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

Cheng Yaojin made a seemingly unintentional joke.

While this drew angry glares from Cui Minshi and others, it also stirred the interest of some shrewd individuals present.

Pei Ji stood silently in his seat, his mind already calculating whether his own Hedong Pei clan had any outstanding legitimate daughters...

Cui Minshi looked at Cheng Yaojin's big face in front of him and felt so angry that his teeth itched.

Even if daughters of noble families married into humble families, married blind men, or even became nuns, they would never enter the Li Tang royal family!

“Your Majesty, we are not forcing the emperor to abdicate today. In fact, Your Highness’s actions are of great importance. As Your Majesty has said, the new policies are the most important plan of the dynasty. However, Your Highness is stirring up trouble in Bingzhou, and people are losing their heads every day because of the new policies.”

"If the other provinces of our Great Tang knew this, wouldn't it cause unrest and unrest among the people?!"

"Your Majesty, if I may speak disrespectfully, wasn't the previous dynasty destroyed because Emperor Yang was insatiably greedy and used various methods to exploit the people and wealthy merchants to fund the war against Goguryeo?"

"Your Majesty, you are a wise ruler who has emerged from the turmoil of the previous dynasty. You should understand that this world does not belong to the royal family alone!"

"If the powerful clans of the land knew that Your Majesty intended to forcibly seize their land and plunder the wealth accumulated by their ancestors over generations, I fear they would lose all support for our Great Tang!"

Cui Minshi's words caused Li Shimin's face to fall instantly.

With a loud bang, he slammed his hand on the dragon throne and stood up abruptly.

"You still say this isn't a coup?!"

"You actually dare to use those powerful clans to intimidate me? Cui Minshi, do you think that once I became emperor, I wouldn't be the same Li Shimin, the Grand General who conquered the Tang Dynasty? Or do you think that based on your few words, I would be lenient and cowardly?!"

Everyone's expression changed.

I never expected that Cui Minshi would make his point so clear.

Li Shimin not only did not choose to back down, but seemed ready to turn against him on the spot.

Li Shimin glared angrily, and his terrifying aura caused even fierce generals like Cheng Yaojin to feel terrified.

"I am not Emperor Yang of the previous dynasty!"

"I joined the army at the age of sixteen and fought a great battle against tens of thousands of Turkic cavalry at Yanmen Pass. At the age of seventeen, I followed the Emperor Emeritus to defeat the Wei Dao'er uprising in Bingzhou."

"Emperor Yang was tyrannical. When I was eighteen, I followed the retired emperor and started an uprising in Taiyuan, commanding the Right Army. The old general Song Laosheng from the former Sui Dynasty was defeated by me and fled in disarray!"

"At the age of nineteen, I became the Grand Secretary, Right General of the Martial Guard, Governor of Yongzhou, and Prince of Qin!"

Li Shimin descended the steps of the throne like a tiger coming down from the mountain. Under such an aura, even the eunuch Gao, who should have stepped forward to help him, could only stand silently to the side.

Like Cui Minshi and the others, who were being stared at intently by Li Shimin's fierce eyes, they were trembling with fear.

"Xue Rengao from Longxi!"

"Song Jingang from Shanggu!"

"Liu Wuzhou from Hedong!"

"And Wang Shichong, Dou Jiande, Liu Heita, Xu Yuanlang...aren't they all the powerful figures you mentioned?"

"But where are they now?!"

Cui Minshi felt the gaze from above, like a scythe of a decapitator, and slowly raised his head with a trembling body. Instantly, he was so frightened by Li Shimin's majestic and terrifying eyes that his body went limp.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

Wei Zheng's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly stepped forward to calm Li Shimin down, who was clearly enraged.

however.

"Snapped!"

Li Shimin had always been quite polite to this former official of the Crown Prince, the Grand Counselor, even though Li Shimin's advice had caused him to lose face several times. In the end, he still treated Li Shimin with courtesy.

Today, Wei Zheng's response was a resounding slap in the face.

Although he didn't use much force, Wei Zheng was still spun around on the spot after being slapped by this "General Tian Ce Plus".

He stumbled and, feeling dizzy and disoriented, fell to the ground.

however.

The surrounding officials were tense, but Li Shimin didn't even glance at the other party. His gaze remained fixed, like a tiger staring at its prey, as he looked down at Cui Minshi and the others kneeling before him.

"Where are they?! They're all dead! Now I am the master of this Great Tang Dynasty, the Son of Heaven who rules over the world!"

Everyone panicked and knelt down, their heads banging against the ground repeatedly.

"Over the years, I have led my comrades from the Qin Prince's Mansion through countless battles, braving mountains of knives and seas of fire, licking blood from the edge of blades, fighting against rebels and Turks. We are iron-willed warriors who have survived countless battles!"

"A true tough guy!!!"

"When Jieli took advantage of the weakness of our Great Tang Dynasty and marched to the gates of Chang'an, I was not afraid. Why would I be afraid of the threats from you worthless fish and shrimp?!"

Li Shimin snorted coldly.

"I know exactly what you're thinking, but all of you, listen up!"

"I don't care what you think, whether you're dissatisfied or resentful, whether you say it to my face or in private, whether you call me a foolish ruler or say my crown prince is a tyrant."

"I am not the senile and confused Emperor Wu of Han!"

"My son Chengqian is not the arrogant and incompetent deposed crown prince of the previous dynasty!"

"You lot think you can force a coup? You're far from it!!!"

Li Shimin roared and suddenly beckoned.

"Changsun Wuji, Minister of Personnel!"

Changsun Wuji trembled. Even as his brother-in-law, he had never seen Li Shimin in this state before.

He hurriedly bowed and stepped forward.

"Chen is here!"

"Give these treacherous officials who staged this coup today their salaries in advance!"

"Not a single copper coin, not an inch of cloth, not a penny less! Since you are unwilling to risk your lives for my Li Tang dynasty, then I will give you a chance!"

Upon hearing this, the aristocratic officials, who had not even threatened to resign en masse, were all immediately filled with astonishment and panic.

They suddenly realized that Li Shimin was truly determined to burn his bridges!

Immediately, one by one, anxious and flustered people kowtowed.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't! We would never dare to force the emperor to abdicate!"

"Your Majesty, I... I am willing to serve as an official. I beg Your Majesty to forgive my sins. I was just confused for a moment!"

"Your Majesty flatters me. I would never dare to harbor any disloyal thoughts..."

Amidst the mournful wails, some were merely officials who were supporters of powerful families, and some even covered their faces and wept bitterly.

however.

Looking at Emperor Li Shimin, who remained unmoved by these voices, Changsun Wuji could only sigh inwardly and bow to accept the order.

Li Shimin slowly walked back to his throne.

With his hands outstretched on the armrests of the dragon throne, he appeared to be casually reclining, yet he exuded a terrifying and oppressive aura, much like a coiled dragon.

The anger in his eyes vanished, replaced by an indifference that instilled even greater fear in Cui Minshi and the others.

"I will let you leave, whether it is a proclamation to punish the traitors or a purge of corrupt officials to restore the retired emperor."

"I'll be waiting for you right here!"

"It's nothing more than making the people of my Great Tang suffer for two more years. Even if you create ten Dou Jiande and Wang Shichong in two years, I can still make you lose everything!"

"At that time...the five surnames and seven prominent families, regardless of whether they are legitimate or illegitimate, male or female, young or old...not a single one will be spared!"

When Cui Minshi and his colleagues came to their senses, they were surprised to find that...

They had been thrown out of the palace gates.

At this moment, they stood outside the palace gates like a bunch of defeated dogs, looking desolate.

At dusk, outside the palace gates of Chang'an, a few drops of rain suddenly pattered onto Cui Minshi's face.

The icy sensation made him shiver involuntarily.

A gust of cold wind blew, and I realized that my clothes were soaked with cold sweat.

"It's over, it's all over now..."

beside.

Cui Mingan of the Boling Cui clan stared blankly at the darkening sky, his heart filled with despair.

He muttered to himself.

Lu Zhaojing's face was also deathly pale, and she was swaying uncontrollably as she stood there.

The officials from prominent families who should have been their supporters were now clearly distancing themselves from them, whether openly or subtly.

They huddled together anxiously in twos and threes, and you could clearly hear them muttering things like "apologize" and "life is more important."

A cold voice came from the direction of the palace gate behind them.

Several carriages followed behind Changsun Wuji, the Minister of Personnel.

"Gentlemen, come here. I will handle this matter on the spot and pay your salaries in full today. After that, you can leave your official robes and seals at your respective offices and then go and plan your great undertakings."

As he spoke, Changsun Wuji gave a slight, ambiguous bow to the crowd.

"Gentlemen, as the saying goes, 'Are kings and generals born with a special destiny?' You all have lofty ambitions, and I await the day when you will reign supreme..."

"No! Your Excellency, we were just confused for a moment! Please, Your Excellency, save us! We...we were all misled by Cui Minshi and his gang!"

"My lord, we have never made a mistake in our duties. I beg Your Majesty to forgive my mistake today, as I have been diligent and conscientious in my service for many years. Even if I have not made any great achievements, I have certainly worked hard. I implore Your Majesty to let me off the hook."

"Lord Changsun, I am willing to repay your great kindness with my life, and from now on I will follow your lead without question..."

The crowd either pleaded or made promises.

As soon as Changsun Wuji spoke, everyone crowded around him.

However.....

When the cold blades of the palace guards blocked their way, they finally realized just how ridiculous their actions had been.

The salary that Changsun Wuji had forced into his arms was now burning like embers.

The crowd remained motionless, like puppets.

He stared blankly as Changsun Wuji finished distributing the goods and then led the carriage back to the palace.

They all seemed to have lost their souls, not knowing where to go or what to do.

"Lord Cui...are we really going to rebel?"

A panicked voice weakly rang out from the side. Cui Minshi and Cui Mingan both reflexively looked at each other, and then at the official who had just spoken.

This is an imperial censor.

Cui Mingan breathed a slight sigh of relief, but Cui Minshi's face instantly turned ashen.

"Shut up! How could the Cui family of Qinghe do such a disloyal thing!?"

"If I hear such treasonous words again, don't blame me for personally dragging you to the Dali Temple!"

His voice was loud, as if he deliberately wanted more people to hear it.

Footsteps approached, and everyone anxiously looked in the direction of the sound, completely disregarding the warnings from the imperial guards at the palace gate.

When Cui Mingan and the others saw who came out, they felt as if they had seen a savior.

"Prime Minister Pei! Prime Minister Pei! Has His Majesty issued a decree?"

Lu Zhaojing spoke first, her voice filled with anxiety.

However, Pei Ji looked at everyone as if they were idiots, and shrugged.

"Why are you all still lingering here? His Majesty has already begun arranging the army's supplies and logistics, yet you are still wasting your time?"

"You are all well-read individuals, well-versed in history. You should return to your ancestral lands as soon as possible and recruit soldiers..."

Pei Ji spoke calmly, but to the crowd, his words were like a dagger, cutting away at their dignity piece by piece.

Immediately, more than a dozen officials from prominent families knelt on the ground.

They began to wail and plead.

Pei Ji listened to everyone's explanations, but shook his head helplessly and indifferently.

"In the past, I thought that Wang Ming had neither real talent nor any extraordinary ability. His position as Vice Minister of War was more due to luck and family background."

"Now it seems... he's much smarter than any of you!"

As he spoke, Pei Ji shook his head and sighed to himself as he walked toward his family's carriage, which was not far away.

"Ah, I'm getting old, it's time for me to enjoy the blessings of my children and grandchildren!"

As everyone watched Pei Ji's departing figure, they felt a sense of despair and helplessness.

One of them, however, frowned slightly upon hearing Pei Ji's sigh.

Zheng Jiang, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial and Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, remained silent for a long time.

Suddenly, he bowed slightly to Cui Mingan and the others.

"Gentlemen, this matter has exceeded our expectations. I need to report to the elders of the clan first, so I will take my leave now."

Without waiting for their reactions, he immediately called to the other officials from the Zheng family of Xingyang and told them to leave.

......

In the palace.

Ganlu Temple.

Li Shimin listened to Changsun Wuji's report and nodded slightly.

"Ignore them. In recent days, I have instructed the Ministry of Rites to prepare new examination questions according to the different positions and duties of officials, as the Crown Prince suggested. However, these aristocratic families have been creating many obstacles."

"If they want to rebel, then let them rebel!"

Cheng Yaojin and the others nodded excitedly.

If we're talking about those who are most unhappy with the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families, then of course it's these nobles from the Prince of Qin's Mansion.

These people from aristocratic families were arrogant and haughty. They always referred to them as "peasants" in public and in private, never taking them, the nobles of the imperial court, seriously.

Seeing that no one seemed nervous at all because of what had happened today.

Li Shimin nodded with satisfaction.

Suddenly, his gaze fell upon Changsun Wuji in front of him again.

"Fuji, I wish you to go to Bingzhou and see for yourself how the new policies are progressing..."