Chương 546: I'm warning you, don't be naughty.

"Your Majesty, we are willing to protect you!" Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Qin Qiong and other generals stepped forward in unison, their voices resounding throughout the hall.

Liu Ce looked around at everyone and said loudly:

"I know this will harm the interests of many people. But I tell you, the world of the Han Dynasty belongs to all the people, not to your powerful clans!"

The court establishes officials to govern the people, not to support parasites like you! Those who are idle and do nothing, get out of here!

"What I am about to do is inevitable. Anyone who dares to obstruct the new policies will be dismissed from their post, investigated, and never employed again! Those with serious offenses will be exiled to the frontier! I want to see whether your necks are harder than my blade!"

No one in the entire court dared to utter a single word of dissent.

...

The two imperial edicts spread throughout the land at the fastest speed.

When the princes of the imperial clan heard the news, they cried and wailed as if their own mothers had died.

Some smashed things, some cursed, and some cried while hugging their ancestors' tablets.

But no one dared to actually resist.

They knew perfectly well that if Liu Ce could wipe out powerful aristocratic families with large armies, dealing with unarmed princes like them would be a piece of cake.

Going against Liu Ce is tantamount to suicide.

The first to respond was Liu Chong, the Prince of Chen.

Liu Chong was one of the few sensible people in the imperial clan; he was intelligent and insightful.

The day after receiving the imperial edict, he took the initiative to send the seal of the Prince of Chen and the map of his fiefdom to Luoyang, and also wrote a letter expressing his willingness to be the first to move to Luoyang.

In his memorial, he wrote: "Your subject Liu Chong, as a member of the Han imperial family, has received great favors from the state and should set an example by responding to the court's new policies. Your subject is willing to offer up his fiefdom and move to Luoyang to set an example for all members of the imperial family."

Liu Ce was overjoyed and issued a special decree to commend Liu Chong, retaining his title of Prince of Chen, doubling his salary, and allocating him the largest mansion in the Imperial Clan City, in the best location, closest to the palace.

With Liu Chong taking the lead, the other princes followed suit.

When a wall falls, everyone pushes it down; nobody wants to be the first to stick their neck out.

Although Liu Zhi, the Prince of Donghai, was reluctant to part with his fiefdom and his eyes were filled with tears, he dared not disobey the imperial edict.

He dawdled as he packed his things and headed to Luoyang with his entire family, bringing dozens of cartloads of luggage.

Liu He, the Prince of Pengcheng, also took his entire family and dozens of cartloads of his property and went to Luoyang in a grand procession.

Only Liu Shuo, the Prince of Pingyuan, relied on being the younger brother of Emperor Huan of Han and his noble status. He was used to being arrogant and did not take the imperial edict seriously at all.

"You want me to hand over my fiefdom? You want me to move to Luoyang? Dream on!" Liu Shuo, clutching a wine jar and completely drunk, shouted at the messenger who had come to deliver the imperial decree.

"I am Emperor Huan's own brother! What can Liu Ce do to me? If he dares to lay a hand on me, everyone in the world will condemn him for being unfilial! How can he maintain his position within the imperial clan?"

Upon learning this, Lu Bing sneered and dispatched a commander of the Imperial Guards, along with fifty Imperial Guards and three hundred soldiers, straight to Pingyuan Kingdom.

That day, Liu Shuo was drunk in the palace, with two singing girls in his arms, listening to music and eating grapes. He was very carefree and happy.

Suddenly, with a loud bang, the gate of the Prince's mansion was kicked open.

The door flew a long way and crashed to the ground with a loud bang.

The commander of the Imperial Guards led his men and stormed into the main hall, their blades flashing.

"Your Highness, the Prince of Pingyuan!" the commander said coldly.

Liu Shuo, his eyes blurry with drunkenness, raised his head and let out a burp: "Get out! I'm drinking, who let you in? Guards, throw these people out!"

The commander didn't waste any words with him, looking down at him condescendingly:

"Have you read His Majesty's decree? Give me a result."

Should we hand over our fiefdoms? Should we move to Luoyang?

Furthermore, in the Han Dynasty and in the Pingyuan Kingdom, your word is not enough; His Majesty's word is.

I'm warning you, don't be naughty. Naughty people never end well.

"I won't hand it over! I won't move it!" Liu Shuo shouted, smashing his wine glass on the ground, shattering it into pieces.

"Who do you think you are? How dare you lecture me! I am Emperor Huan's own brother! When I get to Luoyang, I will definitely report you to His Majesty and have your head chopped off! I will also bring misfortune upon your whole family!"

Qianhu laughed, a particularly chilling laugh that sent a shiver down Liu Shuo's spine.

"Sue me? Sure. But the condition is that you have to make it to Luoyang alive. If you 'accidentally' fall off your horse or 'accidentally' fall into the river on the way, then don't blame me."

Liu Shuo instantly sobered up halfway and shuddered in fright:

"What... what do you want? I am Emperor Huan's own brother! How dare you touch me? What crime have I committed? I haven't broken the law! You can't just arrest people randomly!"

"What did I do to you?" The commander pulled out his waist badge, waved it, and saw that it was golden and had the three large characters "Jinyiwei" engraved on it.

"I am a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, acting on His Majesty's orders. His Majesty has said that anyone who dares to disobey will be executed without exception."

Furthermore, since you're not providing any results, I can say that you've committed a crime, and that's it. I have the right to deal with you.

"I'm accusing you of possessing weapons and plotting rebellion, and that's it. Do you believe I can chop up your entire family right now and report to His Majesty that you committed suicide out of guilt? Who will you complain to in the underworld?"

Liu Shuo was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he trembled all over. The wine jar in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter" and shattered into pieces.

His legs gave way, and he slid off the chair and collapsed to the ground.

"No... don't kill me! I'll surrender! I'll surrender my fiefdom! I'll move to Luoyang! I'll pack my things right now!"

"I'll obey! I'll obey! Please don't kill me! Don't kill my whole family!"

The commander scoffed, "Why didn't you just say this earlier? Why insist on taking the hard way? I'll give you one day to pack your things. Tomorrow morning, you're coming back to Luoyang with us. If you dare to try anything funny, you'll face the consequences. My men will 'take good care' of you."

"Yes, yes, yes! I will definitely listen! I will definitely listen!" Liu Shuo nodded repeatedly.

The next morning, Liu Shuo led his entire family and followed the Imperial Guards to Luoyang in a sorry state, not daring to look back.

In less than three months, all the princes of the imperial clan obediently moved to the Imperial Clan City south of Luoyang.

The royal city is filled with pavilions and towers, gardens, ponds, rockeries and streams, and the environment is even better than their original royal palace.

Although they lost their fiefdoms and power, they still received generous stipends and lived a life free from worries about food and clothing.

He spends his days drinking tea, playing chess, and walking his birds, just like a retired senior official.

Liu Ce also employed members of the imperial clan who were law-abiding and had genuine talent.

For example, Liu Chong was appointed as an official of the Imperial Clan Court to assist Liu Yu in managing the affairs of the imperial clan...

A few others who were literate were assigned to the Ministry of Rites and the Hanlin Academy to do clerical work.

Those who only know how to eat, drink, and have fun all day long continue to loaf around and wait to die in the royal city.

...

The work of streamlining the organization has progressed exceptionally smoothly.

Under the leadership of Xun Yu, Fang Xuanling, and Du Ruhui, the court acted swiftly and decisively.

They held the roster and checked each person's information carefully, clearly knowing who was doing what, who could do what, and who couldn't do anything.