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

Chapter 160 Fame and fortune are like smoke, wealth and honor are like dust (Seeking monthly votes)
The whole world has changed.

Ordinary people might not be able to notice this change, but Gu Yi, who could see everything from above, could still sense it.

This reflects a growing sense of cultural confidence!

The influence of Emperor Li Shimin.

Furthermore, people from all directions were flocking to the Central Plains to learn about the culture of the Nine Provinces, all of which had an invisible impact on the entire world.

This is an inevitable phenomenon.

The power of the Tang Dynasty, coupled with the obvious improvement in living standards, was enough to make the tribes from all directions, who were not originally willing to integrate into the Nine Provinces, change their ways.

As this phenomenon continues to occur, these tribes will gradually integrate into the entire Kyushu region over time.

Their land naturally became part of the entire Kyushu.

This year was extraordinary for the entire Tang Dynasty.

The Tang Dynasty finally began to break free from the constraints of national strength and productivity, and began to continuously develop the culture belonging to the Nine Provinces.

This is actually the true golden age.

It just goes to show the old saying, "People will only start to pursue other things after they have filled their stomachs."

That's how it is now.

When a feudal dynasty begins to develop its culture, it already demonstrates the strength of that dynasty.

In the past, during the reign of Yan Han, there was actually an opportunity to do this. The emergence of people like Gu Chen, Zhuge Liang, and Gu Ye laid a sufficient foundation for the entire Yan Han dynasty.

Unfortunately, after Gu Ye's death, Liu Jun became the emperor in power.

Now, it is Li Shimin.

Even among emperors, there are vastly different differences.

This difference led to completely different developments in the two dynasties.

The Han dynasty has weakened;
Meanwhile, the Tang Dynasty continued to flourish.

The water level warning clock was indeed groundbreaking, and its emergence played a significant role in the agricultural development of the entire Tang Dynasty.

Natural disasters were always a fatal blow to feudal dynasties.

Limitations on productivity.

This meant that when natural disasters occurred, the resulting influx of refugees would affect the very foundation of the dynasty.

This is something that an agrarian society could never completely solve.

Despite the current strength of the Tang Dynasty, which has instilled despair in the surrounding barbarians, everything will return to square one if two major disasters occur.

Even if the emergence of water level early warning clocks cannot solve all problems, they can still prevent some major disasters in advance, and the losses reduced in this way are unimaginable.

As long as the natural disaster is not too severe.

That would not be a problem at all for the Tang Dynasty at present.

Even Gu Yi was marveling at the wealth of the Tang Dynasty.

The continued development of business;
Furthermore, the influence of the Tang Dynasty was continuing to rise.

Especially after Li Shimin's birthday celebration, the influence of the Tang Dynasty reached its peak.

These two points are already a game-changer, not to mention that the Zhenguan Tongbao coins have now been issued, bringing trade surpluses to the exchange department.

Everything made the Tang Dynasty incredibly wealthy.

This is the advantage that comes from leading in productivity.

Even the most ordinary things in the Tang Dynasty were still incredibly precious to the barbarians from all directions.

Although this is just the beginning, it has already had an effect.

Of course, for any feudal dynasty, no matter how powerful it is, the road it will inevitably take is not smooth.

The Tang Dynasty still faces many challenges.

That is the Western Regions.

Although Gu Quan has occupied the Western Regions for several years, the Western Regions are still a powder keg.

This is a phenomenon that is completely unavoidable.

The territory of the Western Regions is vast.

In addition, there are conflicting interests between countries and disputes between believers of different religions.

All of this is a potential contradiction.

It is simply impossible to completely resolve this issue in a short period of time.

According to Gu Yi's perspective, the Western Regions are currently undergoing progress in ideological unification, but it will still be a long time before they are fully integrated into the Nine Provinces.

That is precisely why—

Whether it's Gu Quan or Gu Yan.

They were all unable to leave the Western Regions.

Even with the Gu family's renowned reputation, rebellions frequently occur in the Western Regions these days, and they dare not even imagine what would happen to the Western Regions if the Gu family were to leave.

Perhaps the kingdoms of the Western Regions fear the Tang Dynasty, which is currently at its peak.

However, the system that Li Shimin established for the Western Regions is probably no longer feasible.

This is for sure.

Given Gu Quan and Gu Yan's personalities, it's simply impossible for them to abandon everything in the Western Regions at this time and go back to enjoy a life of luxury.

But there are always unexpected events.

—Gu Quan is ill.

No, perhaps it shouldn't be called an illness.

Rather, it was all the damage caused by the wear and tear over the years that gradually surfaced as he grew older, causing his physical functions to deteriorate rapidly.

Although he is only forty-five years old.

But in this day and age, that's considered old.

And the most important thing is——

Since leaving the Gu family, Gu Quan has worked incredibly hard, and everything he has done has been the most arduous and exhausting.

He shouldered all the hardships for the Gu family.

Even Gu Yi's "Cure-all Talisman" couldn't solve Gu Quan's problem.

Gu Yi was also quite helpless about this.

The "Medicine Cures All Illnesses Talisman" is, after all, just a mortal-level item.

Based on Gu Yi's judgment, repairing this kind of damage to bodily functions would probably require at least a Xuan-level item.

He did try his luck with the lottery, but unfortunately, he ultimately failed to win anything that could change his fate.

For the long-term development of the entire family, he had to hold back and not risk everything.

As the wheels of history continue to turn forward.

A glorious era is slowly fading away with the passage of time.

Xizhou.

This is a magnificent city located at the transportation hub of Yiwu and Qiemo, and it is also the place where the dual-track policy of the Tang Dynasty is currently developing most smoothly.

The reason is also quite simple.

—Gu Yan, the apparent head of the Gu family, is stationed here, and no country in the surrounding regions dares to underestimate his power.

It is precisely because of this.

Today, Xizhou has become the most prosperous city in the Western Regions.

Merchants from all directions would choose to rest and recuperate in Xizhou, without having to worry about any safety issues, as the cultural atmosphere of Kyushu was very rich.

However, the atmosphere in the entire Xizhou government office has been extremely heavy these past few days.

Tap tap tap.
A series of hurried footsteps rang out.

Gu Quan, who was looking at Li Shimin's letter, slowly raised his head and then saw Gu Yan, who looked solemn, leading a group of brothers slowly walking over.

As soon as everyone crossed the threshold, they knelt down directly in front of Gu Quan.

"Elder brother!" Gu Yan looked up at the person seated on the throne, his expression as solemn as iron. "No matter what, you must return to Chang'an immediately."

“Otherwise, even without His Majesty’s personal journey to the Western Regions, we brothers would still bring you back!” Gu Yan said with a serious expression and an extremely solemn tone.

The same was true for the group of Gu family members behind him.

Gu Quan's health is deteriorating.

Although on the surface, it was Grand Tutor Gu Yan who was handling everything in the Western Regions, in reality, it was Gu Quan who was in control of everything.

This includes not only warfare, but also the details of implementing various systems.

The effect of the Luoshu Harmonizing Instrument gave Gu Quan the authority to make adjustments.

He barely had any time to rest, and the effort he put into the entire Western Regions was unimaginable to others.

Li Shimin has already sent the imperial edict.

Gu Quan must be brought back to the capital, or he will personally come to the Western Regions and bring Gu Quan back by force.

Gu Yan and the others have clearly gone all out now.

They all understood perfectly.

Given Gu Quan's personality, he would never truly rest as long as he was in the Western Regions.

The doctor had already said that Gu Quan's heart was like a leaky box, and if he continued to be so exhausted, he would eventually die from exhaustion.

Looking at his brothers in front of him, and then at the letter in his hand, Gu Quan remained silent for a moment before finally letting out a soft sigh and saying, "You should understand."

His tone was very calm.

As he spoke, he slowly stood up, looked at everyone, and spoke again: "How many members of my Gu family have failed to enter the Jade Gate Pass?"

"The situation in the Western Regions is still unsettled—"

"The statue of Duke Sheng stands right here at Yumen Pass. How can I leave at a time like this?"

As he finished speaking, he couldn't help but look out the window towards the east, his expression becoming increasingly complex.

That's the direction of Yumen Pass.

He's always been like this.

From childhood to adulthood, he has always chosen to bear all the burdens alone, and this remains unchanged to this day.

"Brother!"

Gu Yan and the others' eyes were completely red. Of course they understood Gu Quan's thoughts, but how could they watch Gu Quan silently endure everything?
In fact, Gu Yan has been trying his best to change things over the years, just to help Gu Quan withstand the pressure.

"We also share the surname Gu!"

Gu Yan stared intently at Gu Quan and shouted out, "You've already done enough. Even fledglings need time to soar, let alone us?"

Even if the road ahead is fraught with danger, how can we live under our elder brother's protection forever?

The atmosphere inside the hall grew increasingly heavy.

The expressions of all the Gu family members were extremely serious, as if Gu Quan would take action the moment he refused.

Gu Yi was also watching all of this, his expression somewhat complicated.

Gu Quan's personality is indeed like that.

He is a person who values ​​relationships very much, and he is willing to give everything for the people he cares about.

Although he couldn't completely protect them into clueless fledglings as Gu Yan had said, he did sacrifice far too much for the entire family, even giving up everything.

Even Gu Yi had to admit it.

After years of decline, the father-son duo of Gu Yu and Gu Quan played a crucial role in the resurgence of the Gu family.

Looking at his brothers, Gu Quan fell silent once again.

He ultimately failed to agree.

Despite their words, Gu Yan and the others ultimately dared not lay a hand on Gu Quan, not for any other reason than their fear of harming him.

But Li Shimin wouldn't give up so easily.

He didn't just send one letter.

Upon hearing that Gu Quan was ill, he sent nearly ten letters in one go, urging Gu Quan to return to the capital immediately.

In the following days, letters from Li Shimin arrived daily.

In the end——

Li Shimin actually made the decision to tour the Western Regions!
He was not a heartless emperor either; he couldn't just watch Gu Quan die.

And during this period.

Gu Yan and the others also seemed to have gone mad, and began to directly interfere in the affairs of the Western Regions. They wanted Gu Quan to see that they could do everything well, so that he could leave in peace.

finally--

Gu Quan put it down and sent a letter to Li Shimin, deciding to return to the capital.

But not before that.

He still did a lot. Although he did not directly intervene in the politics of the Western Regions, he still helped Gu Quan and others make plans for the future.

—We cannot only have power, but also kindness.

Safeguarding the interests of the trade routes to the Western Regions is the core of this matter.

He meticulously copied down the development strategies for the Western Regions, marking every detail clearly, from military and political reforms to livelihood planning.

Only after the last stroke of cinnabar had dried completely did he solemnly hand the scroll to Gu Yan and turn to embark on his journey home.

On the day of departure, there was no procession with banners obscuring the sun; the entourage consisted of only five riders and two camels.

He completely concealed his face and left with only a few of his most trusted guards, just like an ordinary passerby.

No one knows his identity;

No one knows about his contributions and achievements over the years; he left all his prestige to the Gu family.

He even refused when Gu Yan and others wanted to see him off.

Even though he knew—

This could very well be the last time the brothers meet, but he couldn't let the family be branded as having participated in a struggle for the very foundation of the nation.

No one can change his mind.

Gu Yan and the others could only kneel far away behind the deserted sand dune, watching that frail figure gradually being swallowed by the yellow sand, and weep uncontrollably.

Gu Quan did not rush on his journey. When he arrived at Yumen Pass again, he paid homage to Gu Sheng and Ban Chao once more, just as he had done when he marched into the Western Regions years before.

In fact, given his achievements, Gu Quan could easily become the third statue in this place.

But this is the path he chose himself.

What fame and fortune could compare to his peace of mind?

"Son."

Beneath the statue, Xue San supported Gu Quan, his eyes red-rimmed, as if he had a thousand words to say. However, before he could speak, Gu Quan simply smiled nonchalantly.
"Fame and fortune are like smoke, wealth and status are like dust. Looking up and down between heaven and earth, all we need is to have a clear conscience."

—No regrets!
He did not shirk his duty to the entire family, nor did he shirk his duty to help Li Shimin by cutting his face, nor did he shirk his duty to bear the pressure for his brothers.

This is the path that Gu Quan has steadfastly adhered to.

Tears streamed down his face as Xue San stared intently at Gu Quan, but ultimately refrained from uttering his words.

Li Shimin did not cancel his trip.

He also only brought his trusted confidants with him on this trip, leaving the administration of the court to Li Chengqian.

In fact, this was Li Shimin expressing his attitude.

Of course, the most important thing was that he wanted to pick up Gu Quan in person.

He couldn't give Gu Quan too much glory, but given their relationship, it was enough.

sandbar.

When Li Shimin saw Gu Quan again, his eyes instantly reddened.

The image of Gu Quan, who used to charge and intimidate the enemy on the battlefield, flashed through his mind. Now, he looked at Gu Quan, whose hair was completely white and whose body had begun to stoop.

Tears welled up in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects." Gu Quan was about to perform another bow.

But before he could make a move, Li Shimin grabbed his hand directly. Without saying a word, he looked at Gu Quan with a firm gaze and said seriously:
"Let's go home!"
(P.S.: I'm asking for monthly votes at the beginning of the month. I hope you guys can help me out. The calm period is almost over, and next we'll be launching attacks on both internal and external fronts!)

(End of this chapter)