The rebellious grandson of Emperor Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty: Please, Your Majesty, be called Cro

Sure enough, in the following days, Li Xiang actually visited each household according to the list of successful candidates in the imperial examination.

At every high-ranking mansion he visited, he would directly inquire whether the successful candidates in the household were willing to retake the imperial examinations to prove their innocence.

If the other party hesitates, makes excuses, or refuses to agree.

He immediately adopted the demeanor of an official investigating a case at the Dali Temple, using the pretext of gathering evidence of corruption to interrogate the family about many hidden private matters, demanding correspondence and documents, and even stating that he would summon all family members and servants to question them one by one and collect evidence.

For centuries, prominent families have valued their reputation and honor above all else. They have always been proud and self-respecting. How could they tolerate such relentless pressure and public humiliation?

Moreover, the family is large and the relatives and in-laws are very intertwined, so how can it be explained clearly?

The larger the family business and the deeper its foundation, the more likely it is to have some secret dealings that are not convenient to be told to outsiders. How could they dare to allow this young imperial grandson to investigate and interrogate them at will?

No one dared to gamble that if the inspections were opened up and even the slightest incriminating evidence was found, it might give the emperor leverage and lead to a catastrophe that could destroy their entire family.

Therefore, although the aristocratic families were wary of the law enforcement record, they feared that their words and actions would be recorded and sent to the palace, arousing the emperor's suspicion.

Ultimately, however, most of them could not let go of the dignity of their aristocratic families, and dared not allow this brat with a reputation for audacity and rebellion to inquire about the clan's secrets.

In the end, all the prominent families followed the example of the Zheng family of Xingyang, either politely refusing or suppressing their anger and ordering them to leave. Without exception, they all shut the door to Li Xiang and his party.

Located on the east side of Chengtianmen Street in the Imperial City, inside a side hall of the Ministry of Rites.

Wang Shidan, a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Personnel and a member of the Wang family of Taiyuan, sat in the guest seat with his eyes slightly closed and his brows furrowed in a deep frown, anxiously awaiting news.

His fingertips tapped incessantly on the table, his mind in turmoil. Hearing footsteps outside the hall, he immediately opened his eyes, stood up, and asked urgently:

"...Brother Wei, how is it?"

"Would Vice Minister Yan agree to jointly submit a memorial with my Ministry of Personnel?"

The man who pushed open the door was Wei Wanshi, a member of the Wei clan of Jingzhao and currently serving as a secretary in the Ministry of Rites. His face was gloomy, and he slowly shook his head, unable to hide his utter dejection.

"This..." Wang Shidan stamped his foot in exasperation, "Minister Yan is muddle-headed! That brat is acting recklessly and willfully. Our Ministry of Personnel and your Ministry of Rites are already in a situation where if one falls, the other will be vulnerable!"

"If we don't jointly petition His Majesty now, requesting him to intervene and restore order, wouldn't we be allowing that brat to wreak havoc on the court?"

"Yan Xiangshi had only been in office as Vice Minister of Rites for a short time, less than half a month at most. The old problems in the imperial examinations were all left over from previous officials and had nothing to do with him."

"He's naturally happy to stay out of it and sit back and watch the drama unfold," Wei Wanshi said coldly, his voice tinged with resentment.

"But..." Wang Shidan lowered his voice. "The Yan family of Langya is also a prestigious family. Doesn't he consider that brat might try to harm the Yan family in the future?"

Wei Wanshi sneered and said coldly, "The Yan family has always prided itself on the lofty ideals of historians and has never bothered to associate with aristocratic families like ours."

"Brother Wang, it seems that we, the major families, will have to find our own ways and devise our own solutions in this matter."

-----------------

In the elegant pavilions of the Ministry of Rites, Chu Suiliang watched quietly through the window as Wei Wanshi bowed and saw Wang Shidan off in sorrow.

He gently closed the window, turned to look at the two people inside, and joked:

"My two brothers Yan, a high-ranking official from the Wang family of Taiyuan personally came to our door to earnestly request your presence, but you refused to see him and instead spent your time playing chess here."

"If this matter were to spread, I fear that all the noble families in the world would remove the Langya Yan clan from the ranks of aristocratic families."

"Hey, so what? Does the King of Taiyuan think he can recreate the glory of the King of Langya, who 'shared the world with his horse'?"

Inside the room, on a couch, two elderly men with similar appearances sat leisurely playing chess. Both had white hair and clear faces, and exuded a refined and scholarly air.

The old man on the left, holding the black piece, pressed down on a piece, pursed his lips, and replied, seemingly showing great disdain for the famous Wang family of Taiyuan.

The old man holding the white stone on the right pondered for a moment, then placed a piece down, stroked his beard, and smiled:

"The intentions of the Wang and Wei families are obvious. They clearly have selfish motives in the imperial examinations and feel guilty. They are trying to win over the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites to support them and cover up their mistakes."

"I am by no means like Kong Yingda, who is an opportunist who blindly curries favor with powerful families and fawns upon them."

"Even if we refuse to jointly submit a memorial with them, what can the Zheng family of Xingyang and the Wang family of Taiyuan do to us?"

These two men were Yan Shigu and Yan Xiangshi, brothers from the Langya Yan clan, and renowned historians.

The joint petition to the emperor signed in the name of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites was a countermeasure devised by these powerful families against Li Xiangyang's open plot.

Li Xiang was determined to bring the aristocratic families before the emperor to defend themselves, creating a situation that would force them to abdicate. So they simply changed their name and submitted a memorial in the name of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites to defend themselves.

In this way, it would be both legitimate and would not make the emperor feel threatened by the power of the aristocratic families.

If they could get the Yan family, who have always only compiled history books and not participated in court struggles, to come forward and support them, they would be able to gain the emperor's trust even more.

With the help of these powerful families, the number of Yan family members who pass the imperial examinations and become officials will increase significantly. It is not impossible for the Yan family, which is just a small family, to rise to the top family, or even to form a marriage alliance with the five surnames and seven noble families.

The only thing that surprised them was that Wang Shidan, in his capacity as an assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel, repeatedly visited them, but was always turned away.

"My Yan family has its own family precepts, and we will never associate with these corrupt aristocratic families who control the imperial examinations," Yan Shigu said.

"It is quite unexpected that you, Brother Dengshan, would come here specifically for that imperial grandson to remind us not to sign with him."

"As far as my brother knows, Brother Dengshan seems to have no connection with the deposed crown prince. Why then is he helping that imperial grandson?"

"Hehe." Chu Suiliang stroked his short beard and chuckled, "If it were someone else, perhaps they wouldn't know."

"However, you two brothers Yan are both historians like me. Why do I treat this imperial grandson differently? Don't you two brothers know this?"

Yan Shigu and Yan Xiangshi exchanged a glance, and then looked at Chu Suiliang.

The three of them suddenly burst into laughter.

"Absolutely, absolutely!" Yan Shigu laughed. "You compiled the daily records during the Zhenguan era. With this grandson of the emperor present during that time, it's practically a certainty that you, Chu Suiliang, will be remembered in history, isn't it?"

"Throughout history, which historian has ever encountered someone as daring as this imperial grandson to directly criticize the emperor and speak out against injustice?" Yan Xiangshi chuckled. "As historians, we naturally have to side with that imperial grandson. His words, tsk tsk..."

"Once it's written in history books, it's hard to stay anonymous!"

"Indeed, those earth-shattering words, even if only a single word were uttered, would be the fault of our historians!"

"It's more interesting for us historians to side with that grandson of the emperor!"