Chapter 379: The Clan's Overwhelming Influence

If this news is true, the Yellow Turban Army's offensive will gain wings like a tiger, marching straight into Qianzhou; it must not be underestimated.

Several possible candidates flashed through his mind, leaving him feeling startled and doubtful.

Another letter, with steady handwriting, came from the distant Cloud Prince's Mansion, written by his father Su Kai.

The letter revealed that a great army of the Da Qian dynasty would secretly advance from the rear of the Cangzhou forces, coordinating inside and out with the Yellow Turban Army to jointly scheme for Qianzhou.

Su Ye's father, Cloud Prince Su Kai, obviously also knew of this matter.

Su Ye furrowed his brows, his heart filled with lingering doubts.

His own father, the Cloud Prince of the Cloud Prince's Mansion, is actually involved in this—just what kind of game is this?

In the flickering candlelight, Su Ye fell into deep thought.

He seemed to see a huge chessboard, with all the forces jumping and fighting upon it like pieces.

The Yellow Turban Army, together with the Taiping Sect behind it, the Da Qian dynasty, the Cloud Prince's Mansion, and even himself, were all drawn into this complicated power struggle.

Su Ye did not believe that Meng Zhang could possess such charm that a mere shake of his tiger-like stature would cause those generals to willingly defect.

And his own father, Cloud Prince Su Kai, what role does he play in this game?

Is he forced to join, or does he participate willingly?

Does he also harbor his own plans and ambitions?

Su Ye felt a wave of headache; this game is far more complicated than he imagined.

All the forces intertwined, forming a tangled web.

Each person is scheming, each seeking his own benefit.

Only after Su Ye entered the Da Qian dynasty's Central Region Five Provinces did he realize how tangled the situation was and how powerful the clans were.

After centuries of accumulation and evolution, the clans of the Da Qian dynasty have become an indispensable force on this land.

They are like ancient trees, deeply rooted in the soil of Da Qian, with lush branches and leaves, their influence everywhere.

These clans, whether literary or martial, mercantile or artistic, all control vast resources and power, like local earthly emperors.

Even in some remote regions, imperial authority cannot reach, creating the peculiar phenomenon of imperial power not extending to the countryside.

These clans are no longer merely assistants to the imperial household; they faintly show a momentum of surpassing the imperial household.

Within the Da Qian dynasty, the clans are top-heavy and unyielding, each governing itself like a regional lord.

They control the lifelines of local economy, sway political winds, and even set up private courts to judge cases on their own.

Imperial orders often cannot penetrate the dense network of clans; imperial authority in the countryside has become mere ornament.

Such a situation is, for the Da Qian imperial household, nothing less than a potential crisis.

And this turmoil known as the Da Qian Rebellion has further pushed the conflict between the clans and the court to its climax.

Is this a deliberate probe by the clans against the Da Qian court, or is the court, after sensing the clan threat, simply going with the flow?

The reasons behind it are like seeing flowers in the fog or the moon in the water—hard to grasp.

The strength of the clans is not something achieved in a day.

Through generations of effort, they have gradually established their own spheres of influence locally.

These clans, bound by blood and driven by profit, have formed tight-knit interest groups.

They collude with each other, jointly resisting external forces, even daring to stand opposed to the imperial household.

The power of the clans has already surpassed local governmental authority.

Their mansions are like independent small kingdoms, with high walls and deep courtyards, strict gatekeeping, and everything inside decided by the clan.

Meanwhile, imperial edicts here are often null and void; the clan's family law is the true rule.

Nevertheless, the Da Qian court is not oblivious to the rise of the clans.

The discerning officials in the court have long been fully aware of the threat posed by the clans.

Yet the court, in dealing with the clan problem, has always appeared inadequate.

On one hand, the court needs the clans' support to consolidate its rule and maintain national unity and stability.

On the other hand, the clans' strength makes the court feel deep anxiety, fearing that one day these clans might join forces to rebel and overturn imperial rule.

In this intricate game, the relationship between court and clans has become ever more subtle.

Perhaps this Da Qian Rebellion is merely a microcosm of that game.

Through this turmoil, the clans attempt to further expand their spheres of influence and challenge imperial authority.

Meanwhile, the court takes the opportunity to observe the clans' movements, so as to seize the initiative in future confrontations.

In this turmoil, various forces surge with hidden currents, openly contending and secretly struggling.

Among the clans, there are both alliances and conflicts; between court and clans, there are even more calculations and counter-calculations.

This Da Qian Rebellion has already become a touchstone for testing all forces.

Amidst changing winds and clouds, the future of the Da Qian dynasty is full of uncertainty.

The clans' top-heavy nature and the court's restless stirring both bring unprecedented challenges to this ancient dynasty.

And how will this Da Qian Rebellion ultimately end?

Will it be a victorious celebration for the clans, or a desperate counterstrike by the court?

Everything remains undecided.

"There is you in me, and me in you."

Su Ye muttered to himself, the calculations and interweaving of all forces giving him a pressure unlike any before.

But this also caused a glint of determination and resolve to flash in his eyes.

Since it is a game, he will become the one who controls the rules of the game!

As the heir of the Cloud Prince's Mansion, he naturally cannot remain aloof from all this.

Yet behind all this chaos, what truth lies hidden?

Cloud Prince's Mansion, what role is it playing in this turmoil?

Su Ye couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

As one of the Three Great Vassal Kings of the Da Qian dynasty, Cloud Prince's Mansion holds a position of great importance.

However, when Flame King and Night King rose in rebellion one after another, his father chose to remain silent and instead invaded the neighboring Great Yong dynasty.

Was this move meant to avoid getting mixed up in this mess, or had he long had some tacit understanding with the Da Qian imperial family?

He recalled the early reports of Flame King and Night King's uprisings, wherever they passed, aristocratic clans fell one after another.

That thunderous momentum seemed poised to drag the entire aristocracy of the Da Qian dynasty into it, uprooting them completely!

Yet his father had chosen another path, which inevitably aroused deep doubts in him about Cloud Prince's Mansion's stance.

What puzzled him even more was, if the Three Great Vassal Kings and the Da Qian imperial family were truly in league, why would the Da Qian imperial family send forth the Old Ancestor, leading several Cultivators straight to Flame King's army to behead them?

Did this action mean that Flame King had begun or already completely turned toward the aristocracy?

Or was this itself a carefully plotted conspiracy?

Su Ye drew a deep breath; he knew that to unravel these mysteries, mere speculation was far from enough.

He needed more intelligence, more information to reconstruct the truth of this turmoil.

However, his intelligence network had only just begun; on some historical matters and even the foundations of long-standing data, compared to the Da Qian dynasty or the Three Great Vassal Kings—intelligence organizations that had operated for hundreds of years—it was obviously far inferior.

(End of chapter)