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

Autumn in Chang'an always carries the chill of war and iron cavalry. Li Longji stood beneath the steps of the Purple Palace, clutching the gilded hilt of his sword. The wind rustled the bronze bells on the eaves, a sound reminiscent of the crackling of the foam from the cup of Biluochun tea Princess Taiping had left on the table the previous night.

"Sanlang, did you know that the Hu merchants in the West Market received a new batch of luminous jades yesterday?"

Princess Taiping's voice came from the palace, a hint of smile hidden in the jingling of her pearls and jade.

She leaned against the rosewood couch, playing with a pigeon-blood-red pearl of excellent quality on her fingertips. The sunlight filtered through the diamond-shaped window, shattering the pearls on her temples into golden specks.

When Li Longji stepped into the door, the soles of his boots rolled over the Persian carpet on the ground, and the phoenix tail feathers embroidered on it just brushed the toes of his boots.

"Aunt, do you still have the time to mess around with these things?" He untied the fish bag from his waist and placed it on the table. The sound of metal clashing startled the smoke from the incense burner and swirled. "Aunt, have you read the secret report from the Shuofang Army?"

Princess Taiping sat up from the couch, and the shark silk robe she was wearing slipped off her shoulders, revealing her skirt embroidered with lotus flowers.

She slowly put the pigeon-blood-red coin into the brocade box. "Isn't it Wang Maozhong who is recruiting soldiers in Shuofang again? In the three years since you became the crown prince, Sanlang, he has enough weapons and armor to equip half of the Yulin Army, right?"

There was still half a bowl of almond cheese left in the celadon bowl on the table, which was left by Princess Taiping last night.

Li Longji remembered how, as a child, he always loved going to Princess Taiping's residence to watch her sitting under the grape arbor and teaching the maids how to make tea. Back then, she still wore a white jade hairpin in her hair, and when she smiled, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes were filled with sunshine.

"Aunt knows very well that Wang Maozhong is mine."

He picked up the bowl of almond curd, the warmth of the milk radiating through the porcelain bowl into his palm. "Last month, you asked Dou Huaizhen to take on the concurrent position of Imperial Censor. Wasn't it because you wanted to keep an eye on the goings-on in the Eastern Palace?"

Princess Taiping suddenly smiled and reached out to touch the red gold hairpin inlaid with jewels on her temples. It was given to her by Ruizong last year. The phoenix on the hairpin held an oriental pearl in its mouth, which swayed gently with her movements.

"Sanlang, have you forgotten? Who was it that helped your father secure the throne of Crown Prince? Who spoke up for him in front of your grandmother?"

Her nails were painted with balsam juice, leaving faint red marks as they scratched across the memorials on the desk. "Now that you've grown up, you think your aunt is meddling in other people's affairs?"

The sycamore leaves outside the window were blown by the wind across the window lattice and landed on the edge of Li Longji's boots.

"My aunt helped me, I remember that."

Li Longji drank the almond curd in one gulp, the sweetness tinged with a hint of bitterness. "But now, five of the seven prime ministers in the court were recommended by you, and Chang Yuankai, the General of the Imperial Guards, is your confidant. Aunt, what do you want?"

When Princess Taiping stood up, her skirt swept across the incense burner, bringing up a gust of fragrant wind.

She walked up to Li Longji, raised her hand to straighten the wrinkles on his collar, and her fingertips accidentally touched the skin on his neck. The slightly cool touch reminded him of the time when she held his hand and walked with him during the Lantern Festival when they were children.

"Sanlang, you are still young and don't understand the dangers of the court."

Her voice was very soft, with a hint of sigh, "Auntie just wants to help you protect this country."

He took a sudden step back and bumped into the bookshelf behind him. The "Book of Han" on the shelf fell to the ground with a dull sound.

"Guarding? Or do you want to replace me?" He stared into Princess Taiping's eyes. Those eyes that were once filled with tenderness now seemed to be covered with a thin layer of ice.

"Last month, you asked Monk Huifan to secretly hide weapons in Yongzhou. Was it also to help me?"

The smile on Princess Taiping's face faded. She turned and walked to the window, looking at the old locust tree in the courtyard.

It was planted by Li Zhi himself. Now it has grown so lush that it blocks out sunlight from half of the courtyard.

"When your grandmother was on the throne, I was the Princess Taiping who protected the country."

Her voice was light and airy, like leaves falling in the wind. "After your father ascended the throne, I remained the Princess Taiping, the guardian of the country. Sanlang, I have always had a share in the Tang Dynasty."

"My last name is Li too, isn't it?"

Li Longji bent down and picked up the Book of Han from the ground. A piece of peach blossom paper slipped out from between the pages. On it was Princess Taiping's handwriting, which read, "There are countless trees on the streets of Chang'an, but only the weeping willows speak of parting."

She had copied it for him personally on his birthday last year.

"If you, aunt, desire honor, I can build you a mansion more magnificent than the Daming Palace and give you countless treasures."

He put the peach blossom paper back into the book, and stroked the beautiful handwriting with his fingertips. "But you can't touch this power."

Princess Taiping suddenly turned around, the oriental pearl hairpin on her temples gleaming blindingly in the sunlight. "Power?"

She laughed out loud, her voice a little shrill, “I was there when your grandmother deposed King Zhongzong.

I sent food and supplies to your uncle when he started his rebellion against Wu.

In the power arena of the Tang Dynasty, when has Princess Taiping ever been absent? "

She approached step by step, her nails dyed red by the balsam juice almost poking his face, "Do you think that once you sit on the throne, you will be safe?"

The incense in the incense burner burned out, and the last wisp of smoke floated straight up and turned into a mist under the beams.

Li Longji suddenly remembered that he and Princess Taiping had launched a coup together to kill Wei Hou's followers.

At that time, they stood side by side on the Xuanwu Gate Tower, watching the imperial guards below shouting "Long live the emperor!" Princess Taiping smiled and handed him a glass of wine, "Sanlang, from now on, this world is yours."

"Aunt," he said, his voice a little hoarse, "do we really have to go this far?"

Princess Taiping stared at him for a long time, then suddenly raised her hand and touched his cheek, her movements as gentle as when she was a child. "Sanlang, your eyes and eyebrows are very similar to your grandfather's."

The jade bracelet felt cool on her fingertips. "When your grandfather abolished my mother, he was just as resolute."

She withdrew her hand, turned and walked towards the inner room, "Tomorrow morning at the court, I will petition His Majesty to reinstate Song Jing as the Minister of Personnel."

When the door of the inner room was closed, Li Longji realized that his palms were full of sweat.

The fish bag was still on the table, with the sunlight shining on it.

He remembered that Princess Taiping always loved to hold him in her arms when he was little, and whispered in his ear, "Sanlang, grow up well and protect your aunt in the future."

The wind outside the window was getting stronger, and the leaves of the sycamore trees were rustling, as if countless people were whispering.

Li Longji walked to the table and picked up the pigeon-blood red brocade box left by Princess Taiping. When he opened it, the gems inside reflected colorful light in the sunlight, which hurt his eyes.

At the morning court the next day, when Princess Taiping really requested to reinstate Song Jing, Li Longji looked at her back as she stood in the court, and suddenly felt that her shoulders under the purple court dress were much thinner than he remembered.

After court was dismissed, Princess Taiping walked up to him and whispered, "Come to my house tomorrow and taste the newly brewed wine."

He looked at the Dongzhu hairpin on his aunt's temples and suddenly nodded.

In Princess Taiping's residence, a wine table had been set up beneath the grape trellis. She had changed into her homely skirt and wore only a jade hairpin in her hair. Seeing him enter, she smiled and waved, "Come and try some! This is something the envoy just sent. It's said that in the Western Regions, it has to be buried in a cellar for three years before it can be opened."

The wine was poured into the luminous cup, emitting a light purple-red color.

When Li Longji picked up the cup, he saw his own shadow and the white hair on Princess Taiping's temples reflected on the cup wall.

Since when, the aunt who always loved to rub his hair with a smile now has deep wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.

"Do you remember when you were little and stole my wine, got so drunk you hugged a pillar and shouted you wanted to be emperor?" Princess Taiping's laughter was filled with warmth. "You were only five years old then, wearing tiger-head boots, and you ran like a little leopard."

Li Longji took a sip of the wine, the sweet and sour taste spreading across his tongue. "My aunt always said, 'If I ever became emperor, I'd make you the Princess Protector of the Nation.'"

He looked at the green grapes hanging from the vines and said, "Now I have done it, but you..."

"But I'm greedy, am I not?" Princess Taiping interrupted him and poured herself a glass of wine. "Sanlang, do you think your aunt is fighting for power?"

She looked at the palace wall in the distance. The golden light of the setting sun sprinkled on the glazed tiles, like a layer of broken gold. "When your grandmother was in power, how many members of the Li family died at the hands of cruel officials? When your father was deposed, he didn't even have a decent piece of clothing."

"I have fought for my whole life, just to make the Li family have a firmer foothold in the court."

The evening breeze blew through the grape trellis, and dewdrops on the leaves dripped onto the wine table, creating a small water stain.

Li Longji recalled that last winter, Princess Taiping caught a cold and he went to see her with a medicine box.

At that time, she was lying on the bed, her face as pale as a piece of paper. She took his hand and said, "Sanlang, your aunt is old."

"Aunt," he put down his wine glass, his voice choking, "let's stop. I can stop pursuing Dou Huaizhen and the others. I will give you all the honor you want."

Princess Taiping smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes filled with the light of the setting sun. "It's too late."

She drank the wine in her cup in one gulp. "Chang Yuankai has already made arrangements with the Imperial Guards. Tomorrow morning, he will petition for me to become regent."

She looked at Li Longji's astonished face and reached out to brush away the grape leaves that had fallen on his shoulders. "Sanlang, this world is either yours or mine."

"None of us can retreat."

That night, Li Longji sat in the study of the East Palace, watching the moon outside the window climb up to the zenith little by little.

On the table was the dagger that Princess Taiping had given him. She had tied it around his waist with her own hands on his twelfth birthday.

"For self-defense." She said with a smile at the time.