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

During the Zhenguan era.

"Death by a thousand cuts?!"

Li Shimin's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh hard!

"Good! Good! That's how we should do it!"

He was so excited he almost jumped down the steps, pointing at the light screen:

"This corrupt official who brought disaster to the country and its people deserves to be executed by slow slicing; otherwise, the people's anger will not be appeased! He deserves to be torn to pieces; otherwise, he would be unworthy of the soldiers and civilians he killed!"

"If I were that emperor in the future, upon seeing this box of evidence, I would have him dragged out and beheaded on the spot! Would I allow him to argue here?"

Wei Zheng, standing to the side, nodded emphatically, his beard trembling.

"Your Majesty is right! Such treacherous villains deserve to be executed by slow slicing!"

"Every single thing he did undermined the foundation of our Great Tang Dynasty. Every single one of his actions drained the blood and sweat of the people. He deserves to die!"

"It's a disgrace that he wears a purple robe and stands in the imperial court! He's utterly tarnishing the name of the Prime Minister of our Great Tang Dynasty! A disgrace!"

"Excellent!" Li Shimin became increasingly smug as he spoke. "What I hate most are these corrupt officials! Kill them one by one, kill them in pairs! I will show no mercy!"

Looking at Yang Guozhong's flustered face on the screen, he felt incredibly satisfied.

……

Above the sky, in the Xuanzheng Hall.

"Ling...lingchi execution?!"

When Yang Guozhong heard those four words, he was so scared he almost jumped out of his skin!

He collapsed to the ground with a thud, crawled on all fours to the foot of Li Longji's steps, and wailed at the top of his lungs:

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, spare my life! I am innocent! I have been framed! It was that old scoundrel Lu Wuming who tried to harm me! Your Majesty, please see the truth!"

Lu Wuming looked at him and simply smiled coldly:

"Injustice? Now that the evidence is there, both witnesses and physical evidence are there. The iron box is right here, and all the officials have seen it. Are you still crying foul? You're really facing death, and your mouth is harder than iron."

He had barely finished speaking.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

Heavy, orderly footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall.

Immediately afterwards, a group of soldiers covered in black iron armor, with only their cold eyes showing, wielding sharp blades, surged into the hall like an iron torrent and instantly surrounded Yang Guozhong!

Armor clashed, blades gleamed, and a chilling aura permeated the air.

Yang Guozhong shuddered at the sight, but then, as if he had grabbed something, he suddenly looked up and screamed:

"Lu Wuming! You...you dare bring troops into the palace?!"

"This is treason! Your Majesty! Did you see that? He led his private army into the Xuanzheng Hall; he's plotting a rebellion!!"

He turned to Li Longji, his voice hoarse and strained:

"Your Majesty! This arrogant and rebellious man has no respect for the emperor and has illegally mobilized troops; his intentions are deserving of death! Seize him immediately!"

However, Li Longji on the dragon throne only became more gloomy, his lips moved but he did not say a word.

He recognized the black-armored Xuanbing.

That was the black armor he had personally bestowed upon Lu Wuming years ago, granting him the right to "protect him at all times and allow him unrestricted access." He once said that seeing this black armor was like seeing a special permission granted by the Emperor.

Lu Wuming completely ignored Yang Guozhong's screams, and simply uttered a single word:

"Take him down!"

Two soldiers in black armor immediately stepped forward, grabbed the obese Yang Guozhong from the ground like a chick, and forced him to kneel down.

Yang Guozhong struggled in vain, his face turning red.

Lu Wuming then faced Li Longji again, his voice steady yet carrying immense weight:

"Your Majesty, Yang Guozhong's crimes are abhorrent to both Heaven and man. Only by executing him by slow slicing can we appease his wronged soul, quell public anger, and uphold the law."

He paused briefly, then looked up and stared directly at the emperor, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"This old minister has said all he could. If this villain is not eliminated, how can the turbulent public opinion be appeased? How can a crumbling nation survive? I beg Your Majesty for a wise judgment!"

The last two words were so decisive; they were not a request, but a clear coercion!

Cold sweat beaded on Li Longji's forehead.

He looked at the box full of evidence, then at Yang Guozhong, who was being held down and trembling on the ground, and then he seemed to see, in the inner palace, Yang Guifei's tearful eyes...

To kill or not to kill?

His throat was dry, and after struggling for a long time, he tentatively spoke with a hint of pleading that was almost imperceptible:

"Old Prime Minister... could... could you spare his life? Even if it's exile..."

"cannot."

Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Wuming's aged voice was cold and resolute, completely extinguishing any remaining possibility of pleading.

Inside the main hall, you could hear a pin drop.

Only Yang Guozhong's heavy, desperate breathing was particularly jarring.

When Li Longji heard the resolute "no," he felt a lump in his throat, followed by a surge of anger at being offended.

The old prime minister... still has the same temper!

They didn't give us any room for maneuver, and they didn't save us any face!

He suppressed his anger, his voice lowered, carrying the last vestige of imperial dignity:

"Old Prime Minister... can't you really spare me even a little face?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Wuming slowly raised his head.

His eyes, which had seen the vicissitudes of life, gazed straight at the emperor on the dragon throne, showing no fear, only a kind of cold clarity.

"His Majesty."

His voice echoed clearly throughout the hall:

"What you're concerned about now is saving face..."

He paused, each word like a heavy hammer blow:

"Or do you want the Tang Dynasty's empire?"

"If Your Majesty only cares about saving face and not about the country, then this old minister will leave today, and the affairs of the court will no longer be of concern to me."

"If Your Majesty still desires this Tang Dynasty, does not wish to be a ruler who will be remembered for his infamy for a thousand years, and does not wish to personally push this prosperous era into the abyss..."

Lu Wuming's voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable power:

"Your Majesty, we beg you to issue an edict ordering Yang Guozhong to be executed by slow slicing!"

boom!

These words were like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, sending chills down everyone's spines.

The entire court was completely silent; they even held their breath.

Who would dare to interrupt at this time?

Yang Guozhong was so terrified he was scared out of his wits!

This old lunatic is serious! He's really going to kill me!

He no longer cared about decorum, writhing on the ground like a lame dog, tears streaming down his face, wailing at Li Longji:

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, have mercy! For the sake of the Imperial Concubine! For the sake of my sister, Yu Huan! Spare my life, Your Majesty! I beg you!"

Li Longji was disturbed by his crying, and the image of the Consort's sorrowful face flashed through his mind, making him even more caught in a dilemma.

Just then, Lu Wuming's voice, filled with deep sarcasm, rang out again:

"Heh... It seems Your Majesty has truly grown old."

He shook his head, his tone revealing undisguised disappointment:

"He has grown old and senile, and is no longer the wise ruler who executed Empress Wei, brought peace to the land, and ushered in the prosperous Kaiyuan era."

"Whoa!!!"

The courtiers were truly terrified this time, a chill running down their spines.

To call the emperor "incompetent" to his face? This...this is absolutely scathing!

Besides this old prime minister who held an iron certificate and had no taboos, was there anyone else in the world who dared to do so?

Li Longji's face flushed red and then turned pale, his fingers gripping the armrests of the dragon throne so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

His chest heaved violently several times before he managed to squeeze out the words through clenched teeth:

"Old Prime Minister... is it absolutely necessary to execute Yang Guozhong by a thousand cuts today?"

Lu Wuming met his gaze without backing down in the slightest:

"Yes."

Seeing that Li Longji was still hesitating, he ran out of patience.

"Since Your Majesty cannot make a decision..."

Lu Wuming slowly straightened his hunched body, which seemed capable of supporting the palace, and his gaze swept over the black-armored soldiers holding Yang Guozhong down. His voice was icy as he delivered his final verdict.

"Then this old minister will make this decision on behalf of Your Majesty."

He raised his withered hand, pointing to the limp Yang Guozhong, and spoke each word as if making a declaration:

"Right here in the Xuanzheng Hall, right before His Majesty and all the officials, execute the disgraced minister Yang Guozhong by slow slicing! To uphold the law of the land!"

"What?!"

"Your Highness... to be executed by slow slicing?!"

This statement was even more impactful than any of the previous ones, and the officials in the court were so shocked that they almost jumped up, hardly believing their ears!

Yang Guozhong was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on; the fear of impending death overwhelmed everything. He didn't know where the strength came from, but he suddenly struggled to lift his head, screaming with bloodshot eyes:

"Lu Wuming! How dare you!!!"

He turned to Li Longji, his voice becoming harsh and distorted:

"Your Majesty! Did you see that?!"

"He didn't even have an imperial edict! He's going to carry out the execution right here in the imperial court!"

"He's going to kill someone right in front of you! He has no respect for you, the emperor!"

"This is rebellion! It's treason, Your Majesty!!!"