The Heavens: From Knowing Whether You Rule the World

Chapter 99: Transform the Chu faction into the Tianxia faction!
Wenhua Hall

Chu Hong stroked his beard elegantly and gently, quietly brewed a cup of tea, and leisurely watched several cabinet ministers handle government affairs.

Eighteen years have passed, and the young man who was full of vigor and vitality back then has gradually had some gray hair.

His elegant and gentle features made him look easy to get along with, with just the right amount of white hair on his temples, and that inexplicably powerful aura, he looked majestic.

Having been at the top of the officialdom for decades, Chu Hong has long been able to control his aura with ease.

If he hides his power, he is just a kind and amiable old man.

If he unleashed his might, even the cabinet ministers would be frightened when they saw it.

The name of Chu Xiang has long been known to everyone, and even a three-year-old child can tell a few words about Chu Hong's deeds.

The Chu family, with the support of the top officials in the past twenty years, has long been the most prestigious family in the Great Zhou.

There are countless poor students who, after passing the imperial examination, would use their connections to find a marriageable daughter of the Chu family.

There is nothing else to worry about. At least there is no need to worry about the woman's upbringing. As long as she has some real skills, she can get support from Yue family in the future and climb higher.

For those women who have been in the family for generations, their first choice when they are waiting to get married is to seek out the sons of the Chu family.

There is nothing else to worry about. At least there is no need to worry about the future of your husband. As long as the man has no problems with his character, you can live a rich and peaceful life with some hope.

In addition, Chu Hong's eldest son Chu Rui passed the imperial examination at the age of 24 and became a top scholar. His second son Chu Yu and third son Chu Ze also passed the imperial examination at an early age. With a little accumulation of experience, it is only a matter of time for them to pass the imperial examination. His eldest daughter is the current Crown Princess and is constantly honored and favored.

Logically speaking, life has already been perfect, and Chu Hong has nothing to struggle with.
But, since we are human beings and since we are in this world, how can we be free from worries?
Chu Hong took a sip of tea and sighed slightly.

He has been under a lot of pressure these years.

He has been in power for decades, and everywhere he looks around the world are his former students and officials.

Gu Tingye, Duke of Ningguo and the chief military commander, was his good friend and brother-in-law.

Even the emperor of the next generation will have his blood in his veins.

His power is among the best in history.

But, it's too dazzling, too much is as bad as too little!
Now that his cousin had been attacked by thieves, he finally felt at peace.

Over the years, Zhao Ceying has not taken the initiative to target him, but Chu Hong cannot guarantee that Zhao Ceying will not target him.

In other words, Zhao Ceying will definitely deal with him.

The main reason why Zhao Ceying did not deal with him in these years was to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

Now that Yanyun is about to be recovered, it is time to settle accounts.

If my cousin doesn’t take the tetanus arrow, he will have to visit the ancestors of the Great Zhou!

Unfortunately, Chu Hong likes to suffer in the world and likes to carry the burden of all people in the world.

As a result, my cousin had no choice but to go there earlier to enjoy his life.

Chu Hong picked up the tea and took a sip. Ever since Zhao Ceying moved into the palace, his health had been gradually deteriorating.

Whether it was Zhao Ceying or the civil and military officials, they all knew that Zhao Ceying would most likely not survive Chu Hong.

As a result, Zhao Ceying, who recovered the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, was destined to deal with him.

Zhao Ceying will never let Chu Hong live after him.

It can’t be suppressed. Not at all.

Zhao Ceying was in control of military affairs after all. He had his father's dying will, which made Chu Hong grateful to him. He also let the prince marry Chu Hong's eldest daughter. With these multiple factors, he was able to control Chu Hong.

However, Chu Hong has been in power for more than twenty years and has held sway over the world for more than twenty years.

If a few decades pass, all the literati in the world will be disciples and former officials of the Chu family. How terrifying would that be?
In this situation, whether the emperor's decree can leave the palace depends on Chu Hong's words.

Even if we can leave the palace, can we implement it at the local level?

How can this be done without the permission of Lord Chu?

Chu Hong's prestige and power will become stronger and stronger, but future emperors will have no foundation. Zhao Ceying dare not even imagine what the situation will be.

The crown prince is weak and has little control over military affairs. How can he possibly suppress his "father"?
If he cannot suppress it, his son will be at the mercy of the civil service clique.

The world was completely out of control, and the emperor became a mascot.

If Chu Hong had not lived longer than Zhao Ceying, Zhao Ceying would most likely have slowly weakened the Chu faction, forcing Chu Hong to retire voluntarily, thus creating a relationship between an emperor and his subjects that would be remembered for generations.

But the problem is that Zhao Ceying won't live that long, and he himself doesn't think he will live longer than his cousin.

What can be done?
It can only be handled manually to clear obstacles for future generations!

Taking advantage of the great morale of regaining the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, this is a perfect opportunity to deal with Chu Hong.

If he doesn't do it, once this matter is over and his momentum has diminished, he may not be able to deal with Chu Hong.

Chu Hong also knew what Zhao Ceying was thinking, but unfortunately he had the responsibility of caring for the people of the world.

As a result, Chu Hong had no choice but to take the initiative to ensure peace for the people of the world. Before deciding to let his cousin be assassinated, Chu Hong had two choices.

Powerful officials must either rebel or eliminate everything so that their descendants can also live in peace.

Chu Hong chose to let his cousin pass away and put an end to everything peacefully.

If he rebelled, the legitimacy of his throne and his acquisition of the country would be even greater than that of the Song Dynasty in his previous life.

After all, the Song Dynasty could be said to have put an end to the chaotic times of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. His was a truly prosperous era for all time. If he usurped the throne, the fate of his descendants would be the same, with other literati usurping the throne.

It is not easy to usurp the throne if you do not obtain the country legitimately!
The only thing left is to let my cousin pass away, let everything go, and let everything be stable.

In other words, to ensure a smooth transition of power.

Before thinking about killing Zhao Ceying, Chu Hong's idea was to give up power.

The conservatives have always been decadent, and they are slowly giving up some power to the conservatives in order to achieve a balance between the conservatives and the reformists, slowly delegating power and landing steadily.

For example, allowing a scourge like Sima Guang to enter the cabinet.

Unfortunately, no!
Reform is nothing more than changing the people who control the interests, changing the way of controlling the interests, and at the same time making the interests of the world greater.

The reformists, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang faction, and the Chu faction will push him up, and these people will not let Prime Minister Chu lose power.

With Chu Hong in power, it is not just the reformists who benefit.

To be precise, there are five major parts: the reformists in the world, the reformists and conservatives in the Chu faction, and the reformists and conservatives in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang faction.

There are too many people involved and too many interests are involved. It is impossible for these people to let Chu Hong give up power.

Giving up power means not only giving up power, but also interests.

Once Chu Hong gives up his power, will he have to give back the interests he has possessed?
Is it possible to ask someone to give back something that they have already eaten?

If given the choice between usurping the throne and giving up power, those guys would rather choose to usurp the throne and probably would not want Chu Hong to give up power.

Chu Hong also firmly denied this, saying that power was too unreliable and he was afraid that future emperors would settle old scores.

It would not work for Zhao Ceying to do this during his reign. Zhao Ceying was destined to get rid of him. If he gave up power, he would die without knowing how.

After careful consideration, Chu Hong came up with the idea of ​​letting his cousin pass away.

Transform the Chu system into the world system!
Who said that the issue of powerful ministers must be resolved when Zhao Ceying is in power?
The reason why Zhao Ceying was afraid of him was quite obvious, in one word, fear!
The reasons why later emperors targeted the Chu faction, the Liangzhe faction, and the reformists were quite obvious: they were fighting for power!

The Chu clique, the Liangzhe clique, and the reformists were powerful, and later emperors were destined to suppress them in order to gain power.

How to do this?
Chu Hong simply did the opposite. Aren’t you suppressing these things just to gain power?
But if the emperor also comes from the Chu faction, the Liangzhe faction, or the reformists, and is the core of the faction, and people from the Chu faction, the Liangzhe faction, and the reformists are the pillars for the emperor to hold on to his throne, then there will be no suppression.

At that time, the Chu faction, the Liangzhe faction, and the reformists were all the factions in the world.

Raise a little prince with his blood, educate him well from childhood, and instill in him the idea that Chu Hong is a loyal and wise minister, a minister who saved the country from collapse, and also a close and amiable old gentleman.

After twenty years of being influenced by religion, he no longer believes that religion is bad.

Well. He wants to clear himself, at least in the future emperor's mind, he is a wise minister who saves the country from collapse, rather than a powerful minister.

As for whether the future little emperor will realize that the former Prime Minister Chu had all the power in the world?
It doesn't matter anymore. At that time, the power was in the hands of the emperor, and Prime Minister Chu had passed away long ago, so everything was unnecessary.

What? You insisted on saying that Prime Minister Chu was a traitor?
The Grand Chancellor clearly handed over power to me without hesitation. Are you trying to sow discord between the emperor and his subjects by saying this?

Behead!

Must be beheaded!

Of course, the downside is that the three factions, the Chu faction, the Liangzhe faction, and the reformists, will sooner or later start fighting among themselves and gradually develop conflicts of interest.

Returning to basics, factions will emerge when there are no factions.

But everyone has an origin.

"Grandpa?"

A childish voice came from afar, clear and loud.

Chu Hong's eyes condensed slightly, then he restrained his aura and slowly walked out of Wenhua Hall.

"Grandpa is here, You'er, why don't you go find your mother?"

Chu Hong walked forward and waved slowly. He looked like an ordinary old man with a bit of immortal air. No one could tell that this was the man who had ruled the world for more than twenty years.

"Concubine?"

When Zhao You saw his grandfather, he was immediately delighted and hurriedly trotted forward, "My mother said that you are the most knowledgeable person in the world, and asked you to teach me how to read."

Zhao You, who is two and a half years old, is preparing for enlightenment.

"Okay, grandpa will teach you how to read!"

Chu Hong laughed, picked up his grandson, and slowly walked towards the Wenhua Hall.

The warm sunlight made the shadows of Chu Hong and Zhao You appear particularly long.
(End of this chapter)