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

The north wind blew up the dead grass fragments, which hit the heartguard of Shi Siming's armor hard, making a crackling sound.

Shi Siming had only seen illustrations of the court dress in the fragments of the Tongdian Lidian that he had read in his childhood. The hem of the dress was embroidered with a four-clawed python pattern, the collar was decorated with jade beads, and a goldfish charm was hung on the jade belt around the waist. Especially the Jinxian crown on the head, the seven beams on the crown were clearly visible.

He took a deep breath, his head buzzing, and the records in "The Book of Zhou" suddenly came to his mind: Among the three officials, the Grand Tutor was the most respected, with a crown with seven beams and clothes with python patterns, and was the most honored and favored among all the ministers.

But the Tang Dynasty today is no longer as prosperous as it was during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. Since the outbreak of the Anshi Rebellion, even the six ministers of the court have often been vacant. Where would the grand tutor come from?

Mr. Qi's words stunned Shi Siming for a moment, and then he suddenly came to his senses.

My brain felt like it was a tangled mess and I couldn't get my head around it.

What did this man mean? He wanted to not only kill me, but also attack Chang'an? But he was clearly wearing Tang Dynasty court robes and accompanied by Tang Dynasty troops.

No matter how you look at it, they are all government troops sent by the imperial court. Could it be...could it be that he is also planning to rebel against the Tang Dynasty like himself?

As soon as this thought came to his mind, Shi Siming couldn't help but shiver.

He had followed An Lushan in his uprising in the 14th year of the Tianbao era, fighting all the way from Fan Yang to Luoyang. He had witnessed rebel generals turning against their own side and government troops mutinying, but he had never seen anyone dare to rebel against the Tang Dynasty while wearing the imperial robes of the Grand Tutor - this was simply carving the word "treason" on his face, even more ostentatious than when he had started his uprising under the banner of "worrying about the country and the people."

"You...who are you?"

Shi Siming's voice trembled a little, and the rebel soldiers behind him began to whisper, and the originally tight formation loosened a little.

Everyone could see that the government army in front of them was far more powerful than theirs.

Mr. Qi did not answer, but just raised his hand to gesture.

Suddenly, a series of neat sounds of armor plates colliding were heard from the formation of the government troops behind him. The infantry in the front row took a step forward, and the tips of their spears tilted downwards, forming a forest of spears that shone with cold light.

Shi Siming's heart sank to the bottom. He knew that the other party was about to take action.

At this moment, an old voice suddenly sounded from behind the rebels, with rapid panting: "Spare his life! Spare his life!"

Shi Siming turned around suddenly and saw two little Taoist boys in green robes, one on each side supporting an old white-haired Taoist priest, who were trembling and squeezing through the chaotic rebel soldiers.

The old Taoist priest was thin, his face was covered with wrinkles, and his legs trembled when he walked, as if he would be blown down by a gust of wind. However, he held the peach wood cane tightly in his hand, and the copper bell on the top of the cane jingled with his movements.

"Old Immortal, why are you here?"

Shi Siming was startled and anxious, so he quickly dismounted and rushed forward. His current achievements were entirely due to the guidance of Zhang Xuanwei, known as "Xuanwei Zhenren"—when he was a general under An Lushan, he was reported for withholding military pay. It was Zhang Xuanwei who used a forged "Heavenly Mandate" to convince An Lushan that he "possessed the spirit of a dragon and a tiger, and should become a local lord," thus saving him from disaster.

Later, when he was defeated in Yecheng, it was Zhang Xuanwei who planned for him, gathered the remaining troops and occupied Fanyang, and became the "Emperor of Great Yan" (although he has not officially ascended the throne, he has already proclaimed himself emperor) who now commands 100,000 rebel troops.

He reached out to help Zhang Xuanwei, but Zhang Xuanwei didn't even look at him. His eyes went straight over his shoulder and fell on Mr. Qi in front of the opposite formation.

The old Taoist's eyes were originally a little cloudy, but at this moment they suddenly brightened up. He even raised his skinny hands and rubbed his eyes, as if he couldn't believe what he saw.

"Qi...Mr. Qi?" Zhang Xuanwei's voice was trembling. The two little Taoist boys who were originally supporting him felt their arms lighten. The old Taoist priest actually pulled away their support, tightly grasped the peach wood cane with both hands, and walked towards Mr. Qi step by step.

His steps were still unsteady, but each step was extremely firm. His crutches poked the ground, making a "thump thump" sound, as if beating the drum of time.

"Old Immortal!" Shi Siming was horrified. He didn't know why Zhang Xuanwei would lose his composure in front of a stranger. He was even more afraid that the other party would take the opportunity to hurt Zhang Xuanwei, so he quickly waved his hand to signal his personal soldiers to follow.

But before the personal guards could take a step, they saw that several personal guards beside Mr. Qi had already drawn their swords and stared at the approaching Zhang Xuanwei with vigilant eyes. As long as Mr. Qi gave the order, they would rush forward immediately.

Shi Siming's heart was in his throat.

Mr. Qi did not order to stop them. Instead, he raised his hand slightly and signaled his guards to retreat.

Although the guards were full of doubts, they still obediently put away their swords and returned to their original positions, but their eyes were still fixed on Zhang Xuanwei, not daring to relax at all.

Zhang Xuanwei walked to three steps away from Mr. Qi and stopped.

He raised his head and looked up at Mr. Qi, who was a head taller than him. His eyes instantly turned red and turbid tears slid down his wrinkles, dripping onto the Taoist robe on his chest, leaving a small dark stain.

"Mr. Qi, Mr. Qi!" Zhang Xuanwei's voice choked. He stretched out his hand, wanting to touch the hem of Mr. Qi's clothes, but stopped in mid-air, as if afraid of disturbing some precious memories.

"Do you still remember me? It's me, it's me!"

He paused, took a deep breath, and as if he had exhausted all his strength, he said word by word: "It's me, Zhang Xuanwei!"

"I never thought I'd see an old friend again in my lifetime!"

Mr. Qi looked at Zhang Xuanwei in front of him, his expression somewhat moved.

His impression of Zhang Xuanwei still remained on that of a handsome young man dressed in white.

He still remembered that at every annual meeting, Yuan Tiangang would bring Li Chunfeng with him to pack up the food on the table.

"Remember, of course I remember."

"Xuanwei, your Ma Yi sect has always been about seeking good fortune and avoiding danger. Why didn't you run away this time?"

Hearing Mr. Qi's joking tone.

Zhang Xuan smiled.

Look at Mr. Qi seriously.

"Mr. Qi, originally, I wanted to take a picture. I thought it was another army that appeared out of nowhere. But when my apprentice told me that the flag the army raised below meant 'The world belongs to all,' I wasn't afraid anymore."

"I know it's His Majesty's army that's here to pick me up. These people today, how could they possibly understand what a prosperous era of Qianwu means, or what it means to make the world a common good?"

"Seeing you, Mr. Qi, I feel like I have found a place to rely on, a home. It's like I've returned to the times I'm familiar with, as if they're all still here, Mr. Qi."

"Save the Tang Dynasty, Mr. Qi. The Tang Dynasty shouldn't be like this. Let the Tang Dynasty return to its original state!"

As Zhang Xuanwei spoke, tears streamed down his face.

He sat on the ground, choking with sobs, looking at the sky.

"Heaven has eyes! Your Majesty, do you see it?"

"Your army is back! We are going to restore the Tang Dynasty! The real Tang Dynasty!"

"My Tang Dynasty will never perish!"

"Oh, the Tang Dynasty! Our Tang Dynasty!"