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

The Zhenguan era.

Li Shimin's anger, which had just subsided, suddenly flared up again.

"The Censor-in-Chief?!"

He pointed at Lu Youlin, who was being dragged down into the sky, his eyes wide with disbelief:

"Did I hear that right? The Censor-in-Chief?!"

"What are they for? They're there to monitor all officials! To impeach corruption! To keep an eye on the court for me!"

"And what was the result? He himself was the biggest corrupt official! The biggest traitor!"

Li Shimin slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup to jump and spill tea all over the table.

"He is a sympathizer of Li Linfu! He framed the Crown Prince's faction! He abused the law! He is corrupt and perverted justice!"

"Which of these four crimes isn't punishable by death? Which one doesn't deserve to be torn to pieces?!"

"How could someone like this become the Censor-in-Chief? How could he stand in the imperial court for so many years?"

He stood up in anger and paced back and forth, his boots stomping loudly.

"I knew it! How did the Tang Dynasty fall? It was eaten away by these parasites!"

"If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will also be crooked! The emperor is incompetent, and the ministers are treacherous; rotten from top to bottom, inside and out!"

"It's absolutely rotten!"

The officials below all bowed their heads, not daring to breathe loudly.

Fang Xuanling forced himself to offer a word of advice:

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger..."

Li Shimin suddenly turned around:

"Calm down? How can you expect me to calm down?"

"I work tirelessly from dawn till dusk, striving to govern the country. What am I hoping to achieve? I hope to prevent the Tang Dynasty from becoming like this!"

"And what was the result? Is this how my descendants will maintain my empire?"

He pointed to the sky, his fingers trembling:

"If this Lu Youlin falls into my hands..."

Li Shimin gritted his teeth and spoke slowly, word by word:

"I will have him torn to pieces and executed by slow slicing!"

"To allow him to live is an insult to the people of the world!"

After finishing his tirade, Li Shimin, panting heavily, plopped back down on his throne.

He looked at the hunched yet upright figure against the sky, then suddenly changed the subject:

"But then again..."

"That Lu Wuming did a really great job."

"A mere Censor-in-Chief, he was arrested on a whim, and his crimes were read aloud on a whim, without any regard for his dignity."

Li Shimin nodded: "That's how it should be."

"We can't be lenient with these parasites. If we are, they will only become more rampant."

"They should be like Lu Wuming, reading out his crimes one by one in front of the entire court, making him kneel there begging for mercy, letting him know what it means to be utterly humiliated!"

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of appreciation:

"This Lu Wuming is quite a character."

"At 137 years old, it's not easy to still have this kind of fierceness."

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

"Every single thing Lu Wuming has done today is for the purpose of purifying the court and winning back the hearts of the people."

"Killing Yang Guozhong is eliminating the chief culprit. Forcing him to admit his guilt is rectifying the emperor's mind. Investigating the officials is purifying the bureaucracy."

"This process is interconnected and cannot be accomplished overnight."

He rarely praised someone: "This person is truly capable."

……

Above the sky.

Just as Lu Wuming reached for the second box and opened the booklet in his hand...

"Please wait a moment, Your Excellency!"

A voice suddenly rang out.

All the officials and civil and military officers looked up in unison, gazing in the direction from which the sound came.

A man emerged from the train, dressed in a purple robe and jade belt, slightly plump, with a fine layer of sweat on his forehead.

Left Chancellor: Wei Jiansu.

Lu Wuming's hand paused.

He slowly turned his head, looked at the figure that walked out, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Oh?"

He closed the booklet in his hand, casually put it back in the box, and turned around: "Does Prime Minister Wei have something to say?"

Wei Jiansu strode to the center of the hall and bowed deeply: "Your Excellency, I am willing to go!"

His voice was so loud that it could be heard throughout the entire hall.

But his legs were trembling slightly.

Lu Wuming looked at him without saying a word.

The hall was so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat.

Wei Jiansu's forehead was covered in even more sweat, but he dared not wipe it away.

He could only stand there, forcing himself to wait for Lu Wuming's reply.

He is the Left Prime Minister.

When the left prime minister.

He is second only to two people, and above ten thousand others.

But standing in front of this white-haired old man, he felt like a minor official waiting to be reprimanded.

Lu Wuming finally spoke.

He chuckled softly, a sound that sent chills down Wei Jiansu's spine:

"Minister Wei is indeed worthy of his noble lineage; he has good judgment."

Wei Jiansu bowed quickly and replied in rapid succession:

"You flatter me, Your Excellency! You are the true pillar of the aristocracy, the guiding light of the scholarly world! My limited understanding is nothing compared to yours, like a firefly compared to the moon!"

"The old prime minister served four emperors, upholding the state and being highly respected. Who in the world does not know him? Who does not respect him?"

"I have long admired the late Prime Minister and wished I could hear his teachings in person. Today, having witnessed his esteemed presence, I am overjoyed..."

"Alright, alright."

Lu Wuming waved his hand, interrupting his rambling.

He certainly knew why Wei Jiansu had stood up.

Wei Jiansu, Left Chancellor.

He was also one of Yang Guozhong's men.

And it's the kind with iron poles.

During Yang Guozhong's years in power, Wei Jiansu followed closely behind, cheering him on and committing numerous unethical acts. He framed loyal officials, engaged in embezzlement and bribery, and was known for his sycophancy and flattery.

His crimes are no less serious than those of Lu Youlin.

even more.

The next page of the booklet that Lu Wuming had just opened had Wei Jiansu's name on it.

Wei Jiansu himself knew this.

Wei Jiansu's face turned pale when Lu Youlin was dragged out.

He looked at the three boxes, at the booklet in Lu Wuming's hand, and at the unlucky guy being dragged away.

He knew that he might be next.

No, it's not possible.

It is certain.

Given what he's done over the years, it's impossible that the old prime minister didn't have something on him.

Rather than waiting for the old prime minister to read out his name and expose his crimes one by one in front of the entire court, and then be dragged out like Lu Youlin.

It's better to step forward yourself.

Let's take a gamble.

Even if I were to read out my self-reproach from the city wall and offend His Majesty, that would be a matter for later.

At least for now, I can save my life.

Wei Jiansu stood there, his back soaked with sweat.

Lu Wuming looked at him and suddenly smiled again.

That smile held a hint of amusement and a touch of understanding.

"It seems there are still people in the imperial court who are willing to do things."

He nodded: "As the Left Chancellor, it is appropriate for you to read out this edict of self-reproach. Your rank is high enough, the weight is sufficient, and the people of the world will believe you."

He picked up the edict of self-reproach and handed it to Wei Jiansu.

Wei Jiansu accepted the gift with both hands, holding it above his head. His voice trembled, but he tried his best to remain calm: "Please rest assured, Your Excellency! I will definitely complete this task and will not let Your Excellency down!"

Lu Wuming looked at him and said calmly, "Of course I trust Prime Minister Wei."

He paused, then his voice suddenly turned cold: "I hope Prime Minister Wei will not disappoint me."

Wei Jiansu trembled and bowed repeatedly, saying, "No! Absolutely not!"

Lu Wuming remained silent.

He waved.

Wei Jiansu felt as if he had been granted a pardon. Holding the edict of self-reproach, he turned to leave.

"Wait a minute."

Wei Jiansu froze.

He slowly turned around, his smile more painful than a grimace: "Old...Old Prime Minister, is there anything else you require?"

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

"Come in."

A troop of imperial guards filed in.

Wei Jiansu's face turned even paler.

Lu Wuming pointed at the imperial guards: "You follow Prime Minister Wei and protect him. During the reading of the edict of self-reproach, no one is allowed to approach, and no mistakes are permitted."

The Imperial Guard Commander clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Yes, sir!"

Wei Jiansu looked at the Imperial Guards, his mind perfectly clear.

Protect?

That sounds nice.

Is this protection? This is surveillance.

From that moment on, his every move was under the watchful eyes of these imperial guards.

Run? You can't run.

Trying to pull any tricks? You can't.

He had no choice but to obediently go to the city wall and read the edict of self-reproach, word by word, to all the people in the city.

Wei Jiansu took a deep breath, held the edict of self-reproach, and walked out of the main hall under the "escort" of the imperial guards.

After he left, the atmosphere in the hall relaxed slightly.

But it was only a little bit.

Because those three boxes are still there.

Lu Wuming did not remove the box.

He simply closed the lid.

That's it.

The ministers' gazes kept drifting towards the three boxes, as if they were looking at three powder kegs that could explode at any moment.

No one dared to ask.

Nobody dared to say it.

No one even dared to look at it for long.

But everyone knew in their hearts that the box contained everyone's lives.

Lu Wuming stood beside the box, finally turning around to face the dragon throne.

"His Majesty."

Li Longji sat on the dragon throne, his face ashen.

He watched Wei Jiansu's departing figure, his fingers gripping the handrail so tightly that his nails almost dug into the wood.

Wei Jiansu.

Left Prime Minister.

The Left Chancellor of the Imperial Court.

They actually listened to Lu Wuming's words so obediently?

He actually took my edict of self-reproach and read it aloud to the people from the city wall? Is he still my subject?

Li Longji was so angry that he trembled all over, but he couldn't say a word.

What could he say?

Should Wei Jiansu be dismissed? Should the edict of self-reproach be retrieved?

All that work just now was for nothing.

The people's hearts and minds are lost forever.

He could only sit there and watch helplessly, unable to do anything.

Lu Wuming looked at his face and spoke calmly:

"Your Majesty, may I ask what should be done with the contents of this box?"