We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Chapter 848 Handing over assets is the only way to survive

A person's name, the shadow of a tree.

The Xue family had long been familiar with Li Che's ruthless treatment of the aristocratic families.

Now that Luoyang City has been broken and this evil star has come to their door in person, the Xue family has been scared out of their wits, how dare they be negligent?

"I, the criminal Xue Chang, lead my entire clan, young and old, to pay my respects to Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"

The head of the Xue family is named Xue Chang. He is now over sixty years old and is very old.

His voice was obviously trembling, his forehead was pressed against the ground, and he looked pitiful.

Li Che sat upright on his horse, his eyes indifferently sweeping over the crowd of people kneeling on the ground in front of him.

He did not ask them to stand up immediately, but just gently kicked his horse's belly, and accompanied by his personal guards, he walked straight through the kneeling crowd and stepped into the extremely imposing gate of the Xue Mansion.

After entering the gate, Li Che spoke: "Mr. Xue, please stand up. Kneeling and bowing is not a custom in Fengguo. You are old, and I cannot bear it."

Hearing the unkindness in Li Che's words, Xue Chang's heart sank.

He gritted his teeth, got up awkwardly, and without caring about etiquette, trotted to catch up with Li Che.

As for the rest of the Xue family, they were still kneeling there in fear, not daring to move.

Once you enter the mansion, you will find a completely different world.

Pavilions, towers, carved beams and painted buildings, exotic flowers and plants, rockery and flowing water...

It is equipped with all necessary decorations, and its exquisiteness and luxury far exceed those of ordinary government offices.

Li Che strolled along the corridor, admiring the rich and prosperous scene in the world, with a hint of sneer on the corner of his mouth.

Seeing that Li Che didn't say anything, Xue Chang didn't dare to speak rashly. He could only follow Li Che from a distance, terrified.

Li Che suddenly stopped and pointed to a rockery built with Taihu stones not far away, and said to Xue Chang who was following closely behind him:

"Master Xue, the pavilions, towers, rockery and gardens in your mansion must have cost tens of thousands of gold, right?"

"Tsk tsk tsk... Such extravagance, surely it must have taken a lot of the people's money?"

Xue Chang was so frightened that he trembled all over and almost collapsed to the ground. He quickly bowed and defended himself, "Your Majesty, please understand. Most of the things in this mansion were accumulated by my ancestors over the generations. Although I have added some, I would never dare to exploit the people wantonly!"

"Oh? Ancestors' wealth?" Li Che raised his eyebrows and looked at him sharply. "I would like to ask, what position does Patriarch Xue hold that dares to call himself 'minister' in front of me?"

Xue Chang's scalp tingled, and he gritted his teeth and replied, "Your Majesty, I, a criminal, have been granted the honorary position of councilor in Luoyang Prefecture by the imperial court..."

Xue Chang did not dare to elaborate on how he got this official position.

It's nothing more than spending some money to bribe your superiors and change to a more convenient identity.

Li Che was naturally aware of the trick, but he did not delve into the matter further.

Things like buying and selling official positions are at most trivial crimes among the aristocratic families.

He just snorted coldly and suddenly changed the subject:

"Then your Xue family assisted the false emperor and the rebels, provided them with food and fodder, and fought against the imperial army. This can't be false, right?"

"You know, this is a serious crime that will lead to the confiscation of property and extermination of the entire clan!"

Hearing Li Che's words, Xue Chang could no longer hold on and fell to his knees with a thud: "Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me!"

"At that time... at that time, Dugu Hong was very powerful, and the pseudo-emperor of the capital issued edicts many times to force us. The knife was placed on our necks, and my Xue family was forced to do nothing!"

"I only beg Your Majesty to show mercy and spare the Xue family this time!"

While crying and begging for mercy, he took out a piece of paper from his arms tremblingly - it was the leaflet that the Fengtian Army had dropped into the city.

"Your Majesty! Look! This...this decree has been kept safe by this criminal, and I dare not disobey it!"

Xue Chang held the leaflet high above his head, as if holding a precious amulet.

Li Che looked at the flyer and suddenly smiled: "Well, I accept this list. My words are golden, and my words are bound by law."

Xue Chang breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this.

But Li Che continued to speak slowly: "This list can save your Xue family from the death penalty of 'aiding rebellion', but——"

He dragged out his tone, his eyes as cold as a knife: "Is this the only crime your Xue family is guilty of?"

Xue Chang's heart instantly rose to his throat again, and he looked up in fear: "Your Majesty... What does Your Majesty mean?"

"They levied heavy taxes and oppressed the people! They sold official positions and titles to curry favor with the powerful! They seized land through trickery and confiscated it! They allowed their servants to commit murder and take human lives!"

"Each of these things deserves the death penalty!!"

"Can this piece of paper in your hand save you from death? Can it save your Xue family from nine, ten, or even hundreds or thousands of death sentences?!"

Xue Chang certainly knew that the dirty things his family had done over the years would not stand up to scrutiny.

Or in other words, which noble family has not done these things?

The death penalty that Li Che mentioned was nothing more than the daily life of the aristocratic families.

Now that Li Che had revealed all the secrets to Xue Chang in front of him, he felt dizzy and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" Xue Chang burst into tears, his forehead bloodied and bruised. "I, a sinner, know my faults. I beg Your Majesty to show the Xue family a way out. The Xue family is willing to give everything to atone for our sins!"

Li Che was silent for a moment, then he slowly spoke, his tone seemed to be a little softer:

"Well, considering that you still have a remorseful heart, I will give your Xue family a chance."

After hearing Li Che's words, Xue Chang raised his head and looked at Li Che with hope in his eyes:

"If you want to avoid death, it's very simple." Li Che said calmly, "Xue family, just hand over all your 'assets'."

Xue Chang was stunned, not quite understanding: "Assets? Your Majesty means..."

"Farmland, shops, workshops, mines, fleets...all businesses that can generate interest and profit are considered assets," Li Che explained. "All these land deeds, house deeds, and stock deeds should be submitted to the court and deposited into the national treasury."

"As for the gold, silver, valuables, stored food, and this mansion your Xue family currently possesses, I will only confiscate those that were clearly obtained through robbery, corruption, or bribery."

"The remaining portion can be left for you to sustain your livelihood."

Xue Chang's eyes widened and the color drained from his face.

His lips trembled and he almost fainted.

This... this is even more cruel than directly confiscating the family's property. This is going to make the Xue family live a life worse than death!

This condition seems to leave room for maneuver, but in fact it is equivalent to hollowing out the foundation accumulated by several generations of the Xue family.

Without land and shops, the Xue family will be destitute. Even if they can save their lives, they will fall into poverty and become no different from ordinary wealthy families. It will be difficult for them to make a comeback!

"Your Majesty! This... this..."

He wanted to argue, wanted to beg, but Li Che had already turned around and no longer looked at him.

"I'll give you three days to think about it." Li Che said the last words, "If you don't voluntarily hand it over after three days, I will act according to the law and punish you for multiple crimes!"

"Don't blame me for not warning you when the time comes!"

After saying that, Li Che turned away, no longer paying any attention to Xue Chang.