Chapter 5012 Falling apart
Gao Kan looked calm and disapproved: "The world belongs to the people of the world, not the world of one family and one surname. The whole world is not the land of the king, and the shore of the land is not the king's ministers. No one can be outside the jurisdiction of the central government. The central government The policies formulated must be followed by the whole country, and no one can override the national policy. ”
These words were sonorous and powerful, full of murderous intent, but Xiao Yu had to admit that in the situation where the family members suffered heavy losses one after another and their strength was greatly reduced, no one could rule the territory and compete with the central government as before.
The situation of "imperial power not going to the countryside" is gone forever.
Anyone who dares to resist the central government's policies and continue the old habit of concentrating on one area and ruling the country will suffer a thunderous blow.
Gao Kan looked at Xiao Yu and said, "This is what I came to Jinling to do."
Xiao Yu knew that Gao Kan was acting under orders, and still wanted to advise him from other angles not to be too harsh: "In any case, the heritage of the Jiangnan gentry cannot be erased just by one or two scholars being banned or expelled. In the examination room taxi Most of them are descendants of the Jiangnan gentry, and Jiangnan is still the Jiangnan of Jiangnan people. The general has a bright future. If he has the support of the Jiangnan gentry, he may be able to become the prime minister in the future, so why should he make a mistake?”
If something happens, be merciful and open-minded. The Jiangnan nobles will remember this friendship and there will be rewards in the future.
Gao Kan was unmoved and said in a deep voice: "Then it is better for Song Guogong to pray that nothing will happen. No matter which family is brave enough, they will surely suffer disaster."
Xiao Yu sighed, facing such an incompetent general, what could he do?
After the exam ended that day, Xiao Yu returned to the Bieyuan outside the city. He sent someone to deliver a letter to the person in charge of the Jiangnan nobles staying in Jinling, and convened in the Bieyuan to discuss important matters. These clans must be restrained, otherwise once Gao Kan went on a killing spree, the land of Jiangnan would be destroyed. All living beings will be destroyed.
……
In March in the south of the Yangtze River, there is light drizzle and lush vegetation.
From the open window, you can see the beautiful scenery of flowers, trees, mountains and rocks in the yard. The candlestick shines high, and the candlelight shines on the floor as softly as water, and the light is discerning.
Xiao Yu was dressed in regular clothes and sat on the ground. In front of him were more than a dozen leaders of the Jiangnan noble clan. Lu Yanyuan sat on his knees on one side, dejected and lost in thought.
Xiao Yu wanted to scold him, but he couldn't bear it when he thought that such a young leader would completely cut off his career as an official. He sighed: "Why are you so reckless? The imperial examination is a national policy. We can express our dissatisfaction, but the real purpose is policy. There is a tilt towards the Jiangnan gentry. The true meaning of struggle is to fight without defeat. Have you not thought about the consequences of boycotting the imperial examination? "
Lu Yanyuan lowered his head and said nothing, his heart was filled with despair,
Beside him, a capable middle-aged man with a short mustache said angrily: "Your Majesty has been deceived by traitors, whether it is to 'remove his name or stop him', or to 'pursue and destroy his writings since his birth,' it is nothing compared to the tyranny of Emperor Qin." Don’t give in too much!”
Xiao Yu was helpless: "It's mysterious, be careful what you say!"
This man was Lu Xuanzhi, the captain of Yuzhang County, the younger brother of Lu Jianzhi and the uncle of Lu Yanyuan.
Because the Jiangnan gentry were outside the center, there were not many people like Xiao Yu who were ranked as prime ministers and assistants and held great power. Most of them were like Lu Xuanzhi who served as the county magistrate or county lieutenant of a place. It seems that the official position is not high, but in fact these Official positions were almost reduced to taboos passed down from generation to generation within the gentry, in order to ensure their own interests.
But now times have changed. Although the pattern of Jiangnan gentry dominating Jiangnan will remain the same for some time to come, the imperial examinations have cut off these official positions passed down from generation to generation. In the past, when the fathers became officials, they only had to recommend their own nephews to take over, but now they have They had to go through the process of imperial examinations, and all official positions were appointed by the Ministry of Personnel, leaving little room for operation.
Lu Xuanzhi said: "Since your majesty has done it, how can we say that we can't? There are traitors running rampant in the court. Fang Jun, Liu Jie and others control the government and regard our Jiangnan nobles as a thorn in their eyes and a thorn in their flesh. We must fight back and cannot be submissive."
Children who are noisy will get milk. If they tolerate it blindly, it will only make the center push further.
Opposite him, Xie Yan was a little dissatisfied: "What you call fighting back is that you colluded with the Wujun family to cause trouble in the examination room and boycott the imperial examination without any knowledge?"
Lu Xuanzhi frowned: "I, the Jiangnan scholars, are proud and should stand up for injustice. What's wrong with that?"
Xie Yan did not argue with him.
In fact, who can't see what Lu is doing?
He secretly connected with the Wujun family and stood up to cause trouble during the imperial examination in order to boost his reputation. As the head of the Wujun family, the Lu family has been deteriorating and declining in recent years. It urgently needs enough prestige to revitalize the family, otherwise it will continue to decline for a long time. , will inevitably fall into the prey of other sects and cannibalize them.
I just didn’t expect that the court’s blow would come too fast and too hard...
He didn't bother to argue with him, but Xie Wenhua couldn't help but said, "The children of the Lu family are selfless and proud. They use their own efforts to show the unyielding will of the family. It can be said that seeking benevolence and winning benevolence is admirable."
Normally, this would be a compliment, but saying it in this situation was tantamount to mocking.
Lu Xuanzhi was immediately furious: "My children stood up for the interests of the Jiangnan nobles and suffered extremely unfair punishments. You should share the same hatred with the enemy and advance and retreat together. You should also write to the court to ask your Majesty to take back your orders. How can you be sarcastic here? Really? It’s so chilling!”
Zhang Ji, who had never spoken much, was also very displeased: "The Jiangnan gentry are of the same spirit, and they should join hands in the face of the imperial court's suppression. They must not cause chaos before fighting, or mess up their positions."
Xie Yan shook his head and said: "But you boycotted the imperial examination this time. You didn't get angry with us beforehand. Now you are caught off guard and you ask us to follow you and fight against the imperial court. Is there such a reason?"
Lu Xuanzhi said: "My children are standing up for the interests of the entire Jiangnan gentry. You must not just watch and do nothing."
He pointed at Lu Yanyuan, He Mo, Zhu Yuan, Zhang Zheng and others beside him: "These are all outstanding sons of the Jiangnan gentry. They will surely be able to stand alone and support the family in the future. How can they be compromised in this imperial examination?" in?”
Xie Wenhua was not angry and was about to continue arguing when Xiao Yu knocked on the carved lacquer table in front of him. The hall became quiet and everyone looked at Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu sighed, glanced at Lu Yanyuan, and then said to Lu Xuanzhi: "The reason why the court's punishment is so severe is to suppress us Jiangnan nobles and make us follow the imperial examination system. So even if I Even if we jointly submit a letter to Your Majesty, it is impossible for Your Majesty to withdraw the order, especially since this edict is the will of the entire Zhengshitang, and there is no reason to change it. If the order is changed day by day, how can the authority of the Zhengshitang be reflected? "
Lu Xuanzhi was silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said: "If this is the case, then I, the Lu family, will fight hard. I don't believe that Your Majesty will sit back and watch Jiangdong rot, let alone that the imperial court will kill all the four surnames of Wuzhong!"
The main branch of the Lu family is already dead, and the Gu family is even more serious than the Lu family. If there is another wave of blows, the whole family will really be exterminated and the blood heir will be cut off. Who of the benevolent monarchs in the past and present have ever cut off the blood heir?
Zhang Ji, who was drinking tea slowly beside him, was so frightened when he heard this that his hands shook, and the hot tea spilled on the back of his hand. He gritted his teeth and gasped because it was so hot. He waited until he wiped the water stains with a handkerchief, then raised his head and looked at Lu Xuanzhi. : "It's so mysterious, how can such words be spoken so easily? Our Wuzhong aristocratic family has been passed down for a long time, not only by our own strength, but also by following the trend, forbearance and submission. We know clearly that the court is very determined and cruel, but we still act recklessly and recklessly. This is not the behavior of a wise man. ”
The four surnames in Wuzhong have been inherited for thousands of years, and their interests are entangled, intertwined, and inseparable. Once the Lu family seeks death, the other families will be involved even if they do nothing.
Who wants to go crazy with Mr. Lu?
The Zhang family invested a large amount of money and silk in the Huating Town Salt Farm and made huge profits every year. This was a long-lasting industry that was passed down to future generations. They also purchased ships and went out to sea for trade. This income was even more profitable. Like many aristocratic families, they have already Gradually transfer the family roots from the land to these lucrative industries.
But whether it is the salt field or the maritime trade, they are tightly in the hands of the Royal Navy. Once they break with the center, all the benefits may be lost.
Compared with such huge interests, the entanglements between the four surnames in Wuzhong are insignificant. How can they follow the Lu family and go crazy?
Furthermore, Lu Yanyuan was punished the most severely, and the others were only disqualified from the three-year scientific examination...
Lu Xuanzhi laughed angrily: "Don't you know the truth about the death of lips and teeth? Today, I, the Lu family, have been severely punished for standing up for the Jiangnan gentry. My elder brother's lineage has been 'pursued and destroyed since birth', and those who have official positions are 'removed and suspended'. Lu Yanyuan is a profound scholar." , calligraphy is exquisite, but I will never be able to Become an official! My family has paid such a heavy price, but you all look on indifferently, only thinking about your own interests, selfish and short-sighted! From now on, everyone has their own plans and is trying to wipe out the troubles. The Jiangnan noble family is falling apart. Far away!”
Zhang Ji was displeased: "Isn't the cause of this matter your Lu family acting on your own initiative in order to seek a dominant position? Since you want to obtain the maximum benefit, you have to bear the backlash after failure. How can we let us and Do you share the loss equally? Besides, Gao Kan Dajun Town? To guard Jinling and intimidate Jiangnan, naval ships cruised in the rivers and waterways and could reach any place in Jiangnan in an instant. Who dares to "fight hard"? How is it any different from seeking death? If you want to die, that is you. Don’t bring trouble to everyone!”
The rest of the people were silent, obviously agreeing with Zhang Jizhi's words.
The benefits are yours alone, but the losses must be shared equally by everyone?
That doesn't make sense!
Lu Xuanzhi was extremely angry and turned to look at Xiao Yu: "What did the Duke of Song say?"
Xiao Yu said: "The Lu family has suffered huge losses this time. We will consider compensating it, but we will never break up with the court. That would be a consequence we cannot bear. In fact, in the final analysis, the imperial examination is just too many settings. It’s just an obstacle. Jiangnan is still Jiangnan for Jiangnan people.”
Lu Xuanzhi stood up angrily: "Then I will wait for your compensation!" He took Lu Yanyuan and walked away.