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

Yang Yuhuan opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything.

She recalled what the palace maid had said earlier—"Is there something you're uneasy about, Your Highness?"

Now she knows.

The general handed over a scroll of imperial edict:

"Mrs. Yang, come with us."

At that moment, Yang Yuhuan knew that something must have happened to her brother.

Yang Yuhuan was supported as she walked out of the bedchamber step by step.

She glanced back.

That door is getting farther and farther away.

From then on, I could never get in again.

……

The Zhenguan era.

Li Shimin slapped his thigh in disbelief:

"Good! Well done!"

He pointed to the imperial guards in the sky, beaming with joy:

"Look, what is efficiency? What is execution?"

"In no time at all, the Yang residence was surrounded, the people were arrested, and the house was ransacked! Clean and efficient, without any delays!"

He got more and more excited as he spoke:

"This is the Imperial Guard of the Tang Dynasty that I have in mind! This is how it should be!"

The courtiers around him nodded in agreement.

But the next second, Li Shimin's expression changed.

From the sky, the Imperial Guards carried out chests of gold and silver jewelry.

One box.

Two boxes.

Three boxes...

It filled more than a dozen trucks!

Li Shimin's eyes widened further and further, and finally he stood up abruptly.

"These...these all belong to Yang Guozhong?"

He pointed to the sky, his fingers trembling:

"How many years did he serve as prime minister? How could he have embezzled so much?!"

"How much of the people's hard-earned money and sweat must this represent!"

"Bang!"

He slammed his hand on the table:

"You bastard! You worthless scoundrel!"

"I knew it! This kind of treacherous minister deserves to be torn to pieces!"

"Look at all this stuff! How can Yang Guozhong eat it? How can he sleep?"

Li Shimin paced back and forth in the palace in anger:

"Greed! Greed as much as you want! And what will you get in the end? Heads rolled, property confiscated, and your whole family imprisoned!"

"Serves him right! He absolutely deserves it!"

He cursed so fiercely that his spittle flew everywhere, and none of the officials below dared to utter a sound.

After he finished cursing, Li Shimin sat down, panting heavily, and looked at the sealed gate of the Yang Mansion in the sky.

Suddenly, he chuckled:

"But then again, Lu Wuming did a really great job."

"Confiscating property, arresting people, and deposing the imperial concubine—three imperial edicts, all carried out in a single day. Who would dare? Who could do that?"

"That's exactly how it should be. To deal with these corrupt officials, you have to be ruthless, swift, and leave them no chance to react!"

Wei Zheng nodded and then spoke.

"Your Majesty is right."

"Yang Guozhong deserved to die. The money he embezzled was enough to feed the soldiers on the frontier for ten years. The things he did were enough to hasten the demise of the Tang Dynasty by twenty years."

"He earned his own fate today."

Li Shimin looked at him and laughed:

"Xuancheng, you've praised me several times today."

Wei Zheng, with a stern face:

"I am praising Lu Wuming, not Your Majesty."

Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

......

Above the sky.

The imperial court was eerily quiet.

No one speaks.

Those three imperial edicts just now have shown everyone what swift and decisive action truly means.

At this moment, the ministers in the hall all lowered their heads, not daring to even breathe loudly.

I'm afraid of being called out by the old prime minister.

Lu Wuming stood in the center of the hall, his hair white, but his posture ramrod straight. He didn't speak, just stood there quietly.

It's like they're waiting for something.

After a while.

Hurried footsteps could be heard outside the hall.

Everyone looked up and gazed towards the palace gate.

The commander of the Imperial Guards strode in, the clatter of his armor echoing clearly in the silent hall. He reached the imperial steps and knelt on one knee.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Li Longji sat on the dragon throne without saying a word.

The commander of the Imperial Guards didn't seem to care, and turned to Lu Wuming, bowing with clasped hands in greeting:

"Prime Minister".

Lu Wuming nodded:

"Is everything taken care of?"

The commander of the Imperial Guards straightened up and spoke in a loud voice:

"Your Excellency, the entire residence of Yang Guozhong has been searched and confiscated!"

"Gold, silver and jewelry, copper coins and silks, antiques and calligraphy and paintings filled forty-three carts! The grain in the treasury was countless, and the properties in various places were still being confiscated."

"All male members of the household, from stewards and retainers to servants and laborers, are to be imprisoned in the imperial prison!"

"All the women were placed under surveillance; not one escaped!"

"besides……"

He paused:

"Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine has been banished to the Cold Palace. The Black-Armored Guards have surrounded the Cold Palace; not even a fly can get in."

After listening, Lu Wuming slowly nodded:

"Well done."

The commander of the Imperial Guards clasped his hands in a fist salute:

"Thank you for your praise, Prime Minister!"

Lu Wuming waved his hand: "Go down. Have someone count all the gold and silver jewelry and make a list. Also, make a complete count of all the people in the Yang family, not a single one can be missing."

"Yes, sir!"

The commander of the Imperial Guards turned and left.

The hall fell silent once more.

Lu Wuming did not look at Li Longji, but turned his gaze to the other side.

"Minister of Justice"

Miao Jinqing, the Minister of Justice, trembled.

He used to be on Yang Guozhong's side. Everyone in the court knew that.

When my name was called, sweat instantly poured down my back.

But he dared not hesitate, quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said:

"Your humble servant is here."

Lu Wuming looked at him, his tone calm, revealing no emotion:

"Minister Miao, your Ministry of Justice will have to work hard from now on."

Miao Jinqing quickly said:

"Please give your orders, Your Excellency! I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Lu Wuming nodded:

"Your Ministry of Justice must interrogate each and every one of those people from the Yang family. Find out exactly what they did, what money they embezzled, and who they harmed."

"If the facts are clear, convict according to the law. If the facts are unclear, continue the investigation until the facts are clear."

"Did you understand?"

Miao Jinqing's forehead was sweating, but his answer was resolute:

"Understood! I will investigate thoroughly and bring the truth to justice, and I will not let a single criminal escape!"

Lu Wuming looked at him and suddenly smiled:

"Minister Miao, I will not dwell on the past. But from today onwards, you should know what to do."

Miao Jinqing's legs went weak, and he almost knelt down:

"Your humble servant understands! Your humble servant will certainly do his utmost to serve the court and share the Prime Minister's burdens!"

Lu Wuming waved his hand, and he stood back down.

Lu Wuming finally turned around and faced Li Longji on the dragon throne.

"His Majesty."

Li Longji's heart skipped a beat.

What is this old guy up to now?

He's already done so much—killed Yang Guozhong, confiscated the Yang family's property, and deposed the Imperial Concubine. Isn't that enough?

Li Longji suppressed his anger, his voice deep:

"Old Prime Minister, is there anything else?"

Lu Wuming looked at him calmly, his gaze and voice equally calm:

"Your Majesty, although what happened just now was very gratifying and could rectify the court, it is not enough to win back the hearts of the people."

Li Longji frowned and said in a heavy tone.

"Then what else do you want?"

Lu Wuming took a step forward, a step so steady that it made the air in the entire hall freeze.

Then he spoke.

The voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a nail, hammering into the ears of everyone present:

"We beseech Your Majesty to issue an edict of self-reproach to appease the people and the nation!"

boom!!!

The entire hall erupted in uproar!

"What?!"

"An edict of self-reproach?!"