Chapter 529

Although Wei Zheng did not say it explicitly, Tang Emperor Li Shimin understood the implication: the Primordial Spirit leaving the body meant that his, Li Shimin’s, lifespan was coming to an end.

"So that is it. I am merely a mortal, and Minister Wei Zheng actually possesses immortal status. It seems I must pay respects to you, this immortal!?"

Tang Emperor Li Shimin seized upon the loophole in Wei Zheng’s words, but he felt no joy in his heart.

After all, no one could be happy to face a minister who was double-minded and served two masters.

Especially when one of those masters was someone Tang Emperor Li Shimin did not even dare to think of resisting.

Wei Zheng, realizing that Tang Emperor Li Shimin was clearly dissatisfied with him serving two masters, immediately began to explain:

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Although I hold immortal status, while I am in the human realm, I am Your Majesty’s minister!"

"Oh, in that case, Minister Wei Zheng, let me ask you: is your identity that of the Prime Minister of my Great Tang, or an immortal official of the Heavenly Court?!"

Although Tang Emperor Li Shimin’s words were a question, they expressed his intent to force Wei Zheng to choose a side.

Either continue to serve as the Prime Minister of the Great Tang, or be your immortal official; you can only choose one.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this servant is the Prime Minister of the Great Tang!"

Wei Zheng naturally understood the implication in Tang Emperor Li Shimin’s words, and after some thought, he spoke.

However, before Tang Emperor Li Shimin could praise Wei Zheng’s loyalty, he heard Wei Zheng continue:

"This servant is also an immortal official of the Heavenly Court."

With one sentence, Wei Zheng indicated that he did not want to give up his position as Prime Minister of the Great Tang, nor did he want to give up the honor of being an immortal official of the Heavenly Court.

Yet, these words sounded incredibly grating to Tang Emperor Li Shimin.

Although Wei Zheng’s words indicated a neutral stance, one must realize that in this situation, with the Heavenly Court being powerful and the Tang Dynasty being weak,

Wei Zheng’s failure to choose a side was, in itself, choosing a side.

It is like a bully picking on a weakling; others have three choices: help the bully, help the weakling, or remain neutral and try to mediate.

It seems like three choices, but in reality, there are only two; neutrality is effectively siding with the bully. Only helping the weakling is siding with the weakling.

The same logic applied here.

Loyalty that is not absolute is absolute disloyalty.

Tang Emperor Li Shimin found Wei Zheng increasingly displeasing.

One must know that the position of Prime Minister of the Great Tang was one person below ten thousand. If Wei Zheng had any disloyal thoughts, Li Shimin, as the Emperor, would suffer a huge loss.

"Since the Prime Minister is exhausted by the affairs of my Great Tang, I shall permit you to retire to your hometown and replace you with an energetic young man," Tang Emperor Li Shimin said, feigning concern for Wei Zheng.

"Your Majesty, this servant’s body is still robust; there is no need to retire."

Wei Zheng naturally did not want to give up his position as Prime Minister.

It was not that Wei Zheng was greedy for the power of the Prime Minister or the wealth of the mortal world, but because he hoped to leave his name in history.

After all, under the current rule of the Great Tang, the people lived in peace and contentment, and in Changancheng, people did not pick up lost items on the road, and doors were not locked at night.

As such, the person serving as Prime Minister would surely leave a significant mark in history.

Therefore, under these circumstances, Wei Zheng did not want to give up his position.

Furthermore, as a mortal granted immortal status, if one wanted to quickly increase their strength in the Heavenly Court, one could only do so by absorbing the incense of the human realm.

Although this method had serious side effects and a low ceiling—reaching the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm was the absolute limit—

for Wei Zheng, relying on his own cultivation, let alone reaching the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, even becoming a Celestial Immortal was extremely difficult.

So, the method of incense cultivation not only had no side effects for Wei Zheng, but it also had huge benefits.

And to obtain incense, Wei Zheng had to have sacrifices in the human realm; therefore, only the position of Prime Minister of the Great Tang could allow him to achieve this goal.

Once he stepped down, he would certainly be unable to use incense to cultivate.

"Minister Wei Zheng, I am thinking of you. You have to handle the affairs of my Great Tang and also participate in the affairs of the Heavenly Court. Even an immortal could not bear the burden of two positions!"

Tang Emperor Li Shimin had already made up his mind to dismiss Wei Zheng from his position as Prime Minister, so no matter what Wei Zheng said, he would not change his mind.

Wei Zheng finally realized that he had only taken a nap, so why was Tang Emperor Li Shimin hounding him?

He had even forced out the secret that he possessed immortal status.

Wei Zheng recalled that as soon as he ascended to the Heavenly Court, the Jinghe Dragon King had been shocked, exclaiming that it was impossible.

Even at the end, when Wei Zheng beheaded the Jinghe Dragon King, he had borrowed a trace of the Tang Emperor’s dynastic fortune, which the Dragon King had sensed.

The Dragon King had roared: "Tang Emperor, you dared to deceive me! Even as a ghost, I will not let you go."

With this, Wei Zheng understood that Tang Emperor Li Shimin must have had a secret agreement with the Jinghe Dragon King, which was why he had invited him to play chess today and intentionally stalled for time.

"Your Majesty, you may not know, but this Jinghe Dragon King was a wicked dragon. You may have been deceived by him."

"This servant beheading the Jinghe Dragon King was to uphold the majesty of the Heavenly Court’s laws."

"Your Majesty, if you dismiss me from my position as Prime Minister because of this, I have nothing to say, but I hope Your Majesty understands that justice and fairness reside in the hearts of the people!"

Wei Zheng did not believe he had done anything wrong.

After all, as an immortal official, beheading a sinful dragon that violated the Heavenly Law was completely reasonable and legal.

Because Wei Zheng did not know about the matter between the Jinghe Dragon King and the Turtle Prime Minister, he only knew that the Jinghe Dragon King had violated the Heavenly Law.

"A fine 'justice and fairness reside in the hearts of the people'! Wei Zheng, are you saying that I lack the ability to distinguish right from wrong?"

Wei Zheng remained silent, which indicated his stance.

Seeing this, Tang Emperor Li Shimin was angry, but he did not dwell on it, as after today, he would not see Wei Zheng in the palace again.

As for killing Wei Zheng, not to mention that Wei Zheng held immortal status, the head of the Jinghe Dragon King was right there as a warning.

Tang Emperor Li Shimin did not want to bear the reputation of harming a loyal minister.

"I wonder if Minister Wei Zheng knows the principle that a loyal minister does not serve two masters!"

"Since you are a minister of my Great Tang, how can you hold immortal status and work for the Heavenly Court?"

"I ask you, if there is a conflict between my Great Tang and the Heavenly Court, which side will you, Wei Zheng, stand on? Or will you sit on the wall and watch?"

"Your Majesty, as for a loyal minister not serving two masters, I am already not one!"

Wei Zheng did not give an answer to Tang Emperor Li Shimin’s question, as no matter what he said, he could not provide a satisfactory answer.

Therefore, Wei Zheng avoided the topic and instead answered the so-called "loyal minister does not serve two masters" by downplaying the serious and focusing on the trivial.

"Good, good, good! Minister Wei Zheng, it seems that in your eyes, I have never been as good as Jiancheng!" Tang Emperor Li Shimin laughed in anger: "Since that is the case, why must you serve me?"

Wei Zheng now understood clearly that he had fallen out with Tang Emperor Li Shimin, and his position as Prime Minister would certainly be revoked.

Therefore, he no longer held back; after all, with his immortal status, and now that Tang Emperor Li Shimin knew of it, his life and his family’s lives were certainly secure.

So, his words were no longer reserved, and he instead struck directly at Tang Emperor Li Shimin’s sore spot.