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Chapter 302 Xun Yu Returns to Luoyang
The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen sat upright on the dragon throne, slowly circulating the 'Emperor's Conferment of Gods Technique'.

Within Zhou Chen's body, a mysterious and profound energy began to rise.

in all directions.

up down left right.

They were all enveloped by this 'qi'.

Faint, intermittent sounds of dragon roars emanated from Zhou Chen's body.

More than that.

The vast destiny of the Great Zhou Dynasty aligns with the Zhou Chen (a Chinese astrological concept).

It was as if Zhou Chen's figure on the dragon throne was an illusion, so close yet so far away.

hum...

Zhou Chen opened his eyes, a hint of regret appearing in his gaze.

"Just a little bit short."

Zhou Chen sighed.

After dealing with those who entered the world and taking the opportunity to weaken the power of a large number of aristocratic families, the national fortune of the Great Zhou Dynasty rose sharply.

Zhou Chen originally thought that with the rise of the nation's fortune, he would be able to break through the barrier between the celestial beings and become a celestial being.

But to his surprise, no matter how hard Zhou Chen cultivated, he was unable to break through that barrier and advance to the Celestial Realm.

"Is it truly impossible for the mortal world to break through the barrier between the celestial and the divine?"

Zhou Chen frowned slightly, thinking to himself.

Previously, Zhou Chen had learned from the information given by those who had entered the mortal world that it was difficult to break through to the Celestial Realm due to the scarcity of spiritual energy in the secular world.

But Zhou Chen was cultivating the 'Emperor's Conferring of Gods Technique'.

The unique aspect of the Emperor's Conferment of Gods Technique is that it does not require spiritual energy, but rather the national fortune and the emperor's aura.

However, Zhou Chen still failed to break through the barrier between the Celestials and humans and achieve the status of a Celestial.

Zhou Chen clearly felt that there seemed to be some kind of inexplicable shackles and constraints preventing him from breaking through the barrier between the Celestials and becoming a Celestial.

"It seems that the reason why the mortal world cannot break through the barrier between the celestial beings and achieve celestial status is not simply because those who enter the world say that spiritual energy is scarce. There are probably other reasons as well."

Zhou Chen's eyes flickered.

at this time.

A palace eunuch entered and reported, "Your Majesty, Lord Xun Yu has returned and is currently requesting an audience outside the palace."

"Oh!"

"Xun Yu is back?"

Zhou Chen was shocked.

Xun Yu had been ordered to leave Luoyang to investigate the illicit acquisition of land by powerful and wealthy families for quite some time now.

Zhou Chen had previously asked Cao Zhengchun about Xun Yu's progress, but he didn't expect Xun Yu to return just one day later.

"Summon Xun Yu in."

Zhou Chen put aside his thoughts and spoke to the eunuchs and guards.

"According to the order."

The eunuchs and guards bowed and withdrew.

soon.

Xun Yu then entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Your subject Xun Yu greets Your Majesty."

Xun Yu entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation and bowed respectfully to Zhou Chen on the dragon throne.

"No gift."

Zhou Chen waved his hand and looked at Xun Yu.

Several months later, Xun Yu looked much more haggard.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Xun Yu stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, I have not failed Your Majesty's trust and have thoroughly investigated all the lands that those powerful families have seized by trickery and force."

"These are the figures I have uncovered, as well as the data on taxes paid by prominent families."

"Your Majesty, please review this."

Xun Yu took out the neatly arranged memorial from his sleeve and held it in his hands.

Upon seeing this, the eunuchs and guards immediately stepped forward, took the memorial from Xun Yu's hand, and presented it to Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen opened the memorial and glanced at it.

The memorial contained a lot of information. After scanning it at a glance, Zhou Chen looked up at Xun Yu and said, "Wenruo, you've had a hard time. I heard you encountered assassins in Lingnan. Were you injured?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am not injured."

"With Commander Cao Shaoqin here, those assassins are nothing to fear."

"Besides, although I am a civil official, I am not powerless. How could a mere assassin possibly harm me?"

Xun Yu bowed and said.

indeed.

Whether it was Xun Yu, Fang Xuanling, or Xiao He, although they were all civil officials, they all possessed considerable martial arts skills, and ordinary villains were no match for them.

"It's good that it's not hurt."

Zhou Chen closed the memorial and casually placed it on the dragon desk, glancing at Xun Yu; "Tell me the details of what happened!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Xun Yu bowed and said.

……

Cining Palace.

The Empress Dowager sat in the main seat, looking at the four figures kneeling on the ground.

"Pingyang, what are you doing?"

"Whatever it is, get up first and we can talk about it later."

"If I can help, I will definitely help."

The Empress Dowager said with a hint of helplessness.

"Your Majesty, you must help Pingyang! The Ministry of Justice has sentenced many members of the Song family to death, and most of the key figures in the Song family have been arrested by Jia Xu. If the Song family is gone, how will Pingyang survive?"

A woman in palace attire said, her voice choked with tears.

This woman in palace attire was none other than Princess Pingyang, who had married into the Song family of Lingnan.

"Mother, the same goes for my husband's family. Most of the people in charge have been captured by Jia Xu. I beg you, Mother, to save them for our sake."

The other three kneeling women were also weeping as they recounted their experiences.

They were all princesses from the four major clans who married into the royal family.

The patriarchs and elders of the four major clans have all been arrested by the imperial court. The four princesses had no choice but to plead with the Empress Dowager, hoping that she could speak up and save the lives of these people from the four major clans.

The Empress Dowager frowned slightly upon hearing the words of the four princesses.

Since the incident involving the Prince of Shu, the Empress Dowager has devoted herself to vegetarianism and Buddhist chanting, no longer caring about outside affairs.

The Empress Dowager was largely unaware of what was happening outside.

Hearing the four princesses' tearful accounts, the Empress Dowager was filled with doubt.

The four princesses were all married into the four great clans, which are the top powerful families in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Why did His Majesty suddenly take action against the four great clans?

The Empress Dowager glanced at the four princesses and asked calmly, "Why were they arrested?"

The Empress Dowager was able to navigate the treacherous waters of the inner palace for decades; she was not so easily fooled.

If it's a minor matter, the Empress Dowager is willing to lend a hand.

After all, they are all members of the royal family; no matter how great the law is, it cannot supersede human sentiment.

As a member of the royal family, if one doesn't even have this much privilege, then one's status is wasted.

As the saying goes, if you don't use your power, it will expire.

But if it's not a trivial matter, then even the Empress Dowager is powerless to do anything about it.

"This one……"

Princess Pingyang and the other three princesses exchanged glances.

For a moment, Princess Pingyang and the other three were at a loss for words.

They can't very well say that they were arrested because the patriarchs and other leaders of the four major clans joined forces to oppose the imperial court!
An old palace maid standing beside the Empress Dowager leaned down and whispered a few words in the Empress Dowager's ear.

The Empress Dowager looked at Princess Pingyang and the other three princesses and sighed. "Pingyang, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's that I'm powerless to do so."

"If it were a normal matter, I could help you, but since the patriarchs and elders of the four great clans dared to join forces against the imperial court, it would be no use for you to beg me."

The Queen Mother shook her head.

As soon as the Empress Dowager finished speaking, Princess Pingyang immediately said, "It's useful. It's useless to others, but my sister-in-law is the Empress Dowager. If my sister-in-law speaks up, His Majesty will certainly not go against her wishes. I beg my sister-in-law to help Pingyang this time for the sake of my brother."

"Pingyang guarantees that the Song family will absolutely follow the imperial court's lead from now on and will never dare to disobey the imperial court's orders again."

Princess Pingyang spoke quickly.

Princess Pingyang looked at the Empress Dowager with anticipation in her eyes.

The same applies to the other three princesses.

They all knew that as long as the Empress Dowager spoke up, those arrested members of the four major clans would have a chance to survive.

After all, given the Empress Dowager's status, even the Emperor would not normally dare to offend her.

“Pingyang…”

The Empress Dowager's voice deepened; "What you're saying, I cannot do."

"Although I am the Empress Dowager, the only place I can interfere with is this small part of the inner palace."

"I have no right to interfere in His Majesty's handling of those people from the four great clans."

The Empress Dowager's tone became stern as she spoke.

"Since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the imperial harem has been forbidden from interfering in politics."

"If I were to go to His Majesty because of your affairs, not to mention whether His Majesty would agree, I, the Empress Dowager, would have no face to see the late Emperor in the future."

"You must remember that His Majesty is the ruler of the world. No one can sway His Majesty's will, not even me."

"I will pretend I didn't hear what you just said. You'd better watch yourselves."

Princess Pingyang and the other three girls' faces turned ashen upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words.

They had originally planned to plead with the Empress Dowager to give those from the four powerful clans who had been arrested a chance to survive.

But now it seems they're going to be disappointed; they've made a wasted trip.

Princess Pingyang and the other three understood what the Empress Dowager meant.

The emperor is the emperor, and the empress dowager is the empress dowager.

The emperor is the supreme ruler of the land, and his words carry the weight of the heavens, representing the might of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

If the Empress Dowager can arbitrarily change the Emperor's decrees, then is the Emperor still the supreme ruler of the land?

Furthermore, once this precedent is set, will the emperor's authority still be able to dominate the world?
……

Luoyang City.

guillotine.

The Song family patriarch, the Song family patriarch, and the Dugu family patriarch were all taken to the execution platform one by one.

The Song family patriarch and his entourage, dressed in prison uniforms, knelt on the ground, their faces silent.

They had anticipated this day.

However, they still held onto a sliver of hope, but now that they were being led to the guillotine, that hope was shattered.

They knew they had no chance of surviving; they were the leaders who had died.

"I never imagined that one day we would be led to the guillotine."

The Song family patriarch said with a self-deprecating smile.

The others kneeling beside them also looked resentful.

These people, as the heads of the four major clans, each of them, if they stood up, would be a figure standing at the top of the Great Zhou pyramid.

But now, he is being led to the guillotine like any other prisoner, waiting to be beheaded.

This was indeed a great irony for those of them who were used to being arrogant.

A large crowd of people were watching around the guillotine.

The news that the four powerful clans were to be beheaded was quite shocking and attracted a lot of onlookers.

After all, in the eyes of ordinary people, the four great clans are a lofty and unapproachable force.

The beheading of such a high-ranking figure is absolutely unprecedented and somewhat unbelievable.

……

On the execution platform.

Wang Yangming, the Minister of Justice, sat in the main seat, dressed in his official robes.

Looking at the Song family patriarch and the others being led to the guillotine, Wang Yangming felt a complex mix of emotions.

These are the heads of the four major clans, and even in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, they stand at the very top of the pyramid.

Even someone as high-ranking as the Minister of Justice would usually have to be much more deferential to him.

But this very person is now about to be beheaded.

It's so unpredictable.

Wang Yangming sighed inwardly.

Wang Yangming couldn't help but glance in the direction of the palace. He knew that all of this was because of the emperor in the palace.

Without that emperor, these four powerful clans, as well as other aristocratic families, would not have fallen to this state.

That emperor may be a wise ruler to the Great Zhou Dynasty, but in the eyes of powerful and wealthy families, it's hard to say.

"My lord, it's time."

At this moment, an official standing nearby whispered to Wang Yangming.

Wang Yangming took a deep breath, picked up the execution plaque, and threw it out.

"cut."

Spit out a word.

On the guillotine, the gleaming, dazzling broadsword was raised.

"Pfft..."

The broadsword fell.

Bloody human heads rolled to the ground.

The heads of the Song family, the Song family patriarch, and the Dugu family—these key figures of the four major clans—were all beheaded and became relics of the past.

Perhaps, these people never imagined this until their deaths.

As the leading figures of the four major clans, it's unbelievable that one day their lives would end in such a way.

……

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Cao Zhengchun entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation immediately after Xun Yu left.

"Your Majesty, Princess Pingyang and the four princesses from the four powerful clans who are marrying into the family have arrived in Luoyang. They have now entered the Cining Palace."

Cao Zhengchun bowed and reported.

As the head of the Eastern Depot, Princess Pingyang and her entourage's whereabouts and objectives could not be kept secret from Cao Zhengchun.

"Oh!"

Zhou Chen raised an eyebrow.

Zhou Chen naturally knew that Princess Pingyang and her group had married four princesses from the four major clans.

The two are his imperial aunts, and the two are his imperial sisters.

All in all, these four princesses had a very close relationship with Emperor Zhou Chen.

The fact that these four princesses came to Luoyang at this time and even went to the Cining Palace in the palace means that Zhou Chen could basically guess their purpose without even having to guess.

"I understand."

Zhou Chen didn't say much.

These four princesses were planning to plead with the Empress Dowager; their scheme was quite clever.

Unfortunately, they are likely to be disappointed.

Zhou Chen understood the Empress Dowager's personality to some extent.

Be muddle-headed about small things, but shrewd about big things.

The Empress Dowager would never get involved in matters concerning the four major clans.

Besides, the emperor's decrees are not something anyone can influence, not even the empress dowager.

"Today is the day to execute those people from the four great clans!"

Zhou Chen glanced at Cao Zhengchun and asked.

Cao Zhengchun nodded; "Yes, Your Majesty."

"I estimate that all those people from the four major clans have already been killed."

Cao Zhengchun said.

Zhou Chen nodded, said nothing more, and continued processing the memorials.

Cao Zhengchun wisely withdrew from the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

(End of this chapter)