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

"Bring the Goguryeo Yeon Gaesomun and his envoys to the palace."

After more than a month of arduous travel, and various forms of torment and humiliation, Yeon Gaesomun, who had finally arrived in Chang'an from Goguryeo, now faced this loud summons.

Looking up at the Taiji Hall, which resembles a celestial palace in the sky when viewed from below the steps, I couldn't help but swallow hard.

He took a deep breath under the cold, stern gaze of the Ministry of Rites official standing nearby.

Immediately afterwards, with a thud, he knelt down and kowtowed at the bottom of the steps.

After three loud thuds of his head hitting the ground, he shakily got up, straightened his clothes, and stepped onto the first step...

Behind them, Lu Zhaojing and the other two had complex expressions, and the sadness in their eyes grew even stronger.

"In five years... quite a few things have changed here."

Cui Minshi's gaze fell upon the Taiji Hall, which appeared even more magnificent than it had been a few years ago, as if even the roof tiles were adorned with gold leaf or something similar, making it seem even more opulent.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Even among the eunuchs and palace maids standing on both sides outside the court assembly, some holding tablets or fans, some looked familiar.

They are still the same people who served as officials in the Tang Dynasty.

However... these lowly people once dared not look directly at them, the nobles and aristocratic families of the land, but now... their staring eyes are as sharp as swords, showing no restraint whatsoever.

As Yeon Gaesomun continued to ascend the steps, he was cutting away at their remaining, laughable dignity.

"The Goguryeo envoy kneels."

At the eunuch's shout, the surrounding palace maids, eunuchs, and imperial guards all raised their heads.

Lu Zhaojing and the others felt extremely aggrieved, but they could only grit their teeth and kneel down to kowtow again as Yeon Gaesomun stepped up a few steps to a platform.

Follow from the bottom and bow in reverence.

The three men were burning with anxiety, while the officials in the Taiji Hall looked smug and pleased with themselves, glancing at the hall's entrance from time to time.

He would stroke his beard from time to time and let out two soft laughs that only those around him could hear.

Yuchi Jingde stared at him with wide eyes, watching his feigned contemplation, clearly already mentally reciting the sarcastic words he had prepared for so long.

Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Pei Ji, Xiao Yu, and other veteran officials from the Zhenguan and Wude eras all made no attempt to hide their smugness.

Today's meeting is supposed to be with the new king of Goguryeo to discuss a ceasefire and submission.

But in reality, Goguryeo was never taken seriously by the high-ranking officials of the Tang Dynasty from the very beginning.

All they care about are those guys who used to be high and mighty.

Five surnames and seven prominent families!

As Yeon Gaesomun's figure appeared on the steps in front of the Taegeukjeong Hall, he once again bowed respectfully and humbly. Immediately afterwards, three hunched and thin figures also came up from below the steps.

Emperor Li Shimin, seated on the throne, had a slight smile playing on his lips.

Five years ago, this group of people gathered the power of aristocratic families and officials, including censors and officials from the Six Ministries. All the officials were attacked by the Crown Prince because of the forced land reform he implemented in Bingzhou.

They impeached the crown prince, and even threatened to depose him...

now......

"Your humble servant Yeon Gaesomun pays respects to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang! Pays respects to His Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Tang!"

Yeon Gaesomun then humbly bowed and paid his respects.

Standing behind him, Lu Zhaojing, Li Xing, and Cui Minshi were all slightly tired and panting, and hurriedly followed suit and bowed down.

Hearing the "bang bang bang" of kowtows.

Emperor Li Er, sitting on the throne at this moment, felt as refreshed as if he had drunk iced plum juice on a hot summer day!

Throughout history, who could have made the three prominent clans of Qinghe Cui, Fanyang Lu, and Zhaojun Li kneel before them in subservience and humility, like stray dogs?

He, Li Shimin, did it!

Among the officials were some who had grudges against the aristocratic families and whose careers had been blocked by the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families, but now stood in the court based on their abilities and the achievements of the new policies.

He immediately found himself unable to control himself.

"You thief king Yuan! Do you know your crime?!"

A sharp shout came from Fan Qi, the eunuch standing beside the throne.

Yeon Gaesomun's expression changed, and he knelt on the ground. Just as he was about to straighten up, he was immediately pressed down again.

"Your Majesty, I admit my guilt!"

Li Shimin sneered: "Oh? Then tell me, what crime have you committed!"

Li Chengqian sat quietly to the side, showing little interest in today's "Great Trial in Chang'an," since his goal from beginning to end had been to develop the Tang Dynasty.

The fact that he killed the five surnames and seven prominent families was because those bastards were shameless and blocked his path.

Since my father wants to show off, let him be.

Li Chengqian flipped through the book in his hand, occasionally picking out a few words that he thought were good enough to use as names for his future son or daughter.

Yeon Gaesomun trembled in the audience.

"Your subject, your subject should not have disobeyed the Mandate of Heaven, should not have obstructed the Heavenly Army, should not have, should not have..."

He lowered his head, and Lu Zhaojing and the others kneeling behind him heard him stammering out a confession.

"Foreign officials should not harbor criminals designated by the Tang Dynasty..."

Upon hearing this, even though he had absolutely no hope for this guy, he was still deeply moved.

Cui Minshi and Li Xing were also furious. The Tang side hadn't even interrogated or threatened you much yet, and you've already betrayed us?!

Shuzi!

Not worth discussing!

Cui Minshi and his companion gritted their teeth, but dared not utter a curse on the spot.

Lu Zhaojing, however, amidst the gloating and mocking gazes around him, suddenly kowtowed to Li Shimin on the stage once more.

"Your Majesty, the Lu family of Fanyang is willing to accept punishment and blame. This sinful subject dares not presume to ask for Your Majesty's forgiveness. I hope Your Majesty will consider that this sinful subject and my Lu family also shed blood and sacrificed for the foundation of the Tang Dynasty... Please grant my Lu family of Fanyang the title of sinful subject of the Tang Dynasty and allow us to be imprisoned and punished!"

His head was pressed firmly against the ground.

These words brought a slight smile to the face of the proud Emperor Li Er.

Back then, when the two Great Khans of the Eastern Turks, Jieli and Tuli, performed dances for the Tang Dynasty at court assemblies, the sense of accomplishment and exhilaration they felt was far greater than the pleading looks Lu Zhaojing and the others are experiencing today.

It suddenly didn't seem so interesting anymore.

"Heh, a disgraced official of the Tang Dynasty? Feng Deyi!"

Feng Deyi, the Duke of Mi, who was now serving as the Minister of Personnel, hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Your subject is here!"

Li Shimin snorted coldly: "Back then, did the Ministry of Personnel underpay the salaries of the Lu family of Fanyang who held official positions in the court?"

Feng Deyi cupped his hands in greeting, his aged voice filled with respect and honesty.

"Your Majesty, the then Minister of Personnel, Lord Changsun, has already distributed the full salaries of the three clans, including the Lu clan of Fanyang, the Cui clan of Qinghe, and the Li clan of Zhaojun. In accordance with Your Majesty's decree, not a single copper coin was missed, nor was an inch of cloth lacking!"

"The Ministry of Personnel has a record of this in the archives!"

Li Shimin nodded slightly and slowly leaned back on the dragon throne.

"Are there any members of the Lu family of Fanyang who have retired and are receiving a half-salary from the imperial court?" Li Shimin asked again.

Feng Deyi cupped his hands again and said, “Your Majesty, none of the members of the Lu family of Fanyang have devoted themselves to our dynasty and received half a salary as a reward from the Retired Emperor and Your Majesty upon their retirement. Not a single elder of the Lu family of Fanyang is a minister of our dynasty.”

Lu Zhaojing's face was deathly pale, and her pupils trembled.

He looked up at Li Shimin's seemingly smiling eyes with a look of utter despair, and the latter gave a cold laugh.

"I wonder what brings you, Patriarch Lu, to the claim that the Lu family of Fanyang shed their blood and sacrificed themselves for the foundation of the Tang Dynasty?"

As soon as Li Shimin finished speaking, all the officials and ministers immediately echoed his condemnation.

"Lu Zhaojing, you dare to call yourself a subject of the Great Tang? Back then, the Lu family of Fanyang relied on their position in the court to suppress us officials who entered the court through the imperial examinations. Those who did not submit to you were all sent to low-level government offices."

"You, the Lu family of Fanyang, dare to claim to be loyal to the Tang Dynasty! In your eyes, what good is the Tang Dynasty at all?!"

"That's right. When I was serving in Chang'an County, a member of the Lu family of Fanyang rode his horse and damaged the people's fields. I punished him according to the law, and he was flogged. How dare you obstruct me from enforcing the law!"

"Disregarding the law and only concerned with the interests of your own family and clan, you've come to this point, and you still have the nerve to call yourselves subjects of the Great Tang Dynasty?!"

"Your Majesty! I request that the entire Lu clan of Fanyang be executed! Their corpses be exhumed in Goguryeo, and a mound of corpses be erected to commemorate them. The Lu clan of Fanyang betrayed the Central Plains, disgraced the country, sold their wealth for profit, and served a barbarian ruler!"

"Your Majesty, I second the proposal!"

"The Lu family of Fanyang, having already deserted our Central Plains, can never serve as our subjects! We beseech Your Majesty to punish them as barbarian subjects from Goguryeo!"

In the imperial court, voices rose and fell in waves.

Yuchi Jingde laughed wildly: "Your Majesty, how arrogant those old bastards were back then? It's only been a few years, but we haven't forgotten a thing! Back then, when Jieli's army of 100,000 marched south and besieged the Wei River, Your Majesty ordered all the officials to donate money and goods. These guys were clearly rolling in money, but they didn't give a single penny!"

"They have never considered themselves subjects of the Great Tang Dynasty!"

Among the officials, Wang Ming, the head of the Wang family of Taiyuan, and Zheng Jiang, the head of the Zheng family of Xingyang, both loudly echoed the sentiment.

It was as if they were afraid that no one in the hall could hear their voices.

Seeing that everyone had the same attitude, Lu Zhaojing became agitated and flustered, and hurriedly tried to explain herself.

"Your Majesty, we were only trying to protect the country back then! To be fair, could you have imagined that the Crown Prince and Prince Wei would be able to use a divine weapon like heavenly thunder to repel the Turkic army?"

"If Your Majesty does not know, how could we possibly know?!"

"If Your Majesty judges me guilty based on this, the Lu family of Fanyang will not accept it!"

Behind them, Li Xing and Cui Minshi also craned their necks and shouted loudly.

Since I'm about to die anyway, all I care about now is my reputation.

"I, the Li family of Zhao County, will not accept this!"

"The Cui family of Qinghe is not convinced! Everything we did back then was for the sake of the Tang Dynasty. We only failed because our goals were not achieved. How can you say that we were disloyal!"

Yeon Gaesomun listened to the voices behind him and saw that none of the Tang officials, including Emperor Li Shimin on the platform, were looking at him. He felt humiliated but also relieved.

He subtly shifted his body to the side, revealing Lu Zhaojing and the others behind him.

Lu Zhaojing took a deep breath and stared intently at Crown Prince Li Chengqian, who was sitting next to Li Shimin.

His eyes were full of complex emotions.

"If we are to say that we are guilty, then it is Your Majesty and the Crown Prince who were guilty first!"

Li Chengqian looked up in surprise, raising an eyebrow at the old man's sophistry.

"Oh? Am I guilty again?"

Lu Zhaojing took a deep breath: "If Your Highness has a plan to repel the enemy, why hide it from us, your subjects, causing discord between the ruler and his subjects, so that we do not know the ruler's abilities and the ruler does not know the loyalty of his subjects!"

"If Your Highness had informed us of the advantages of firearms earlier, let alone Jieli's army of 100,000, even if it were a million, would we have chosen to temporarily avoid their advance!"

"My lord is guilty!"

"But you are not wrong?!"