I, the most powerful minister of the Tang Dynasty, have been exposed by the heavens.

The Zhenguan era.

Li Shimin watched as Lu Wuming ordered the corpse to be exposed on the screen, and nodded, his face showing rare approval.

"well done."

His tone was steady, not like the excited cheers and applause he had just given, but because he genuinely felt that the matter had been handled correctly.

"Such a treacherous official, is death all that matters? It's not that easy."

"Let him hang there, so the whole world can see what happens to those who embezzle, break the law, and bring disaster to the country and its people."

Li Shimin paused, his voice deepening:

"This is his own fault. In my opinion, exposing his corpse for three days would be too lenient."

He paused, then changed the subject, his eyes showing a hint of inquiry:

"But Lu Wuming said that Li Longji also made a mistake?"

"I want to hear just how many stupid things the emperors of later generations did."

……

Above the sky, in the Xuanzheng Hall.

Li Longji's face was ashen as he stared intently at Lu Wuming.

"Since the old prime minister wants to speak, then speak."

His voice was very low, like the rumble of thunder before a storm:

"I want to hear exactly where I went wrong!"

Lu Wuming didn't look at him; his gaze was fixed on a certain spot in the main hall, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary.

He spoke, his voice steady, listing things off one by one, like making a list.

"The first issue is His Majesty's neglect of state affairs."

"In the later years of the Kaiyuan era, Your Majesty indulged in pleasure, secluded yourself in the palace, and did not hold court for several years. The prime minister held absolute power; was Your Majesty aware of this?"

Li Longji's lips moved, but he didn't make a sound.

"The second issue is that His Majesty has made a poor choice in appointing officials."

"First, he favored Li Linfu. This man was 'honey-tongued and treacherous,' eliminating dissidents, blocking channels of communication, and heavily relying on barbarian generals."

"Later, he favored Yang Guozhong. Because he was the brother of the imperial concubine, he was promoted to prime minister. This man was uneducated, corrupt, and tyrannical, and his feud with An Lushan deepened day by day."

"The court is full of loyal and virtuous officials, yet His Majesty does not employ them. But he regards such treacherous and wicked men as his confidants."

Li Longji's fingers began to tremble.

"The third issue is that His Majesty has allowed the regional military governors to grow too powerful."

"The military governors control the army, government, and finances, resulting in a situation where the central government is practically non-existent while the external affairs are neglected. This is not a problem that arose overnight, but rather a problem that has accumulated over decades."

"When Your Majesty sits comfortably in the deep palace, has Your Majesty ever considered whether the troops under the command of the military governor still belong to the Li family?"

Someone inside the hall gasped.

"The fourth problem is that His Majesty has raised a tiger that will cause trouble."

"An Lushan's wolfish ambitions are known to all. Zhang Jiuling said he wanted to kill him, but you didn't. Someone accused him of treason, but you didn't believe it."

"He commands three towns and commands an army of 180,000. Instead of checking and restraining him, His Majesty bestows upon him official titles and rewards without restraint."

Lu Wuming's voice remained steady, yet it felt like a dull knife cutting flesh:

"Your Majesty personally handed the knife to the traitor, and then asked him why he drew the knife. Does Your Majesty think this is reasonable?"

Li Longji's throat bobbed, but he couldn't speak.

"The fifth thing is that His Majesty destroyed his own Great Wall."

"Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing were veteran generals and renowned commanders who were entrusted with a critical mission and defended Tongguan. Your Majesty listened to the one-sided account of the supervising officer Bian Lingcheng and issued an order to execute them without verification."

"Two heads fell to the ground, the army was disheartened, and the morale of the troops at Tongguan was completely shattered."

Lu Wuming finally turned his head, looked directly at Li Longji, and his voice suddenly rose:

"Your Majesty! Each of these five incidents is a disastrous mistake that could destroy the foundation of the nation. Each one is clear evidence of the ruler's moral failings!"

"His Majesty!"

"Isn't this wrong?!"

The entire hall was deathly silent, and the entire court was shocked!

Unexpectedly, Prime Minister Lu dared to reveal all these matters in the court, in front of His Majesty.

This is undoubtedly a blatant disrespect to His Majesty, a severe slap in the face.

Only Li Longji's rapid breathing was exceptionally clear in the empty hall.

……

The Zhenguan era.

"Bang!!!"

Li Shimin couldn't stand it anymore.

He grabbed the hot teacup beside him and smashed it on the ground!

Broken porcelain shards were scattered all over the floor, and tea mixed with tea leaves, making the area wet.

"You bastard! You worthless scoundrel!"

He jumped to his feet, his face flushed red, and his finger pointing at the sky trembled.

"What kind of useless person is Li Longji?! How did he get into this position? How dare he sit in this position?!"

"Neglecting governance, favoring treacherous officials, allowing regional lords to run rampant, nurturing powerful figures, and killing generals!"

Li Shimin rattled off one point after another, his voice rising an octave with each one:

"Is he acting like an emperor? He's tearing the house down!"

"My empire, my descendants, have produced such a worthless creature?!"

He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently.

"What's the difference between Qin Er Shi (Hu Hai), Emperor Yang of Sui (Yang Guang), and Li Longji? There's no difference! They were all incompetent rulers! They were all incompetent rulers who would ruin their empires!"

Wei Zheng, Fang Xuanling, and Changsun Wuji stood aside, none of them daring to utter a sound.

It wasn't that they were afraid to respond; it was that they themselves were terrified by what they heard.

Just now, seeing Yang Guozhong's corruption, I only thought he was a treacherous minister who brought disaster to the country.

Now that Lu Wuming has laid out these five charges one by one, they can finally see things clearly.

How could this be the work of a treacherous official?

The root of the problem lies with the emperor!

After Li Shimin finished cursing, he suddenly turned his head and stared at Wei Zheng:

"Xuancheng! Tell me, what kind of emperor would actually do these five things?"

Wei Zheng took a deep breath and stepped forward.

He knew what His Majesty wanted to hear.

"Your Majesty, I speak frankly."

Wei Zheng's voice was deep:

"The first offense is neglect of duty. If the monarch does not attend court and power falls into the hands of others, this is dereliction of duty."

"Secondly, favoring wicked people. The fact that such scoundrels as Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong were appointed prime ministers in succession is a failure of oversight."

"The third point is the 'military governor' system. When the military governors wield immense power in their respective regions, the central government becomes virtually powerless; this is a sign of weakness."

"The fourth point is that we are raising a tiger. An Lushan has wolfish ambitions, and instead of punishing him, we have even bestowed upon him a higher title. This is irrational."

"Fifth, killing generals. Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing were appointed to their posts in a time of crisis, yet they were executed without cause. This is a loss of conscience."

Wei Zheng raised his head and looked directly at Li Shimin:

"Your Majesty, you have committed dereliction of duty, negligence, loss of power, loss of wisdom, and loss of heart—all five faults are present."

"With such a ruler, how can the world not be in chaos? How can the empire not perish?"

He paused, then spoke slowly and deliberately:

"If these five mistakes are not eliminated, the Tang Dynasty... will surely perish."

Li Shimin remained silent.

Only heavy breathing could be heard inside the hall.

Everyone knew that Wei Zheng wasn't saying this to Li Longji, who was hiding in the sky.

This was addressed to everyone in the Zhenguan court at this moment.

……

Above the sky, in the Xuanzheng Hall.

After hearing the five charges against him, Li Longji was completely distraught.

His face flushed red, his chest heaved violently, and he abruptly stood up from the dragon throne, pointing at Lu Wuming, his voice cracking:

"Old Prime Minister! What do you mean by this?!"

"How could I possibly be like you? When have I ever neglected my duties? When have I ever been incompetent?"

"You...you are slandering me!"

Lu Wuming looked at him without saying a word.

After Li Longji finished shouting, he chuckled softly.

The laughter was soft, yet it carried an indescribable desolation.

"Your Majesty says this old minister slandered you?"

He shook his head:

"I have lived for 137 years and have never slandered anyone."

"If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may ask the officials in the hall. What I just said—which of it is not true, and which is fabricated out of thin air?"