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

Chapter 238 Following the Path of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Restoring the Past Stories of Emperors Ming and Wencheng of Han (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Zhao Kuangyin was never a hesitant person.

Given his current prestige in the Song Dynasty, even if some in the army were unwilling to see him halt the campaign at this moment of unstoppable progress, ultimately no one could truly stop his decision.

Of course, I won't forcefully dissuade them.

But whether for Zhao Kuangyin's safety or for the fate of the Song Dynasty, everyone believed that this trip must be carefully planned.

They all need to plan this in detail.

Zhao Guangyi, in particular, attached great importance to this matter and even proposed that Zhao Kuangyin lead a large army to Julu in person.

In his view, only by using military force to protect the emperor could he ensure complete safety.

However, Zhao Kuangyin resolutely rejected this proposal.

He only ordered his men to prepare for war within the Song territory, and at the same time personally wrote a letter and sent it to Julu to express his intention to pay a visit.

When the news spread, the civil and military officials and generals were all greatly uneasy, fearing that the trip would be dangerous.

Zhao Kuangyin responded calmly:
"If I die at Julu, the world can be settled within ten days."

Even the most incompetent rulers were not fools; they would never dare to attack Zhao Kuangyin in Julu and inadvertently create a deadly feud with the Gu family.

Even if there were truly reckless and arrogant individuals, the Gu family was by no means without means—Julu was, after all, the territory of the Gu family, and its foundation, built over hundreds of years, was already as solid as an iron plate.

Unless someone can wipe out the entire Julu region in one fell swoop, there is absolutely no way they can touch Zhao Kuangyin there.

And this is precisely his greatest sincerity towards the Gu family.

Unlike the feudal lords of today, Zhao Kuangyin possessed a true heroic spirit.

For him, personal life and safety were no longer a big deal.

His gaze was always fixed on the entire world.

The news will continue to spread.

The entire world was still in shock at the changes in the Song Dynasty, and even the Southern Tang and other states were actively preparing for war, carefully guarding against the movements of the Song army.

Zhao Kuangyin certainly wouldn't reveal his entire itinerary.

Seeing that the Song army had actually stopped its offensive, these people didn't find it too strange; on the contrary, they were extremely relieved.

As a result, Lady Gu received a visiting card sent by Zhao Kuangyin immediately.

Julu.

The study of Gu Mansion.

All the core members of the Gu family gathered together, their expressions extremely serious.

Whether it's the strength that the Song Dynasty is currently demonstrating, or Zhao Kuangyin's actions since ascending the throne, this letter of invitation is enough to make the entire Gu family take it seriously.

“Father, uncles,” Gu Jin stood in the hall, his expression solemn and his voice clear, “in my opinion—this Song ruler is truly a hero capable of sweeping away the chaos of the world!”

Previously, he had only slightly acknowledged Zhao Kuangyin.

But after learning about everything that had happened within the Song territory.

Now he is completely certain of this statement.

Compared to other warlords, Zhao Kuangyin's heroic spirit was so obvious that not only he, but many scholars could feel it, let alone the people in the room now.

Even so

However, for someone like Mr. Gu, it is ultimately difficult to make a decision without absolute certainty.

In fact, this was inevitable.

Perhaps it was precisely because of the continued mediocrity of the family's members, coupled with the stable environment provided by the Gu family, that this was possible.

Even Gu Yi could sense that, in this great chaos, aside from other things, even the people within the family had lost much of their edge.

The younger generation, such as Gu Jin, are doing alright.

Being young and energetic is one aspect.

Most importantly, they were born amidst a completely new wave of ideas, which gave them a great deal of motivation.

But Gu Yan and the other older generation are just too conservative.

To put it bluntly, it's like losing the will to strive.

The Gu family's pride remains.

But it is precisely this burden that has broken the spirit of these people, making it difficult for these older generations, who have always lived in a stable environment, to make many choices.

That's how it is now.

Seeing that everyone present had furrowed brows, Gu Jin remained silent for a moment before finally cupping his hands again and saying, "Father, why don't you leave this matter to me?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of those present immediately became complicated.

Gu Yi was also watching this scene.

Seeing the elders discussing again that they should be more composed, he couldn't help but shake his head and once again influenced Gu Yan's consciousness through the spirit jade.

Actually, he didn't object to his family members being steady and reliable.

After all, if someone in a family is reckless, then there must be someone steady and reliable.

These two can complement each other.

But now that we are about to reach a time of great change, it is unacceptable for him to still be thinking about being cautious.

Following his thoughts.

Gu Yan seemed to sense something, suddenly raised his hand to suppress all the discussions, looked deeply at Gu Jin, and finally nodded: "Okay."

He paused, his face calm, but his eyes were churning with emotion.

He slowly rose to his feet and said, word by word, "We're all getting old."

"The future of the world ultimately depends on you young people."

He glanced around at his brothers present, and finally fixed his gaze on the faces of Gu Jin and the other young men, and said in a deep voice, "This matter is now in your hands."

"Thank you father!"

Gu Jinlian bowed to everyone.

Then, he walked out of the hall.

Time flies by.

The news that Zhao Kuangyin was heading to Julu could not be kept secret, and people from all sides acted accordingly, each with their own ulterior motives.

But Zhao Kuangyin didn't care about this at all.

Within the Song Dynasty, he was an emperor.

As for Julu—

He trusted the Gu family.

Even Gu Yi was somewhat shocked by Zhao Kuangyin's actions. In such a chaotic world, for a monarch to do something like this was already far beyond what others could achieve.

Gu Jin also responded positively to Zhao Kuangyin's trust in her.

Following the actions of various parties, Julu also began to take action.

This is the first time.

The Gu family revealed their true strength.

All the people in Julu City were lined up in battle formation, each wearing extremely fine armor.

Although Gu Jin didn't say anything, his action alone was enough to make the world realize that this was a warning from the Gu family.

It was under these circumstances that Zhao Kuangyin officially entered Julu.

Julu.

It rained heavily.

The construction of the river channels in Julu has never stopped over the years. Waterwheels still operate in an orderly manner beside the turbulent river, and rainwater flows into the main stream through the well-maintained stone channels.

Instead of overflowing and causing disaster, it was incorporated into this vast water conservancy network, becoming the lifeblood that nourishes the land.

Zhao Kuangyin carefully observed all of this along the way.

In fact, this was not his first time visiting Julu. Coming from a family of mid-level military officers, Zhao Kuangyin had visited the Gu Family Academy in his childhood and had already witnessed the prosperity of the Gu family. It was precisely because of this that he had many thoughts.

Even so, he had to admit that each visit to Julu brought him new insights.

Especially this time.

He is unlike any other before.

Now that he has become the monarch of a country, he has much more to think about.

This is a golden age.

With officials and the people united as one, a unique sacred place was formed around the entire Gu family.

"Once the world is unified, all the lands of the nine provinces will be like Julu!"

He only said this one sentence at the end, but it showed his determination.

The gate of Julu City.

Gu Jin was waiting at the city gate with an umbrella. When he saw the carriage surrounded by guards approaching, he quickly opened his umbrella and went to greet it.

Zhao Kuangyin did not put on any airs of an emperor.

He immediately ordered the carriage to stop, snatched the oil-paper umbrella from the guard, and walked straight up.

The two bowed almost simultaneously.

Zhao Kuangyin had already received the message from Gu Jin, saying that Gu Yan was ill and that only Gu Jin could receive him.

Zhao Kuangyin did not take this lightly at all.

So the two umbrellas stood side by side, the two people stood shoulder to shoulder, and silently blended into the city of Julu in the rain.

Gu Jin originally wanted to invite Zhao Kuangyin to ride in the carriage, but he politely declined, saying, "I want to walk around and take another look at Julu."

He didn't even refer to himself as "朕" (Zhen, meaning "I" or "the Emperor").

This shows his true attitude towards the Gu family.

The rain pattered softly, and the two remained silent the entire way, neither making any effort to exchange pleasantries nor rushing to the main topic, simply immersing themselves in the unique tranquility of the city.

Zhao Kuangyin and Gu Jin walked slowly side by side, his gaze sweeping over every scene and object with meticulous detail.

The rain washed the bluestone city walls until they shone like a mirror, and the pedestrians in the alleys walked leisurely. Although they were simply dressed, they all wore the same style of straw raincoat, and there was no worry or fear of hunger in their eyes.

Zhao Kuangyin couldn't help but take a few more glances—this raincoat was quite different from what he usually saw.

Following his gaze, Gu Jin explained naturally, as if it were just a casual remark: "This was developed by a senior member of the Gu family during his leisure time."

“Unlike ordinary raincoats, we lined the inside of palm leaves with an oilcloth and mixed in a kind of fine cotton brought by Ryukyu merchants.”

He spoke calmly, as if chatting casually: "It's much lighter, and it can keep out the cold and the rain."

Zhao Kuangyin nodded slightly.

He walked over again and soon heard the clear, melodious sound of students reciting their lessons from the schoolhouse in the distance, which even pierced through the pattering rain.

The figures of scholars holding scrolls and reciting poetry could be vaguely seen behind the window.

As the long street came to an end, Zhao Kuangyin suddenly stopped.

His gaze pierced through the raindrops and landed on a stone bridge not far away—several children, also dressed in small raincoats, were squatting by the irrigation ditch, casually setting down small boats made of folded bamboo leaves, laughing and running after the flowing water.

The canal water is clear and flows merrily.

This was the first time he had ever seen a respectable young boy dare to play in the pouring rain.

This is simply impossible elsewhere.

A single illness can be enough to destroy a family.

The reason why this situation occurred in Julu is due to the improvement of straw raincoats and the continuous development of traditional Chinese medicine in recent years.

Gu Jin didn't say much from beginning to end.

He led Zhao Kuangyin through every part of Julu in the pouring rain.

They even went to the most central Gu Family Academy.

The debate within the academy was in full swing.

Zhao Kuangyin showed great interest in this, even ignoring the masterpieces of those revered as poets and directly focusing his attention on this clash of ideas.

Although most of the students in the hall recognized Gu Jin, none of them felt constrained because of it.

Gu's Academy has always had a rule: apart from respecting teachers and valuing the Way, one should not judge others based on their status.

This rule has now even been written into the Gu family's rules.

When they meet normally, they are naturally very polite, but once they are in the midst of a debate, they only care about the reason and ignore the reasons.

The students quoted extensively from classical texts, and their debate grew louder and louder, almost drowning out the sound of rain outside the window.

Zhao Kuangyin listened intently.

Gu Jin stood quietly to his side, slightly surprised, wondering how much this emperor, famous for his martial arts skills, could understand. He didn't say much, but simply accompanied him silently.

"The Book of Changes says: 'Observe the heavens to discern the changes of the times. Solar eclipses, falling stars, floods, and droughts—are these not signs from Heaven to show warnings and admonitions?'"

The speaker was an elderly scholar.

Compared to those who have studied the classics for many years, the young students are ultimately still lacking in foundation, and for this reason, the debates at Gu's Academy have never ceased.

Today, due to the heavy rain, fewer young people came to participate in the debate than usual. After only a few rounds, several young students were rendered speechless by the rebuttals.

The old scholar's face darkened, and his posture grew increasingly arrogant.

Zhao Kuangyin unconsciously frowned.

Gu Jin noticed this, smiled knowingly, and was about to step forward to continue the conversation—

Unexpectedly, Zhao Kuangyin suddenly shouted, shaking the entire hall: "What destiny! What celestial signs!"

His voice was loud and clear, full of energy, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

Even Gu Jin looked at him with a hint of surprise.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Zhao Kuangyin remained calm and composed.

Before the old scholar could question him, he coldly retorted, "From ancient times to the present, according to you, those who gain the world all rely on so-called divine mandate?"

"You all say that the First Emperor was cruel, but he conquered the six kingdoms, quelled the chaos, and brought peace to the people. Can one word 'cruel' cover that up?"

"Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, was merely a village headman. If we're talking about destiny, what was in his hands? He was able to gain the empire because he knew how to recognize and appoint capable people and was open to advice!"

"If Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu truly had the Mandate of Heaven to restore the Han Dynasty, why did he have to go through so many escapes, pursuits, and life-or-death experiences?"

"."

His gaze, sharp as a blade, slowly swept across the entire room, finally settling on the old scholar's face. His voice suddenly rose: "Tell me—if these emperors were truly ordained by Heaven, why would they need to fight countless battles and risk their lives?"

The room was completely silent, with only the sound of rain outside the window.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Zhao Kuangyin suddenly turned around, pointed to the torrential rain outside the hall, and said in a voice as firm as metal and stone: "Heroes of the world are as numerous as carp crossing a river, but only those who can emerge from this downpour—"

"It has never relied on fate, much less on anyone providing a protective umbrella!"

Say it.

He actually walked straight into the rain.

He stood resolutely in the torrential rain, his gaze as firm as iron, ignoring everyone else, and fixed his eyes on Gu Jin, getting straight to the point:

"Young Master Gu!"

"Today I have come along the path of Emperor Taizong of Tang, also with the ambition to sweep away the six directions and unify the world."

"I have personally witnessed the grandeur of Julu."

"I no longer wish to waste time; I wish to relive the past deeds of Emperor Ming and Emperor Wencheng—"

"Young master, would you be willing?"

A dead silence.

At this moment, even the torrential rain seemed to quiet down a bit.

Looking at Zhao Kuangyin before him, Gu Jin couldn't help but laugh, unable to suppress it.

"A true man, this is what you should do!".
(P.S.: I'm begging for monthly votes at the end of the month! Please support me, brothers! I would be extremely grateful.)
(End of this chapter)