For a time, the haze hanging over Luoyang City became thicker. Killings, counterattacks, escapes, scoldings, questionings, suppressions... all turned into blood in response to the chaotic noise.
Officials of various ethnic groups serving in Luoyang City and nearby prefectures and counties were also liquidated and arrested one after another. Li Xian moved quickly and fiercely, leaving no room for error, regardless of gains and losses, and regardless of the consequences. He had only one purpose - to complete the empress's will and completely attack
Kill the Luoyang nobles.
On this day, the sky was getting dark. Li Xian, who was wearing armor and carrying a sword, walked out of a simple and deep Sanjin house, smiling as he listened to the intermittent screams and curses coming from behind him.
"I was born as a humble commoner, but once I succeeded, I dared to massacre my noble clan!"
"...You are doing the opposite and disregarding the people of heaven and earth..."
"Whether we have done something wrong or not should be left to the national law to decide. How can we allow you to be rampant and commit acts of massacre without permission!"
"The way to govern the country and bring peace to the people in this world has been passed down to us for hundreds of years... If you dare to cut off the lifeline of our noble clan, you will cut off the fortune of the country and the inheritance of humanity!"
"This move by the Demon Queen is nothing but self-destruction!"
"Sure enough, the country is about to perish and all the monsters appear!"
"Those of you who help the tyrants to perpetrate evil will be punished by heaven... punished by heaven!"
"..."
Li Xian stepped down the stone steps, sneered, and said to himself: "Whether the great prosperity will perish, and whether we will perish, is yet to be known...but the death day for you scholars who think you are superior to others has truly arrived."
He looked at the blood at his feet. All this was not over. Luoyang City was just the beginning.
Before getting on the horse, he bent down and picked up a light pink petal scattered in the blood, then straightened up and looked at it carefully.
"What a pity, this year's peonies."
There was pity in his eyes, but then a smile appeared: "But next year, it will definitely be better."
With the nourishment of the blood of these scholar-bureaucrats, the peonies in Luoyang City will be in full bloom in the coming year, and he will definitely watch them carefully.
"Don't kill me, don't kill me...!"
"Please let me go, it's all a conspiracy between the clan leader and Thief Xu, I really don't know anything about it!"
A man in a long gown, covered in blood, rushed out of the house, fell inside the door, and cried out to the soldiers who were chasing him with swords.
Growing up in a world full of books and brocade, he followed the way of a gentleman and stayed away from the kitchen. He had never even seen a chicken being killed, let alone such a bloody and horrific scene!
His father's head was cut off with a knife because he yelled at the visitor. He was frightened and fainted, but he soon woke up. What he saw was like purgatory!
Li Xian turned around with great interest, raised his hand to stop the soldier who was about to chop him down with his sword, and said: "Since there is no resistance, we cannot kill indiscriminately, and put the person in prison to wait for punishment."
The frightened man lay on the ground and hurriedly bowed to Li Xian: "Thank you... Thank you General Li!"
Li Xian smiled even more cheerfully: "Li is just acting in the line of duty."
Hearing the laughter, the man raised his eyes in fear and looked at Li Xian, who was looking down at him from a high position. A deeper fear arose in his heart, and every pore in his body was trembling.
Soon, he was dragged down.
"What a pity." Li Xian said again: "It's a pity that Governor Cui is not in Luoyang City, so he missed so many wonderful things."
He looked at the plaque hanging on the house. This was the family that had the same roots as Cui Jing, a family that had always been passed down with integrity, a family that even the imperial power dared to despise.
The world only knows that they are unattainable, but they don't know that when these people see blood, many of them are scared to death. Some even kneel at his feet, begging for mercy from him, and begging for his mercy.
He is happy to give some mercy to these people. After all, only those in high positions are qualified to show mercy.
Li Xian mounted the horse and held the reins. The peony petals between his fingers were quickly crushed into pieces by the rough reins.
…
The Luoyang prison was already filled with "key criminals" from the gentry captured by Li Xian. These gentry families had taken root in Luoyang City for hundreds of years and were as luxuriant as big trees. If they hadn't just killed a group of serious prisoners, each of them would have been killed.
The cells are almost too big to contain.
The cries of women and children rang out in the cell, and there were still reluctant scoldings. Seeing Li Xian's figure appearing in the prison, the scoldings and curses were even louder, and could be heard clearly through the cold iron bars.
It was in his ears, but he didn't care at all.
He led people straight to the torture chamber, and looked at the old man who was tied to the torture rack, with his gray hair in a messy bun, his long robe stripped off, and his only inner garment stained red with blood. He asked quietly: "Elder Patriarch
Are you still unwilling to reveal the remaining accomplices?"
The old man hung his head, as if he hadn't heard anything, and seemed to have passed out, but his thin body could be seen trembling slightly due to the huge pain he was enduring.
"As expected, the patriarch has strong bones, just like your handwriting." Li Xian said with a smile: "To be honest, I grew up in Luoyang when I was young, and I also copied your handwriting, but unfortunately it was always tangible but not spiritual."
"...Despicable and cruel people are worthy of learning from my father!"
A middle-aged man who had just been brought here spat in disdain.
Li Xianwei looked back at the middle-aged man and smiled instead of angry: "We haven't seen him for many years. Although Yuan Dalang looks miserable, his appearance is the same as before."
The man sneered, and even though he was being led to kneel on the ground, he still looked at Li Xian with a stern look on his face, and sarcastically cried out sadly: "The way of heaven is so unfair, that this evil monster is in charge!"
Li Xian laughed: "It seems that Lord Yuandalang is the same as the elder clan leader. They are both proud and would rather die than surrender, which is admirable."
He said, looking behind the man with a curious look: "I just don't know, in the same vein, whether Young Master Yuan also has such a strong character?"
When the man heard this, his expression suddenly changed and he struggled to turn around.
A boy who looked to be no more than ten years old was escorted over. Although he was young, he was very stubborn and struggled not to give in: "Let me go!"
But with just the strength of a child, how could he compete with the officers and soldiers? He was quickly pinned to the ground.
Li Xian walked towards him.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Li Xian, what do you want to do!" The man suddenly started struggling.
Li Xian walked up to the boy, raised his foot and stepped on the boy's right hand.
"I vaguely remember that when my son and I were the same age, a peony party was held every spring in Luoyang City... That year, out of curiosity, I picked off a Luoyang brocade, which offended the young Yuan Da.
Lang Jun was furious."
The young man said that this Luoyang Brocade belonged to his Yuan family, and that he, a humble commoner, dared to touch it, was really disappointed.
He wanted to run away, but was pinned to the ground. Without the help of the Yuan family, the young men and their slaves who tried to please the Yuan family's husband punched and kicked him, and some even left scars on his head and body in a playful manner.
There were urine stains. Of course, I did this after dragging him far away so as not to taint the ears and eyes of the husband of the Yuan family.
At that time, his aunt had already entered the palace and gave birth to a pair of twins, a boy and a girl. Not only were they not favored, they were also regarded as a bad omen. The Ming family was mediocre, and his father was just a young military general——
But on this day, he truly realized that the gap between scholars and common people was as big as heaven and earth.
The prosperity of Luoyang City has always belonged only to these nobles, and in the eyes of these nobles, they cannot tolerate the slightest act of "transgression" from the humble common people.
It wasn't until a few years later that his disgraced aunt suddenly found luck, and her luck continued to rise steadily.
His aunt wanted to support available cronies. His mother and aunt were biological sisters. As his father was promoted, their family went to the capital and left Luoyang.
He originally thought that he no longer had to take the Luoyang Yuan clan into his eyes, but when he arrived in the capital, he realized that compared with the four real noble clans, the Luoyang Yuan clan who trampled under his feet was nothing.
Above the court, most of the important positions come from the four major families. Their clan influence is spread all over the court, but not just in the court. They own a large number of private slaves and fields. They have reputation, rich background, and countless disciples.
No one in the world knows their surnames. They are rich not only in money and land, but also in the important positions in governing the country that have been passed down from generation to generation. They set up private schools to educate their own children, control the way to enter the official career for generations, and have been scorned and suppressed for a long time.
The world is poor.
Their surnames are Cui, Lu, Zheng and Wang.
Among them, the Cui family was the leader. Even the king of the dynasty treated them with more than three points of respect.
Even though his aunt later became the queen and his cousin became the prince, the Cui family's children still disdained to associate with him.
Later, when his aunt even became a real emperor and his father became the Duke of Korea, Cui's attitude not only did not look down upon him, but instead became more than contemptuous, he was also hostile.
But even though her aunt knew this well back then, she still chose Cui Jing to be the new commander of the Xuance Army between his father and Cui Jing, because her aunt wanted to use the Cui family behind Cui Jing to suppress other forces and preserve the country.
Xuance Army.
Therefore, from a long time ago, he knew and believed that the existence of the gentry was the source of all injustices.
Yes, he hates all the descendants of the noble clan, including the leader of the noble clan, the Cui clan, who is recognized as the most outstanding person——
He couldn't help but hate a person who was much younger than him and whose qualifications were not comparable to that of him and his father, but who was always on top of him since birth. This was even more than ten years after his aunt came to the throne.
It can't be changed even one bit.
If he wants to destroy this lingering injustice, there is only one possibility... and that is to make the gentry system disappear completely from this world!
Fortunately, God really gave him this opportunity. What he is doing now is what he yearns for the most in his heart, and it is also something that has never been done by anyone since the existence of the gentry.
From now on, the gentry system will disappear under his hands, Li Xian.
Li Xian lowered his eyes and looked at the boy who was trampled under his feet, as if he saw the embarrassed version of himself again.
No, this boy gritted his teeth and didn't look embarrassed.
So, he moved his feet, slowly squatted down in front of the boy, grabbed the boy's right hand with one hand, and took off the dagger from his waist with the other.
Looking at the sharp dagger, fear finally appeared in the boy's eyes, and he struggled violently.
The boy's father was also struggling and hissed: "Li Xian! Don't touch my son!"
"My son is still a child. Even if the Changsun clan is punished, the lives of children under the age of fourteen will not be harmed! You must not harm my son!"
Li Xian sighed: "I don't want to hurt the child, but the elder clan leader has been reluctant to confess the remaining accomplices. For the purpose of interrogation, there is really no other way."
As soon as he finished speaking, he waved the dagger in his hand, blood spattered, and two severed fingers flew away from the boy's hand.
"ah--!"
The boy screamed, his whole body trembling and resisting, but he was held down tightly.
The middle-aged man's eyes widened and he looked at his son's severed finger. His eyes were splitting for a moment, and he struggled desperately: "Li Xian! You are killing indiscriminately. Where are the rules and etiquette! Where are they!"
"Etiquette?" Li Xian sneered: "Isn't that what you nobles made up to control and enslave the world?"
He said, pinching the boy's bloody wrist again: "It seems that Young Master Yuan is still young, and he is not as strong as Yuan Dalangjun and the patriarch of the clan...or are the bones in other places stronger?"
His eyes looked at the boy's body, as if he was thinking about this question seriously.
The boy's head was pressed to the ground, and his baby-fat cheeks were squeezed and deformed. His face was filled with tears in pain, his eyes were red, and he said with a trembling voice: "I'm not afraid. If you break my body, you can't break the aspirations of the Yuan family...
Come and kill me!"
He is not very clear about what he is insisting on. He has learned the way of a gentleman since he was a child. His father taught him and his sister that the ambition of a gentleman cannot be broken!
However, upon hearing this, his father Yuanda Langjun suddenly burst into tears, as if his pride had been removed: "Stop, please stop!"
Yuanda Langjun suddenly kowtowed his head in the direction of his father: "Father, father... please forgive me for my incompetence and my unfilial piety!"
The old man who was tied to the torture rack trembled and closed his eyes.
Before Yuanda Langjun spoke, the old man took the initiative and said: "...it's the Zheng family."
Hearing this, Li Xian let go of the boy's wrist and turned to look at the old man: "Xingyang Zheng family?"
"Yes." The old man lowered his head, his voice seemed to be broken.
At Li Xian's signal, someone quickly lowered the old man from the torture rack, brought the prepared confession to the old man, and asked him to sign on it.
The old man raised his eyes and looked at Li Xian steadily.
"Yes." Li Xian suddenly laughed: "I have prepared a confession a long time ago. I knew it was the Zheng family. Whether you recognize it or not, I can cut off your hand and mark the confession -"
As he spoke, he looked around at the three of them, his grandfather and grandson, and said with a smile, "But I just want to see how your Yuan clan's bones are broken. It's really interesting."
The old man slumped on the ground closed his eyes again.
After a moment, he suddenly stood up, used up his last strength, and slammed his head against the spike covered with spikes.
"Father!"
"Grandfather...grandfather!"
Li Xian let out a "tsk" sound, turned around and left, ignoring the shouts behind him.
The body of the head of the Yuan family was quickly dragged down, and the boy with two broken fingers was quickly thrown back into the cell.
That night, the boy developed a high fever. In his semi-conscious state, he kept chanting: "Sister... don't come back. Sister, please don't come back..."
The woman holding him burst into tears upon hearing this.
…
The rain was still falling, but the activities inside and outside Luoyang City to hunt down and kill the remaining members of the gentry who had fled outside did not stop because of the rain.
In a dark alley, a slender figure was hiding in panic when someone suddenly patted him from behind.
