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

"You can't be so dictatorial?" Li Chengqian's projection pushed up the sunglasses on his nose, and through the dark lenses, there was no warmth in his eyes.

The air inside the hall seemed to freeze completely in that instant.

The representative of the Jiangnan Dao family who had spoken out in protest was now staring wide-eyed.

He had prepared a whole host of arguments, full of classical allusions, but Li Chengqian's flat tone completely shut him down.

The blue light from the holographic projection shone on the old face that represented wrinkles.

Fine beads of sweat trickled down his graying temples, gathering on the tip of his chin, teetering precariously.

"Clatter."

A drop of cold sweat finally gave way under the weight and slammed heavily onto the bluestone slab of the Taiji Hall.

The subtle sound of water splashing was amplified infinitely in the deathly silent court.

It was like a resounding slap across the face of all the old-fashioned elites who were trying to resist the new era.

Li Chengqian ignored the group's fear.

He even shifted to a more comfortable position, sinking deep into the soft beach chair.

The Hawaiian sea breeze, carrying a gentle rustling sound, wafted into the Taiji Hall through the holographic audio array.

The coconut with the straw in his hand swayed gently with his movements, making a crisp sound as the juice inside sloshed around.

"The word 'dictatorship' is not well used."

Li Chengqian spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice carrying a despairing languor.

He raised his right hand and gently tapped the wooden armrest of the beach chair with the knuckles of his index finger.

"Thump, thump, thump."

The pace was slow, yet it felt like a heavy hammer, striking the hearts of all the bigwigs in the room.

"I am a reasonable person, and Datang Unlimited Liability Company is also a place with rules for doing business."

He took a sip of coconut juice, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

"Since you all consider yourselves shareholders and feel that the rules of this board of directors do not suit your tastes."

Li Chengqian paused suddenly, a gentle smile appearing on his lips.

"That's simple. If you think it's dictatorial, you can withdraw your shares now."

Upon hearing this, a slight commotion immediately arose among the hundreds of dark blue pillars of light within the Taiji Hall.

The representative from Jiangnan Road suddenly raised his head, a glint of wild joy flashing in his cloudy eyes.

Withdrawal of investment?

If one could escape this damned system unscathed with the family's centuries-old wealth and return to Jiangnan to continue being a local tyrant, that would be an absolutely fantastic thing!

"Is Your Highness truly speaking?"

Another holographic projection of a nobleman from a distant European province took a step forward eagerly.

"If we relinquish our industrial share, will Datang allow us to retain our existing assets and withdraw from the board of directors?"

Changsun Wuji stood in front of the main hall, staring intently at Li Chengqian's smiling face.

The shrewd and calculating prime minister felt a chill run down his spine; he knew all too well the crown prince's ways.

Li Chengqian put down the coconut in his hand and let out a long, long yawn.

He stretched out his arms, his bones making a crisp popping sound, as if the group of powerful figures who held most of the world's wealth were nothing more than a swarm of noisy flies.

"Of course it's true."

Li Chengqian then spoke the second half of the sentence in the most indifferent tone.

"However, Datang Unlimited Liability Company does not accept capital withdrawals or asset discounting."

The entire audience held their breath once again.

"Then...then accept what?" The representative of Jiangnan Road's voice began to tremble.

"Only physical bankruptcy is accepted."

The smile on Li Chengqian's lips vanished instantly, his voice turning as cold and hard as iron.

What does "physical bankruptcy" mean?

Before anyone could ask a question, he had already lightly tapped the huge "Celestial Pivot" digital Earth in the void with his fingertip.

"Buzz—"

The holographic projection images switch instantly.

The blue Earth model zoomed in rapidly, the perspective shifting directly to an unnamed deserted island deep in the ocean.

"Open your eyes and see clearly."

Li Chengqian's voice echoed in the empty hall.

In the video, a heavily fortified private fortress is being simulated and built on the deserted island.

The towering city walls and dense network of firepower were the tortoise shell that the powerful and wealthy of the old era were most proud of.

"This is what you call assets and private army."

Li Chengqian snapped his fingers.

"Tian Shu, activate the orbital laser cannon targeted elimination protocol. Target: this island."

A cold, synthesized voice immediately filled the hall:

"Command received. Space-based weapon matrix is ​​charging. Coordinates locked."

next second.

In the projected image above the Taiji Hall, a blinding white light suddenly burst open from the top of the sky.

There was no earth-shattering roar of cannons, nor the shouts of thousands of troops.

A single, pure white, high-energy laser, about the thickness of a bucket, fell straight down from outer space at the speed of light.

"Sizzle—"

The beam of light pierced through the steel fortress on the deserted island in an instant.

There was no explosion of light, only extreme high temperature.

The simulated thermal image on the screen showed that the core temperature exceeded tens of thousands of degrees in one tenth of a second.

Those sturdy alloy city walls, those fortifications they were so proud of.

Even the entire island's rocky foundation was completely vaporized in that instant, turning into boiling magma and dazzling glass crystals.

The whole process took less than three seconds.

The vast deserted island was completely flattened in the holographic projection, leaving only boiling water churning on the sea surface and white steam billowing into the sky.

"This...this..."

The representative of the powerful families of Jiangnan Road slumped to the ground, his eyes fixed on the boiling sea.

He felt as if a scalding hot iron had been shoved into his throat, and he couldn't make a sound.

"This is physical bankruptcy."

Li Chengqian put his sunglasses back on, concealing the cold glint in his eyes.

"I don't covet the gold and silver treasures in your hands, nor do I care for the stale grains you hoard in your granaries."

He pointed to the ashen-faced holographic projections.

"You can disobey, you can resist labor laws, and you can even shut your doors and act as your own local tyrants."

"As long as you think your pitiful servants and guards can withstand a light-speed attack from the sky."

"You are welcome to withdraw your investment at any time."

Dead silence.

A deathly silence that lasted for a full minute.

Inside the Taiji Hall, it was so quiet that only the faint sound of the cooling fan running inside the Tian Shu control console could be heard.

Those sixty seconds felt longer than six centuries to the dignitaries in attendance.

A close-up shot swept across the hundreds of beams of light.

Every face was etched with the despair and utter collapse of their worldview.

The governor of Europe was frantically wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

The South American patriarch's legs were trembling, and he could only barely keep from falling by holding onto the table beside him.

They finally realized that times had changed.

They still measure power by money, connections, and private armies, and they are still thinking about how to manipulate power in the court.

The young man before them had already elevated his power to the highest heavens.

In this cyber empire ruled by algorithms, space-based weapons, and absolute computing power, their so-called foundation is a laughable joke.

It's not even as good as a paper toy.

Their prized trump card could be wiped off the face of the earth with just a few keystrokes from a keyboard.

They not only lost the right to overturn the table.

They don't even deserve another chair in this room.

Li Shimin sat on the chairman's platform, looking down at the group of ruthless and terrified warlords below.

The breathing of this emperor, who was considered one of the greatest emperors in history, also became heavy.

He stared at the digital globe radiating a deep blue light, a look of awe and fascination flashing in his eyes.

This is true deterrence! No need to deploy troops or prepare supplies beforehand; life and death are determined solely by data!

"Big brother... I understand."

A hoarse voice, filled with deep fear, broke the suffocating silence.

Within the pillar of light, far away in North America, King Li Tai of Wei's legs went weak.

With a "thump".

His obese body slammed heavily onto the hard alloy floor.

The dull thud of the knees hitting the ground was clearly transmitted throughout the entire Taiji Hall via the holographic network.

In order to save the factories in North America that had just resumed production, and in order to save their own lives.

Li Tai lowered his noble princely head and prostrated himself on the ground.

"The North American Province... firmly supports all the resolutions of the Datang Unlimited Liability Company."

Li Tai's voice trembled, carrying a sense of utter submission and humility.

"The Labor Law will be fully implemented immediately, without any further discussion!"

Li Tai's kneeling was like a terrifying domino effect.

It instantly shattered the last glimmer of hope in everyone's hearts.

Even the emperor's most beloved son, the King of Wei who held considerable military power, knelt down.

What right do these officials from outside the imperial family have to stand here?

"thump!"

"Thump! Thump!"

The sound of people kneeling repeatedly echoed through holographic recording devices across continents.

The once arrogant phantoms shrank in the blinding blue light.

The European governor knelt down.

King Li Ke of Wu in South America knelt down.

The representative of the prominent families of Jiangnan Road lay prostrate on the ground, trembling like a leaf.

Inside the main hall, the figures within the hundreds of beams of light, without exception, all faced the casual beach chair, having completely surrendered.

"Your humble servants...respectfully obey the decrees of the Chairman and His Highness the Crown Prince!"

"The Great Tang's Heavenly Pivot, its strategies flawless! Long live the Emperor! May His Highness live a thousand years!"

The thunderous shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" echoed through the dome of the Taiji Hall, carrying a mechanical reverberation through the network delay.

The voice no longer held the previous insincere compliance.

All that remained was utter humiliation, yet also a profound and devout reverence.

Looking at this cyber spectacle of the entire court kneeling before him, Li Chengqian finally smiled with satisfaction.

He knew that from this moment on, the Tang Dynasty had undergone a complete transformation.

Traditional feudal monarchy collapsed in the blinding light.

Instead, there is an absolutely cold and rational digital theocracy.

And Li Chengqian is the creator behind this divine authority, the one who holds the switch.

He used technological superiority to effortlessly achieve ultimate control over this empire and even all of humanity.

"Very well, since everyone agrees, let's adjourn the meeting for today."

After sipping the last bit of coconut juice, Li Chengqian casually tossed the empty shell into the nearby trash can.

He waved lazily.

"Tian Shu, cut off all external connections. I'm going to take a nap."

"Command confirmed."

The global conference unilaterally severed the connection in absolute submission. The eerie blue holographic light gradually faded, leaving only the "Tian Shu" control console, which held global data, still emitting a soft hum in the hall. Li Shimin slowly rose from the dragon throne and walked step by step towards the control console.