Chapter 133: Thunder out of a Clear Sky

Zhao Yutan: Thunder out of a clear sky! How could this happen?

She widened her eyes, completely unable to believe what she had just heard. Confiscation and exile? How could this be? No, no, no, this can’t be real. How could the Xie family, which had stood strong in her prophetic dreams, end up like this?!

This decree of condemnation was like a bolt from the blue for Zhao Yutan, and for the Xie family, it was no different. It was too sudden!

Especially for some of the elderly members of the clan, upon hearing about the confiscation and exile of the entire family, they clutched their chests, their eyes rolled back, and they collapsed.

“Grandfather—grandfather—”

“Grandmother—what’s wrong with you?”

“Father!”

The Xie family was filled with cries and wails. Oh heavens, oh earth, why would they treat the Xie family like this? Just when they had sent off the clan leader and two elderly clan members, the white cloth had not even been taken down yet, and they were about to face such a disaster?

“What—A Zhan, what is going on?” Lady Xie was completely stunned, she didn’t understand what had happened.

Upon hearing this, the other clan members also looked towards Xie Zhan. Yes, they also wanted to know what was going on. Everything was fine, so why would the new emperor issue such a heavy punishment?

Xie Zhan’s eyes darkened. The imperial decree had already listed the crimes committed by the Xie family, but the clan members clearly did not believe it. The road ahead would be very difficult, with so many clan members, perhaps only one in ten would survive. Therefore, he had to give them a belief that would help them survive, let them hate, let the fire of hatred burn, so that the flame in their hearts would not be extinguished.

“We, the Xie family, have been framed.” Xie Zhan only said these words, the more he said, the more flaws would be exposed.

“Then go and see the new emperor, explain the situation to the new emperor!” a clan member shouted.

Xie Zhan just shook his head sadly.

“Who? Who is the enemy of our Xie family?”

“The Lu and Qin family.” Xie Zhan said these five words expressionlessly.

“It’s them!”

“I hate…” The flames of hatred surged.

These words were heard by Sheng Huaixing, who was standing aside and carrying out official duties. He shook his head inwardly. He could understand Xie Zhan’s move to shift the blame, but he could almost foresee the endless conflict between the two sides.

And as an outsider, it was clear now that Lu Songli’s cunning tactics were superior to Xie Zhan’s. Even in prison, she managed to have both the Xie and Zhao families confiscated and exiled.

Xie Zhan had created a formidable enemy for the Xie family, an enemy that was difficult to defeat. Was this really a good move? When the Xie family members discovered the strength of their opponent, would they not feel despair?

Xie Zhan knew that there were many risks in doing this, but he couldn’t care about that anymore, he had to be ruthless.

The Xie family was truly at a critical juncture of life and death. After the Xie family was confiscated, as the head of the family, he held the last limited resources of the Xie family. What he needed to preserve was the backbone of the Xie family, which was their last capital and the foundation for the Xie family’s future rise.

For those clan members who were destined to sacrifice, he could only inject hatred into their hearts, hoping that this hatred would make them stronger.

As the time came, Lin Ran made a gesture of invitation and said expressionlessly, “Xie family head, please.”

“Chapter 133 Thunderbolt on a Sunny Day (2/3)”

Sheng Huaixing couldn’t help but hold back his laughter on the side. He knew that their leaders were all fed up. This was the first task assigned to them by the new emperor, and who knew that conducting these household searches was not the responsibility of their Jinwu Guards.

Previously, they had executed ministers one by one with burial lists in hand, as ordered by the late emperor to prevent leaks of information. Now, the new emperor was using them in the same way, and it was truly enough.

Xie Zhan walked at the front, and the members of the Xie clan noticed that they didn’t have to remove their accessories, which gave them some comfort. They were familiar with the process of searching the Qin family’s residence.

The order Lin Ran received was to have the Xie clan members read the imperial edict, then escort them directly to the prison after two quarters of an hour. They didn’t have to forcibly strip them of their accessories, but they couldn’t go back to retrieve more gold, silver, or jewelry.

Looking at it this way, the new emperor was still showing them some leniency, at least not as harsh as when searching the Qin family.

After leaving the Xie residence, Lin Ran said to Sheng Huaixing, “You take them to the Da Li Prison. I have urgent matters to attend to, so I’ll be leaving for a while.”

In the palace, when Lin Ran appeared with the third posthumous edict in hand, everyone suddenly realized what was happening. It should have been obvious! They blamed Lin Ran for being so inconspicuous.

After Lin Ran finished reading the third posthumous edict, the faces of the ministers were a bit off, and Prince Song Mo, as the new emperor, turned dark.

The first posthumous edict was handed to Prince Gong, naming Prince Song Mo as the successor to the throne.

The second posthumous edict was handed to Lu Desheng, also naming Prince Song Mo as the successor to the throne.

The third posthumous edict was handed to Lin Ran, not only specifying who held the previous two edicts but also appointing four prominent ministers to assist the new emperor until he reached the age of sixteen and could rule on his own.

Prince Song Mo’s face darkened. So, the last two edicts he desperately searched for turned out to be a pitfall for himself?

Emperor Shizong had prepared three secret edicts in total, and the content of the third posthumous edict was unexpected!

Lu Desheng suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

“The edicts have been read. I will take my leave,” Lin Ran handed the decrees he had read to the eunuch and prepared to depart.

Lin Mo was in a bad mood, waving his hand to dismiss him.

Lu Desheng followed quietly, knowing that the upcoming meeting was between the new emperor and the four newly appointed ministers, which didn’t concern him. However, he had some questions he wanted to ask Lin, the leader. If he didn’t clarify them, he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.

Outside the Imperial Chamber, Lin Ran stopped in his tracks. “Lord Lu, is there something you need?”

“Leader Lin!” Lu Desheng slowly approached Lin Ran and said, “Leader Lin, I have a question for you.”

Lin Ran gestured for him to continue.

“If, and it’s a big if, if I never reveal this edict, what would happen? I mean, if I don’t present the second edict, would you do it? And if so, when would you do it?”

“I will present this edict no later than the seventh day of Emperor Shizong’s funeral,” as per the late emperor’s orders.

Lu Desheng discreetly swallowed, feeling relieved. The late emperor truly lived up to his reputation; you never knew how many tricks he had up his sleeve. He had been considering not rushing to reveal it, wanting to make Prince Song Mo anxious and maybe negotiate some terms. Luckily, his daughter advised him not to do so, suggesting that it would be best to exchange the benefits he desired at the right time using the edict in his hand.

“Do you have any other questions, Lord Lu?” Lin Ran asked.

Lu Desheng quickly replied, “No, I have none.”

Lin Ran nodded to him and walked past him towards the palace exit.

Lu Desheng was also preparing to leave the palace—he needed to find his daughter! It was too frightening.