The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 555 Qingtian
Upon hearing this, Cai Yong's cloudy eyes brightened slightly, then dimmed again. He tremblingly cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is wise. But this limit of one hundred acres..."

Qin Shou raised his hand to interrupt him, his gaze piercing: "Father-in-law, there's no need for further words. A hundred acres of fertile land already represents the property of a thousand ordinary households; I cannot concede any further."

At that moment, hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall. Li Ru rushed in, holding a new memorial in his hand, and was visibly taken aback when he saw Cai Yong present.

"Speak, what new discoveries have you made?" Qin Shou said in a deep voice.

Li Ru glanced at Cai Yong and whispered, "Your Majesty, we just received a secret report that the Zhen and Mi families are secretly transferring land deeds, and some of the land has already been transferred to—" He hesitated for a moment, "to the names of several princes."

"What?!" Qin Shou roared in fury, slamming his hand on the table, sending the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone flying high into the air. Cai Yong was also shocked by the news and took two steps back, almost falling over.

Crown Prince Qin Chengqian knelt down with a thud: "Father, please understand! Your son knew nothing about this matter!"

Qin Shou coldly surveyed the crowd, his gaze finally settling on Li Ru: "Investigate! Investigate thoroughly! I want to see who's plotting against my son!"

Seeing this, Cai Yong knew things had gone beyond expectations and quickly advised, "Your Majesty, please calm down. There may be more to this than meets the eye."

"Father-in-law, there's no need for further persuasion," Qin Shou said coldly. "I now finally understand why these people dared to act so recklessly. It turns out they had already laid a backup plan, even using my princes as their shield!"

He turned to Li Ru and said sternly, "Immediately draft the following decrees: First, establish the Land Survey Office, with you in charge; second, officials of the third rank and above must report their land and family property within ten days, or face dismissal and investigation. Their property and family property will be registered after they retire to their hometowns; third, from this day forward, all land transactions must be approved by the Land Survey Office, and those who violate this will be treated as treason!"

Li Ru accepted the order and left. Cai Yong sighed deeply, knowing that things had come to this point and there was no turning back.

After Cai Yong took his leave, Qin Shou sat alone in the imperial study, gazing at the mountain of memorials piled on his desk, and suddenly felt a wave of weariness. He rubbed his temples and said to Qin Chengqian, who was standing beside him, "See that? This is what a powerful aristocratic family looks like."

Qin Chengqian walked in tremblingly and knelt on the ground: "Father."

Qin Shou glanced at the other party, his voice suddenly softening as he comforted him, "These powerful clans are too strong for me to deal with first. You don't have that much prestige or courage."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince's eyes reddened slightly: "Your Majesty, I am incompetent and have disappointed you."

Qin Shou shook his head: "Remember, a ruler must prioritize the people. Now that the realm is at peace, the powerful clans are our greatest enemies. If I yield today, they will take advantage of me tomorrow. This empire will ultimately be handed over to you."

Outside the window, the eastern sky was already showing the first hint of dawn. Qin Shou rose and walked to the window, gazing at the gradually awakening imperial city, and said in a deep voice, "Go and prepare. This morning's court session is likely to be fraught with tension."

The Crown Prince bowed deeply and turned to leave. Qin Shou watched his son's departing figure, a complex expression flashing in his eyes. He knew that the struggle for control of the Qing lands had only just begun, and the real contest was yet to come.

A moment later, Qin Shou suddenly said to the empty hall, "Shadow Guards."

A dark figure appeared silently in the corner: "Your Majesty."

"Investigate which prince is most closely associated with Lady Zhen and Lady Mi." Qin Shou's voice was as cold as ice. He sneered, "Remember, don't alert them."

The shadowy figure accepted the order and left, as if it had never been there. Qin Shou stood alone in the dawn light, his shadow stretched long and thin.

Just as Qin Shou had said, after the empire was stabilized, powerful clans became the enemy of the court, constantly pouncing on the dynasty and devouring its blood. Qin Shou stood by the window, the morning light illuminating his resolute face, yet unable to dispel the gloom between his brows. He knew all too well that this land dispute was no longer merely a matter of land, but a life-or-death struggle between imperial power and powerful clans.

"Your Majesty, it's time for court," the eunuch cautiously reminded him.

Qin Shou straightened his dragon robe and strode towards the Golden Palace. Outside the palace, civil and military officials were already lined up to wait, but the atmosphere was unusually heavy today. When Qin Shou stepped into the hall, the shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" from the officials clearly carried a hint of trepidation.

"All of you, rise." Qin Shou sat upright on the dragon throne, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officials like lightning, his voice cold and ruthless.

"You are all intelligent men; you know what will happen today. Minister Li!"

Li Ru immediately stepped forward and loudly proclaimed the newly drafted imperial edict. As the stringent measures were announced, a commotion gradually arose in the court. Several officials from aristocratic families turned pale, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.

"Your Majesty!" Imperial Censor Zhang Heng suddenly knelt down and remonstrated, "This action may cause turmoil in the court and among the people. I urge Your Majesty to reconsider!"

Qin Shou sneered, "Minister Zhang, why are you so nervous? Could it be that the Zhang family also has illegal land?"

Zhang Heng was speechless for a moment, his forehead slamming heavily against the ground: "Your Majesty, I was only thinking of the good of the nation."

"What a fine 'thinking of the nation'!" Qin Shou slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly. "When you aristocratic families seized farmland and concealed people, did you ever think of the nation? Now that I want to rectify things, you all jump out one by one!"

The hall was deathly silent; even breathing could be heard clearly. Just as tensions were rising, a rapid drumbeat suddenly sounded outside the hall.

"Report—" A commander of the Imperial Guards rushed in, shouting, "Your Majesty, several thousand tenant farmers have gathered outside Chang'an, claiming they want to see you!"

The courtiers were in an uproar. Qin Shou frowned deeply: "What is it?"

"They say they were forced by powerful families and have come to Your Majesty to seek justice." The commander hesitated, glancing at the ministers.

A glint of light flashed in Qin Shou's eyes, and he immediately seized the opportunity: "Issue my decree: open the city gates wide and allow representatives of the people to enter the palace! Furthermore, order the Imperial Guards to protect these people; if anything happens to them, they will be executed!"

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!" several powerful ministers hurriedly tried to dissuade him, "These unruly people are gathering in a riot; they should be suppressed."

"Suppress?" Qin Shou laughed angrily, coldly snorting, "I want to see who is forcing the people to rebel! Guards, escort these officials to the side hall to rest. They are not to leave without my order!"

As the guards escorted the ministers away, the remaining officials fell silent, trembling with fear. A short while later, a dozen or so ragged old farmers were brought into the main hall. Upon seeing the emperor, they immediately knelt and wept bitterly.

"Your Majesty, you must stand up for us commoners!" The elderly man at the head of the group kowtowed until his forehead bled profusely. "The Zhen family forcibly seized our ancestral land and forced us to sign contracts of servitude."

Qin Shou personally stepped down from the dragon throne and helped the old man up: "Old man, speak slowly. I will give you an explanation today."

As the elderly farmers recounted their accusations, a shocking truth gradually surfaced. It turned out that the Zhen family and other powerful clans not only amassed large tracts of land but also turned the farmers who lost their land into private slaves, and even colluded with local officials to forge land deeds.

(End of this chapter)