The blood on the Hall of Supreme Harmony was soon washed away, as if nothing had happened.
But Lin Hanzhou's icy declaration—"Kill without mercy"—lingered like a nightmare, haunting the hearts of all the ministers.
On the first day of the new emperor's reign, he had cut down seven high-ranking court officials with thunderous force.
Among them were top-tier clan representatives like Wang Duan and Chen Jingzhi.
This iron-fisted approach, heedless of the consequences, had shattered the last shred of hope in the hearts of the great clans.
At last, they understood that this new emperor was nothing like the late emperor, Lin Batian.
Though Lin Batian had also wanted to weaken the clans, he had ultimately needed to consider the stability of the court.
He always left room to maneuver, believing in "fighting without breaking things."
But this new emperor did not play by the rules at all!
He was a peerless, vicious sword fresh from its scabbard. He would sooner split the entire board in two than compromise!
Against an emperor like this "madman," open opposition was clearly no longer an option.
And so, a "soft resistance" that would sweep across the Great Sui Dynasty quietly began.
Lin Hanzhou's three new policies were implemented across the empire's prefectures and counties with the unquestionable authority of the throne behind them.
Yet their implementation met with immense resistance unlike anything before.
In the provinces, the great clans who wielded real power over their prefectures and counties played their favorite game: paying lip service while defying orders.
When imperial inspectors arrived to announce the nationalization of land, measure the fields, and redistribute them, local officials and clans greeted them with smiles and readily agreed to everything. Behind their backs, however, they resorted to every trick in the book.
Some transferred most of their clan's land overnight into the names of collateral relatives or household slaves, breaking it up into small parcels so the authorities could not investigate.
Others secretly incited tenant farmers and refugees, stirring up "popular unrest."
They spread rumors that the emperor meant to seize everyone's land, leaving the people with nowhere to farm and condemning them to starve to death.
Before long, so-called "popular protests" erupted in several places. People besieged government offices and beat imperial inspectors, making it impossible to enforce the policies.
As for opening more government schools, that became a laughingstock.
Local authorities either delayed indefinitely, citing "tight finances" or "a lack of teachers,"
or they would find some ramshackle temple, hang a sign calling it a government school, and hire a couple of illiterate ruffians as instructors to fob off the authorities.
Worst of all was the economic stranglehold.
With their immense wealth, the great clans hoarded grain and other necessities across the country, then drove up prices.
In just a month or two, prices across the Great Sui soared. Public resentment boiled over, and the people's lives became a living hell.
That was how they meant to sow chaos and shake the people's faith.
They wanted everyone under heaven to see how this new emperor's "tyranny" was pushing the prosperous Great Sui to the brink of collapse.
While local officials paid lip service and defied orders, the Capital City was awash with undercurrents.
Led by the five top-tier clans—the Cui Clan, Li Clan, Lu Clan, Wang Clan, and Zheng Clan—a plot against the new emperor was secretly taking shape.
Late that night, the secret chamber in the Cui Clan residence in the Capital City blazed with lamplight.
The five current heads of the great clans were gathered together.
Any one of them could make the Great Sui court tremble just by stamping his foot.
"Everyone surely knows the situation."
"This new emperor is determined to make us his enemies and uproot us all."
Cui Xuan, the head of the Cui Clan, was a middle-aged man with a refined appearance and eyes sharp as knives. He spoke first, breaking the silence.
"Hmph! A callow boy who doesn't know the limits of heaven and earth!"
The hot-tempered Wang Lie, head of the Wang Clan, slammed his palm on the table and snapped,
"Does he think killing a few people at court will scare us?"
"My Wang Clan has stood for a thousand years. What storms haven't we weathered? He's digging his own grave!"
"Brother Wang, calm yourself."
The head of the Lu Clan, Lu Zhaolin, spoke unhurriedly.
"Meeting force with force is not the best course. This young man commands the Shadow Guard and the Imperial Guard, and he has a group of martial experts loyal to him."
"With our strength in the Capital City, we cannot yet stand against him."
"Then, Brother Lu, are you suggesting we just sit here and wait for him to swallow up our land and property bit by bit?"
The head of the Zheng Clan, Zheng Yuankai, gave a cold snort.
"Of course not."
"Out in the open, we may not be able to beat him. But behind the scenes, we have plenty of ways to keep him in a tizzy."
Li Changfeng, the head of the Boling Li Clan, had been silent until then. A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.
His gaze swept over the other four clan heads before he spoke slowly.
"The tricks being played in the provinces are just an appetizer. Our real killing blows should be aimed at three things."
"First, we keep manipulating the prices of grain and salt until public resentment boils over completely."
"When the people can no longer make a living, this emperor won't be able to keep his seat on the dragon throne."
"Second, we mobilize every scholar and writer under our influence to loudly denounce the new emperor's atrocities and ruin his reputation, painting him as a tyrant who murdered his father and brother and ruled without mercy."
"At the same time, we can support a member of the imperial clan, hold him up as a symbol of benevolence, and set him in stark contrast to the new emperor. That will lay the groundwork for 'purging the court of evil ministers' later."
"As for the third, that is the most crucial step."
At this point, Li Changfeng lowered his voice. Killing intent surfaced in his eyes.
"This man's greatest advantage is his own martial prowess. Once he's dead, every problem will resolve itself."
Cui Xuan furrowed his brow at that.
"You mean... assassinate the new emperor?"
"He is surrounded by experts, and Xuan Ya, the palace commander at the third level of the Xiantian realm, guards him personally. How could an assassination possibly succeed?"
"It won't be easy, but don't forget: our five clans have inherited our power for a thousand years. Which family doesn't have a few Xiantian Attendants in reserve?"
"My Li Clan has one at the second level of Xiantian and three at the first. I imagine your households are no worse off."
As he spoke, a cold smile appeared at the corner of Li Changfeng's mouth.
At his words, the other four clan heads' expressions shifted.
Just as Li Changfeng had said, between the five great clans, they could muster nearly twenty Xiantian experts.
With strength like that, sweeping through the imperial palace would be no challenge.
"Of course, the third option is a last resort. With the first two in play, the new emperor might come begging us before long."
"If he knows what's good for him, he'll abolish the new policies and be a puppet emperor. If he remains stubborn... then we'll make sure he meets with an 'accidental' death."
A fanatical glint shimmered in Li Changfeng's eyes.
At his words, the other four clan heads exchanged glances, each seeing the same mocking smile on the others' faces.
In their eyes, the new emperor was already a fish on the chopping board, fit only to be carved up as they pleased.
Everything in the Great Sui was already in the palm of their hands.
Little did they know that, in the shadows of the secret chamber, a pair of icy eyes had long since taken in every last detail of their plot.
Before you continue