The video takes us to ancient times; Li Er transforms into the Tongtian Emperor of Shu Han.

"Because I am a subject of the Tang Dynasty, if the Tang Dynasty wins, then I have won."

"You are a traitor and a rebel, you have no right to speak like that!"

Geshuhan kicked him to the ground.

"As the defeated party, you are only fit to speak to me while kneeling!"

"Regardless of the reason for your defeat in this battle."

As he spoke, he stabbed An Lushan through the thigh with another sword.

Geshuhan clearly showed no expression, but An Lushan's words were truly hurtful.

His Majesty's personal command of the expedition sounds like a morale-boosting event.

But in Geshuhan's mind, this was a sign of a general's incompetence!

His brother, Shu Han, would never be an incompetent general!

After a while.

Under the protection of the army, Li Er arrived outside the main hall.

Looking at An Lushan pinned to the chair by a sword, the intense anger that had filled him suddenly turned into a sense of utter indifference.

He approached, and An Lushan's face was already somewhat pale due to excessive blood loss.

"No matter how much my Great Tang Dynasty has wronged you, as a subject of the Great Tang, your treason is ultimately wrong. Do you acknowledge that?"

Li Er had no idea what had happened between An Lushan and Li Longji.

But regardless of the reason,

Treason is always a serious crime that results in the confiscation of property and the extermination of the entire clan, even up to nine generations of relatives!

“I acknowledge it, of course I acknowledge it. Being the emperor is much more exciting than being a military governor.”

An Lushan said with a bitter smile.

"I have sat on this throne for ten years. If I can die at the hands of Emperor Taizong today, it will all be worth it!"

The throne?

Upon hearing his words, Li Er couldn't help but sneer.

“Those who sit on the throne are supposed to have absolute authority, but you are not.”

"You're nothing but a dog of the aristocratic families. You can only do what they tell you to do. All I can say is that you're a very obedient dog."

"Even when Tongguan was breached, they dared not let them be buried alive with them."

"They've raised you to be very obedient."

If An Lushan had any backbone, he should have sacrificed the aristocratic families as a sacrifice when the city walls of Tongguan were breached!

At that time, the blood of the noble families would inspire the soldiers' fighting spirit, and with him charging into battle in armor, he might actually be able to hold out for a while longer.

Unfortunately, he had been tamed by the powerful families for too long.

Even at that critical moment, he still dared not kill, but only reprimanded and threatened.

This is not an emperor, not even a puppet; he is merely an obedient pet.

"I am the emperor, the emperor!"

An Lushan's expression completely crumbled at this moment.

He was able to accept the fact that he had been defeated.

It's not shameful to lose to Emperor Taizong!

But Li Er's words completely tore away his fig leaf!

He has always felt that he shares the world with the aristocratic families.

Although the powerful families were arrogant, they were still serving him and his Great Yan.

He is the emperor of the Great Yan, not a dog of a noble family!

"Emperor Taizong, I have lost, I am inferior in skill, but you cannot erase my achievements!"

An Lushan almost roared in rebuttal.

If his thighs hadn't been firmly nailed to the chair, he probably would have jumped up and bitten Li Er a couple of times.

After all, those words almost completely negated everything he had done as emperor!

"Your achievements? To be erased?"

"You're overthinking it. In these ten years, you haven't accomplished anything; you've only left behind a mess."

"Suppressing the rebellion is only the first step. There is still much for me to do, and all of this is a mess you left behind."

Li Er waved his hand, and immediately someone brought him a chair to sit down.

"Before I participated in this challenge, I thought that if I captured you, I would definitely cut you into a thousand pieces."

“But now I feel that you are nothing more than a dog of a noble family, unworthy of my anger.”

"So, you should kill yourself. I don't want to get my hands dirty."

Upon hearing this, Geshu Han reached out and pulled the sword out of An Lushan's leg.

After a struggle, An Lushan slowly crawled toward the main hall behind him.

Seeing his miserable appearance, Li Er rubbed his aching temples.

It seems that this battle to quell the rebellion has come to an end.

But for him, this challenge may have only just begun.

He has to clean up this mess left by his descendants.

"Your Majesty, An Lushan is not a respectable person."

As Li Er was deep in thought, Ge Shuhan suddenly whispered something beside him.

Not a respectable person?

That's true. If he really wanted to be respectable, he wouldn't have committed regicide during a challenge, in front of countless people.

"Then General, you should go and take a look."

"If he's respectable, then let him be respectable."

"If he's not dignified, then make him dignified."

"According to the order!"

Geshuhan took three steps at a time and caught up with An Lushan, who was halfway up the mountain, and scooped him up with one hand.

In the blink of an eye, An Lushan, who was still struggling, was dragged into the main hall.

Li Er didn't care what would happen in the main hall next.

Whether his fate was dignified or undignified, An Lushan's end was inevitable.

He's now thinking about another problem.

"Minister Guo, what do you think I should do with those aristocratic families?"

Li Er looked at Guo Ziyi, who had been standing quietly to the side.

This is actually not a good question to answer.

But Guo Ziyi knew what answer Li Er wanted to hear.

"Your Majesty, although dynasties throughout history have never targeted powerful families no matter how they changed their allegiance, this time is different."

"They betrayed the Tang Dynasty and turned to An Lushan. Even until today, they stood firmly by An Lushan's side."

"They are rebels, there is no doubt about that."

"And what about the rebels..."

"We shouldn't have been so merciful; those who deserve to die should be killed!"

Over the years, Guo Ziyi witnessed firsthand just how terrifying the harm that powerful families could cause to the country and its people could be.

Let alone An Lushan, that half-baked emperor, even if it were Li Er (Emperor Taizong of Tang)...

If those powerful families are allowed to continue unchecked, the dynasty's collapse is just around the corner!

Do you really think that the hundreds of thousands of troops mobilized in such a short period of time were only due to the prestige of Emperor Taizong?

That might be part of the reason, but it's definitely not the whole story!

After all, An Lushan's Great Yan Dynasty had been established in this world for ten years.

If it weren't for the powerful families exploiting the common people, causing widespread suffering in various regions...

Even if Li Er had great prestige, it would have been impossible for him to find so many soldiers willing to accompany him to restore the Tang Dynasty in a prosperous era!

The culprit who caused all this trouble.

It wasn't An Lushan, but a powerful family!

As long as the powerful families survive, this will keep repeating itself!

"Just as I thought! Minister Guo truly deserves to be called a capable minister of our time. Then it's settled!"

"When I return to Chang'an, I will kill some people myself."

"They should know that they should pay the price for doing such things!"

Guo Ziyi: "..."

He says whatever comes to mind.

Even if he knew that doing so would be better for the country and its people, he wouldn't have spoken so frankly if it were someone else.

But with Li Er, he only needed to speak frankly.

Because Li Er's murderous intent is only stronger than his!