Chapter 4177 The Foundation of the Family
Chu Sui's conscience was clouded. If King Jin finally won the throne, he might still have some room for change. If he expressed his loyalty and surrender to King Jin and made "remarkable" achievements, he might survive.
But once the King of Jin is defeated, he will either die in battle with the King of Jin, or be captured and suffer the pain of Ling Chi...
So emotionally speaking, although he was coerced by King Jin, he also wanted King Jin to win.
But now even the mainstays like Xiao Yu have their own thoughts and are starting to reserve backup options. How can they expect the likes of Yu Chigong to fight to the end for the King of Jin?
Xiao Yu put away the "Charming Form" and asked Chu Suiliang to sit down again. Seeing that it was already noon, he asked someone to prepare lunch: "It's noon, Dengshan will have dinner with me and have two drinks."< br>
Chu Suiliang was restless and wanted to ask something, so he agreed.
After a while, a few simple dishes were delivered, two bowls of rice and a pot of fine wine.
Watching Chu Suiliang pouring wine, Xiao Yu sighed: "Although my life has been full of ups and downs, I have never been harsh in life. Now I follow His Highness the King of Jin to pursue a great career, but I have to respect Yasheng's motto. In fact, It’s sad.”
As descendants of the Nanliang royal family, even after the fall of the country, most of the direct descendants of the family migrated to Daxing City. However, because of Queen Xiao's presence, the children of the Xiao family not only did not suffer the same humiliation and mistreatment as the slaves of the subjugated country, but they were well clothed, well fed, and lived luxuriously. After the fall of the Sui Dynasty, he entered the Tang Dynasty and gained the trust and respect of Emperor Gaozu, which restored his family reputation.
The servants of the Xiao family used to eat such simple and simple dishes as this, which were more luxurious than this...
As for the motto of Ya Sheng, when it comes to the current simple meals, it is naturally "the body is hungry and the body is empty"...
Chu Suiliang poured the wine, raised his glass, touched it with Xiao Yu, took a sip, and then asked: "The Duke of Song seems not to be optimistic about the future of King Jin?"
"What's the point?"
Xiao Yu took a bite of the dish and shook his head in denial: "If I didn't think highly of King Jin, how could I escape from Taiji Palace and raise troops together with King Jin to pursue a great cause? Why did I leave such a love letter? ’, it’s just a matter of preparing for a rainy day.”
Chu Suiliang didn't think so now. He believed that the reason why Xiao Yu supported the King of Jin without hesitation was because the prince's policy towards the aristocratic families continued the late emperor's policy, which was a huge blow to the aristocratic families and was not accepted by the families.
So he changed his approach and asked: "Since the birth of the aristocratic family, it has reached its peak today. It is almost impossible to make any progress. As the saying goes, when the water is full, it will overflow, and when the moon is full, it will lose. It is an indisputable fact that the clan has declined. According to Song Guogong, will the imperial examination be the coffin for burying clan politics? "
Theoretically speaking, the imperial examination system, which does not look at identity or background, but only looks at performance papers, has blocked the greatest advantage of children from aristocratic families, making students from poor families stand on the same starting line as children from aristocratic families.
When a powerful family cannot monopolize the way to become an official, it will naturally be the beginning of its demise.
This is almost the consensus of the current family members, so they are extremely resistant to the prince's national policy of extremely weakening the family members. His Majesty Li Er also implemented this policy before. Although the family members were dissatisfied, they were afraid of His Majesty Li Er's prestige and dared not speak out. Now Li Er When His Majesty passed away, it was natural that a group of people would rebel to express their dissatisfaction.
Many aristocrats may not be dead-set on supporting King Jin and opposing the prince. In fact, they just want to put pressure on the prince by supporting King Jin. If the prince changes his tune now, many people will immediately give up on King Jin and switch to the prince. camp.
The so-called edict is probably just an excuse for many aristocratic families. After all, it is the prince who is in charge of Chang'an City now. No one really wants to see the two princes fighting for the throne and smashing the empire to pieces...
Xiao Yu took a sip of wine, thought for a while, shook his head and said, "I don't know about this either. Logically speaking, the imperial examination system will indeed have a huge impact on aristocratic families. Children of aristocratic families cannot be recommended to become officials. This Wouldn't it be to break the foundation of the clan? But in my opinion, at least in the short term, it may not have much impact. It should be noted that the reason why our clan is settled is the investment and foundation in education. Our ancestors have been here for generations. After hundreds of years of studying the history of the Ming Dynasty and studying the classics, how can ordinary people in Guizhou surpass it by studying hard for ten years? They even have to borrow a book from us! The "Revitalization of the Tang Dynasty" led by His Highness King Wei will indeed cost money. Extremely cheap books are invested in all states and counties across the world, but how many of the benefits of reading can those in Guizhou realize, how many are willing to read, and how many can afford to read? "
Generations of aristocratic families have invested countless money and efforts in monopolizing education. The children of aristocratic families have good educational backgrounds and favorable conditions. They are taught by famous teachers when they are enlightened. They can also receive teachings from famous scholars when they go out to study. How can this be the common people in Guizhou? Can you surpass it after studying for ten years?
Of course, the threat of the imperial examination system to clan politics has reached its roots. Although in the short term, the children of aristocratic families will still dominate, in the long run, the people's wisdom will gradually increase, which will inevitably shake the foundation of clan rule.
That's why there are so many powerful people who don't care about the authenticity of the so-called "edict" in the hands of King Jin, but still want to support it...
The two were talking, and suddenly they heard a commotion outside the house, with people shouting and horses neighing. Xiao Yu quickly called the servant in and asked: "What happened outside, so noisy?"
The servant entered, looking a little excited, and said, "Master, I heard that Duke Tianshui led his three thousand elite men to join His Highness the King of Jin!"
Xiao Yu was stunned for a moment, then realized who the "Tianshui County Duke" was, Qiu Xinggong...
However, after the tragic death of his son Qiu Shenji, Qiu Xinggong and Fang Jun were enemies of life and death. They wanted revenge but were suppressed continuously. He first betrayed Gao Shilian and joined Changsun Wuji, and was later abandoned by Changsun Wuji. He was in extreme despair and had almost no life in recent years. According to the news, Xiao Yu thought this person was dead.
But no matter how depressed he was, Qiu Xinggong was still one of the fierce generals that the emperor relied on during his lifetime. Now that he has led his army to surrender, it will definitely increase the reputation of the Jin king. Moreover, the Shandong private army has arrived in Henan and is about to cross the river. It can be said that the situation is very good.
It seems that forcing Chu Suiliang to write a "Chen Qing Biao" is a bit unnecessary...
*****
In Chang'an City, the British Government Palace.
It was a clear day with no wind and warm sunshine. Li Ji looked at Cheng Yaojin who came uninvited in front of him in the study and was quite speechless.
At this time, all parties are extremely sensitive, and the slightest disturbance may lead to extremely violent consequences. However, Cheng Yaojin, as a general guarding Chang'an, had to go to him, the leader of the prime ministers and the number one person in the military. Come to the mansion, do you think the situation is not chaotic enough?
Cheng Yaojin ignored Li Ji's dissatisfied look and said with a hey, "I can't care about that much anymore. I just want to ask you, what should I do?"
Li Ji stopped looking at him, drank tea slowly, and said casually: "What do you do, what does it have to do with me?"
Cheng Yaojin glared: "As you say, I have always obeyed your advice. Now the situation is chaotic. Who wins and who loses, who is right and who is wrong has become a mess. After all, we have been friends of life and death for so many years. You have to give me some advice!"
"Ha!"
Li Ji sneered and asked: "The late emperor gave you the task of guarding Chang'an. Are you not clear about the scope of your duties? Since you allow the Youhou Wei and the Sixth Army of the East Palace to enter and leave Chang'an at will, you are huddled near the West City and sit still and watch. Success or failure, the idea is obviously very good, so why should you ask me for advice? I have little talent and limited thinking, so I really don’t dare to do it.”
It is said that Cheng Yaojin, the foreign minister, is rough and arrogant, but in fact he is very resourceful. This is true in his opinion, but the problem is that this guy has too clear mind and calculations, but he often cares too much about success and failure and is too rational.
His Majesty Li Er once praised him as "loyal", but Li Jipo disagreed.
It is true that this guy will not rebel, but does he mean that he is a loyal minister if he never rebels?
The word "loyalty" is sometimes difficult to define...
Cheng Yaojin was retorted and his old face was slightly red. However, he had always been dark and thick-skinned, and it didn't show that at the moment. He said with a stern face: "There was indeed a lack of consideration before. Isn't this because you refused to give me advice? I can only figure it out on my own The situation is not appropriate now. I have trouble sleeping and eating, and I am frightened. We have been friends for so many years, and you can’t watch the whole family of my Cheng family being pushed to the West Market and beheaded in public, right?”
"Mother!"
Even with Li Ji's magnanimity, he couldn't help but curse his mother in anger at this moment, and said angrily: "You bastard is standing still and watching the success or failure. You have small calculations in your heart, but it becomes my fault? This is ridiculous!"
In any case, it is impossible for the whole family to be beheaded as Cheng Yaojin said. This old thief is just worried about his own interests being damaged.
I used to think that King Jin was in power, so I sat back and watched the success or failure. In the final analysis, I still preferred King Jin. Regarding King Jin’s promise to "feudalize the world", who in Guanzhong now knows? Because of the strong support of the powerful families in Shandong and Jiangnan, most of the Sixteenth Guards generals stayed put. Many people were optimistic that King Jin would seize the throne.
However, one hundred thousand private troops in the south of the Yangtze River were defeated by the navy in one battle and were completely defeated. As a result, the King of Jin was unable to provide support and the situation suddenly changed. Those who originally favored the King of Jin were naturally unable to sit still, such as Cheng Yaojin. (End of chapter)