My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 546 I'll give you a real empress's dress
Gao Yu understood perfectly why Yang Changchu insisted on personally going to find Wen Zisheng.

As Gao Yu's eldest son, he was destined to never live an ordinary life. Every move he made would be watched by countless eyes. After all, judging from the current momentum, Gao Yu was very likely to pacify the northern border in the next few years. At that time, he would have to go through the process of changing the property deed of the Great Wei to his own name.

The three-step process by which powerful ministers usurped the throne during this period was essentially a three-part strategy.

Gao Yu has now taken the first step and has obtained the special privilege of 'entering the court without bowing, praising without naming, and wearing a sword and shoes in the palace'.

His current title is already second only to the 'non-royal' kings, the founding duke, as Zhou Gongyu is.

After bestowing titles upon women of different surnames, the final step was, like Wang Mang of the Xin Dynasty, to grant them the Nine Bestowments, allowing the current monarch to give them the highest recognition from multiple perspectives such as ability, morality, and social contribution. This would then lead to the "three refusals and three concessions".

Gao Zena will be the future crown prince of the new dynasty!
In ancient times, people valued respect for teachers and the Way. For someone of Gao Yu's status, hiring a tutor for his eldest son was a very important matter.

A teacher's role is not only to impart knowledge, but also to nurture character.

When hiring a teacher for Gao Ze, not only must the teacher have high academic attainments, but their moral character must also be impeccable. The teacher must teach by example and guide students in shaping their character in all aspects.

Wen Zisheng's talent is definitely not in question.

He was hailed as the foremost of the "Three Talents of the North," surpassing Wei Shou and Xing Shao.

There is no first place in literature, but there is no second place in martial arts, unless one's talent is like that of Cao Zhi, who makes all the scholars in the world spontaneously exclaim, "All the literary talents in the world are worth one bushel, but Cao Zhi alone possesses eight bushels."

Moreover, scholars have always looked down on each other.

Why was Wen Zisheng able to outperform the other two?

It's mainly about his 'integrity'!
Scholars value integrity.

Faced with Erzhu Rong's control of the court, Xing Shao chose to go to Mount Song to avoid trouble, while Wei Shou was slightly more tactful.

Only Wen Zisheng.

After witnessing Erzhu Rong ordering his soldiers to raise their swords against the court officials and members of the imperial family in Heyin, Wen Zisheng was asked to write an edict of abdication. He displayed the integrity of a scholar and refused to yield even in the face of death!

Later, he assisted Yuan Ziyou, after Yuan Ziyou was killed by Erzhu Rong.

He risked his life to escape from Luoyang with Yuan Ziyou's last edict and the Imperial Seal of the State, and the integrity he displayed was enough to make him surpass the other two great talents from the North.

That's not enough.

I want to be Gao Ze's teacher.

Not only is his personal conduct, morality, integrity, and talent flawless.

They also have to be 'well-matched' in terms of social status!
They must also come from a prestigious family.

Wen Zisheng did indeed come from a distinguished family; his ancestor was Wen Qiao, a famous general of the Eastern Jin Dynasty who quelled the rebellions of Wang Dun and Su Jun.

And most importantly...

Wen Zisheng was from Taiyuan County, Shandong!
The Yang family is a prominent family from Shandong. Finding a teacher from a prominent family in Shandong for Gao Ze is actually helping Gao Ze stabilize his base.

If Yang Changchu were to become Gao Zexun's tutor to Wei Shou and Xing Shao, what would the Shandong aristocratic families think?
Both of them are from Hebei.

If Gao Zeruo's base of support is unstable, how will he secure his position as the 'crown prince' in the future?
Of course, this is also a way of helping Gao Yu stabilize his base in Shandong. Gao Yu's eldest son found a Shandong native to be his teacher, and this action sends a very clear political message to the outside world.

With power reaching Gao Yu's level, every move he makes is watched by countless people, and even the smallest thing will be interpreted by others.

Not to mention something as important as finding a tutor for the eldest son.

and.

Gao Run was the eldest son. When Zheng Dache sent someone to find Xing Shao, Gao Yu was leading troops outside, so many procedures were simplified.

Gao Ze was the eldest son of the legitimate wife.

Gao Yu personally visited Gao Ze to find him a teacher, which also highlighted the 'privileges' and unique treatment Gao Ze enjoyed among his many children.

You could say that this is how you tell everyone.

Gao Ze, being the eldest son, enjoyed extra privileges. While he would dote on his other children in daily life, in matters involving politics, Gao Ze's status as the eldest son had to be emphasized to extinguish any other ambitions. Under the ancient system of succession, the concept of "fair treatment" simply didn't exist. To do so would be to plant a time bomb, a path to chaos.

All the offspring were treated equally, so they all felt in their hearts that they were the heirs, and they would give the same idea to their subordinates, who would all become dependent on Gao Yu's offspring, until Gao Yu passed away.

The heirs and the interest groups that spontaneously gathered around them started a chaotic power struggle to gain power.

"You've really put a lot of thought into this."

Gao Yu smiled.

Yang Changchu was clever in this respect. Although he was trying to help Gao Ze get better treatment, he also helped Gao Yu solve some of his problems in the process.

She is a smart and generous woman. Gao Yu's women get along relatively harmoniously, and there is no obvious jealousy or rivalry among them.

Yang Changchu made great contributions, which cannot be overlooked.

otherwise……

Given Yang Changchu's position, he was indeed a jealous person, and Gao Yu didn't have any good solutions.

Backed by Yang Changchu stood the entire Yang family and even the entire Shandong aristocratic family, an extremely powerful political force that even Gao Yu dared not treat lightly.

Fortunately, Yang Changchu was not the jealous type like Dugu Jialuo.

Of course, Gao Yu couldn't possibly feel as frustrated as Yang Jian.

The essence still lies in...

Gao Yu built his empire on his own, and the Yang family did provide a lot of help. But even without the Yang family, other powerful families would have invested in Gao Yu. Gao Yu's abilities are undeniable. After his victory in Luoyang made him famous throughout the land, he was destined to become a highly sought-after figure in the eyes of powerful families.

Yang Jian's ability to usurp the throne was indeed due to the influence of his father-in-law, Dugu Xin, who left him a very substantial political legacy, enabling him to smoothly change dynasties.

Seeing that Yang Changchu didn't speak, Gao Yu stepped forward and asked, "Still pretending?"

He pulled her hands away; there wasn't a trace of crying on her face. Yang Changchu blushed and couldn't keep up the act any longer.

Her subconscious reaction was still like that of a young girl. She stuck out her tongue, shyly snuggled into his arms, and whispered, "As expected, I can't fool my husband. Aze is my son, and also my husband's son. Anyone in my position would act this way."

Gao Yu held her close, feeling her warm and soft body in his arms. "I didn't blame you. As I said, I also have high expectations for Aze, but Pengju is a good teacher."

He lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead to reassure her, "Leave this matter to me, I will handle it properly."

Yang Changchu nodded slightly.

The couple hadn't been affectionate for a long time, and this sudden intimacy made Yang Changchu feel hot all over.

But it was outdoors after all. If it were Erzhu Yuechan or Yuan Miao, they wouldn't care so much. Their servants wouldn't be so oblivious, even if it was freezing cold and they risked catching a cold.

When the mood strikes, she'll definitely want to spend some more time with Gao Yu, truly making the sky her blanket and the earth her bed.

Yang Changchu is not capable of doing that yet.

Her face flushed, she leaned close to Gao Yu's ear and whispered, "Husband... I had a dress made in the style of Sister Zheng's princess gown. Shall I wear it for you tonight?"

Gao Yu's interest was piqued instead.

"I didn't realize you were so bold?"

Yang Changchu blushed and bit her lower lip lightly, "If I were as bold as Yuechan, I would simply copy the Empress's dress."

Gao Yu chuckled.

He stroked her face with his hand, "Why bother with imitations... any more..."

In a few years, I'll send you a real queen's gown.

(End of this chapter)