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

"Bang!" The door was violently kicked open, and a squad of fully armed soldiers surged in like a tide, instantly filling the entire hall.

Cao Zhang, clad in armor, strode in with an imposing air.

His gaze was cold and sharp, sweeping over everyone present. The powerful families were immediately terrified, their faces turning ashen.

Behind Cao Zhang, a man walked slowly. He walked with a steady gait and a dignified face. It was Cao Cao.

Dian Wei followed Cao Cao closely, never leaving his side.

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes, looking at these aristocratic leaders with a half-smile, and slowly said, "You've been plotting behind my back, you've really done something big!"

Someone mustered their courage and said tremblingly, "Prime Minister, we have no conspiracy. This must be a misunderstanding."

"Is it a misunderstanding?" Cao Cao asked with a forced smile, his small eyes flashing with cold light.

One of the people involved in the conspiracy stepped forward and said, "Prime Minister, I can testify that we were indeed plotting something just now."

Unexpectedly, there was someone planted by Cao Cao among them. This person accurately recounted the contents of the secret plot that everyone had just discussed, which terrified everyone.

Cao Cao immediately snorted coldly, his voice booming like thunder: "The evidence is irrefutable! How dare you plot against the reorganization here? You are truly audacious!"

The powerful clans knelt down, begging for mercy, their cries and pleas echoing throughout the land. However, Cao Cao's mind was made up, and his face showed no pity whatsoever.

With a wave of his hand, he decisively ordered: "Take down all these traitors!"

A bloody massacre is about to unfold in the square of Ye City.

More than four hundred men, women, and children from prominent families were escorted here by soldiers, their faces filled with fear and despair.

Cao Cao's cold gaze swept over the crowd below. His face was as cold as frost, showing no trace of pity.

"You have been secretly plotting against the imperial court. I, in the name of rectification, will bring you to justice!" Cao Cao's voice, as loud as a bell, echoed across the square.

The crowd of onlookers had already formed a dense, impenetrable barrier. Among them were impoverished farmers and small merchants, who had long suffered oppression from powerful families. At this moment, their eyes were filled with complex emotions.

Some people began to whisper among themselves.

“These powerful families have always acted arrogantly and domineeringly; they should have met their end long ago!” A ragged farmer clenched his fist, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Yes, the Prime Minister's move is truly gratifying!" An old man next to him nodded repeatedly, a gratified smile on his face.

However, some people felt reluctant to do so.

"But there are children and the elderly among them, isn't this too cruel?" A young woman asked, her eyes filled with tears and her voice trembling.

However, her words were quickly drowned out by the cheers around her.

An elderly man with white hair knelt on the ground, trembling, and pleaded with Cao Cao, "Prime Minister, please spare us. We know our crimes and will never dare to do it again."

Cao Cao remained unmoved and coldly said, "If only you had known this would happen, you wouldn't have done it in the first place. I'm going to reform the officials, and anyone who dares to obstruct me will be executed without mercy!"

There were many onlookers, most of whom were grateful to Cao Cao because he had rectified the officials and reclaimed the land, from which they could truly benefit.

As for the other members of the powerful families, they watched helplessly as Cao Cao arrested so many people, and they gritted their teeth in hatred.

After a while, Cao Cao glanced around again expressionlessly and decisively ordered, "Leave no one alive, kill them all!"

At Cao Cao's command, the executioners raised their blades and brought their weapons down. Blood gushed out instantly, staining the square red.

Cries and pleas for mercy mingled together, creating a chilling scene. But Cao Cao remained unmoved, coldly observing everything.

The children screamed in terror, clinging tightly to their mothers. The mothers shielded their children with their bodies, attempting a last-ditch effort, but to no avail. The elderly collapsed to the ground, closing their eyes in despair.

Among the onlookers, some turned their heads away, unable to bear looking at the bloody scene; others covered their children's eyes to prevent them from seeing this cruel sight.
But many more people cheered, seeing it as a just punishment and a powerful retaliation against the powerful families that had long oppressed them.

When the spies and relatives of the powerful clans in other places heard about this tragedy, they were both shocked and terrified. They hated Cao Cao to the core, but dared not openly rebel.

In a luxurious mansion, an elder from a prominent family angrily slammed his fist on the table.

"That devil Cao Cao is so cruel!" His eyes were bloodshot and his face was ashen.

"But Father, Cao Cao's power is now immense, what can we do?" The young man beside him looked timid.

The elder gritted his teeth and said, "Let's be patient for now and wait for the right opportunity. One day, we'll make Cao Cao pay the price!"

Many people also secretly cursed Cao Cao, saying, "Cao Cao, you will be punished!"

The massacre lasted a long time, and the lives of more than four hundred people perished under Cao Cao's cold-blooded ruthlessness. The square was filled with a strong, nauseating stench of blood.

When it was all over, Cao Cao turned and left, leaving behind a desolate square.

The crowd gradually dispersed, their hearts filled with both joy at the triumph of justice and shock and fear at the bloody massacre.

Cao Cao's infamy spread rapidly throughout the land, especially among the people of Luoyang, who were terrified. Many powerful clans were filled with fear of Cao Cao and began to secretly restrain their members, instructing them to be cautious in their actions and never to cross the line with him.

Some powerful families chose to submit, while others chose to regroup and stand up to support the reform of these families. However, many others only temporarily endured the situation, and the seeds of hatred were deeply sown in their hearts. They would eventually erupt and settle this score!
Liu Xie has not returned to Luoyang for a long time, but recently many people have been writing to him and submitting memorials to the emperor. Letters have been flying to Chengdu like snowflakes.

In their letter, none of them mentioned opposing the reforms, but they all pointed the finger at Cao Cao, saying that his methods were too cruel, that he killed innocent people indiscriminately, and that he was autocratic and did not respect the emperor.

After watching it so many times, Liu Xie gradually stopped watching it to avoid upsetting himself. However, with such a big commotion, even Zhuge Liang and others around him realized the seriousness of the problem.

On this day, Zhuge Liang rushed over, his face full of worry. Upon seeing Liu Xie, he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have heard that Cao Cao has taken extreme measures against powerful clans. Such actions may cause a great deal of turmoil. Powerful clans have deep roots in our dynasty and are the foundation of the state. The Prime Minister's actions have caused unrest among the people and may shake the foundation of the state. I hope Your Majesty will reconsider."

"Kongming, I knew you would come looking for me sooner or later." Liu Xie put his hands behind his back and suddenly sighed softly.

Zhuge Liang said, "It seems that I was right. Cao Cao's grand campaign to reorganize various places has indeed been approved by Your Majesty."

"Kongming, you are very intelligent and have a clear understanding of the general trend of the world. So today I will talk to you about the dangers of aristocratic families."

Zhuge Liang was taken aback. "Why does Your Majesty say this? What harm have aristocratic families done?"

Liu Xie shook his head helplessly. Zhuge Liang was extremely intelligent. Did he really not know? Or did he know but pretend not to?
After a while, Liu Xie said, "Kongming, I am well aware of your concerns, but the monopoly of everything by powerful families is extremely harmful. First, they monopolize land, leaving the people with no land to cultivate and causing them to become homeless; they monopolize officialdom, appointing relatives and friends, blocking the path to advancement for truly talented individuals; they monopolize culture, treating knowledge as their private property, making it difficult for ordinary people to access; they monopolize public opinion, speaking only for their own interests and disregarding the greater good of the nation. If all these things are not rectified, how can our Han Dynasty remain stable?"

Zhuge Liang frowned and remained silent for a while. "Your Majesty is exaggerating. I don't think things are as serious as you make them out to be."

"As far as I know, most aristocratic families are cultured, knowledgeable, and well-educated, and they have always been committed to the benefit of the country and the people. How could they possibly monopolize everything?"

Liu Xie smiled and looked at Zhuge Liang, saying, "I know you will definitely stand up for the aristocratic families. Take you for example, what you just said is all correct. You are cultured and well-educated, and you want the country to be stable and the people to live a better life. Xun Yu, Xun You, Chen Gong... they are just like you, and they are all good people."

Zhuge Liang nodded. How could aristocratic families be considered monsters? He found it hard to believe.

Liu Xie patiently explained, "Let me give you an example first. In the past, the court selected talents by recommending those who were filial and incorruptible. Take Kong Rong for example. He shared pears with his family at the age of four, and he became famous throughout the world at a young age. His benevolence and righteousness were known throughout the world, and his filial piety and brotherly love were praised by everyone. But what about ordinary people? Don't they also have filial piety? Many people are reluctant to eat themselves, leaving the food for their parents and giving it to their brothers and sisters. Are there few such things in the world?"

“It’s not that there aren’t any, but there are many people who have done good deeds and acts of righteousness, but no one promotes their good reputation. Kong Rong, on the other hand, comes from a prominent family, and everyone will compete to promote him. If you spread my good reputation today, I will spread your virtuous reputation tomorrow.”

To put it bluntly, this is order boosting, where powerful families inflate each other's reputation.

Many people even resort to deception and trickery in order to become famous, such as Wang Xiang, who lay on ice to catch carp during the Wei and Jin Dynasties.

When his parents were sick, he stayed by their side without changing his clothes, tasting the medicine himself before giving it to them. Once, his mother wanted to eat live fish, and it was winter. Wang Xiang took off his clothes and lay on the ice, eventually letting the ice melt so that the carp would jump out on its own.

Zhuge Liang's eyes widened. The emperor actually said that the aristocratic families were engaging in deception and using underhanded tactics to gain fame.

Liu Xie continued, "Regarding Kong Rong, I do not doubt that it is not true. Rather, Kong Rong became famous simply because he came from a prominent family."

"Kongming, don't be so quick to refute me. Many people are destined to be high above others from birth, enjoying privileges that others may never be able to enjoy in their entire lives."

"Take the monopoly of farmland for example. There are countless fortified villages and manors in various places. How do you explain that? Are you going to tell me that those powerful clans couldn't bear to see the farmland lying fallow and were kindly helping the court cultivate it?"

"This?" Zhuge Liang was speechless. Sometimes, when passing by those manors, Zhuge Liang even felt a little envious.

The lush green fields are such a pleasing sight to behold.

Liu Xie sighed, "The common people have to pay taxes for farming, but those who own vast estates have never paid a single penny of tax to the court. Why is that?"

“You might tell me that the aristocratic families did not seize land, but only a few individuals, and that many aristocratic families only pursued scholarship.”

Zhuge Liang nodded. "Many aristocratic families are like this. Take the Xun family of Yingchuan for example; they don't even own a manor."

Liu Xie shook his head. "You're right. Many aristocratic families focus on scholarship, and their members are even quite honest and upright. They are self-disciplined and have high moral character. However, you've overlooked those who depend on them. Any family is a behemoth."

Liu Xie, accompanied by Zhuge Liang, arrived on the street. Chengdu was still quite prosperous, and one could often see young noblemen and beautiful young ladies traveling together.

Liu Xie pointed at those people, "Take those young masters and ladies from noble families for example. They have no worries about food and clothing, and their families are rich enough to squander as they please. Is their wealth merely the salary issued by the court?"

"Some official positions do indeed offer very high salaries, allowing their children to enjoy a comfortable life. However, not everyone can become a high-ranking official. Yet, among the powerful families in the world, few are short of money. Why? It's simple: either they have seized large amounts of land, or their dependents occupy large amounts of land and constantly provide them with gifts."

Zhuge Liang was increasingly surprised. He had not expected that the emperor could see through appearances so clearly.

Liu Xie sighed, “Perhaps many people would say that it is poetic and enviable for young masters and ladies to travel together. However, I must say that the reason why these young masters and ladies are so well-off is because their families are not short of money, and their wealth comes from the families of countless poor people.”

Liu Xie suddenly asked, "Kongming, back when you were in Longzhong, you often farmed the land yourself, didn't you?"

Zhuge Liang nodded, and Liu Xie asked again, "Then you should know that labor is very hard. An ordinary family works hard all year, but most of the harvest is handed over to the people who rent out their land. After a year of hard work, they can barely make ends meet. Once they encounter a year of disaster or famine, the harvest is reduced sharply, but they still have to pay rent and taxes as usual. Those who own land can accumulate endless wealth year after year without doing anything."

Zhuge Liang lowered his head, and his mood finally became heavy.

Liu Xie raised his voice and asked, "Why are they allowed to occupy land? Why don't they have to pay taxes?"

"The answer is simple: because they are a prestigious family!"

Zhuge Liang's heart skipped a beat, and he was speechless. (End of Chapter)