Fusu’s family was not without powerful backing. If Fusu’s family was annihilated, no one knew how their patron, the Qin family, would react.
Moreover, too many aristocratic families participated in this rebellion. While making an example of one might be useful, its effectiveness depended on the circumstances.
If not handled correctly, instead of being deterred, a group of monkeys could band together and kill a person. The Great Jin Immortal Dynasty truly felt like a storm was brewing, and its foundations were on the verge of collapse.
Inside the stronghold of the Duanmu family, a third-rate clan.
“Patriarch, Patriarch, bad news, the Fusu family has been wiped out.”
A servant, holding a jade slip with both hands, hurried to Duanmu Chun, the patriarch of the Duanmu family.
After reading the jade slip, Duanmu Chun was so terrified that his body went limp, and he collapsed onto the chair.
“Father, what’s wrong?”
“Yes, brother, what news could scare you like this?”
Everyone in the main hall looked puzzled. Duanmu Chun managed to gather his spirits and stood up, sighing slightly. He then informed them of the news of the Su family’s demise.
Upon hearing this, panic began to spread across everyone’s faces.
This was a matter of life and death!
It was about their own lives; it would be strange not to be nervous.
Nervous, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became incredibly tense.
“What should we do? How dare that Liu faction do this?”
“Yes, what do we do now? We must counterattack, we must join forces with others to launch a counterattack…”
The Fusu family, a second-rate aristocratic family, had been annihilated. Then, wouldn’t third-rate families like theirs be even faster to perish?
The thought sent a wave of fear through everyone in the hall. Some of the more timid individuals broke out in a cold sweat.
After a flurry of discussion, everyone turned to Duanmu Chun.
Taking a deep breath, Duanmu Chun instructed everyone not to panic and to let him think.
“Father, what should we do?” the young patriarch, Duanmu Wei, asked anxiously.
Duanmu Chun scanned his surroundings and said, “Regardless of anything else, it seems we cannot stay here. Inform the entire clan to move swiftly. You only have half an hour. After half an hour, we must leave this place!”
“Half an hour? Father, isn't that a bit short…” Duanmu Wei hesitated.
…
“Idiot, at this point, you’re still dawdling. You value wealth over life…”
“The spirit veins that are difficult to move, the blessed lands that cannot be transported, and this mansion, we’ll leave it all behind!”
“If we don’t leave now, we’ll never have the chance again. The world is vast, where can our Duanmu family not find a place to reside?”
“Anyone who is reluctant to part with these things can stay here; I will not stop you.”
“Those who want to live, follow me.”
Hearing his foolish son’s words, Duanmu Chun was furious.
“Yes!”
Upon hearing Duanmu Chun’s stern words, those who were still conflicted suddenly awoke as if from a dream and dispersed to pack their belongings.
The situation in the Duanmu family was not unique. In just two to three days, many aristocratic families had fled with their entire clans.
“Flee!”
While numerous aristocratic families fled, only a select few, after careful consideration, chose not to.
…
Three to five days later, the various princes and ministers received this news, and their expressions changed drastically.
They were not like the cultivators controlling the Yanhan fleet or the Dragon Tiger Imperial Guards who only knew how to kill.
No one understood the gravity of this situation better than they did.
How could this have happened? How did things get to this point? What should be done now?
The more than ten princes who controlled the court began to quarrel over this matter.
Seeing this, the other ministers dared not interject, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire.
After another round of heated discussions, the more than ten princes agreed to inform the five pillar-like Purple Mansion realm cultivators of the Liu imperial family, who were still in seclusion, about the events unfolding outside.
The matter had escalated beyond their control; they had no choice but to seek out those who could truly make decisions.
They could not wait any longer; delay would be ruinous.
The foundation laid by their ancestors could not be destroyed in their hands.
…
Truthfully, the power of aristocratic families varied. The weaker ones were insignificant to the Liu imperial family.
However, when a large group of aristocratic families united, their strength was not to be underestimated.
Furthermore, within these aristocratic families, there were powerful clans that even the Liu imperial family treated with caution.
The Great Jin Immortal Dynasty’s rule was, in essence, a shared dominion between the imperial family and the aristocratic families.
It was just that the strength of the aristocratic families was fragmented, while the Liu imperial family’s power was concentrated.
This, in turn, made the Liu imperial family appear more dominant than the aristocratic families.
But the reality was not so straightforward.
The power of a single family or clan, no matter how formidable, could not contend with everyone in the world.
At best, one could win over some and suppress others. In simpler terms, one needed a group of loyal followers willing to fight for them.
Now, with their followers on the verge of fleeing, how could the leader not be anxious?
A person fighting with bare hands, no matter how skilled, could only fight so many opponents.
The mass exodus of aristocratic families would also send a wrong signal to the cultivators of the Zi Prefecture cultivation world.
What was happening? What had happened in the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty?
How could so many aristocratic families be fleeing?
After all, the aristocratic families were the true masters of the Zi Prefecture cultivation world!
Could it be that the Liu imperial family had accumulated enough power and no longer cared about the backlash from the aristocratic families, preparing to eradicate them completely…
These aristocratic families, fearing annihilation, naturally exaggerated their plight to garner sympathy from others.
The greater the incident, the better their situation.
They had, of course, exaggerated, claiming that the Liu imperial family intended to eliminate all aristocratic families.
After hearing these embellished accounts and seeing the somewhat disheveled aristocratic families, with both witnesses and evidence, all the aristocratic families believed that the Liu imperial family was preparing to make a move against them.
Meanwhile!
Upon receiving this extremely dire news, Liu Xie, Liu Chuang, Liu Shan, Liu Gao, and Liu Jing, all five, emerged from seclusion.
However, the expressions of Liu Xie, Liu Chuang, Liu Shan, Liu Gao, and Liu Jing were extremely grim.
After all, their plan was on the verge of success, yet they were forced to emerge prematurely, resulting in a complete failure. Anyone in their position would be furious!
What’s more, Liu Xie, Liu Chuang, Liu Shan, Liu Gao, and Liu Jing had to deal with such a thorny issue immediately after emerging, without even a moment to rest. Their anger was palpable.
In the imperial court, after reviewing all that had transpired during his seclusion, Liu Xie took a deep breath and sighed, “It seems I was truly mistaken. I actually believed you could handle state affairs.”
The dozen or so princes at the late Nascent Soul stage lowered their heads in shame.
Seeing this, Liu Xie shook his head slightly, his sense of disappointment growing.
“These dozen sons are not unintelligent; otherwise, they wouldn’t have reached their current level. It’s just that they are not suited to be emperors, nor are they suited to walk the path of cultivating destiny.”
“As the saying goes, ‘It is the father’s fault if the son is not taught properly.’”
“Ultimately, the root of all this lies in my own neglect of my children’s upbringing, as I was too focused on my cultivation and state affairs.”
“This is all my fault.”
“Fortunately, I am still in my prime and can nurture new heirs.”
With this thought, Liu Xie, seated on the imperial throne, his expression chilling enough to freeze people to death, fixed his gaze on the dozen or so princes who were temporarily managing the court.
He had placed so much trust in these sons, yet they had committed so many foolish acts during his seclusion, only informing him when disaster struck.
The sorrow and helplessness of an old father facing foolish sons filled Liu Xie’s heart at this moment.
How could he not feel enraged? How could he not be angry?
Although, by the lifespan of a Purple Mansion realm cultivator, Liu Xie was still young and in his prime, so he had no worries about heirs.
It was precisely for this reason that he had not established a crown prince. However, as a father, he naturally wished for all his children to be exceptionally outstanding.
But his children had, once again, disappointed him.
Initially, there might have been room for recovery, but now it was too late.
There was very little he could do now, and even if he did everything possible, it would be difficult to regain the lost trust of the people.
“Who is manipulating us? This is a grand scheme indeed.”
“Using spirit stones to sway public opinion, provoking rebellions across the land, and then using pawns hidden within the Ministry of War to alter lists, killing the wrong targets for the sake of establishing authority, resulting not in deterrence, but in desperate measures taken out of desperation.”
“Clever, ruthless, and decisive.”
With so many aristocratic families fleeing, what would other aristocratic families think upon seeing this?
With the subtle propaganda from those with ulterior motives, the outcome was predictable.
All of this was too coincidental. In this world, were there so many coincidences? Having been an Immortal Emperor for many years, Liu Xie, without a moment’s hesitation, understood that there was absolutely a mastermind behind all this.
It was perhaps too late to do anything now, but he still had to try.
Liu Xie first dispatched many individuals to convey imperial edicts to appease the aristocratic families still loyal to the imperial family, assuring them.
On the other hand, he issued an order for the five major legions to prepare themselves, ready to face any rebellion.
In secret, Liu Xie dispatched numerous covert forces to discreetly investigate this matter, determined to uncover the perpetrator behind it all!
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