Chapter 542

The Wang clan was about to be executed.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Changancheng went to watch.

The South Street, thirty zhang wide, was packed full.

Many people who couldn’t get a good spot couldn’t see anything in the crowd.

Even so, they still struggled to squeeze in here.

Just to hear the discussions of the people around them.

"The Wang family of Longcheng has occupied the position of one of the five great high families for hundreds of years, but in the end, they still couldn’t avoid being uprooted!"

"In the past, no matter how the regime changed, the five great high families always stood firm; it was even better than being the Emperor!"

"With such people occupying high positions, no wonder the people in the past couldn’t get rich?"

"It’s good to kill them! Why should they be the powerful for generations and not leave a single chance for the humble?"

"Now I know that this practice is an anti-social crime!"

"If it weren’t for the Emperor’s wisdom, we would still think that being poor for generations is a matter of course!"

The people were all discussing the Wang family’s crime.

Some people mixed in the crowd, however, were not feeling well.

The clans south of the Yangtze River had also planted many people in Changancheng.

They always wanted to use the opportunity of the Great Qin’s imperial examination to enter the Great Qin’s officialdom.

Anyone with even a slight kinship with the clans was shivering with cold at this moment.

The Great Qin is too terrifying!

Who knows when this kind of fate will fall on them?

Once, they were proud to be related to the clans!

Now, no one dared to proudly say that they were a side branch of a clan!

Such showing off was Wu Li Ke seeking death in the eyes of others!

The members of the Wang clan were escorted to the South Gate urn city, lined up one by one along the curved city wall.

The entire clan, over a thousand people!

Bao Zheng personally supervised the execution.

Before the execution, Bao Zheng had even entered the palace to ask Qin Mu for instructions.

"Your Majesty, among the entire clan, men, women, old, and young, many of them do not have that kind of contempt for the people; perhaps their crimes are not worthy of death?"

Those who enforce the law also have benevolent hearts and wanted to plead for mercy to pardon some people.

Qin Mu’s face was cold.

He was not cruel and bloodthirsty, but these people had to be beheaded!

"Bao Zheng, do you know why we must cut the weeds and dig up the roots?"

Bao Zheng, full of compassion for the world, bowed and replied.

"I know! If some people are left behind, they might crazily retaliate against the people in the future and become a tumor."

Qin Mu shook his head.

"You don’t know!"

"The Wang family and the other three great clans monopolized the upper class by relying on the entire clan’s power."

"Every Wang family member contributed strength and was an accomplice!"

"What’s even more terrifying is that they have all become accustomed to this, accustomed to the four great clans taking priority."

"No matter how humble they appear, they all carry arrogant thinking."

"This kind of thinking that they are superior to others is not innocent!"

Bao Zheng felt a chill all over.

The Emperor’s words made him feel somewhat nervous.

Having been an official for a long time, it is inevitable to feel superior to others.

If just this kind of thinking is to be judged, then the people who should be killed are not just the Wang clan.

At this time, Li Ke and Lu Yu came to pay their respects together.

The identities of these two were very sensitive.

Li Ke was born into the Great Tang imperial family, while Lu Yu was from the Lu family among the four great clans.

Bao Zheng immediately felt something keenly and stopped talking, standing quietly on the side to observe.

After Li Ke and Lu Yu entered the hall, their expressions were somewhat sorrowful.

They bowed respectfully to Qin Mu.

Li Ke spoke.

"Your Majesty, regarding this trial of the clans, I still have some doubts."

"If some people commit crimes and deserve to die, beheading is naturally a matter of course."

"But there are so many old, weak, women, and children who are also to be beheaded; it is somewhat suspicious of indiscriminate killing."

Qin Mu looked at these two people.

They had both betrayed the Great Tang, betrayed their own clans, and then joined the Great Qin to serve.

They were also two very capable people.

But their origins were also from powerful clans.

This anti-social crime case was aimed at the powerful clans.

Although it was very popular with the people at the bottom, it was inevitable that it would stimulate their sensitive hearts.

If the clans were cut off in one stroke, they would also be within the scope of the strike.

Having made so many contributions to the Great Qin, it is inevitable that they would have some thoughts in their hearts.

"Li Ke, Lu Yu, you both come from clans; you must have feelings about the arrogance of the clans."

"I ask you, if you hadn’t defected to the Great Qin and were still in your original positions, what would you be doing now?"

Before Li Ke came to the Great Qin, he was a relatively valued prince.

He had once thought about competing with Li Tai for the right to inherit the throne.

"Returning to Your Majesty, if I hadn’t come to the Great Qin, I would definitely be soliciting court officials and competing to be the Crown Prince!"

After answering, Li Ke was stunned.

.......Begging for flowers...0

The important officials of the Great Tang were all from powerful clans.

The so-called soliciting of court officials was nothing more than compromising with the powerful clans.

In this process, there must be trade-offs, and those who are abandoned must be those at the bottom without power or influence.

The situation was such that Li Ke had no choice.

Lu Yu also replied.

"Returning to Your Majesty, if I hadn’t come to the Great Qin, I might still be presiding over the caravan and running around for the Lu family’s interests."

This was her mission in the family, and she had never thought much about it before.

Presiding over the caravan was not a mistake, so Lu Yu felt that she had a clear conscience.

Qin Mu pointed out the key point.

"After the Lu family obtained these benefits, they chose to use this money to consolidate their power."

"Or simply raise an army to rebel!"

"Further exploiting the people."

"Tell me, are you an accomplice?"

Lu Yu was speechless.

In her view, what she did seemed harmless.

However, the family was indeed doing some anti-social things.

Calculating it this way, she was indeed an accomplice!

Qin Mu continued to say leisurely.

"As for those old, weak, women, and children, some may not have done anything bad."

"But they enjoy the shade of the family with peace of mind and look forward to the family becoming more powerful to provide more shade."

"In a sense, they are the driving force of the family."

"To say they are the masterminds is not an exaggeration!"

In fact, no matter what, whenever a clan is exterminated, there must be innocent people among them.

The reason Qin Mu insisted on doing this was still to serve as a deterrent.

The old, weak, women, and children did not have the ability to do bad things themselves.

However, for the clans, they were not innocent either.

Either they incited, or they had complex human connections Wu Li Ke a spider web behind them.

Previously in Yizhou, eliminating the branch of the Cui family was a typical example.

One person commits a crime, the whole clan protects them, allowing them to remain at large.

The Great Qin’s approach is that those who provide protection must also be punished together!

Li Ke and Lu Yu were silent.

As representatives of the clans, they felt that the clans were being targeted.

They also clearly understood the benefits of this; in the future, no clan would dare to group together to monopolize.

Qin Mu said again.

"In the past, there was only one crime punishable by extermination of the clan: rebellion."

"From now on, add another one: anti-social crime!"

A final decision!