If you're made a fake emperor, why did you change the country's name?

"Bring it up!"

As soon as Zhao Yu finished speaking, the Imperial Guards made way for him.

Dozens of imperial guards escorted a group of people in.

They were a group of teenagers, all dressed in rags, but their former nobility was clearly evident in their disheveled appearance.

When Li Chengzhi saw the group of teenagers, his pupils suddenly contracted.

He recognized several of the faces; they were direct descendants of the Li family in various cities.

One of the boys, covered in filth and pale-faced, was his grandson, Li Gang.

"Chief! Elder! Help me!"

When Li Gang saw Li Chengzhi, he struggled like a madman, his voice shrill and shrill.

His shout caused the other teenagers to recognize their respective family elders, and cries of grief erupted, throwing the entire Dragon Abyss Palace into chaos.

"quiet!"

The deputy general beside Meng Qianshan shouted.

Two members of prominent families, overcome with emotion, rushed forward to protect their nephews and nieces, only to be stabbed in the abdomen by a nearby imperial guard. They collapsed into a pool of blood before they could even scream.

The gleaming, cold blade instantly brought the scene to a standstill.

Li Qiang took two steps forward, his outstretched hands trembling, his voice strained.

"Gang'er! What happened? Why are you here? Where is Qinggang City? Where are your brothers?"

When Li Gang saw his father, tears streamed down his face, and his voice choked with emotion.

"Father! That damned emperor has no martial virtue! He issued an edict granting those illegitimate sons the right to execute first and report later!"

"Those bastards have rebelled! They killed everyone! I'm the only one left of the Qinggang City's loyal followers!"

"What?!"

Li Qiang felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

Everyone was shocked to hear this, their faces filled with disbelief.

But soon, Li Qiang seemed to have thought of something and eagerly pressed for an answer.

"Is Qinggang City now in the hands of those illegitimate sons?"

Li Gang wept bitterly, shaking his head in despair.

"They're gone... That dog emperor sent the Zhennan Army! Those illegitimate sons are all dead! The city is now entirely in the hands of the imperial court!"

"Our Li family's business, built up over three generations in Qinggang City, vanished overnight!"

Upon hearing this, Li Qiang's face turned deathly pale, and he took three steps back.

He muttered to himself.

"It's over...it's all over...the Li family is finished..."

He knew that at this moment, the very foundation upon which he relied had been utterly destroyed!

Along with it, everything belonging to the Li family was also affected!

Only then did Li Chengzhi realize something was wrong. He grabbed Li Qiang's arm and hurriedly questioned him.

"Qiang'er! What exactly happened? Explain yourself!"

Li Qiang was unable to answer; he simply stared blankly ahead, his eyes unfocused.

Suddenly, Li Qiang felt a surge in his chest and a strange gurgling sound came from his throat.

The next second, with a "poof," a mouthful of blood gushed out, splattering all over Li Chengzhi's face.

Li Qiang's vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Chieftain! Chieftain!"

The Li family members were immediately terrified and swarmed forward.

Some people pinched his philtrum, while others stuffed pills into his mouth, and the scene became chaotic once again.

Li Chengzhi knelt on the ground, his hands trembling as he reached for Li Qiang's breath.

He then recoiled as if electrocuted, his face filled with terror and his whole body trembling.

On the high dragon throne, Zhao Yu shook his head slightly.

"The only person in the Li family who still had a brain has met his end. What a pity, what a pity."

This is understandable; generations of comfortable living have led to this outcome.

Zhao Yu's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone in the hall.

The members of the other prominent families finally pieced together the whole story.

Their faces were worse than dead men's, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.

Lu Mingyuan collapsed to the ground, while Zhang Wenyuan's legs went weak and he could barely stand.

The representatives of those small families were terrified.

Zhao Yu slowly stood up, looking down at everyone in the hall, his voice icy.

"Gentlemen, I gave you a chance. You chose this path yourselves. Now, it's time to pay the price."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhang Wenyuan suddenly rushed out from the crowd and knelt down in front of Zhao Yu with a thud, his forehead hitting the ground heavily.

His voice trembled, choked with sobs.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, spare my life! I know I was wrong! I truly know I was wrong!"

"Your Majesty, please spare my life, for the sake of my previous help in weakening the Li and Lu families! I am willing to hand over all of the Zhang family's assets and serve Your Majesty like a dog or a horse for generations! I beg Your Majesty for mercy!"

Zhang Wenyuan kowtowed and cried out, and soon his forehead bled.

His actions were like toppling the first domino.

Representatives from other prominent families reacted quickly, rushing to kneel down amidst cries and pleas for mercy.

"Your Majesty, spare my life!"

"We, your humble servants, are willing to offer up all our family's wealth!"

"Your Majesty, please have mercy!"

The representatives of those smaller families were terrified, some fainting on the spot, while others desperately retreated, trying to escape this hellish scene.

But the densely packed Imperial Guards on all sides formed an iron wall, blocking all escape routes.

Li Chengzhi also came to his senses at this moment.

He looked at the unconscious Li Qiang, then at the crowd kneeling and begging for mercy, and his head went blank for a moment before he understood everything.

He stood up tremblingly, pointed at Zhao Yu, and spoke in a frantic voice.

"You...you've been plotting against us from the very beginning! The power to recruit soldiers, the inspection team, the courting of the Zhang family, the territorial division, the unilateral actions...these are all your traps!"

"What a vicious scheme! What a ruthless heart!"

Li Chengzhi became more and more agitated as he spoke, his eyes becoming bloodshot.

The people kneeling on the ground were stunned when they heard this. When they looked at Zhao Yu again, their faces showed not only shock but also fear.

A cold smile appeared on Zhao Yu's face.

"You only realize it now? It's too late."

He turned to look at Zhang Wenyuan, who was still desperately kowtowing.

"You're saying you know you were wrong?"

Zhang Wenyuan nodded frantically, as if grasping at a straw.

"Yes, yes! I truly know I was wrong! I am willing to reform myself and go through fire and water for Your Majesty! I beg Your Majesty to give me a chance!"

Zhao Yu shook his head and said coldly, "You don't know you're wrong, you just know you're going to die."

"If I were truly weak and easily bullied today, would you let me go? Would you admit your mistake?"

"No. You will only become more and more ruthless until you completely usurp my power."

"Therefore, I will not give you the chance."

Zhao Yu raised his hand, his voice as cold as ice.

"kill!"

"Leave no one alive!"

These two words, the pronouncement of death, echoed within the Dragon Abyss Hall.

Everyone inside the hall was terrified.

"No! Don't!"

Their response was Meng Qianshan's cold command.

"Release the arrows!"

Hundreds of imperial guards simultaneously raised their crossbows, aiming them at the representatives of the noble families inside the hall.

"Whoosh whoosh-"

A whooshing sound rang out as a dense barrage of arrows obscured the lights inside the hall and hurtled down.

"No--!"

"Your Majesty, spare my life!"

"I don't want to die!"

A heart-wrenching scream instantly echoed throughout the entire Dragon Abyss Palace.

The dull thud of arrows piercing flesh, the heavy thud of bodies falling to the ground, and the dying screams all mingled together.

The main hall instantly descended into chaos.

Some people turned to run away, but their backs were immediately riddled with arrows, and they fell to the ground.

Someone overturned a low table from the banquet and used it as a shield, but a heavy crossbow bolt easily pierced through him, penetrating his body from behind as well.

Many more simply knelt on the spot, crying out in vain, before being covered by the next wave of arrows.

Blood gushed from beneath the corpse, pooling into streams that quickly stained the pristine floor tiles of the palace.

Zhao Yu stood on the high platform, watching all of this with a blank expression.

After tonight, the power structure of the aristocratic families in the Great Liang Dynasty will be completely rewritten.

And he truly took the second step towards becoming the sole ruler of the Great Liang.