A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 274 Ruthless
Zhou Gong obtained a precise list of the founding families, officials, wealthy merchants, and wandering bandits who had participated in the restoration and uprising.

It was handed over to Chen Mo.

"Xiao Mo, what do you think is the fate of meritorious officials?" Zhou Gong asked wistfully.

Chen Mo simply noted down the list, glanced at him without revealing his expression, and asked, "What does Uncle want to say?"

“Zhang Tang, who has made countless contributions, has already retired in a de facto way. What kind of fate awaits us now that we have followed the emperor?” Zhou Gong asked frankly.

The reduction of power by the Liu family monarchs—the three major power groups established at the beginning of the dynasty, meritorious officials, maternal relatives, and members of the imperial clan—could be considered politically correct in the Han Dynasty.

For more than eighty years, the Han Dynasty has gone through seven emperors or empresses, including Emperor Gaozu, Emperor Hui, Empress Lü, Emperor Wen, Emperor Jing, the current emperor, and the emperor himself. The three major power groups have basically lost their influence in the court.

I'm afraid that in His Majesty's heart, in the heart of the sovereign, meritorious officials, relatives of the empress, and members of the imperial clan are mostly just dust of history, something that should be swept away and cleansed.

They completely forgot the contributions of the meritorious officials at the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the contributions of the maternal relatives in the development of the Han Dynasty, and the stability of the imperial clan in the succession of the Han Dynasty.

In their pursuit of centralized power, the Liu family monarchs disregarded everything.

The maternal relatives of the Lü, Bo, Dou, and Tian families all faded into obscurity. Despite the seemingly prosperous Wei family, the clan itself was struggling to rise. Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, on the other hand, shone brightly like the sun and moon in the sky.

The tragic fates of other members of the Wei clan who were related to the imperial family were omitted.

The Han imperial relatives were even worse off, committing treason, treachery, and bestial acts... The Liu family rulers used countless crimes to eliminate their own relatives, just to take away the fiefdoms that had been promised.

Princess Dou, who held immense power over four dynasties, was even executed along with her entire family, leaving no one of her own flesh and blood alive.

So, what became of the meritorious group?

Even if someone gets involved in the power struggle between the emperor and his son, and manages to gain favor with the emperor by betraying his father, what will happen in a few years or decades?

Chen Mo gradually became serious and asked again, "What kind of ending do you want, Uncle?"

"Can the ruler grant generations of wealth and a prosperous family?"

"Yes, I can give it to you!"

Before Zhou Gong could finish his teasing remark, Chen Mo gave an affirmative answer and then asked, "Uncle, can you guarantee that the descendants of the Zhou family will not commit crimes or do evil?"

"Uncle can guarantee it, and His Majesty can provide it!"

"Uncle, can you guarantee that?"

Zhou Gong remained silent.

His old face gradually flushed red, and he felt a warmth despite the cold weather. He stubbornly replied, "The Lord cannot give it to me!"

"Why can't you give it to me?"

"The Lord didn't even spare Zhang Tang!"

What do you mean by "not letting them go"?

Chen Mo continued, "The Emperor gave Zhang Tang an official position, a noble title, a promotion, and made him a cabinet minister. What does Uncle mean by 'let him go'?"

Zhou Gong's face flushed red. "The Emperor did not grant Zhang Tang the position of Prime Minister!"

"Uncle, my mentor is not dead yet!" Chen Mo said in a low voice.

Zhou Gong realized he had spoken out of turn. The relationship between master and disciple is like that between father and son. It is disrespectful for a son to scold his father. Moreover, in terms of seniority, ability, and merit, even if Guan Zhong and Yue Yi were brought down before Gongsun Hong died, they could not shake Gongsun Hong's position as Chancellor of the Han Dynasty. To discuss the division of power while he was still alive is clearly a sign of low character.

However, Zhou Gong, already somewhat agitated, disregarded everything else and bluntly asked, "After your master's death, can Zhang Tang hold the position of Chancellor of the Han Dynasty?" "No!"

Before Zhou Gong could speak, Chen Mo said, "Because Zhang Tang didn't bring Uncle Shi's head to see the Lord."

"Xiao Mo, you..."

"Uncle, Uncle Xiao, and Zichuan, have had secret contact with Zhang Tang, right?" Chen Mo said coldly.

Zhou Gong's body trembled, his eyes filled with shock, doubt, and panic.

With the Embroidered Robe Envoy concealing their tracks, he didn't believe that the secret meeting between the three of them and Zhang Tang would be known to outsiders. That's why Zhou Gong was even more terrified. How did Chen Mo find out?
"Uncle, you don't need to know how I know this. I just want to ask you, what do you want to do by forming an 'alliance' with Zhang Tang?"

Chen Mo's eyes were icy as he questioned, "And what kind of 'gift' did Zhang Tang give Uncle Shi as a sign of sincerity for the alliance?"

Zhou Gong suddenly stood up, so hastily that he even knocked over his stool, and growled, "I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Does Uncle not understand, or does he simply not want to explain?"

Chen Mo sat there, exuding an imposing aura, and said, "Then let my nephew guess."

"The Embroidered-Robe Envoy discovered that the Zhou clan had been extorted in countless numbers, but instead of arresting anyone, Zhang Tang personally brought the evidence to Uncle Shi. Zhang Tang and Uncle Shi agreed to form a pact of mutual support, promising that after achieving their goal, Uncle Shi would strongly recommend Zhang Tang for the position of Chancellor of the Han Dynasty. Zhang Tang promised that after becoming Chancellor, he would repay the Zhou family handsomely. To show his sincerity, Zhang Tang destroyed much of the evidence in front of Uncle Shi..."

As Chen Mo spoke, Zhou Gong broke out in a cold sweat, and in no time, his front and back were soaked through.

Although the scenes described differ, Zhou Gong felt that Chen Mo was like an invisible ghost, joining and watching the process of his alliance with Zhang Tang.

"Does Uncle know what Zhang Tang is still lacking to become Prime Minister?" Chen Mo asked coldly.

"What's wrong?"

"A performance proving himself to be a ruthless hero!"

Chen Mo stared intently into Shi Shu's eyes, but Zhou Gong's eyes remained empty. "Zhang Tang knew his shortcomings, but there was no way out. Driven by his desire for power, and for the position of prime minister, Zhang Tang resolutely embarked on the path of Shang Yang."

"Clear distinction" can be used to serve as prime minister, and "ruthlessness" can also serve as prime minister, just like Gongsun Yang, whose laws did not spare kings and dukes, nor did they neglect the common people.

According to Zhang Tang's original plan, if you recommend him as the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty, he will not only refuse, but also expose your and your family's numerous crimes in court, thus creating an "iron face" for himself.

Only in this way could Zhang Tang disguise his past misdeeds of implicating others and wrongly killing people during His Majesty's reign as a result of his indiscriminate killing, bloodlust, and fondness for killing, as a sign of his past incompetence and limited vision.

"The Chancellor of the Great Han Dynasty is allowed to grow. Zhang Tang, by carrying the heads of you uncles, has proven his growth. The position of Chancellor will naturally be within his grasp!"

Do you really think that destroying evidence in front of someone is the end of it?
What about all those victims and witnesses?

The Han Dynasty court could presume guilt!

Even innocence couldn't be explained away, let alone guilt. In court, Zhang Tang reversed his story, claiming the Zhou family destroyed evidence, leaving the Zhou family with no chance of survival.

I feel indignant for Zhang Tang; he's been sold out and is even helping the seller count the money.

"Uncle, get less involved in politics in the future, and stop thinking about it!" Chen Mo got up and left.

Zhou Gong stared at his retreating figure, unable to recover for a long time.

People who play politics have such dirty hearts!

(End of this chapter)