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

Only two years after becoming empress, Wu Zetian became incompetent and senile.

Her male favorite, Xue Huaiyi, held a higher position in Luoyang than Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi, and was tyrannical and committed all sorts of evil deeds.

The indecisiveness on the issue of choosing an heir led to a division in the court between the faction that should support Wu and the faction that should support Li, and the two sides fought fiercely.

In the end, Wu Zetian had no one else to rely on, so under Princess Taiping's guidance, she chose to train Princess Taiping.

Princess Taiping was no pushover either. As Wu Zetian's legitimate daughter, she inherited Wu Zetian's ambitions.

The fierce fighting between the Liwu faction and the Lili faction was partly due to her instigation.

In the imperial court, the Princess's faction quietly rose to prominence, gradually growing into a force that could not be ignored.

Wei Ye, who was bedridden with illness, frowned as he looked at the chaotic state of the court. He regretted his earlier acquiescence to Wu Zetian's ascension to the throne.

Before ascending the throne, Wu Zetian was considered wise and capable. She was able to promote good generals and defend against foreign powers, and she was able to promote talented people and govern the country.

He hoped that Wu Zetian's ascension to the throne would thoroughly open up avenues for advancement for those from humble backgrounds and usher in a golden age.

However, unexpectedly, after Wu Zetian ascended the throne, she doted on her male favorites and indiscriminately killed innocent people, making the entire court a mess.

The once thriving and prosperous imperial court lost its vitality due to factional struggles within the court.

He decided to pass away. He had made such a huge blunder that he was losing face, so he left the mess for his son to clean up.

In the winter of the third year of the Tian Shou era, King Wei Ye of Wei was unable to hold on and died of illness in Luoyang. His son, Wei Wen, succeeded to the throne.

Wei Wen did not go to court, citing the need to observe mourning for his father.

This vigil lasted for ten years.

Over the past decade, the political landscape has been turbulent, with the pro-military faction and the pro-Li faction locked in a bloody battle.

Wu Zetian's favorite ministers also went through a process from wielding immense power to being executed in the marketplace.

Princess Taiping had grown powerful and coveted the throne.

The cruel official Lai Junchen launched a major case, shrouding the entire city of Luoyang in blood, before it ultimately came to a tragic end.

The renowned minister Di Renjie passed away, and the legendary Wang Xuance died in the capital.

The Wu Group rose to its peak but then declined, and Wu Zetian wavered in her resolve.

It was precisely because of Wu Zetian's indecisiveness that a large number of high-ranking officials in the court were killed, and the possibility of a woman becoming emperor in later generations was also cut off.

So what if you think you're so great because of your aloofness, Wu Zetian?!

We all worked so hard to put you on the throne, and you lavishly bestowed titles upon the Wu clan princes while exterminating the Li family and killing all the Li princes.

When everyone saw how ruthless Wu Zetian was to the Li family, they all rushed to the side of Wu Zetian's descendants, thinking that Wu Zetian's throne would definitely be passed on to the Wu family.

Initially, Wu Zetian did indeed behave in this way. Crown Prince Wu Dan was nominally the Crown Prince, but in reality, he was a puppet with no real power.

On the contrary, her nephews Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi wielded immense power.

It looks like the world has fallen into the hands of the Wu family.

In the end, Wu Zetian passed the throne to the Li family, and all the ministers who had sided with the Wu family were purged.

Those who supported Wu Zetian's ascension to the throne were also purged by the Li Tang dynasty.

When the civil and military officials saw this, they realized that the price of supporting a woman to become empress was too high, tantamount to dragging their entire family into a pit. In the future, if any woman wanted to become empress, not a single civil or military official would support her.

I can support you in taking power, and you can also become Empress Dowager and take charge of the government—no problem at all.

But supporting your ascension to the throne? Sorry, I can't do that.

This eliminated the possibility of a woman becoming emperor later on.

In the fifteenth year of the Tian Shou era, under the secret instigation of Wei Wen, Zhang Jianzhi and Cui Xuanwei, together with the Imperial Guards and Princess Taiping, entered the palace to kill Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong.

The court officials surrounded the Hall of Longevity, forcing Wu Zetian to abdicate and pass the throne to Crown Prince Li Xian.

Li Xian was restored to the throne, and the name of the Tang Dynasty was reinstated, officially ending the Wu Zhou regime; Wu Zetian was honored as the Great Sage Empress Zetian and moved to Shangyang Palace under house arrest.

In November of the same year, Wu Zetian died at Shangyang Palace at the age of 82. Her will removed her title of emperor and referred to her as Empress Zetian Dasheng. She was buried in Qianling Mausoleum.

Thus ended the life of Wu Zetian, this legendary woman, leaving only a blank stele outside the capital city, leaving her merits and demerits for posterity to judge.

After Li Xian was restored to the throne, Empress Wei and Princess Anle intended to emulate the story of Empress Wu Zetian and frame Zhang Jianzhi and other meritorious officials who had helped restore the Tang Dynasty.

Li Xian, incompetent as he was, was previously a puppet in Wu Zetian's hands, and now he is a puppet in the hands of Empress Wei and Princess Anle.

Even after the restoration of the Tang Dynasty, the imperial court remained chaotic and corrupt.

Among Li Dan's sons was one named Li Longji, who was intelligent, decisive, and ambitious from a young age.

Because of the brutal power struggles within the imperial court, he deliberately concealed his talents in order to protect himself.

In his youth, he admired the Prince of Yan, and when the Prince of Yan passed away, he personally went to pay his respects.

It was during this trip to pay respects that he had the good fortune to meet Xue Rengui, the God of War of the Tang Dynasty.

Xue Rengui saw the intelligence in Li Longji's eyes. After chatting for a while, he learned that this person was actually Li Dan's prince. He couldn't help but sigh that Heaven was kind to him, sending such an outstanding prince to him before his death.

Xue Rengui handed over his life's work on military strategy to Li Longji, thus fulfilling his final bond with the Li Tang dynasty.

Li Longji opened the military book in his hand, and after reading a few pages, he was greatly alarmed.

No matter what, he was once a prince with extraordinary insight, so he could naturally see the brilliance of this military treatise.

When he came to his senses and tried to find Xue Rengui, he discovered that he could no longer find him.

One can only marvel at how this place truly lives up to its name, Yanzhou, a place where the essence of the world converges, a place where hidden talents abound. Even an old man you casually meet is a sage who has never been a military strategist.

That makes sense, though; none of those who came to the Prince of Yan's residence to offer condolences were simple people.

Back at his residence, Li Longji carefully studied the military book in his hands. When he turned to the last page, he felt that something was wrong with the feel of it.

Li Longji curiously turned the pages of the book and found a bronze artifact inside.

Li Longji held it in his hand, his face filled with shock.

How could he not recognize what this thing is?!

This is the military tally of the White Robe Army!

Legend has it that this military tally disappeared after the Grand Tutor passed away!

How did I get here?!

Could this military treatise have been written by that war god?

And what is the identity of that old man?

Li Longji carefully recalled every frame of his interaction with the old man. Although the old man had a full head of white hair, his spirit and energy were far beyond what one would expect from someone his age.

And the old man's hands, covered in calluses, must have belonged to a martial artist.

A flash of inspiration struck Li Longji, and an extremely bold idea arose in his mind.

Could it be that the Duke of Wei is not dead?!

Was it just a case of faking death to escape?

So the person who gave me the military treatise was the legendary Duke of Wei?!

Li Longji was filled with excitement; he had grown up listening to the legend of Xue Rengui.

Which of the teenagers of their generation doesn't idolize Xue Rengui?

Li Longji excitedly ran to the door of the room, wanting to find Xue Rengui.

But he stopped just as he reached the door.

Because he couldn't think of where to find Xue Rengui.

Li Longji sighed. He could guess what was going on, but Xue Rengui was deliberately avoiding him.

Back in his room, Li Longji closed the door and then carefully examined the military tally in his hand.

This military tally represents the strength of an army in the Tang Dynasty, and some people even personally organize the White Robe Army!

Why did the Duke of Wei give me the military treatise and military tally?

Li Longji gripped the military tally tightly, his inner ambitions sprouting like bamboo shoots after the rain, growing wildly.