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

Above the sky.

Li Longji stood before the dragon throne, his face ashen.

Lu Wuming's words still echoed in the hall: "Your Majesty, please issue an edict of self-reproach."

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

Just then, a voice rang out.

"Father."

Li Heng stepped forward.

Crown Prince Li Heng, who usually never uttered a word in court, stood ramrod straight at this moment, staring directly at his father, the Emperor.

"Father, I have something to say."

Li Longji frowned.

Before he could speak, Li Heng continued:

"Father, the old prime minister is right. You were indeed wrong."

"Over the years, you have heavily relied on Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong, handing over the reins of government to them while you secluded yourself in the inner palace. Loyal and virtuous officials have been sidelined, while treacherous ministers have come to power, and the court has become increasingly corrupt."

"You dote on Yang Guifei and indulge the Yang family. Yang Guozhong's corruption and abuse of power are known throughout the court, yet you turn a blind eye to it."

"You placed too much trust in An Lushan, allowing him to hold the positions of military governor of three towns simultaneously, wielding a large army, thus nurturing a tiger that will eventually become a threat."

"besides……"

Lee Hyung paused, his voice growing deeper:

"You killed three sons in one day."

"Father, which of these things wasn't wrong?"

boom!!!

The hall fell silent; all the ministers were shocked!

What happened earlier shouldn't have shocked them so much.

That was the last sentence: "His Majesty killed three sons in one day. This is a taboo among taboos!"

They never expected that these words would come from the Crown Prince's mouth.

Shock them!

Not only were the courtiers shocked, but Li Longji was also extremely shocked. He looked at Li Heng with a complex expression in his eyes.

Li Longji suddenly slammed his fist on the table and roared.

"You! Shut up!"

His voice was trembling, and his finger pointing at Li Heng was also trembling:

"Li Heng! You are not yet the emperor! How dare you criticize me here?!"

"Do you believe I won't depose you, the crown prince?!"

Li Heng did not back down.

He met Li Longji's murderous gaze and spoke each word clearly:

"Of course, Father Emperor can depose me."

"Just like back then, Father Emperor could kill three sons in a single day. Father Emperor can also kill his son, me."

"But Father, what time is it now? An Lushan's rebel army has already occupied Luoyang and is about to reach Chang'an! The people of the world are displaced, and the bodies of soldiers on the border are still warm!"

"Father, are you still going to remain so stubborn?"

After Li Heng finished speaking, he knelt down.

"We beg Your Majesty to issue an edict of self-reproach!"

His kneeling was like lighting a powder keg.

The ministers looked at each other, and then, with a clatter, they all knelt down.

At that moment, they had all sorts of thoughts on their minds, but they all tacitly reached a consensus and spoke in unison.

"Your Majesty, please issue an edict of self-reproach!"

"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince is right!"

"The old prime minister is right! Your Majesty, please issue an edict of self-reproach!"

"Your Majesty, we can no longer remain obstinate!"

"Your Majesty, please issue an edict of self-reproach! To appease the people and the nation!"

......

The sounds rose and fell, echoing throughout the main hall.

Li Longji was completely dumbfounded.

He stood before the dragon throne, looking down at the sea of ​​kneeling ministers below.

Weren't all those people just now following Yang Guozhong?

Weren't all those people just observing?

How could they all turn against each other in an instant?

Has everyone sided with the Crown Prince?

The whole station has sided with Lu Wuming?

Just because Yang Guozhong died?

His gaze swept over the familiar faces; those who were fawning over the Yang family yesterday were kneeling most fervently today; those who were observing yesterday were shouting the loudest today.

Li Longji suddenly felt a chill all over his body.

Having lived for so many years, this was the first time he truly understood what it meant to be utterly alone.

Their gaze finally settled on Lu Wuming.

Lu Wuming did not kneel.

He stood there, his hair white, his back straight, quietly looking back at Li Longji.

There was no mockery or smugness in his gaze, only an indescribable calmness.

It was as if all of this was within his expectations.

Li Longji finally understood.

This old man didn't come here today to persuade him.

They came to pressure him.

Li Longji gritted his teeth, forcing out the words through the gaps between them:

"You...you're forcing me to abdicate!"

Lu Wuming shook his head: "Your Majesty, this is neither a coup nor a military remonstrance."

"This is our plea to Your Majesty. We beg Your Majesty to save the Tang Dynasty."

"The An Lushan Rebellion was not caused by Yang Guozhong alone. Your Majesty is well aware of this."

"If we don't issue an edict of self-reproach, how can we win back the hearts of the people? How can we stabilize the morale of the army? Why should the people of the world believe that the court can still win this war?"

"Your Majesty, the Tang Dynasty cannot withstand further turmoil."

"Your Majesty, please do not repeat the same mistake."

At this moment, Li Longji stood still, motionless.

One second passed!

Two seconds passed!

Three seconds have passed!

The hall was eerily quiet.

Li Longji looked at the kneeling officials, the white-haired old prime minister, and his own crown prince kneeling at the front.

He finally understood.

Today, this edict of self-reproach has to be issued whether or not.

He took a deep breath, his voice hoarse:

"good……"

"Since you all want me to issue an edict of self-reproach..."

"Then I will alight."

He slowly sat back on the dragon throne and waved his hand: "Bring me pen and ink."

A young eunuch nervously brought up the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and placed them on the emperor's desk.

Li Longji picked up the pen, but did not move it.

He stared at the blank imperial edict before him, his hand hovering there, unable to fall.

Lu Wuming raised his head: "If Your Majesty does not know where to begin... then I will read it aloud, and Your Majesty will write it down."

Li Longji's hand trembled, but he did not object.

Lu Wuming knelt on the ground, his voice steady, and read out the following lines one by one:

"First, I have neglected my duties and been lazy in governing. I have handed over the administration of the state to Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong, while I have indulged in pleasure, which has led to the gradual deterioration of the court."

Li Longji's hands were trembling, but he still continued writing.

"Secondly, I have made good use of treacherous officials. Li Linfu is all talk and no action, Yang Guozhong has seized power and caused chaos in the government, loyal and good people have been sidelined, and villains have risen to power."

Li Longji gritted his teeth and continued writing.

"Thirdly, I favored Consort Yang and indulged her relatives. The Yang family wielded immense power, and Yang Guozhong brought disaster to the country and disrupted the government, exacerbating conflicts in the court."

When writing the three characters "Yang Guifei", Li Longji paused for a moment.

But he still finished writing it.

"Fourthly, I made a mistake in employing An Lushan, nurturing a tiger that would eventually cause trouble. I trusted him too much, allowing him to hold the positions of military governor of three towns simultaneously, which gave him too much military power and ultimately led to his rebellion."

"Fifthly, I mishandled the Crown Prince and the affairs of state, executing three sons in a single day!"

After Lu Wuming finished reading, he raised his head:

"Your Majesty, have you finished writing?"

Li Longji remained silent.

He stared at the still-wet imperial edict before him, his hands trembling slightly.

Five charges.

Five.

He wrote every single one of them himself.

Every single one of them admits that I was wrong.

He picked up the Imperial Seal and held it above the imperial edict.

Once the seal is placed on the document, this edict of self-reproach will take effect.

From then on, everyone in the world knew that the emperor of the Tang Dynasty had admitted his guilt.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then—

"Bang!!!"

The imperial seal was lowered, its bright red imprint stamped at the bottom of the edict, and the dust settled.