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

Forced back half a step by this imposing aura, Yang Guozhong's face turned a deep purplish-red.

"You you you you..."

"What about me?"

Lu Wuming didn't give him a chance to speak at all. He flicked his sleeve and pointed his finger directly at the tip of his nose.

"An Lushan raised his army in Fanyang, and his advance was unstoppable. In just a few months, he captured several prefectures and was on the verge of Luoyang!"

"Isn't there some 'contribution' from you, Grand Chancellor Yang, behind all this?"

Yang Guozhong froze.

Lu Wuming's voice was as cold as ice in the twelfth lunar month.

"Who repeatedly slandered An Lushan, saying he would inevitably rebel, forcing him to rebel?!"

"Who is embezzling the border troops' rations and pay, enriching themselves and causing widespread resentment among the soldiers?!"

"And who is it that's blocking channels of communication, preventing urgent reports from even reaching His Majesty?!"

With each question, Yang Guozhong's face paled a little more.

The entire court was completely silent.

Even Li Longji, sitting on the dragon throne, trembled as he listened.

He wasn't entirely unaware of these things.

It's just that I was blinded by the prosperity of the past and misled by slander, so I didn't want to think about it deeply.

"Now that the rebels are approaching, instead of thinking about defending the city and resisting the enemy, you don't even consider how to deploy troops to protect Chang'an!"

Lu Wuming's voice suddenly turned into a stern shout.

"Instead, they were the first to jump out and urge His Majesty to abandon the city and flee!"

"Yang Guozhong!"

He suddenly took a step forward, and his hunched body suddenly burst forth with an astonishing aura.

"Are you truly thinking of His Majesty's best interests, or are you just paving the way for your own future?!"

"Sichuan is a territory you've cultivated for many years. Once His Majesty arrives there, won't it be even more under your control?!"

"At that time, by holding the emperor hostage and commanding the feudal lords, the Tang Dynasty might very well be changed to the Yang family!!!"

"boom!!!"

These words were like a thunderclap, shaking the entire Xuanzheng Hall.

Yang Guozhong's legs went weak, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud, shouting hoarsely:

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please see the truth! I had no such intention! This old scoundrel is spewing false accusations! False accusations indeed!!!"

Li Longji stared intently at Yang Guozhong, then slowly looked at Lu Wuming.

That aged face now gradually overlapped with the young figure who, decades ago, had advised him and rectified the court in the early years of the Kaiyuan era.

At that time, Prime Minister Lu said: "Under the prosperous age, hidden dangers have already emerged."

He didn't believe it.

now……

Lu Wuming stopped looking at Yang Guozhong, who was slumped on the ground, turned to face the dragon throne, and bowed deeply.

The voice suddenly became desolate and weary.

"His Majesty."

"I am 137 years old this year."

The hall fell silent once more.

Even Yang Guozhong, who was sobbing, forgot to cry.

One hundred and thirty-seven years old?!

They were deeply shocked!

Lu Wuming slowly straightened up, his gaze piercing through the main hall, as if he could see into the distance.

"This old minister has witnessed the legacy of the Zhenguan era, the reforms of the Wu Zhou dynasty, and the golden age of the Kaiyuan era..."

"I have also seen hell on earth, where the world was in chaos, corpses of the starving were everywhere, and people were exchanging their own children to eat."

He withdrew his gaze and returned it to Li Longji's face. In his eyes, there was regret, pleading, and a hint of... almost imperceptible pleas.

"Your Majesty, Chang'an cannot be lost."

"Once Chang'an is lost, the hearts of the people will be completely scattered."

"Although An Lushan's army is numerous, it lacks popular support. As long as Your Majesty remains in Chang'an, inspires the soldiers, and holds out for reinforcements, armies from all over the land will surely flock to your aid!"

"But what if His Majesty leaves..."

He paused, his voice hoarse.

"That would be telling the whole world that the emperor of the Tang Dynasty no longer wanted his capital or his people."

"At that time, it won't just be Chang'an that will be lost."

"But the whole world."

Li Longji sat on the dragon throne, his whole body ice-cold.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Lu Wuming looked at him and said one last thing.

"Your Majesty! Do you really want to become a sinner for the Tang Dynasty for all time?"

……

In front of the Taiji Hall during the Zhenguan era.

Li Shimin stared at the light screen, a fire burning in his chest, making his temples throb.

Every word Lu Wuming said struck him like a blow to the heart!

Right, what kind of place is Chang'an?

It is the capital of the Tang Dynasty, the root of the nation, and the face of the emperor! How can we abandon it so easily, or run away so easily?

Back when Li Shimin was on the banks of the Wei River, facing 100,000 Turkic cavalry, he preferred to negotiate alone rather than utter the words "move the capital"!

And look at Yang Guozhong's ugly face...

"Pooh!"

Li Shimin couldn't help but spit, pointing at the panicked figure in purple robes on the light screen, his voice trembling with anger:

"A treacherous minister! A complete treacherous minister! With the nation in peril and enemy troops pressing in, instead of thinking about preparing the army for war and comforting the people, his first thought is to instigate the king to flee?"

"Such behavior is no different from treason! Where does he place the dignity of the emperor? Where has he thrown the backbone of our Great Tang Dynasty!"

He grew angrier as he spoke, and suddenly turned around, his gaze like lightning sweeping over the silent officials in front of the hall.

"Xuanling! Wei Zheng! Fuji! You all saw it, you all heard it!"

"Come, you all, judge for me! Does this man surnamed Yang deserve to wear that purple robe? Does he deserve to stand in the court of my Great Tang? Does he deserve to be the prime minister?!"

Its sound was like a booming bell, echoing before the palace.

Fang Xuanling's heart skipped a beat when his name was called. He was usually calm and composed, but even he hesitated at this moment.

How should we evaluate the prime ministers of later generations?

How should I respond to that question tactfully?

As he was carefully considering his words, a figure stepped forward beside him.

It was Wei Zheng.

Old Wei has never understood the meaning of "tact," and at this moment his face was ashen, and his beard stood on end in anger.

"Your Majesty! Why offer further comment?"

Wei Zheng's voice was resolute and colder than the wind outside the palace:

"This beast is unworthy! Absolutely unworthy!"

He flicked his sleeve, his finger almost piercing the light screen, pointing directly at Yang Guozhong:

"A prime minister's duty is to step forward in times of crisis, share the ruler's burdens, and relieve the nation's suffering! This is his fundamental responsibility!"

"But what has this man done? Before the enemy even arrives, he has already sown discord in the emperor's mind! Instead of devising strategies to defend the territory and resist the enemy, he has been plotting to force the emperor to flee far away! This is not treason, but rather a calamity for the country!"

"Your Majesty, please consider what Lu Wuming said—'The emperor guards the nation's gates, the monarch dies for the state!'"

"These are the words a subject of the Great Tang should use to advise his emperor! This is the backbone a prime minister of the Great Tang should possess!"

"Yang Guozhong's actions are tantamount to tearing out the backbone of our Great Tang Dynasty! They are uprooting the foundation of our Great Tang Dynasty!"

"Such behavior is more than just unfit for the position of prime minister; in my humble opinion, he doesn't even deserve to be a minor official in our Great Tang Dynasty!"

"He's simply... a traitor to the country!"

Good heavens, even a "traitorous official" has appeared!

Wei Zheng spoke swiftly and forcefully, his words resounding with conviction. Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji, who were standing nearby, both felt their eyelids twitch.

Li Shimin's chest heaved as he listened, and he slammed his fist on the table beside him: "Well said! Minister Wei's words resonate deeply with me!"

His gaze then turned to Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji: "What about you two? What do you think?"

Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji exchanged a glance, knowing that they had to express their stance at this point.

Fang Xuanling coughed lightly and bowed.

"Your Majesty, although Wei Zheng's words were harsh, they... hit the nail on the head. Judging from his words and actions, he is certainly not the kind of person who can save the country. He is cowardly in the face of difficulties and advised you to abandon the capital, which is a breach of the proper conduct of a subject."

Changsun Wuji quickly followed suit, speaking more tactfully, but conveying the same meaning.

"I second that opinion. A prime minister should possess the ability to stabilize the country and maintain order in the face of danger. This man... alas..."

"It's more than just worry!"