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

The heads of these families went to the palace and told their daughters that times had changed and that power was now in the hands of the crown prince.

Nominally, they were the emperor and the crown prince, but in reality, they were the retired emperor and the emperor, with power completely transferred and the retired emperor imprisoned.

After being educated by their families, these concubines finally came to their senses from the temptation of the empress's position and began to live a secluded life, refusing Li Longji's summons.

Li Longji waited for several days but no concubines came. Impatient, he began to summon the concubines he had instructed one by one.

The first concubine was told that she was unwell and unable to come.

The second concubine was summoned, but she was unwell and unable to come.

The third concubine was finally healthy, but her prince was unwell and needed care, so he couldn't come.

One is like this, two are like this, and three are like this too.

Li Longji dared not think about the worst possible outcome and could only keep comforting himself that it was an accident, and maybe it really was just a coincidence?

However, as time went by, all the concubines except Yang Guifei ignored him.

Li Longji could no longer deceive himself; all his concubines had abandoned him.

Damn it, they all deserve to die!

Why?!

Why does everyone have to be against me?!

Li Longji sat there listlessly, his eyes vacant, as if he had lost his soul.

Without these concubines as a means of communication, he would have no way to contact those aristocratic families outside.

Zong Shen was unwilling to submit to him, and he couldn't contact any powerful families, so he had no other choice.

He now fully understood the feelings of Li Yuan, the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, being imprisoned by his own son. He was even less fortunate than Li Yuan.

Li Yuan was still able to travel around, and had countless beauties in his harem, giving Li Shimin dozens of younger brothers and sisters.

His movements are now restricted; he can't even leave the Zichen Palace, a far cry from Li Yuan's treatment.

Realizing that he had no way to turn the tide, Li Longji began to drown his sorrows in alcohol and gave up on himself.

Even his own treatment had become hopeless for Li Longji.

What's the point of living if you can't enjoy absolute power?

Six months after indulging in a life of pleasure and debauchery, Li Longji died in the Zichen Palace. He was posthumously honored as Emperor Zhidao Dasheng Damingxiao, with the temple name Xuanzong, and was buried in the Tai Mausoleum.

Crown Prince Li Heng ascended the throne, becoming Emperor Suzong of Tang.

After ascending the throne, Li Heng was legally the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and he began to formally take over the mess left by Li Longji.

The first to be affected were the regional military governors.

Since the rebellions of An Lushan and Shi Siming, the regional military governors have gradually shown a tendency to obey orders but not proclamations. However, due to the powerful strength of the imperial court, they have not been too discreet in their actions.

Especially in those extremely remote areas, the military governors had completely come to regard their own territories as their own, rather than those of the Tang Dynasty.

Even for major events like the death of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (Li Longji) and the ascension of Emperor Suzong of Tang (Li Heng), some military governors still did not come to Chang'an in person to submit their memorials, but only sent their subordinates and sons.

Just as Emperor Suzong of Tang, Li Heng, was preparing to make his mark, he suddenly saw Li Bai's memorial requesting retirement on his desk.

Your humble servant, Li Bai, humbly begs Your Majesty's wise judgment. I am now old and frail, having spent half my life wandering, experiencing the prosperity of the Kaiyuan era and the turmoil of Luoyang, as well as the hardships of official duties. Half a lifetime of ups and downs has exhausted my strength, my temples are now completely white, and my hearing and eyesight are failing. I am no longer able to bear the arduous affairs of the court and the burdens of the nation.

I have heard that in ancient times, when ministers grew old, they would request to retire and return to their homeland so that their remaining bodies could be buried in the countryside, which was the duty of a minister.

I was born a commoner, and by nature I am unrestrained and eccentric. I have spent my life indulging in nature, poetry and wine, but I have neither the talent to navigate the court nor the ability to manage official documents.

In the past, when I served the late emperor, I merely used my pen and ink to entertain myself and my poems to celebrate the world; now that the holy emperor has ascended the throne and the world has been newly settled, there are virtuous and capable ministers and good officials in the court, so there is no need for me to grow old and frail.

Having survived a chaotic era, I have long since become indifferent to fame and fortune. Wealth and glory are but fleeting clouds to me; the ranks and status of the court are merely external shackles to me.

I humbly request Your Majesty to grant my foolish request, to allow me to resign from all official positions, relinquish my post, return to my rural home, and live a secluded life in the Jiangnan region.

For the rest of my life, I do not seek fame or fortune, nor do I desire a salary to support myself. I only wish to sail on rivers and seas, dwell in forests and springs, sleep with the wind and moon as my pillow, grow old with the mountains and rivers, and quietly await my remains to be buried in my hometown. That would be enough.

This is my sincere wish, and I hope Your Majesty will grant it with mercy.

Li Heng was greatly alarmed. He was preparing to make a big splash in his career, and without Li Bai's support, there would definitely be many more setbacks.

Li Heng personally brought the memorial to the Ministry of Personnel, found Li Bai who was reviewing memorials, and sent everyone else away, leaving only himself and Li Bai.

"Why did you abandon me, sir?"

Li Heng said anxiously.

"Your Majesty, I have never liked the court. In the past, I only wanted to find solace in nature, compose poems, visit friends, and enjoy life to the fullest. That was all."

"Later, seeing that the late emperor favored eunuchs and that treacherous officials were in power, I decided to take the imperial examinations to enter the court for the sake of the people, to support the country and drive out the treacherous officials."

"Now that the treacherous ministers have been eliminated and the wise ruler is on the throne, my wish has been fulfilled. I should retire and return to my hometown to continue my ambition, to travel across mountains and rivers and explore the world."

"I am a wine connoisseur and a poetry connoisseur, not a courtier."

Li Heng had been receiving personal instruction from Li Bai during this period, and he knew very well that every word Li Bai spoke came from the bottom of his heart; he truly disliked the environment of the imperial court.

"Sir, the regional military governors are now holding onto their troops and acting independently, obeying orders but not summons. The Tang Dynasty is still not at peace, and we still need your help. I cannot do without you."

Li Heng earnestly tried to dissuade him.

Li Bai looked at Li Heng and smiled gently, "Your Majesty, my mind is made up, and I hope Your Majesty will grant my request."

"The regional military governors are no threat to His Majesty."

"The scourge of the regional military governors began with their excessive power and their excessive control over the military. To weaken their power, we should not rush to kill them, but first take control of three powers: the power to manage personnel, the power to collect taxes, and the power to rotate garrison troops."

"Your Majesty now holds the moral high ground. As long as you do not act too drastically, you can proceed gradually."

Although the regional military governors held both military and political power and were self-reliant with their troops, Li Bai saw them as nothing more than chickens and dogs. The imperial court held the moral high ground and could gradually weaken them, subduing them without a fight and forcing them to relinquish their power one by one.

As long as Li Heng doesn't lose his mind and act rashly, directly forcing them all to rebel, there won't be any problems.

But Li Bai was too arrogant, and with the backing of the Prince of Yan, the Wei family, he never thought those powerful families were anything special. Those powerful families knew the Wei family's power best, so they always yielded to him, which made Li Bai feel even more that the powerful families in the world, like the regional military governors, were nothing but chickens and dogs, not worth fearing.

Li Heng was also taught by Li Bai. Influenced by Li Bai, although he valued aristocratic families, he actually held them in some contempt.

Their contempt dealt them a heavy blow when it came to the issue of weakening the power of the feudal lords.