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

After reconciling with Li Heng, the five clans were able to free up their resources to suppress these traitors.

They were prepared to use swift and decisive measures to suppress the rebellious spirit within the other aristocratic families.

However, although Li Heng did not confront them directly, his support for these aristocratic families was by no means weak in private.

With Li Heng's support, the five families, who had suffered heavy losses, were unable to take down these powerful clans for a time.

This also made some other powerful families eager to seize the opportunity to replace the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families.

The five families had no choice but to gather together the prominent families of Chenjun Xie and Hedong Pei, asking them for help.

The members of these families twitched at the corners of their mouths. They wanted their help, yet they were being so impolite. No wonder they were from five prominent families and seven prestigious clans.

But the most likely replacement for the five surnames and seven clans is them. They're already being generous by not kicking someone when they're down, so why would we want their help? How could that be possible?

"Without us, the five noble families and seven powerful clans, His Majesty will turn against you immediately. Without us standing in your way, do you think you'll still be a match for the Li Tang royal family?"

Li Yuan looked at the heads of these aristocratic families with a puzzled expression. Their families should have been a united front.

"When a whale falls, all things come to life. On the corpses of the five surnames and seven noble families, only new powerful clans will rise again."

"While the aristocratic class will certainly suffer considerable losses under His Majesty's suppression, those who survive are the true elites."

"Only through fierce battles can a true Gu King emerge from the Gu worms. This Gu King could be one of your five surnames and seven noble families, or it could be one of us."

"You are no good. You cannot lead us to overpower the imperial power. Since that is the case, we will use the method of raising Gu to select a true Gu King to lead us to continue the glory of our aristocratic family."

Xie Yan sneered.

Wang Chong scoffed disdainfully, "That sounds nice, but isn't it just that you all want to sit in the positions of these five prominent families and seven prestigious clans?"

"Why make so many excuses?"

"Why do you think we're not good enough? Why don't you do it yourself?"

"King Zhongwu is right. Some say: 'Did the six states perish because they all bribed Qin?' The answer is: those who did not bribe Qin perished because they lost powerful allies and could not survive alone. Therefore, it is said: the problem lay in bribing Qin."

"Today they cede five cities, tomorrow ten, and then they can rest easy for one night. But when they rise and look around, the Qin army is already upon them. Thus, the lands of the feudal lords are finite, while the desires of the tyrannical Qin are insatiable. The more they offer, the more Qin invades. Therefore, without a fight, the balance of power and the outcome are already decided. As for their downfall, it is only natural. The ancients said, 'To appease Qin with land is like carrying firewood to put out a fire; the firewood will not be exhausted, and the fire will not be extinguished.' This saying is apt."

"Alas! If we were to bribe Qin with land, reward the wise men of the world with titles and honors, and treat the most talented people of the world with the same devotion to Qin, and unite our forces to march westward, I fear the Qin people would find it impossible to swallow our prey. How tragic! With such power, we were still held hostage by the accumulated might of Qin, gradually weakened and eroded until our demise. Those who govern a nation must not allow themselves to be held hostage by the accumulated might of Qin!"

"The six states and Qin were all feudal lords. Their power was weaker than Qin's, but they still had the potential to defeat Qin without bribery. If, given the vastness of the world, we were to follow the path of the six states' destruction, we would be even inferior to the six states."

"How is the Li Tang dynasty, in relation to the aristocratic families of today, any different from the Qin dynasty in relation to the other six states?"

"..."

Xie Yanxin trembled slightly, but still did not give up on the family's plans.

Back then, Xie Lingyun, an ancestor of the Xie clan of Chenjun, studied under the Prince of Yan and left behind an ancestral instruction that aristocratic families would never perish. However, with the changing times, the current aristocratic family system is destined to decline.

The Xie family must make plans early and change its form to continue in another way.

That was Xie Lingyun, who was known at the time as the one with the most talent in the world besides the Wei family. Cao Zijian alone had eight dou, I had one dou, and the rest of the world shared the remaining dou.

However, the transformation of aristocratic families is extremely difficult. Putting aside everything else, the sheer size of the imperial family alone is enough to make it difficult for the Xie family to withstand.

Join if you can't.

Since the path of aristocratic clans was destined to fail, they decided to rely on the imperial family in advance and begin to change direction. Based on the letters left by their ancestor Xie Lingyun, they aimed to transform into a scholarly clan.

As long as education exists in this world, academic cliques will emerge. This is determined by the social nature of human beings and is not affected by any external factors.

According to Xie Lingyun's judgment, this will be the path of transformation for aristocratic families over the next thousand years.

As times progress, more and more people can afford to eat and study, naturally leading to a rise in the number of educated people.

Without the right to learn, powerful families no longer have the power to threaten imperial authority.

This was especially true in the presence of emperors who held the reins of power.

From aristocratic families bound by blood ties to academic cliques based on master-disciple relationships, the power of aristocratic families can expand tenfold or even a hundredfold.

After all, in this world, betraying one's master is just as shameful as betraying one's parents.

Moreover, if things really come to that point, with the aristocratic families disappearing, the imperial power will have to worry about another force.

When powerful families existed, the emperor neither cared about nor dared to interfere with their transcendent power.

However, when the power of aristocratic families recedes and the power of the imperial court reaches its peak, there is still a transcendent power above the imperial court, which is something the emperor cannot accept.

Therefore, the emperor will definitely not exterminate them. On the contrary, he will begin to support them and use the academic clique to weaken the Wei family's control over the scholars of the country.

As expected of the Xie family's prodigy, the most intelligent person in history, Xie Lingyun's gaze has spanned a thousand years and seen into the future.

The heads of the other families were also determined individuals. They had naturally considered what Wang Chong said and would not change their plans because of his words.

Sensing this from their eyes and expressions, Wang Chong snorted coldly and said nothing more.

"It seems you have made up your minds to be our enemies. Then please leave. Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together."

"I just hope that when your families are weak in the future and those peasants ride roughshod over you, you won't regret it."

The gathering ended unhappily, and Xie Yan also bid farewell to the heads of the other prominent families.

Before leaving, he glanced meaningfully at the heads of these aristocratic families, wondering whether their actions today were genuine or feigned.

I doubt any of them are sincere; everyone has their own calculations in mind.

Moreover, it is estimated that many people have already colluded with the five surnames and are only pretending to be on their side.

Even more people are betting on both ends; it's an old tradition for established families to spread their bets, making the situation increasingly murky.

The Xie family only needs to ensure the smooth transition of the Xie family. As for the life and death of other aristocratic families, what does it have to do with them?

The Xie family is paving the way for other aristocratic families that are nearing the end of their careers. If they succeed, all aristocratic families will owe them a debt of gratitude.

Neither side is at a loss.