Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

"Your Highness! Your Highness! I beg you, please spare me! I dare not do it again!"

Terrified pleas for mercy were heard as the person was dragged out of the Taiji Hall by the imperial guards.

Yet, a sense of panic still faintly emanated from outside.

They're just getting further and further away.

Inside the Taiji Hall, all the ministers trembled with fear.

Dusk is approaching.

Inside the main hall, palace maids and eunuchs lit the candles.

The candlelight seemed to clearly illuminate the beads of sweat, large as beans, on the foreheads of the officials present.

Li Tai's expression was cold and his eyes, like those of a bloodthirsty demon, slowly fell on the elderly man kneeling on the ground at the head of the group of officials.

"Liu Desheng, in Minister Feng's report, it was said that you once said that without a local aristocratic official like you, Liu Desheng, the Li Tang imperial family would not be able to hold onto this throne?"

"Good! Those traitors who fled north said the same thing back then!"

Liu Desheng, an official who served as the governor of a prefecture in Henan Province, is now trembling like a leaf.

The entire family, young and old, has now been escorted to Chang'an by the Imperial Guards.

"Your Highness, this old minister is innocent! My loyalty to the Tang Dynasty and the royal family is as clear as day and night. How could I possibly harbor such rebellious thoughts? This old minister..."

"You're still trying to argue!"

With a sharp shout, Li Tai slammed another stack of incriminating evidence into the other man's face.

"Adopted son! This is merely your adopted son, Liu Desheng! Yet he dares to openly obstruct imperial merchants and resist the new policies! And he dares to argue! If it weren't for your support, Liu Desheng, would these mere country bumpkins dare to be so audacious?!"

"Somebody come!"

With the evidence irrefutable, Li Tai shouted, and the assembled officials trembled once more.

however.

The two imperial guards who had replaced the previous guards, who were standing at the door waiting for orders, respectfully entered the Taiji Hall.

Li Tai pointed with his finger, as if calling out a sign from the King of Hell.

"Skin Liu Desheng and all his traitors to a crisp and stuff them with straw!!!"

"Send men to deliver the finished hides to Xuzhou! I want to see which of those arrogant aristocratic families in Xuzhou dares to rebel!"

"Send the hides of Liu Desheng and his men, one by one, to those powerful families in Xuzhou!"

"Anyone who dares to destroy this property shall be punished for treason!"

Li Tai's ruthlessness seems to surpass even that of the Crown Prince of Taiyuan.

Even some of the recently promoted officials present couldn't help but feel uneasy at this moment.

And Liu Desheng, the main character, turned deathly pale at that moment.

My body, stiff as if struck by lightning, jolted awake as the footsteps of the two imperial guards approached from behind.

As if by conditioned reflex, his bloodshot eyes suddenly shot towards the pillar next to the Taiji Hall.

However, the Imperial Guards, who were already on guard, subdued him instantly.

"Aaaaah! Tyrant! Your entire Li family are tyrants!!!"

"With such cruel torture inflicted upon us noble families, the Li Tang dynasty will not last long!"

Liu Desheng roared like a madman.

The words spoken.

This caused the Chang'an officials in the Taiji Hall, who had previously interacted with him, to instantly feel their legs go weak.

Some people had already knelt down on the ground with a thud.

He trembled as he bowed, not daring to look up and meet Li Tai's gaze.

Li Tai's eyes darkened even further.

"Choose someone with superb martial arts skills, and make sure that our Lord Liu, and all these noble and virtuous officials of Xuzhou, depart in a spectacular fashion!"

Liu Desheng's mouth was sealed shut.

He was quickly taken away by the Imperial Guards.

As the Taiji Hall returned to silence, all the officials present turned pale.

ruthless!

Too bad!

Minister of Revenue Feng Deyi and Prince Jing Li Yuanjing both lowered their heads.

The feeling of being pricked by thorns from the officials behind them was very clear to them.

Since this Prince Wei took over the reins of government.

He outwardly appreciated them, but in reality threatened them. They were responsible for handling the collection of commercial taxes in Guannei Road, Henan Road, and Hedong Road, as well as the punishment of corrupt officials, for only about three months.

They now appear to have achieved remarkable results.

In just three months, they had already dealt with four high-ranking local officials, such as Liu Desheng, the governor of Xuzhou.

Liu Desheng was the fifth.

Behind each person, there's more mud than water.

Now, Feng Deyi and Prince Jing, Li Yuanjing, have become isolated and powerless ministers.

As Liu Desheng was dragged away for further processing, a peaceful smile finally appeared on the face of Li Tai, the regent King of Wei.

Despite the smile, it did little to bring warmth to the crowd.

"I am very satisfied with the investigation of the commercial tax in Xuzhou by Minister Feng and Sixth Imperial Uncle. This is a traitorous minister who attempts to abuse his power for private gain, colludes with merchants, and deceives the people and the emperor."

"Such swift and decisive measures are necessary!"

"The redder the execution ground is stained by the blood of corrupt officials, the more prosperous the lives of the people will truly become!"

The two men's faces twitched.

Li Tai's words now seemed to carry a hint of dissatisfaction, causing both of them to inwardly groan.

"You two did a good job this time! Guards! A generous reward!"

Two eunuchs, each carrying a tray, approached Feng Deyi and Li Yuanjing.

Standing on one side of the Taiji Hall, Prince Lu, Li Yuanchang, who had remained silent until now, couldn't help but show a helpless expression.

As the red cloth was unveiled.

One by one, gold ingots came into view of the officials.

At his age, Feng Deyi is more interested in power than money.

Upon seeing the gold bestowed upon him by His Highness the Prince of Wei, he deliberately showed a hint of excitement and bowed to express his gratitude.

But it was Li Yuanjing.

His eyes widened at the stack of gold ingots in front of him.

"Regarding the collection of commercial taxes in Bianzhou and Ruzhou, Minister Feng and Sixth Imperial Uncle, you two should also pay close attention. The Mid-Autumn Festival is fast approaching, and I do not wish for any of my officials to be unable to have their families together, to have lost their wives and daughters, or to have lost their sons..."

"Your Highness, I humbly obey your decree!"

When the officials, their inner garments soaked through, emerged from the Taiji Hall.

The moment they stepped out the door, even senior officials like Tang Jian, Duan Lun, and Zheng Jiang couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

Looking at the sunset on the horizon, I felt a sense of absurdity, as if life was dazzlingly brilliant.

They quickly moved some distance away from the Taiji Hall.

As the newly appointed Vice Minister of Revenue, Dai Zhou did not react much to the isolation he faced from his colleagues in the court.

At this moment, they followed behind their commander, Feng Deyi.

"Duke Mi, many merchants in Bianzhou and Ruzhou are currently hiding assets, and their businesses are scattered across various places. If we delay any longer, it may become difficult to find evidence. We should get up and leave as soon as possible..."

He is a rather decisive, even stubborn, person, in the eyes of others.

Dai Zhou was a rare anomaly in the Tang Dynasty court, much like Wei Zheng.

He was more excited than anyone else about the decree issued by the regent, the King of Wei.

However, Dai Zhou's innocence is enough to withstand scrutiny from all those around him.

Feng Deyi: "...Vice Minister Dai, do you really think that His Highness Prince Wei truly wants us to investigate and punish corrupt officials and rectify official corruption?"

He glanced around, and after making sure no one was there, he gave a sidelong look to the dull, rigid, yet fiercely righteous man in front of him.

Dai Zhou frowned: "Otherwise what?"

Feng Deyi took a deep breath and shook his head.

“Dai Zhou, I’ve figured it out now. There are many other candidates who have a better chance of sitting in this position of Vice Minister than you, but His Highness Prince Wei chose you.”

"Sometimes you really are silly!"

He pointed in the direction of the execution ground in Chang'an.

"When His Highness the Crown Prince first implemented the new policies in Taiyuan Prefecture, what did he do on his very first day there?"

Dai Zhou's pupils contracted, as if he had realized something.

Feng Deyi forced out cold words through gritted teeth.

"Murder! The second branch of the Wang family in Taiyuan was wiped out overnight! And those officials from so-called aristocratic families, we could have produced evidence of their corruption in the third and fourth years of the Wude era, why didn't we produce it sooner? Why did we only produce it after His Highness the Crown Prince went to Taiyuan?"

"Your Highness, this is clearing away obstacles for His Highness the Crown Prince to implement new policies across the country!"

He snorted coldly.

Looking at the stunned Dai Zhou, he gently shook his head.

"Evidence? What evidence?"

"All I know is that the biggest obstacle to the new policies in Henan Province is the aristocratic officials in Bianzhou, Ruzhou, and Xuzhou. His Highness Prince Wei doesn't care whether they are corrupt or colluding with foreign enemies."

"I don't care at all!"

With his hands behind his back, he couldn't help but gaze wistfully at the sunset in the direction of Taiyuan.

"Whether it's His Majesty or Prince Wei sitting on that chair in Chang'an... the heavens of this Tang Dynasty have never changed!"

"Chang'an...I'm back again!"

The Zhenguan train traveled along the railway tracks, entering the familiar Chang'an area.

As steam was released, the train began to slow down noticeably. Li Chengqian looked out the window and sighed, a rare occurrence for him.

She turned around and looked at Li Yun, who was also clearly excited beside her.

"Seventh brother, it's been a while since you've seen your mother. You should take advantage of this time to spend with her in Chang'an."

Upon hearing this, a flicker of interest flashed in Li Yun's eyes.

But that's what he said.

"Brother, the railway is still..."

"Alright! You're just a young man, there's no need for you to push yourself so hard for me..." Li Chengqian interrupted with a smile.

Reached out and patted his shoulder.

His expression was solemn and serious.

"You have already helped your brother the Emperor a lot. Listen to me, rest in Chang'an for a while and spend some time with your mother. The construction of the other railway line will not be able to start in a short time."

Seeing that the other party finally nodded and obeyed.

Li Chengqian smiled and looked out the window at the "Chang'an Station" sign that had already appeared.

A slight smile played at the corners of his lips.

"What do you think Qingque is doing these days? And what will Mother and Consort say when they see us suddenly return?"

Li Zhi and the others were still staring blankly at the sign for Chang'an Station.

She seemed to be in a dream, murmuring to herself.

"This...we've arrived already?"

They really did set off from Taiyuan Prefecture during the day, and even had lunch in Jinzhou at noon, and inspected the development of Jinzhou before continuing on their way.

It turned out to be just as Li Yun had said.

It takes one day to travel from Taiyuan Prefecture to Chang'an.