You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 293 Your Majesty, rest assured, I understand.
The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen sat upright on the dragon throne, looking at the several messages that the Eastern Depot had just sent him.

These messages were relayed back by Cao Zhengchun and Lü Bu respectively.

The conversation revolved around the four powerful clans, the Song family and the Dugu family, who had rebelled against the government. The question was asked by Zhou Chen how to deal with the members of these four powerful clans.

Looking at the contents of the message, Zhou Chen's expression showed little surprise.

The four major clans were, after all, branches of their main family; it would be strange if they didn't obey their main family.

However, what to do with the four major clans is a question.

Originally, Zhou Chen planned to slowly dismantle these powerful families by gradually weakening them, but now, the appearance of these worldly people has disrupted Zhou Chen's plans.

The fact that the four powerful clans attacked Cao Zhengchun and Lü Bu was a provocation against the imperial court.

If the imperial court does not take certain measures, where will its authority be?

Zhou Chen pondered for a moment, then said to the eunuchs and guards standing in the hall, "Summon Jia Xu to the palace to see me."

"According to the order."

The eunuchs and guards immediately obeyed and left.

……

Half an hour later.

Jia Xu entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Your subject Jia Xu greets Your Majesty."

After Jia Xu entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he bowed respectfully to Zhou Chen.

"No gift."

Zhou Chen looked up at Jia Xu; "Wenhe, this is what Cao Zhengchun and the others just sent back about the four major clans. Take a look."

Zhou Chen picked up the messages that Cao Zhengchun and the others had sent back from the dragon table and had the eunuchs and guards deliver them to Jia Xu.

Jia Xu took the message from the eunuch and guards and glanced at it.

Zhou Chen looked at Jia Xu and said, "The people of the four major clans and their patriarchs joined forces to fight against Cao Zhengchun and his group. As a result, the patriarchs and ancestors of the four major clans were all captured by Cao Zhengchun and his group."

"Wenhe, what do you think we should do about this?"

Zhou Chen looked at Jia Xu.

After reading the message in his hand, Jia Xu pondered for a moment, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty, now that the foreign tribes of our Great Zhou have been pacified and internal corruption has been reformed, our power and influence are at their peak."

"How to deal with the four major clans is entirely up to His Majesty."

Under heaven, all land belongs to the king.

In the past, the imperial power would indeed not be easily challenged by these deeply rooted aristocratic families.

But now, the imperial power is not what it used to be. To deal with these powerful families, isn't it just a matter of the emperor's decree?

Zhou Chen understood Jia Xu's meaning.

Zhou Chen tapped his fingers on the dragon table and said slowly, "This time, the people who have entered the world are involved with quite a few powerful and influential families. If they are all dealt with in this way, it will cause considerable turmoil."

"Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone those powerful and wealthy families."

"At this time, if the court's methods are too harsh, it will give those people in Tianshan an opportunity to take advantage of the situation."

At this point, Zhou Chen changed the subject.

"However, since the four major clans dared to directly attack Cao Zhengchun and his group, they cannot be let off lightly."

"With such a huge handle in hand, if used well, it could allow the court's previous plans to be realized one step ahead of schedule."

"I intend to entrust this matter to you. What do you think?"

Zhou Chen looked at Jia Xu.

Among all the civil and military officials, not to mention the others, just considering the outstanding individuals like Xiao He who had signed in, Zhou Chen felt that Jia Xu was the most suitable candidate to deal with powerful and influential families.

Because Jia Xu was a ruthless strategist, he only cared about the results, not the process.

This is why Zhou Chen only summoned Jia Xu to the palace and not Xiao He and the others. Upon hearing this, Jia Xu bowed and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Jia Xu knew that although His Majesty seemed to be questioning him, he was actually issuing an imperial decree to him.

"I have only one requirement, and that is to weaken these powerful and influential families as much as possible."

"This time, the emergence of these worldly people is both a crisis and an opportunity. Whether it is the four major clans or other aristocratic families, they have all given the court a handle to use against them."

"If you want to save your life, you have to bring out something that can save your life."

"It's easy to confiscate property and exterminate clans, but powerful and wealthy families can't be wiped out completely. What I want is not the complete extermination of powerful and wealthy families."

"You need to find the right balance."

Zhou Chen said to Jia Xu.

Zhou Chen understood that powerful and influential families were a product of every dynasty.

Throughout history, the hierarchical system of status and benefits has been an inherent flaw that humanity has been unable to change.

The so-called equality for all and universal harmony is just a joke, a bubble to fool the most vulnerable people.

Where there is power, there are social classes; where there is profit, there is selfishness.

Therefore, what Zhou Chen wanted was not to exterminate the powerful families, but to weaken them so that they would obediently follow orders and no longer have the ability to shake the foundation of the Great Zhou.

Upon hearing Zhou Chen's words, Jia Xu immediately understood what Zhou Chen meant.

Jia Xu immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I understand."

"As long as you know."

"I'll leave this matter to you, Wenhe. Go!"

Zhou Chen didn't say anything more and waved his hand.

"My minister retire."

Jia Xu bowed and withdrew from the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

After Jia Xu left, Zhou Chen fell into deep thought.

Logically speaking, the fact that the four major clans and their main families joined forces to attack Cao Zhengchun and his group, defying the imperial decree, should have presented the best opportunity to exterminate the four major families.

However, Zhou Chen knew in his heart that killing was easy, but cleaning up the mess was not.

The four major clans are not as easy to eliminate as one might imagine.

In particular, at this crucial moment when those who are already involved in worldly affairs are entering the world, other aristocratic families are on edge.

If the imperial court takes action against the four major clans because of this matter, it could trigger a series of chain reactions among other aristocratic families.

Therefore, after much deliberation, Zhou Chen decided that he could only seize this opportunity to annex the power and interests of these powerful families and weaken their strength.

As long as the power of these aristocratic families is completely weakened.

These powerful and influential families can no longer cause any significant trouble.

……

As the imperial decree forbidding aristocratic families from associating with worldly people spread, many aristocratic families were shocked and changed their ways.

No one expected that the imperial court would suddenly issue such an edict.

What the powerful families didn't expect was that the imperial court even issued an edict ordering those who had entered the world to go to Luoyang to register their identities.

Isn't this the court's way of dealing with those who are involved in worldly affairs?
When the imperial decree was issued, the powerful and wealthy families were shocked.

But those who are worldly-wise dismiss it with disdain.

To those worldly people, it was a joke to expect them to obey a mere imperial decree and go to Luoyang to report their identities.
What the aristocratic families and those who had entered the world did not expect was that, as the imperial decree spread, the court had dispatched experts with the secret police to hunt down those who had entered the world, and they were sent to the mansions of the major aristocratic families.

Anyone who disobeys the imperial decree and dares to resist will be ruthlessly suppressed.

For a time, those who had entered the world became like rats crossing the street, and were hunted down by the imperial court everywhere.

(End of this chapter)