Empress Dowager Guo could not speak for a long while.
What Cao Mao had said was not false. The Cao Wei Imperial Clan was unquestionably the worst-off group in the entire aristocratic circle.
Even when a powerful minister of Imperial Clan birth like Cao Shuang held power, he never forgot to suppress the other members of the clan.
Having come from among the feudal princes, Cao Mao understood the clan members' feelings better than anyone.
Empress Dowager Guo said somewhat helplessly, "Mao, that is all in the past. You are the emperor now, and you must first consider the realm. The Imperial Clan is not what it once was. How could they become a source of support for us?"
Empress Dowager Guo's understanding of Cao Mao's words was rather superficial.
She thought Cao Mao had recalled his own experiences in Yuan City and therefore wanted to break the shackles on the Imperial Clan.
But Cao Mao said solemnly, "Mother, the Imperial Clan's strength cannot be underestimated. Today, members of the clan are scattered throughout Great Wei. Apart from the feudal princes outside the capital, there are also many clan members in the army and in local administrations... if they were useless, why would Sima Shi gather most of them in Hebei, concentrating them in Ye City, not daring to let them go elsewhere?"
"Can the Imperial Clan, which makes Sima Shi so wary, truly be that useless?"
"Mother, the Imperial Clan appears weak because of the Imperial Court's restrictions. First, those restrictions have fettered their abilities. Second, they have stirred their resentment, making them unwilling to help the court."
"I believe that if you pardon the many clan members in Hebei and allow them to return to their respective fiefs, and I then step forward to gradually abolish the restrictions