Dowager. Even his daily meals have to be inspected three times by the Shangshi Bureau.

Although Li Xian is only twelve years old, he is mature and wise far beyond his peers.

The candlelight illuminated his pale face, and his clear eyes often flashed with an elusive light, as if he could see through all the conspiracies and intrigues in the palace.

When he learned that his father had passed away, he clenched the jade pendant given by his father, his knuckles turned white but not a single tear shed.

When the palace maid came in holding the mourning clothes, she saw him concentrating on the "Zhenguan Zhengyao", and the ink was smudged on the rice paper.

In this cruel court struggle, tears cannot solve any problems. Only by holding on to power can one survive.

The Chief Censor Ge Qian came to the Eastern Palace in a panic. After seeing Li Xian, he immediately knelt on one knee, and the corner of his robe swept down the bronze candlestick on the table.

"Your Highness, the Emperor has passed away. This is a matter of great importance to the nation."

His voice was filled with tears, and he knocked his forehead heavily on the blue bricks. "Prince, please go to Chonghua Hall immediately and ascend the throne in front of the spirit! The situation is turbulent now. If you don't ascend the throne as soon as possible, something unexpected may happen."

Other officials echoed this sentiment, some even ripping open their shirts to reveal old scars: "When I followed Your Majesty to pacify Arabia, I saved my life for the Tang Dynasty! If the Crown Prince doesn't ascend the throne, we will be blamed for it!"

Li Xian narrowed his eyes slightly and calmly glanced at his team below.

The candlelight cast light and dark shadows on everyone's faces. Some had burning eyes, while others had wandering expressions.

There was a hint of fatigue in his eyes, yet he was extremely determined.

After a moment's silence, he slowly spoke. Although his voice was childish, it carried unquestionable majesty: "No, it is meaningless to succeed to the throne in front of the coffin."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the hall.

Ge Qian's face was filled with shock, his knees scraping blood on the bricks. "Your Highness, you are the Crown Prince! The son inherits the throne after the father's death. It is only natural. How can it be meaningless?"

"This is the rule set by our ancestors. As long as you succeed to the throne in front of the spirit, it will be legitimate and those with ill intentions will not dare to act rashly."

Li Xian sighed softly, stood up and pushed open the carved window frame.

"Mr. Ge, you only know one side of the story."

He twirled the silver bracelet on his wrist—a birthday gift from his mother. Inside, a Sanskrit mantra was engraved: "The Twelve Guards of Chang'an, the seals of the Five Guards are in the hands of the mother."

"Bad people are everywhere in the streets and alleys. Even the old servant sweeping the floor in my East Palace is her spy."

"I, the crown prince, may seem extremely noble, but in reality, I don't have much real power."

"Even if I ascend the throne now, I'll be nothing more than a puppet emperor at the mercy of others."

At this point, a hint of unwillingness flashed in his eyes, and he gripped the window sill tightly.

After a pause, Li Xian continued: "Xuanwu Gate General Xiao Wanquan is my man."

When these words were spoken, everyone in the hall was stunned at first, and then they all showed surprised expressions.

The history of Xuanwu Gate unfolds before everyone's eyes like a bloody scroll.

When Li Shimin shot his brothers here, the arrow penetrated the third layer of vermilion lacquer door.

Li Chengqian led an army of 100,000 and entered through the Xuanwu Gate to ascend the throne.

When Li Jingyou seized power, the head of the gatekeeper was still hung on the city wall for public display.

Now, when Li Xian mentioned Xuanwu Gate, everyone knew that an earth-shaking event was about to happen.

Li Xian looked at everyone's reactions, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and a hint of confidence flashed in his eyes.

He untied the jade pendant from his waist and threw it on the table. The crisp sound of it breaking startled the night owls from the beams and said, "I still have thousands of sets of armor in the East Palace, hidden under the dry well in the west wing."

"Then Xiao Wanquan will open the Zuoye Gate in the name of an inspection."

"We just need to send our people to Xuanwu Gate, and then we can settle the matter!"

He pulled out the Tang Dynasty sword from the table, and with the blade, he cut off a wisp of the falling curtain. "We must control our own destiny and take back the power that belongs to the Tang Dynasty royal family!"

At the same time, inside Chonghua Hall, the atmosphere was so solemn and dignified that it was almost suffocating.

Li Zhi's body was quietly placed in a golden nanmu coffin, and his face was a bluish-gray color due to being soaked in mercury.

Wu Meiniang was dressed in plain white mourning clothes, kneeling on a cushion, the ice silk blanket under her knees had already been soaked with tears.

She clasped her hands together, and the Buddhist beads in her hands slowly turned on her fingertips. Each bead was engraved with the mantra of rebirth, but her nails dug deep into her palms.

The sound of the night watchman's drum could be heard outside the hall. She counted the beats and silently calculated the deployment of troops in each camp in her mind.

All the civil and military officials were dressed in white and knelt in an orderly manner on both sides behind Wu Meiniang.

Zhang Jianzhi's hand holding the jade tablet trembled slightly. When the new scholars were whispering to each other, the secret letter slipped from his sleeve and fell on the blue brick.

Many old ministers of the Li Tang Dynasty were filled with worry. The prince had not arrived yet. They had sent people to inform him three times, but there was still no sign of him.

They couldn't help but wonder if the Queen Mother had secretly imprisoned the prince, otherwise why hadn't the prince appeared yet?

In the crowd, Di Renjie stared at Wu Meiniang's straight back, and suddenly remembered that three days ago in the imperial study, he had seen her making a rubbing of the tiger talisman on a handkerchief.

Just as everyone was anxiously waiting and talking, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.

A Jinwu Guard in golden armor ran in panic, his armor still stained with the dust from the Xuanwu Gate. As he knelt on one knee, the gilded sword at his waist clanged: "Report to the Queen Mother! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has led his troops to open the Xuanwu Gate and is now rushing towards the Chonghua Palace! The situation is critical, please take shelter for the time being!"

This news was like a bolt from the blue, instantly causing an uproar in Chonghua Hall.

The old ministers grabbed each other's sleeves in horror, and someone knocked over the sacrificial wine cup, causing the wine to flow onto the blue bricks.

Di Renjie couldn't help but exclaim in his heart: "It's bad! The prince is so confused! This rash rebellion is undoubtedly like an egg hitting a rock. It will only make the situation more chaotic and may even lead him into an irretrievable situation!"

He wanted to rush out to stop them, but was held down by two Yulin guards on the shoulders.

Wu Meiniang slowly opened her eyes and the Buddhist beads in her hand stopped turning.

She looked at the dark shadow cast by the candlelight on the coffin and suddenly chuckled.

That laughter made everyone shudder. She stood up and straightened her robe. The white silk in her hair slipped down, revealing the newly grown white hair on her temples: "What are you panicking about! Since the prince is here, let him come."

She gently stroked the dragon pattern on the coffin.

"I want to see how big a storm he can stir up at such a young age."

There was a chilling majesty in her words, which instantly quieted down the panicked crowd.

At this time, the streets outside the palace were filled with shouts and cries of killing.

Li Xian rode a tall horse, clad in black iron armor, and wielded a long sword. The night wind blew up his cloak, revealing the dragon pattern lining it.

He looked at the majestic imperial palace and recalled that after his brother's death, his father touched his head and said: "My son will be a wise ruler."

Now, the path to becoming a wise ruler has to be paved with blood.

Behind him, the soldiers of the Eastern Palace held up a large banner with the word "Li" on it, and the sound of their footsteps made the ground tremble slightly.