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

Chapter 276 Nine Clans
“I can also be loyal to the Crown Prince.”

Marquis Anguo, Wang Bifang, said: "If my nephew is willing to say a few good words for me before the Emperor, I am willing to abandon the darkness and embrace the light. I will give all my private troops, money and grain to the court, and the five hundred gold pieces will be my nephew's reward."

"Uncle, you're being foolish. Even if you die, your private army and the funds will still belong to the imperial court, and I will still receive the promised reward," Chen Mo said indifferently.

Once you're on the pirate ship, it's considered a merit.

The Chen family loves money, but they love merit even more.

How could we let such a big fish as the Marquis of Anguo's mansion go?
Besides, the Chen family never touches anything that isn't a reward, let alone steals without permission.

Zhang Tang fell for his improper thoughts, so how could Chen Mo have fallen for it?

"Isn't the Crown Prince afraid that I'll fight to the death?" Wang Pifang said fiercely.

The matter of restoration involves the families of meritorious officials, powerful clans, wealthy merchants, and even wandering knights and thieves. If he does not comply, does not kill himself, does not fight, and strongly supports His Majesty, even if the Crown Prince's chances of winning remain unchanged, it will solidify the Crown Prince's crime of "filial impiety" to some extent.

She herself was of lowly birth, while the Crown Prince was a wise and virtuous ruler, a difference between stone and jade. What if the Crown Prince hesitated to act rashly and spared her and her family's lives?

"The fish will die, but the net will not break."

Chen Mo couldn't help but laugh. "I came here on orders. The Lord has already said that if Uncle Shi is willing to go down this path to the bitter end, one day, the Wang clan, from the first Marquis of Anguo Wang Ling down, will not have a single member left. At that time, I am very willing to send Uncle Shi's clan on their way."

A naked threat.

Disobeying orders will not just result in the death of your entire family, but the extermination of your entire clan.

From the time of the royal tomb down, the Marquis of Anguo's lineage has spanned four generations, but has multiplied to six. Although the population is not large, there are still over a hundred people, including men and women, and it would not be difficult for them to die in one day.

"My great-grandfather was a meritorious minister, yet the crown prince exterminated my clan?"

Wang Pifang could no longer sit still. He stood up, leaning on the table, his eyes red as he looked at Chen Mo. "Isn't he supposed to be a benevolent and forgiving ruler?"

"The Lord once said: 'Treat loyal ministers and good generals with the warmth of spring, and treat treacherous ministers and evil generals with the cruelty of winter.' I wonder, Uncle, are you a loyal minister and good general, or a treacherous minister and evil general?"

Chen Mo remained unmoved and smiled faintly, "Please believe in my methods, Uncle. Even if the Wang clan is wiped out, the people of the world will only rejoice and not feel the slightest pity. They will not attribute the death of Yuan Gong to the Supreme Ruler. I believe Uncle does not need to recount the evil of the Wang clan."

The Chen family has a thousand reasonable and legal means to destroy the Wang clan, or even to make the Wang clan die at the hands of the common people, so that they will be infamous for generations to come.

Wang Pifang slumped in his seat. The Chen family's insidious and vicious nature had always been a legend among the great Han dynasty's meritorious families. However, with Chen Ping's passing, the Chen family seemed to have gone into hibernation, no longer using their wits to deceive others or plotting to harm people. Gradually, the fear of the meritorious families towards the Chen family diminished.

Unexpectedly, decades later, Chen Mo of the Chen family once again displayed his unparalleled skill as a ruthless strategist, threatening him from all angles—the lives of his clan members, the extinction of his lineage, and the reputation of his ancestors—forcing him to his death.

Otherwise, you won't have the face to meet your ancestors even after you die.

"After me, will I be able to protect my family?"

"No."

Without hesitation, Chen Mo gave a negative answer: "The Wang family are guilty and should be dealt with according to the laws of the Han Dynasty."

"Innocent person?"

"Exempt!"

"Thank you very much."

Wang Pifang made his decision, expressed his gratitude to Chen Mo, closed his eyes, and recalled the golden age of his family. He couldn't help but burst into tears. Everything had been so ruthlessly erased... Oh God, how unjust you are!

"No need to thank me."

Chen Mo waved his hand, "Then please hand over the keys to the Wang family's treasury, and also give me the token to command the private army of the fiefdom." True to his word, he wanted the people, money, and grain from the imperial court.

Wang Pifang took out the key and token, and Chen Mo got up to take his leave. He instructed the elders of the Marquis of Anguo's mansion to seal the treasury and not allow anyone to open it before leaving the mansion. He was not worried at all about the Wang family transferring money and grain or changing their private army, unless the Wang family wanted to be wiped out.

Then, they entered the residence of the Marquis of Shifang.

Almost exactly the same thing happened: Chen Mo met Yong Huan, the fourth Marquis of Shifang, in the study and received the Marquis of Shifang's "loyalty" from Yong Huan.

Two thousand well-trained private soldiers.

Three hundred gold coins and eight thousand bushels of grain.

Although both were hereditary dukes and marquises, the Shifang Marquis's family had a less prestigious background than the Anguo Marquis's family.

Chen Mo looked at the "born rebellious" family marquis, whom he felt so sorry for, and handed him something, saying, "Uncle, please take a look."

The moment Yong Huan took it, he snapped it shut with his other hand, a chill running through him. "You are not His Majesty's man!"

Shifang County.

In the southern part of Sichuan.

The Yong family had been operating for many years and had long since become the dominant power. The term "state within a state" was an exaggeration for many feudal kingdoms and marquisates, but in the "Shifang State," it was a fact.

In Shifang, the people did not abide by the laws of the Han Dynasty, nor obey the emperor's edicts. The Yong family arbitrarily made laws and used the excuse that the barbarians did not submit to the king's rule to deceive the court, acting as if they were the only ones who mattered.

He recruited private soldiers, forged weapons, and gathered criminals and fugitives from various counties and vassal states, hiding them, providing them with lodging, settling their families, and giving them money and supplies. His rebellious intentions were obvious.

They had been in contact with the Nanyue Kingdom and other southwestern Yi states for many years, secretly plotting a rebellion and seizing the opportunity to establish a separatist regime in southern China.

The Yong family, since the time of Emperor Gaozu, has never submitted to the Liu family rulers, and has put this into practice.

However, after the Nanyue Kingdom and the southwestern Yi kingdoms were successively pacified by Lu Bode and Zhang Cigong, many hidden dark secrets were revealed.

Yong Huan was constantly worried that his family's conspiracy would be discovered by the court, and he was terrified. Therefore, when he saw that His Majesty intended to restore the throne, the Yong family responded positively.

However, they were both concerned about people and money, and after much deliberation, they finally decided to give so much.

Given the current state of the court, it is absolutely impossible for His Majesty to obtain correspondence between the Yong family and the Southern Yue Kingdom and the southwestern Yi kingdoms. Therefore, Chen Mo's identity is highly suspicious.

They are either the Crown Prince's people, or the Prime Minister's people, or both.

"I've heard that you are an unparalleled swimmer, so I would like to ask you to take a small boat to the East China Sea to hunt whales after you take up your post in the East China Sea. Also, please hand over the keys to the treasury and the token to command the private soldiers of the fiefdom. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Chen Mo didn't want to waste words on this kind of insect and said directly, "Uncle, you don't want the Yong clan to be wiped out since the time of Marquis Su of Shifang, do you?"

Going out to sea in a small boat to hunt whales?

Is this human language?
The charcoal in the stove was burning hot, but Yong Huan felt no heat at all. The Yong family was a large and prosperous clan, and he would not hesitate to sacrifice his life to preserve the family.

"After me, will the Crown Prince spare the Yong family members?"

"cannot!"

"Colluding with foreign tribes, plotting separatism, and regicide are all unforgivable crimes. According to the laws of the Han Dynasty, even nine generations of a family cannot be spared. However, Your Majesty is virtuous in cherishing life and is willing to spare the ignorant son of the Yong family by offering a cartwheel as a form of leniency."

(End of this chapter)