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

Chapter 228 Every peak must decline; my flower blooms, and all others wither! (Seeking monthly votes)
In the quiet room, Gu Yi silently watched all of this.

It wasn't until much later that he returned to bed and picked up the game console once more.

The instant my pupils were focused on the screen.

The familiar scene before me rippled like water once more, then darkness fell.

next moment--

Once the view returned, the familiar overhead perspective was already in front of us.

At that instant, all those memories merged into Gu Yi's mind.

The general trend of the world is that after a long period of division, there will be unity; and when things reach their peak, they will decline.

In reality, it's just a fleeting moment.

However, within this game, nearly twenty years have passed since Gu Xuan's death.

For the Gu family, twenty years is but a blink of an eye, nothing at all.

But for an individual, and even for the entire Tang Dynasty, these twenty years marked the complete end of an era.

Li Yu has already passed away.

As a ruler who maintained the status quo, he ultimately restrained his own desires.

Even after Gu Xuan's death, he did not pursue illusory achievements like many emperors, but only tried his best to maintain the court structure and use the power of the Gu family to influence the entire Tang Dynasty.

—Indeed, it is precisely by taking advantage of the Gu family's influence.

Although Gu Xuan has passed away, the impact he brought will not disappear suddenly.

Especially given Li Yu's intention to give important positions to members of the Gu family.

Even if the Gu family members lacked talent, their position as Grand Tutor remained secure.

Thanks to the prestige left by Gu Xuan, the shortcomings of the Gu family members in terms of talent were gradually covered up, and the Tang Dynasty ushered in its true golden age.

Unfortunately, things rarely go as planned.

Gu Xuan will pass away, and Li Yu will be no exception.

Despite Li Yu's best efforts to pave the way for the future and try to foster good relations between the Crown Prince and the Gu family in order to avoid repeating past mistakes, this was ultimately something that could not be avoided.

Ultimately—

With the Gu family in power, it was inevitable that they would encroach upon the emperor's power; and the emperor's power has always been an indivisible thing.

Even knowing that the Gu family had no intention of rebelling, many emperors still found it difficult to fully accept them.

This is the inevitability of history and human nature.

Even though history has laid out its course.

But these people will ultimately believe that they are the most special one.

Once this situation begins, coupled with the severe lack of talent among the Gu family members, there is no possibility of turning things around.

Gu Yi didn't react much to this, but silently opened "Family Information" and carefully looked at the attributes of each generation, then couldn't help but sigh softly.

—As expected, the restrictions imposed on the family remained.

This instantly made Gu Yi suppress his urge to manipulate things again, and he could only silently watch everything unfold from the shadows.

Time flies, and years change.

Luoyang, in front of the palace gate.

Gu Jian, the 24th generation head of the Gu family, stood there stubbornly, his face resolute.

"Grand Tutor," a eunuch anxiously advised him, "why are you doing this?"

"Your Majesty's intention to achieve great deeds is a blessing for our Great Tang Dynasty."

"Why must you insist on stopping him, only to displease His Majesty?"

Gu Jian ignored him, only clutching the memorial in his hand tightly, his body motionless.

Now, the throne of the Tang Dynasty has passed to Li Song, the grandson of Li Yu.

The growing estrangement between the royal family and the Gu family became increasingly apparent.

In the past, Li Shi still showed some consideration for the Gu family, but now, Li Song has shown no kindness since ascending the throne, clearly indicating that he wants to take back all power.

That's how it is now.

The continued development of maritime trade inevitably gave rise to many pirates. In the past, emperors always adopted strict control and cooperated with the Ryukyu navy to suppress them.

But Li Song is indeed going to launch a large-scale military campaign this time.

Anyone can see what he's thinking.

He was referring to Ryukyu.

In fact, the relationship between Ryukyu and the Tang Dynasty is quite complex. Li Chengqian's decision not to declare himself emperor in the past kept Ryukyu within the Tang territory.

However, due to the vast ocean separating it from Kyushu, many problems naturally arise.

certainly--

The most crucial factor among them is still the Gu family.

Don't forget, the Gu family's influence in Ryukyu is now practically limitless.

Li Song's decision at this time was clearly aimed at the Gu family.

Gu Jian's reason for advising him was also very simple: the Tang Dynasty was also having a hard time, and it was absolutely not advisable to make such a big show of it.

Yes, it's not a good time.

Gu Xuan did indeed bring a century of peace to the Tang Dynasty, freeing it from invasions from all sides.

But there are still many things that are unavoidable.

For example, changes in officialdom.

The problem of insufficient talent will eventually become apparent, as the court continues to change, and even the attitude of the emperor on the throne changes significantly.

Then someone will try to test the Gu family.

However, once everyone discovers that the Gu family is not as invincible as they imagined...

The Gu family's position in the court would be rapidly affected, even impacting the entire Censorate and spreading throughout the entire Tang Dynasty.

But this is only the basics.

The most crucial factor remains natural disasters.
This is something that can't be avoided in any era.

No matter how powerful the Tang Dynasty was, under the continuous natural disasters of the past few years, everything would only appear powerful on the surface, while in reality, it was in crisis at every turn.

The Gu family is indeed influential.

However, the Ryukyu navy was not under the control of the Gu family.

Li Song's decision now is very likely to have uncontrollable consequences.

How could Gu Jian not try to dissuade him?

But this effort was ultimately futile.

Offering a loyal remonstrance to an emperor who harbors resentment towards you will only provoke the emperor's even greater disgust.

This is for sure.

Gu Jian was not summoned for an entire day.

The news spread throughout the Zhen Gege court in an instant, as if someone was deliberately pushing it all along.

This time, everyone finally realized the weakness of the Gu family.

All the attacks came in an instant.

The imperial court is treacherous.

If Gu Xuan, Gu Xi, and others had used these methods, even without their extraordinary status, they could have stopped everything.

However, all of this is ultimately difficult for the current generation of Gu family members to resist.

This is the impact of talent.

In fact, the Gu family still has a lot of power, but it lacks a central figure who can drive everything.

Humans are creatures that seek advantage and avoid harm.

When the Gu family becomes the target of everyone's struggle, even those families that once stood on the same side as the Gu family will eventually hesitate.

In their eyes, not taking a share of the spoils at this time was already doing right by the Gu family.

This is the emperor's attitude.

No one can change it.

Gu Yi had been watching all of this from the shadows, and after hesitating for a long time, he ultimately chose not to make a move.

Not only did they not try to control it, they didn't even use the Spirit Jade.

Times are changing.

The rise and fall of the Tang Dynasty was ultimately beyond his control. If he were to defy fate again at this juncture, the consequences for the Gu family would be unimaginable; he had to endure it.

Under these circumstances.

We watched helplessly as the situation became irreversible.

Gu Jian finally had to make a decision. He submitted his resignation in court, hoping to exchange the retreat of the Gu family for Li Song's concession and abandonment of the plan to personally lead the expedition against the pirates.

Li Song would naturally not refuse this offer.

At first, he was even very happy, feeling that he had finally become a true emperor and driven the Gu family out of the court.

But just as Gu Jian led his disciples out of Luoyang and back to Julu.

Tens of thousands of people in Luoyang saw them off.

Countless people, with tears in their eyes, even knelt before Gu Jian and his entourage on their way home, unwilling to let the Gu family leave just like that.

After hearing about this from the eunuch.

Li Song was furious again.

"Could it be that only the Gu family cares about the world, while I, the emperor, am the villain?" Li Song said indignantly. "I will make the world see who is the true master of this land!"

Once these words were spoken, there was no turning back.

The next day—

Li Song issued an imperial edict to the world, announcing his decision to personally lead the expedition.

In March of the following year, the army set sail from Mingzhou, joined forces with the Ryukyu navy, and defeated the pirates in the East China Sea.

Just as the army was celebrating.

Li Song suddenly issued an imperial edict deciding to take action against the Ryukyu navy.

The two sides fought a major battle in the East China Sea.

Despite being ambushed, the Ryukyu navy, with its superior overall quality, quickly adjusted, turned the tide of the battle, and defeated the Tang army in the East China Sea.

Li Song nearly drowned at sea.

But this is not the end.

Although he managed to escape back to shore, the emperor, who had never experienced the turbulence of stormy seas before, was already terrified.

A few days after landing, Li Song suddenly passed away in the Mingzhou Palace, leaving behind a crumbling empire and a two-year-old crown prince.

When the news spread, it shocked everyone!
This simple battle made everyone clearly aware of a problem.

It seems that it's not just the Gu family that's declining.

The Tang Dynasty also existed.

—The situation has completely descended into chaos.

Fortunately, the Gu family had a great influence in Ryukyu and were able to prevent Ryukyu from interfering in this situation.

Including foreign tribes from all directions.

The Gu family could also use religion and other past methods to impose restrictions.

But things are different in the imperial court.

Of course, some people want the Gu family to return, but those who oppose them make up a much larger proportion.

Especially given the relationship under Li Song's deliberate support.

These people are all in high positions, and they would never give up this golden opportunity to bring the Gu family back to the court.

As for whether the throne was secure, they had no doubt whatsoever.

What good is a child emperor?

Only in this way can it be more easily controlled.

In such a life-or-death struggle, no one would give the Gu family a chance.

Even when Gu Jian returned to Luoyang on his own, he was stopped halfway.

Gu Jian was ultimately limited by his own abilities.

In addition, he is really too old.

In the midst of this battle, he died in front of Luoyang City, his last wish being: "Do not return him to Julu for burial, for I have no face to see my ancestors."

From that moment on, there was no possibility of anything being reversed.

Gu Jian's death plunged the Gu family into its weakest period.

Under these circumstances, the entire Tang Dynasty had no choice but to continue down the wrong path.

With Gu Jian's death, the last remaining upright official completely lost power in the court.

As the political situation in the court changed, and with the absence of external threats, internal struggles gradually began to erupt within those alliances.

—This is the power struggle within the imperial court!

There are no permanent allies, only interests.

When everyone is moving forward in that one direction, all fellow travelers from all sides become enemies.

The Tang Dynasty was entering its most intense period of internal strife.

With the emperor only two years old and the empress dowager having no power base, the empress dowager was completely reduced to a tool under these circumstances.

They cannot and do not have the ability to interfere with everything.

And this also brings about many chain reactions.

That is the collapse of officialdom.

In the past, the various departments used for control have become tools for exploiting the people.

Without any oversight, the most terrifying aspect of human nature—greed—will erupt completely.

And the disasters brought about by this vicious cycle go far beyond this.

The various industries in the Tang Dynasty were deeply interconnected, and the collapse of one sector could have far-reaching consequences. The decay of one sector would quickly trigger a chain reaction, like toppling the first domino, ultimately dragging down the entire country.

The influx of refugees has exacerbated land annexation.
Maritime trade came to a complete standstill and became a tool for those in power to make money in their own pockets.
Even the imperial examination system, upon which the dynasty's foundation rested, was completely corrupted in this storm—

Not to mention how many students from poor families could no longer afford the cost of taking the imperial examinations, even those who still had the financial means had no choice but to choose a faction to join and rely on.

Only in this way can one find a glimmer of hope to "get ahead" in the quagmire of officialdom.

The chronic problems of the late feudal dynasties are now being vividly reproduced.

Even if the young princess in the deep palace eventually grows up, she will ultimately be nothing more than a puppet in the hands of powerful ministers, and it will be difficult for her to defy fate in this precarious situation.

No, it can't be called defying fate.

Perhaps it is because he has lived under gloom since childhood.

This emperor had absolutely no courage to resist and showed none of the demeanor of a member of the Li family.

Of course, over the years, there were always people in the court who tried to "assist" him and act in his name.

But these so-called "loyal ministers" are nothing more than power struggles on the stage, one after another taking the stage.

No one else would be like the Gu family back then, willingly returning power to the emperor at the height of their power, and restoring the world to the Son of Heaven.

In just a few decades.

—The Tang Dynasty, which had been at its zenith and received tributes from all nations during the reign of Li Yu, had completely fallen into a desperate situation riddled with problems and on the verge of collapse.

Gu Yi watched all of this quietly, without much emotion in his heart.

Every cause must have an effect.

Wasn't it destined that the Tang Dynasty would come to this?
No dynasty lasts forever. The Gu family could protect the Tang Dynasty for a time, but ultimately could not protect it forever.

All of this naturally did not stir any ripples in his heart.

He thus secretly observed everything, paying attention to both the general trend of the world and the rise and fall of the Gu family.

It wasn't until many years later that Gu Yi's expression changed slightly.

He finally saw someone worth paying attention to.

Julu.

Gu's Academy.

A dark-skinned, weathered man was staring intently at the list in front of him.

The results have been released this year.

And yet, he failed to make the list once again.

His face showed no sorrow or joy, not even a sigh; he simply gazed for a long time at the masterpieces of past dynasties hanging in the academy.

Suddenly, he stood up, walked to the paper spread out to the side, picked up his pen and wrote: "When autumn comes on the eighth day of the ninth month, my flowers will bloom and all other flowers will wither."

"The fragrance of incense fills Chang'an; the entire city is adorned in golden armor!"
(P.S.: I'm begging for monthly votes! I'm begging you guys for your support, brothers! I'd be extremely grateful.)
(End of this chapter)