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

In the Chonghua Hall, white mourning clothes were hung low, and Li Zhi's coffin was shining coldly under the illumination of the eternal lamp.

Wu Meiniang knelt on the cushion, her fingertips gently stroking the gold thread patterns on the black curtain, and the exquisitely embroidered phoenix tail feathers were faintly visible in the candlelight.

Disorganized footsteps could be heard outside the palace. Zhang Xiaojing slammed open the vermilion lacquer door, his crown askew and veins bulging on his neck. "Empress of Heaven! The Crown Prince... The Crown Prince led over a thousand soldiers to breach the Xuanwu Gate!"

In an instant, more than sixty court officials in the hall were like frightened birds.

The tablet in the hand of the white-haired Pei Yan fell to the ground with a clang, causing continuous echoes in the empty hall.

Xue Yuanchao, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, looked as pale as death and could only stand steadily by holding on to the Panlong Pillar.

The hem of the young censor's court robes was soaked with sweat, leaving dark water marks on the blue brick floor.

The air was filled with the fishy smell of ambergris and cold sweat, but Wu Meiniang still sat upright, the gilded candlesticks casting her shadow obliquely on the screen, like a statue of a god that was awe-inspiring without even being angry.

"What are you panicking about? What's the chaos?"

Her voice was chilling, and her twelve-piece moonlit skirt swept across the cold blue bricks, while her wide sleeves embroidered with golden phoenixes drew sharp arcs in the air.

"I am still here. Since Xian'er has dared to raise an army to rebel, please follow me to see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's army."

The tail sound rolled over the coiled dragon caisson, making the copper bells on the eaves buzz.

Pei Yan picked up the tablet tremblingly and looked at Wu Meiniang's calm back. He suddenly remembered that she was also so calm on the day when the Queen Mother came to the throne to govern the country.

At that time, she was standing in the Taiji Hall, dressed in plain clothes, but she moved all the civil and military officials in the court with the words "My heart is like the bright moon, illuminating the heart of the king."

At this moment, he looked at the kingfisher hairpin in Wu Meiniang's hair. The faint blue light shone coldly under the candlelight, which was even more frightening than the white banner in front of the late emperor's spirit.

As they walked through the vermilion corridor, the north wind blew dead leaves onto everyone's faces.

The wind chimes in Chongren Palace were ringing.

Wu Meiniang stopped in front of Hanguang Palace. Three days ago, she was here watching Li Xian holding the "Biography of Filial Sons". At that time, the jade pendant on the young man's waist was still jingling. There was no trace of the solemn and murderous atmosphere today.

"Your Majesty, do you want to mobilize the Yulin Army?"

Shangguan Wan'er asked in a low voice.

Wu Meiniang shook her head slightly, and the secret letter hidden in her sleeve pressed against her palm - it was the news she received this morning, the news of unusual movements in the thirteen military garrisons in Chang'an City.

At this moment, at Xuanwu Gate, Li Xian's army was marching straight in, stepping on the fragments of palace lanterns all over the ground.

The wind blew up his cloak, revealing the darkly embroidered dragon pattern on the lining.

Cold sweat broke out on his palm holding the hilt of the sword, and looking at the empty walls of the Ye Ting Palace, a chill ran through his heart.

Logically speaking, even though my father had just passed away, there should be three hundred Yu Lin guards garrisoning in front of the Taiji Palace, but along the way, not even the sound of the drums from the Tongque Tower woke them up.

It was not until he saw the court officials lined up in neat rows in front of Chonghua Hall that he realized that he had underestimated his mother, who had been immersed in the vortex of power for half her life.

"Your son, I pay my respects to the Queen Mother." Li Xian dismounted from his horse, and the metal wrist guards made a crisp sound when they collided.

He looked up and saw Wu Meiniang standing on the white marble steps, her white silk dress moving without wind, like a statue of a Bodhisattva who was majestic without anger.

When he spoke the so-called "last will", he saw Xue Yuanchao suddenly stagger half a step, and barely stood firm by holding on to the young official beside him - this subtle flaw made him realize that his accomplices might no longer be in the palace.

Wu Meiniang lowered her eyes and gazed at her son, who had once been placed with high hopes.

Back then, Li Xian, still in swaddling clothes, was brought in by his wet nurse to pay his respects. His delicate little face glowed softly under the candlelight.

At that time, Li Zhi held her hand and said in a weak but firm voice: "This child's eyebrows and eyes are very similar to mine when I was young."

But as Li Xian grew up, the "Book of the Later Han" in the study was replaced by "Han Feizi". The Taifu privately advised that "the prince is too kind", and she read the metaphor of "planting melons under the yellow platform, the melons are ripe and the seeds are scattered" in Li Xian's collection of poems.

Wu Meiniang looked at her son.

"Xian'er, today is the day of your father's wake. Why are you here with your troops?"

Li Xian took a deep breath.

"Mother, I have come here to succeed the throne."

"At the same time, I have brought you my father's will."

"My father's will requires my mother to be buried with him in Zhaoling Mausoleum."

Everyone was shocked when they heard Li Xian's words.

Everyone knows it.

If Your Majesty wanted the Queen Mother to be buried with you, the Queen Mother would not be here now, and she would not have such great power in her hands.

When Wu Meiniang heard Li Xian's words, a hint of understanding flashed in her eyes, but then disappeared in an instant.

"Get the will." Her voice was so soft that it sounded like a sigh.

Zhang Xiaojing's hands, holding the yellow silk scroll, trembled slightly, and the rustling sound when unfolding it was particularly clear in the silence.

"The Emperor's will states: The funeral will be held on seven days, and the Crown Prince will ascend the throne before the coffin. The mausoleum system must be frugal. Any undecided matters of military or national importance shall be referred to the Empress for resolution."

When Li Xian heard what Zhang Xiaojing read out, his face turned three shades paler.

At this point, the only way to survive is to fight.

The golden armor of the Jinwu Guards stood in rows, and the sparks of the musket fuses flickered.

Li Xian looked at the army surging in like a tide, and finally saw the bad guys lying in ambush under the corridor.

The fish symbols on their waists flickered in the dark, a power that only the Queen of Heaven could mobilize.

The cold wind blew up his cloak, and in a trance, he seemed to see when he was nine years old, his mother holding his hand and walking across Suzaku Street, the cheers of the children on the street still echoing in his ears.

"Go!" Li Xian's roar was drowned out by the sound of bowstrings. The first arrow flew through the air.

At this moment, he finally understood that in front of his mother, he did not even have the qualifications to maintain the status quo.

In the melee, he caught a glimpse of the Queen of Heaven still standing in front of the steps, her wide sleeves rustling in the wind, like a flag that would never fall.

As blood splattered on the white marble steps, the sound of the night watchman's drum was heard.

Wu Meiniang watched her son being pinned to the ground, her white skirt stained with scarlet.

"Take the prince to the other garden."

As she turned around, she caught a glimpse of Pei Yan secretly wiping the sweat from his forehead, and suddenly remembered the late emperor's last words before his death: "All military and national affairs are entrusted to the Empress."

As the night deepened, the palace servants began to clean up the mess on the ground. Only the wind chimes on the eaves of Chonghua Palace continued to ring, startling flocks of crows.

Wu Meiniang looked at the starry sky and put the jade pendant into her sleeve - the night in Daming Palace ultimately belonged to the winner.

The next morning, the morning light pierced through the clouds and shone on the glazed tiles of the Daming Palace.

Wu Meiniang sat upright in the Purple Palace, listening to Zhang Xiaojing read out the edict to depose the crown prince.

The sound of dragging chains was heard outside the hall, and the figure of Li Xian being escorted to Bazhou gradually disappeared at the end of the corridor.

She stroked the late emperor's will on the desk. The ink had long since dried, but it still seemed to retain its body temperature.

"Empress of Heaven, Prime Minister Pei requests an audience."

Shangguan Wan'er's voice interrupted her thoughts.

Pei Yan walked into the hall holding a tablet, with a red mark on his forehead from kneeling last night.

Wu Meiniang looked at this old minister who had discussed state affairs with her and suddenly chuckled, "Does Pei Gong know that the Han Feizi in Xian'er's study was sent to him by me?"

Pei Yan trembled all over and almost dropped the tablet in his hand.

He finally understood that this seemingly hasty rebellion was nothing more than a chess game set by the Queen Mother.

From being transferred from the imperial city garrison, to condoning Li Xian's interactions with his old subordinates, to the fake will about "being buried with him in Zhaoling Mausoleum" - every step was within her calculations.

"The Queen of Heaven is wise."

Pei Yan fell to the ground and kowtowed, his voice filled with awe and fear.

"Since the Crown Prince has rebelled, the country cannot be without a ruler for a single day. Pass on my order to establish Li Xian as Crown Prince."