Chapter 5 Preparing for the Worst

　　Watching Feng Jin leave, Jiang Chen got up, preparing to return to the Qin Zheng Hall.

　　At this moment, Jing Yue stepped forward and asked for instructions, "Your Majesty, what should be done with this Mei Chuyao?"

　　Jiang Chen paused and turned his cold gaze to the woman in green on the ground.

　　If this Mei Chuyao hadn't lied, then she was a victim from beginning to end and hadn't participated in any rebellion. Her crime wasn't too serious.

　　Moreover, she had once had intimate contact with him…

　　Jiang Chen pondered for a moment and said faintly, "First, confine her to Hanzhang Palace, and deal with her after the matter is thoroughly investigated."

　　After speaking, he raised his foot and strode away.

　　Jing Yue lingered for a moment, settled Mei Chuyao, and then flashed away.

　　Qin Zheng Hall.

　　Shi Ping and other important officials had all arrived.

　　Among them, Xu Changqing was the last to arrive, but Jiang Chen didn't blame him.

　　Because Xu Changqing had only settled the supplies in the mountains yesterday evening, and then rushed thousands of miles non-stop, only to return to the Imperial Capital today. Even if he was slightly late, there was no need to fuss.

　　Raising his hand to signal Xu Changqing to take a seat, Jiang Chen looked around and said lightly:

　　"I have issued an edict to execute Mei Ruoying."

　　"Next, we will cleanse the Mei clan."

　　Simple words, but like a thunderclap from the nine heavens, shocking everyone present!

　　It wasn't that they hadn't seen the world. They were able to break through the ranks of officials in the court and rise to high positions. Their abilities and mentality were beyond doubt!

　　But now, Jiang Chen's plain words made this group of famous officials and fierce generals show surprise, which shows how棘手 the Mei family was.

　　"Your Majesty, governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. Your aggressiveness is inappropriate!" The Prime Minister in the main seat changed his usual smiling face and said with a serious expression.

　　"The Prime Minister is too conservative!"

　　Xu Changqing spoke. After the Tai Miao incident, he became a loyal supporter of Jiang Chen, so he couldn't bear to see any ministers disobey the imperial will.

　　"His Majesty is wise and talented, a rare and enlightened ruler. With him ruling the Great Wei, a mere Mei family can't cause any trouble!"

　　"Moreover, hesitation breeds chaos."

　　"A treacherous official like Mei Wenshi causes great losses to the Great Wei for every day he exists. The most important thing to do now is to cleanse the court, so as not to drag it on for too long and cause this treacherous official to be cornered and risk everything!"

　　Across from him, Yuan Buyi, who was always gentle and refined, nodded and stroked his beard, saying, "That's right, that's what I mean too!"

　　As he spoke, he pointed to the booklet beside him and said in a deep voice, "The documents given by His Majesty clearly list the crimes of the Mei family. This Noble Consort Mei is not only involved with assassins, but even her entry into the palace had ulterior motives!"

　　"This woman must not be spared! The Mei family behind her must also be thoroughly eradicated!"

　　The Prime Minister frowned upon hearing this, and after pondering for a moment, said, "That's true, but the evidence in His Majesty's hands is only aimed at Noble Consort Mei. It will be difficult to use this to bring down the Mei family!"

　　"Moreover, the Mei family holds great power in the court, and the evidence in His Majesty's hands is not sufficient. If Noble Consort Mei is determined to quibble, it will be difficult to convict her, let alone use this to bring down the Mei family."

　　After speaking, the Prime Minister hesitated for a moment and added, "What's even more棘手 is that the Mei clan is a noble family with many years of heritage, and they have intermarried with many high-ranking families in the Great Wei. These people will never sit idly by and watch the Mei family collapse. If Your Majesty takes action, they will definitely cause some trouble."

　t was mentioned, the hall fell silent again.

　　The ministers who were originally excited all began to be silent.

　　Noble families were not just one family or one surname, but a collective term for local forces. They were entrenched throughout the Great Wei, and were local snakes in various states and prefectures.

　　Even if they were central ministers with high positions and great power, they still had to respect the opinions of the local areas. If the relationship became too strained, it was feared that the decrees issued in the future would be difficult to leave the Imperial Capital.

　　Just when everyone in the hall was in trouble.

　　Jiang Chen, at the head of the hall, showed a dismissive smile and comforted, "My beloved ministers, there is no need to worry. I didn't say that I would take the initiative to deal with the Mei family."

　　As soon as he finished speaking, everyone looked at each other, somewhat puzzled.

　　The Prime Minister, who was closest to Jiang Chen, seemed to have realized something. He paused with his hand stroking his beard and tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, do you mean?"

　　Jiang Chen said lightly, "I summoned you here today just to plan ahead, so that you can be prepared to avoid the worst-case scenario."

　　Hearing this, Xu Changqing was the first to stand up and express his position, shouting loudly, "Your Majesty, I am willing to be at your disposal, even if it means dying a thousand deaths!"

　　"Your Majesty, generals have treasured swords, and I have a pen like a knife! I am willing to dedicate everything to you!" Song Xun's official robe was straight, his back was straight, and his upright face was full of solemnity.

　　"Your Majesty, I am also willing to die for you…"

　　The people in the hall expressed their opinions one after another.

　　Jiang Chen didn't care whether they were sincere or not, he just wanted an attitude.

　　Even if loyalty was feigned, being able to pretend for a lifetime was being a loyal minister.

　　Looking at the civil and military officials who were obediently standing before him, Jiang Chen smiled and nodded, "Very good."

　　"Xu Changqing, you are in charge of the four camps. Find out those with impure intentions, and then put the entire army on alert!"

　　"Meng Qi, you are the director of the Fifth City Military Department. The martial law inside the Imperial Capital must be tightened, focusing on monitoring the Mei Wenshi family!"

　　"Yuan Buyi, you continue to collect evidence of the Mei family's corruption. I will give you the power to act expediently, and if necessary, you can use extraordinary means…"

　　"…"

　　Jiang Chen issued dozens of oral decrees in one breath.

　　He had considered almost every aspect, and his calculations were flawless.

　　At the same time, the news that Noble Consort Mei, who was favored by the six palaces and came from a noble background, was abolished by the emperor quickly spread, stirring up the situation in the Imperial Capital!

　　Ministry of Revenue, Shangshu Mansion.

　　In the elegant and spacious study, an angry roar cut through the quiet air.

　　"Father, we can't wait any longer!"

　　"This dog emperor is clearly revealing his true colors and wants to take action against our Mei family!"

　　"If he dares to target my sister today, he can target you and me tomorrow. If we don't show this dog emperor some power, he will probably think that our Mei family is an easy target and can be manipulated by him!"

　　Deep in the study, Mei Wenshi was sitting behind the desk, with a cup of clear tea in his hand.

　　He sipped the tea, his experienced eyes looked out the window, his expression changing uncertainly, without giving Mei Kang, who was screaming frantically, a single glance.

　　This attitude of ignoring him was like a bucket of ice water pouring over his head, calming Mei Kang down a little.

　　After a moment, he said unwillingly, "Father, you should say something! What should we do?"

　　Mei Wenshi was thinking about countermeasures, but he couldn't get peace and quiet in his ears, and he was very irritable.

　　He slammed the cup heavily on the table and said coldly, "You had so many ideas just now, why are you asking me now?"

　　Mei Kang heard this and thought that his idea had been approved, and immediately rejoiced:

　　"Father, do you also think I'm right!"

　　"If you ask me, we should just rebel! This dog emperor dares to do the first day of the lunar month, we'll do the fifteenth!"

　　"There are still people from us in the four camps of the Imperial Capital, we can contact them in advance to create chaos. That guy Xu Changqing will definitely not be able to control it in time!"

　　"After that, we will attack the palace from the inside and outside, directly cut off the emperor's dog head, and support Jiang Zuo Wang to take the throne! At that time, our Mei family will be meritorious ministers, and we will definitely be more prosperous than now!"