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

Empress Wei suddenly threw the gilded paperweight to the ground, leaving a shallow mark on the gold brick.

She stared at the bleeding wound on Wei Bo's forehead and suddenly sneered: "Prince of Xiang? Li Xian's body is still warm, and Li Dan dares to jump out."

The wide sleeves of her phoenix robe swept across the desk, and the ink in the inkstone splashed onto the memorial, spreading a large black smudge. "Go call Princess Anle and ask her to take the palace guards to guard the west side of Taiji Palace. I want to see who dares to cross the threshold of Zichen Hall."

Just as Wei Bo was about to turn around, the sound of golden bells suddenly rang out from outside the palace. It was Princess Anle, accompanied by several maids, who hurried in. She was wearing a pomegranate-red silk dress embroidered with gold. Seeing the mess inside the palace, she quickly grabbed Empress Wei's sleeve and asked, "Mother, there's talk outside that the Imperial Guards are rebelling. Is that true?"

&34;His fingertips touched the pearl necklace on the phoenix robe, but Empress Wei shook it away.

"Why panic?"

Empress Wei raised her hand to straighten the crooked phoenix crown, her fingertips tracing the cool jade plume tubes. "They are nothing but clowns. Go to the Flying Cavalry Battalion immediately and send a message. Have Wu Yanxiu lead the Ten Thousand Cavalry Battalion to guard the Hanyuan Hall. Tell those soldiers that whoever can cut off Li Longji's head will be rewarded with a thousand pieces of silk and be granted the title of Duke of a County."

Princess Anle was frightened by the fierceness in her eyes and stammered, "But Wu Yanxiu said...that something was wrong with the Wanqi Battalion last night, and many of the generals could not be contacted..."

Before he finished speaking, there was a sudden sound of rapid armor clashing outside the palace. It was the chief steward of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who rushed in in a panic, dropping the whisk in his hand to the ground: "Empress Dowager! This is bad! General Zhong Shaojing of the Left Garrison Guard has charged in from the Suzhang Gate with the Hundred Cavalry Division and has already passed the Xuanzheng Hall!"

Empress Wei's face suddenly changed, and she slammed the table: "Zhong Shaojing? Hasn't he been claiming to be sick at home?"

"Empress Dowager, I don't know. I only know that there was an old man holding a military token I've never seen before. These generals have gone crazy and are rebelling!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a thunderous shout suddenly rang out from outside the palace: "Kill the Wei family's rebels! Support the Prince of Xiang to ascend the throne!"

The sound waves hit the eaves of the temple, causing the copper bells on the eaves to ring.

Princess Anle screamed and hid behind Empress Wei, the pearl tassels on her skirt trembling.

Empress Wei pushed her aside and headed straight for the inner hall. From a secret compartment, she pulled out a gilded talisman. The carved lion holding a ring shone coldly in the candlelight. "Go tell Ge Fushun that if he's willing to switch sides, I'll make him Minister of War, with a fief of 34 households."

Just as the eunuch was about to take the talisman, the palace door was suddenly kicked open.

Dozens of armored warriors rushed in. The young man in the lead was wearing Ming Guang armor, with a sword at his waist reflecting the morning light. He was Linzi King Li Longji.

Chen Xuanli, who was following behind him, pressed the hilt of his knife and sneered: "Wei forged the imperial edict to disrupt government affairs and murdered Emperor Zhongzong. Today is the day you die!"

Empress Wei suddenly straightened her back, the golden hairpins on her phoenix crown gleaming in the morning light: "Li Longji, how dare you commit treason?"

She slowly took a half step back, her fingertips quietly touching the dagger hidden in her sleeve, "I am the Empress Dowager of the Tang Dynasty. With your limited military force, you dare to act so presumptuously in Taiji Palace?"

"Empress Dowager?" Li Longji suddenly laughed out loud, his laughter knocking the dust off the beams of the palace. "On the eve of Zhongzong's sudden death, who poisoned the cherries? Who forged the imperial edict to make Prince Wen the crown prince?"

He suddenly stopped laughing and pointed his sword at Empress Wei's heart. "Yesterday at three o'clock in the morning, Princess Taiping had already taken control of the Imperial City with the Imperial Guards. The Imperial Guards you thought of had already changed their banners!"

Empress Wei's hand holding the dagger suddenly tightened. She suddenly caught sight of the bronze crane lamp in the corner of the hall, grabbed the lamp holder and threw it at Li Longji.

The bronze lamp hit the warrior's armor with a loud noise. Taking advantage of the moment when everyone dodged, she dragged Princess Anle towards the back hall. The hem of her skirt swept across the broken porcelain pieces on the ground, leaving several bloody marks.

"Stop them!" Chen Xuanli shouted, and the warriors immediately blocked the door to the rear hall.

Empress Wei looked at the tightly closed vermilion lacquer door, then suddenly turned and pushed Princess Anle forward, saying, "Catch her! She's an accomplice in the regicide!" She herself took the opportunity to rush toward the side door, her phoenix hairpin falling to the ground with a crisp sound as she ran.

Princess Anle staggered a few steps after being pushed. Looking at her mother's resolute back, she suddenly cried out shrilly: "Mother! You can't abandon me!"

The pomegranate red silk skirt was pulled by the warriors, and the gold embroidered phoenix pattern was torn in the pulling, revealing the plain white petticoat underneath.

As soon as Empress Wei rushed out of the side door, she saw Princess Taiping standing in the corridor.

She was playing with a string of bodhi seeds in her hand, followed by dozens of sword-wielding guards: "Where are you going, sister? The Chiwen in Hanyuan Hall is a good place. Jumping from there would be worthy of your status."

Empress Wei stared at the jade bracelet on Princess Taiping's wrist. It was the jade bracelet given to Taiping by Li Xian in the past, but now it was glowing with a cold light.

She suddenly threw a dagger from her sleeve, but it was blocked by the guard's shield. The blade hit the shield and flew out, making a light sound when it landed on the bluestone slab.

"Do you think you can be safe if you kill me?" Empress Wei was pinned to the ground by the guards, with the phoenix crown tilted on her bun. "Li Dan is a coward, and Li Longji is a wolf with ambitions. Sooner or later, they will devour you without a bone left!"

Princess Taiping slowly squatted down and took off the golden hairpin in her hair: "At least I won't be like you, using even your own daughter as a stepping stone."

At this time, the call for troops to retreat could be heard from all over the Taiji Palace. Li Longji stood on the steps of the Purple Palace, watching the morning light bathe the glazed tiles on the roof, when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

Prince Li Dan was wearing a half-worn purple robe and holding the flag that had come from the West Market. The silk thread at the corner of the flag had been wet with morning dew.

"Sanlang," Li Dan's voice trembled, "is it really... over?" Li Longji turned around and held his arm, his fingertips touching the frayed edge of his father's cuffs: "It's over."

He looked toward the corner tower of the imperial city in the distance. The Wei family's flag was being torn down by soldiers and replaced with a brand new Tang flag. "From today on, there will be no more Wei family chaos in the Tang Dynasty."

When Princess Taiping and Empress Wei walked through the long street, the people had already gathered on both sides.

Some people threw rotten vegetable leaves at Empress Wei, and some people cried and shouted for revenge for Emperor Zhongzong. The vegetable leaves hit her plain bun and got some mud on it.

She suddenly stopped and looked at the plaque hanging above the Vermillion Bird Gate. The three golden characters "Taiji Palace" gleamed in the morning light, just like what she had seen when she first entered the palace.

"Let me go." Empress Wei suddenly straightened her back and let the guards put the shackles around her neck. "I am the Empress Dowager of the Tang Dynasty. I want to die in the Purple Palace."

Princess Taiping waved her hand, and the guards escorted her to the main hall. The crying and shouting on the long street gradually faded away, leaving only the sound of golden bells ringing in the wind, as if someone was sobbing softly.

The afternoon sun shines through the window lattices onto the golden bricks of the Purple Palace.

Li Longji looked at the shallow mark on the table left by the paperweight and suddenly recalled the scene of the conspiracy with Princess Taiping in the secret room last night. Princess Taiping pushed the talisman for mobilizing troops in front of him, the candlelight illuminating the pearl flowers on her temples: "I have someone planted in the Imperial Guard. At three o'clock in the morning, the drum will be the signal."

"Aunt, aren't you afraid that after I succeed..." Li Longji was interrupted by Princess Taiping before he finished speaking: "I believe you."

She suddenly smiled, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes softened by the candlelight. "But you must remember, the Tang Dynasty's dynasty belongs to the Li family."

At this time, Chen Xuanli walked in holding a stack of memorials, which were still stained with blood: "Your Highness, all of Wei's followers have been captured. Here is the evidence of their crimes."

"Present these incriminating evidences to the Prince of Xiang."

Li Longji closed the memorial and looked toward the sky outside the palace. A few white pigeons flew over the palace wall, their wings brushing against the glazed tiles, leaving behind a few soft sounds.

When Princess Taiping walked in, she saw Li Longji staring blankly outside the palace. She placed a cup of tea on the table, her eyes misting with moisture. "Prince Xiang refuses to ascend the throne, saying he'll wait for you to come back and make the final decision."

Li Longji turned around and saw that she had changed her hairpin into a white jade hairpin, which was more elegant than the gold ornaments she had worn yesterday. He said: "He has always been indifferent to worldly matters. Please ask Aunt to persuade him."

"I've already advised him." Princess Taiping took a sip from her teacup. "He said he wanted to hold a funeral for Emperor Zhongzong first, and then discuss state affairs."

As dusk fell, palace lanterns in Taiji Palace lit up one after another.

Li Dan stood on Chengtian Gate, looking at the lights inside and outside the imperial city, and suddenly sighed. The eunuch behind him handed him a cloak, but he waved his hand: "No need."

A bell rang in the distance. It was the West Market clock, which struck eight times in total.

He recalled the days when he was imprisoned by Wu Zetian in his youth. He could hear such bells every night. However, there was not so much blood and killing in Chang'an at that time.

"Your Majesty, it's time to return to the palace."

The eunuch reminded him softly. Li Dan looked at the pedestrians on Zhuque Street and suddenly smiled: "Look, the people have already started lighting the lamps."

He turned and walked into the hall, the hem of his cloak brushing the moss on the steps. "Starting tomorrow, we will observe three days of mourning for Emperor Zhongzong."

The halo of the palace lantern stretched out behind him, illuminating the brand new plaque on Chengtian Gate.

The two words "Zhenguan" on it shone with a warm light in the twilight, as if someone was sighing softly or whispering a blessing.