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

"Your Majesty, all civil and military officials are now outside the palace gate."

Zhang Ananda walked quickly into the hall, his voice filled with anxiety and beads of sweat on his forehead, apparently he had been jogging all the way.

"They said they would not return until they saw His Majesty today."

Zhang Ananda was breathing slightly as he reported the situation, with a hint of worry in his eyes.

Li Chengqian and Mr. Qi beside him raised their heads at the same time and looked at Zhang Ananda.

A hint of seriousness flashed across Li Chengqian's eyes, and then his brows furrowed slightly, as if he were lost in thought. Mr. Qi, on the other hand, looked calm, but there was a subtle hint of solemnity in his eyes.

"Today is not a court meeting, so why are they so anxious to come and see me? Well, let's hold the court meeting."

Li Chengqian raised his hand slightly, with a hint of helplessness and determination in his tone.

"Tell them to go to Taiji Hall and wait for me."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, signaling Zhang Ananda to leave.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After receiving the order, Zhang Ananda turned around and left in a hurry.

Taiji Hall is majestic and solemn.

Today, Li Chengqian changed out of the dragon robe that symbolized supreme power and put on a loose red robe, the corners of which swayed gently with his steps.

He walked slowly to the dragon throne, his posture upright but with a hint of laziness, and slowly sat down on the dragon throne.

Seeing Li Chengqian coming, all the civil and military officials hurriedly shouted, "Your Majesty!"

The sound echoed in the Tai Chi Hall like thunder.

The ministers had different expressions. Some looked serious, while others had flickering eyes, and it was unknown what they were thinking.

Li Chengqian sat on the dragon throne, adjusted his body into a comfortable position, and leaned on the cushion of the dragon throne.

He looked at the ministers in the hall with a deep gaze, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, as if smiling.

"Are you all here at Taiji Hall today to force me to abdicate?"

Li Chengqian's eyes were like two sharp swords, cold and sharp, slowly sweeping across the civil and military officials in the hall.

Wherever that gaze reached, the ministers felt as if a thorn in their backs.

When the ministers heard Li Chengqian's words, they were shocked and knelt down one after another.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!" The voices were mixed, some were in panic, while others shouted it out with gritted teeth.

"Since you, my dear ministers, are not here to force the emperor to abdicate, then what is your purpose?"

There was a hint of calmness in Li Chengqian's tone, as if he was just asking about an ordinary matter, but everyone present knew that undercurrents were surging beneath the calm.

The entire court was silent and dead silent.

After a moment, Fang Xuanling was the first to speak. He raised his head slightly and looked at Li Chengqian with a determined gaze. "Your Majesty, do you know what happened in Chang'an yesterday?"

Fang Xuanling's voice was steady and powerful, and it was particularly clear in the silent court.

Li Chengqian glanced at Fang Xuanling, his eyes seemed to be full of meaning, and he said with a half-smile, "Prime Minister Fang, what happened in Chang'an yesterday?"

"Everyone, please get up. Minister Fang, you are old. Someone, please give him a seat and put a cushion on it."

Li Chengqian waved his hand slightly, signaling the ministers to stand up, and also paid special attention to Fang Xuanling.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Fang Xuanling said. He was indeed old, and just as he knelt down and stood up, he felt a sharp pain in his legs, a fatigue that penetrated deep into his bones.

The two eunuchs quickly brought a chair. The chair was made of fine sandalwood, exquisitely carved, and exuded a faint wood fragrance.

The young eunuchs carefully placed the chairs behind Fang Xuanling, then quietly retreated with light and quick movements.

After Fang Xuanling sat down on the chair, he breathed a sigh of relief. He straightened his clothes and bowed to Li Chengqian.

"Your Majesty, are you aware that yesterday, the nobles and some merchants in Chang'an inexplicably died in Chang'an? I believe these people were killed by some unsettled individuals who wanted to stir up unrest in the Tang Dynasty. Your Majesty, please conduct a thorough investigation."

Fang Xuanling had a serious expression on his face and spoke sincerely, but there was a complicated look in the depths of his eyes, as if he was hiding something.

Looking at Fang Xuanling pretending to be ignorant, Li Chengqian sighed.

He sat up slightly, his eyes sharpening.

"Prime Minister Fang, why are you covering up for me? I sent the Jinyiwei to kill those nobles and merchants."

Li Chengqian's voice echoed in the Taiji Hall, and every word hit the hearts of the ministers like a heavy hammer.

"While the imperial court was fighting the epidemic, unscrupulous merchants were aggressively raising prices for medicinal materials."

Li Chengqian frowned, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes.

"As you all know, I issued an edict granting official positions to merchants who donated medicinal herbs to the court. But what are these unscrupulous merchants doing? They would rather believe the official positions offered to them by the noble families than trust my clear edict. They sold the medicinal herbs to those noble families at double the price."

Li Chengqian said this and clenched his fist slightly.

"I don't understand, this Tang Dynasty is not the Tang Dynasty of my Li Tang, but the Tang Dynasty of these aristocratic families?"

His eyes flashed with anger.

"How can I not kill such a treacherous businessman?" Li Chengqian's voice rose a few degrees, echoing in the empty Taiji Hall with an unquestionable majesty.

At this point, Li Chengqian said in a deep voice, "Li Wei, show everyone here the quotes those noble families have given to the court. Let them see where these noble families want to put the court."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Li Wei stepped forward with a firm step. His posture was slender and his steps were steady, holding a thick stack of quotations. He walked down the aisle of the court, reading the quotations to each minister one by one.

The ministers took the quotation and looked at the shocking figures on it. Some frowned, while others gasped.

"The annual revenue of the Tang Dynasty's treasury is only over 20 million coins, which is just the supply of medicinal materials for a single epidemic. The annual revenue of the Tang Dynasty's treasury is not enough to cover the supply of medicinal materials for a single epidemic."

Li Chengqian's voice was filled with grief.

"These noble families are trying to suck the blood from the bones of our Tang Dynasty."

"Why can't I kill him?" Li Chengqian swept his gaze over the ministers again, his eyes full of questioning.

The ministers in the hall fell silent upon hearing Li Chengqian's words. They were fully aware of the seriousness of the matter and that Li Chengqian's anger was not without reason. However, this unconventional move put them in a dilemma. For a moment, they didn't know how to respond and said nothing more.

In any case, the relationship between Your Majesty and the local gentry has long been irreconcilable.

Now, once the news of this second massacre gets out, it will become a life-and-death struggle.

The world is going to be in chaos!

Fang Xuanling paused, then continued, "Your Majesty, regarding the killing of the nobles, I will not comment further, but I implore Your Majesty to punish Zhang Xianhuai swiftly. He has deceived the emperor and committed heinous crimes!"

Fang Xuanling looked serious.

"Yesterday, Zhang Xianhuai, relying on Your Majesty's favor, led the Jinyiwei to massacre the entire Hengshan County Prince's Mansion."

Fang Xuanling's voice trembled slightly.

"The Prince of Hengshan is a relative of the Li Tang clan, the cousin of Emperor Taizong, and your majesty's uncle!"

"Your Majesty must give an explanation to the people of the world!" After Fang Xuanling said this, he looked at Li Chengqian deeply. His eyes showed both protection for His Majesty and concern for the situation.