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

Li Longji stared at the person in the prince's presence, stunned.

This face... is somewhat familiar, yet utterly unfamiliar.

The long-buried memories were suddenly pried open.

Yang Guozhong was even more bewildered than him, his eyes practically popping out of their sockets.

What's this old guy doing here? Didn't he leave Chang'an more than ten years ago? Didn't he retire more than ten years ago? What's he up to at this critical juncture?!

Yang Guozhong felt a chill run down his spine.

Others may have forgotten, but he knew perfectly well that this man was the true "Number One Powerful Minister" of the Tang Dynasty!

Although he had long since retired from officialdom, how many officials in the imperial court and local areas had come from his tutelage?

The relationship between the cloud storage and the hard drive is so complicated, it's terrifying to even think about.

He barged into the palace at this time, and the first thing he said was...

"A sinner for all time?"

Li Longji's face darkened; these words were like a thorn, pricking his imperial face painfully.

He suppressed his anger, his voice deep.

"Old Prime Minister, it's been over a decade since we last met, and you still show me the same disrespect! You don't take me seriously at all!"

"But it doesn't matter, after all, the old prime minister has done a great service to the Tang Dynasty and the world! He has brought blessings to the world! I will not hold your words against you."

"However, old Prime Minister, what do you mean by calling me a sinner for all time? What have I done wrong to deserve such a judgment from you!"

"Furthermore, have you come today merely to declare me a sinner for all time?"

Lu Wuming stood straight, neither humble nor arrogant.

"This old minister has come to save Your Majesty."

"Save me?"

Li Longji frowned, puzzled.

"Indeed. Save His Majesty, lest he abandon Chang'an and lose the hearts of the people."

Lu Wuming raised his eyes, his gaze intense.

"The emperor guards the nation's gates, and the monarch dies for the state."

"If Your Majesty leaves, the people's hearts will be scattered."

"Even if the rebellion is quelled one day, can a court that has lost the hearts of the people still be called the Great Tang?"

Upon hearing this, Li Longji immediately felt ashamed and embarrassed.

But his eyes were filled with anger.

He never expected that the old prime minister would dare to say such a thing to him!

Then, he said in a fit of rage.

"Nonsense! When did I ever say I wanted to leave Chang'an? Abandon Chang'an!"

Lu Wuming showed no fear whatsoever, his eyes gleaming with a strange light.

Then he looked at Li Longji and said decisively.

"Your Majesty! Weren't you just thinking about what excuse you could use to leave Chang'an?!"

!!!

……

During the Zhenguan era

Li Shimin, standing under the light screen, clenched his fists so tightly they cracked.

He understood!

This monstrous thing reflects the unworthy descendants of the Li Tang dynasty!

"You bastard!"

Li Shimin roared so loudly that the beams of the palace shook.

"To flee the capital before the enemy even arrives? What about the ancestral legacy and the people of Chang'an?!"

"This kind of monarch is utterly useless! Utterly useless! Completely useless!!!"

The flames of war from years past flashed before his eyes.

The Turkic cavalry advanced directly towards the Wei River, prompting the crown prince to suggest moving the capital to avoid disaster...

"We must not retreat!" The voice of the former King of Qin echoed his roar now. "If we abandon the capital, we will lose our soul!"

He dared to lead only a few thousand soldiers to confront the Khan and force back 100,000 wolf soldiers.

And this emperor of later generations actually wanted to run away?

"Absurd! Shameless!"

Li Shimin was so angry that his chest heaved, wishing he could jump into the light curtain and slap Li Longji hard across the face.

At this moment, Wei Zheng, who was standing to the side, also understood the contents of the document.

If he's right, then what's reflected here is what happened in the Tang Dynasty later.

I was puzzled as to how they managed to do that.

But what?

As can be seen from the above, a rebellion occurred in the Tang Dynasty in later years.

However, the rebellion was so powerful that it forced the emperor to move away from Chang'an.

It is easy to imagine how enormous the scale of this rebellion was.

But what?

He never imagined that in later generations, the imperial court would actually be urging the emperor to move away from Chang'an.

And this emperor seemed to share the same idea.

This is utterly absurd!

Then, Wei Zheng stepped forward and spoke respectfully and solemnly.

"Your Majesty's rebuke is well-deserved! It's absolutely right!!!"

Li Shimin was shocked. Wei Zheng did not criticize him, but instead praised him.

This shocked and delighted him!

After all, Wei Zheng rarely praised anyone.

Especially towards him, all they do is criticize him and never praise him!

I never expected that he would be praised like this!

He said, somewhat incredulously, "Xuancheng, what did you just say? I didn't quite catch that."

Seeing that Li Shimin pretended not to hear, Wei Zheng repeated himself.

"Your Majesty, as I just said, Your Majesty was right to scold me! Your Majesty scolded me well!"

Throughout history, the capital city has always been the foundation upon which a nation stands.

"What kind of place is Chang'an? It is the capital of the Tang Dynasty, the place where the emperor's dignity resides."

"Chang'an was the political center, military fortress, economic hub, and cultural symbol of the country..."

"If an emperor can abandon his own capital, then that country is not far from its demise."

"Because if he abandons the capital, then this emperor is declaring to the whole world that the country is doomed."

"He abandoned the people at this critical moment, and thus lost their support."

"Once you lose the hearts of the people, winning them back is incredibly difficult, practically impossible!"

"Without the support of the people, there is only one outcome awaiting the Tang Dynasty: its demise."

Wei Zheng became more and more excited as he spoke, and spoke with great enthusiasm.

"Your Majesty, you often say that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. The people are like water; they can make the Tang Dynasty prosperous and strong, but they can also lead the Tang Dynasty to its demise."

"Therefore, His Majesty was right to scold us! Well said!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin realized that this was exactly what he had been thinking and saying.

As expected, Wei Zheng understood him best!

Then Li Shimin burst into laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

"Xuancheng, you understand me best, you understand my thoughts best."

The other officials, seeing this scene, began to speak, led by Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji, and others.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

At this moment, Li Shimin's expression became unusually solemn as he looked at the scene above the sky.

He was filled with unease; was the Tang Dynasty about to perish?

Then Li Shimin looked at his ministers, including Wei Zheng, Fang Xuanling, and Changsun Wuji, and then asked a question.

"What do you think will happen next?"

Changsun Wuji took the lead, stepped forward, and then spoke respectfully.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the Tang Dynasty will not perish because of this."

The others echoed this sentiment.

"We second that proposal!!!"

However, Wei Zheng stepped forward at this moment and spoke directly.

"Your Majesty! We must be mindful of potential dangers even in times of peace!"

"Anything is possible. For example, did Qin Shi Huang foresee that the Qin Dynasty would only last two generations? Or did Yang Jian foresee that the Sui Dynasty would perish at the hands of Emperor Yang of Sui?"