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

The illusory image of that encrypted message completely disintegrated in the data deluge of the dark web, turning into a few meaningless specks of electronic ash.

The following morning, the atmosphere inside the Taiji Hall of the Daming Palace was as oppressive as the low pressure before a downpour. The unprecedented first "Tang Dynasty Global Shareholders Meeting" officially commenced. This place was no longer a traditional imperial court, but a cyber trial arena filled with cold metallic textures and shimmering fluorescent lights.

The huge hall was not as crowded as I had imagined.

On the contrary, hundreds of eerie blue beams of light illuminated the hall, shooting out from sophisticated projectors on the floor and piercing the sky-like dome. Within those beams of light, governors of various continents, vassal kings, and representatives of top families with centuries-old traditions gathered together like ghosts in holographic projection.

The illusory figure of Li Tai, the lord of North America, appeared somewhat gaunt, with the ruins of a factory that had not yet fully resumed operations as the backdrop behind him. Meanwhile, the projection of Li Ke, the King of Wu in South America, carried a damp, grassy scent. And then there were the nobles far away in Europe and the Western Regions, their translucent bodies shimmering slightly in the blue light, their eyes radiating a chilling coldness.

This technological display that transcends space carries an inherent sense of oppressive solemnity, making even the imperial guards standing at the gate afraid to look directly at those illusory shadows.

Li Shimin sat upright behind that huge, technologically advanced chairman's seat.

His complexion was not good.

The consecutive days of "Emperor 007" live broadcasts had left him looking extremely tired. His eyes were sunken, and his complexion, which was originally rosy from the nourishment of power, now appeared ashen from exhaustion. He rested his hands on the cold alloy holographic platform, his tiger-like eyes slightly narrowed, scanning the more than one hundred holographic beams of light in the hall.

From the very beginning of the meeting, the atmosphere of outward compliance but inward defiance, like a flood bursting its banks, surged forth.

"Chairman, I've painstakingly worked to stabilize local mineral production in the European provinces. But with this new labor law, labor costs have tripled instantly!"

A governor in a holographic projection was the first to make a move. Although he bowed deeply to Li Shimin, there was no respect in his tone.

"Those barbarians in Europe are inherently lazy. Now that there's an eight-hour workday and weekends, they don't even want to go down into the mines anymore! Chairman, this isn't a legal code; it's practically cutting off our Great Tang's source of wealth over there!"

Immediately afterwards, a representative of a prominent family from Jiangnan Road also spoke with a cold smile. His phantom image swayed violently within the pillar of light, appearing provocative.

"Your Majesty sets an example, and this old minister naturally admires you the most. But we local small shareholders cannot compare to the vast wealth and power of the royal family. If this bill is forcibly implemented, the local finances will be in deficit within three months. If that triggers a business riot, it will probably not be quelled by just a few live broadcasts."

On the surface, they were praising Li Shimin's 007 spirit, but in reality, they were using "local unrest" and "financial collapse" as a soft knife to force the imperial power to make concessions inch by inch.

These representatives of capital have no longer cared about the proper etiquette between ruler and subject.

In their eyes, the current system of the Tang Dynasty has become a game of equity, and as long as they can join forces, even the emperor will have to bow down to interests. They strongly demand the abolition of labor laws and strive for complete commercial autonomy, attempting to carve out their own capitalist paradises within the vast mechanical empire of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin's fingers gripped the edge of the control panel tightly, his knuckles making a creaking sound from excessive force.

He felt an unprecedented sense of loneliness and anger.

As a feudal emperor, he was used to resolving problems with military force, but faced with these protests comprised of numbers, contracts, and capital, he found his once invincible sword somewhat ineffective. Whenever he tried to retaliate, the powerful figures opposite him would unleash a deluge of daunting data reports.

The suffocating feeling caused by the constraints of those high-dimensional rules almost made him explode on the spot.

"Where is Li Chengqian?"

Li Shimin lowered his voice, turned to look at Wang De, who was huddled in the corner, his eyes filled with anxious frustration.

"Where is His Highness the Crown Prince? Why isn't he here at a time like this?"

Wang De shrank back in fright, extremely nervous. The whisk in his hand trembled slightly, and he replied in a voice with a hint of crying.

"To the Chairman: His Highness the Crown Prince said yesterday that he had overworked himself and caught a cold. He has been bedridden since this morning, saying that he can't even get out of bed. Please bear with him."

"You bastard!"

Li Shimin slammed his fist on the table.

"Caught a cold? He's bigger than an ox! He wants to see me get surrounded and attacked here!"

Seeing Li Shimin remain silent, the powerful figures in the hall grew even more vocal in their demands for his abdication. The cacophony of protests, amplified by the holographic sound array within the hall, assaulted Li Shimin's ears from all directions.

Just as Li Shimin was about to pull out the horizontal sword hanging behind the console in his anger, ready to smash the suffocating control panel in front of him without regard for anything else.

"Hiss—beep!!!"

A piercing, high-frequency electronic buzzing sound, seemingly capable of piercing eardrums, suddenly exploded in the very center of the Taiji Hall.

The giant holographic projector at the very center of the hall, displaying the highest level of authority, suddenly began to vibrate violently due to the forced influx of data. The previously stable blue light was instantly replaced by clusters of random, even somewhat chaotic, multicolored streams of light.

For a split second, the lights in the entire Taiji Hall flickered eerily due to an electrical overload.

At the center of that colorful mist, a figure that wasn't particularly tall, yet possessed a languid air that could suppress all the noise, slowly coalesced into shape.

The figure didn't even sit properly.

The shouting that had filled the hall abruptly ceased with a deafening whistling sound. Hundreds of eyes, both real and projected, were instantly fixed on the very center of the hall.

The highest-level projector in the very center of the Taiji Hall suddenly emitted a piercing buzzing sound.