In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

Situ Lan felt like dying; she wasn't wearing anything.

"Quickly, you all go down!" she urged, blushing, because she sensed that Li Yuanchang was about to begin.

The maids blushed and quickly left.

……

The next day.

Another sunny day.

Li Yuanchang swiftly sentenced Lü Ping, executed thirteen people including Lü Jie, ordered the confiscation of their property, and ordered a formal reinvestigation of the wrongful convictions.

Upon hearing the news, Liangzhou erupted in cheers and applause.

Those who wouldn't normally dare to criticize the Lü family are now jumping out to insult and celebrate.

The scene was comparable to celebrating the Chinese New Year.

It is worth mentioning that when Li Yuanchang issued his order this time, Gao Shen, Li Zhi and others remained unusually silent, not saying a word from beginning to end, only repeatedly saying to do as ordered.

The other four military advisors and a group of officials were even more apprehensive, fearing that they would be targeted.

In the Tang Dynasty, princes could not actually command their fiefdoms or dismiss or arrest people, because most of them held their fiefdoms remotely.

Even if the prince personally takes charge, the main people in charge are usually the deputy governor and the chief secretary; the prince is generally just a symbol.

Li Yuanchang was different. When he was appointed, he had real power and was even initially entitled to the military power of the Grand Commander. However, he was later removed from his post due to the Brothel Case.

Then, another four days passed.

The confiscation of the Lü family's property took a full four days to complete. The massive illegal gains, extortion, blackmail, bribery, forced buying and selling, and other illegal activities resulted in an extremely extravagant fortune for the Lü family.

From farmland to gold and silver jewelry, from the city to the suburbs, there are five or six places where treasures are hidden.

His wealth, accumulated through his power as a legal official, once surpassed that of Lu Qi.

From then on, the Legal Affairs Department, one of the Six Departments, was basically eliminated.

However, there are too many wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice, making the process too complicated, and it continues.

December 25th, half a month has passed.

Changan.

Winter has arrived, and the cold wind is biting.

Deep within the majestic imperial palace, the Liangyi Hall was hosting the morning court session, where decisions were being made regarding the affairs of the entire Tang Dynasty.

The interior is warm and filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

"Your Majesty, this cannot continue! The Prince of Han has only been in office in Liangzhou for less than two months, and he has already killed no fewer than five hundred people, from the Sima to the county magistrate, from officials to commoners!"

"If this continues, won't the entire Liangzhou Prefecture be wiped out by their slaughter?"

"That's right, the King of Han is bloodthirsty. It's said that the locals have already described him as a 'blue-faced Yama'!"

"We implore Your Majesty to restrain the Prince of Han's power, in order to restore peace to Liangzhou!"

One after another, officials stepped forward to impeach Li Yuanchang, who was hundreds of miles away.

On both sides of the civil and military officials, those great meritorious officials and dukes of Lingyan Pavilion in the front row all kept their eyes down, not uttering a single word.

The atmosphere was extremely subtle.

Everyone knows this is an impeachment with ulterior motives, and it involves the brothel case from two months ago.

On one side was the King of Han, and on the other side was the Chai family, and even the King of Wei.

Who would want to get involved in this mess?

The majestic and valiant Li Shimin looked at the memorial in his hand, exuding an imposing aura without anger.

He said calmly, "I don't think it's that serious."

Upon hearing this, the official who had previously impeached the official changed his expression slightly and was about to speak again.

But Li Shimin spoke first: "I have also read the memorial. The Sima and the magistrate of Liangzhou are indeed corrupt and lawless, and they prey on the people."

"The evidence is conclusive; he deserves to die!"

The word "should be killed" made the impeaching officials shudder, immediately lower their heads, and dare not say another word.

If they continued talking at this point, Li Shimin might get angry.

Seeing the silence, Li Shimin stood up and took two steps: "However, I will write a letter to give the Prince of Han a warning."

"You have to be careful about how you do things. Killing too many people will definitely have a bad influence."

In one sentence, he regained face for the impeaching ministers, including the Chai family.

Even though Li Tai, Chai Shao, and their group were unwilling, they had no choice but to accept it.

"yes!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Li Shimin threw Li Yuanchang's memorial aside, acted swiftly and decisively, and at the height of his power, he had absolute control over the court.

"Let's talk about Songtsen Gampo of Tibet."

"Just yesterday, the Tibetan envoy formally proposed a marriage alliance to me."

"..."

January 4th.

Liangzhou.

The weather was cold, but slightly better than in Chang'an.

The Prince of Han's residence was filled with peace and tranquility.

After such a long period of rectification, Wang Hongzhi managed the granary administration very well, eliminating the chaos and corruption, and was preparing the annual revenue report for the eleventh year of Zhenguan.

As for the Legal Affairs Department, things gradually got back on track. Li Yuanchang not only killed Lü Ping, but also completely overhauled the department.

Its key figure was Cao Wei, a trusted confidant chosen by Li Yuanchang from the Prince of Han's residence.

On this day, the envoys from Chang'an arrived at the Prince of Han's residence.

"In Pingyang County, the Lu family's Shizhuang village and the Lü family's three cases were investigated and punished by the Prince of Han. However, his methods were too harsh, causing unrest among the people..."

The sudden shift in tone, from praise to criticism, left everyone in the Prince of Han's residence completely bewildered.

Where is the public's discontent?

Guo Chao and the others were unconvinced, secretly cursing that someone in the court must have made false accusations again.

Situ Lan's beautiful and gentle face looked rather unattractive, which worried me.

"I hope the King of Han will take this as a warning, diligently cultivate himself, and refrain from indulging his desires."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey!" Li Yuanchang replied calmly.

At this moment, the palace guard responsible for delivering the message had three whole boxes of copper coins brought out.

"Your Highness, these are three chests of jewels bestowed upon the Princess Consort of Han by His Majesty as a reward for her efforts in managing the Prince's residence these past few days."

Li Yuanchang's lips curled up, and he instantly understood.

"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Highness!"

Everyone in the Prince of Han's residence bowed in unison.

Before long, the imperial envoy left.

Then everyone got up one after another.

"Your Highness, what does this mean? It's both a reprimand and a reward?" Situ Lan asked anxiously, her snow-white face full of worry.

"Yes, Your Highness, what kind of decree is this?" Guo Chao scratched his head.

Li Yuanchang laughed and said, "Someone has filed a complaint against me in court, so I have to reprimand him for the sake of the overall situation."

"These three boxes of copper coins correspond to three cases, representing His Majesty's approval. Rewarding the Princess is equivalent to rewarding me, but His Majesty does not wish to reward her directly."

"After all, there are many in the court who dislike me, and they are all important figures!"

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly realized what was happening.

"So that's how it is!"

"There's such a metaphor!" Guo Chao and the others were shocked, looking as if they had just seen something new.

Li Yuanchang smiled.

Although he harbored a deep-seated estrangement from Li Shimin because of Wu Zetian's affair, and never believed in any brotherhood between the Li and Tang dynasties, he considered it all to be politics.

But there is one thing he does not deny.

That was Li Shimin's political ability.

No matter how much later generations criticize him for killing his brothers, his abilities are undeniable.

If it were any other emperor, being falsely accused like this would likely have resulted in restrictions on his rule, but Li Shimin was not.

He was in Chang'an, and he understood it in his heart.

He even sent himself to Liangzhou, to put it bluntly, to do this. On this point, Li Yuanchang guessed the emperor's intentions correctly, which is why he dared to be so bold and decisive.

Often, political maneuvering between rulers and their ministers relies on careful consideration.

"Madam, please take the suitcase back and check it."

"Clean the courtyard, my guest is coming," Li Yuanchang suddenly said, quickly regaining his composure and getting back to his next task.

"yes!"