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

The autumn wind in the eleventh year of Tianbao was stronger than in previous years. It blew up the fallen leaves in Chang'an City and took away the last breath of Prime Minister Li Linfu.

This capital city, bearing the glory of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, had quietly laid the seeds of collapse beneath its apparent prosperity.

However, Li Linfu's tearful words before his death, "An Lushan will definitely rebel, Your Majesty should get rid of him as soon as possible," were like a stone thrown into a lake, which only caused a momentary ripple before being completely drowned out by Li Longji's obsession with the prosperous times.

Li Linfu's funeral was extravagant, and the titles of Grand Marshal and Grand Commander of Yangzhou, bestowed upon him posthumously by Li Longji, served as a thin layer of gilded paper, covering up the merits and faults of his decades-long political career.

The funeral procession stretched from Pingkangfang to Jinguangmen. White banners fluttered in the wind, officials wore mourning clothes, and common people knelt along the streets, but there was very little genuine grief among the crowd.

Some people remember his ruthlessness in framing the prince, some hate his tyranny in blocking the channels of speech, and more people are secretly speculating.

Now that "Prime Minister Li", who could suppress all the civil and military officials in the court and even the military governors of the border towns had to rely on him, is gone, the situation in Chang'an City is likely to change.

When the news reached Fan Yang, An Lushan was sitting in a tiger-skin tent, watching his personal soldiers practicing the Huxuan dance outside the tent.

He was born with broad shoulders and a big waist, and his weight had already exceeded 300 kilograms. But at this moment, he squinted his eyes and tapped the table lightly with his fingers to the beat of the drum.

Inside the tent, there was a strange aroma of tribute from the Western Regions, mixed with the fishy smell of beef and mutton, which was completely different from the incense in Chang'an - this was the smell of a border town, rough, but with ambitions for expansion.

"Report from Chang'an, Prime Minister Li... has passed away." The confidant Yan Zhuang reported in a low voice, stealing a glance at An Lushan's expression.

An Lushan stopped suddenly, and the wine cup on the table was shaken. A few drops of amber wine splashed out and fell on his brocade robe, but he was completely unaware.

After a moment's silence, he suddenly burst into thunderous laughter, so loud that the felt on the tent roof rustled and fell. "Li Linfu is dead? Good! Good!"

Yan Zhuang lowered his head, not daring to answer. He had followed An Lushan for many years and was well aware of the governor's complex attitude towards Li Linfu - he relied on his protection in the court to continuously expand his military power and defraud rewards.

They were also wary of his tactics, fearing that one day he would be caught and his head and body would be separated.

Now that his support had collapsed, An Lushan's laughter contained a sense of relief and a hint of madness that was eager to try.

"Go, prepare a generous gift and send it to Chang'an." An Lushan wiped his face, and the smile in his eyes disappeared instantly.

"Send them to Concubine Yang and the new Prime Minister, Yang Guozhong. Tell them that I am deeply grateful for Prime Minister Li's kindness."

Yan Zhuang retreated in response, leaving An Lushan alone in the tent.

He stood up and walked to the hanging map. His thick, fat fingers tapped the locations of Fanyang, Pinglu and Hedong, then slowly moved towards Chang'an.

That was the place he had visited many times, the place where Li Longji gave him an iron certificate and where Yang Guifei adopted him as her godson, but it was also the place where Li Linfu kept a close eye on him.

Now, that sharpest gaze has disappeared, replaced by Yang Guozhong's fierce but cowardly face.

"saint……"

An Lushan muttered this name in a low voice, with a sneer on his face.

He still remembered that when he entered the court last year, Li Longji held his hand and said affectionately: "Lushan, only when you guard the northern border can I rest assured."

At that time, Li Linfu was standing beside him, his eyes sinister, frightening him so much that cold sweat ran down his back. But now, no one could say a bad word about him in front of the emperor.

The days in Chang'an City are still like a colorful painting.

By the Qujiang Lake, the ladies' gauze skirts brushed against the bluestone path.

In the Purple Palace of the Daming Palace, Li Longji was playing chess with Yang Guifei. The sound of chess pieces falling on the board drowned out the urgent news sent from the border town.

Yang Guozhong relied on his sister's connections to become the prime minister. He was not as far-sighted as Li Linfu, but he had the word "seeking credit" engraved in his bones.

"Your Majesty, An Lushan has submitted another petition requesting an additional 30,000 soldiers to garrison Youzhou."

Yang Guozhong held the memorial in his hand, his tone full of disdain, "In my opinion, he is not defending the border, he is clearly trying to gain power!"

Li Longji twirled the chess piece and asked nonchalantly, "Oh? Does Lushan have any other intentions?"

"This……"

Yang Guozhong was speechless for a moment. He hated An Lushan not only because he did not take him, a newcomer, seriously, but also because An Lushan's military achievements and favor had already surpassed his own.

But when it came to accusing An Lushan of rebellion, he had no concrete evidence and could only vaguely say, "From my observation, he behaved arrogantly and domineeringly, and I'm afraid he wasn't a loyal minister."

Li Longji laughed and tapped the chessboard lightly: "You are suspicious again."

"Lushan is my godson, he is straightforward and loyal to me."

"Last year he even danced the Huxuan dance for me. Even with his plump body, he spun faster than anyone else. It was clear how sincere he was."

Li Longji waved his hand and said, "It's approved. Lushan has worked hard guarding the border, so more troops are justified."

Yang Guozhong was frustrated and retreated in disappointment.

He returned to his mansion, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He immediately summoned his confidants and said, "Go, keep an eye on An Lushan's spies in Beijing and catch a few of them. I want to see how long he can keep his arrogance!"

But An Lushan had already laid a tight net in Chang'an.

His caravan traveled between the East and West Markets, openly selling furs and jade, but secretly gathering information.

The eunuchs he bribed whispered in Li Longji's ears every day and said good things about him.

He even had people planted by him in the imperial guards.

Yang Guozhong's little trick soon spread to Fan Yang.

"Yang the thief wants to touch me?" An Lushan threw the secret letter to the ground, and the generals in the tent all glared at him.

Over the years, they followed An Lushan in his campaigns, and had already accumulated a fortune through rewards from the court and plundering on the border. An Lushan was their cash cow, and whoever touched An Lushan would be touching their foundation.

"I think we should rebel!" Deputy General He Qiannian slammed the table. "We have two hundred thousand soldiers and tens of thousands of war horses. Why should we be afraid of Yang Guozhong? Let's attack Chang'an directly and force the Emperor surnamed Li to abdicate..."

"Shut up!" An Lushan shouted at him, but his eyes flickered.

Against? It's not like he hasn't thought about it.

But Li Longji's favor to him was real - he was granted a golden voucher to avoid death, a high official position and generous salary, and was even allowed to enter and leave the palace freely.

This grace was like a bridle, making him both proud and hesitant.

"Wait a little longer." An Lushan said slowly, "Wait until I transfer the troops from Shuofang and wait until Chang'an's defenses relax a little..."

He paused, looking at the vast grassland outside the tent, "We'll see when winter comes and the river freezes solid."

At this time, Chang'an was still immersed in the afterglow of the "Kaiyuan Prosperity".

Li Longji ordered the expansion of Huaqing Palace, paving the floor with Lantian jade and decorating the beams and pillars with South China Sea pearls, just to keep him and Yang Guifei warm in winter.

Tributes from all over the country poured into the capital city in an endless stream. Silk piled up into mountains and grain was so abundant that it was moldy. However, no one noticed that the farmland in Hebei had long been deserted due to years of conscription, and the granaries in Guanzhong were gradually empty due to repeated extravagant banquets.

An old minister could not help but advise that the border towns had too many troops and might cause trouble.

Li Longji rebuked them, "I have been on the throne for over forty years, and the country is at peace and the people are content. How could there be such a disaster? You are simply getting old and confused!"

After saying that, he turned and went to the Pear Garden to compose a new song with the musicians.