With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

These bloodthirsty Xianbei people were not content with mere material plunder; their brutality reached an appalling level.

The elderly were ruthlessly hacked to death for their amusement; young women were forcibly abducted and subjected to endless humiliation.

Wherever they went, chaos ensued.

Soon, the news reached Luoyang and Liu Xie's ears.

"Xianbei people?" Upon hearing the report, Liu Xie's face immediately filled with anger.

Cao Cao said, "I have heard that after the Xianbei leader Tanshihuai died, the position of leader passed to his son Helian. After Helian succeeded him, he became arrogant, extravagant and licentious, and had no ambition. This caused the Xianbei to split. Later, Helian also died. After his death, his son Qianman was too young, so he gave the position to his elder brother's son Kuitou. Now Qianman has grown up, and I have heard that he and Kuitou are vying for the throne of leader."

Cao Cao had served as the governor of Ji Province for a long time, so he had some understanding of the Xianbei people in the north.

Liu Xie asked, "Then whose men are these?"

No matter which part it is, Liu Xie will not be polite.

Cao Cao pondered for a moment and replied, "Judging from the location of the invasion, it is from the Taiyuan-Yanmen area. They should be the Western Xianbei, most likely Kui Tou's troops. This force is under the command of Kui Tou and his brother Bu Dugen."

"Alright, let's start with them!"

Liu Xie stood up abruptly and said in a resounding voice, "Those who are not of our race will surely have different hearts. How can the great nation of China allow foreign races to run rampant and invade? This must end here!"

When Liu Xie wanted to send troops, Cao Cao immediately volunteered, "Your Majesty, let me lead the troops. I will definitely bring back Kui Tou's head for you."

Liu Xie smiled and said, "I am in the prime of my life and will be leading the expedition in person. However, Prime Minister, you will stay in Luoyang for now. I have an important matter that I need your help to plan."

"A big deal?" Cao Cao asked, puzzled, staring at Liu Xie with wide eyes.

Liu Xie took his hand, and the two sat down.

Zhao Yun understood immediately and quickly dismissed all the other attendants.

Soon, only Liu Xie and Cao Cao remained in the room.

"What is the Prime Minister's view on aristocratic families?" This question had been on Liu Xie's mind for quite some time.

In other words, this is a problem that any monarch or emperor has to face.

The relationship between the emperor and the aristocratic families was one of cooperation, mutual support, and collaboration.

Either the emperor controls the powerful families, or the powerful families control the emperor.

To put it bluntly, it all comes down to who's in charge.

"Your Majesty discussed this matter with me before." Cao Cao's memory was still quite good.

Liu Xie nodded. "The Prime Minister has a good memory. This is a problem we'll have to face sooner or later."

"Now you can say that there are many benefits to aristocratic families. They provide the court with talented people, and many capable individuals emerge to help me govern the country. I acknowledge all of these."

Liu Xie stood up, paced back and forth in the room a few times, and said again, "However, I cannot be blinded by a single leaf. I cannot ignore the detrimental effects of aristocratic families on the country just because they have made contributions."

"I'll give you a few examples, and you'll understand, Prime Minister. Who controls the land? The powerful families. Who controls the selection of talent? The powerful families! Who controls public opinion? Also the powerful families!"

"Although I have permitted officials at all levels to recommend talents on their own, this is only an experiment. Although it has achieved some results, my role in the selection of talents is still limited. The vast majority of land, talents, and wealth are controlled by aristocratic families. Prime Minister, you are not an outsider, and I am willing to confide in you."

Powerful families are not necessarily bad people, but they have seized too many resources and formed a huge monopoly!

Cao Cao listened quietly. He could tell that the emperor had made a great decision: once the country was at peace, he would begin to reorganize the powerful clans.

Cao Cao said, "Your Majesty, this matter indeed needs careful planning. It is a matter of great importance, and we must not let others know about it."

Liu Xie nodded. "Yes, once this kind of thing gets out, they will definitely unite and resist it together. It is precisely because the Prime Minister is not an outsider that I have entrusted this matter to you."

Cao Cao's face was full of worry, and he suddenly felt as if a thousand-pound burden was pressing down on him, making it difficult for him to even catch his breath.

This task is extremely difficult, and it's destined to be a thankless task that will offend many people.

"Prime Minister, I will give you a year. You should plan carefully and see if you have any good ideas."

Cao Cao nodded vigorously, "Since Your Majesty values ​​me so highly, I will do my utmost."

After Cao Cao left, he was preoccupied with his own thoughts, and even when he met Xun Yu on the road, he couldn't feel happy.

The two exchanged a brief greeting and then parted ways. Cao Cao glanced back at Xun Yu and shook his head helplessly.

Because the Xun family of Yingchuan was also a prominent family, and a very influential one at that.

Cao Cao wanted to tell Xun Yu about it, but he held back.

This is a secret and must never be revealed to outsiders.

Even if Xun Yu and he had a very good relationship, it wouldn't work.

Because the emperor is about to take action against the powerful families!

No sooner had Cao Cao left than Jia Xu arrived. Liu Xie looked at him and sighed helplessly, "Wenhe, is what I'm doing inappropriate? Am I being too heartless?"

Jia Xu shook his head. "Your Majesty has been considering this matter for quite some time. If the state wants to be stable, all power must be concentrated in Your Majesty's hands. The powerful clans are deeply entrenched and entrenched, posing a huge threat to the state and Your Majesty."

"Take the Yellow Turban Rebellion for example. Some say it was caused by the Ten Ministers' chaos in the court and the constant disasters in various places. In my opinion, these are just symptoms. The real culprits behind the chaos in the world are the powerful families!"

Liu Xie listened attentively. Jia Xu took out a piece of paper and drew a circle on it. "A powerful family will occupy a lot of fertile land and manors. They will enclose a region, build fortified villages and manors, and the local officials will be unable to do anything about them."

Then, Jia Xu drew circle after circle on the paper, until the paper was almost completely filled. "Everywhere there are enclosed manors and vast tracts of fertile land, which have become the private property of powerful families. These lands are not subject to taxes, and the court cannot collect a single penny of tax. Moreover, they need to hire many tenant farmers to cultivate the land. Although these tenant farmers are supposed to bear the tax burden, their taxes are paid to the powerful families, not to the court. In fact, many tenant farmers have become the private property of powerful families, becoming hidden unregistered households."

"I have investigated and found that any single aristocratic family, with its intricate network of collateral branches, can easily possess thousands of acres of land. If one family possesses so much, what about a hundred or a thousand families? With aristocratic families seizing large amounts of land, the common people inevitably become displaced and even homeless. This is the root of the chaos. For example, a thousand acres of land that could originally support a thousand people can now be used by hiring a hundred tenant farmers. The remaining nine hundred people have neither land nor income and may even starve to death."

Liu Xie waved his hand, stopping Jia Xu from continuing. He was fully aware of the dangers posed by powerful families.

After a while, Liu Xie exhaled a breath of stale air and asked, "Should this matter be entrusted to Cao Cao?"

Throughout history, monopolies have always brought more harm than good.

Jia Xu nodded. "It can only be him, and only Cao Cao is the most suitable! You are His Majesty, and His Majesty must be wise and benevolent. If His Majesty is tainted by too much killing and bloodshed, it will not be conducive to the stability of the country."

"So what will be his final fate?"

In truth, Liu Xie felt a pang of sympathy for Cao Cao, who was made to play the villain.

Jia Xu remained expressionless, thought for a moment, and then said, "Your Majesty, you should remember Shang Yang, right? His fate is the same as the Prime Minister's."

"This is something that will offend all the powerful families in the world, and the resistance is destined to be unprecedented. Therefore, Your Majesty is not suitable to do this. The country is not yet stable. If the opposition is too strong, the country may be in danger of collapsing."

Thinking of Shang Yang's fate—becoming the target of public criticism and ultimately being torn apart by chariots—Liu Xie slowly closed his eyes, his heart heavy and depressed.

"Your Majesty, if Shang Yang had known his fate beforehand, he would still have done it without hesitation. As for the Prime Minister, Your Majesty might as well test him to see if he has such determination."

Liu Xie felt a surge of unease. He glanced at Jia Xu and said with mixed feelings, "You truly are a cunning strategist."

To target a powerful family, you need to find someone with influence. Just like a married couple, sometimes one person has to play the bad cop and the other the good cop.

Cao Cao was indeed the only choice to be prime minister. Entrusting this task to people like Jia Xu, Xun Yu, and Chen Gong would have been completely inadequate; they were simply not up to the task.

"Since there's still time, let Cao Cao think it over carefully."

Liu Xie was in a bad mood. He waved his hand and went to the street with Jia Xu and Zhao Yun. Jia Xu suddenly remembered something. "By the way, Fa Zheng, Meng Da and Zhang Song have been brought to Luoyang. Shi Xie also arrived in Luoyang before dark. Does Your Majesty intend to see them?"

Liu Xie waved his hand, "Shi Xie, I won't see him for now. I'll see him in a few days." Although Shi Xie had lived a relatively peaceful life in Jiaozhi for decades, Liu Xie still didn't want to see him too soon.

Jia Xu nodded. "It's good to let it cool down. His Majesty sent him all the way from Jiaozhi, and if he doesn't see him immediately after he arrives, he'll definitely be anxious and uneasy. However, this is actually a good thing."

In Xuchang, Liu Bei and Lü Bu were neighbors, and in Luoyang, they became neighbors again.

Before he knew it, Liu Xie arrived at the gate of Liu Bei's courtyard. Seeing that the gate was not closed, Liu Xie smiled and stepped inside.

As soon as he entered, he saw a busy figure in the courtyard, turning over the soil. Liu Xie looked up at the sky and shook his head. "Xuande, it's almost dark, and you're still turning over the soil?"

Liu Bei was taken aback. Upon seeing that it was the emperor, he hurriedly put down his hoe, and without even wiping his sweat, went to greet him.

Hearing the voices, Madam Cai also came out of the house. Madam Cai was as radiant as ever, with a captivating figure and an alluring presence.

When Lady Cai moved from Xudu to Luoyang, he and Liu Bei lived together. Liu Xie did not announce it to the public, but it was not a secret.

Lady Cai was indeed beautiful, but when Liu Bei met her, he was completely overwhelmed and couldn't stand up for himself at all.

"Your Majesty, please come inside." Lady Cai smiled and ushered Liu Xie into the house.

Liu Bei quickly washed his hands and then followed him into the house.

Liu Bei's courtyard was a large three-section courtyard, with Liu Bei living in the front section and Lady Mi and Lady Gan also living in the front section. In any case, the courtyard was large enough and there were enough rooms.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei lived in the back because the three brothers were so close that they couldn't bear to be apart.

Before long, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei arrived, and their families also paid their respects to Liu Xie.

Although Guan Yu still had a ruddy face and was usually stern and cold, Liu Xie could still see a hint of a smile in the corner of his eye.

Guan Yu was very satisfied with Cai Zhaoji, the woman the emperor had chosen for him.

After years of wandering and loneliness, Guan Yu finally experienced the warmth of home and had a woman who cared for him.

Zhang Fei was slightly less capable, especially when he saw Lu Xun and his wife arrive in Luoyang, which made him a little jealous.

Xiahou Xue was Zhang Fei's ideal woman, his dream lover!

So many years have passed, and Xiahou Xue has already given birth to Lu Xun's child, but Zhang Fei still can't forget that "country bumpkin" he almost got his hands on back then.

Liu Xie asked Liu Bei why he had returned to his old ways and started tilling the land.

Liu Bei sighed and said with self-reproach, "Your Majesty, since I have nothing else to do around the end of the year, and this courtyard is just sitting idle anyway, I thought I'd tidy it up a bit."

Madam Cai continued, "Even if it's necessary to clean up, the servants should be allowed to do it. But he insists on doing it himself, getting himself all dirty every day. He even said that when the weather gets warmer, he'll plant some vegetables so he can grow them himself and eat them."

Madam Cai spoke softly, but with a hint of teasing.

Liu Bei, who always regarded women as mere clothing, dared not refute her at all, and did not even dare to look Lady Cai in the eye.

Liu Bei's aura was completely suppressed. Jia Xu almost couldn't help but laugh. This marriage bestowed by His Majesty was truly a match made in heaven. Finally, someone had subdued Liu Bei.

There was no other way. Although Lady Cai did not witness Liu Bei strangling Liu Qi, she was still an insider. Moreover, she was no ordinary woman. Liu Bei always felt uneasy and lacked confidence in front of Lady Cai.

Liu Xie said, "Xuande, if you want to grow vegetables, then go ahead and do so. Consider it a way to cultivate your character. By the way, are you satisfied with the marriage I arranged for you, Xuande?"

Liu Bei really wanted to shout out loud, "I'm not satisfied!"
But he asked himself if he had done anything in recent years that had not been very satisfactory to the emperor, and he dared not say no, so he could only reply: "I am grateful for Your Majesty's bestowal of a marriage. Lady Cai is good in appearance and character."

Liu Xie said, "That's not the most important thing. Because the rumors are bad for you, some people misunderstand and think you harmed Liu Biao. I'm betrothing Lady Cai to you, so that many people will shut up and stop criticizing." (End of this chapter)