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

Above the sky.

"Your Majesty, did you not hear what I said clearly?"

"Since you didn't hear me clearly, then I will repeat it again."

"Your Majesty, please never see Yang Yuhuan again. If I were to discover that Your Majesty is seeing Yang Yuhuan, then Your Majesty, Yang Yuhuan will die!"

"I guarantee it!"

Lu Wuming's eyes were filled with murderous intent as he spoke, word by word.

Li Longji was completely devastated; he was absolutely furious this time!

Is this Tang Dynasty truly his Tang Dynasty, or mine?

Terrible!

That's absolutely despicable!

He looked at Lu Wuming with eyes filled with anger and murderous intent.

How come he never noticed before that this old guy was so annoying and infuriating?

This is absolutely outrageous!

He slammed his fist on the table in anger and roared.

"Old Prime Minister! Are you threatening me?!"

His voice was trembling, and his hand pointing at Lu Wuming was also trembling.

Lu Wuming looked at him without moving, and then spoke without hesitation.

"Yes."

"I am threatening Your Majesty."

"So, Your Majesty, what do you intend to do? Do you intend to execute me on charges of treason right here in the court?"

Li Longji was stunned, completely stunned!

He hadn't expected Lu Wuming to admit it so readily.

And what's more, he actually asked him a question in return?

Yes! He wants to execute this old man right now on charges of treason.

But what?

The Tang Dynasty needs this old fellow now!

For the sake of the Tang Dynasty's stability and prosperity, he had no choice but to endure it; otherwise, a small act of impatience would ruin a great plan.

He had to endure it.

"Old Prime Minister, what are you trying to achieve by saying that?"

"Your Majesty asked me what I wish to do?"

Lu Wuming spoke in a calm, slow voice.

"Then I ask Your Majesty, would you rather be threatened by me, or by An Lushan's army besieging the city?"

"The rebels have already occupied Luoyang. Further ahead lies Tongguan. Once Tongguan falls, An Lushan's iron cavalry will be at the gates of Chang'an."

"By then, whose threats will His Majesty want to be threatened by?"

"My threats will never harm Your Majesty."

"But what about An Lushan and his men? What do they want? They want to kill His Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, consider this: if you were to fall into An Lushan's hands, what do you think An Lushan would do to you?"

Li Longji's face turned pale, frighteningly pale.

The anger I felt just now was extinguished as if doused with a bucket of ice water.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

He couldn't imagine what would happen if he actually fell into An Lushan's hands.

Then he's probably facing a very slim chance of survival.

However, Lu Wuming gave him no chance to catch his breath:

"Your Majesty, please issue the decree now."

"Yang Yuhuan was stripped of her title as Imperial Concubine and banished to the Cold Palace."

"Confiscate all of Yang Guozhong's property, leaving him nothing."

"Members of the Yang clan will be punished if they are guilty, and demoted to commoners if they are innocent."

He paused, then added a sentence.

"I will send my personal guards in black armor to watch over the Cold Palace. Yang Yuhuan will be safe from any harm."

"But if Your Majesty dares to meet with him privately, then you will not be blamed for anything; it will be Your Majesty's own fault."

Li Longji trembled all over, his anger raging.

He looked at Lu Wuming, at the ministers with their heads bowed, and at his own crown prince who hadn't uttered a single word from beginning to end.

No one spoke up for him.

not a single one.

He wanted to explode with anger; he wanted to kill someone.

But he was even more afraid that An Lushan's iron cavalry would march into Chang'an.

Even more fearful was that he would become a sinner for the Tang Dynasty for all time.

They were even more afraid that they would be ashamed to face their ancestors in the afterlife after death.

He closed his eyes, lost in thought and confusion.

For a very, very long time...

He slowly opened his eyes, then suppressed his anger and spoke, word by word.

"Draft the decree."

His voice was dry and hoarse, as if it were being squeezed out of his throat, filled with resentment and anger.

Lu Wuming turned his head, looked at a minister beside him, and then spoke.

"You shall draft these three edicts."

The minister spoke with utmost respect.

"As you command!"

Without saying a word, he spread out a blank edict and began to write.

The first measure: Confiscate Yang Guozhong's property and deposit it into the national treasury.

The second step: to settle scores with the Yang clan and deal with them according to the law.

The third measure: strip Yang Yuhuan of her title as Imperial Concubine, banish her to the Cold Palace, and never employ her again.

The brushstrokes flowed like dragons and snakes, completed in one go.

Li Longji's hands trembled as he looked at the three imperial edicts.

But he still picked up the imperial seal and stamped it on, one seal at a time.

"Thump."

"Thump."

"Thump."

Three muffled thuds.

The dust has settled.

Lu Wuming didn't look at him, but instead spoke towards the outside of the hall:

"Come in."

Heavy footsteps sounded.

A man in full armor entered the main hall; this man was the commander of the Imperial Guards.

Li Longji's pupils suddenly contracted.

The commander of the Imperial Guards walked up to Lu Wuming and bowed in salute.

"The old prime minister."

Lu Wuming handed over the three imperial edicts:

"You shall carry out these three decrees now. Confiscate their property, arrest them, and depose the concubine. Do it cleanly and efficiently, without any mistakes."

The commander of the Imperial Guards accepted it with both hands, and then said aggressively.

"Yes, ma'am."

Immediately afterward, he turned and left the court, where the Imperial Guards were dispatched.

Li Longji watched his retreating figure, his hands and feet turning icy cold.

The commander of the Imperial Guards... was he also one of the old prime minister's men?

When did the military power of the entire Chang'an come to be...? He didn't dare to think any further; he found it unbelievable.

……

The Zhenguan era.

"Hahahaha!"

Li Shimin slapped his thigh and laughed so hard he almost fell over:

"Good! Good! That's how it should be!"

"Three imperial edicts, not one less! Confiscate their property! Depose the concubine! Purge them! Clean and efficient!"

He was laughing so hard that tears were almost streaming down his face.

"That Lu Wuming is truly ruthless! He pushed the emperor to this point and still left him speechless!"

The courtiers below also laughed, but they all suppressed their laughter.

Looking at His Majesty, Changsun Wuji began to flatter him.

"Your Majesty is right. Lu Wuming's move is called fighting poison with poison. Li Longji was afraid of the rebels, so he used the rebels to suppress him. He was afraid of becoming a ruler who would bring about the downfall of his country, so he had to accept this fate."

Fang Xuanling nodded, expressing his strong agreement.

"The key lies in these three decrees, each linked to the next. Confiscating their property cuts off their wealth, deposing the concubine severs their ties, and purging the Yang family eradicates their roots. As long as these three decrees are carried out, the Yang family in Chang'an will be completely finished."

Li Shimin looked at Wei Zheng, eager to know Wei Zheng's opinion.

"Xuancheng, what do you think?"

Wei Zheng rarely showed a smile:

"In my opinion, Lu Wuming did a good job."

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Although the methods are tough, every single one of them is aimed at stabilizing the situation and winning back the hearts of the people."

"Although he was domineering and autocratic, everything he did was for the sake of the Tang Dynasty and he had no selfish motives whatsoever."

"If I were in his position, I would have done the same."

Li Shimin was delighted and felt extremely pleased.

"It's rare, Xuancheng. You didn't say a single word against me today, and you even praised Lu Wuming three times."

Wei Zheng put on a stern face and then spoke in a serious tone.

"I will judge based on the matter, not the person. If they do something right, I will praise them. If they do something wrong, I will criticize them."