A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

In the twentieth year of the Yonghui era, Wu Zetian began to have doubts about Li Zhi's behavior.

That year, her rise to power proceeded smoothly.

This smooth sailing doesn't mean she never encountered opposition in the court, but rather that the resistance was far less than she expected.

Li Zhi did nothing, letting her do as she pleased.

Is it really because of love?

No, it's impossible.

How could people like them possibly have love? If they did, why would Li Zhi have allowed Shangguan Yi to be deposed as empress?!

In the twenty-second year of the Yonghui era, Wu Zetian, who was blinded by her own involvement, finally discovered Li Zhi's scheme.

The reason was that the policies he promulgated simultaneously threatened the interests of the Fanyang Lu clan, one of the most prestigious aristocratic families, and the imperial Li clan.

Instigated by the Lu family of Fanyang, some members of the Li family of Longxi actually persuaded an elder of the Li family to come forward. According to seniority, this person was Li Yuan's cousin, Li Shimin's uncle, and Li Zhi's grandfather.

The royal family member, nearing one hundred years old, was persuaded to step down by this group of people through their connections. Relying on his old face, he remonstrated with Emperor Gaozong, forcing him to depose the empress.

This disgusted Li Zhi greatly, but he couldn't refuse to see the other party, given their seniority and age. If he didn't see them, the whole world would gossip.

Left with no other choice, Li Zhi had to meet with Li Kui.

Li Kui also had a long face. He was already this old, with no eyelashes left, so how could he not know what those little brats were up to?

But in this life, who can live without a few things to worry about?

Everyone has a weakness, and so did he.

He's already this old, and the only thing he can't stop worrying about is his grandson. When his grandson knelt before him and begged him, he still softened.

So he came here, prepared to use his last shred of dignity to save his grandson's life.

His grandson has already clashed with Wu Zetian; it's a fight to the death between them.

If he wanted to protect his grandson, there was only one way: kill Wu Zetian.

"Your Majesty, please forgive this humble subject's crime of committing capital offenses!"

When Li Kui arrived at Li Zhi's palace, his first words surprised Li Zhi.

"Please rise quickly."

Li Zhi quickly had someone help Li Kui up. Li Zhi opened his mouth, unsure of how to address the old man.

Should I call him Grandpa? He seemed a little reluctant.

Calling someone else seems a bit impolite, and there's nothing particularly suitable either.

Li Kui also knew that his identity was somewhat awkward. Although he was also Li Zhi's grandfather, he was not Li Yuan's biological brother, so there were naturally layers of separation between them.

Seeing Li Zhi's hesitant expression, Li Kui felt extremely uneasy and quickly spoke up.

"Your Majesty, are you aware that nowadays, everyone in and outside the court is obeying the Empress's orders?"

"When Emperor Gaozu raised his army, Emperor Taizong and his brothers fought in the north and south, shedding blood and fighting fiercely, and that's how my Li family came to rule the world."

"But now, does the world still belong to the Li family?"

"Court officials and border generals all groveled at the feet of Wu Zetian, a mere woman!"

"I know this is not something I should be concerned about, but I really can't bear to see the empire that Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong fought so hard for fall into the hands of others."

"If I, a commoner, were to stand idly by and watch, how could I face my ancestors in the afterlife?"

Li Zhi's expression was rather unpleasant; very few people dared to say such things in front of him anymore.

But this group of people really found his weakness; facing the guy in front of him, he really didn't dare to kill him directly.

This was a member of the royal family who had lived to be over 90 years old. Not to mention royalty, even if an ordinary person lived to be over 90, Li Zhi could not kill them casually.

Those were all centenarians; killing one of them would directly bring the label of "tyrant" upon oneself.

Killing a member of the royal family who is over 90 years old would directly inscribe the words "brutal and bloodthirsty" into the history books, the kind that no one can erase.

At that point, forget about being called the greatest emperor of all time; he might even be labeled the greatest tyrant of all time.

"What nonsense is my uncle spouting? The Tang Dynasty is now as stable as Mount Tai, the country is peaceful and prosperous, how can there be any sign of impending doom!"

"You must have been deceived. You don't need to worry about this. I will definitely investigate and find out the truth."

"A wicked empress ruling turmoil—isn't this a sign of a nation's downfall?"

"A female ruler holding power behind the curtain, like a hen crowing at dawn, is a sign of a country's downfall throughout history! With the examples of Daji of the Shang Dynasty and Baosi of the Zhou Dynasty, the foundation of the Tang Dynasty will sooner or later be destroyed by this woman."

"Your Majesty, are your decrees even allowed to leave the palace now?"

"Do you know that he's already defecating and urinating on the heads of the Li family?!"

"Does this world truly belong to the Li family, or the Wu family?!"

"Your Majesty, after you pass away, will you have the face to meet Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong?!"

"presumptuous!"

"Don't take advantage of your age to act like an old man and talk nonsense."

"I am unwell and have entrusted the Empress with handling state affairs. What is wrong with that?"

"As for the claim that a rooster crows at dawn, that's utter nonsense. My wife and I are a harmonious couple, and she reports everything to me. What's suspicious about that?"

"You must be getting old and senile, that's why you've been fooled and are spouting such nonsense."

"That's fine. Since you're getting on in years, you should enjoy your retirement."

"Guards, escort my great-uncle out of the palace with courtesy. Find him a courtyard in the capital and take good care of him. He must not be neglected in the slightest."

Li Zhi flicked his sleeves and ran away.

Then he pretended to be sick and hid in the deep palace, refusing to see anyone.

At the same time, he secretly sent someone to pass the message to Wu Zetian.

This incident was like a flash of inspiration, completely connecting all the things that Wu Zetian had felt were amiss all these years.

So that's how it is. No wonder she went so smoothly, and Li Zhi didn't stop her at all.

It turns out that all of this was part of his plan.

Given Li Zhi's status, he simply couldn't bring himself to kill those powerful families and members of the royal family; this was an inherent limitation of his identity.

Therefore, Li Zhi chose her to complete the tasks that he himself could not accomplish.

It was perfectly appropriate for her to do these things in her capacity.

She had no need to hold back against these people, because she was the Empress, a member of the imperial harem.

Even against the royal Li family, she could ruthlessly kill them without the slightest hesitation.

Most importantly, she was a woman and could never threaten Li Zhi's throne.

"What a brilliant plan! A truly brilliant plan!"

What angered Wu Zetian even more was that even though she saw through it, she still insisted on following the path that Li Zhi had laid out for her.

Because the situation has already been decided, it's no longer something she can simply give up on.

If she dares to back down, those powerful families and the Li imperial family who are her enemies will surely tear her to pieces.

She now has no choice but to go down a dark path!

Damn!

Wu Zetian roared there, and everyone in the palace shut their ears and pretended to be dead.