Chapter 54: The common people of our Great Tang cannot be mistreated, and Heaven cannot be deceived!

Chapter 54: The lowly subjects of our Great Tang cannot be abused, and Heaven cannot be deceived!

Unlike people in later eras, the people of this age still firmly believed in ghosts and deities.

Coupled with the special effects bestowed upon Li Shimin and his attire, which was identical to his portrait, not a single person doubted his identity.

The people who fell to their knees were trembling with agitation. To be able to witness Emperor Taizong manifest his divine presence with their own eyes was the utmost honor. Even if Li Shimin were to give an order right then and there for them to fight those armored guards to the death, they would rush forward without hesitation to tear them to pieces.

Yet, obviously, there was no need for that, because those armored guards had also dropped their weapons and fallen to their knees alongside the crowd.

Are you kidding me? The Wu family only paid them a few strings of cash—who was going to risk their lives for that? Besides, who was that? That was Emperor Taizong manifesting his divine presence! You’d have to be out of your mind to go up against that man!

To be fair, Li Shimin himself possessed the bearing of a dragon and a phoenix and the countenance of the sun and moon. He didn't look completely identical to his portrait, but rather shared its majestic essence.

"No, impossible, absolutely impossible!" Wu Chonglie stumbled backward. It wasn't that he refused to believe it, but rather that he was unwilling to believe that the person before him was the Emperor Wen of Tang, Emperor Taizong.

"Are you playing god and pulling off tricks? Someone! Men! Capture these rebels for this Prince!"

Unfortunately, absolutely no one obeyed his command.

Rebels? Pah! You're the rebel now!

The armored guards spat fiercely in their hearts.

"Just now, I heard you say that your great-aunt is the founding emperor of Wu Zhou? In terms of seniority, she is even higher than Me?" Li Shimin's voice was as cold as a bitter winter. "And what was that you said? What could Emperor Wen possibly amount to?"

"Heh... Actually, back in those years, there were plenty of people who refused to submit to Me... Xue Ju and his son, Liu Wuzhou, Song Jingang, Wang Shichong, Dou Jiande."

"Even My own brothers, the Crown Prince Jiancheng and Prince Yuanji of Chao."

"Not to mention Jiali of the Tujue, Xueyantuo, Tuyuhun..."

As Li Shimin recounted these names, the surrounding crowd became utterly intoxicated, as if they were following his narration into those passionate years of marching across the land and shaking the world with awe.

It is no exaggeration to say that throughout the entire Tang Dynasty, whether officials or commoners, their greatest dream in their hearts was to follow Emperor Taizong into battle to establish their merits and found their careers.

"What of their refusal? With a single battle I captured two kings and unified the realm of the Great Tang, and Jiali even danced for Me..."

"Yet, those men were all heroes of their time, but you?"

At this, Li Shimin cast a cold glance at him.

"You are nothing more than a worthless sack of wine and rice, a creature who can only enjoy wealth and glory through the apron strings of a woman. You refuse to submit to Me? Heh..."

Every single word fell upon Wu Chongxun's heart like a heavy hammer.

With this final sentence, his psychological defense completely collapsed. His legs turned to jelly, and he crashed to his knees before Li Shimin.

"If you could have stood before Me on the battlefield, perhaps I might have held you in slightly higher regard." Li Shimin suddenly found the whole affair utterly dull.

This is it?

What kind of status do you think you have, daring to oppose me, Li Shimin? My lowest-ranking enemies were crown princes and imperial princes of entire nations. No matter how utterly useless Li Yuanji was, he was still capable of riding into battle to slay the enemy. What sort of thing are you, Wu Chongxun?

At that moment, the guards stationed at Zhaoling Mausoleum also poured into the tower. Upon catching sight of Li Shimin, they dropped to their knees in a flurry and shouted "Long live" in unison.

Li Qing’s special effects were remarkably powerful; anyone on the mountain, regardless of their location, could clearly hear Li Shimin's voice. Consequently, under the influence of this "miracle," the guards harbored not the slightest shred of doubt regarding Li Shimin's identity.

"Zhinu!"

"Your subject is here!"

Li Zhi immediately stepped forward.

The crowd immediately caught sight of Li Zhi and guessed his identity.

Come to think of it, among Li Shimin's sons, he was the only one whose childhood nickname was Zhinu, and that nickname was hardly a secret among the common folk.

"It's Emperor Gaozong!"

"Ah, Emperor Gaozong has come, why didn't Empress Wu follow along?"

Before anyone knew who had spoken, Li Zhi's face darkened at the question, yet he forced himself to put on a normal expression.

Talk about touching a raw nerve—I really thank you. If you manage to make my father angry later on, the one who's going to suffer won't be you, damn it!

At the thought of this, Li Zhi began to feel a phantom pain in his backside once again. Hiss... That weapon called the "Seven Wolves," truly was not a pain a human could endure!

"Ah, that young man on the side, could he possibly be..." A clever person had already guessed Li Xian's identity, but couldn't be certain whether he was Li Hong or Li Xian.

After all, both Li Hong and Li Xian were top-tier good children, and whichever one Emperor Taizong brought along seemed entirely plausible.

"I recognize him! I recognize him!" An elderly official in the crowd wept tears of old age. "It's him... It is Crown Prince Zhanghuai, Xian, who was wrongfully murdered by that wicked empress..."

Hearing someone recognize him, Li Xian turned his head and offered a gentle smile.

Li Xian had always enjoyed a high reputation among the court officials and the common people, and quite a number of people believed he would have made an accomplished monarch.

It was simply a pity that he blocked his own mother's path and was framed by her. Not only did he lose his position as crown prince, but he was also wrongfully put to death at a roadside post station.

Following this, the regret, fond remembrance, and sympathy for Crown Prince Li Xian reached such a peak that even Empress Wu felt a lingering sense of dread, and perhaps even some relief that she had eliminated this highly prestigious son so early on.

One could not quite say those surnamed Wu were born without humanity, but at the very least, they never did a single human thing.

Li Shimin handed his long sword to Li Zhi.

"Since he is your great-nephew by marriage, handle him however you see fit."

To everyone's surprise, Li Zhi chuckled. Instead of taking the sword, he said to Li Shimin, "Your subject once read books given by Uncle, browsing the tales of Emperor Taizu of Ming, and learned of the punishment of 'flaying the skin and stuffing it with straw.' Your subject believes we can apply this method to him: flay his skin, stuff it with straw, and hang it before Zhaoling Mausoleum as a warning to others, setting an example for all the lawless villains in the world who commit heinous crimes."

Li Shimin looked at Li Zhi with immense surprise.
Tsk, who would have thought Zhinu actually grew up?

The old father could not help but smile with gratification and retrieved his long sword.

"What Zhinu has said deeply touches My heart. We shall do as you say... Men!"

"Here!"

Everyone inside the tower who heard Li Shimin's voice, regardless of gender or age, responded in unison with a resounding shout.

"Flay this scoundrel's skin, stuff it with straw, and hang it before Zhaoling Mausoleum to warn those corrupt officials, lawless scoundrels, and arrogant scions of wealthy families! If anyone dares to oppress the common people and bully the villages, let them meet the same fate as Wu Chonglie: flayed skin and stuffed straw!"

"I want to make it crystal clear to this pack of rats: the lowly subjects of our Great Tang cannot be abused, and Heaven cannot be deceived!"

Li Shimin commanded in a booming voice.

The answering roar shook the clouds, causing even the rafters of the tower to tremble.

"Understood!"

At this moment, Wu Chonglie collapsed limply onto the ground, unable to utter a single word—he was reduced entirely to the picture of a spineless coward.

"Such a person is fit to usurp a lofty position?" Li Shimin looked at Wu Chonglie, undisguised disgust filling his eyes.

Li Qing laughed and said, "Empress Wu sucked all the masculinity out of the Wu family's men; it's no surprise he's such a spineless coward."

Li Shimin nodded noncommittally. After dealing with this Wu Chonglie at Zhaoling, his next step would be to head to Chang'an to deal with Wu Sansi... Oh right, and that unfilial descendant Li Xian, Empress Wei, and Princess Anle.

How should he arrange matters for them? Old Li began to mull it over in his heart.

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Begging for reading engagement, begging for reading engagement, begging for monthly tickets wuwuwu qwq

(End of this chapter)