LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 1439 Chaos in the Court
Wei Wenyuan also knew that everyone was waiting for his attitude. After hesitating for a moment, he was the first to step out of the line under everyone's gaze and bowed to Luo Fengtian.
"Your Majesty, I think this is inappropriate."
"Oh? Lord Wei, do you have a new reason?"
Luo Fengtian narrowed his eyes and asked back with a smile.
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the entire hall froze, and all eyes were once again focused on Wei Wenyuan, waiting for his next words.
Wei Wenyuan took a deep breath and said in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, the eight great families are certainly guilty of their crimes, but they are too far-reaching. If we execute them lightly, it will probably cause a stir in the court and the country, and may even lead to unnecessary unrest."
"I think this should be handled with caution, and perhaps this problem can be gradually resolved by reducing its power and weakening its influence."
When Luo Fengtian heard this, he could not help but snort coldly. He leaned on the throne with one hand and stared at Wei Wenyuan. The old minister, who was already in his twilight years, was so frightened that his hair stood on end and cold sweat ran down his body.
"Lord Wei, do you know how many resources of the Great Xuantian the eight great families control now, and how wide their sphere of influence is?"
"this......"
When Wei Wenyuan heard this, he was speechless.
Seeing this, a hint of sneer flashed across Luo Fengtian's face. He then took out a jade slip and threw it in front of Wei Wenyuan.
"I answer on behalf of Wei Aiqing. In the Great Xuantian alone, the eight major families directly or indirectly occupy more than 60% of the market, half of the auction houses, more than 70% of the loose cultivator alliances, and 30% of the cultivator troops!"
"In addition to Daxuantian, the eight major families each used the name of Daxuantian to seize more than 30% of the interests of Tianchen Realm!"
"If we really take it step by step as Wei Aiqing said, then how long will these termites protected by the eight great families continue to cause trouble to the Great Xuantian?"
When Luo Fengtian finished speaking, his tone suddenly rose, and his voice was rolling and shocking.
When the court officials in the hall heard this, they were all silent and dared not breathe.
Even Wei Wenyuan, who was always mature and prudent, looked at the man with his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, not daring to look up.
However, Luo Fengtian would not give this veteran minister of three dynasties a chance to stay out of the matter. When they had a chance to catch their breath, his eyes were as sharp as a knife as he scanned the ministers again.
"I summoned you today not to listen to your complaints, but to ask you to come up with solutions."
There was unquestionable determination in Luo Fengtian's voice.
"If no one can give a reasonable suggestion, then I will take it upon myself to come up with a solution."
"When the time comes, don't accuse me of abusing my power and acting arbitrarily!"
The atmosphere in the hall became heavier, and anxiety and uneasiness were revealed on the faces of every minister.
Everyone understood that if they couldn't give Luo Fengtian a reasonable reason to save the Eight Pillars today, this matter would never be resolved.
"Your Majesty, if you insist on doing this, then this old minister has nothing to say."
When everyone was silent, Wei Wenyuan took a step back and spoke as if he had agreed to Luo Fengtian's request.
"But Your Majesty must be prepared in advance for the shock this move will cause."
As if they had heard the clarion call of attack, all the ministers immediately echoed Wei Wenyuan's words.
"Prime Minister Wei is right. We must not make a hasty decision on this matter."
"I agree. The Eight Pillars are royal relatives after all. If Your Majesty handles them rashly, it will probably cause criticism!"
Many important officials from the six ministries, officials from various parts of Daxuantian, and even the Censorate that supervises all officials expressed their support for Wei Wenyuan's opinion.
There was a lot of noise in the hall. Luo Fengtian had a gloomy face, but he did not get angry. He waited silently for everyone to express their opinions.
When someone noticed that Luo Fengtian's behavior was abnormal, they gradually stopped talking and waited to see what would happen.
"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, you might as well ask the eight great families to compensate for all the resources they have plundered over the years, and temporarily imprison them and assign people to monitor them."
"It's not too late to punish him when the time is right."
Finally, a court official spoke tremblingly. Although he did not explain anything, the meaning of his words was obvious.
Hearing this, Luo Fengtian snorted coldly, glanced at him with disdain, and sneered.
"Are you done?"
After being shouted at by him, the court official who had just spoken hurriedly bowed his head and said yes, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.
"Do you think I don't know what you are thinking?"
Luo Fengtian laughed in anger, suddenly slapped the armrest, and stood up from the dragon throne.
"Are you afraid of a counterattack from the eight major families, or are you afraid that your secret collusion with them will be exposed? "
He pointed at the ministers in the hall and said angrily.
"I tell you, there is no turning back for what happened today."
"Either stand by me and jointly eradicate these pests from the country; or, wait to be judged together with them."
Luo Fengtian suddenly brought to the table something that everyone knew tacitly, which immediately made the court officials in the hall panic.
They never expected that Luo Fengtian would be so resolute and not care at all about the influence and reputation of the eight major families among the people!
"Your Majesty, calm down!"
Wei Wenyuan refused to give up and quickly stepped out to dissuade them.
"This matter involves a lot of people, Your Majesty, please think twice!"
As he spoke, he winked at the ministers beside him.
Those people all had close ties with the eight great families. When they saw Wei Wenyuan's look, they immediately understood what he meant and stood up one after another.
"Your Majesty, please don't act on impulse!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, if you insist on doing it, I'm afraid it will cause public outrage!"
"Your Majesty, please think twice!"
Although the voices of these people were not loud, they were like the last straw that broke the camel's back, completely igniting the anger in Luo Fengtian's heart.
He slapped out with his palm fiercely, directly shattering the protective magic weapon worn by Wei Wenyuan, and then shouted angrily.
"presumptuous!"
"Okay! I'm going to make this clear today. Either I really become a tyrant despised by everyone, or I'm going to execute all the members of the eight great families!"
"If you want to save their lives, you can use those thieves in your tribe to pay off the debt!"
Luo Fengtian's words were loud and clear, full of determination and coldness.
What he said immediately caused a commotion among the ministers, and they all looked embarrassed.
"Lord Wei, how about this idea? What do you think?"
Luo Fengtian looked at Wei Wenyuan, with a strange arc at the corner of his mouth.
"For example, the deeds done by Wei Tianyang, the great-grandson of Wei Aiqing, over the years are enough to replace any member of the eight great families."
Upon hearing this, Wei Wenyuan's face turned extremely pale instantly, and his body trembled slightly. He was obviously shocked by Luo Fengtian's words.
He opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but found that he couldn't refute it at all.
Luo Fengtian's eyes were as cold as a knife. He looked around at every minister in the hall. Everyone whose eyes passed by lowered their heads involuntarily, not daring to look him in the eye.
"Why, my dear ministers, do you have nothing to say?"
There was a hint of sarcasm in Luo Fengtian's voice.
"Are you afraid that after I have dealt with the eight great families, I will not only purge all those among you who are related to the eight great families, but will also turn my attention to your clansmen?"
Luo Fengtian walked step by step towards Wei Wenyuan who was standing in the center of the hall. It seemed that he was interrogating the prime minister, but in fact he was warning everyone present who had ulterior motives.
"Lord Wei, please answer me, are you willing to accept my request?"
The pressure from the Mahayana monks swept across the entire hall.
Under this tremendous pressure, those who had originally hoped for a lucky break suddenly felt their legs go weak and almost fell to the ground.
Wei Wenyuan's face became increasingly ugly. He knew that today's matter had come to a point of life and death.
He took a deep breath, tried to calm the turbulent waves in his heart, and spoke slowly.
"Your Majesty, I think..."
However, just as he finished his words, a golden light suddenly flew out from Wei Wenyuan's sleeve. It was a talisman with flashing spiritual light, which burned rapidly in the air and turned into a light shield, imprisoning Luo Fengtian inside.
There was an uproar in the hall. No one expected that Wei Wenyuan would dare to attack the Immortal Emperor in the court.
Luo Fengtian was also shocked. He didn't expect Wei Wenyuan to be so courageous, and he didn't expect that Wei Wenyuan had a treasure in his hand that could temporarily imprison a Mahayana cultivator.
"Everyone, there is no turning back from today's matter."
After trapping Luo Fengtian, Wei Wenyuan changed his usual timid and submissive appearance, and his voice suddenly became extremely cold.
"His Majesty is determined to wipe out the eight major families. If we don't resist, we will sooner or later become the target of his purge."
His eyes swept over every minister present. Those court officials who had close ties with the eight major families were already in turmoil at this moment.
They knew that Wei Wenyuan's words were not alarmist. Luo Fengtian had made up his mind. If they did not resist today, given their private collusion with the eight major families over the years, he would sooner or later follow in the footsteps of the eight major families.
"Wei Wenyuan, are you planning a rebellion?"
Luo Fengtian's voice came from the light shield. Although he was imprisoned, there seemed to be no panic in his voice.
"Your Majesty, you have been blinded by hatred. We cannot bear to see the Great Xuantian fall into your hands, so we have no choice but to resort to this last resort."
Wei Wenyuan spoke high-sounding words, as if he was trying to excuse himself.
"However, I appreciate your Majesty's hard work for Daxuantian over the years. I hope your Majesty is willing to abdicate and pass the throne of the Immortal Emperor to the Third Prince to appease the people of the world!"
After Wei Wenyuan finished speaking, he knelt down respectfully to Luo Fengtian, behaving like a loyal and courageous man.
"Hahaha!"
"Wei Wenyuan, I didn't expect you, an old turtle, to have been hiding for so long. It turns out you support the Third Prince."
Luo Fengtian's laughter quickly died away, replaced by a bone-chilling chill.
"Since you are stubborn and refuse to change your ways, don't blame me for being ruthless."