Chapter 591 Sir, times have changed (3)
Although Gu Xu has not officially ascended the throne, many people around him have begun to call him "Your Majesty" eagerly.
Gu Xu is well aware of the motives of these people and divides them into three categories:
The first category is those who really like him, such as Zhao Yan, who calls him "Your Majesty" "Whether it's a "stinky hooligan", it's all purely for fun;
The second category is those who are afraid of him, such as the eunuchs in the palace and those officials in prison, who want to show their loyalty and beg him Raise your noble hand high;
The third category is those who want something from him, or in other words, they want to make progress too much.
It is precisely because of these people's strong ambition that the tables in Gu Xu's study have almost piled up into a mountain.
At this moment, I saw Chen Anzhi’s face with white powder dotting the corners of his eyes, making it look like crying, and Xiao Wanjun rarely wearing a light red skirt with half exposed breasts and low neckline. , Gu Xu immediately understood that they should belong to the second type of people, but they had more complex thoughts of the third type than the ordinary second type people.
“Get up,” Gu Xu said lightly, “I know you specially invited me here because you want to plead for the Chen family.
“But I have already made up my mind about this matter. , it is useless for you to persuade me. The Chen family has lived the life of a master for so many years, and has collected a large amount of ill-gotten wealth from ordinary people. Under my watch, they must pay for what they have done in the past. ”
His eyes were like calm lakes, not even a ripple appeared despite the harsh autumn wind.
…………
The turquoise lake thousands of miles away reflects the Chen family mansion with white walls and green tiles and stacked floors like a mirror.
The mountains and rivers are beautiful and the scenery is picturesque.
Suddenly, a group of monks wearing conspicuous red robes descended from the sky. They seemed to have wind in their sleeves, ruffling the calm lake surface, blurring the reflection in the lake, and disturbing the mood of the Chen family.
This is when Shen Qiu, on the orders of Gu Xu, led his team to the Chen Mansion in Xiangyang to carry out the task of ransacking the house.
Shen Qiu glanced at the high terraces, thick pavilions, and painted pavilions and Zhulou here, and was filled with emotion. He knew clearly that another wealthy family was about to be eliminated from the wilderness, the prosperity here was about to become a thing of the past, and all the ill-gotten wealth would be confiscated.
Those children from wealthy families who were once well-off and well-off will be forced to become common people, and some will even be sent to Hedong to engage in hard mining work.
The head of the Chen family, Chen Shandao, was also taken to a prison car. As the "evil leader", he will be sent to the capital for execution.
At this moment, he was quietly staring at the flying eaves under the green shade, looking a little dazed.
He knew that this would be the last time he would gaze at this old house in his life. His eyes revealed deep greed and nostalgia, as if he wanted to engrave every inch of the scene in front of him deep in his mind.
He must admit that he had been too superstitious about the power of Emperor Tianxing, and at the same time underestimated Gu Xu's hidden strength.
If they had been a little bolder and led the whole family to surrender to Gu Xu earlier, would their outcome have been different, and would their end have been slightly better?
It’s a pity that there is no if in this world.
The passion and courage of the Xiangyang Chen family were buried deep in the dust with the years after they killed the puppy in their childhood. What is left in the world today is nothing more than a series of indifferent machines that only care about profit.
Such a machine, at a fork in the road of destiny, will only pursue the safest choice, so how can it be willing to put everything on the line and risk everything?
The autumn wind blew gently, and Chen Shandao's white hair fluttered with it. There was a chill in his heart, and he felt that this year's autumn seemed to be particularly cold.
…………
The cool breeze quietly penetrated into Kunyuan Hall through the cracks in the window, gently blowing the half-old curtains.
Gu Xu withdrew his thoughts from the astrolabe.
He thought in his mind that if he were a native of the wilderness, he might choose to let these people go in order to gain the support of the family members and consolidate the new political power.
But there are memories of another world in his mind.
He knew that the period of great reshuffle at the beginning of the new dynasty was an excellent opportunity to establish a new order and new laws. When it comes to decisions involving principled issues, he must not make any compromises or concessions, otherwise it will definitely bring endless troubles.
Seeing Gu Xu's resolute attitude, Chen Anzhi glanced at Xiao Wanjun next to him, then knelt down on his knees again and begged: "Your Majesty, can't you really leave the Chen family a way out? The name of the Chen family is We are willing to offer the 'Sacred Word Book' with both hands
"And if you don't dislike it, Wan Jun can also be yours. She has rejected marriage proposals from others many times in the past just to wait for a true hero like you. ”
While Chen Anzhi was speaking, Gu Xu suddenly felt a pain in his waist. It turned out to be Zhao Yan beside him who pinched him hard.
He couldn't help feeling that there was a difference in character between a woman like Chen Anzhi who came from a wealthy family and was specially trained to serve the emperor in the palace, and a woman like Zhao Yan who was cultivated as an heir since childhood and grew up freely and wildly. There is a huge difference in concept.
Chen Anzhi seems to have become accustomed to men having multiple spouses. She has long been accustomed to the rules of hierarchy and distinction between concubines and concubines. She has no idea at all about things like jealousy.
She even bluntly stated in front of Gu Xu’s wife that she wanted to give her daughter to Gu Xu as a concubine.
Gu Xu couldn't help but recall that Chen Anzhi gave herself the nickname "Shangyang Concubine" in Lu's Haunted House Baihua Poetry Club.
Shangyang Palace is the palace of the royal family of the Daqi Dynasty.
At that time, although Chen Anzhi was still a young girl who had not yet left the court, she already harbored the ambition of favoring the Sixth Palace.
This nickname, like her, carries a deep imprint of the old times, and it also foreshadows her future destiny.
At this time, the sun shines in from the window and is projected on the smooth floor of the hall.
Gu Xu and Zhao Yan stood in the light, while Chen Anzhi knelt in the dark.
The dividing line between light and dark ran straight through them, as if it divided time and space and was insurmountable.
On one side is the past, on the other side is the future.
Gu Xu sighed softly, not intending to waste any more time on meaningless exchanges with this woman, so he turned around and left with Zhao Yan.
But before leaving, he sent a message to Xiao Wanjun’s spiritual consciousness: “Come to Jiangyun Hall to find me in the afternoon.”
…………
As Gu Xu requested, when the time came, Xiao Wanjun came to Jiangyun Hall alone.
She grew up in the palace. Unlike her mother, she did not have deep feelings for the Chen family. At this moment, all she could think about was how to protect herself and try to save the lives of her brother and mother.
To be honest, until now, Xiao Wanjun still hasn't figured out what Gu Xu's attitude is towards her.
Logically speaking, in the months after the Luoshui Conference, she had sent a large number of monks to pursue Gu Xu with all their might - such as arranging for the eldest prince to set up an ambush in Qingyao Mountain, or inviting Jueming to The master hit him on the head with a Zen staff, causing him to be in danger many times. This made her worry day and night, fearing that Gu Xu would hold a grudge and retaliate against her. But these days, Gu Xu seems to be busy doing his own things and turning a blind eye to her.
She couldn't help but secretly speculate that maybe Gu Xu valued her talents and intentionally kept her for use. Or maybe he thought she was just an insignificant mortal, not worthy of his time and energy to deal with her specially.
A paper man introduced her into Gu Xu’s study.
In the house, Xiao Wanjun saw Gu Xu, dressed in a green shirt, sitting alone at the desk reading memorials. His whole body is bathed in sunlight, giving people a sacred and otherworldly feeling.
At this time, Gu Xu turned around, his eyes fell on her face, and he smiled: "Your makeup...hey, you should learn more from Shangguan Jin in the future!"
< br>Xiao Wanjun rarely wears makeup. It's rare to try makeup today. Because of my unfamiliar technique, the natural makeup looks a bit clumsy.
Although it's not ugly, it's just too strong and too deliberate.
It’s not like Shangguan Jin’s scheming and hard-to-distinguish “no makeup” look.
Seeing that Gu Xu didn't seem to be planning to retaliate against her, Xiao Wanjun felt relieved, and then knelt down on the ground and respectfully apologized to him.
Gu Xu waved his hand, motioning for her to get up, and told her to sit on the chair opposite the desk.
"If it were a few months ago, and I was being hunted and cornered, if I met you then, I would definitely want to cut your heart out and cut your body into pieces," he said calmly. , "However, in recent days, I have carefully read some of the laws you have proposed in the past.
"I found that we actually have the same ambitions and concepts on some things. Maybe we have the opportunity to become companions. If I kill you rashly, I am afraid that Daxia will lose a rare talent for governing the country."
As he spoke, he took out a stack of documents from the drawer and pushed them in front of Xiao Wanjun.
Xiao Wanjun lowered her head and read through it carefully, and found that these documents were the draft decrees she had proposed during the Da Qi Dynasty.
For example, she once urged the royal family to save money on food and clothing and use the saved money, food and cloth for disaster relief. However, during the process of sending these supplies to the disaster areas, they were corrupted by eunuchs, local officials, and court officials. In the end, not even one of them reached the hands of the people.
For another example, she once wanted to conduct a thorough investigation of land property and reformulate the tax system to ensure fair taxation and reduce the burden on the common people. However, those aristocratic families concealed their own population and real estate, and fabricated a large number of false figures, causing the burden of taxation to once again fall on ordinary people, making their already difficult lives even worse.
For another example, she also tried to promote lower-level cultivators and modified the merit rules, hoping that those cultivators who killed "wandering souls", "wild ghosts" and other low-level ghosts would receive more recognition and rewards. However, this rule is still exploited by the children of aristocratic families. With their powerful magic weapons, more resources and higher cultivation, they easily obtained information and slaughtered all the local low-level ghosts. What's more, they colluded with officials from the local exorcism department and lied about their achievements.
......
"Please tell me honestly," after a brief silence, Gu Xu looked at her and said seriously, "You put forward these decrees because you are really for the welfare of the people. , or just to seek his own reputation? "
When speaking, Gu Xu used his "control" authority to prevent Xiao Wanjun from lying on this issue.
"Both," Xiao Wanjun replied calmly after thinking for a moment, "Maybe because as a woman, I can feel the pain of others better. Whenever I see others suffering, I
"I have also had this thought. If I can do more real things that are beneficial to the people during the days when I am in power, maybe my father will look at me with admiration.
"My body As a mortal woman, she can realize some of her own values and does not have to depend on others to live. "
Hearing her words, Gu Xu commented pertinently: "In my opinion, you have indeed done your best within your capabilities. It's just that without your father's help, it's hard for you alone to contend with centuries of entrenched resistance in this country. ”
“But I am different from your father.
“If you are sincerely committed to a cause that is beneficial to all sentient beings, I will do my best to support you.
"Now, what I want to ask is, are you willing to join my cabinet and do the same thing for Daxia?"
When Xiao Wanjun heard Gu Xu's words, he was as shocked as a river. Her eyes widened and her lips parted slightly, as if she couldn't believe her ears.
She simply couldn't imagine that Gu Xu not only did not retaliate against her, but was also willing to entrust her, a mortal woman, with important tasks.
What a broad mind and extraordinary courage this is!
She took a deep breath and slowly knelt down again. She said in a sincere and firm voice: "The daughter of the people thanks the emperor for his kindness and love. Wan Jun is willing to be a cabinet minister of Daxia and devote herself to the emperor's great cause until her death."
Gu Xu ordered her to get up again.
He continued in a voice without any emotion: "You have hunted me down. This is a fact. Therefore, I cannot fully trust you now.
"After officially appointing you Before that, you must sign a contract to ensure that you will not betray me or do anything detrimental to me. ”
Xiao Wanjun nodded in agreement without any hesitation. For her, it was lucky to be able to save her life. She was eager to have the opportunity to display her talents and realize her own value. As for what is a contract or not? , she had no time to care too much at the moment.
Gu Xu waved lightly, and a complicated talisman was displayed in front of Xiao Wanjun. He motioned for her to place her palm on the talisman. It seems to be given life, trembling slightly, releasing a mysterious atmosphere
The power of this talisman comes from the authority of "control", which is similar to the ideological imprint that Emperor Ziwei left on Luochuan's soul. He can lift it at any time if he wishes.
When Xiao Wanjun solemnly signed the contract, Gu Xu secretly sighed that in the future, someone would finally be able to share some of the heavy work for him, and he would no longer have to work overtime every day.
"The emperor, my brother..." Xiao Wanjun asked cautiously.
"As long as he abides by my rules, he will not die."
…………
Not long after Xiao Wanjun left Jiangyun Palace, Zhao Yan walked in silently.
She changed into some clothes.
It is no longer the usual cross-collar red dress.
Instead, she changed into a light red chest-length skirt with half exposed breasts and low neckline - obviously the same style as the one Xiao Wanjun wore.
Gu Xu clearly saw the snow-capped mountains and the deep valleys that could not be seen to the bottom.
She walked straight towards Gu Xu, sat on his lap face to face, and deliberately said in a cold voice: "I saw you glanced at Xiao Wanjun's chest when you were in Kunning Hall today. You said , How should I punish you?"
Gu Xu took advantage of the situation and hugged her, burying his face in her arms: "How about you let me see more of you now?"
< br>