High Martial Arts: I Travel Through Heaven and Earth Through Dreams

Chapter 12 Family Conspiracy, Everything Under Control

The blood on the Hall of Supreme Harmony was quickly washed away, as if nothing had ever happened.

But Lin Hanzhou's chilling declaration of "no mercy" haunted the ministers like a persistent nightmare.

On the first day of his ascension to the throne, the new emperor swiftly executed seven high-ranking officials of the court.

Among them are representatives of top aristocratic families such as Wang Duan and Chen Jingzhi.

This ruthless and reckless approach shattered the last vestiges of illusion in the hearts of the powerful clans.

They finally understood that this new emperor was completely different from the late Emperor Lin Batian.

Although Lin Batian also wanted to weaken the powerful families, he ultimately had to consider the stability of the court.

Always leave room for maneuver; the key is to "fight without breaking apart".

But this new emperor doesn't play by the rules at all!

He is like a peerless, deadly sword that has just been drawn from its sheath; he would rather shatter the entire chessboard than compromise!

Faced with such a "mad" emperor, open confrontation was clearly no longer an option.

Thus, a "soft resistance" that swept across the entire Sui Dynasty quietly began.

Lin Hanzhou's three new policies were implemented in all counties and prefectures across the country with the unquestionable authority of the imperial power.

However, the implementation of the decree encountered unprecedented and enormous resistance.

Locally, powerful families who held real power in a prefecture or county resorted to their favorite trick—paying lip service while secretly opposing it.

When the imperial envoy arrived to announce the nationalization of land and demand the measurement and redistribution of fields, local officials and powerful families outwardly greeted them with smiles and readily agreed, but behind their backs, they devised all sorts of schemes.

Some transferred most of the clan's land to collateral relatives or servants overnight, breaking it down into smaller parts to prevent the authorities from investigating.

Some secretly incited tenant farmers and displaced people to create "popular uprisings".

They spread rumors that the emperor was going to take away everyone's land, leaving them with no land to cultivate and causing them to starve to death.

In a short time, so-called "public opinion" riots broke out in many places, with people besieging government offices and beating imperial envoys, making it impossible to implement government orders.

As for the widespread establishment of official schools, it became a laughing stock.

Local officials either use "financial difficulties" or "lack of teachers" as excuses to delay indefinitely.

Alternatively, they could just find a dilapidated temple, hang up a sign for an official school, and hire two illiterate hooligans to act as teachers, thus getting by without any real progress.

The worst aspect is the economic constraints.

Powerful families, with their vast wealth, hoarded grain and other necessities in various places, and then drove up prices.

Within just one or two months, prices soared across the Sui Dynasty, public discontent boiled over, and the lives of ordinary people were plunged into misery.

That's exactly what they're trying to do—create chaos and destabilize public opinion.

Let the world see how the new emperor's "tyranny" pushed the prosperous Sui Dynasty to the brink of collapse.

While there was outward compliance but inward resistance at the local level, undercurrents were even more turbulent within the capital.

Led by the five top aristocratic families—the Cui, Li, Lu, Wang, and Zheng families—a conspiracy against the new emperor is secretly brewing.

Late at night, inside a secret chamber of the Cui family mansion in the capital, the lights were on.

The current heads of the five great families are gathered together at this moment.

Any one of them could be a powerful figure who could make the Sui Dynasty court tremble if they were outside.

"Gentlemen, I'm sure you're all aware of the situation."

"This new emperor is determined to be our enemy and has uprooted us completely."

Cui Xuan, the head of the Cui family, a middle-aged man with a refined appearance but sharp, piercing eyes, was the first to speak, breaking the silence.

"Hmph! You ignorant brat, you don't know your place!"

Wang Lie, the most hot-tempered head of the Wang family, slammed his hand on the table and roared.

"Does he think he can intimidate us by killing a few people in the imperial court?"

"My Wang family has stood for a thousand years; what storms haven't we weathered? He's courting his own destruction!"

"Brother Wang, please calm down."

"Lu Zhaolin, the head of the Lu family, said slowly and deliberately."

"A head-on confrontation is not the best strategy. This young man commands the secret guards and the Imperial Guards, and has a group of martial arts masters loyal to him."

"With our current strength in the capital, we are not yet able to contend with them."

"So, Brother Lu, are you saying we should just sit here and wait to die, letting him devour our land and property bit by bit?"

Zheng Yuankai, the head of the Zheng family, snorted coldly.

"Of course not."

"On the surface, we may not be able to defeat him, but in secret, we have plenty of ways to make him extremely anxious."

Li Changfeng, the head of the Boling Li family who had been silent all along, flashed a sinister light in his eyes.

He glanced at the other four family heads and slowly began to speak.

"Those local tactics are just appetizers; our real killer moves should be focused on three things."

"First, we will continue to intensify our efforts to control grain and salt prices, so that public resentment will boil over completely."

"When the people of the world can't survive, his throne as emperor will become unstable."

"Secondly, we will mobilize all the literati and scholars under our control to spread the new emperor's tyranny, defame his reputation, and portray him as a cruel and inhumane tyrant who murdered his brother and father."

"At the same time, we can support a member of the imperial clan, elevating him to the status of a symbol of benevolence and virtue, creating a stark contrast with the new emperor, thus paving the way for 'purging the court of corrupt officials' in the future."

"As for the third point, this is also the most crucial step."

As Li Changfeng spoke, his voice lowered further, and a murderous glint appeared in his eyes.

"This boy's greatest strength is his own martial prowess. Once he dies, all problems will be solved."

Upon hearing this, Cui Xuan frowned.

"You mean... assassinate the new emperor?"

"He's surrounded by experts, and he's also personally protected by Xuan Ya, a Grand Commander at the third level of the Innate Realm. How easy would it be to assassinate him?"

"It is indeed not easy, but don't forget, our five great families have a thousand-year-old tradition. Which family doesn't have a few hidden master cultivators?"

"My Li family has one person at the second level of the Innate Realm and three at the first level. I presume your families are not far behind?"

At this point, a cold smile appeared on Li Changfeng's lips.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the other four family heads all changed.

Just as Li Changfeng said, the five great families combined could field nearly twenty innate masters.

With such strength, sweeping through the imperial palace would be a piece of cake.

"Of course, this third option is only a last resort. With the first two options in place, the new emperor might come to us for help soon."

"If he's sensible, then abolish the new policies and become a puppet emperor; if he remains obstinate... then let him die unexpectedly!"

A crazed glint flashed in Li Changfeng's eyes.

Upon hearing this, the other four family heads exchanged glances, all seeing the same mocking smile on each other's faces.

In their eyes, the new emperor seemed to be a fish on a chopping board, completely at their mercy.

Everything about the Sui Dynasty was entirely under their control.

Little did they know, in the shadows of the secret room, a pair of cold eyes had already seen through all their schemes.