After the morning court, the officials, who should have been fearful of the capabilities of the Imperial Guards and thus avoided private meetings, could no longer afford to be cautious.
That night, a secret meeting was arranged at the Chunxiao Tower.
The drugged courtesans were casually discarded. While subordinates, both male and female, created sounds of moaning and shouting in the outer room, a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage set up a soundproof barrier in the inner chamber and maintained it.
Present at this gathering were the Ministers of Personnel, War, and Justice, along with their respective Vice-Ministers, the Commander of the Five Garrisons, the second sons of Prince Jing and Duke Chengguo, and the second son of Duke Wuguo.
"My lords, remaining silent is not a solution. Why don't we discuss what we should do now?"
After a long silence, the second son of Duke Wuguo finally broke the quiet.
"No way."
"No solution."
"Just pay the taxes obediently."
Each of the three Ministers of Personnel, War, and Justice spoke with a tone of utter helplessness.
"How can this be?"
The second son of Duke Chengguo exclaimed in disbelief.
"Alas, the Emperor's determination to reform is unprecedented! This is not like the usual bluster with little action. He is truly beginning the reforms. Didn't you see the Emperor himself leading the way in paying taxes? If His Majesty is like this, what can we, his subjects, do?"
The Minister of War sighed, picked up the wine pot, and drank directly from it.
"..."
Indeed, if His Majesty was leading by example, there was truly nothing they could do to stop it. However, having their hidden farmlands thoroughly investigated and paying commercial taxes was excruciatingly painful.
As the saying goes, hindering someone's wealth is like killing their parents; this was a deep enmity that could never be compromised.
The second son of Prince Jing gritted his teeth, hardened his heart, and said, "Why don't we band together and, while the bandit Chu is away, gather tens of thousands of troops to kill him?"
"Ha? Kill Chu Chen? He is a Qi Transformation realm expert! His martial arts cultivation is like that of an immortal. You probably don't know what he did in Lianshan County. He grew wings and soared through the sky. Can the other four Qi Transformation realm experts achieve such divine abilities?"
"Let's not talk about anything else. Just the fact that he can fly makes it impossible for tens of thousands of troops to kill him."
The Minister of Personnel scoffed, deeply doubting this man's qualifications to represent Prince Jing at this meeting, as he was clearly brainless.
"Regardless of anything else, Chu Chen must be killed. Otherwise, who would willingly have their land surveyed and pay taxes under these reforms? I, for one, am not willing."
The second son of Prince Jing grumbled unhappily.
"My lord Marquis, you are unwilling, and we all present are unwilling. But what can we do if we are unwilling? Can an arm twist a thigh?"
The Minister of War sighed, covering his face as he spoke.
Silence fell again.
They could not resist the new policies, nor could they kill Chu Chen, the source of the problem. As for feigning compliance while secretly disobeying, it was uncertain if they could deceive the Imperial Guards. They were truly at a loss.
During this time, they discussed for a while longer, proposing several ideas, but none of them were truly viable.
After a full stick of incense, their discussions yielded nothing.
Just as the three Ministers were about to leave and obediently pay their taxes.
The second son of Duke Chengguo suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "Everyone, I have one more idea, but I don't know if you all dare to do it."
"Oh? What idea? Let's hear it. As long as it's effective, what is there to fear?"
Although the others held little hope, they sat down again, listening expectantly.
"The source of the reforms, Chu Chen, is too powerful to kill. But don't we have another target to strike? As long as no one supports Chu Chen, can't the problem be solved? For example, what if His Majesty opposes the reforms?"
The second son of Duke Chengguo said sinisterly.
"His Majesty is already like that, how could... Wait, my God, you're not thinking of...?"
Minister of Justice Wang Zhe was utterly shocked, horrified by the speculation that crossed his mind.
The others also realized what was happening and stared at him in astonishment.
"What? You don't dare? Think about the previous Emperor and the current Emperor. Who had an easier life? No matter who sits on that throne, they are still sitting there, aren't they? Moreover, the current Emperor's path is not exactly righteous!"
"Since she acted that way before, why can't someone else do the same?"
The second son of Duke Chengguo stated it directly, his face full of ruthlessness.
"This, this, the implications are too great. We must go back and think carefully."
The others were deeply shocked and found it difficult to make a decision.
But it had to be said, this was indeed a way.
Chu Chen, with his Qi Transformation realm martial arts cultivation, could not be killed. As for the current Emperor, during past wars, her displayed strength was only at the Ancient Martial realm. With the spiritual energy resurgence, she would likely be at the Body Refining or early Foundation Establishment stage now.
While her strength was considerable, she did not possess the ability to fly like Chu Chen, and thus could not be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. As long as there was a possibility of killing her, she would certainly be killed.
"Since you are all tempted, please make a swift decision when you return. If you are interested, you can send someone secretly to the broken temple twenty miles south of the city. There you will find contact information."
With that, the second son of Duke Chengguo stood up and left.
The remaining individuals, having firmly imprinted this matter in their hearts, also departed one by one.
As they left, none of them knew that next to their room, an iron bucket was attached to the wall. Inside their room, within a pot of evergreen plants, another small iron bucket was hidden. A taut iron wire connected the two.
The secret plotting of the three Ministers was soon recorded in a report by the Imperial Guards and submitted to Chu Chen.
Chu Chen glanced at it briefly, burned the intelligence, and sneered, "These scoundrels, do they really think there are no Imperial Guards at the Chunxiao Tower? Do they think that with so many people and the noise, the Imperial Guards can't hear what they're saying? Ridiculous!"
A simple listening device, without any spiritual energy fluctuations, allowed them to clearly hear the conversation from within the inner chamber, where only a soundproof barrier was placed in front of the door. It was laughable that they thought they were so clever to evade the Imperial Guards' investigation.
"I have been guarding against these guys for a long time. All officials, whether civil or military, dukes or princes, even princesses, are under the surveillance of my Imperial Guards whenever they go out!"
"They are followed even when they go out during the day, let alone sneaking around at night."
Chu Chen curled his lips dismissively and then ordered, "Instruct the Imperial Guards to cooperate with the Dark Department and strictly monitor the two enfeoffed princesses. This includes investigating their income, personnel increases, grain and fodder movements, and social interactions within their princess mansions. I must know everything!"
"I will dispatch at least a thousand Imperial Guards and thirty members of the Dark Department to assist."
"Understood!" The Dark Department messenger nodded in reply, then left Chu Chen's room and disappeared.
"Assassinating His Majesty is the first path, rebellion is the second. Let me see your capabilities!"
"Just right, let these fools test the true strength of His Majesty for me, and see if she truly possesses a higher martial arts cultivation than I!"