Deposed? I couldn't be happier! I wouldn't even be a dog to the crown prince.

The old farmer's lament quickly spread through the fields, teahouses, and taverns, resonating strongly with the people of the Tang Dynasty.

Today, Guanzhong is no longer the impoverished place where people relied on the weather for their livelihood.

If you stop a young man wearing a silk shirt on the street and ask him if he wants to become an immortal, he will most likely give you a look as if you're a fool.

"Becoming an immortal? Does becoming an immortal have the convenience of a flush toilet? Does becoming an immortal mean drinking chilled grape juice from the Western Regions every day?"

This is the truest sentiment of the people of the Tang Dynasty.

Their lives were incredibly comfortable; the abundance of material possessions far exceeded the imagination of the ancients.

Fighting a war? That's something for the Nantianmen Fleet and those soldiers in exoskeleton armor to worry about.

Famine? The high-yield rice cultivated by Yuan Longping filled every granary; the people of the Tang Dynasty were now worried about how to lose weight.

Even the ultimate fear of birth, aging, sickness, and death pales in comparison to the modern pharmaceutical factories under the Imperial Medical Bureau.

One dose of penicillin can instantly dissipate inflammation that could have been fatal; such a miracle is far more effective than praying to gods and Buddhas.

"Director Su, look at the atmosphere on the street."

Zhao Jianguo pointed out the window and saw a flamboyant young man from Chang'an directing several foreign laborers to move a piano.

"In the past, ordinary people would kowtow to even a county magistrate, but now, all they care about is the laws of the Tang Dynasty and that radio; they see nothing else."

Su Mu leaned back in his soft chair, toying with a high-precision quantum sampler in his hand, his tone indifferent.

"This is the embodiment of rationality. When science can solve all suffering, the ethereal gods and Buddhas should be dethroned."

This change directly led to the avalanche-like collapse of the religious system.

Temples and Taoist monasteries that were once bustling with worshippers are now deserted.

The people felt that instead of spending money to buy a few sticks of incense, they would rather buy two kilograms of imported Australian beef rolls from the supply and marketing cooperative.

To those Tang Dynasty people who had already awakened to "materialism," it was better to worship the Crown Prince Li Chengqian, who could provide them with heated rooms, than to worship the silent clay statue.

Li Chengqian's portrait was hung in the central hall of every household, usually accompanied by a simplified diagram of the Tang Dynasty constitution.

"Your Highness, shouldn't the current extravagant lifestyle in Chang'an be curbed?"

Wei Zheng's face turned red, and he spoke with great fervor in the main hall, expressing his deep sorrow and indignation.

"Those wealthy merchants not only have Persian carpets in their homes, but even their dogs wear beads from Southeast Asia!"

"This kind of comfort is a poison to civilization; it will erode the fighting spirit of our Tang soldiers!"

Li Chengqian lazily shifted his sitting posture and pointed to the towering radio tower outside the hall.

"Wei Qing, your brain needs a firmware upgrade."

Li Chengqian's voice echoed in the empty hall, carrying an undeniable air of dominance.

"What is the purpose of all this hard work and scheming to develop these cutting-edge technologies, which I, along with Director Su, have painstakingly built up this vast empire?"

"Is it so that the people of the Tang Dynasty will continue to tighten their belts and live a life of hardship?"

"No, I want them to enjoy it, to feel that they wouldn't trade this kind of life for even a god."

"Only in this way will they fight like mad wolves to protect the Tang Dynasty when someone tries to take away this peace."

Su Mu stood aside, watching Li Chengqian's demeanor gradually detach from the category of "feudal emperor," and nodded inwardly.

This Tang Dynasty is transforming into a colossal behemoth nourished by global resources.

As long as the logic doesn't break down, this prosperity will continue until the ends of the earth.

However, beneath this near-morbid perfection, there will always be someone who feels uneasy.

This unease did not stem from the extravagance of the common people, but from the underlying logic of imperial power.

Deep within the Taiji Palace, in a side hall that never sees sunlight.

Li Shimin sat on the dragon throne made of top-grade mahogany with an embedded massage system.

In front of him was a huge LCD screen, which displayed real-time surveillance footage of Chang'an City.

The scene depicted people laughing and joking, and steel behemoths roaming the streets—a prosperous era he had never dreamed of.

This once formidable and powerful General Tian Ce now appears unusually dejected.

His hand stroked the edge of the dragon throne, feeling its cold and exquisite texture, his eyes filled with confusion.

He discovered that his proud governance strategies were like a child's scribbles in the face of these revolutionary technologies.

The systems, rituals, and hierarchies he had established were torn to shreds in front of the toilet and the light bulb.

"It's too perfect...so perfect that I feel like a stranger to it."

Li Shimin muttered to himself, his psychological defenses completely collapsing at that moment.

As emperor, he found that he no longer had any meaning in the Tang Dynasty.

Without him, the Tang Dynasty actually operated faster, stronger, and more like a freak.

This sense of powerlessness brought about by extreme prosperity was like a soft knife piercing the spine of this powerful ruler.

He looked at his eldest son, Li Chengqian, who was full of vigor and confidence on the screen.

Looking at Su Mu, who was standing behind his son with a playful smile on his face.

At that moment, Li Shimin felt that he was no longer the master of this land, but an old soldier abandoned by the times.

He suddenly stood up, intending to overturn the imperial desk in front of him, only to find that the desk was made of fluid metal and fixed to the ground.

He pushed hard, but it didn't budge.

"Second brother, take some medicine. It was brewed by Empress Zhangsun herself."

A slightly aged voice rang out from the shadows; it was Gao Shilian.

Li Shimin turned his head and looked at the old minister, his voice hoarse.

"Gao Qing, do you think there really is a country in this world that doesn't need an emperor?"

"Second brother, we're actually living a pretty good life now, why bother thinking about all that nonsense about power?"

"Pretty good? Heh... I feel like an old dragon being kept in captivity in Chang'an."

"His Highness said that you should enjoy your retirement years. If you wish to travel, the Nantianmen Fleet can send you to the moon to see Chang'e."

Li Shimin was stunned, then let out a desolate laugh.

Go to the moon to see Chang'e?

This used to be a myth, but now it's just something a son casually says to appease his father.

He plopped back into his chair, staring at Su Mu's face on the screen, a tear streaming down his face—a tear that was hard to tell whether it was of relief or humiliation.

"Su Mu... what kind of monster have you turned my Tang Dynasty into?"

Meanwhile, on the terrace of the East Palace.

Su Mu seemed to sense something and turned to look in the direction of Taiji Palace.

"Director, what's wrong?" Lin Qinghan noticed his movement and asked softly.

"It's nothing, I just feel that the logic of an old era is collapsing."

Su Mu turned around and looked at the Kunlun slaves working on the construction site and the Tang people talking loudly in the coffee shop.

"In the end, Lao Li still couldn't get over that mental hurdle; that's the limitation of his understanding."

"Should we send Minister Zhao to offer his condolences?"

"No need, let him stay in that perfect house."

Su Mu turned his gaze back to the faint energy ripples above Chang'an City.

"The main event that follows is not the old emperor's sentimentality, but those high-dimensional scum who can't resist reaching out."

"Chief, that Indian monk has been waiting outside the temple for three hours."

"Let him in. Tell him that if there's not a single scientific statement in his scriptures, I'll stuff him into the power plant as fuel."

"Chief, isn't this a bit disrespectful to their beliefs?"

"Faith? In the Tang Dynasty, only logic is the only faith; everything else is illegal fundraising."

"Alright, I'll go pass on the message right away!"

"Wait, tell him to get a full-body disinfection before coming in. The Tang Dynasty doesn't welcome unhygienic charlatans."

"Chief, what if he said that the Buddha's teachings are boundless?"

"Then I'll show him just how deep the Tang Dynasty's criminal law really is."