The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 896 The king is not the king, attack food with food
In the city of Luoyang, there are several rivers, such as Yi, Luo, Jian, Yu, and Gu, intertwined and criss-crossing, meandering and circling. Therefore, there has been a saying that "five rivers surround Luocheng" since ancient times. If the rivers are not dredged, once there is more precipitation, the city must Flood.

Wang Shichong has been based in Luoyang for many years, and has never dredged the river, nor encountered continuous rainstorms. However, since the Sui Dynasty re-established his capital in Luoyang, there have been several rainstorms that lasted for several days every year. Compared with the past, this year's rain is exceptional Many, although Luoyang was not flooded, and there was no water accumulation in the city, but because of the surge of the Yellow River, the originally scheduled Spring Festival was postponed indefinitely.

Fortunately, no matter how heavy the torrential rain was, it finally stopped. The torrential rain that lasted for more than ten days finally gradually became smaller.

In Xunshanfang in the northeast of Nanshi, on the shore of Luoshui, there is a high-walled and deep courtyard named "Ji's Mansion".

This so-called "Ji Mansion".In fact, it is the central place where the Zheng family of Xingyang is located in Luoyang.

The Zheng family in Xingyang came from the surname of Ji. Ji You, the youngest son of King Li of Zhou, was conferred the title of Duke Huan of Zheng. Duke Huan gave birth to Duke Wu. It was destroyed by South Korea, and its descendants moved between Chen and Song Dynasty, taking the country as its clan.Duke You gave birth to son Lu, and the sixth grandson of Zheng Lu, Zheng Rong, named Zheng Jun, was a subordinate of Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu.But it was General Jianwei of the Northern Wei Dynasty and prefect of Ruyin Zheng Ye who really made the Zheng family rise in Xingyang. Zheng Ye had seven sons, namely the eldest son Zheng Bailin, the second son Zheng Xiaobai, the third son Zheng Shuye, the fourth son Zheng Donglin, and the fifth son Zheng Guizang. , Zheng Lianshan, the sixth son, and Zheng Youlin, the youngest son, were named 'Qifang Zheng'.

"Zheng family of Qifang" has the largest scale of Xiaobaifang, and has always produced a large number of talents. The Zheng family has always ruled the whole family with the head of Xiaobaifang.

During the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the Zheng family sent many officials headed by Zhongshu Ling Zheng Xiaomu. His son Zheng Yi, because he had a classmate friendship with Yang Jian, after Yang Jian became the prime minister, Zheng Yi concurrently served as the secretary of the capital of Tianguan and took charge of the six mansions. everything.Yang Jian was obedient to Zheng Yiyan, and he rewarded countless treasures.It's just that Zheng Yi is shallow by nature, doesn't care about government affairs, but is greedy for goods.Because of his meritorious deeds, Yang Jian couldn't bear to abolish him and exile him. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he was given many rewards, and Zheng translated it as the Duke of Pei Guo and the Governor of Longqi Two Prefectures; he also named his eldest son Zheng Yuanxuan as Chenggao County The Duke and his second son, Zheng Yuanxun, were Baron Yong'an, and Zheng Yi's father and deceased brother were posthumously presented as governors.Because of his high position and power, he became the head of the Zheng family in Xingyang; however, Yang Jian was angered later, and he was dismissed as a citizen when he couldn't bear it.

However, his sons Zheng Yuanxuan, Zheng Yuanxun, Zheng Yuanli, and Zheng Yuancong were still highly valued, especially his nephew Zheng Shanguo, who served successively as Minister of the Ministry of War, Ministry of Households, and Ministry of Industry. Except for Zheng Yuancong, who was not very famous and had been running the family, the rest might die. , or became a minister of the Tang Dynasty, this is the Ming Dynasty, and it is these people who want to "reconcile" with the Sui Dynasty; while Zheng Yuancong is headed by the dark forces of the Zheng family, as well as industries such as commerce; in order to avoid being attacked by the court, The ancient surname "Ji" was restored and changed to Ji Cong.

But recently, there are many things that trouble Zheng Yuancong. The danger brought by the heavy rain has an impact on everyone's property. If he used to, he wouldn't take it to heart. , Wang Shichong, Dou Jiande, Xu Yuanlang, Li Mi, Li Yuan and other princes followed suit one after another. Wang Shichong and Li Mi successively looted the property of the Zheng family in Xingyang in the Central Plains. When Li Tang launched the Eastern Expedition, Yang Tong and Li Mi also reached a settlement agreement. When Li Mi withdrew south and the Sui army did not move, During the vacancy of power in Xingyang, several rebel soldiers who did not know whether they were officials or bandits ravaged Xingyang severely. Even the ancestral house of the Zheng family in Xingyang was burned to scorched earth. Like Ercui, Erli, Lu, Wang, Gao, Pei and other big families, the Zheng family of Xingyang, who had a source of success, suffered heavy losses and countless casualties.

In the garden of Ji Mansion at this time.

The lotus pond has already grown emerald green leaves, and servants have already prepared a charcoal stove and clay pot in the gazebo by the pool.

The rain makes the continuous buildings and houses desolate and quiet, like a water town in the south of the Yangtze River. There is no sound in the world except the sound of wind and rain and the gurgling of the kettle on the small red clay stove.

The maids and servants were sent away from a distance, and in the gazebo, only Zheng Yuancong was sitting opposite a white-haired old man. Although this old man was tall, he was unusually tall and burly.

Zheng Yuancong was over fifty years old, wearing a blue scholar's suit, motionless in the wind and rain, looking gentle and dignified.

Opposite him is the old man Lu Yu, the head of Fan Yang's Lu family.

In the early days of the war, the Lu family gained a lot of benefits through Lu Mingyue, but Hebei was the most chaotic place. Lu Mingyue, whom they supported, flourished for a while, but also offended too many forces. When he lost to the south, the situation in Hebei It slowly lost control, and also made the Lu family, who supported Lu Mingyue behind the scenes, the fat in the eyes of the gangsters. All the manors were plundered and looted. It was distributed to the common people, and the Ming forces in Hebei were wiped out by the Lu family. After that, they were also attacked by Wang Shichong, Li Mi, and Li Yuan. The situation was similar to that of the Zheng family.

Although the aristocratic families have a long history, most of them flourished in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.

During the hundreds of years of the north-south division, the clans and clans all controlled the existence of the imperial court and temples, and there were even situations where the emperor was coerced to order the princes. The aristocratic family compromises, compromises and compromises.Those kings in troubled times care about the inability to balance, and the role and value are also balanced, balancing the forces of all parties, so that all forces rely on and follow them, so that they can give orders.In order to gain more power, the various forces dominated by aristocratic families had no choice but to obey the king, and finally fought their own way in wars and political struggles.

When Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty completed the great cause of unification, he turned from the outside to the inside, and began to weaken the control of the aristocratic family over the court. On the one hand, the official system was greatly changed, and officials were introduced to avoid the county system and the system of exchanging land when they were appointed. On the other hand, they promoted The original intention of culture and education is to let the poor people in the world learn knowledge. The imperial examination system promoted by Emperor Wu aims to break the monopoly of aristocratic families on culture and officials.

However, culture and education are not effective in the short term, the imperial examination system is not perfect, and the power of appointing officials is controlled by aristocratic families. Yang Tong further developed the external forces, taking advantage of the war to wipe out all the old rules, so that the system of culture and education, imperial examination system, circumvention of the county system, and the system of land exchange after tenure can be truly implemented.

It can be said that the cultural governance of the three generations of emperors was actually inherited in one continuous line, step by step, forcing the aristocratic families to have no way to fight back.

What's even more frightening is that the current emperor is not only good at killing and fighting, but also patient. He is not like Yang Guang, who disregards the facts and puts all kinds of decrees that are unfavorable to the aristocratic family under the circumstances that the court structure is controlled by the aristocratic family. promotion, but to clean up the center first, and then spread the decrees to the territory under his control bit by bit. The princes of Lu weakened themselves in the war, and when he fought again, the enemy's forces were already pitifully small.

Both of you sitting here understand this truth, and they also understand that the defeat of the princes from all walks of life is actually excessive self-consumption, which has made Yang Tong cheaper.If they unite and confront Da Sui, even if Da Sui wins today, they will not be as strong as they are now, but as long as they are human, they have selfish intentions.

This is also the fundamental reason why Li Yuan's anti-Sui alliance is difficult to implement. After all, he, the initiator, is calculating and using others. How dare Li Mi and others believe it?

The reason why the Zheng family and the Lu family, who used to rely on each other and fight each other secretly, were able to sit together and join hands to divide up the food of the court was that they had learned a lesson. They put aside disputes, rejuvenated together, and interdependent with the same goal. Strengthen each other, slowly promote your own people, and then promote other suitable candidates through your own status.

In fact, it is Zheng and Lu who are compromising with each other and developing together. Compared with the princes, Zheng and Lu, who have a thousand years of glory, know how to cooperate better.

The two masters who are in the same situation and are also eager to revive, naturally got together. In a sense, the grain of the White Horse Warehouse was actually stolen by two dark merchants.In fact, not much of the grain stolen by the two families was sold to Li Mi and Li Yuan. Firstly, the Sui Dynasty had extremely strict border control, and secondly, the profits were relatively thin. Therefore, through the business relationship established in the north of the Lu family, they were sold to the Turks. , Goguryeo and other countries, in exchange for a large amount of fur, treasures, and medicinal materials.

If they want to restore their former glory, they must first have a lot of money, otherwise it will seriously affect their plans. Even if no one betrays them, they will fall apart because they don't get the corresponding rewards, causing a world-shaking thunder and sprinkling the world. In fact, it has become a drizzle, making it difficult for him to plan.

Originally, Shi Yu and the greedy warehouse orders could still be used to continue to steal grain from the Baima warehouse, but the heavy rain not only made it difficult for merchant ships to sail, but also exposed the risk of grain theft.

Once the imperial court had the upper hand over Baimacang, Shi Yu's family had no choice but to prevent the sun from seeing the next day.

A mere county magistrate is in no way comparable to the great cause of rejuvenation, and it doesn't matter if he sacrificed. It's just that Zheng and Lu's regret is that Zheng's will lose the opportunity to make money because of this.

Zheng Yuancong lifted the kettle on the stove, washed tea, brewed tea, and divided tea, with skillful movements and elegant demeanor.

He picked up the teacup, looked at the crystal green tea soup, took a sip, a scent of tea lingered in his mouth, fresh and sweet, and said: "The tyrant has done something elegant, this fresh and timeless Compared with the previous sencha that blends all kinds of flavors, it is indeed more elegant, and it is meaningful in the plain, just like life."

"If these things are put aside, what does Yuan Cong think of the emperor?" Lu Yu asked.

"Crude, savage, domineering and bloodthirsty, but he looks like a master!" Zheng Yuancong took another sip of tea and said: "His character is strong and domineering, just look at his bloodbath of the Taiyuan Wang family, Taiyuan Wen family, and Hedong Pei family. It can be seen that when I heard that when he was staying behind in Luoyang, he was betrayed by the children of Yuan Wendu, Lu Chu, Wei Jin, Duan Da, Yun Dingxing and other aristocratic families, and was played around by everyone. With a strong hatred."

"The existence of our aristocratic family is an existence that destroys the balance; the family, the country, and the world are our principles of life. The family first, the country second, and the people last. Only under these three prerequisites can we think of the monarch; It is this deep-rooted concept, so when the official children act, they will favor their own family; they will invisibly corrupt the law and order, and deprive many benefits that belonged to the common people, thus making fairness and justice a joke. In addition, the family not only masters With a lot of money, food, population, and the control of public opinion and historical records, it is up to us to decide whether a person is good or bad, and this is intolerable for an emperor."

As the saying goes, the speaker has no intention, but the listener has the heart. When Lu Yu heard the word "public opinion", the teacup in his hand "slapped" and fell to pieces.Lu Yu, who was still in high spirits just now, kept trembling.

"Lu Gong, what's wrong with you?" Zheng Yuancong was taken aback.

"I'm fine, I made Yuan Cong laugh!" Lu Yu shook his head and said, "From the word 'public opinion', I thought of "Half Moon Talk". Now the emperor has the big killer of "Half Moon Talk". No, is it up to him to decide? With his control over the Sui Dynasty, it is easy to eradicate any person or family. If the emperor has sufficient reasons and excuses that can block many people's mouths, he will definitely be in "" It was widely advertised in the "Half Moon Talk", and then took advantage of this rare opportunity to smear a certain person and a certain family to the best of their abilities, making them become street rats that everyone shouted and beaten."

Zheng Yuancong trembled, his forehead was covered with cold sweat, his lips twitched twice, and he suddenly stood up a little embarrassed: "So, Shi Yu can't stay... He was originally a disciple of my Zheng family, but he was ungrateful and no longer obeyed. Order, he agreed to our request only when he was held hostage, and stole the food of the white horse. If the food of the white horse became known, he would definitely become the first prisoner... He has resentment towards us, and he will definitely confess us without hesitation. The tyrants knew about the news of food supply to Li Yuan and Li Mi, the Turks and Goguryeo, and the accusation of 'collaborating with the enemy and treason' was naturally inevitable, and the "Ban Yue Tan" will be published as soon as possible."

Lu Yu nodded slightly with a pale face, "The emperor can't kill only the children of the Zheng family and the Lu family. Uprooted."

Shi Yu had to die, otherwise if the Zheng and Lu clans were charged with "collaborating with the enemy and treason", even if Yang Tong could not find them, these dark forces, and would not be able to exterminate the two clans according to the crime of treason, but this reputation is theirs. Can't bear it.

If the Zanying clan, which has been passed down for thousands of years, bears such a crime, it will fall from the high clouds to the dust, and suffer a more severe blow than the extermination of the clan.Once the Sui Dynasty was bound to face blows from the government and the opposition, it would be disgusted and abandoned by the people of the country.

In the past, communication was inconvenient, so maybe I wasn’t afraid, but now cheap paper is flying all over the sky, and the "Half-Moon Talk" is published all over the world. If it is announced to the world first, then published in history books, and then set on the list of traitors, then the two clans will become people's favorites for generations. The traitor in my heart.

Under such circumstances, not to mention recovering their vitality, even the incognito children dare not even use their original surnames. If things go on like this, how can there be Xingyang Zheng family and Fan Yang Lu family?
Zheng Yuancong's face was pale, he stepped back a few steps, and sat down on the chair.

The two were thinking about each other, thinking about the countermeasures.

In the gazebo, silence fell again.

One Shi Yu doesn't matter, the key is that there are too many people involved in this matter, if the court follows Shi Yu to investigate, they will eventually find clues.

Although there are a lot of evidence of their crimes in the hands of the imperial court, most of them are things that harmed their colleagues.

It is a battle of political opinions that has existed before and will continue to exist in the future. Although it is done in a low-level way, it cannot rise to the level where everyone shouts and fights. If the evidence of "collaborating with the enemy and traitorous country" is combined with it, the power will be great.

"Gudu, Gudu..."

The kettle on the stove boiled again.

"Grand Lu, father!" At this moment, a gentle and elegant young man of letters rushed over. This is Zheng Yuancong's second son, Zheng Zhongyu. He is the No.1 of Zheng's younger generation.

Zheng Yuancong frowned and said, "What's the matter?"

"Father!" Zheng Zhongyu saluted, and said: "The imperial court issued an announcement to reward the heroes who fought against Hong. Among them, Shi Yu, the magistrate of Baima County, responded well and commanded well. He dragged his seriously ill body and led the people to guard the levee. Gaining the most precious time for the army, he was valued by Yang Tong, and he was hand-picked as the prefect of the Xingyang inspection school, and the former prefect Zhang Jianping was transferred to Xiangyang County."

He is also involved in some clan affairs, often acting on behalf of his father, and is very clear about the relationship between the Zheng and Lu clans.

Zheng Yuancong and Lu Yu glanced at each other and began to think about this matter.

Lu Yu narrowed his eyes lightly, thought for a while silently, and said with a smile: "Xingyang is not only the land of the Zheng clan, but also the upper county next to the capital. If Shi Yu made political achievements, the word 'inspection' will be removed. Become an official prefect! This seed will eventually thrive and become the leader of the Zheng family, so we must pay attention to it."

Zheng Yuancong nodded.

In the past, whenever there was a vacant official position in the imperial court, everyone fought for it. The aristocratic family had an advantage in human resources, and they often divided it up in a compromise way. They moved closer and became the peripheral forces of the powerful families. Therefore, each family and faction has a large official network, not to mention a county magistrate, who is the leader of a department, and they can give up without blinking at critical moments.

But the world is different now. After Yang Yu oppressed the powerful family members, the members of the Zhenglu Second League had the highest official position only as the magistrate of Zhongxian County.

Once this person rises steadily and becomes a central official, he will definitely be able to pull more people from the Zheng family to the top.And he has too many things in Zheng's hands, so he is not afraid that he will be disobedient in the future.

"That's the case!" Zheng Yuancong stroked his beard and said thoughtfully, "It's just that Yang Tong has always been indifferent to government affairs. When dealing with affairs, he appoints more cabinets and chief officials of the three provinces. Now he suddenly pays attention to a county magistrate, there must be a reason for this?"

Lu Yu said, "Yuan Cong thought that Yang Tong, who has always been indifferent to government affairs, but decided to listen to advice more, this time when he suddenly promoted Shi Yu on his own will, he also leaked a little bit of information in advance. What is his intention?"

Zheng Yuancong nodded: "Exactly. The so-called abnormality must have a demon. I feel that Yang Tong must have a purpose, but what is the purpose?"

Lu Yu smiled slightly: "The old man thought of a possibility."

"Please tell me, Mr. Lu?"

"Yang Tong's move must be related to Yin Hongzhi." Lu Yu said:
Zheng Yuancong's eyes lit up: "Mr. Lu is referring to the crown prince dispute?"

Lu Yu nodded: "The empress and the crown prince Yang Zheng have no relatives to rely on. The ones they rely on are the emperor's favor. They have no influence and are very unstable. However, Yang Rong, the son of the concubine Shui Tianji, has foreign blood and is related to the throne. No fate; the royal family and courtiers will never support the country they worked so hard to build is stolen by a prince with traitor blood, so Yang Dai, the son of Li Concubine Li Xiuning, and Yang Jun, the son of Hui Concubine Xiao Yuexian, are also not destined for the throne; the son of Concubine Shu Lu Qinghua Because of his mother, Yang Wei, the son of Yang Chong and Xianfei's eldest grandson Wugou, is also not valued by the royal family and courtiers."

"The concubine Yin Mingyue is different. She is not only the daughter of a loyal minister, Yin Shishi, but also a hero who helped build Mingyue County for the Sui Dynasty. In addition, her brother Yin Hongzhi is also the servant of the Minbu. When the queen and the prince are weak Next, can she not think about her future son? Yin Hongzhi is now in charge of the affairs of the three counties of Xingyang, Dongjun, and Dongping, and has great power. Seeing that Shi Yu has talent and political achievements, he recommends him to Yang Tong , It is very normal to be cited as foreign aid."

"Lu Gong is right." Zheng Yuancong nodded slowly, and said: "Since ancient times, no one in the royal family has longed for the lofty dragon chair. Yin Hongzhi was the servant of the Ministry of Civil Affairs at a young age. Within ten years, it is not impossible to overthrow the crown prince by using his power inside and outside the court, and it is also not impossible for Shi Yu to become the master of the center."

"That's right." Lu Yu suddenly smiled like an old fox who stole a chicken, and said, "Shi Yu is an important chess game for us to get in touch with Yin Hongzhi. Once we get in touch with Yin Hongzhi, he will fight for himself His nephew and his power are definitely willing to cooperate with us, this is our best chance. It doesn’t matter whether he succeeds or not, the important thing is that we get what we need through him.”

Zheng Yuancong smiled knowingly, if Yin Hongzhi and Concubine Yin's sons in the future can't compete, they can withdraw in time, and they can still stab back and take important positions on the winning side.

For more than a thousand years, isn't that how they came down?

"In this way, Shi Yu is still very useful, so he should be saved."

"exactly."

"But how to save it? There are too many gaps in the White Horse Warehouse... Even though we returned it in full, we only made a little less money, but what about the food? How did it come from?" Zheng Yuancong frowned.

"Yuan Cong's first line is not home yet."

"I also ask Mr. Lu for advice."

"Our aristocratic family is independent from the court, but has always been closely related to the court; the aristocratic family is independent of the world, but deeply integrated into the world; others see my family's children as high above, as if they don't eat the fireworks of the world, but in fact, our aristocratic family is more powerful than anyone else. Everyone is a coward!"

Lu Yu's ingenious explanation immediately attracted the attention of Zheng Yuancong, Zheng Zhongyu and his son, and they began to listen carefully.

Lu Yu said: "We have been passed down for thousands of years, and some ancestors were kings, but they couldn't change the rules of prosperity and decline. Therefore, after failing again and again, our ancestors learned from the painful experience, no longer entangled in imperial power, and did the opposite. , so that the emperor becomes a weapon in our hands. If the emperor does not obey, he will use the people of the world for his own use and overthrow him! To become an official without competing for the world, and to use the power of the people to control the imperial power is also the prosperity of our Shandong gentry such as Lu, Zheng, Cui, and Wang. The root of not prospering, not perishing.”

"It is true that Yang Tong is hostile to us now, but his policy will not last long. Because replacing a bunch of mud legs is nothing more than creating new nobles. No matter what line of work these people are originally, it is impossible for them to be successful all the time. Forget the original intention. Because they also want to maintain their own family and establish their own power. As long as they have this idea, they need to accumulate wealth and establish interpersonal relationships. These poor ghosts are more full than us and just want to give to future generations Aristocratic families who have accumulated wealth are even more poor. Yang Tong killed tens of thousands of corrupt officials and their family members the year before last, which shows that these poor ghosts are greedy. These poor ghosts have been poor ghosts for generations. Everyone is afraid of poverty, so once they gain power, they will burst out the poverty of the past, how can they maintain their original intentions?"

Lu Yu stroked his beard, and said with piercing eyes: "Our family has accumulated a huge amount of wealth after thousands of years. This wealth is not superficial wealth, nor is it like the monks in the past, cast into golden Buddhas, jade Buddhas, and silver arhats, buried In the underground palace. We control wealth, which is closely related to people's livelihood, people's plan, and people's wisdom. It is a network of people in all walks of life. These are the most fundamental and fundamental forces in the world. The girl who weaves and picks pearls, the horse herdsman... each of them is the most humble and insignificant existence, but everyone is controlled and controlled by an invisible silk thread. If you want to open a silk and satin village, you must You must master the mulberry planters, silkworm raisers, and weavers. If you want to sell horses, you must master the horse herders. If you want to sell grain, you must master the people who grow crops. This kind of mastery is very light and weak. Once earned, it will be broken. Therefore, those who have mastered this kind of power do not rule them, collect rents and taxes, or drive them to fight for themselves, because it is the power of the court. Aristocratic families can only control them through hidden means , influence the imperial court through the people of the world, and then influence the people of the world through the imperial court.”

"A person's voice is too small for the court to hear. So what our family members do is to gather their voices together so that the court can hear the voices of the people. If we show ourselves, the world has long been a riot of hungry people and uncontrollable chaos. And we can use the cultivated officials and ministers to raise objections in the court. If the emperor still refuses to change, we will use food price fluctuations , Food shortages, let him know the benefits."

Lu Yu explained the truth in a simple way, and explained to the Zheng father and son the truth of "the king is not the king".

"The king is not the king". The reason why thousands of families can pass on for thousands of years is that they have jumped out of the dynastic disputes, and they no longer want to seize power and establish a dynasty with only a few hundred years of national destiny. And relatively independent.

In order to survive better, they not only provide nourishment to the regime, but also get corresponding returns from the regime. When the life of a regime comes to an end, they abandon it, and then find a "big tree" to continue the symbiosis Coexist.It is precisely because of this philosophy of survival that not only did the thousand-year-old family not be wiped out in the chaos of war, but it grew step by step, affecting every aspect of the world.

And Zheng Yuancong, also from Lu Yu's words, found a way to save Shi Yu, that is to use food to attack food.

(End of this chapter)