You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 121 The Cui Family of Boling
Boling Mansion.

One of the most famous prefectures in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Because Boling Prefecture is the ancestral home of the Cui family, one of the seven great families of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the Cui family clan is located here.

Therefore, Boling Prefecture had a great reputation within the Great Zhou Dynasty because of the Cui family.

Within Boling Prefecture, the Cui family wielded considerable power, and their name was the most widely used.

In some matters, within Boling Prefecture, it could be said that the Cui family's reputation was more effective than the prefectural government office itself.

There's a saying that's always been circulating in Boling Prefecture: you may not know who the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty is, but you absolutely cannot not know who the Cui family is.

This demonstrates the immense power and influence the Cui family wielded in Boling Prefecture.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the Cui family were the local tyrants of Boling Prefecture, rather than saying they were deeply rooted there.

At this moment, inside the Cui family's main hall.

A dozen or so elderly people with gray hair gathered together and sat on the left and right sides of the hall.

These dozen or so elderly people are all elders of the Cui family clan and are figures who control the Cui family's major resources and influence.

It can be said that the decision-making power over all matters of the "Boling Cui Family," one of the seven great families of the Great Zhou Dynasty, rests in the hands of these dozen or so elders present.

In the main seat of the hall, sat an elderly man with slightly gray hair.

However, compared to the dozen or so elderly people with gray hair sitting on the two sides below, the old man sitting in the main seat above exuded a much stronger sense of authority.

Because the old man sitting in the main seat was none other than the patriarch of the 'Boling Cui Family,' one of the seven great families of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the true head of the entire Cui family.

If we say that the decision-making power for everything in the Cui family rests with these dozen or so elderly people below, then...

Therefore, the final decision on everything, and the power to influence the fate of the Cui family, ultimately rested in the hands of this old patriarch.

The old man sitting in the main seat glanced at the crowd below and said, "I have gathered you all here today because there is something that concerns the rise and fall of the Cui family that I want to discuss with you."

"You must have all heard about the Cui family in Qinghe Prefecture."

"The Cui family of Qinghe Prefecture was exterminated by Fang Xuanling, the imperial envoy sent by the court."

"That's not all."

"The powerful and wealthy families throughout the four northern prefectures were not spared. Like the Cui family of Qinghe Prefecture, they were all wiped out by that imperial envoy."

"Local officials in the four northern prefectures were also subjected to a large-scale purge by that imperial envoy, and most of them were removed from their posts by him."

"You all know what all this means."

"This is a letter from Yongyuan sent back from Luoyang. You can all take turns reading it first!"

After the head of the Cui family, who was sitting in the main seat, finished speaking, he handed over a letter.

A letter sent back by Yongyuan?
Upon hearing this, the dozen or so elderly people sitting on either side of him all turned solemn.

Cui Yongyuan was the head of the Boling Cui family in the imperial court, serving as the Minister of Works, one of the six high-ranking officials.

Under normal circumstances, unless it is something particularly important, Cui Yongyuan will not send a message back; he can handle it by discussing it with other prominent families in the imperial court.

Now, Cui Yongyuan has actually sent a message back, which means he has encountered a problem and is asking his family to make a decision.

The dozen or so elders of the Cui family sitting below took the letters and took turns reading the letters that Cui Yongyuan had sent back.

After the dozen or so elders finished reading the letter sent back by Cui Yongyuan, their brows furrowed slightly.

The affairs of the four northern prefectures were something that Cui Yongyuan and other representatives of powerful families in the court could neither stop nor make a decision about.

Therefore, the representatives of the powerful and wealthy families in the court sent messages back to their respective families, leaving the decision to them.

This is a difficult decision to make.

Sitting in the main seat, the Cui family patriarch saw that all the elders below had finished reading the letter sent back by Cui Yongyuan, so he looked up at them and said, "You have all read the letter Yongyuan sent back."

"Please share your thoughts!"

The head of the Cui family, seated in the main seat, glanced at the elders of the Cui family below and spoke.

After a moment of contemplation, the elders of the Cui family spoke up first, saying, "Clan leader, let's not talk about other matters for now."

"Let's talk about the Cui family in Qinghe Prefecture."

"The Cui family of Qinghe Prefecture is a major branch of my Cui family of Boling, and they are my clansmen of the Cui family of Boling."

"Their entire clan was exterminated without any evidence by the imperial envoy. There must be an explanation for this."

“In all the years that my Cui family of Boling has been passed down, such a thing has never happened before.”

The elder sitting at the head of the left spoke solemnly.

"Yes, the matter concerning the Cui family in Qinghe Prefecture must be addressed."

"My Cui family of Boling has many branches outside. If my Cui family of Boling cannot get an explanation for the matter of the Cui family of Qinghe Prefecture, what will the other branches outside think of my Cui family of Boling?"

"How will the people of the world view my Cui family clan of Boling?"

The elder sitting in the second seat on the left also spoke up in agreement.

The Cui family of Qinghe Prefecture was, after all, a branch of the Cui family of Boling, and a very important one at that.

The destruction of the Cui family of Qinghe Prefecture by the imperial envoy not only weakened the overall strength of the Cui family of Boling, but also dealt a major blow to their prestige.

If the Cui family of Boling cannot seek an explanation from the imperial court for the extermination of the Cui family of Qinghe Prefecture, their prestige will be greatly damaged.

Most importantly, it will cause the other branches of the Cui family outside Boling to lose trust in the Cui family, thus creating rifts between them.

Therefore, how to handle the annihilation of the Cui family in Qinghe Prefecture is of great significance to the Cui family in Boling.

The other elders nodded in agreement when they heard what the two elders sitting on the left had said.

They all knew that the two elders were right; the Cui family of Boling had been able to survive for so many years and stand among the seven great families of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

What does it rely on?
It relies on this prestige and the support of its many branches outside the region.

Now that a major branch of the Cui family in Qinghe Prefecture has been wiped out by the imperial envoy, the Cui family of Boling must be held accountable.

Without any evidence or proof?

statement?

Upon hearing this, the elder sitting at the head of the table on the right sneered, glanced at the two elders who had spoken on the left, and said, "Do you think that imperial envoy Fang Xuanling is just a brute who only knows how to kill?"

"Since Fang Xuanling dared to wipe out the Cui family of Qinghe Prefecture, he must have already obtained evidence that he could take action against the Cui family of Qinghe Prefecture."

"Otherwise, would Fang Xuanling have dared to so recklessly confiscate property and exterminate clans, and even take down most of the powerful and wealthy families in the four northern states in one fell swoop?"

“Many aristocratic families violate the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty. If we investigate carefully, we will definitely find a lot of things.”

"Therefore, your claims are baseless and your demands for an explanation are useless."

“If my Cui family of Boling really does that, that Fang Xuanling can produce a whole bunch of evidence that would be enough to get the Cui family of Qinghe Prefecture wiped out.” “At that time, not only will my Cui family of Boling not get any explanation, but we might also be dragged down with it.”

Upon hearing this elder's words, the other elders in the hall froze and fell silent.

Because they knew that the elder was right; the powerful and wealthy families were indeed not clean.

Many things violated the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Although everything has been covered up and done very cleanly, traces will always remain, no matter how clean it is.

If you investigate carefully, you can definitely find a lot of things that are detrimental to powerful and wealthy families.

Therefore, it would be far too naive for them to think that this is how they can seek justice for the Cui family of Qinghe Prefecture.

After listening to the words of the three elders, the Cui family patriarch, who was sitting in the main seat, did not say anything, but looked at the five middle-aged men sitting diagonally below him to the right of the main seat.

"What do you five think? Do you have anything to say?"

The head of the Cui family, seated at the head of the table, looked at the five middle-aged men and asked.

Inside the hall, besides a dozen or so elders of the Cui family, there were five middle-aged men sitting diagonally below the main seat.

These five middle-aged men are among the most outstanding and exceptional members of the younger generation of the Cui family in Boling.

Normally, the younger generation wouldn't be qualified to participate in discussions among elders like the Cui family.

However, all five of them were candidates for the position of head of the Boling Cui family.

In order to cultivate a qualified candidate for clan chief.

Therefore, the Cui family made an exception and allowed these five candidates for clan chief to attend the council meetings of elders.

If Zhou Qian, the carefree king, were still alive, he would definitely recognize one of these five candidates for clan leader, as he was none other than his maternal uncle, Cui Songshan.

The dozen or so elders seated in the hall all turned to look at the five middle-aged men when the clan leader asked the five candidates for clan leader.

They also wanted to see what the five chieftain candidates thought about the affairs of the four northern states.

The five candidates for clan chief were surprised that the clan chief would suddenly ask them a question. In the past, whenever they came to listen to such elders' meetings, they would only bring their ears and not their mouths.

The five candidates for clan chief exchanged glances, all frowning and remaining silent.

In a meeting of elders like this, they dare not speak lightly.

Don't be fooled by the fact that these five are candidates for clan leader, and they may seem like they have a good chance of becoming clan leader in the future.

But a candidate is still a candidate. As long as he remains within the scope of candidates, he is no longer the clan leader.

Being able to sit in the hall and listen to the elders' discussions does not mean that they have the right to speak freely.

Even the other elders are reluctant to speak up, are they?

Moreover, the five candidates for clan leader dared not speak lightly.

Seeing that all five candidates for clan leader were frowning and silent, the Cui clan leader, sitting in the main seat, fixed his gaze on Cui Songshan; "Xiao San, you speak."

"Just say whatever you're thinking."

"From now on, the Cui family will be handed over to you. It doesn't matter if you say something wrong; you can ask the elders here for guidance."

Upon hearing the words of the clan leader sitting in the main seat, Cui Songshan hesitated for a moment before standing up and saying, "Clan leader, I think what we should be considering now is not seeking justice for the Cui family of Qinghe Prefecture or the affairs of the powerful families in the four northern states."

"The Cui family of Qinghe Prefecture has been wiped out by Fang Xuanling, the imperial envoy of the court. The affairs of the powerful families in the four northern prefectures are basically settled and cannot be changed."

"What we should be considering now is the purpose of the palace sending Fang Xuanling to the four northern prefectures with such a large-scale military operation."

"If it's just because of a rebellion by rioters in the four northern states or a rebellion by the Yellow Heaven Sect, and the officials and powerful families in the four northern states need to be purged, then it's fine."

"But if not, then it's troublesome."

"Furthermore, Xiao San is somewhat worried that the Eastern Depot might uncover clues about the affairs of the four northwestern prefectures and the affairs of the carefree Prince Zhou Qian."

Cui Songshan said with a solemn expression.

Originally, Cui Songshan was quite confident in his methods, and he was confident that he had handled the matter of the four northern prefectures very cleanly.

However, after witnessing the actions of the Eastern Depot and its guards in the four northern provinces, Cui Songshan suddenly felt a little worried.

If the Eastern Depot and its guards could find evidence of crimes committed by local officials and powerful families in the four northern prefectures, could they also uncover some clues about the previous upheaval in the four northwestern prefectures and the rebellion of the carefree Prince Zhou Qian?

If the Eastern Depot finds out, the Cui family of Boling will be in big trouble.

Upon hearing Cui Songshan's words, the expressions of the dozen or so elders in Datong all turned solemn.

Yes!

Cui Songshan is right.

Now is not the time to consider the affairs of the Cui family of Qinghe Prefecture or the powerful families of the four northern prefectures.

Instead, we should consider the intentions of the powerful families and local officials in the palace who have so drastically affected the four northern prefectures.

If it were just because of the chaos in the four northern states, then it would be easy to rectify and clean up those four states.

Otherwise, that person in the palace was targeting aristocratic and powerful families.

If that's the case, then with the four northern states cleaned up, it's time to move on to other places.

This is what should be the most worrying and concerning.

After hearing Cui Songshan's words, the Cui family patriarch, seated in the main seat, looked expressionlessly at the dozen or so elders sitting on either side below; "You all heard that, didn't you!"

"These are the key points that the mistress mentioned; let's put everything else aside for now."

“Yongyuan’s letter made it very clear, as you have all read, that this concerns the rise and fall of our Cui family.”

"If the person in the palace is really after the powerful and wealthy families, then the four northern states are just the beginning."

"The Cui family of Qinghe Prefecture is more or less involved with our Cui family of Boling."

"Therefore, our Cui family must first reach a conclusion, and then discuss with other aristocratic families how to decide on a way to curb the actions of that person in the palace."

The head of the Cui family, seated in the main seat, looked at the dozen or so elders present and spoke.

The elder sitting at the head of the table on the right pondered for a moment after hearing what the Cui family patriarch, who was sitting in the main seat, said, "Patriarch, ordinary methods are no longer effective."

“Yongyuan is right, we must solve the problem at its source.”

"As long as the person on the dragon throne is still around, even if we manage to deal with it once, what about next time!"

"Therefore, the best solution is to dissuade the person on the dragon throne from such a thought, or Yongyuan's suggestion would be quite good."

Upon hearing this elder's words, the expressions of the other elders all changed.

"Chieftain, something terrible has happened! A large army has entered the city."

(End of this chapter)