Chapter 402: Chapter 396: Abolishing the Prince of Jiangxia_1
"Your... Your Majesty!"
A fraught smile squeezed its way onto Qin Huilong’s face. He recalled his previous words and felt a sudden pang of anxiety. Could it be that Qin Wudao had overheard him?
But quickly, he regained his composure. The private rooms of the Jinding Restaurant were all equipped with a Formation to keep out prying eyes and ears.
Perhaps Qin Wudao’s party was just passing by!
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
The rest of the clan elders looked at each other in confusion before bowing in salute.
They had a bad premonition. As everyone knew, Qin Wudao seldom left the Imperial Palace, let alone dined out publicly. So why had he appeared here, at this time?
Qin Wudao’s next words confirmed their lurking anxieties.
"Selling official ranks, manipulating the imperial examination... My dear Imperial Uncle, do you realize what you are doing?"
Standing at the entrance, Qin Wudao’s face was dark as he questioned sternly.
Qin Huilong’s pupils contracted, his face turning bone-white in an instant. His knees buckled, and he collapsed, his entire body quaking as if sifted through a sieve.
He knew he was done for!
According to the laws of the Qin Dynasty, selling official ranks and manipulating the imperial examination were both unforgivable capital offenses.
"Your... Your Majesty, I... I admit my wrongdoing! Please, for the sake of our blood ties, spare me! I will never dare again. I was misled by the clans into committing this heinous crime!"
Suddenly, Qin Huilong looked up abruptly, crawling on his knees to Qin Wudao. He kowtowed repeatedly in remorse, still harboring a glimmer of hope.
He was, after all, a member of the royal family and Qin Wudao’s own uncle. Perhaps he could escape this disaster.
Blood ties were his last trump card.
"King Jiangxia, you shouldn’t put it that way," one of the clan elders interjected. "When you proactively demanded money from us, were you also ’misled’ by us then?"
The clan elders were not to be trifled with. They immediately countered Qin Huilong’s accusations, then fell to their knees, pleading, "Your Majesty, we, your subjects, are guilty! But our previous actions were our own individual acts and have nothing to do with our families!"
After uttering these words, they decisively drew their daggers and slit their own throats. Blood splattered, dyeing the ground red.
The thick blood splashed onto Qin Huilong; the crimson sight before him was so terrifying that he lost control of his bladder, nearly fainting on the spot.
The expressions of Guo Jia and Li Ru changed slightly; they hadn’t expected the clan elders to be so decisive, shouldering all the blame and leaving no witnesses. It was lucky they had recorded it beforehand, or today’s efforts would have been in vain!
For the sake of their clans’ interests, these members were willing to end their own lives. This demonstrated that their loyalty to their clans far exceeded their loyalty to the state, or even to their own survival.
"Take him away and interrogate him thoroughly!" Qin Wudao’s brow furrowed slightly. Looking at the reeking Qin Huilong, he gave the order with distaste.
The deaths of the clan elders did not quell his anger; instead, they strengthened his resolve to eradicate the clans.
"Someone!" Li Ru called out softly. Two black-robed figures appeared and dragged away Qin Huilong, who was as limp as a puddle of mud. What awaited him was the Abyss Guards’ inquisition, where he would face ruthless torture, living a life worse than death.
Meanwhile, the Xiong Clan, Xun Clan, Yuwen Clan, and other clans learned of their elders’ deaths in the Imperial Capital through shattered Soul Jade tags.
"What on earth is happening in the Imperial Capital?" Within the Xiong Clan’s domain in the Flying Bird Territory, Clan Leader Xiong Xuekun paced anxiously in the courtyard, muttering, "Didn’t I order all Xiong Clan officials in the court to resign? Why is the court still pursuing this?" Even now, he still believed it was because they had placed officials in the court.
「Tens of thousands of miles away, in the Falling Sun Territory.」
This was a beautiful territory. Every afternoon, the sky would fill with a glorious sunset. Its crimson glow was enchanting, making people linger and forget to return. The Xun Clan was located in this Falling Sun Territory.
Unlike the other clans, the Xun Clan not only had Emperor Realm Martial Artists but also powerful astrolabe masters.
In the Clan Leader’s mansion, a middle-aged man in a violet-gold robe was divining the future. A faint power of Tianming enveloped him, flickering. This was the Clan Leader of the Xun Clan, Xun Yu.
Several white-haired elders stood to the side, waiting anxiously.
PTOO!
Suddenly, the power of Tianming dissipated. Xun Yu spat out a mouthful of blood, his face deathly pale as he collapsed.
"Clan Leader, are you alright?" The elders rushed forward to help him up, deeply concerned.
"Quick... quickly notify the clan to escape! The court intends to abolish the clan hierarchy; a great calamity is imminent..." Xun Yu said hurriedly, his eyes filled with panic and fear. In his divinations, he had seen a massacre within the clans, with countless casualties. He had seen the clans’ foundations severed, their fortunes dissipating. He had seen a new era dawning.
Hearing this, all the elders were dismayed. Alongside immense shock, they felt an endless terror. The court was about to act against the clan hierarchy! Could they resist it?
"Quick... run!" Seeing the elders rooted to the spot, Xun Yu urged again. The shadow of death already loomed over the clans within the Saint’s Court of the Qin Dynasty. It was too late.
The elders reacted, hastily summoning their clansmen and preparing to flee.
The Yuwen Clan, Zuo Clan, Ran Clan, and other clan powers took some precautions in response to their elders’ deaths in the capital. However, they lacked clever astrolabe masters and failed to perceive the true crisis, so they didn’t issue orders to escape. They did not realize that armies were racing across the skies of the Qin Dynasty’s Saint’s Court, quietly landing in the various territories.
「The following day!」
Qin Wudao issued an order to hold a grand court assembly!
All officials in the Imperial Capital were to participate. Some astute officials noticed a murderous-looking army stationed outside the Imperial Hall.
Amidst the apprehension of many officials, the court assembly officially began!
Dressed in his imperial robe, Qin Wudao walked out from the rear hall with an expressionless face and sat on the Dragon Throne. Several eunuchs stood beside him, each holding an imperial edict.
Something big is about to happen!
Many politically sensitive officials felt their hearts tighten and subtly lowered their heads.
"My loyal subjects, today I, in my capacity as the head of the Qin Family, announce an order: Qin Huilong is hereby expelled from the Qin Clan!"
Qin Wudao’s imposing gaze swept across the officials in the grand hall. From his personal storage, he took out a family register, found the names of Qin Huilong’s lineage, and struck them out one by one—dozens of people in total.
The courtiers grew somewhat restless, but no one spoke; after all, Qin Huilong’s expulsion was an internal matter of the royal family. But why was such an issue being discussed at court?
At this point, the officials noticed that the King of Jiangxia had not attended the court session. Considering this, the army outside the Imperial Hall, and recent events, everything seemed to point in one direction—the clans!
Could it be...?
"Wang Fu, read the imperial edict!" Qin Wudao offered no explanation. After instructing the eunuch, he closed his eyes, his mind seemingly drifting to distant realms.
"As you command!"
The eunuch named Wang Fu stepped forward and unrolled the imperial edict. A golden dragon seemed to ascend from it. The impression of the Jade Seal and the three Prime Ministerial seals upon it exuded immense pressure.