A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

The next day in the imperial court, officials coughed from time to time. Those who paid attention immediately noticed that almost all of these coughing people had some connection with the Five Clans and Seven Families.

Some of them were even direct descendants of the Five Clans and Seven Families.

As the court proceedings continued, more and more people began to cough.

Even Li Heng, sitting on the dragon throne, noticed something unusual about this situation.

Are so many people in the imperial court catching colds at the same time? Could it be that there's some kind of flu outbreak in the capital lately?

Thinking of this, Li Heng really wanted to stay away from the court. What if he got infected?

Other ministers who were unaware of the situation shared the same thought; no one wanted to be infected.

It has infected so many people; it must be an extremely virulent flu. Historically, every time such a highly infectious flu has occurred, it has caused mountains of corpses and seas of blood, with rotting bodies strewn across the land.

Seeing that even the old men in the court were starting to cough, Li Heng finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"Since you ministers are unwell, why don't you take leave?"

"With so many of my ministers feeling unwell, could it be that a flu outbreak is about to occur?"

"The Imperial Medical Bureau, why haven't I received any reports?"

Li Heng looked at the Imperial Physician, the only one in the Imperial Medical Bureau qualified to attend court. The Imperial Physician was also a little puzzled, because whenever someone needed medical attention, they would definitely go to a doctor.

Especially for these high-ranking ministers, the Imperial Medical Bureau had a dedicated department responsible for their health, so why was there no indication of anything amiss before this?

The Imperial Physician was also puzzled and somewhat fearful. If a major flu outbreak were to occur, it would be a dereliction of duty on his part as Imperial Physician.

"I have failed in my duty, Your Majesty. Please forgive me."

The imperial physician knelt on the ground, filled with fear and trepidation.

Li Heng waved his hand, "A year's salary deduction."

"Quickly investigate whether there is a large-scale epidemic around Luoyang and report it as soon as possible."

"You don't need to participate in the next court assembly. Go now."

The imperial physician rose, bowed, and slowly retreated.

After leaving the main hall, he quickened his pace, heading straight for the Imperial Medical Bureau like an arrow released from a bow.

Upon arriving at the Imperial Medical Bureau, he immediately summoned the official physicians in charge of court officials. After questioning them, his eyes were filled with confusion.

These people had never consulted an official doctor, and previous examinations had all indicated that they were in good health.

So what's going on here?

"All of you, go out and investigate in the capital to find out if there really is an epidemic there!"

The Imperial Physician informed his subordinates, including the imperial physicians and official doctors, of what had happened in the court. The physicians and doctors were all visibly shocked, for as doctors, no one knew better than them just how terrible an epidemic could be.

"promise!"

As medical professionals, even though they knew that if there were a real epidemic, they would be very likely to get infected if they went out now, they still resolutely accepted the task out of a sense of responsibility as doctors.

Half a day later, the imperial physicians and official doctors who had gone out returned to the Imperial Medical Bureau.

After listening to their report, the Imperial Physician's expression became even more strange and puzzled. No information about the epidemic could be found in the entire area surrounding Luoyang.

Apart from these officials in the court, there were no large-scale outbreaks of illness, coughs, colds, fevers, or other ailments.

It's normal for there to be a few isolated cases; with such a large population in Luoyang, it's inevitable that some people will catch a cold or feel unwell.

These people are scattered and not clustered together, which does not conform to the characteristics of an epidemic.

The imperial physician, steeling himself, went to report to Li Heng privately, even though he didn't know the reason.

Upon hearing this, Li Heng immediately realized what was going on.

His political abilities far surpassed those of the imperial physicians who only knew how to treat illnesses and save lives and how to protect themselves.

They immediately realized that this was not an epidemic, but rather something deliberately done.

The purpose was to facilitate the latter part of the events in the imperial court.

A number of key officials at the central level have fallen ill and applied to recuperate at home.

Although the number is small, the current reserves of officials in the imperial court are more than enough to fill the gap.

However, it is foreseeable that in the coming days, a number of important officials will take sick leave every day.

Ultimately, a large number of officials fell ill and were left idle at home, leaving the court in chaos as no one was handling its affairs.

"What are they trying to do? Are they trying to force me to resign?"

Li Heng was somewhat annoyed; these aristocratic families truly only cared about their own families and had no regard for the imperial court.

Did they realize the immense trouble their actions would cause the court, the number of government affairs that couldn't be handled in a timely manner, and the extent of harm they would inflict on the people?

They didn't consider anything at all; they only cared whether their actions punished the emperor and made him bow down to them.

Indeed, he was right to eliminate these powerful families.

These aristocratic families are rotten to the core and there is no need to save them.

"Please invite Minister Du, Minister Wang... to the palace for a meeting."

Li Heng's eyes flickered. This incident was indeed dangerous for him, but it might also be an opportunity.

If he can successfully take over these vacant official positions, even if only temporarily, and cultivate a group of officials capable of holding core positions in the imperial court.

That would be a significant boost to his power.

However, it's very likely that you'll eat yourself into a fat person and then die from overeating.

Profits and risks go hand in hand; the greater the profit, the greater the risk.

After Du Fu and his entourage arrived, Li Heng eagerly asked, "Are we capable of accepting these official positions in the imperial court?"

Du Fu and the others slowly typed out a question mark.

Seeing the confusion in their eyes, Li Heng realized that he hadn't explained it to them yet.

After telling them the results of the Imperial Physician's investigation in Luoyang, Du Fu and the others realized the truth of the matter and understood the meaning behind Li Heng's words.

"It's difficult."

Cen Shen, who succeeded Cui Huan as Minister of Personnel, was the first to speak. The Ministry of Personnel was in charge of the transfer of officials and had the most detailed information on officials.

"The core officials involved in the core departments of three provinces and six ministries are all selected from the best and have undergone a long period of training before they are able to take up this position."

"The current number of reserve officials in the imperial court is far from sufficient."

"If it were just today, it wouldn't be a problem, but if this continues, I estimate that in two days, the entire reserve of officials in the court will be completely wiped out."

"At that time, the operation of the court will begin to have problems, and the court may even be paralyzed because some departments lack decision-makers."

"To what extent does Your Majesty anticipate the other side will go?"

Li Heng pondered for a moment, "Based on my understanding of the other party, they wouldn't go so far as to fight to the death and harm everyone like that."

"However, given the extent to which the other side disregards the imperial court and the people, it is estimated that at least two-thirds of them will be on sick leave."

Cen Shen's expression worsened, turning into a bitter face.

Even if it cost him his life, he couldn't possibly produce so many officials.