Longevity begins with slaying demons and eliminating demons

Chapter 591 Sir, times have changed ()

Although Gu Xu has not officially ascended the throne, many people around him have begun to call him "Your Majesty" eagerly.

Gu Xu knew the motives of these people very well and divided them into three categories:

The first category is those who really like him, such as Zhao Yan. Whether she calls him "Your Majesty" or "stinky hooligan", it's all just for fun;

The second category is those who are afraid of him, such as the eunuchs in the palace and those officials in prison, who want to show their loyalty and ask for his noble hand;

The third category is those who want something from him, or in other words, they want to make progress too much.

It is precisely because of these people's strong ambition that the tables in Gu Xu's study have almost piled up into a mountain.

At this moment, when he saw Chen Anzhi's face with white powder dotting the corners of his eyes, which looked like crying "tears", and Xiao Wanjun's rare wearing of a light red skirt with half exposed breasts and a low neckline, Gu Xu immediately understood, They should belong to the second type of people, but they have more complicated thoughts than the ordinary second type people of the third type.

"Get up," Gu Xu said calmly, "I know you specially invited me here because you want to plead for the Chen family.

"But I have made up my mind about this matter. It is useless for you to persuade me. The Chen family has lived a life of masters for so many years and has plundered a large amount of ill-gotten gains from common people. Under my rule "They must pay for what they have done in the past."

His eyes were like calm lakes, not even a ripple appeared despite the harsh autumn wind.

…………

Thousands of miles away, the turquoise lake reflected the Chen family mansion with white walls and blue tiles, and stacks of pavilions like a mirror.

The mountains and rivers are beautiful and the scenery is picturesque.

Suddenly, a group of monks wearing conspicuous red robes descended from the sky. They seemed to have wind in their sleeves, ruffling the calm lake surface, blurring the reflection in the lake, and disturbing the mood of the Chen family.

This is when Shen Qiu, on the orders of Gu Xu, led his team to the Chen Mansion in Xiangyang to carry out the task of ransacking the house.

Shen Qiu glanced at the high terraces, thick pavilions, painted pavilions and Zhulou here, and was filled with emotion. He knew clearly that another wealthy family was about to be eliminated from the wilderness, the prosperity here was about to become a thing of the past, and all the ill-gotten wealth would be confiscated.

Those rich children who were once well-off and well-off will be forced to become common people, and some will even be sent to Hedong to engage in hard mining work.

Chen Shandao, the head of the Chen family, was also taken to a prison car. As the "evil leader", he will be sent to the capital for execution.

At this moment, he quietly stared at the flying eaves under the green shade, looking a little dazed.

He knew that this would be the last time he would gaze at this old house in his life. His eyes revealed deep greed and nostalgia, as if he wanted to engrave every inch of the scene in front of him deep in his mind.

He must admit that he had been overly superstitious about Emperor Tianxing's power, and at the same time underestimated Gu Xu's hidden strength.

If they had been a little bolder and led the whole family to surrender to Gu Xu earlier, would their outcome have been different, and would their end have been slightly better?

Unfortunately, there are no ifs in this world.

The passion and courage of the Xiangyang Chen family were buried deep in the dust with the years after they killed the puppy in their childhood. What is left in the world today is nothing more than a series of indifferent machines that only care about profit.

Such a machine, at a fork in the road of destiny, will only pursue the safest choice, so how can it be willing to risk everything?

The autumn wind blew gently, and Chen Shandao's white hair fluttered with it. There was a chill in his heart, and he felt that this year's autumn seemed to be particularly cold.

…………

The cool breeze quietly penetrated into Kunyuan Hall from the cracks in the window, gently fluttering the half-old curtains.

Gu Xu withdrew his thoughts from the astrolabe.

He thought in his mind that if he were a native of the wilderness, he might choose to let these people go in order to gain the support of the family members and consolidate the new political power.

But he has memories of another world in his mind.

He knew that the period of great reshuffle at the beginning of the new dynasty was an excellent opportunity to establish a new order and new laws. When it comes to decisions involving principled issues, he must not make any compromises or concessions, otherwise it will definitely bring endless troubles.

Seeing Gu Xu's resolute attitude, Chen Anzhi glanced at Xiao Wanjun next to him, then knelt down on his knees again and begged: "Your Majesty, can't you really leave the Chen family a way out? The Chen family's famous artifact 'Book of Holy Words' , we are willing to offer it with both hands.

"Moreover, if you don't mind, Wanjun can also be yours. She has rejected marriage proposals from others many times in the past, just to wait for a true hero like you."

While Chen Anzhi was speaking, Gu Xu suddenly felt a pain in his waist. It turned out that it was Zhao Yan beside him who pinched him hard.

He couldn't help but sigh that there was a huge difference in personality and concepts between a woman like Chen Anzhi, who came from a wealthy family and was specially trained to serve the emperor in the palace, and a woman like Zhao Yan, who was cultivated as an heir since childhood and grew up freely and wildly. The difference.

Chen Anzhi seems to have become accustomed to men having multiple spouses. She has long been accustomed to the rules of hierarchy and distinction between concubines and concubines. She has no idea at all about things like jealousy.

She even bluntly stated in front of Gu Xu's wife that she wanted to give her daughter to Gu Xu as a concubine.

Gu Xu couldn't help but recall that Chen Anzhi gave herself the nickname "Shangyang Concubine" in Lu's Haunted House Baihua Poetry Club.

Shangyang Palace is the palace of the royal family of the Daqi Dynasty.

At that time, although Chen Anzhi was still a young girl who had not yet left the court, she already harbored the ambition of honoring the Sixth Palace.

This nickname, like her, carries a deep imprint of the old era, and it also foreshadows her future destiny.

At this time, the sun shines in from the window and is projected on the smooth floor of the hall.

Gu Xu and Zhao Yan stood in the light, while Chen Anzhi knelt in the dark.

The dividing line between light and dark ran straight through them, as if it divided time and space and was insurmountable.

One side is the past, the other side is the future.

Gu Xu sighed softly, not intending to waste any more time on meaningless exchanges with this woman, so he turned around and left with Zhao Yan.

But before leaving, he sent a message to Xiao Wanjun's spiritual consciousness: "Come to Jiangyun Hall to find me in the afternoon."

…………

As Gu Xu requested, when the time came, Xiao Wanjun came to Jiangyun Hall alone.

She grew up in the palace. Unlike her mother, she did not have deep feelings for the Chen family. At this moment, all she could think about was how to protect herself and try to save the lives of her brother and mother.

To be honest, until now, Xiao Wanjun still hasn't figured out what Gu Xu's attitude is towards her.

Logically speaking, in the months after the Luoshui Conference, she had sent a large number of monks to pursue Gu Xu with all their might - such as arranging for the eldest prince to set up an ambush at Qingyao Mountain to stop him, or asking Master Jueming to hit him with a Zen staff. head, causing him to be in danger many times. This made her worry day and night, fearing that Gu Xu would hold a grudge and retaliate against her. But these days, Gu Xu seems to be busy doing his own things and turning a blind eye to her.

She couldn't help but secretly speculate that maybe Gu Xu valued her talents and deliberately kept her for use. Or maybe he thought she was just an insignificant mortal, not worthy of his time and energy to deal with her specially.

A paper man introduced her into Gu Xu's study.

In the room, Xiao Wanjun saw Gu Xu, dressed in a blue shirt, sitting alone at the desk reading memorials. He was bathed in the sun, giving people a sacred and otherworldly feeling.

At this time, Gu Xu turned around, his eyes fell on her face, and he smiled: "Your makeup...hey, you should learn more from Shangguan Jin in the future!"

Xiao Wanjun rarely wears makeup. It's rare to try makeup today. Because of my unfamiliar technique, the natural makeup looks a bit clumsy.

Although it's not ugly, it's just too strong and too deliberate.

It’s not like Shangguan Jin’s scheming and hard-to-distinguish “no makeup” look.

Seeing that Gu Xu didn't seem to be planning to retaliate against her, Xiao Wanjun felt relieved, and then knelt down on the ground and respectfully apologized to him.

Gu Xu waved his hand, motioning for her to get up, and told her to sit on the chair opposite the desk.

"If it were a few months ago that I was being hunted and cornered, if I had met you then, I would have wanted to cut you to pieces and cut you into pieces," he said calmly, "However, these days, these Over the past few days, I have carefully read some of the laws you have proposed in the past.

"I found that we actually have the same ambitions and concepts on some things. Maybe we have the opportunity to become companions. If I kill you rashly, I am afraid that Daxia will lose a rare talent for governing the country."

As he spoke, he took out a stack of documents from the drawer and pushed them in front of Xiao Wanjun.

Xiao Wanjun lowered her head and read through it carefully, and found that these documents were the draft decrees she had proposed during the Da Qi Dynasty.

For example, she once urged the royal family to economize on food and clothing and use the saved money, food and cloth for disaster relief. However, during the process of sending these supplies to the disaster areas, they were corrupted by eunuchs, local officials, and court officials. In the end, not even one of them reached the hands of the people.

For another example, she once wanted to conduct a thorough investigation of land and property and reformulate the tax system to ensure fair taxation and reduce the burden on the common people. However, those aristocratic families concealed their own population and real estate, and fabricated a large number of false figures, causing the burden of taxation to once again fall on ordinary people, making their already difficult lives even worse.

For another example, she also tried to promote lower-level cultivators and modified the merit rules, hoping that those cultivators who killed "wandering souls", "wild ghosts" and other low-level ghosts would receive more recognition and rewards. However, this rule is still exploited by the children of aristocratic families. With their powerful magic weapons, more resources and higher cultivation, they easily obtained information and slaughtered all the local low-level ghosts. What's more, they colluded with officials from the local exorcism department and lied about their achievements.

……

"Please tell me honestly," after a brief silence, Gu Xu looked at her and said seriously, "are you sincerely issuing these orders for the welfare of the people, or are you just seeking your own reputation?"

When speaking, Gu Xu used his "control" authority so that Xiao Wanjun could not lie on this issue.

"Both," Xiao Wanjun replied calmly after thinking for a moment, "Maybe because as a woman, I can feel the pain of others better. Whenever I see others suffering, I feel uncomfortable inside. .

"I have also had the thought that if I could do more real things that were beneficial to the people during the days when I was in power, maybe my father would look at me with admiration.

"As a mortal woman, I can realize some of my own values ​​and don't have to rely on others to live."

Hearing her words, Gu Xu commented pertinently: "In my opinion, you have indeed done your best within your capabilities. It's just that without your father's help, you alone can do your best." It’s really hard to compete with the resistance that has been entrenched in this country for hundreds of years.”

“But I’m not like your father.

"If you are sincerely committed to a cause that is beneficial to all sentient beings, I will do my best to support you.

"Now, what I want to ask is, are you willing to join my cabinet and do the same thing for Daxia?"

Xiao Wanjun was shocked when she heard Gu Xu's words. Her eyes widened and her lips parted slightly, as if she couldn't believe her ears.

She simply couldn't imagine that Gu Xu not only did not retaliate against her, but was also willing to entrust her, a mortal woman, with important tasks.

What a broad mind and extraordinary courage this is!

She took a deep breath and slowly knelt down again. She said in a sincere and firm voice: "The daughter of the people thanks the emperor for his kindness and love. Wan Jun is willing to be a cabinet minister of Daxia and devote herself to the emperor's great cause until her death."

Gu Xu ordered her to get up again.

He continued in a voice without any emotion: "You once hunted me down. This is a fact. Therefore, I cannot completely trust you now.

"Before I can officially appoint you, you must first sign a contract to ensure that you will not betray me or do anything detrimental to me."

Xiao Wanjun barely hesitated and nodded in agreement. For her, it was a blessing to be able to save her life, and she longed for the opportunity to display her talents and realize her own value. As for whether there is a contract or not, she has no time to care too much at the moment.

Gu Xu waved lightly, and a complicated talisman was displayed in front of Xiao Wanjun's eyes. He motioned her to put her palm on the talisman. The talisman seemed to be given life, trembling slightly and releasing a mysterious aura.

The power of this talisman comes from the authority of "control", which is similar to the ideological imprint that Emperor Ziwei left on Luochuan's soul. He can lift it at any time if he wishes.

When Xiao Wanjun solemnly signed the contract, Gu Xu secretly sighed that in the future, someone would finally be able to share some of the heavy work for him, and he would no longer have to work overtime every day.

"Then Your Majesty, my brother..." Xiao Wanjun asked cautiously.

"As long as he abides by my rules, he won't die."

…………

Not long after Xiao Wanjun left Jiangyun Palace, Zhao Yan walked in silently.

She had put on a change of clothes.

It is no longer the cross-collar red dress that she is used to wearing.

Instead, she changed into a light red chest-length undershirt with half exposed breasts and a low neckline - obviously the same style as the one Xiao Wanjun wore.

Gu Xu clearly saw the snow-capped mountains and the deep valleys that could not be seen to the bottom.

She walked straight towards Gu Xu, sat on his lap face to face, and deliberately said in a cold voice: "I saw you glanced at Xiao Wanjun's chest when you were in Kunning Hall today. You said , How should I punish you?"

Gu Xu took advantage of the situation and hugged her, burying his face in her arms: "How about you let me see you more now?"