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

On the afternoon of June in the second year of Xiantian, the cicadas in Chang'an were chirping loudly, and the heat wave enveloped the imperial city like an airtight net.

The glazed tiles of the Hanyuan Hall shone dazzlingly in the sun, the weeping willows beside the imperial path drooped, and even the most diligent eunuchs were taking a nap under the corridor. No one noticed that an undercurrent was quietly flowing along the shadow of the palace wall.

The Liangyi Hall was quite cool. The saltpeter in the ice basin was emitting white steam, absorbing most of the heat in the hall.

Li Dan sat on a sable-cushioned armchair, holding a transparent mutton-fat jade chess piece in his hand, but he did not place it on the chessboard in front of him.

Guo Yuanzhen, standing opposite, was standing with his hands hanging down. There was a little dust on his blue-gray court robes, and it was obvious that he had just hurried in from outside.

"Dong-dong-dong" the night watchman struck twice, and the dull sound echoed in the hall. Li Dan finally raised his eyes. In those eyes that had witnessed the changes of Wu Zhou and experienced the ascension of the throne twice, there was only deep fatigue at this moment.

He stared at the muddy marks on the soles of Guo Yuanzhen's boots, his voice hoarse as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper: "The Imperial Guards are being mobilized. Do you think I can't hear it?"

Guo Yuanzhen bent his knees and knelt heavily on the cold gold bricks, his forehead almost touching the ground: "Your Majesty, I have sinned."

He did not argue or look up, but simply stretched the front of his court robe straight, his posture revealing an unquestionable determination.

The chess piece in Li Dan's hand fell onto the chessboard with a clang, disrupting the originally stalemate game.

He suddenly laughed, his laughter shrouded in an inexplicable bitterness: "When you followed Di Renjie to guard the Western Regions and rode alone into the Turkic camp, did you ever imagine that one day you would lead your troops to lay siege to my Liangyi Palace?"

Guo Yuanzhen's shoulders trembled imperceptibly. He thought of the desert twenty years ago, the moonlight stretching his shadow long, the sword in his hand reflecting the starry sky. Back then, he thought he was protecting the vast territory of the Tang Dynasty and the curling smoke from the people's cooking fires.

But now, he had to bow to the emperor he once supported with his own hands, and become the sharp blade that cut through family affection.

"I dare not forget my original aspiration," he said in a voice as deep as a bell, "but beyond my original aspiration, there is still the world."

"The world?" Li Dan stood up suddenly, and the wide sleeves of his dragon robe swept across the chessboard. The black and white chess pieces rolled to the ground like broken jade.

He walked to the gate of the palace and looked at the sky outside the palace wall that was bleached by the scorching sun. He suddenly remembered that it was such good weather on the day his mother Wu Zetian ascended the throne.

The cheers of the people in the Golden Palace were deafening, but when he saw his mother turned around, the white hair at her temples shone brightly in the sunlight.

"You always say you're doing this for the sake of the world, but can't this world tolerate peace?"

Guo Yuanzhen remained kneeling, his back straight. "The Princess's private army has surpassed three thousand."

"Half of the officials in the three provinces and six ministries came from her school. Even the Imperial Astronomical Observatory reported, 'The Emperor's Star is dim, and the female ruler will prosper.'" "Your Majesty, this isn't sisterly love, it's war."

Li Dan paused.

He remembered the bowl of lotus seed soup that Princess Taiping had sent him three days ago.

The soup is cooked till soft and glutinous, and the lotus seeds are picked with great care, just like his sister, who always has a sweet smile on her face but holds the sharpest knife in her hand.

He still remembered that when he was a child, his mother held Taiping on her lap and said that this girl looked very much like him and would do great things in the future.

At that time, Taiping would pull at the corner of his clothes and act coquettishly, saying that she wanted to save all the sweetest candied fruits for her brother.

But since when did the sister who used to steal his snacks become the powerful princess who now guards the country?

"She is my sister..." Li Dan's voice was so soft it sounded like a sigh. "Back then, when the Queen Mother deposed Brother Zhongzong, it was she who knelt down and begged the Queen Mother to consider the relationship between siblings."

"When my mother was in power, no one in the court dared to speak out. She risked her life and preserved the last bloodline of the Li family. She has made great contributions to the Li family."

Guo Yuanzhen finally raised his head, his eyes red, but every word he spoke was clear: "Does the Supreme Emperor know that the counselors in the Princess's residence were discussing the matter of dethroning and enthroning last night?"

"They said that since Your Majesty is young and energetic, it would be better to support a more 'obedient' prince."

He pulled a scroll of secret letters from his sleeve and raised his hands above his head. "This was found in the residence of Yuan Kailuo, the eldest princess's confidant. It says 'July 3rd, palace banquet to begin.'"

Li Dan stared at the roll of yellowed letter paper and suddenly felt his vision go dark.

He staggered back a few steps and held on to the cold pillars of the temple before he could stand firm.

The lotus pattern carved on the pillar hurt his palms, just like the feeling of the cold imperial edict hitting him when his mother pulled him down from the throne.

"Sanlang...does he know?"

"His Majesty is mobilizing troops in the Wude Hall." Guo Yuanzhen's voice dropped. "He said that if the retired emperor intervened, he would surrender his military power and only ask to be a leisurely prince."

Li Dan laughed so hard that tears came out.

He remembered that when Sanlang was a child, he always liked to chase Taiping and call her "Auntie".

Taiping would carry him around her neck and take him to the imperial garden to pick the biggest pomegranates.

She would secretly give him the tribute sword and say, "Sanlang, you must grow up quickly and protect your aunt."

The sunshine at that time was always warm, and the sweet scent of pomegranate mixed with the incense on Taiping's body was the most gentle smell in his memory.

But now, the nephew who was loved by his aunt was about to draw a knife against his own aunt.

"Go tell Sanlang," Li Dan slowly sat back on the armchair, his knuckles white from exertion, "I won't lock the door to Liangyi Hall."

"I will not block the way to Taiji Palace."

"But he must keep Taiping's life."

He paused, his voice filled with a stubbornness that bordered on pleading. "It doesn't matter if she's banished to Puzhou or sent to Kuazhou, as long as she's alive, that's all that matters."

Guo Yuanzhen fell silent.

He knew Li Longji's temperament, which was ruthless from the bottom of his heart, just like Emperor Taizong during the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

In the field of power, there is never a reason to "just stay alive". Either you step on the corpses of others to get to the top, or you become the dust under their feet.

"Grand Emperor," Guo Yuanzhen kowtowed again, his forehead hitting the gold brick with a dull thud. "I dare to ask, if the eldest princess were in power today, would she spare Your Majesty's life?"

These words pierced Li Dan's heart. He recalled Taiping's visit a few days ago. She wore a golden hairpin in her hair and walked up to him gracefully, saying with a smile, "Royal brother, Sanlang is young and doesn't understand the dangers of the court. Why not let him go to Luoyang to recuperate for a few years?"

At that time, her smile was still sweet, but the coldness in her eyes was colder than the ice basin in the hall.

Li Dan closed his eyes and three faces flashed before his eyes.

The majesty of his mother Wu Zetian, the charming smile with a dagger hidden in her heart, and the burning ambition in the eyes of his third son Li Longji.

These three faces all have the same imperial look, the same ruthlessness, and the same helplessness.

"Go and pass on the order."

"No matter who gains power, I will save the other person's life. Tell Sanlang that if my sister really dies, I will never live alone."

Li Dan waved his hand, his voice calm, "I... am tired."

When Guo Yuanzhen stood up, his knees were numb and he could not stand steadily. He staggered for a moment, holding onto the hall pillar, and turned to walk out.

Just as he reached the palace gate, he heard Li Dan's voice behind him, as soft as the wind: "When Taiping was born, our father named her 'Taiping', saying that he hoped for peace in the world and for the Li family... It turns out that this name was a joke from the beginning."

Guo Yuanzhen didn't look back, but just quickened his pace.

The sunlight outside the palace was so bright that he couldn't open his eyes. The armor of the royal guards shone coldly in the sun, and their footsteps were in perfect unison, like drumbeats beating on everyone's heart.

He knew that from this moment on, the sky in Chang'an would change.

In the Liangyi Hall, Li Dan bent down to pick up a white chess piece, then picked up a black chess piece, and held them tightly in his palm.

The coldness of the chess piece passed through his palm, and he suddenly thought of the portrait of Emperor Taizong. The eyes of Li Shimin in the portrait were as sharp as torches, as if questioning him, the descendant: Why can't you keep the peace of the Li family?

The cicadas were still chirping and the heat was still raging, but this afternoon still couldn't pass uneventfully.

Once the game of thrones begins, there is no reason to quit halfway. Family affection or sibling affection are nothing but passing clouds in front of the dragon throne that symbolizes the supremacy of the world.

Li Dan looked at the empty chessboard and suddenly felt that power was the strongest poison in the world. If one got a drop of it, he would lose his whole life and his entire family.