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

In the gilded copper censer of the Purple Palace, ambergris was curling up, and the smoke wisps formed a web between the beams and pillars, but it could not dispel the coldness condensed between Li Longji's brows.

As he left with a flick of his sleeves, the hem of his bright yellow dragon robe swept across the Persian carpeted floor, and the gilded dragon pattern slid across the dark-patterned velvet, bringing up a slight breeze that buried Zhang Jiuling's unfinished advice under the steps.

The old minister froze in place, the ivory tablet in his hand trembling slightly, his fingertips stroking the smooth curves on the tablet that had been polished over the years.

He looked at the emperor's departing back, his gray beard stained with the cold air of the palace, and he knew in his heart that he had really provoked the emperor's wrath.

Three months ago, when the Minister of Revenue mentioned the revision of the tax law and cited the "Qianwu old rules", His Majesty denounced him in court as "conservative".

Last month, when the Ministry of Personnel was selecting officials, the Vice Minister said, "Such talents would have been given important positions during the Qianwu period." However, he has been left alone in his residence to reflect on his mistakes.

The atmosphere in the Zichen Palace has long been unable to allow the word "Qianwu" to be easily heard.

Li Longji's footsteps on the golden bricks of the corridor made a dull echo, just like his heartbeat at the moment - heavy, but with an imperceptible tremor.

The eunuchs standing on either side dared not breathe, their heads bowed as they stared at the tips of their shoes, even their breathing deliberately light and minimal. They were all too familiar with His Majesty's expression.

The folds of the dragon robe concealed unexpressed thunder, and what was surging in his eyes was not anger, but a calculation that was heavier than anger.

"Please go to Xuanzheng Hall." He spoke suddenly. There was no emotion in his voice, but the eunuchs below the stairs felt as if they had been pardoned. They hurriedly responded with "Yes" and trotted to the front to lead the way.

The vermilion palace gates opened one after another, the clinking of bronze rings echoing across the palace walls, startling swifts from their perches on the eaves. As he passed through each gate, Li Longji's eyes swept across the mottled paintings on the corridor pillars: scenes from "Zhenguan Zhengyao" (Essentials of the Zhenguan Period) left over from the reign of Emperor Taizong.

In the painter's painting, Wei Zheng holds a tablet and gives direct advice, while Li Shimin nods and smiles. The scene of the emperor and his minister getting along well with each other was the yearning hidden in his heart when he was young.

But now when I look at it again, I feel that the brushstrokes drawn with mineral pigments are all thorny.

Especially the inscription in the corner, "The people are the water, the king is the boat". The ink has become a little blurred by the years, but it makes him inexplicably think of Li Chengqian's words "The world belongs to the public" which is regarded as a guiding principle by people all over the world.

"Shit!"

He spat in a low voice, his voice as light as falling snow, but it startled Gao Lishi beside him so much that his hand trembled and the enamel teacup he was holding almost fell on the gilded tray.

Gao Lishi has served Li Longji for decades. From a small eunuch serving tea and water in the Prince of Linzi's mansion to the powerful chief eunuch in the inner palace, he understands His Majesty's thoughts better than anyone else.

Seeing His Majesty's face pale and his knuckles rubbing the jade belt around his waist, he tentatively whispered, "Your Majesty, the weather is getting colder. The imperial kitchen has just brewed a Changbai Mountain old ginseng soup. Would you like to bring it in to warm you up?"

Li Longji did not respond. His gaze passed over the palace wall and fell on the ancient locust tree outside the Xuanzheng Hall that had gone through three dynasties.

The shadows of the trees swayed, and the branches intertwined like a net, seemingly weaving the scene of that year.

Twenty years ago, he was still an unhappy Prince of Linzi. Under the majesty of his grandmother Wu Zetian, he hid under this locust tree and secretly read "Records of the Grand Historian". When he saw the "Golden Age of Emperor Wu of Han", he clenched his fist and secretly vowed to restore the glory of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty and even surpass the previous emperors.

But now, he was the Kaiyuan Emperor who ruled over a vast territory. The granaries in Chang'an were piled higher than the city walls. Camel caravans from the Western Regions came in an endless stream carrying spices and gems. Children in the streets and alleys were singing the newly composed "Taiping Ballad". However, the thorn in his heart grew deeper and deeper - it was the shadow left by Li Chengqian, the awe of the "Qianwu Reign" engraved in the bones of the people, like an invisible talisman, stuck on the back of his dragon throne.

"Gao Lishi," he suddenly stopped, his voice as cold as ice in December, "tell me, do people in this world remember Emperor Wen during the Zhenguan reign, or Emperor Wu during the Qianwu reign?"

Gao Lishi's heart skipped a beat and cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.

This question was dangerous, like dancing on the edge of a knife.

He knew that His Majesty had always been averse to others comparing him with Li Chengqian. In the past, Crown Prince Li Ying was deposed by His Majesty for "harboring ulterior motives" simply because he hung a calligraphy piece imitating Li Chengqian's handwriting in the East Palace.

But now that the Holy Emperor was asking this question, he had no choice but to answer. He could only bow his body and lower his voice to a very low level: "Your Majesty, the Zhenguan era had its own stability. It cleared the world and established its rule."

"Qianwu has its own creations."

"And now, in the Kaiyuan era, the granaries are full, the laws are enforced, and the barbarians are submissive. We are heading towards an unprecedented era of prosperity. Naturally, the people are thinking of Your Majesty."

"Thinking of me?" Li Longji twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a hint of self-mockery, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Last year, during my southern tour, I passed by a village outside Luoyang. I heard an old farmer telling children about 'During the Qianwu years, a peck of rice cost three cents, and doors were left unlocked at night.' He also heard stories about 'Emperor Wu personally tilling the fields, and the Empress working the mulberry and silkworm rooms.' But did anyone ever mention my Kaiyuan era?"

Gao Lishi's throat was swollen, and he dared not speak any more. He clearly remembered that during the southern tour, His Majesty stood on the ridge of the field for a full hour.

The autumn sun stretched his shadow very long, and the hem of his dragon robe was covered with mud. He looked at the farmers busy in the fields, his fingers clenched in his sleeves until they turned white.

After returning, he summoned all the ministers overnight and ordered a 30% reduction in taxes across the country. He also ordered people to engrave the map of the newly improved curved plow on a stone tablet and place it outside the government offices of various prefectures.

At that time, he thought that His Majesty was sympathetic to the people, but now he thought that His Majesty was not sympathetic at all, but was clearly competing with a dead emperor.

Walking into the Xuan Zheng Hall, the candlelight inside is brighter than that in the Zi Chen Hall. The twelve golden pillars with coiled dragons cast towering shadows in the light and shadow, like twelve silent giants.

Li Longji walked straight to the dragon throne, but did not sit down. Instead, he turned around and looked at the "Picture of All Nations Coming to Pay Homage" hanging on the wall.

It was a new work that the painter had just presented. It took him three full years to complete. When the scroll was spread out, it almost filled the entire wall.

In the painting, there is a bustling traffic on Zhuque Street in Chang'an City. Camel caravans from the Western Regions are carrying silk and porcelain. Japanese envoys to the Tang Dynasty are bowing and paying respects while holding letters of credence. Persian merchants are bargaining with Hu merchants. Even envoys from the Arabs thousands of miles away appear in the corner of the picture, creating a prosperous scene.

The painter's brushstrokes are so delicate that even the whiskers on the merchant's face are clearly visible. The patterns on the clothes are outlined with gold thread, which gleams in the candlelight.

But Li Longji's gaze was like ice, sweeping around the painting, and finally landing on the blurry stone tablet at the city gate.

He remembered that there were originally four big characters "天下为公" written by Li Chengqian in that place. When he rebuilt the city gate last year, he specially had them smoothed out with a chisel, leaving only a bare bluestone slab.

But the painter dared to vaguely outline the outline of the stele in the painting. Did he forget the painter who was beaten to death last year because the reign title "Qianwu" appeared in his painting?

"This stele," he stretched out his finger and pointed at the bluestone in the painting, "who asked you to paint it?"

The painter standing at the bottom of the stairs suddenly turned pale and fell to his knees with a plop, pressing his forehead against the ground. "Your Majesty, spare my life! I... I was only painting according to the actual scene, with no other intentions! Even though the stone tablet has been worn away, the people still remember its location. If I don't paint it, it will appear distorted..."

"The people still remember it?" Li Longji sneered, his voice suddenly rising. "I think it's you who remembers it! You want to keep this stele in the painting?"

The painter was so frightened that he trembled all over and kept saying, "No! Absolutely not!"

Gao Lishi saw that the situation was not good, and hurried forward to smooth things over: "Your Majesty, please calm down. The painter is stupid and does not know how to avoid taboos."

"In my opinion, it would be better to have him paint over this stele and replace it with some paintings of the various scenes of the market. This would actually better reflect the atmosphere of the Kaiyuan period."

Li Longji didn't look at Gao Lishi, his eyes were still on the painting, his fingertips tapping lightly on the cold wall, making a "knock knock" sound, as if knocking on everyone's heart.

The hall was eerily quiet, with only the occasional crackling of candlelight.

After a long time, he slowly said, "No need to apply it."

"It's better to keep it, so that everyone in the world can see that even though this stele is gone, the Tang Dynasty is living a better life than before."

He turned and walked towards the dragon throne, taking every step very steadily.

"Issue an order," he said as he sat down, his voice now calm but still carrying an undeniable authority. "Order the Ministry of Works to build a 'Kaiyuan Tower' in Luoyang, Yangzhou, and Yizhou. Inside, display the agricultural achievements of recent years, maps of trade routes, and tributes from the four barbarians. Let the people see what a truly prosperous era is like."

Gao Lishi bowed and replied, "Yes."

"Also," Li Longji added, "have the Ministry of War recast the border troops' tokens, replacing the characters 'Qianwu' with 'Kaiyuan'."

"Tell those soldiers that the weapons in their hands are protecting the country of Kaiyuan and the people of Kaiyuan."

As soon as these words were spoken, all the civil and military officials in the hall changed their expressions.

Everyone knows that the two characters "Qianwu" on the border army's token were personally decided by Li Chengqian and have never been changed for decades. Everyone has said that "this is where the army's morale lies."

His Majesty wants to change the token now, which clearly shows that he wants to completely erase all traces of Li Chengqian.

But no one dared to object.

Li Longji sat on the dragon throne, looking at the people below. He saw that some of them lowered their heads, while others frowned, but no one dared to look up. Suddenly, a complex emotion surged in his heart - there was pleasure, irritation, and a sense of emptiness that was hard to explain.