This is the true immortal of the Taoist sect.

The emperor looked at the officials and the crown prince kneeling all around him and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

What does it matter if you are the supreme ruler of the world? What does it matter if you wield absolute power over the world?

Aren't we just ants in front of such a transcendent immortal?

But he was, after all, the emperor, and the dignity of the emperor made it impossible for him to kneel down and beg for life like those officials.

It's even less likely that he'll admit that what he did was wrong.

The emperor took a deep breath to calm himself.

He glanced at Li Daoxuan, then looked at Wang Yangming.

"What's the point of saying anything now that things have come to this?"

"I have done nothing wrong in this matter from beginning to end."

"I... just lost."

"Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you."

Having said that, the emperor looked up at the sky, closed his eyes, and appeared to be at the mercy of others.

Not a single one of the court officials who had previously supported him stood up to speak for the emperor.

Li Daoxuan couldn't help but find the emperor's appearance somewhat amusing.

Most of these ancient emperors were like this; even if they made irreparable mistakes, they would never bow their heads for the sake of their so-called imperial dignity.

Wang Yangming looked around, his gaze finally settling on the emperor, and said in a resounding voice:

No...you're wrong.

The emperor's lips twitched, and he chuckled dismissively.

Wang Yangming's eyes were sharp as he continued:

"Your mistakes go far beyond how you treated me and Ping An."

The emperor opened his eyes, glanced sideways at Wang Yangming, and said disdainfully:

"You ignorant brat, do you think you're qualified to judge me just because you've passed the imperial examinations three times?"

"You've never held an official post, never managed a single commoner, and all you've learned are dead things from books, yet you dare to speak so arrogantly."

Wang Yangming smiled and did not get angry.

Instead, he became even more confident and said:

"You're right, I have indeed never governed any people."

"But that doesn't mean I can't see the shortcomings in your governance."

"Your mistake is not hard to spot; everyone in the court can see it."

"But they are either beneficiaries of the system or they are afraid of being blamed, so no one dares to speak up or interfere."

The emperor frowned slightly, his expression growing increasingly cold.

"In the thirteenth year of Zhende, you ascended the throne and changed the era name to Xiangfu."

"It has been twenty-two years since then."

"During your 22 years in power, you have neither expanded the territory nor brought prosperity and happiness to the people."

"Even though they have already established the Crown Prince, they still want to support a Prince of Jin to compete with the Crown Prince."

"What appears to be a balancing act in the court is actually a stirring up of factional strife, causing chaos in the Great Zhao court and a daily decline in national strength."

"This led to chaos in the court and rampant corruption."

"As for the people, within the three thousand li of territory from Anyi County northward to the capital, the people are living in misery, struggling to survive, and have almost reached the point of selling their children."

"As for finances, the national treasury has been in deficit for years, and taxes in various places have almost never been fully collected. However, the ministers in the court are lining their own pockets and becoming bloated with greed."

"In the army, arrears in pay and empty pay are commonplace. Military commanders turn the border troops into private troops, and instead of training them, they use them as laborers to cultivate their private fields."

"As a result, the Dali have repeatedly invaded over the years, even losing three hundred miles of territory, causing the border people to become slaves under the Dali cavalry."

At this point, the civil and military officials kneeling on the ground lowered their heads even further.

The emperor's face had already turned ashen, and he was speechless.

He wanted to reprimand him, but everything Wang Yangming said was the truth.

Wang Yangming, still not giving up, continued to speak frankly:

"The dynasty is already in such a state. As the emperor, instead of thinking about making changes to strengthen the country, you continue to indulge the Crown Prince and the Prince of Jin in their factional struggles and attacks on dissidents."

"Take this imperial examination for example. Students from all over the country travel thousands of miles to the capital to participate in this examination that could change their destiny."

"But what was the final result?"

"The exam questions for this prestigious exam were leaked so easily."

"The Crown Prince and the Prince of Jin went to great lengths to place their own people inside."

"It will cause those truly talented and capable students who are willing to serve the country to fail in their exams."

"If I hadn't interfered this time, how many people on the Apricot List and the Golden List would have made it based on their own talent?"

Wang Yangming's tone grew increasingly heated, and in the end, he pointed at the emperor and angrily said:

"If you, as the emperor, are completely unaware of this, it would be a dereliction of duty, a failure to investigate, and a sign of incompetence and inaction."

"If one is aware of these calamities but ignores them, then one is even more unworthy of the position and has no right to be the Emperor of Dazhao."

These words struck the emperor's heart like a series of drumbeats, causing him to stumble backward, trip over the threshold of the hall, and fall to the ground.

The crown on his head fell off, and he no longer possessed any imperial majesty. His white hair was scattered, and he looked utterly disheveled.

"No...no...traitorous scoundrel, what do you know about the art of balancing power, what do you understand about the mind of an emperor? You only know how to spout nonsense...nonsense..."

Hearing the emperor's words, Wang Yangming almost completely lost control of his emotions.

He stepped across the threshold of the main hall, grabbed the emperor by the collar, and dragged him up from the ground.

"Is all you still thinking about is the so-called art of compromise and the politics of emperors?"

"Do you think that just because you sit in this position and command the world, you are the supreme ruler of this world?"

"No...you are wrong. If the people of the world no longer believe in the emperor, and the officials in the court no longer pledge allegiance to you, you will be nothing more than a useless old man."

"Without the people, what is the purpose of a monarch?"

"Without the people, where would the world come from?"

"The reason why the world needs a monarch is simply because the world needs such a person to manage the four directions, mobilize the world's resources, and fill in the gaps."

"Your supreme power was bestowed upon you by the people to benefit the world, not for your so-called checks and balances and imperial tactics."

Wang Yangming's chest heaved, and the anger in his eyes almost materialized.

When the emperor looked at the young man before him, his defenses finally crumbled.

He gave a bitter laugh and said in a hoarse voice:

"Heh... Anyone can spout platitudes, right?"

"But if you were actually in this position, holding the power to decide the lives and deaths of countless people, you might not be able to do a better job than me..."

Wang Yangming was stunned for a moment, speechless.

Throughout history, there have indeed been many wise and virtuous rulers.

No matter how wise a monarch is, there will inevitably be unspeakable scandals during his reign.

This is the corruption that comes with power.

"If you can't do it, then find someone else to do it. If that person still can't do it, then keep finding someone else..."

Li Daoxuan, who had been standing silently to the side, suddenly spoke.