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

The dragon flag fluttered in the north wind, like a broken soul-calling banner.

Li Longji pulled the reins of "Zhao Yebai", the sweat from his palms soaked the gilded saddle bridge, but he still had to straighten his back, letting the black dragon robe show the majesty of the emperor in the twilight.

The soldiers of the six armies behind him were silent as iron, the cold light of the spears in their hands reflected the setting sun in the west, dyeing the earthen wall of Mawei Station a dark red like clotted blood.

"Your Majesty! Yang Guozhong has been executed for treason!"

Chen Xuanli's voice broke the silence. There were fresh blood stains on his battle robe. When he knelt on one knee, the crisp sound of his armor colliding was very similar to the bronze bell that fell from the city wall when Tongguan was lost.

Li Longji's Adam's apple rolled, and his eyes passed over Chen Xuanli's shoulder and fell on the body outside the inn that was trampled beyond recognition - that was the prime minister he promoted personally, and the "family member" he supported for Yuhuan, but now he had become a "traitor" in the mouths of the soldiers.

"How dare you!" Gao Lishi shouted sternly, but Li Longji raised his hand to hold him down.

The old emperor's fingers were icy cold, and even his voice was vague and unreal: "General Chen, I believe you."

"If Guo Zhong is truly plotting treason, executing him is the law of the land."

As he said this, the corner of his eye swept across the carved window of the inn, and he vaguely saw a goose yellow figure huddled behind the window. His heart suddenly twitched, but was suppressed by a deeper chill.

Chen Xuanli didn't stand up. Instead, he pressed his sword a third deeper into the ground, the tip of the sword piercing the earth half an inch. The dust kicked up clung to his blood-stained temples. "Your Majesty, be wise! Although Yang Guozhong is dead, the root of this evil remains."

"The soldiers of the six armies say, 'The thief is still alive.' Please, Your Majesty, execute Yang Yuhuan!"

"What did you say?"

Li Longji's voice suddenly rose, but his body under the dragon robe was trembling slightly.

He stared at Chen Xuanli, trying to use the emperor's majesty to overwhelm the general in front of him, but when he glanced at the hostility in the eyes of the soldiers behind him, that bit of majesty was extinguished in an instant like a candle blown away by the wind.

Gao Lishi hurried forward and whispered in his ear, "Your Majesty, the soldiers are mutinying. If you don't comply, something bad may happen!"

"Unexpected?" Li Longji laughed bitterly, his laughter full of self-mockery. He recalled the Kaiyuan period, when he personally led the army to fight, with flags covering the sky and soldiers cheering "Long live the emperor".

I recall that when he was enthroned at Mount Tai, all the civil and military officials surrounded him and said that he was a holy ruler who surpassed the Zhenguan era.

Thinking of the Lantern Festival in Chang'an City, he and Yuhuan stood side by side on the city wall, watching the lights of thousands of homes as bright as the stars.

How high-spirited and ambitious he was at that time. How could he have ever been coerced like this?

He knew that Chen Xuanli was trying to save himself, but where was the emperor's dignity?

Now, Tongguan was lost and Chang'an fell. He became an emperor on the run and couldn't even protect his beloved woman.

The window of the inn was blown open with a creaky sound, and Yang Yuhuan's crying voice floated out with the wind, fragmented and desperate, like a blunt knife, repeatedly cutting his heart.

He clenched his fists violently, his nails digging deep into his palms, and the taste of blood filled his mouth - it hurt, but it kept him awake.

"Your Majesty, the soldiers have been kneeling outside the posthouse for half an hour."

Gao Lishi's voice was filled with tears. "If we delay any longer, I'm afraid..."

Li Longji closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, the struggle in his eyes had disappeared, leaving only an almost cold calmness.

He slowly dismounted, his dragon robe trailing on the ground, stained with dust, yet he maintained the airs of an emperor. "Gao Lishi," he said in a remarkably steady voice, "go and convey my decree. Grant Yang Yuhuan a piece of white silk and let her... hang herself."

"Your Majesty!" Gao Lishi was horrified and fell to his knees. "The Queen is innocent! How could you..."

"Innocent?" Li Longji interrupted, his tone suddenly cold. "If it weren't for her brother's monopoly of power, if it weren't for her arrogance, how could she have caused such chaos? Now the six armies are not moving, all because of her. If she is not killed, how can the morale of the army be reassured? How can the world be at peace?"

When he said this, he deliberately raised his voice so that the soldiers outside the posthouse could hear him.

The commotion among the soldiers had indeed subsided. Chen Xuanli breathed a sigh of relief and kowtowed again: "Your Majesty is wise!"

Li Longji ignored him and turned to walk towards the inn.

The moment he pushed open the door, Yang Yuhuan rushed over, tightly grasping his sleeve, her tears soaking his collar: "Saint, they say they want to kill me, please save me! I don't want to die, I want to go back to Chang'an with you, back to Xingqing Palace..."

Looking at Yang Yuhuan's tearful face, Li Longji's heart seemed to be tightened, and he almost blurted out "I'll take you away".

But suddenly, his mind flashed with the image of soldiers holding spears, the tragic scene of Chang'an's fall, and his own embarrassment during his escape.

He pushed Yang Yuhuan away and took a step back, a look of deep sorrow on his face: "Yuhuan, at this point, don't you understand?"

"It was you, it was you and your brother who destroyed the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty! If I protect you, I will be disregarding the lives of all people in the world and our ancestors!"

Yang Yuhuan was stunned, the tears on her face froze. She looked at him in disbelief: "Your Majesty, how can you say that? When did I destroy the Tang Dynasty? It was my brother... I never interfered in government affairs!"

"You didn't interfere?" Li Longji sneered, his tone filled with deliberately fabricated anger. "If you hadn't whispered in my ear every day, how could I have allowed Yang Guozhong to monopolize power? If you didn't love eating lychees, wasting people's money and resources, how could you have caused such widespread resentment among the people?"

"Now that An Lushan has rebelled and the world is in chaos, the blame for all this lies on you!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he really believed what he said, as if putting all the blame on Yang Yuhuan could alleviate his own guilt.

Yang Yuhuan stared at him blankly, her eyes changing from shock to disappointment, and then to complete despair.

She smiled sadly, tears welling up again. "Saint, so in your heart, I am such a person. Have you forgotten that back in the Palace of Eternal Life, you said you wanted to be 'a pair of wings in the sky, a pair of branches on the ground' with me? Have you forgotten that I danced 'Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Coat' for you, and you said I was a fairy from heaven."

"Have you forgotten how many nights we spent together watching the stars? You said you would stay with me until we grow old... Have you forgotten all of this?"

Li Longji's heart felt like it was pierced by a needle, and the pain was so severe that he could hardly breathe.

He turned his face away, not daring to look into Yang Yuhuan's eyes, for fear that he would regret it.

"This is a different time." He hardened his heart, his voice dry, "I am the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and the country is my most important. You... go with peace of mind, I will remember you."

After saying this, he stopped looking at Yang Yuhuan, turned around and walked out of the inn quickly.

Gao Lishi followed behind him, holding the white silk, his steps as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

Outside the posthouse, the soldiers saw the white silk in Gao Lishi's hand and immediately burst into cheers. The shouts of "Long live the emperor" rose one after another, which made Li Longji's eardrums hurt.

He stood in the middle of the crowd, forcing a grief-stricken expression on his face, and raised his hand to wipe the corners of his eyes - there were indeed tears there, half of guilt and half of relief.

"Yuhuan, I am sorry for you."

He murmured to himself, his voice so low that only he could hear, "But I am the Son of Heaven. I cannot die. The Tang Dynasty cannot live without me."

Not long after, a shrill cry was heard in the inn, and then it fell silent.

Gao Lishi stumbled out, knelt before Li Longji, and sobbed: "Your Majesty, the Queen... The Queen is gone."

Li Longji swayed and almost fell down, and Gao Lishi hurriedly supported him.

He leaned on Gao Lishi and burst into tears, his cry was so heartbroken, as if he had really lost the love of his life.

The soldiers looked at the emperor crying, and the resentment in their hearts gradually dissipated, replaced by a trace of guilt and awe - Your Majesty, for the sake of the country, reluctantly ordered the death of his beloved concubine, what a rare saint!

Chen Xuanli led the soldiers in bowing their heads once more, his voice choked with emotion: "Your Majesty, accept my condolences! We, your subjects, swear to follow Your Majesty until death, to recapture Chang'an and revive the Tang Dynasty!"

Li Longji cried for a long time before he gradually stopped crying. He held Gao Lishi's hand and slowly stood up. There were still traces of tears on his face, but his eyes became unusually firm.

"All officers and men, please stand." His voice was tearful, yet it carried an undeniable authority. "Now that our nation is in crisis, I will lead you all back to Chang'an, crush the rebels, and restore the Kaiyuan era of prosperity!"

"Long live your Majesty!"

The soldiers' cheers rang out again, even louder than before.

Li Longji stood amid the cheers, raised his head slightly and looked at the distant sky.

The sun has set and night is beginning to fall, with only a few sparse stars twinkling in the darkness.

He knew that Yang Yuhuan had died, and her life had been exchanged for the morale of the soldiers and his own safety.

He could continue to be the emperor, continue to indulge in the beautiful dream of being the "Kaiyuan Emperor", and continue to be called a "sage".

As for those mistakes - the loss of Tongguan was due to the incompetence of the generals, the fall of Chang'an was due to Yang Guozhong's harm to the country, and the tragedy of Mawei Slope was due to Yang Yuhuan's beauty, what does it have to do with him, Li Longji?

He was just a poor emperor who was deceived by treacherous ministers and teased by fate.

That night, it started to drizzle at Mawei Slope, and the sound of the rain seemed to be crying for Yang Yuhuan.

Li Longji lived in a makeshift tent. On the table was Yang Yuhuan's favorite lychee honey, but he didn't eat a single bite. Gao Lishi stood by, watching the emperor stare blankly at the empty tent, hesitant to speak.

"Gao Lishi," Li Longji suddenly spoke in a low voice, "Tell me, did I do something wrong?"

Gao Lishi was moved and was about to speak, but Li Longji shook his head and replied, "No, I am not wrong. I am doing this for the Tang Dynasty and for the people of the world."

"If Yuhuan knew in the afterlife, she would definitely understand my painstaking efforts."

He picked up the lychee honey on the table, poured some into the wine glass, and raised the glass to the air: "Yuhuan, this glass of wine is in your honor. In the next life, you will never enter the palace again, and I will never be the emperor again. Let's just be an ordinary couple, okay?"

After saying this, he drank the wine in one gulp, tears streaming down his face once again. But even he couldn't tell how much of these tears were guilt and how much were pretense.

A few days later, the team continued its journey westward.

Li Longji sat on the horse, still wearing the black dragon robe, with an upright posture.

He would occasionally look back in the direction of Mawei Slope with a sad expression on his face, which made the accompanying officials and soldiers sigh that the emperor was loyal and righteous.

Only Gao Lishi knew that beneath that sad mask lay a heart that was so selfish and cowardly.

When they arrived at an inn, someone presented a memorial saying that it was a battle report from the generals at the front, stating that An Lushan's army had occupied Chang'an and was searching for royal relatives everywhere.

After reading the memorial, Li Longji's face turned pale and his hands trembled slightly.

He threw the memorial to the ground and cursed angrily, "It's all Yang Guozhong's fault! It's all Yang Yuhuan's fault! If it weren't for them, how could I have ended up in this situation!"

Gao Lishi silently picked up the memorial, not daring to say anything. He knew the emperor was shirking responsibility again.

He would rather put all the blame on the dead than admit his own stupidity in the past - that he was obsessed with beauty and neglected the affairs of state.

It was he who listened to slander and wrongly killed loyal ministers; it was he who gave improper command, which led to the loss of Tongguan.

But he dared not face these. He could only immerse himself in the halo of "Kaiyuan Emperor" and dream of reviving the Tang Dynasty, but he forgot that the high-spirited sage had long since died in the prosperity of Chang'an, died in his own selfish desires.

At night, Li Longji lay on his bed in the inn, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

He recalled the court during the Kaiyuan period, when wise ministers such as Yao Chong and Song Jing surrounded him and gave him advice.

I thought of the Tang Dynasty at that time, when the world was at peace and all nations came to pay tribute; I thought of the decrees I issued, how they made the people live and work in peace and contentment, and how they led the Tang Dynasty to its peak of prosperity.

Those memories were like bright stars, illuminating his now gloomy life, but also making him even more afraid to face reality.

"I am the Kaiyuan Emperor, I am a saint."

He murmured to himself, as if to encourage himself, "I will definitely be able to recapture Chang'an and recreate the Kaiyuan era of prosperity."

"By then, everyone will remember my great achievements and forget about Mawei Slope..."

He was immersed in the beautiful dream he had woven and fell into a deep sleep until dawn.

In his dream, he was back in Xingqing Palace. Yang Yuhuan, dressed in her "Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Coat" dance costume, danced for him under a pear tree, her smile as bright as the spring sunshine. He reached out, wanting to grab her, but she vanished like a bubble into thin air.

He woke up from his dream shouting Yang Yuhuan's name, with cold sweat on his forehead.

Outside the window, it was already dawn.

Gao Lishi walked in with toiletries and saw that he looked pale. He asked with concern, "Saint, did you not sleep well last night?"

Li Longji rubbed his temples and waved his hands: "It's okay, let's continue on our way."

He got up from the bed and walked to the bronze mirror.

The man in the mirror has gray hair and wrinkles around his eyes. He no longer has the vigor and vitality he once had.

But he still straightened his back, adjusted his dragon robe, and tried to put on a dignified expression.

"I am the emperor of the Tang Dynasty," he said to himself in the mirror, "I cannot fall."

The team set off again, the dragon flag still fluttering in the wind, but the dragon pattern on the flag seemed dimmer than before.

Li Longji rode on his horse, looking ahead with a firm gaze, as if he could really see the city walls of Chang'an and the future of the Tang Dynasty.

But only he himself knows how much fear and escape are hidden deep in that firm gaze.

He didn't dare look back, didn't dare face the yellow earth under Mawei Slope, didn't dare face the mistakes he had made, and even more didn't dare face himself who was no longer a "saint".

In this way, he continued on the road of escape, heading towards an unknown future, with a lot of disguise and self-deception.