Control your ancestors and create an immortal family starting from the Eastern Han Dynasty

Chapter 145 Li Shimin Ascends the Throne, Gu Yu Dies (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Time flies by.

This matter had a tremendous impact on the entire imperial court.

It wasn't just because of the Turkic attack, nor because Gu Yu was able to stop the Turkic invasion.

As the current head of the Gu family.

Gu Yu's ability to hold off the Turkic invasion is not particularly surprising.

What truly surprised the court officials was Gu Quan's death.

Gu Quan is no longer an unknown figure. His status as a member of the Gu family, coupled with his contributions in several major battles, has made him the second most important person in the army after Li Shimin.

Now that such a person has passed away, how could the court officials not care?
As for the rest of the ideas
Naturally, some people began to guess the identity of the ghost-faced general, but no one dared to say it aloud.

After all, Gu Quan had left with Gu Yu in front of Li Yuan and his ministers.

Moreover, most people don't think so.
Some people will pay this price to support others.

The matter gradually faded away in the court under this inexplicable atmosphere.

Li Shimin was eventually persuaded to stop.

Instead of preparing the army, he sent envoys to the Turks again as regent to renegotiate the alliance between the two sides.

He deeply agreed with what Gu Yu said in his memorial.

For someone in power.

The real challenge lies in being tolerant and maintaining one's original aspirations.

Li Shimin constantly reminded himself that he was not interested in winning short-term battles, but rather in creating an unprecedented golden age.

He will definitely seek revenge.

Let Jieli Khan know the price of repeatedly breaking alliances and attacking the Tang Dynasty.

but not now.

What he needs to do now is to stabilize the court and ascend to that position to completely restore the world from years of chaos.

Having figured this out, Li Shimin immediately began his scheme.

He began to reduce taxes for all people.

He did not use Li Yuan's name, but rather the title of "Crown Prince Li Shimin," to continuously win over the hearts and minds of the people throughout the land.

Besides--

He also made certain modifications to the imperial examination system.

The Imperial Academy was restored, and the Imperial College was established.

He is making a series of preparations for his future rule.

Everyone could sense that the world of the Tang Dynasty was about to change completely.

Li Yuan has become nothing more than a decorative object.

Li Yuan himself understood this, and he saw that under Li Shimin's rule, everything in the Tang Dynasty was so well-organized.

Finally, on August 3rd.

Li Yuan seems to have finally made a decision.

He summoned Pei Ji and expressed his stance to him.

"If I abdicate, what should be the honorary title of Emperor Emeritus?"

--abdicate!
Although Pei Ji had also anticipated this day, he still felt somewhat unwilling when he actually heard the news.

Who would be willing to accept that?
He was one of Li Yuan's men.

He had been Li Yuan's confidant ever since Li Yuan started his rebellion.

He had finally achieved the unification of the world and become the only person in the court, but all of this was about to vanish into thin air.

How could he accept this?

Although he has gradually been sidelined, at least he still holds his official position.

That's how people are.

As Li Shimin gradually sheathed his sword and the threat of death gradually disappeared, Pei Ji began to desire more.

If Li Shimin were to ascend the throne at that time...

Forget about power; he probably won't even be able to keep his current official position.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't do this!" Pei Ji immediately knelt down and earnestly advised Li Yuan.

But Li Yuan had clearly made up his mind.

That's just how he is; he's often extremely hesitant, but once he's made up his mind, it's hard for anyone else to change his mind.

No matter how unwilling Pei Ji was, he had no choice but to accept this reality.

The news of this happening inside the Taiji Palace spread like wildfire.

The very next day, rumors began to circulate throughout the court that Li Yuan was considering abdicating.

This matter caused a huge uproar throughout the imperial court!

—The Retired Emperor!

The only thing the ministers could think of was that after Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, completely unified the country, he honored his father, Liu Taigong, as the Supreme Emperor.

But what's going on?
The Han dynasty was won by Liu Bang himself.

On the other hand, his father, Liu Taigong, did not provide any help. He simply relied on his father's status to become the retired emperor and enjoy a life of luxury, which is quite reasonable!

But Li Yuan was different after all.

Li Shimin's contributions were indeed great, but who can erase Li Yuan's contributions?
In short—

In the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan was the behind-the-scenes strategist who promoted the policy, while Li Shimin was the implementer.

The merits of these two individuals cannot be ranked in order of precedence.

How can someone like that be an emperor emeritus?

No matter how much the courtiers discussed it, they ultimately could not resist the prevailing trend.

From the highest-ranking officials within the imperial court;

From the common people of the world;

Who wouldn't want Li Shimin to succeed to the throne?
Who can change that?
East Palace.

Upon hearing this news, Li Shimin was naturally extremely excited.

He has completely changed now.

Becoming emperor was the first step he took to create a golden age!
I originally thought it would take some more time.

Now that Li Yuan actually wants to abdicate, he is naturally extremely excited.

But he was also very clear that he had to go through the so-called "three resignations and three concessions".

Etiquette and law often served as a protective shield for imperial power.

Li Shimin was very confident in himself. He might not need these things, but he also needed to think about future generations.

The eighth day of the eighth lunar month;

Li Yuan officially issued an edict, stating, "Heaven favors your virtuous character and the throne belongs to the Prince of Qin," formally deciding to pass the throne to Li Shimin.

A tug-of-war between father and son unfolded throughout the Tang court.

Li Shimin refused for the first time;
A second refusal;
Even Li Yuan was somewhat angry. Although he knew what Li Shimin meant by doing this, he still felt indignant.

The third time—

He decided to issue an imperial edict first, making it impossible for Li Shimin to refuse, before issuing another edict of succession.

This time, Li Shimin would certainly not refuse.

August 9th, Xiande Hall of Taiji Palace.

Li Shimin formally accepted the congratulations of the officials, announced the change of the era name to "Zhenguan", made his eldest daughter-in-law, Princess Changsun, his eldest son Li Chengqian, the crown prince, granted a general amnesty, and formally ascended the throne as emperor.

A brand new era officially began on this day.

And then, the very next day...

Li Shimin then announced the abolition of the old policies of the Wude era and the implementation of the new policies of the Zhenguan era, and made a series of personnel changes throughout the court.

Only at this moment did the court officials fully realize just how decisive Li Shimin was.

This is Li Shimin's invincible mind.

Upon assuming the throne, Fang immediately promulgated new policies and made personnel adjustments.

He was not afraid of the discontent of his ministers, which could lead to chaos.

No one could stop his determination to build a prosperous era, nor was he willing to waste any time on such matters.

He appointed Changsun Wuji as Minister of Personnel and Duke of Qi.

Fang Xuanling was appointed Grand Chancellor and Duke of Xing.

Du Ruhui served as Minister of War and Duke of Cai.

Yuchi Gong was appointed Right General of the Martial Guard and Duke of Wu.

All the civil and military officials who had followed him in the past officially entered the core of power in the Tang Dynasty at this moment, and the foundation of the Zhenguan era was thus formed.

This even included ministers like Wei Zheng who had followed Li Jiancheng.

This is what makes Li Shimin extraordinary!
He would set aside past grievances as long as he perceived someone's extraordinary abilities.

Amidst the turmoil of the political arena and the general public, a storm is brewing.

He did not give the Gu family any explicit reward, but promoted them one after another based on their merits, and did not interfere with the authority that belonged to the Grand Tutor.

This has led many people to have other ideas.

Some people believe that Li Shimin's actions were due to Gu Shi's failure to openly support him in the past.

However, none of them knew that Li Shimin had already given the reward to the Gu family, but it had not been fully revealed.

A brand new era has officially begun.

Compared to the reforms implemented by Gu Yu, the new policies personally carried out by Emperor Li Shimin were far more thorough.

He reorganized the state and county divisions again and dismissed the relevant officials.

It differs from the original historical account.

Now that Li Shimin has traversed more lands, he understands the hardships of the people far better than any previous historical account.

Similarly, there are models of Julu and other past golden ages here.

He also gained a clearer understanding of how to cultivate the people's moral character.

Land allocation;

Clean governance;

criminal law;

Business;

During his years in Chang'an, Li Shimin was not only thinking about how to solve his own crisis, but also about how to make the world prosperous and how to create a golden age.

He had already thought everything through.

Although details still need to be supplemented by Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng and others.

But as an emperor, Li Shimin only needed to point out a general direction, and that would be enough!
In fact, Li Shimin wanted to recall Gu Yu to the court.

He was well aware of Gu Yu's talent.

As long as Gu Yu can return, he can definitely cooperate with the emperor to create an unprecedented golden age as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, Gu Yu could no longer hold on.

His life was ill-timed, and he spent most of his time searching for a future for the Gu family.

Compared to other exceptionally talented members of the Gu family, his impact on the world was not so direct, but his contribution to the entire family was truly unimaginable.

He placed all his hopes on future generations.

In fact, even now, Gu Yi feels that Li Shimin is one of the people Gu Yu entrusted with his life.

Otherwise—

Given Gu Yu's personality, he would never have spoken so much to Li Shimin in Julu, or later after arriving in Chang'an. And isn't what Li Shimin is doing exactly what Gu Yu envisioned?

Being born at the wrong time was Gu Yu's greatest tragedy in life.

However, it was also Gu Yu's good fortune to meet an emperor like Li Shimin in his later years, and to have descendants who could carry on his wishes.

At least, there's someone who can do everything for him.

Li Shimin was also very concerned about Gu Yu's health.

But what can be done about it?

The fundamental reason for Gu Yu's continuous physical weakness was not illness, but simply his advanced age, something even Gu Yi could not change.

Everyone eventually reaches a point of exhaustion, and Gu Yu's lifelong dedication to his family had already consumed too much of his energy.

After learning all this, Li Shimin remained silent for a long time.

And from then on—

He cherished his time even more now.

It happened in October;

Li Shimin decided to establish the Censorate to supervise all officials, which was further divided into the Censorate, the Palace Censorate, and the Inspection Censorate. At the same time, he dispatched censors to inspect local areas, thus thoroughly initiating the integration of the Tang Dynasty's bureaucracy.

This matter is far more important than any other.

For the officials in the court, Li Shimin's move was a real threat to their rightful interests.

The wave of opposition is also far greater than ever before.

Even at the very end.

The matter has already reached Li Yuan, and it is hoped that Li Yuan can persuade Li Shimin to stop.

But Li Shimin's attitude remained unchanged.

When facing his officials in the court, he declared in a resounding voice: "Without good governance, the people will not live in peace!"

"I want to see a clean and honest government, with no dust in the prefectures and counties!"

He entrusted the matter to the Gu family members.

It wasn't just because of trust, but also because they knew this was something the Gu family excelled at.

It began in the time of Gu Kang in ancient times.

The Gu family leaders throughout history have been far more concerned with governance than others, especially after Gu Xi, which has become a common practice.

In addition, he formally abolished the "Five Equalizations and Six Controls" policy for merchants during the Wude era, stimulated private trade, and ordered the minting of "Kaiyuan Tongbao" coins, resolving to gradually phase out the old coins.

This officially launched the reforms during the Zhenguan era.

—The whole region was alarmed.

Li Shimin successively dispatched officials to supervise the implementation of policies in all directions, including the equal distribution of land and taxes, and all details were within his investigation.

People from all directions are grateful for Heaven's grace.

Although the court has been constantly implementing policies, these policies are only aimed at officials in all directions.

For those people at the very bottom of society.

They could only sense the court's determination to allow the people to recuperate and recover.

The people of the world are indeed suffering too much.

Although they cannot fully appreciate the changes brought about by the reform of officialdom, the reduction in taxes alone is enough to make them grateful to the court.

But things rarely go so smoothly.
In the first year of the Zhenguan era, natural disasters struck Guanzhong once again.

In fact, this natural disaster is far from severe, but it is precisely because the people of the world are currently too exhausted.

Even though this natural disaster was not severe, it still caused a great famine in the Guanzhong region.

This is definitely a major blow to the implementation of the new policy.

In particular, Li Shimin's consistent willingness to listen to advice gave those ministers who had always opposed his policies an opportunity to seize.

Tai Chi Hall.

"Your Majesty, there were no major disasters during the Wude era. Now, the new policies have just been implemented, and natural disasters have struck again. This is by no means an auspicious omen. This old minister humbly begs Your Majesty to consider the people of the world and restore the policies of the Wude era."

"The world is exhausted, and now another great calamity has befallen it. If Your Majesty wishes to revive the world, you should restore the policies of Wude!"

"."

As officials emerged one by one, their shouts echoed throughout the hall. Each of them wore a sincere expression, as if they truly cared for the people of the world.

These people were almost all veterans of the Wude era.

Li Shimin did not take direct action against them, but merely stripped them of their real power.

This also reflects Li Shimin's benevolence towards them.

After all, Li Yuan is still alive.

These people can all be considered Li Yuan's old brothers.

The atmosphere was utterly silent.

Looking at the people before him, Li Shimin's eyes grew increasingly cold, but he did not immediately become angry. Instead, he looked at Pei Ji beside him and said calmly, "Why doesn't the Grand Minister speak up?"

How could he not see that these people were all led by Pei Ji?

How could we let the person in question remain uninvolved?

"Your Majesty." Pei Ji took a deep breath, cupped his hands towards Li Shimin, hesitated for a moment, and said, "This old minister dares not say much about the new policies, but this old minister knows Your Majesty's ambition to revitalize the nine provinces."

"Now that the new policies have just been implemented, a major disaster has struck."

"Perhaps it is the will of Heaven. Your Majesty, I urge you to consider the advice of your ministers."

He didn't say it too directly, but he still made his stance clear.

This is where Pei Ji's brilliance lies.

"Sikong's words are wrong."

Before Li Shimin could even speak, Wei Zheng, who was standing nearby, immediately shouted and stepped forward, asking, "What does a natural disaster have to do with the new policies?"

"Since you already know His Majesty's aspirations, why do you say such things?"

"Could restoring the old system of martial virtue really stop the famine?"

"Have you all forgotten what Marquis Wencheng once said: 'Respect the spirits and gods, but keep them at a distance'?"

He showed no mercy to anyone whatsoever.

In an instant, Pei Ji and the others' expressions turned rather ugly.

The "Gu Xue" is one of the core classics of contemporary Confucianism. Wei Zheng said that they did not know how to "respect ghosts and gods but keep them at a distance," which was, to put it bluntly, an insult to them.

On the other hand, upon seeing this scene, Li Shimin's anger gradually subsided.

He liked Wei Zheng like that.

Although this guy doesn't care about the occasion when giving advice, he can be very useful at certain times.

"Okay."

Seeing that someone was about to get angry, he spoke up at the right time to stop the fight, and then slowly stood up and said: "Wei Zheng is right. Respecting ghosts and gods but keeping them at a distance is the essence of what Marquis Wencheng said in the past."

"I have been studying classic historical texts diligently since childhood."

"Thinking back to when Marquis Wenxiang, Duke Xi, governed the nine provinces during times of natural disasters, did he ever yield?"

"Winning by half a move against Heaven;"

"I have kept these words in mind to this day. If Marquis Wenxiang could withstand natural disasters in the nine provinces, how could I not even withstand a famine in Guanzhong?"

"deliver an imperial order--"

"From this day forward, the imperial court shall provide disaster relief and exempt disaster victims from taxes for the entire year."

"I will never forgive anyone who mentions restoring the old policies of the Wude era!"

As he finished speaking, Li Shimin's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he immediately looked at Pei Ji and the others present.

Instantly, Pei Ji and the others felt a killing intent coming at them, and they all instinctively lowered their heads.

I didn't dare say anything more.

A massive disaster relief effort was launched throughout the Guanzhong Plain.

Only at times like this can we find a solution.

The benefits of improving governance will be fully realized. Although this is only the beginning, it has already served as a deterrent to officials from all directions!
Contrary to what some people had imagined, this major disaster did not cause any trouble.

On the contrary, the disaster victims from all directions, upon hearing about the court's policies, all marveled at Li Shimin's wisdom.

No one will feel despair.

Even in this dire situation, the refugees in Guanzhong still hold great hope for the future.

This is a yearning for a prosperous era!
Shuofang.

The atmosphere was utterly silent.

Gu Yan knelt by the bed, his voice choked with emotion as he recounted the news from various places and the new policies of the imperial court to Gu Yu.

He bit his lower lip hard, the veins on his cheeks bulging slightly, his eyes reddening, but he stubbornly refused to let the tears fall.

The Gu family members behind him were also tense, their heads bowed, and suppressed sobs rose and fell in the quiet room.

Gu Yu lay quietly, his pale face devoid of color, his breathing so weak it was almost imperceptible.

Since the victory in that great battle, his already weakened body has become even more overwhelmed.

Even so, he still forced himself to endure his illness and spent his days reading the Gu family classics, studying the methods of grassland warfare, and personally guiding the training of his soldiers.

He poured all his knowledge and understanding of the grasslands into this final intensive training.

This was also the last thing he left for Li Shimin, Gu Quan, Gu Yan, and others.

He firmly believed that Li Shimin would also use these in the near future.

After Gu Yan finished speaking, Gu Yu's eyelids twitched, and as if he had used all his strength, he slowly opened his eyes.

His cloudy gaze swept over the group of disciples before him, and he said in a weak voice, "Your Majesty is the Holy Emperor, which is a blessing for the entire nation and also a blessing for the Gu family!"

The room fell into a deathly silence. Everyone subconsciously held their breath, hoping to memorize every word Gu Yu said.

Gu Yu paused, a hoarse voice escaping his throat: "In the past, when the Han Dynasty collapsed and the world was in chaos, my Gu family paid a heavy price to protect our family's heritage and to safeguard the people of this region."

"Generations of forbearance, generations of walking on thin ice..."

As he said this, a single, cloudy tear welled up in the corner of his eye and slowly slid down his wrinkles.

"This has brought about the best opportunity for the Gu family to return to its peak."

His voice suddenly rose slightly, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes, "But you must remember, never destroy the entire family for the sake of momentary power!"

"Temporary honor or disgrace is not something the Gu family is concerned with."

Just as our ancestors said—

“There are no immortal dynasties in the world, and you must remember this. As far as the Gu family is concerned, the rise and fall of dynasties can be abandoned, but the honor and disgrace of the nine provinces cannot be abandoned.”

"Only by ensuring this, and by integrating the rise and fall of my Gu family with the entire Kyushu, can my Gu family achieve immortality."

Suddenly, Gu Yu coughed violently, his body trembling uncontrollably, and his breathing became rapid and disordered. But he held on to his last breath and said with a firm look in his eyes, "After I die, bury me back in Julu."

“That is the root of our Gu family, and I want to stay with our ancestors.”

He paused for a long time before continuing with difficulty, "Tell His Majesty... that I should not be given a posthumous title."

"Throughout my life, though I have fought on the battlefield, I have achieved no merit for the world. I cannot tarnish the reputation of my ancestors."

"If Quan'er has any children in the future, remember to send them to the Gu family."

"He sacrificed far too much for the Gu family throughout his life."

"You may examine carefully what I leave behind. If the world one day prospers, perhaps it can be put into practice."

"."

His voice grew weaker and weaker, becoming intermittent.

With each sob, Gu Yu's aged hands finally fell limply to the side of the bed.

August of the first year of the Zhenguan era;
Grand Tutor Gu Yu of the Tang Dynasty died in Shuofang.
(P.S.: The guaranteed monthly votes have been updated for the middle of the month. Please, brothers, lend a hand and give us your support. This grand event will far surpass the past!)
(End of this chapter)