Chapter 394: Chapter 397: Clan Chaos_1
The majestic imperial hall surged with two distinct waves of murderous intent. This made the other court officials intensely curious about the contents of the memorial, and they began to pass it forward.
After several years of development, the court officials standing in the imperial hall all possessed cultivation at least at the Saint Realm. A single sweep of their spiritual power was enough to discern the memorial’s contents, so the over two thousand people in the hall quickly finished reading it.
"I second the motion! The entire Huang Clan should be annihilated to the ninth degree of kinship!"
"The people who died at the hands of the Huang Clan number in the hundreds of thousands. Punishing them to the ninth degree is not cruel at all!"
"They deserve to die! This is a filthy clan!"
Numerous ministers voiced their agreement one after another, their murderous intent boiling over and causing the temperature in the imperial hall to plummet. From the memorial, they learned that the Huang Clan, in order to cultivate a private army, had specifically collected infants with good innate talent from the countryside, murdered their parents, and brainwashed them from a young age to become dead-set loyalists.
In truth, many prominent families maintained private armies; it was a display of strength and virtually impossible to eradicate completely. Although the laws of the Qin Dynasty explicitly forbade families from raising private armies, there were many loopholes. Numerous families had simply relabeled their private armies as guards. As long as these forces did not betray the country and their numbers remained reasonable, the imperial court generally did not pursue the matter.
Consider the officials present in the court: apart from those personally summoned by Qin Wudao, who among them did not have a family backing them? Some had a few dozen retainers, others hundreds of thousands. Yet, without exception, they still possessed a conscience and would not resort to illegal activities to cultivate their private armies.
While the crowd’s murderous intent raged, Qin Wudao and a few individuals like Zhuge Liang, by contrast, grew calm and thoughtful.
"Your Majesty, there are numerous clans within the Qin Dynasty. According to preliminary investigations by the Hidden Guard, many of them lack reverence for the imperial court. I suggest a thorough investigation into all clans within the Qin Dynasty!" Jia Xu declared, standing in the center of the hall as he continued his report.
As his words fell, the complexions of many officials in the hall turned unnatural. If the court were to investigate the clans, many of them would be implicated.
Qin Wudao, Zhuge Liang, Xiao He, and others frowned slightly upon hearing this. Jia Xu’s words are rather aggressive, they thought. There were many clan representatives present in the court!
"Your Majesty, I object!"
"The Qin Dynasty has only just stabilized! Launching a thorough investigation into the clans now could easily arouse suspicion among them and destabilize the regions!"
Many officials stood up to voice their opposition, each of them representing a clan. It wasn’t that they, like the Huang Clan, were engaged in lawless and disorderly practices; they opposed the motion from the perspective of their clans. A thorough investigation by the court signified an intention to curtail the clans’ power. For the clans, this was an ominous sign.
"It is precisely because the realm is now at peace that we need to excise certain malignant tumors," Jia Xu said coldly, his eyes glinting with a murderous light. "Your lordships’ vehement opposition—could it be that you have committed crimes?"
The officials who had stood up involuntarily took a step back. The man they faced was Jia Xu, known for his ruthless methods and his command of the Hidden Guard. But they quickly composed themselves. For the benefit of their clans, offending Jia Xu was a price they were willing to pay.
A clan official with white hair and a commanding presence stepped forward. "Lord Jia," he said sharply, "the clans are also part of the Qin Dynasty and have rendered meritorious service. Do you think you can investigate them simply as you please?" He then knelt and proclaimed, "Your Majesty, this humble servant accuses Jia Xu of harboring malicious intent, attempting to disrupt the stability of the Qin Dynasty!"
"Your Majesty, we hail from clans, but we are loyal to the Qin Dynasty! If Jia Xu is allowed to investigate unchecked, what will become of our honor?"
"Your Majesty, we are innocent! If we are thoroughly investigated, wouldn’t we lose all face?"
"Your Majesty, a tree fears being stripped of its bark, and a man fears disgrace!"
The rest of the clan officials all knelt, wailing and pleading.
Upon his throne, Qin Wudao’s expression shifted slightly. The officials standing in opposition numbered over nine hundred, nearly half the court. This meant that half the officials holding power in the realm came from these clans.
How much time has passed? he wondered. Since his ascension, he had established the imperial examination system to select talented individuals. At that time, clan officials comprised only a tenth of the court. Later, as the empire’s territory expanded, and to appease the clans in newly occupied regions, the Qin Dynasty’s recruitment policy had evolved into a dual system, incorporating both imperial examinations and clan recommendations. Qin Wudao recalled this system being initiated two years ago.
At that time, the East Border was in turmoil, with five major powers contending for supremacy. The Qin Dynasty had annexed over a hundred territories in one fell swoop. Faced with a shortage of officials and the need to pacify the clans, they had been forced to alter the original system for selecting officials. In just two short years, clan officials had come to make up more than half the court!
If this was the situation in the imperial court, what about the local administrations? It was well known that the clans’ power was primarily dispersed throughout the regions. Possessing substantial wealth and formidable strength, they were tantamount to local emperors.
Zhuge Liang, Xiao He, Guo Jia, and others gasped inwardly as they saw the kneeling officials. The clans had developed too rapidly! If left unchecked, they feared that in a few years, the imperial court itself would become a court dominated by the clans.
Thinking of this, they looked at Jia Xu with a hint of gratitude. No wonder the usually cautious and life-cherishing Jia Xu would openly oppose the clans in court, they thought. The issue with the clans has already become a threat to the future development of the country.
"My lords, can you guarantee that all clans are innocent?" Jia Xu asked, turning to them, his expression unchanged despite their accusations.
The kneeling clan officials were taken aback, unable to answer. It was impossible that all clans were blameless; even among themselves, many had significant issues.
"Lord Jia," one clan official retorted, "are you implying that just because one or two clans have broken the law, all clans should be implicated? That’s rather far-fetched!"
His words found support among the other clan members.
Jia Xu’s face stiffened, as if he had been questioned into silence. He turned, bowed deeply, and said, "Your Majesty, your humble servant was inconsiderate. It is indeed wrong to implicate all clans due to the crimes of the Huang Clan. Please mete out punishment!"
No one noticed the faint smile that touched his lips as he lowered his head.
His abrupt 180-degree change in attitude left the clan ministers bewildered. Jia Xu had been so aggressive just moments ago; why was he now retreating and asking for punishment?
"Relay my decree!" Qin Wudao commanded, his face dark and his voice cold. "Jia Xu has spoken out of turn. Confine him for three months and dock six months of his salary! Guards, escort him out!"
Two on-duty guards entered the hall, took Jia Xu by the arms, and led him out of the imperial hall in full view of all civil and military officials.
"His Majesty is wise!" all the clan officials exclaimed, their faces beaming with joy.
Seeing Jia Xu punished, they believed they had won. In reality, they had lost from the very beginning. Jia Xu had never truly intended to conduct a thorough investigation of the clans. He merely wanted to alert Qin Wudao to the clans’ burgeoning power and the need for vigilance; the clan officials, by voicing their opposition, had played right into his hands. Of course, if the clan officials had not objected and the proposal for an investigation had passed, he could have dispatched the Hidden Guard to ’clean up’ the clans thoroughly.
Either way, Jia Xu came out ahead.
Qin Wudao’s punishment of Jia Xu, while seemingly severe, was actually a measure to protect him. Because, for the next three months, Qin Wudao himself intended to ’investigate’ the clans thoroughly. Although the clans’ power was far inferior to the court’s, some still had Emperor Realm martial artists, especially after the tide of spiritual energy. What if they get pushed too far and try to assassinate Jia Xu? he reasoned.
Besides, confining Jia Xu would also lull the clans into a false sense of security.