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

The Zhenguan era.

Watching Li Longji in the sky pick up a pen and write his name on the edict of self-reproach stroke by stroke, then pick up the Imperial Seal and press it down heavily.

Li Shimin let out a long breath and nodded.

"That's how it should be."

He leaned back on his throne, a hint of satisfaction finally appearing on his face: "He must issue this edict of self-reproach."

"Look at what the Tang Dynasty has become! An Lushan rebelled, Luoyang fell, Tongguan was under attack, the world was in chaos, people were displaced, and the bodies of soldiers on the border were still warm."

"Who caused all this?"

Li Shimin's voice deepened: "It was Li Longji himself."

"If he had woken up a few years earlier, realized what kind of person Yang Guozhong was, and dealt with that wolfish and ambitious An Lushan sooner, would things have come to this?"

"What's wrong with him? The rebels are almost at Chang'an, and his first reaction isn't to defend the city or fight back, it's to run! He's abandoning the people of Chang'an!"

Li Shimin grew increasingly angry, slamming his fist on the table: "Is this the kind of thing an emperor should do? What does he take the people for? What does he take the legacy of our ancestors for?"

"Just for that reason alone, he doesn't deserve to sit in that chair!"

After venting his anger, he took a breath, then looked at the imperial edict of self-reproach stamped with the imperial seal in the sky, and his tone softened:

"But then again, he did log off after all."

"With this edict, at least the people of the world can see that the court has admitted its mistake, and the emperor has admitted his mistake. This will help to win back some of the people's hearts and boost morale a little."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Otherwise, the Tang Dynasty would have been finished long ago, without even waiting for An Lushan to attack."

Wei Zheng nodded in agreement: "Your Majesty is right."

"The so-called 'edict of self-reproach' is, in essence, just an explanation to the people. What the people want is not for the emperor to be wise, but for the emperor to have them in his heart."

"Li Longji tried to flee before, which meant abandoning the people. Now that he has admitted his mistake, at least he has picked up the people."

At this moment, Fang Xuanling also stepped forward and began to speak incessantly.

"This edict of self-reproach was indeed the right thing to do. If it hadn't been issued, the people's hearts would have been lost, and the Tang Dynasty would have perished. By issuing it, at least there was still a glimmer of hope."

"Your Majesty is wise. In my opinion, although Li Longji's edict of self-reproach came a little late, at least he did not repeat his mistakes."

"Now it depends on what the imperial court does. If it can truly repent and work hard to govern, it may not be impossible to quell the rebellion."

Not to be outdone, Changsun Wuji stepped forward and then spoke.

"Xuanling is right. His Majesty's words just now were all reasonable. Li Longji was able to pull back from the brink, which shows that he still has a shred of reason left."

......

Above the sky.

Li Longji picked up the still-wet edict of self-reproach, glanced at it, and handed it directly to Lu Wuming.

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

"Old Prime Minister, is this alright?"

Lu Wuming took the imperial edict and read it carefully.

All five charges were brought against him.

Although the handwriting is a bit shaky, it was indeed written by Li Longji himself.

The mark of the Imperial Seal of the State is bright red and glaring.

Lu Wuming nodded:

"That's fine."

Li Longji snorted coldly, sat back on the dragon throne, and said no more.

Lu Wuming didn't look at him, but turned to the outside of the hall and said in a deep voice:

"Someone come here."

A member of the Imperial Guard strode in and bowed in salute.

"Prime Minister".

Lu Wuming's gaze swept over the entire court of civil and military officials, finally settling on the Imperial Guards, as if speaking to everyone:

"This edict of self-reproach needs someone to go to the top of Chang'an city wall and read it aloud to the public, so that it can be proclaimed to the world."

He paused. "Who will?"

The hall fell silent instantly.

The ministers who had been shouting so loudly just moments before were now all bowing their heads, looking down at their noses and muttering to themselves, as if they wanted to bury their heads in their necks.

No one said a word.

Lu Wuming's gaze swept across the front row.

The officials who had been shouting the loudest just moments before now kept their heads bowed low.

He looked at Crown Prince Li Heng.

Li Heng kept his head down and didn't move.

He did indeed stand up and criticize his father, his words piercing to the heart. But that was to force his father to admit his mistake, for the sake of the bigger picture.

Can an edict of self-reproach be read aloud?

That's different.

That meant that he would read out his father's six crimes one by one in front of all the people of Chang'an.

That was to completely trample on the Emperor's dignity.

Whoever does this will be the person Father Emperor hates most in his life.

He cannot be the crown prince.

Once it's done, the father-son relationship will be completely severed.

Lu Wuming's gaze continued to sweep backward.

The officials he saw all shrank back.

The once bustling court was now so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat.

Lu Wuming waited for a moment.

Still, no one stepped forward.

He suddenly laughed.

The smile was faint, yet it carried an indescribable mockery.

"What's wrong?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it pierced everyone's ears like a knife:

"Is there not a single one of you, the civil and military officials, with any courage?"

"Isn't there really no one who dares to step forward and do this?"

The hall remained deathly silent; no one dared to speak.

Lu Wuming's smile slowly faded.

He looked at the officials with their heads bowed and necks hunched, and at the high-ranking officials who usually talked big and gave orders about the country, but now they all looked like frightened quails, wishing they could disappear into the ground.

He suddenly spoke, his voice icy:

No wonder.

"No wonder the Tang Dynasty has become like this today."

"It's not just His Majesty's fault."

"You are equally guilty, and your sins are indelible!"

The entire court was filled with fear and unease, dreading the old prime minister's wrath.

Someone looked up, as if to say something, but met Lu Wuming's cold, old eyes and quickly lowered their head again.

Lu Wuming continued:

"His Majesty is incompetent; as his subjects, have you not offered your remonstrance, even at the cost of your lives?"

"Yang Guozhong wielded absolute power; did you ever resist?"

"Did you give any warning when An Lushan grew in power?"

"no."

"You've done nothing. All you do is protect yourselves, curry favor with the powerful, wag your tails in front of Yang Guozhong, and speak well of His Majesty."

"And now?"

"Now that His Majesty has admitted his mistakes and issued an edict of self-reproach, all that's needed is for someone to step forward, go to the city wall, and read it aloud, so that the world knows the court can still be saved and the people know the emperor has erred. It's such a simple thing, yet no one dares to do it?"

"you……"

Lu Wuming said, enunciating each word clearly: "You are unworthy to be an official of the Great Tang!"

These words were like a slap in the face, landing hard on everyone's cheeks.

The ministers' faces turned pale and ashen; some were ashamed, some were terrified, and some wanted to refute but couldn't open their mouths.

Because what Lu Wuming said was all true.

Lu Wuming stopped looking at them and turned to the imperial guards, saying:

"Since no one dares to go... then don't blame me."

Upon hearing this, the courtiers were all filled with fear and unease.

What did the old prime minister mean by that? They felt a chill run down their spines!

They looked at the old prime minister, and one by one they subconsciously took a few steps back, afraid of being noticed by him.