"Your Majesty, do you intend to slaughter all the noble families?"
The Empress's pupils contracted, and she looked at her husband in disbelief. He actually wanted to wipe out all the powerful families in the capital. Wasn't that a bit too crazy?
We've endured this for so many years, and now they're going to liquidate everything directly? That's too risky.
One wrong move and you could face the backlash from powerful families.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but say bitterly, "Your Majesty, the powerful families are deeply entrenched. Even if we kill all these people in the capital, they will only suffer minor injuries. But once you take action, there will be no turning back."
If this path is taken, it will inevitably offend all the powerful families.
Even if we manage to repel Lin Yi, we'll likely face a backlash from the powerful families, which is definitely not a good thing.
I had no other choice!
Upon hearing the Empress's words, a hint of sadness flashed in Li Anlan's eyes, but it quickly turned cold, and he said in a deep voice, "In the past, I would naturally not be so eager for quick success."
But time is of the essence now. Lin Yi's army has exceeded a million and is about to besiege the city. If I don't take action, these aristocratic families will be using our fathers' heads to curry favor with that brat Lin Yi.
Therefore, for the sake of our family, I have no choice but to strike first!
He understood that even if he didn't take action, the powerful families would definitely continue to make trouble, since they couldn't possibly die with Great Ning.
" Lin Yi has a million-strong army, and they're even besieging the city?"
Upon hearing this, Empress Shangguan Yan gasped, her face turning deathly pale.
Things have come to this point; no wonder the Emperor had to act prematurely—he had no choice but to take action.
These powerful families are capable of anything for profit. Once they see that Xiliang has gained an advantage, they will inevitably side with Lin Yi. At that time, they will definitely target the couple as a testament to their allegiance to Xiliang.
Thinking of this, Shangguan Yan didn't hesitate for long and directly took out a token from her bosom and handed it to Li Anlan.
"Your Majesty, this is our family's token. With it, we can mobilize the 50,000 private soldiers belonging to the Eastern Palace! However, Your Majesty must be careful; taking action against aristocratic families will have endless consequences."
These 50,000 troops were meant for her son, but now she had no choice but to use them. If her husband lost, the Shangguan Family would have no chance of survival.
However, when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken. If Great Ning is in trouble, Lin Yi will definitely not let his mother and child off the hook.
Li Anlan gripped the token in his hand and said in a deep voice, "Zitong, don't worry. As the emperor, how could I possibly harm aristocratic families? Recently, a large number of Lin Yi's men have infiltrated the capital. If they target aristocratic families, there's nothing I can do about it!"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Shangguan Yan's eyes lit up. If she could frame Lin Yi for the incident, even if it was a bit absurd, it would be more reliable than going straight to kill him. At least it would give both sides a buffer period and prevent them from directly coming to blows.
However, she hesitated for a moment, then said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, Lin Yi is, after all, our son-in-law. Would he possibly show us any kindness for Mingzhu's sake...?"
"Absolutely impossible!"
Li Anlan interrupted his wife's daydreams and said in a deep voice, "Zitong, this is a battle for the throne. How can we give up because of a woman? This battle is extremely dangerous. To be honest, I'm not entirely confident either. Therefore, I will send you and Qiankun to Jiangling Commandery."
That's right!
He had made his decision: to send away the Empress and the Crown Prince and preserve his own lifeline.
Once I defeat Xiliang, I can bring them back. But if I am defeated, at least there will be a glimmer of hope, and I can always make a comeback someday.
"What?! Send us away, and we can move the capital together!" Shangguan Yan's expression changed drastically, and she exclaimed.
Li Anlan shook his head and sighed, " Lin Yi would never let me move the capital. Ma Chao's 100,000-strong army came so early precisely to prevent me from moving south. Besides, even if I did move the capital, it would only delay my death a little longer. Lin Yi, who has the capital, will only become stronger!"
If he were to move the capital, he would essentially be handing over the legitimate center of imperial power to the capital, and Lin Yi would only become stronger. Therefore, even if he went to the south, he might not be safe.
Now he even suspects that Guan Yu might also be one of Lin Yi's subordinates.
Otherwise, how could someone who came from a pirate background have so many tricks up his sleeve, and even raise the banner of rebellion? This is definitely not something a pirate could do.
Furthermore, his weaponry was so advanced that it could overwhelm the elite troops in the Min River area, which was even more outrageous.
There are hardly so many coincidences in the All Under Heaven; the only possibility is that someone is secretly plotting something.
He couldn't help but mutter, " Lin Yi Lin Yi, if you really orchestrated such a huge scheme behind the scenes, aren't you a little too terrifying!"
Western Regions! East Sea! Southern Tusi (local chieftains)! Northern Barbarians! Waterborne!
This guy has really gotten himself into a corner; it's incredibly difficult. His only chance now is to fight with his back against the wall, otherwise he's definitely going to die.
For these reasons, the only option is to target the powerful families.
Li Anlan acted quickly, and a group of men left the capital under the cover of night, heading straight south.
Immediately after the Empress and Crown Prince left, a large number of men in black appeared in the capital. These men went straight for the aristocratic families, claiming they wanted to subdue them, but instead they simply drew their swords and attacked.
"Damn it, who are you people? How dare you kill innocent people like this? We are members of the Wang Clan!"
"Dare not surrender to my Xiliang? What about your Li Clan?"
"My lord, spare my life! I am from the Zhang Clan. You cannot kill me. Our patriarch has a very good relationship with your Prince of Xiliang."
"Damn it, you're definitely not from Xiliang!"
"Ahh!"
The entire capital was filled with screams, and everywhere was like a living hell. Countless members of noble families were slaughtered, and even the Liu Clan, who had previously planned to seek refuge in Xiliang, suffered heavy losses.
These people simply robbed the wealthy families of their possessions and fled towards Xiliang.
At this critical moment, 200,000 imperial guards from the capital were mobilized, under the pretext of capturing the rebel army from Xiliang, and directly sealed off the entire Chang'an.
The leader was none other than Lieutenant Hong Tao, one of the few officials among the Nine Ministers who came from a humble background.
"By imperial decree, the rebel army from Xiliang has infiltrated the capital. These rebels must be immediately annihilated. Anyone who discovers rebels will be rewarded with ten taels of silver!"
Amidst the people's fear and trembling, these imperial guards charged towards the black-clad men who had slaughtered the aristocratic families, and the two sides immediately clashed.
The two sides fought fiercely and were evenly matched!
And then, that was it!
" Li Anlan, I curse your ancestors!"
Liu Tong had sensed something was wrong long ago and hid in a cave. He saw his house on fire, and then large boxes of belongings were carried away by men in black. Even the Imperial Guards later took some of the belongings.
If this wasn't Li Anlan's doing, then something fishy must have happened.