TFWYH – Chapter 881 The Ten Great Families

After only a moment, the wall slid open, and warm, bright light spilled through.

The woman, who should have appeared dignified and elegant, now had disheveled hair and looked somewhat haggard.

The moment she saw Xiao Nan, she immediately pulled him inside and asked through gritted teeth,

“What about Gu Hengcang? Were you able to rescue him?”

Xiao Nan nodded and cupped his hands respectfully.

“Your Majesty, rest assured. Prime Minister Gu is safe. I put him on a ship. At most, it will take a month for him to reach Hengzhou and contact the people there.”

“Good! Excellent!”

Upon hearing this, the Empress’s eyes filled with excitement and viciousness. She muttered to herself,

“I’ve been raising those troops for so many years. I never intended to use them, but then Ling Yu appeared and became such a menace! He wants to steal my son’s throne? He can dream on!”

Xiao Nan lowered his eyes and simply listened without arguing.

However, when the Empress wasn’t looking, a trace of mockery flashed through his eyes.

Xiao Nan said, “Your Majesty, the troops are no longer a problem. Once Prime Minister Gu returns from Hengzhou, it will be the day His Highness the First Prince ascends the throne. However…”

“However what?”

“I merely feel that we should inform His Highness the First Prince about this matter.”

“No!”

The Empress sneered and continued,

“That child is proud and arrogant. He has always considered himself superior because he is descended from the former Empress, and he doesn’t even think much of me. If he learns that he isn’t actually of imperial blood, he will surely lose all his confidence and become completely dispirited. It’s enough that I know about this.”

Huangfu Xiao was, after all, the Empress’s own son.

As the saying went, no one understood a child better than his mother.

No matter how well Huangfu Xiao concealed it, the occasional disdain that flashed across his eyes could never escape her notice.

This child had methods, ability, and enough ruthlessness.

But all of that was built upon his belief that he came from a noble and prestigious lineage.

Without that noble background, she couldn’t predict what Huangfu Xiao would become—and she didn’t dare gamble on it.

Hearing this, Xiao Nan no longer tried to persuade her.

After discussing matters with the Empress for a while, Xiao Nan finally left through the secret passage.

…

Tianchao valued both civil and military abilities and placed great importance on being accomplished in both.

That was why the Emperor had always turned a blind eye toward the Ten Great Families.

But after learning about the stance of these families, this Emperor no longer intended to continue letting them run unchecked.

Several days passed.

The capital remained prosperous and peaceful, with the common people living and working in contentment. No one knew about the undercurrents hidden beneath the calm surface.

With the Emperor’s approval, Ling Yu also began examining the criminal records accumulated over the years concerning the Ten Great Families.

Once he investigated, he was shocked by what he found!

The Ten Great Families included the known Yan Family, Mu Family, Jin Family, the already-destroyed Nangong Family (Xiao Nan’s family), and the Yin Family.

The other five were the lesser-known Bai Family, Chen Family, He Family, Qian Family, and Sikong Family.

The Yan Family was Yan Cheng’s clan, which had already pledged allegiance to Ling Yu.

The Mu Family was Mu Qingfeng’s clan. Because Mu Qingfeng was an illegitimate son and the Mu Family’s matriarch was pregnant at the time, Mu Qingfeng had suffered severe persecution at her hands.

The Jin Family was Jin Lin’s clan. Like Jin Lin, they weren’t particularly strong in martial arts, but they were skilled strategists and extremely wealthy.

The Nangong Family had already been wiped out, leaving only Nangong Xiao.

As for the Yin Family, it was Yin Jue’s clan. He was the Shadow Master of Tianchao’s Dragon Shadow Guards, and his ancestors had all served the Emperor.

The five known families could be set aside for the moment. As for the five lesser-known families…

Because they were members of the martial world and disliked being constrained, they treated the laws of the imperial court as though they were nothing.

They had committed countless offenses, and every one of these families had blood on their hands.

In the past, the Emperor had chosen not to pursue them because he believed the Ten Great Families were useful.

But now…

The Emperor had made up his mind and was no longer willing to give the Ten Great Families any face.

Thus, after Ling Yu finished reviewing the records, he began eliminating those martial families that refused to submit to the imperial court.