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

Chapter 193 Turmoil in the Court and Countryside, Internal and External Power Struggle (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
The whole world was in turmoil.

Even Gu Jing had not expected that the maritime reactions to this policy would be so strong.

But that's human nature.

Whether it's chambers of commerce in various regions or those top-tier businessmen, their ambitions are no longer comparable to when they first entered the maritime trade.

Whether it's the pursuit by foreign investors, the continuous accumulation of assets, or even the people behind them.

All of this will only make them more arrogant.

Let alone Gu Jing raising taxes, they would try every means to avoid even the current taxes, so how could they remain indifferent?
This is unavoidable in any era.

This is human nature!
Gu Jing didn't care too much about any of this. As the Grand Tutor of the court and the head of the Gu family, such matters were just minor squabbles in his eyes.

Even if the businessmen resist the strike, what can they do?

Without intervention, other businessmen will naturally be willing to accept all of this and seize everything again, given the enormous profits involved.

Gu Jing only needs to ensure the fairness of the system's implementation.

And among these—

This would naturally involve the Censorate.

Countless censors from the Censorate headed straight for the various emerging docks. Among them were members of the Gu family, as well as many commoners personally selected by Gu Jing.

These are the people who travel to various places to monitor everything.

Gu Yi didn't care about any of this; it was something a dynasty had to go through.

Maritime trade is a double-edged sword.

It can enable a dynasty to leap forward in national power, but it can also sow the seeds of many crises for that dynasty.

From a long-term perspective, this turmoil is definitely a gain for the Tang Dynasty, as long as it doesn't escalate into a crisis of national extinction.

What's there to care about?
Panyu.

This is the most glorious port in the Tang Dynasty, and also the place where the Gu family has the deepest roots.

Since the time when Gu Ye swept through Lingnan.

One branch of the family had remained in Panyu for many years. Although great upheavals had occurred in Lingnan and Kyushu, the Gu family still stood firm in this place.

There was nothing that could be done, whether it was Gu Ye or Gu Ling.

There are too many legends about them in Lingnan.

One brought them a better life, and the other traveled all over the country to treat the people. The reputation of these two men was one of the most important protective umbrellas for the Gu family of Panyu.

It is precisely because of this that the maritime merchants who have settled in Panyu are now very obedient.

Although this system of the imperial court also has its share of criticisms.

There have been protests.

But seeing the court's clear stance and their market being swallowed up by other merchants, they had no choice but to bow down.

They had no choice but to bow their heads.

Panyu is not like Mingzhou or Donglai. If it were abandoned by the imperial court or the Gu family, the local people might very well devour them alive.

If they don't back down, they will definitely force out the Panyu market.

This was an outcome they could not afford. No matter how unwilling they were, they had no choice but to begin implementing the system established by the imperial court and donate money to prepare for the expansion of Panyu City.

This expansion doesn't just mean increasing the size of the city.

This is just the basics.

There are many other things involved, which is one of the reasons why disputes arose within the imperial court.

However, this is under the condition that everyone agrees.

The matter went very smoothly.

The real challenges lie in emerging coastal cities like Minnesota and Donglai.

Although they had already sensed the court's attitude.

But these people, for some unknown reason, were unwilling to back down.

And the most important thing is——

They even joined forces.

Although they did not openly defy the imperial decree, they were affecting the normal operation of maritime trade in various ways.

The obstacles within Kyushu are not too bad.

With the court's attention focused on this matter, let alone them, no one dared to do anything too drastic; at most, they could only resort to some trade-related tactics.

The real problem remains overseas.

These people already had many connections with overseas merchants, and as long as they paid a certain amount of money, they could influence maritime trade.

Merchants are inherently profit-driven.

The same applies to these overseas businessmen.

It wasn't just because of the benefits offered to them by those big merchants, but also because the specific tax policies would affect them.

These people have now given them a chance to return to normalcy and also to gain benefits.

How could these people possibly refuse?

The Tang Dynasty was indeed very powerful.

But once these things transcend the main hall, things become much harder to control.

Under these circumstances, maritime trade in the entire Minnesota and East Lai region was affected.

In just a few months—

Its trade volume has plummeted by more than half.

The impact of this goes far beyond mere taxation; today, maritime trade connects all walks of life.

The handicraft industry was the first to be affected, and people engaged in this industry were greatly impacted, with even the price of grain fluctuating.

This is definitely a major event for a rising dynasty!
Unfortunately, although all of this seems to be developing, it is actually still in its infancy.

And the market is only so big.

It's not too difficult for these chambers of commerce and big businessmen to join forces and shake up the entire industry.

—The entire government and the public were shocked!
No one could have predicted that this would cause such a commotion, since nothing like this had ever happened before.

Capital is shaking the very foundations of the imperial court.

This was something I wouldn't have dared to even imagine before.

According to the original history, this situation first occurred in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty.

The fundamental reason is the emergence and growing power of commercial capital.

Although the Tang Dynasty today cannot be compared with the situation faced by the Ming Dynasty at that time, this alone is enough to show how amazing the Tang Dynasty's development in certain aspects is.

Gu Yi was also carefully observing all of this, and he was fully aware of just how dire the situation the Great Tang Dynasty was currently facing.

If you can't control it—

The seeds of capital will inevitably sprout in Kyushu, and their influence will be unshakeable.

However, he wasn't particularly worried.

If it were someone else, using such a righteous approach to confront the imperial court might have been effective.

But it's clear that Gu Jing isn't the kind of person who would hold back.
night.

The moonlight was as clear as if it had been washed, and the starlight was dazzling.

Luoyang, the Marquis of Champion's Residence.

Gu Jing sat silently in his study, carefully examining the messages sent by censors from various regions before the oil lamp.

His expression was perfectly calm, and his eyes showed no unusual activity. It was as if he didn't care about anything at all, and even though he was alone in the room, he didn't reveal any emotion.

The room was completely silent. Gu Jing just watched silently, lost in thought.

Until all the letters have been read.

Only then did he summon his men.

"Issue my order to have all the censors of the Censorate investigate this matter thoroughly. No matter who is behind this or what their status is, they must be found out."

Gu Jing gave his explanation very calmly.

He understood that there must be a very important person in charge, otherwise merchants from different places would not have been able to unite like this.

He could even guess what else these people would do besides fire them.

But Gu Jing remained calm.

There's nothing to be confused about. These people don't understand him and underestimate him.

These actions were not a threat to Gu Jing, but rather a tempting offer!
The next day, the court officials were abuzz with discussion.

Everyone felt a great threat to the current situation and understood that these matters had to be suppressed no matter what.

Some will suggest restoring the old system, while others will suggest taking drastic measures.

However, Gu Jing did not express his opinion.

He is indeed ruthless.

But no matter how ruthless he is, he cannot be executed without cause. He represents not only the Gu family, but also the credibility of the imperial court.

Gu Jing needs to resolve all of this through the most formal means in order to avoid affecting the maritime trade business.

It's impossible for them to make a decision directly.

The courtiers were all very nervous about this.

Even ministers with differing opinions were in the same boat, because everyone understood perfectly well that this matter needed to be resolved quickly.

Otherwise, it wouldn't just affect maritime trade; it could very well cut off the development path of the currently thriving Tang Dynasty.

Back at the mansion, Gu Jing began instructing Li Longji as usual.

Li Longji is now eight years old.

And they are extremely intelligent.

Not only did the court officials speak highly of him, calling him a born emperor, but even Gu Jing often praised Li Longji's abilities.

It wasn't just because he was incredibly smart; it was mainly because of his personality.

Li Longji was extremely confident and exuded an air of nobility.

Having one's own opinions on everything is an extremely rare quality for an emperor.

In the study, Gu Jing, as usual, discussed official matters with a group of Gu family members, maintaining the traditional Gu family education methods.

Li Longji was also present, but he remained silent throughout the meal.

After the lecture, the students dispersed.

He followed Gu Jing into the inner room and, with proper etiquette, inquired, "Grand Tutor, regarding the matters discussed by the officials recently... have a solution been decided?"

"Your Majesty need not worry." Gu Jing immediately returned the standard court etiquette, his expression indifferent. "They are just a bunch of petty scoundrels, not worth worrying about."

"With this veteran minister here, everything will surely be quelled—"

"Once this matter is settled... Your Majesty may return to the capital to reside."

Li Longji's eyes brightened instantly, and a faint smile appeared on his face: "With the Grand Tutor's words, I can rest assured."

He truly respected Gu Jing.

In private, he never refers to himself as "朕" (the imperial "I"), and he always acts with courtesy when asked questions, even though Gu Jing had already told him to do so.

"Rest assured, Grand Tutor, I will fully support you."

Li Longji looked at Gu Jing with increasingly bright eyes: "These traitors and rebels dare to disobey the imperial decrees, they should all be killed!"

After saying this, Li Longji bowed to Gu Jing again and then walked out.

Time flies by.

As Gu Jing had anticipated, as events unfolded, the impact on maritime trade grew, and a voice gradually spread from the common people to the imperial court.

That is, Gu Jing's actions were aimed at influencing the strategies established by Emperor Taizong in the past.

That's definitely a big hat.

Under the deliberate influence of the imperial court, Li Shimin's reputation throughout the Tang Dynasty was extremely good, although the Gu family's reputation was also very high.

However, under the current circumstances, it is impossible to stop the spread of such words.

The ensuing measure was to restore the previous dynasty to its former state.

Various voices, along with the prevailing trend, surged forth.

Even the court officials were influenced by this and changed their views, and after several attempts, they began to propose restoring the policies of the previous dynasty.

But Gu Jing remained unmoved, showing neither any other emotion nor agreeing to the matter.

This behavior naturally fueled the ambitions of many people.

At least in their eyes, Gu Jing was just putting on a brave face, and if they continued to persist, Gu Jing would eventually agree to the matter.

There was no way around it; the impact on maritime trade was simply too great.

It wasn't just the businessmen causing trouble.

Most importantly, it seems that it was precisely because of the sudden market downturn that many pirates appeared on this vast sea.

They began plundering the few remaining merchants.

These merchants were small and medium-sized businesses. For anyone, being robbed even once could lead to financial ruin.

This is nothing short of adding insult to injury for the already struggling maritime trade.

Faced with this perilous situation, how could Gu Jing not yield?
This is a belief that everyone holds firmly in their hearts.

Gu Yi was also silently observing everything, showing no panic whatsoever regarding the current situation.

He could sense that none of this affected Gu Jing's judgment; on the contrary, it only strengthened his resolve.

He's waiting—

Waiting for an opportunity to strike directly and crush everything!

Time flew by, and the terrifying nature of the Censorate was fully revealed in this situation.

There is no such thing as a secret that cannot be kept.

Various pieces of evidence were successively sent to the capital.

It not only includes records of tax evasion by major merchants, but also various crimes such as concealment after a sea disaster, and even involves crimes such as illegal silver lending and counterfeiting.

Almost every one of these pieces of evidence could be considered a serious crime!

Even so, Gu Jing did not make a direct move.

His target wasn't just these businessmen, but also the people behind them.

Gu Jing is determined to purge the corrupt elements within the imperial court!
He is old.

This is a golden opportunity, and Gu Jing wants to take advantage of it to do something for the Tang Dynasty to prevent any unforeseen events from happening!

And it was precisely because the Censorate was controlled by the Gu family from beginning to end.

No one knew that the Censorate had achieved so much, nor did they know what Gu Jing was really thinking.

As a result, the struggle within the imperial court intensified.

(P.S.: I'm begging for monthly votes! I'm begging for your support, brothers! I'd be extremely grateful!)
(End of this chapter)