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

On June 13, the 15th year of the Tianbao era, the morning light in Chang'an was suffocated by thick dark clouds.

Before the morning bell of Xingqing Palace could penetrate the palace walls, the chaotic sound of horse hooves could be heard in the alley on the west side of the palace garden - not the orderly pace of the usual patrolling Yulin Guards, but the hurried and confused footsteps, like a blunt knife repeatedly cutting the silence before dawn.

Li Longji was wearing a half-worn purple silk robe, the collar of which was still stained with tears from last night. His hand, which was holding the horse's mane, was trembling slightly, and his knuckles were white.

Yang Yuhuan followed behind him, wearing a plain skirt instead of her previous embroidered clothes, and only a simple silver hairpin remained as a pearl hairpin. She sat sideways on the horse's back, looking back in the direction of Chang'an City from time to time. The eyes that once reflected the colorful clothes and feathered robes were now filled with anxiety and confusion.

"Your Majesty, if we go further, we will reach Yanqiu Gate. The guards at the palace gate have been replaced by the Yulin Guards."

The eunuch Gao Lishi urged his horse closer, his voice very low but unable to conceal his urgency.

His beard, which had been combed meticulously, was now a little messy, the fish bag on his waist was askew, and his usually calm demeanor was now shrouded in a lingering layer of anxiety.

Li Longji did not look back, but just looked at the city gate in front of him shrouded in morning mist. His Adam's apple moved, but he did not say a word.

Last night he was still in Taiji Hall discussing with Yang Guozhong how to mobilize troops to resist An Lushan's rebels. But at three o'clock in the morning, the urgent news of the fall of Tongguan exploded like thunder - Geshu Han was defeated and captured, and the rebels were less than a hundred miles away from Chang'an.

At that moment, he truly realized that this imperial capital, which he had ruled for more than forty years, could no longer protect him.

Everyone said that His Majesty was going hunting in the west, but anyone with a discerning eye could see that this was an escape.

If it weren't for Chen Xuanli's escort all the way, it would have been difficult to even escape.

When leaving Yanqiu Gate, the Yulin Guards guarding the gate all knelt on the ground. Amid the crisp sound of armor colliding, some of them sobbed softly.

Li Longji reined in his horse and glanced at those young faces. They were once the guardians of Chang'an, but now they had to watch their monarch abandon the city and flee.

"Everyone..." He opened his mouth, his voice dry as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper, "Guard the city gates. When I return with my troops, I will ensure that Chang'an is safe."

Even he himself did not believe what he said. As he finished speaking, he saw a soldier in the front row suddenly look up, his eyes full of disappointment, and that look pierced his heart like a needle.

Gao Lishi saw this and quickly whispered a reminder: "Your Majesty, the rebels are marching quickly and we cannot stay here for long."

Li Longji closed his eyes and squeezed the horse's belly hard. The horse neighed softly and carried him out of the city gate. The crying and shouting behind him were gradually drowned out by the wind.

The accompanying team consisted of no more than a hundred people, including Yang Yuhuan, Yang Guozhong, Gao Lishi, Crown Prince Li Heng, several princes, and a small number of Yulin Guards.

The team traveled westward along the Wei River. At first, they could see scattered villages, but the further they went, the more desolate it became.

The scorching June sun scorched the earth, the road was dusty, and many people's faces were covered in sweat and their lips were cracked.

Li Longji sat on horseback. His body, which had been pampered in the past, was no longer able to bear the burden. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his face from time to time. He glanced at the people accompanying him and saw that everyone had their heads down and looked tired. No one spoke, only the sound of horses' hooves and breathing echoed in the silence.

At noon, the team arrived at an inn. The inn was empty, with tables and chairs lying on the ground and thick dust piled up.

Gao Lishi quickly asked someone to clean out a room for Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan to rest, and then asked people to go to the nearby villages to find food.

But after half an hour, those who went looking for food returned empty-handed and said dejectedly: "The nearby villages are all deserted. The people have either fled to the mountains or been captured by the rebels. There is not even a grain of food to be found."

Li Longji was sitting on the cold earthen kang, and he felt dizzy after hearing these words.

He had never suffered such embarrassment in his life. In the past, when he was in the palace, every meal was full of delicacies from land and sea, but now he couldn't even have a hot meal.

Seeing his pale face, Yang Yuhuan quickly stepped forward to support him and said softly, "Your Majesty, I have a piece of cake that I brought from the imperial kitchen yesterday. Please fill your stomach first."

As she spoke, she took out a piece of shortbread wrapped in oil paper from her bosom. The cake was a little damp, but still gave off a faint wheat aroma.

Li Longji took the pastry and looked at Yang Yuhuan's haggard face, feeling sad.

He remembered that when he first saw her, she was still the Princess of Shou, with skin as white as snow and a smile as beautiful as a flower. Now she followed him into exile, suffered a lot, but still stayed with him.

"My dear, I'm sorry for wronging you."

His voice choked with sobs as he broke the shortbread in half and handed half to her, "Eat some too."

Yang Yuhuan shook her head and pushed his hand back: "Your Majesty is worth a fortune. I am not hungry. Please eat quickly."

Just then, a quarrel was heard outside the post station, and Yang Guozhong's voice was particularly harsh.

Li Longji frowned, stood up, and walked to the door, only to see Yang Guozhong pointing at several Yulin Guards and angrily scolding them, "You lowly soldiers, how dare you hide dry food! If it weren't for Your Majesty's mercy, you would have been punished by military law long ago!"

The Imperial Guards' faces flushed crimson, and one of them couldn't help but retort, "Prime Minister Yang, we've been marching for days without a single grain of rice. If we don't eat, I'm afraid we won't even be able to ride a horse. How can we escort His Majesty on his journey west?"

Yang Guozhong was so angry that his face turned blue. He reached out to hit the soldier, but Gao Lishi stopped him: "Prime Minister Yang, now is the time to use people. Don't be angry."

"The soldiers have worked hard, so why not let everyone share some dry food and then we can make a decision."

Yang Guozhong glared at the soldier fiercely and withdrew his hand angrily: "For the sake of Eunuch Gao, I will spare you today."

"But if you dare to hide it again, I will not let you off easily!"

Li Longji looked at the scene in front of him and felt a sense of powerlessness in his heart.

Yang Guozhong is his brother-in-law. Over the years, he has relied on his favor to be domineering and form cliques for personal gain. Now that the country is in crisis, he is still so arrogant. No wonder the soldiers are dissatisfied.

But now he is on the run and there are not many people around him who can help him, so he can only endure it for the time being.

In the afternoon, the team continued their journey westward. When they reached Mawei Slope, the sky suddenly became overcast and a heavy rain began to fall. The rain washed away the road, making it muddy and making it increasingly difficult for the horses to move forward.

The Yulin Guards were soaked to the skin, shivering with cold, and their resentment grew. When the team reached a post station, they could no longer move.

Gao Lishi had no choice but to ask Li Longji to order them to rest here.