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

He slowly scanned the officials in the hall, some with their heads bowed, some glancing sideways, and some with expressions of panic.

Finally, his gaze returned to Yang Guozhong's distorted face, and he spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice suddenly turning stern.

"Let me tell you a piece of advice: if you don't want others to know, then don't do it in the first place!"

"It's not that nobody knows, it's just that the time isn't right yet!"

"Today, I've come to settle accounts with you!"

The Zhenguan era.

On the screen, Lu Wuming's voice, listing Yang Guozhong's crimes one by one, came crashing down like icicles.

Abuse of power, framing of dissidents, exaggeration of military achievements, corruption and embezzlement...

At first, Li Shimin listened with a sullen face, but the more he listened, the darker his face became and the more his chest heaved.

When Lu Wuming finally shouted out, "If you don't want people to know, don't do it in the first place!"

"Bang!"

"Traitor! National traitor! Corrupt official! Parasite!"

He cursed several times, his eyes turning red with anger, pointing at the purple-robed figure slumped on the ground in the light screen.

"Listen to this! Listen to this, all of you! Is this how a human being behaves? Is this something a prime minister should do?!"

"He abused his power, framed his colleagues, fabricated military achievements, and used the lives of his soldiers to glorify himself! He was corrupt and embezzled public funds, emptying the national treasury! He even dared to force a border general to rebel, bringing chaos to the country!"

"This kind of person! This kind of scoundrel! How did he become prime minister?!"

"Were the emperors of later generations blind or deaf? They just let this scourge run rampant in the court, and let the country become such a mess!"

The joy of the Zhenguan era's prosperity has long been overshadowed by these successive "revelations from later generations."

The ministers all bowed their heads, cold sweat pouring down their backs.

The emperor was furious; who would dare to utter a word?

Just then, a harsh voice rang out:

"Your Majesty is right to scold me!"

Wei Zheng took a step forward, his face even more unpleasant than Li Shimin's, his mustache twitching with anger.

"Such a treacherous and wicked official is more than unfit to be a prime minister!"

"In my opinion, even torturing him to death would not be too much!"

"Those who abuse their power to amass wealth are parasites!"

"To frame someone and force them to rebel is treason!"

"With such people in power, it's like termites hollowing out the pillars of a great building; how can a prosperous era not crumble? How can the country not fall into chaos?"

His words were harsh and direct, which somewhat eased the anger in Li Shimin's chest.

"Xuancheng is right!" Li Shimin exhaled heavily, his eyes growing even colder. "If such a minister were in my court..."

He paused, his voice filled with undisguised murderous intent.

"I will have him skinned alive and hung on the city gate tower so that the whole world can see what happens to those who embezzle, break the law, and wreak havoc on the country!"

These words are bloody, yet no one thinks they are excessive.

The ministers began to speak one after another.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

"Such treacherous villains deserve to be killed by everyone!"

……

Above the sky, in the Xuanzheng Hall.

Yang Guozhong was truly panicked this time.

My hands and feet were cold, and cold sweat was pouring down my back.

That old geezer... how does he know so much? He even remembers those messy accounts that he himself had almost forgotten?

His eyes darted around in a panic, glancing at Li Longji on the dragon throne, then suddenly remembering his greatest backer.

Yes, the Imperial Concubine! His sister is the Imperial Concubine! His Majesty favors the Imperial Concubine the most!

Thinking of this, he grasped at the last straw, straightening his posture slightly, but his voice was still weak as he shrieked at Lu Wuming:

"Lu Wuming! You...you're spouting baseless accusations! Where's the evidence? You accuse me of corruption and bribery, where's the proof?! I am the Prime Minister, how dare you slander me so wantonly!"

"Evidence?" Lu Wuming looked at his blustering but cowardly appearance and suddenly smiled, but there was no warmth in that smile.

He turned around, faced the entrance to the palace, and raised his voice, saying, "Bring them in."

As soon as he finished speaking, heavy footsteps sounded outside the palace gate.

Two guards, huffing and puffing, carried a heavy wooden box across the threshold and came in.

"Thump!"

The wooden crate was placed heavily in the center of the main hall, raising a fine dust cloud.

That sound seemed to strike everyone's heart.

Li Longji stared wide-eyed at the half-person-high box: "Old Prime Minister, what... what is this?"

Lu Wuming walked to the box, reached out and patted the lid, making a dull thud.

"Your Majesty, this is irrefutable evidence of Yang Guozhong's corruption, abuse of power, and disruption of the court."

After saying that, he bent down and personally opened the lid of the box.

"Whoa!!!"

A suppressed gasp of surprise rippled through the hall.

The box was packed full, almost overflowing!

It was all booklets, stacks of ledgers, files, and letters. Some of the paper was yellowed, while some of the ink was still fresh.

Lu Wuming casually picked up a book from the top, dusted it off, and looked at Li Longji:

"Your Majesty, over the past ten years or so, who has Yang Guozhong framed, how much money has he embezzled, how has he falsely reported military achievements, and how has he persecuted loyal and virtuous officials...?"

"Every single detail, every single matter, is contained within this. It's crystal clear, perfectly clear."

Li Longji looked at the large box of things and his head went "buzz".

Although he hadn't read a single word inside, he was already 80% convinced.

The old prime minister... never said anything he wasn't sure of.

Yang Guozhong... he actually dared to do that! He really dared to go to such lengths!

A major reason for Yang Guozhong's promotion to prime minister at that time was because of Yang Guifei.

He opened his mouth, unable to speak for a moment, only feeling a chill creep up from the soles of his feet.

Lu Wuming said no more and gestured to the guard beside him.

Several guards immediately stepped forward, took stacks of account books and documents from the large box, and began distributing them to the civil and military officials in the hall.

"My colleagues, you might as well take a look."

The sound of papers turning rustled through the air, and more and more people looked down. Soon, gasps and whispers filled the air.

"This...so many?"

"In the eighth year of the Tianbao era, smuggled Shu brocade was sold..."

"The compensation for the fallen soldiers of Nanzhao was reduced by 70%?!"

"This is a secret letter exchanged with An Lushan?!"

Every whisper was like a small hammer striking Yang Guozhong's nerves.

He slumped to the ground, his face ashen, watching as the officials who usually fawned over him now stared at the papers in their hands with horror, disdain, and even anger, before turning their gazes toward him…

It’s over.

Only those two words remained in Yang Guozhong's mind.

Just then, Lu Wuming's aged yet incredibly clear voice resounded throughout the hall once again.

He faced the dragon throne, bowed deeply, then straightened up and spoke each word with unwavering resolve:

"His Majesty!"

"Yang Guozhong's crimes are too numerous to count! His sins are heinous!"

"These treacherous and corrupt officials who harm the country must be killed to uphold justice! Their deaths must bring peace to the land! Their deaths must be enough to console the soldiers and civilians who died unjustly!"

"This old minister begs Your Majesty!"

He raised his head, his gaze piercing, and his voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable power:

"Yang Guozhong is hereby sentenced to death by slow slicing! This is to serve as a warning to others and to appease the world!"

"If Yang Guozhong does not die, the people's hearts will not be at peace, the injustices of the people will not be redressed, and the world will descend into chaos."