A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

The 37 eunuchs involved, led by Gao Lishi, were found guilty of six major crimes: colluding with the emperor's relatives, intercepting memorials, deceiving the emperor, encouraging extravagance, interfering with the selection of officials, and slandering loyal and virtuous officials.

After a joint trial by the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, the eunuch Gao Lishi, who was the main culprit, was beaten to death.

The other thirty-six officials were either exiled, imprisoned, or executed.

The powerful figures and family members around these eunuchs were all dealt with according to their respective crimes, and almost all of them had their homes confiscated and their families exterminated.

At the same time, the law was promulgated again, emphasizing that the highest rank of eunuchs could not exceed the fourth rank, and that eunuchs were never allowed to participate in court affairs, handle memorials from the state, act as intermediaries between officials and foreign ministers, or slander officials.

From then on, the palace eunuchs were completely relegated to their original duties of sweeping and serving, and no longer had the ability to influence the court or the emperor's decisions.

However, everyone knows that this is only the case for now.

Whether or not eunuchs are put to use is entirely up to the emperor.

As long as the emperor has the authority to rule the world again, these laws are as worthless as waste paper.

But at least for now, Li Longji has lost all his authority, and Li Bai is upholding the court's authority. Before Li Bai falls from power, there is no chance for a eunuch to rise to power.

The decades-long chaos within the palace, characterized by "eunuchs interfering in politics and collusion between the inner and outer courts," was abruptly ended in one fell swoop.

Gao Lishi was imprisoned and lay on the hard prison bed, feeling utterly hopeless.

He entered the palace at a young age. His family had fallen on hard times, and he was castrated and became a slave in the palace. He had never been to school or received any education, so he didn't understand any profound principles.

They survived countless life-threatening situations amidst the intrigues and treacherous schemes of the palace, living cautiously and with constant fear.

Initially, he only sought to preserve his life, being extremely cautious and daring not to overstep any boundaries.

He had personally witnessed the turmoil in the court during Empress Wu's later years, the chaos caused by Empress Wei, the usurpation of power by princesses, and the intrigue and backstabbing within the court. Today's powerful ministers could be tomorrow's beheaded.

Until he met the still young Li Longji.

At that time, His Majesty was full of vigor, decisive and resolute, and had a strong ambition to restore the country.

At that time, His Majesty's eyes seemed to burn with fire, making his heart scorch.

He followed Li Longji, participated in suppressing the rebellion of the Wei clan, eliminated Princess Taiping and her followers, and stood on the edge of life and death time and time again to deliver secret messages for His Majesty and investigate movements.

Gao Lishi also contributed to the establishment of the Kaiyuan era of prosperity.

He helped His Majesty quell the chaos, ascend the throne, and change the era name to Kaiyuan.

That period was the most open and honest time of his life.

At that time, the emperor and his ministers were of one mind and worked diligently to govern the country. His Majesty was determined to revise the laws and regulations, rectify the court, prohibit extravagance, and dismiss treacherous officials.

He kept his duty in mind, only conveying imperial edicts and not discussing politics. He served the emperor's daily life without daring to overstep his bounds in the slightest.

He clearly remembered His Majesty personally holding his hand and saying, "Only you are worthy of my trust in matters of the heart."

He was just a eunuch without a son; how could he possibly deserve such praise and trust from the emperor?

This one sentence made him willing to be Li Longji's most loyal servant for the rest of his life.

He only wanted to be a well-behaved eunuch.

But as the prosperous era lasted, people's hearts gradually changed.

Your Majesty is no longer the young emperor who worked tirelessly day and night to govern the country.

As peace reigned for a long time, His Majesty gradually grew weary of the monotonous daily affairs of state, developed a fondness for magnificent songs and dances, a love for rare and precious objects, and a craving for flattering words.

His Majesty is willing to hear flattery, so people below him will desperately offer flattering words.

Yang Guozhong rose to power step by step by trying to understand the emperor's mind, and the Yang family lived in extreme luxury.

Seeing the emperor's fondness for extravagance, the eunuchs vied to collect treasures from all over the land in order to win his favor.

At first, he also advised, in a subtle way, that His Majesty should not indulge his relatives by marriage, nor should he exhaust the people's resources.

But each time he offered advice, he was met with the emperor's indifferent aloofness and displeasure.

Over time, he dared not speak frankly anymore.

His life was saved by Li Longji, and it also belonged to Li Longji. Since His Majesty liked extravagance, he would also become a treacherous minister, collecting rare treasures and beautiful women from all over the country to provide for His Majesty's enjoyment.

He will become whatever kind of person His Majesty needs, regardless of whether it is right or wrong; he only cares about whether he has met His Majesty's requirements.

As the Director of the Palace Attendants, he was in charge of receiving and sending memorials. He clearly saw memorials impeaching the Yang family, filled with accounts of the people's displacement and the cries of despair in the prefectures and counties.

Fearing to displease His Majesty, he secretly suppressed some of the reports and only submitted those concerning auspicious omens and peace.

Because His Majesty doesn't like to hear these things; he only likes to hear nice things.

Whether they were treacherous officials or loyal ministers, he truly didn't care.

He began to cultivate his own power base so that he could better serve Li Longji.

Later, relying on the emperor's favor, he gradually gained control of a large amount of power and formed a huge eunuch group.

Until that day, in the Zichen Palace.

Du Fu presented a memorial in court, detailing the crimes of the eunuch clique in colluding with the emperor's relatives and deceiving the emperor.

The Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review jointly tried the case, and the evidence was irrefutable.

He stood in the shadows of the main hall, listening to the accusations that were piercing to the core, yet he had no way to refute them.

He was somewhat confused. Had he really committed a heinous crime?

He was merely doing what a servant should do, everything was for his master's sake, and everything was in line with Li Longji's wishes.

Shouldn't a eunuch behave this way?

Perhaps he really was wrong? He never intentionally caused chaos in the world, but ultimately he bears some responsibility for the turmoil.

"Clang!"

The sounds startled Gao Lishi from his reverie. The jailer outside opened the cell door and came in, carrying a tray.

On the tray sat an exquisite wine glass containing a glass of wine.

The jailer placed the tray in front of Gao Lishi, said nothing, and turned to leave.

Looking at the wine cup in front of him, Gao Lishi knew in his heart that it was sent by Li Longji.

It seems that even now, His Majesty still has him in his heart.

By swallowing a cup of poisoned wine, he could suffer much less.

He offended so many people, and now that he has lost power, those people will definitely not let him off easily.

There are probably quite a few people watching him now.

Li Longji is not in a good situation either, so the fact that Gao Lishi still spared his time to take care of him shows how highly Li Longji regarded him.

Is this also related to the fact that he knows too much?

Such a thought flashed through Gao Lishi's mind and then disappeared.

"Your Majesty, this old servant will take his leave first."

"When this old servant arrives in the underworld, I will first scout the way for Your Majesty and wait there for you. Once you are in the underworld, I will continue to serve Your Majesty."

After Gao Lishi finished speaking, he raised his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp. Soon, a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, and the powerful eunuch Gao Lishi came to an end.

Li Longji, inside the Zichen Palace, seemed to sense something as well, looking towards the direction of the Heavenly Prison with a somewhat dazed expression.

Just wait, when his army reaches Luoyang, everything will be settled.

An Lushan and Shi Siming's army was still a month's journey from Luoyang.