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

Chapter 179 Gu Clan Academy, Shocking All Sides (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Every emperor has an unparalleled influence on an era, let alone an emperor like Li Shimin.

When the news spread, the entire country was in pain.

An invisible sense of grief instantly enveloped the entire land of Kyushu.

—The sounds of wailing echoed throughout Kyushu.

Even Gu Yi felt a pang of sadness.

Unlike the original history, Li Shimin's influence on the entire Kyushu region was far greater than that in the original history.

The system for ethnic integration has been fully implemented;

This includes various initiatives such as navigation.

These are just from a macro perspective; in terms of the development of internal national strength, Li Shimin's contributions were even more extraordinary.

Under Gu's influence, he ultimately maintained his original aspirations and did not become somewhat senile in his later years as was originally recorded in history.

Although no one is perfect, from the perspective of the whole world, he was undoubtedly a great emperor!
Gu Yi was also watching this scene.

I felt a strange, inexplicable feeling upon hearing of Li Shimin's passing, but I did not feel much attachment to him.

Who in this world can live forever?

No matter who he is, no matter how great his achievements were during his lifetime, the wheels of history will eventually crush everything, so why bother with any lingering attachment?
Seeing that the overall situation in the Tang Dynasty had not deteriorated, Gu Yi then turned his attention to Li Chengqian and Gu Lei.

In fact, he had been paying attention to them for some time now.

The importance of navigation goes without saying.

For the Gu family...

Whether for long-term development or family safety, exploring seafaring is of paramount importance.

Li Chengqian and others have now settled in Ryukyu.

That is, the Taiwan Province of later generations.

Contrary to popular belief, the process of Ryukyu's integration into Kyushu was actually extremely complex in the original history.

First and foremost is the well-known Three Kingdoms period.

Sun Quan, the King of Wu, sent his troops to "Yizhou," marking the first recorded instance of the Kyushu court's strategic planning of the region.

However, it was not until the Yuan Dynasty that it was formally incorporated into the rule of the Nine Provinces and placed under its administration.

Then came the complete takeover by the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Even from today's perspective, the people of Ryukyu are still in the early Iron Age, mainly engaged in fishing, hunting, gathering, and primitive agriculture.

The system was extremely backward. Although some tribes near Kyushu had begun limited maritime trade, this was still a great coincidence.

They lack the ability to go to sea.

Merchants from Kyushu often came to this place by chance.

These men were no match for the elite Tang army led by Li Chengqian.

In just a few months, Li Chengqian relied on his thousands of elite Tang troops to wipe out all the tribes.

It is worth mentioning that Li Chengqian was a cripple.

However, he was also accomplished in military strategy.

Coupled with his complete overwhelming power, these people had no chance of stopping him.

And he didn't hold back at all either.

Education must begin with force.

We must first subdue them before we can begin to educate them.

He has already implemented a concrete educational system in Ryukyu, and Gu Lei and other members of the Gu family have even established the Gu Family Academy in Ryukyu to educate the people.

This is destined to be incredibly difficult.

Compared to the barbarians in the four directions of Kyushu, the people in Ryukyu were much more backward.

This kind of education is destined to be an extremely long process.

Of course, they also did not forget about traveling far away.

Whether it was Li Chengqian or Gu Lei and the other members of the Gu family, they only used Ryukyu as a base, since they couldn't just drift aimlessly at sea forever.

This is just the beginning.

Gu Yi took this matter very seriously, not only because of the deep-rooted patriotism of the Chinese people, but also because he was concerned about the development of the Gu family.

This is definitely a great start.

Although Gu's Academy may not seem to be affected much now, as long as they continue to follow this path...

The future impact is self-evident.

Of course, Gu Yi also understood that this matter was bound to take some time.

But the Gu family has no shortage of time!

He could have simply continued waiting.

Gu Yi did not choose to manipulate the Gu family members, although he understood that this was a critical moment for the development of the Gu family.

But he still had no intention of controlling it.

Gu Jing's talent is absolutely sufficient. Even if he is not as good as those strongest predecessors, there is no need to worry about maintaining the current foundation of the Tang Dynasty.

He certainly has no shortage of achievements now, but with the Gu family returning to the top of the Nine Provinces, history will surely change again.

According to Gu Yi's judgment.

Once the Gu family alters history again, the talents of their descendants will continue to decline.

That will be the time for him to step forward.

As for manipulating Gu Lei, that's even more true.

The overseas base has only just been established. Even if he tries to control it now, what can he do?
What truly requires Gu Yi's personal control lies in the future.
Changan.

It was already the first year of the Yonghui era.

The immense grief eventually subsided with the passage of time, and the Tang Dynasty returned to normalcy without any large-scale turmoil.

On the contrary, it is completely different from the original history.

Although it was the first time a new emperor had ascended the throne, there were indeed unusual problems within the court.

This is naturally related to the various measures Li Shimin took before his death, including the presence of Gu Jing, his pillar of strength.

The three regents—

Although Li Shimin never distinguished between primary and secondary officials, the court gradually came to regard Gu Jing as the leader, and all the officials were extremely afraid of Gu Jing.

This has nothing to do with the Gu family; it is simply a consequence of Gu Jing and his series of political officials.

Even Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang were somewhat wary of Gu Jing.

This demonstrates Gu Jing's current influence.

However, Gu Jing did not interfere in the affairs of the court. He seemed to be very clear about his own strengths and weaknesses. Although he understood some politics, he was still somewhat lacking compared to the veteran officials who had been deeply involved in the court, so he rarely interfered.

What he truly controlled was the Censorate, which was used to oversee the administration of officials in the Tang Dynasty.

Gu Jing was clearly well aware of the crucial importance of good governance to the dynasty.

There are certainly advantages to doing this.

The Gu family had controlled the Censorate for many years, and since the beginning of Li Shimin's reign, their sons and relatives had been inspecting the four directions, making them a sword hanging over the heads of officials in all directions.

In addition, there were the things Li Shimin did before his death.

As long as Gu Jing is there.

The path of the Tang Dynasty could not possibly deviate.

This is the fundamental reason why Gu Jing did this.

All he needs to do is ensure that the Tang Dynasty's progress is on the right track.

Of course, there are also hidden benefits.

That is to stabilize the monarchical power.

In the original historical trajectory, Li Zhi was completely sidelined at the beginning of his reign.

His maternal uncle, Changsun Wuji, was not only the leader of the maternal relatives but also represented the powerful Guanlong Group.

Chu Suiliang was Changsun Wuji's most steadfast ally.

The alliance between the two inevitably led to a political structure of "weak ruler and strong minister." Historical records state that "all matters, large and small, were decided by Wuji," which is a true reflection of this situation.

This is precisely what triggered a series of intense political struggles and major events.

However, the situation is completely different now.

Although Gu Jing would not stand guard by the emperor's side with a sword like Gu Xi did back then, his very existence provided Li Zhi with a powerful boost to consolidating his imperial power.

"The Gu family will not rebel"—this is already a consensus across the land.

Li Ji and many other generals in the army held Gu Jing in high esteem. Even if Gu Jing remained silent, this prestige would surely have been bestowed upon Li Zhi.

This resulted in an unprecedented stability of the power structure within the entire Tang Dynasty.

Gu Jing didn't even need to do anything special. He only needed to personally visit Changsun Wuji and say, "The legacy of Emperor Taizong cannot be interrupted"—that would be enough.

Changsun Wuji was a smart man.

Although he too inevitably hesitated and wavered in the face of power.

But facing the Gu family—

He had to control his ambition.

The Gu family's influence is too great, although this greatness is not like that of the Han Dynasty in the past, when they were mainly focused on major events.

Instead, it shifted to a process from low to high.

But it is precisely because of this that the influence of the Gu family throughout the Nine Provinces is even more substantial.

To oppose the Gu family.

Regardless of whether he succeeds or not, even if he does succeed, his reputation and that of his entire family will plummet in Kyushu.

Changsun Wuji would never have made such a choice.

It was precisely because of this that the entire Tang Dynasty court was in a state of peace and harmony.

Changsun Wuji did not seize power. When dealing with various matters of the court, he would even consult Li Zhi's opinions, which can be described as a peaceful and harmonious situation.

Everything seemed unchanged, yet it all felt different.

Gu Yi didn't care about any of that.

For him.

As long as the current Tang Dynasty can continue to exist, that is enough. There is no such thing as an eternal dynasty in the world, so he doesn't need to interfere with these things.

Time flies by.

With such internal stability, the entire Tang Dynasty was thriving.

Although there was some chaos, it was kept under control.

This is something that cannot be avoided at all.

There will always be officials who feel that with Li Shimin's death, there will be a new era and new atmosphere, and they cannot control their greed.

And facing these people—

Gu Jing showed no mercy whatsoever, ruthlessly killing a group of people to control this trend.

The Tang Dynasty is not short of officials at present.

The imperial examination system as a whole is now completely stable, and in today's culturally vibrant world, this fact is amplified to an extreme degree, making it virtually effortless to clean up.

Under these measures, all the turmoil almost instantly ceased.

Even foreign tribes fear Gu Jing.

His record is too impressive.

The victory against Goguryeo in the past has spread far and wide, and the fear of Gu Jing, a foreigner, has even surpassed that of Gu Chen in the past.

Although there was only one battle, it was enough with the blessing of the endless legends of the Gu family.

Although he resided in Chang'an, his influence extended far and wide!

This is Gu Jing today.

He did not launch a direct attack as everyone expected. The real threat has always been the sword hanging in the air, and Gu Jing was clearly well aware of this.

What really caught Gu Yi's attention was that Gu Jing had actually taken notice of the harem.

He took note of the power struggles within Emperor Gaozong's harem.

Although he has only just ascended the throne, this sign is already quite evident.

Although Lady Wang was the empress.

But Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) continued to favor Consort Xiao.

This would naturally lead to infighting within the harem, and the reason why Gu Jing would pay attention to these matters is also quite simple.

That's because of Li Zhi's personality.

Of course, Gu Jing would not choose to intervene directly.

He did this simply as a precaution.

For him.

He only needed to grasp the direction of the entire Tang Dynasty's development, and that would be enough; he would be worthy of Li Shimin and the land.

Ganye Temple.

According to the rules of the Tang Dynasty, the concubines who had served Emperor Taizong Li Shimin in the past and had no children are now all nuns here, praying for Emperor Taizong day and night.

Although the influence of Buddhism in Kyushu today is far less than in its original history due to the emergence and rise of the Gu family.

However, in the present era, such prophetic and superstitious beliefs have always been easy to spread, and Ganye Temple is one such product of this.

Surrounded by his ministers, Li Zhi slowly made his way into the temple.

Perhaps because today is the anniversary of Li Shimin's death, everyone couldn't help but think of the emperor of the past, and their expressions became somewhat solemn.

The same applies to Li Zhi.

He kept his head down the whole way and went straight into the temple.

The air inside the temple was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

The nuns had already prepared all the sacrificial vessels and offerings.

According to the "Kaiyuan Ritual of the Great Tang Dynasty", Emperor Gaozong followed the elaborate ancient rituals and led his officials in performing the grand ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows, offering silk and wine, reading the prayer text, and respectfully worshipping Emperor Taizong.

The master of ceremonies chanted praises, and the assembled officials bowed respectfully. The only sounds in the palace were the rustling of robes and the solemn footsteps.

After the officials finished their rites and retreated to the corridor outside the hall to wait respectfully, Li Zhi entered the hall alone, personally offering sacrificial vessels and incense to Emperor Taizong.

The air was filled with smoke.

Kneeling before Emperor Taizong's memorial tablet, his gaze was exceptionally devout as he silently recited the sacrificial text in accordance with ritual.

According to custom, during sacrificial rites, the emperor must be quiet and reverent, single-minded, and refrain from speaking or making noise.

Time passed quietly, and after an unknown amount of time, very light footsteps suddenly sounded from the side of the hall, followed by a gentle voice:

"Your Majesty, please have your meal," a gentle voice called out.

Li Zhi kept his eyes closed, and said calmly, "Put it down."

According to ancient sacrificial rites, one must not eat before the final offering, and he could not possibly have forgotten this rule.

A soft sigh was heard, followed by the soft sound of the food box being placed on the table.

Li Zhi remained unconcerned, continuing to close his eyes and concentrate, strictly adhering to the rituals of the sacrifice.

Until dusk fell.

The lengthy ritual finally came to an end, and Li Zhi slowly opened his eyes and looked at the food box beside him.

That glance, however, involuntarily turned to the nun standing to one side.

In an instant, Li Zhi's gaze suddenly sharpened.

A familiar silhouette came into view, causing him to catch his breath slightly and his expression to change subtly. He murmured in disbelief, "Wu...Wu Cairen?"

The call was extremely soft, yet it instantly shattered the silence in the hall.

"Your Majesty..." Upon hearing this, the nun's shoulders trembled almost imperceptibly, and she finally slowly raised her head.

Eyes facing each other.

Her eyes were glistening with tears as she bowed deeply, her voice trembling with a barely perceptible sob: "This humble nun... greets Your Majesty."
(P.S.: This part of Wu Zetian's history will be drastically different, brothers, don't worry. I'm begging for monthly votes at the end of the month~~~)

(End of this chapter)