Chapter 544

"Your Majesty, the reason aristocratic clans can stand tall for hundreds of years without falling is that they rely on a hierarchical system that dynasties throughout history have collectively upheld."

"No matter how dynasties change, the authority of the nobility over the common people is deeply carved into their very bones."

"But with what the Emperor of Great Qin has done, this authority has collapsed!"

"Authority has collapsed?"

Li Er chewed over these words carefully, only just beginning to grasp their meaning.

This seemed to be a matter of immense significance!

For thousands of years, the one thing dynasties in history have collectively done is to establish the authority of the noble class.

Because of this concept of hierarchy, ordinary commoners have never dared to resist.

Dynastic change has always been a game played among the noble class.

The impoverished commoners have never had the qualifications to participate.

But the authority of the nobility, painstakingly built over thousands of years, has been destroyed by the consequences brought about by a single criminal charge from Qin Mu. From now on, ordinary commoners will no longer fear the aristocratic clans! The common folk will no longer be as easily oppressed as they were before!

"Fang Xuanling, I also happen to want to deal with the aristocratic clans; can I take this opportunity to make use of this public sentiment?" Fang Fang Xuanling sighed.

"Your Majesty, I fear this public sentiment is aimed directly at you!"

"Why?"

Li Er was thoroughly shocked.

Shouldn't it be aimed at the aristocratic clans?

, it has been destroyed.

Fang Fang Xuanling explained to Li Er.

"Your Majesty, the Great Qin Emperor destroyed the authority of the powerful class; on the surface, he is leading the people against the powerful clans."

"However, in the consciousness of the people, the Emperor is the highest and most authoritative one."

"If a building collapses, how can the top of the building be intact?"

With this explanation, Li Er was even more confused.

"Isn’t Qin Mu an emperor?"

"If he does this, won’t he burn himself?"

"Qin Mu is different!"

Fang Fang Xuanling shook his head and sighed.

It seemed that he was very helpless about Qin Mu’s methods.

"Your Majesty, Qin Mu has a feud with the clans, as everyone knows."

"And he previously abolished the humble status and reused scholars from humble backgrounds."

"Reducing taxes, encouraging commerce, building roads, digging canals; all his policies are to improve the lives of the people, even at the cost of breaking tradition."

"In the eyes of the people, he is a commoner emperor!"

Commoner emperor?

Li Er recalled again the time Qin Mu participated in the imperial examination in the Great Tang.

That was the time he offended him, and from then on, he established an invincible enemy for the Great Tang.

Qin Mu came from a humble background but rose strongly by his own efforts and established the Great Qin.

He could never compare to this ability and achievement.

Although Qin Mu is an emperor, he stands on the side of the people and speaks for them, which is indeed different from other emperors.

"Then what should I do?"

"Aren’t I also carrying out reforms now?"

"Give me some more time, and I can also imitate the Great Qin and establish a system that can win the hearts of the people."

Fang Fang Xuanling didn’t want to hit Li Er.

The Great Tang’s actions were too slow.

Earlier, they wanted to reduce the influence of the powerful clans and reuse scholars from humble backgrounds.

But there were always many scruples that made them unable to implement it.

It wasn’t until recently, when they sensed the clans’ rebellious intentions, that they made up their minds to gradually eradicate the clans.

This ambiguous attitude could not be compared with Qin Mu at all.

"Your Majesty, change slowly, and things will get better and better."

"By the way, the clans have been attracted by the interests of those three foreign powers and have gone to contact them separately."

"Now, the purpose of dividing the clans has been achieved."

"Does Your Majesty want to take action to deal with the second clan?"

Li Er hesitated.

The first time he dealt with the Wang family, he used the excuse of destroying the Great Tang’s dragon vein.

Now that he had finally reconciled with the remaining three great clans.

If he took action to deal with the second clan so quickly, he would completely lose the trust of the clans, and then it would be impossible to reconcile.

"Fang Xuanling, this step is very critical; we must have absolute certainty to give the three great clans a thunderous blow."

"If any one of them is missed, they will definitely rebel and bring great trouble to the court."

"I have thought about it, and I don’t feel very confident."

Fang Fang Xuanling also knew there wasn’t much certainty.

However, this is an opportunity, and if this opportunity is not used, it may become even more passive in the future.

"Your Majesty, we can’t hesitate anymore!"

"Dealing with the three great clans now, although risky, can still win the hearts of the people."

"As long as the hearts of the people are on the side of the court, we can take advantage of the situation to complete the reform in one fell swoop."

"This is a good opportunity to catch up with the Great Qin!"

Now, because of the Wang family being beheaded, public opinion is in an uproar, overwhelmingly opposing the clans.

By using this public opinion, we can get twice the result with half the effort.

Li Er didn’t really want to take risks.

But in his heart, there was an obsession, which was that he must catch up with Qin Mu and not be left too far behind.

Since the Great Qin can use a new crime to promote social change,

the Great Tang must also imitate it.

It’s just that the three great clans are not easy to deal with, and to take action against them, one must be very cautious.

"Fang Xuanling, dealing with the three great clans in one breath is too difficult."

"How do you think we should take action to be more confident?"

Hearing that Li Er finally made up his mind, Fang Fang Xuanling breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your Majesty, I think it is better to use the strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain."

Li Er was familiar with this strategy.

Last time he dealt with the Wang family, it was when Wang Jing went to Jiaozhou, and he judged the Wang family’s crimes with lightning speed.

However, this time he had to deal with three families at once, and Li Er always felt some unease in his heart.

"The three clans’ forces are intertwined, and even if we use the strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain, it is still not enough."

"They operate in Lingnan and have both soldiers and grain."

"With just one letter, they can immediately raise their flags and rebel."

Li Er’s worry was not unreasonable.

The clans would not have no precautions against the court.

Lingnan is their foundation now, and they must have left a backup plan.

Once the clans raise their flags and rebel, even if they can be pacified, the Great Tang will definitely be severely injured.

Fang Fang Xuanling thought for a while and suggested.

"Your Majesty, I’m afraid this matter still has to fall on the Great Qin."

"I have a plan that can provoke a dispute between the clans and the Great Qin."

This was the kind of plan Li Er wanted.

He didn’t need to exert any effort himself, just watch quietly from behind.