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

Chapter 199 The Changing Situation and the Gu Family's Predicament (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Li Longji was indeed a very decisive emperor.

Whether it was his personality from childhood or his upbringing in the Gu family, it all amplified his inherent self-confidence.

Especially after the Tang Dynasty became increasingly powerful.

All of this made Li Longji even more confident.

That's human nature. When an emperor who is already at the pinnacle of power continues to have smooth sailing, his mentality will change over time.

Li Longji was like that.

As he grew older, he became addicted to pleasure and always believed that he could control everything.

He handed over all the day-to-day government affairs to his ministers.

The first one, naturally, was the Gu family.

Li Longji's affection for the Gu family goes without saying, but unfortunately, the talents of the Gu family's descendants have clearly declined.

No matter how much Li Longji trusted him.

However, when faced with the weighty responsibility of the nation, the inadequacy of the Gu family's talents became fully apparent.

Under such circumstances, it would be impossible for the Gu family members to hold onto their positions.

If it were someone else, they might have chosen other means to curry favor with Li Longji because they were unwilling to give up power.

But these are, after all, members of the Gu family.

The Gu family members could not allow their greed for power to lead the entire family into injustice, nor could they allow the Gu family to be antagonized by all officials.

After the Gu family withdrew from the court and focused their attention on the Censorate,

The entire situation of the Tang Dynasty changed instantly.

There are certainly many loyal and righteous people in the imperial court, but for Li Longji in this state, he would naturally prefer officials who are good at flattery.

That's just how people have always been.

Simply put, Li Longji was overly arrogant.

He believed in the current strength of the Tang Dynasty and also believed that he could always keep everything under control.

However, when these shrewd and opportunistic officials were given important positions, the atmosphere in the court quietly reversed.

This was an inevitable outcome.

The influence of a powerful emperor's preferences on the court is unimaginable to ordinary people.

After years of hard work, which official would willingly give up a path to promotion?
In this bureaucratic environment where one either advances or regresses, since the emperor appreciates such people, the officials will naturally change accordingly.

This top-down influence has created a powerful trend, and its chain reaction is intensifying.

This is the impact of the overall environment!
The resulting chain reaction was also getting bigger and bigger. The Gu family had been holding on to the Censorate, but various problems arose one after another.

The Censorate gradually became a thorn in everyone's side.

There was no way around it; at least in their eyes, the Censorate was now blocking everyone's path to progress.

The Gu family's influence was indeed significant.

However, to say that one can suppress all the court officials when there is no one in charge who can bear such prestige is also a pipe dream!

As Gu Jing had expected, the power of the Censorate was naturally reduced considerably.

This is not because Li Longji completely forgot the kindness shown to Gu.

It's simply because he's too confident.

Living in the deep palace every day, he believed that the world outside was still the same world that Gu Jing had left for him. He thought that reducing the power of the Censorate was also a way of indirectly protecting the Gu family.

It's simply because the Gu family members couldn't withstand the attacks from so many people in the power struggles and factional infighting.

This is also a political game.

However, this move also opened the last threshold of the Tang Dynasty, and the weakening of the Censorate further exacerbated the turmoil among officials.

At the same time—

External conflicts have finally resurfaced.

Especially the Tibetans.

After years of internal strife, Tibet has been unified again, and due to the decline of the Gu family and the passing of Gu Jing, it no longer has any fear.

This caused turmoil in the Western Regions.

It can be said that all sorts of problems within and outside the Tang Dynasty were instantly exposed under these circumstances.

This also includes land consolidation.

This is a factor that could not be completely avoided in any feudal era.

No, and it wasn't just limited to the feudal era.

The fundamental reason why such cultural problems do not occur in modern times is simply due to the transformation of productivity.

However, the productivity of the feudal era was insufficient to support all of this.

Even when the Censorate reached the pinnacle of its power, it could only exercise strict supervision and could not completely block all of this.

Not to mention now.

This series of chain reactions is constantly brewing a storm in the shadows.

However, Emperor Li Longji, who held the highest position in the imperial court, was completely unaware of this.

Countless thoughts rushed in, but Gu Yi only sighed softly, finding it both surprising and not entirely unexpected.

Surprisingly—

Although the current situation seems extremely bad, it is not without room for improvement.

Unsurprisingly, this applies to Li Longji.

Gu Yi did indeed have some romanticized thoughts about Li Longji, hoping that under Gu's tutelage and subsequent assistance, he could avoid some of the things he would do in his later years.

But now it seems that all of this has ultimately disappointed Gu Yi.

A person's character does not change easily.

Take Li Chengqian for example.

In his original historical record, he was both extreme and morbid. It was only under the influence of the Gu family for many years that his morbidity was transformed into self-reliance, but his extreme nature remained.

This already reveals the reason.

The same applies to Li Longji.

He was only under the influence of the Gu family for a short time, and with Gu Jing's passing, his personality was unlikely to change much. On the contrary, his smooth sailing made him even more arrogant.

Gu Yi was too lazy to bother with the cause and effect, gains and losses involved.

They come, the security.

This is the composure that Gu Yi learned from generations of the Gu family.

Moreover, the current situation is not too bad. Although the Gu family has been weakened considerably, its foundation remains intact, and it is comparable to the situation at the end of the Yan Han Dynasty.

This already gave him a chance!

Taking a deep breath, amidst his myriad thoughts, Gu Yi also focused his gaze on Luoyang City.

Luoyang, the Marquis of Champion's Residence.

"Father!"

Gu Xuan, the twenty-first generation descendant of the Gu family, hurried in from the outer courtyard.

Upon reaching the study door, he straightened his clothes slightly before pushing the door open and entering.

The study was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood incense, and several elders were sitting and discussing matters. Gu Xuan dared not be negligent, so he stepped forward, bowed deeply to his father in the main seat, and then turned to his uncles, bowing respectfully to each of them as well.

"Your son greets Father and all your uncles."

Looking at the polite Gu Xuan in front of them, the elders couldn't help but smile.

That's right, these are the most outstanding members of the Gu family at present.

Even Gu Yi noticed him.

Perhaps it was because Gu Yi chose not to intervene that the wheels of history are now intertwined with the original history, which has ultimately allowed the talents of the Gu family members to be restored.

Take Gu Xuan's attributes, for example.

【内政：80；外交：70；政治：72；统帅：67；武力；59】    高达八十点的内政属性本就已经十分惊人了。

With the help of the Luoshu Xielu instrument, Gu Xuan's domestic affairs abilities could even be compared to those of Gu Kang in the past.

The same applies to the other children.

Although his overall attributes are not as comprehensive as Gu Xuan's, he has made significant progress compared to the second generation of disciples.

"What's the rush?" Gu Hao, the current head of the family, looked at his travel-worn son and spoke calmly from the main seat.

Now, he too has a full head of white hair.

Although Gu Hao is not very old, he has devoted too much effort to the entire family over the years, and his lack of ability means that he will have to put in even more effort.

Over the years, his body has become much weaker than that of his peers.

It could even be said that their days are numbered.

“Father, uncles,” Gu Xuan said solemnly, cupping his hands in greeting, “I have received an urgent report from Julu that An Lushan personally visited our Gu family’s ancestral hall the day before yesterday, and he was very respectful.”

Upon hearing this, the sandalwood incense in the study seemed to freeze, and everyone present suddenly became solemn.

An Lushan —

This man held the military governorships of Fanyang, Pinglu, and Hedong, and also served as the Hebei Inspector, among other important positions. He enjoyed the emperor's favor, wielded immense power, and his influence had reached its zenith.

It is the same as the power of the Jiedushi in the original history.

The collapse of the military system due to land annexation, coupled with threats from the frontier and other reasons, led to the emergence of the Jiedushi (military governor).

Although this system does seem extremely foolish from the perspective of someone who has been through it.

Entrusting military, civil, and financial power to one person is, by any measure, a path to disaster!
This is a difference in mindset.

At least for the Tang Dynasty at present, the emergence of the Jiedushi system did stabilize the Tang's borders to a certain extent.

But as I said before, every system is bound to have its drawbacks.

That's how the Tang Dynasty is today.

Emperor Xuanzong (Li Longji) established the Jiedushi (military governor) system with the intention of stabilizing the border regions, but when An Lushan held the position of Jiedushi for three terms, the matter was completely distorted.

Simply put, the balance of power has been broken.

An Lushan's strength has now surpassed that of the central government, even on paper!
This is the most crucial thing.

The atmosphere in the study changed drastically. Everyone understood what this meant; An Lushan was clearly cultivating his ambitions.

Gu Hao remained silent for a long time before finally sighing deeply and saying, "I went to pay my respects to His Majesty again today."

"but"

He paused, a hint of sorrow flashing across his face: "His Majesty still did not see me, and directly had me turned away."

As soon as he finished speaking, a series of sighs immediately rang out.

Even Gu Xuan couldn't help but shake his head.

Gu Hao had met with Li Longji many times, his purpose being to warn Li Longji, since many people in the court already doubted An Lushan's loyalty.

Unfortunately, perhaps because An Lushan's acting skills were so good, in Li Longji's eyes An Lushan was a "loyal dog".

He even said in public, "Although An Lushan is a barbarian, barbarians are still subjects of our Great Tang Dynasty, and his heart is sincere. I regard him as my son."

In addition, the former Left Chancellor Li Linfu had been helping An Lushan mediate in the court.

This naturally shielded An Lushan from countless storms.

It wasn't until after Li Linfu's death that the various voices in the court reached Li Longji's ears.

And what he did—

He only sent the eunuch Su Lin to investigate, but Su Lin accepted bribes from An Lushan and blocked all his actions.

Gu Hao had asked for help before.

Putting aside the Gu family's influence in Hebei, this kind of thing should logically be left to the Censorate.

Unfortunately, Li Longji insisted on going his own way.

Such is the nature of human nature: having grown accustomed to flattery and sycophancy, honest and unpleasant advice becomes a piercing nail and a thorn in the heart.

He did indeed have feelings for the Gu family.

But most of the emotions involved stemmed from Gu Jing, who had already passed away decades ago.

People's hearts are fickle.

He was already fed up with Gu Hao's repeated advice and naturally wouldn't hand such a matter over to Gu Hao.

In fact, if Gu Hao had been more prudent and protected himself at that time...

Li Longji might not have gone to the point where he wouldn't even see him anymore, but unfortunately, Gu Hao is a member of the Gu family, and he can't disgrace the Gu family's name.

Following these repeated suggestions, things have now progressed to this point.

This is no longer about whether or not there are feelings involved.

Li Longji's behavior indicates that he has grown tired of the Gu family; otherwise, he wouldn't have reached the point where he doesn't even want to see them anymore.

"What is the attitude of the officials in the court?"

Gu Xuan pondered for a moment before asking the question again.

But all that followed were shakes of the head and sighs.

There are indeed many ministers in the court who are targeting An Lushan, especially Chancellor Yang Guozhong.

But let's get back to the basics.

It wasn't because his purpose was particularly selfless.

On the contrary, Yang Guozhong initially wanted to be like Li Linfu, outwardly competing with An Lushan while secretly controlling him, but An Lushan simply didn't take him seriously.

This is the source of the conflict between the two.

Moreover, this conflict has intensified over time, and now it has reached a point of irreconcilable differences.

Yang Guozhong would often mention in court that An Lushan might rebel, and so on.

Unfortunately, Li Longji did not believe it.

In his eyes, this was a discord between the general and the minister, which was not a bad thing but a good thing for a ruler who was gradually indulging in pleasure.

He just felt that he could control everything.

That's why many people are forced to make changes to cater to him.

In conclusion, the root of the problem lies with Emperor Li Longji.

But precisely because of this, it is also extremely difficult to reverse all of this.

Before experiencing any calamities, the only way to persuade someone like Li Longji would probably be to bring Gu Jing back into the world!
But how is this possible?
You could hear a pin drop in the study.

In the midst of this heavy silence, Gu Hao suddenly raised his head, his gaze sharp as lightning, and pierced straight at Gu Xuan: "Xuan'er!"

"Quickly dispatch a fast horse and a secret message back to Julu!"

His voice was firm and unwavering: "We must make every effort to prepare for any eventuality!"

"Other--"

Gu Hao slowly rose to his feet, his aged body seemingly straight as a pine tree at that moment, his gaze sweeping over every member of the Gu clan present:
"Use all available resources of the Censorate to contact our clan's secret agents and keep a close eye on An Lushan's every move!"

"All matters concerning the movement of troops, the transfer of funds and provisions, and the movement of officials and subordinates."

Report everything, big or small!

He paused slightly, and his once deep eyes suddenly flashed with a chilling light: "If anything changes, even if it means being shattered to pieces, I will stop this calamity!"

Every word was powerful and sharp!

These are the descendants of the Gu family!
Even though his talent was not yet at its peak and he suffered setbacks many times over the years, he could not extinguish the pride and sense of responsibility that ran deep in his bones.

Those present immediately stood up, clasped their hands in greeting, and then left one after another.

Gu Yi had been silently observing everything, his eyes fixed on the departing Gu Xuan. After a moment of contemplation, he silently muttered something to himself.

The next moment, the game's prompt flashed before his eyes.

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