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

The moment Li Shimin fell.

The pure gold cup with a handle, which was filled with warm water, was swept off the table and fell to the ground.

The cup rolled down the steps, making a clattering sound.

Water splashed onto the floor tiles.

"His Majesty!"

Cheng Yaojin let out a loud howl and rushed over to help him up.

Wu Zetian frowned and quickly typed commands on the tablet to summon the imperial physician.

Changsun Wuji was the closest to Li Shimin.

But he didn't reach out to help.

He stood there, like a wooden statue.

He clutched his chest tightly with both hands.

The old man stared blankly at the golden cup that had rolled to his feet.

It wasn't because the emperor fainted that she was frightened.

It was the special terminal on his wrist that had just vibrated.

[Datang Medical AI alert: Increased myocardial fibrosis detected in the host]

[Telomerase depletion, multiple organ failure progress: 78%]

[Expected lifespan: 912 days]

Nine hundred days.

Less than three years.

Changsun Wuji felt as if a piece of raw iron had been stuffed into the already stuffy flesh in his chest.

It was so heavy he could hardly breathe.

He took deep breaths of the air in the side hall, which smelled of burnt electronic components.

My heart was beating lightly and quickly, like a sparrow that was about to die of illness.

He raised his head.

His gaze passed over the chaotic Taiji Hall and looked out the window.

Above Chang'an City, the virtual light screen of the metaverse projected by the Tian Shu system is radiating brilliant neon lights.

Cyber ​​Tang Dynasty was as prosperous as an immortal monster.

Changsun Wuji suddenly found the prosperity dazzling.

He recalled a piece of code in his mind.

That was his private avatar in the "Third Continent".

Images popped into my retina.

A young sword immortal wearing a blue Taoist robe and with long, flowing hair.

He was stepping on a flying sword crackling with blue lightning.

Travel through a virtual sea of ​​clouds.

No rheumatic pain, no arrhythmia.

Every breath carries abundant data processing power.

That was perfect, immortal youth.

Changsun Wuji looked down at the back of his hand, which resembled withered tree bark.

It was covered with age spots.

Thick, bluish veins lay beneath the skin like writhing worms.

The body is decaying.

Code is immortal.

This extreme contrast gnawed at his brain like a venomous snake.

Late at night, at the Duke of Zhao's residence.

An underground chamber.

There were no candles lit, only the glow of a few old server screens.

The fireflies shone on Changsun Wuji's gaunt face.

The light illuminated the bloodshot veins in his eyes clearly.

There were no tables or chairs in the center of the secret room.

There were more than a dozen heavy metal crates piled on the ground.

Changsun Wuji knelt on the ground.

He wasn't wearing an outer robe, but only a thin white undergarment.

He was holding a well-worn account book.

He is taking inventory.

"The 600 mu of paddy fields in the south of the city... were cashed out for 300,000 credit points."

"The Shu brocade weaving workshops in Sichuan... 500,000."

As he muttered to himself, he crossed out a line on the ledger with a brush dipped in his saliva.

He picked up a gold bar from the iron box.

It's golden and heavy.

This was the hard currency he had just received after exchanging his family's antique paintings and calligraphy through an underground money exchange.

It's not virtual numbers, it's real gold.

He held the gold bar close to his face.

Using the cold light of the screen, he stared intently at the purity of the gold bars.

There was a morbid greed in his eyes.

This is not greed for money, but a desire for life.

"Too slow...not enough, not quite there yet."

Changsun Wuji muttered to himself.

His hands were trembling, and the gold bars clinked together with a dull thud.

He turned around and climbed to a server.

Insert a physical key into the lock and turn it.

A gray screen popped up.

There is no official mark of the Tang Dynasty's Tian Shu.

There is only one icon: a broken mechanical wooden bird.

This is the dark web.

An underground passage built by the remnants of the Gongshu family after they were wiped out by the Tang Dynasty.

Changsun Wuji skillfully entered a long string of passwords.

The interface redirects.

An image of someone wearing a black electronic mask popped up.

The sound had been processed by a voice changer, making it harsh and unpleasant to hear.

"Duke Zhao, you're still up so late?"

"Can your heart withstand this level of staying up all night?"

The voice on the other end was filled with undisguised mockery.

Changsun Wuji did not get angry.

He brought his face close to the screen and lowered his voice.

"Stop talking nonsense, I've almost raised the money."

"One million taels of physical gold, converted into quantum chips and coolant."

"Keep that 'permanent upload location' for me."

The mechanical voice on the other end laughed.

"That's natural."

"As soon as the gold arrives, the Gongshu family's underground server will be open to you forever."

"The body will eventually decay; the ascension of consciousness is the true path."

"However, I must remind you that the Tian Shu system is very strict in its investigations."

"If that madman Li Chengqian finds out, even your code will be burned to ashes."

"He doesn't investigate the black market!"

Changsun Wuji's voice suddenly rose, like an old cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"He's now only focused on the national treasury and the Western Regions!"

"As long as I don't touch the big market funds, nobody cares what I buy!"

He pressed the Enter key heavily, cutting off the communication.

The sealed room fell silent once more.

Changsun Wuji leaned against the cold server chassis.

The cold metal casing slightly relieved the dull pain in his chest.

He hugged the gold bars tightly in his arms, as if he were holding a baby.

An ugly smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Immortality...I want immortality."

"The Emperor is old and will die."

"But I won't."

three days later.

A light rain fell in Chang'an.

It is cold and damp.

At the morning court session in the Taiji Hall.

Li Shimin sat on the dragon throne, his face still somewhat pale.

Next to her was a cup of quick-acting heart medicine specially prepared by Wu Zetian.

He rubbed his temples every now and then.

Clearly, they had not yet recovered from the grief of "ceding three provinces three years' worth of tax revenue".

The atmosphere in the main hall was very oppressive.

No one dared to offend the emperor at this time.

Even Cheng Yaojin, who usually loves to shout, was as quiet as a quail today.

He huddled at the very back of the ranks of military officers, pretending to doze off.

Li Shimin listened to the routine report from the Minister of Revenue.

He waved his hand impatiently.

"Understood, you may leave."

"If you have something to report, speak now; otherwise, the court may adjourn."

The civil servants were at the very front of the line.

Wei Zheng stepped forward.

He was dressed in a scarlet court robe and held a jade tablet in his hand.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report."

Wei Zheng's voice was as harsh as ever.

Li Shimin's temple throbbed.

"Wei Zheng, I have a headache today."

"If you're criticizing me for losing money on real estate, you'd better keep it to yourself."

"No."

Wei Zheng did not back down.

He raised the jade tablet, about to speak.

"I wish to impeach..."

He had only said half of what he was saying.

Wei Zheng's voice suddenly stopped.

It's like a phonograph that's playing and someone suddenly unplugs it.

His eyes widened suddenly, his eyeballs bulging out.

The jade tablet in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud" onto the white marble floor tiles.

It broke in two.

The surrounding courtiers were all stunned.

Before they could even react...

Wei Zheng's thin body swayed twice.

Like a piece of dead wood that has been cut down.

Without any warning.

He fell straight backward in the main hall.