Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne Chapter 1098 - 131: Stripped of Title

Verification has confirmed the actions of Duke Zhen, Duke Anyang, and Marquis Xuanping in assembling private armies and crafting weapons within Annan. Given that they refrained from shipping these troops and arms back to Great Zhou, the Emperor spared them the charge of treason. Still, escape from execution doesn't mean dodging harsh living penalties.

Everyone linked to forming private armies and producing weapons in Annan faced demotion to commoner status. Duke Zhen and Marquis Xuanping shouldered full blame, insisting Prince Jing and Prince Dai remained oblivious, thus shielding the princes from any fallout.

A number of mighty clans plummeted to commoner ranks in a single night, sparking massive shock across the capital. The surviving noble houses and aristocrats trembled at the Emperor's icy, merciless strike, dreading they could be targeted next.

Luckily, with these houses fallen, stability returned to the court, and the Emperor halted further disruptions, letting other noble families breathe easier. They had dreaded he might seize the chance to wipe out every aristocratic lineage in the capital.

The Duke Anyang Mansion had foreseen such a fate long ago and bore the penalty with composure. Despite forfeiting the Duke rank, the Wang Family endures strong. As long as the Wangs persist, chances for revival abound.

Folks from Duke Zhen Country Mansion struggled to swallow the loss of their Duke status. To the Xie Family, their past aid was crucial; without it, the Zhao clan could never have seized Great Zhou's domain. They felt the Zhao empire owed them fully half.

By stripping the Xie family of their Duke title now, the Emperor appears to discard a key ally, ignoring past debts and loyalties.

During the prior dynasty, the Xie family dominated the noble elite with vast authority and sway. Even in their darkest hours, they clung to a Marquis rank. Yet today, stripped of all honors, they've sunk to commoners—a shocking first they can't stomach.

The Emperor slew the old Duke and his son before, and now seizes the Xie family's Duke title. Will he next eradicate the whole Xie lineage?

Lately, Xie Shi wrestled with distress as family members swarmed him with complaints and woes, even branding the Emperor ungrateful. Such talk chilled him to the bone.

Left with no recourse, he sought solace from Prince Jing.

"Uncle, do you share those folks' view that the Zhao family couldn't have claimed the realm without the Xie family’s aid?" Prince Jing fiddled with his teacup, face carrying a touch of detachment. "Do you believe half of Great Zhou’s territory rightfully belongs to the Xie family?"

Xie Shi shook his head vigorously and waved his hands: "I dare not entertain such thoughts; I've never held them." In battles or court schemes, Xie Shi lacked sharp wits. But he possessed one strength: never arrogance. He never imagined the Xie family deserved to split the realm with the Zhao clan.

Prince Jing cast a profound look at his hesitant, somewhat dim uncle, then lips curved into a faint smile: "Who would've thought uncle stands clearest-headed among the Xie family."

Praised by Prince Jing, Xie Shi grinned awkwardly: "I might not match father, brother, or sister's cleverness, but some truths I grasp plainly. Father and the rest believed Zhao’s domain should half-belong to the Xie family—that's what provoked the Emperor, dooming them..." Here, Xie Shi trailed off with a deep sigh.

Prince Jing was caught off guard by these words; he'd never figured his uncle—whom mother called slow—could perceive so keenly.

Noticing Prince Jing’s stunned look, Xie Shi offered a mild smile: "You never thought I'd see it so clearly, right?"

Prince Jing gave a slight nod: "I didn't."

"Maybe my foolishness lets me see straight." From youth, he'd known he trailed his brothers in brains, and father dismissed him, granting views his father and kin missed. "We Xie family chased alliance with the Zhao family back then, not them pleading for our aid. The Zhao clan could seize the realm sans Xie help." Lacking Xie grains, arms, or troops changed nothing for Zhao; countless others yearned to ally—Wang Family, Xun Family would step in.

"Uncle, you're the sole clear-sighted one in the Xie family!" Even his mother thought grandfather and father needed Xie aid to claim the realm.