Long live Emperor Wu!

Chapter 28 Is His Highness King Jin afraid?

That night, Wu Rou had a long, long dream.

In the dream, she was a morning glory, spreading and growing on the land, with only the point close to the ground visible.

She felt very scared and panicked. She always felt that a big foot would step on her, so she kept trying to raise her head and search for anything that could climb to a high place.

But what she encountered was always low branches. Just a little above the ground, the branches disappeared.

Or maybe, after finally encountering a towering stick, the stick fell over before you were halfway up...

In this way, she spent the whole night repeatedly searching, climbing, hoping, and despairing on the ground with full of fear...

Until she woke up from the dream, she still couldn't find a big tree that allowed her to stay away from the ground and feel safe.

When she woke up, she was extremely sad.

Thinking of Queen Changsun's words again, she couldn't help but wonder, why was she not afraid of being abandoned?

Are there really such fearless people in the world?

Later she thought that Queen Changsun had always been lucky.

Although Queen Changsun lost her father when she was young and was kicked out of the house by her brother, her uncle's family was willing to take them in and treat them well.

Later, she effortlessly became the Holy Lord's wife. Even though she never had any expectations, she still gained His Majesty's love. From birth to death, the other women in the harem never exceeded her in importance.

She... was lucky enough to never fall while climbing a branch.

If, like herself, she had been crushed under someone's feet and tasted the pain of falling into the abyss, could she still say so firmly and calmly that she was not afraid?

She didn't believe it, Wu Rou really didn't believe it.

……

……

In Hongwen Hall, Wu Rou stared blankly at King Jin's side face and didn't move for a long time.

Prince Jin, who was reading a book, finally couldn't bear the annoying gaze, turned his head and said:

"Martial Master, are you looking too presumptuously? Are you staring at me as if I were a juggling monkey?"

His tone was still calm, but the corner of his mouth twitched out of impatience, revealing his disdain and annoyance.

This is already a serious mood swing for our young, dignified and calm Prince Jin.

Wu Rou's eyes flickered, she quickly lowered her head and said:

"I just heard some things from the Imperial Concubine, and I admire the Queen very much. I heard that Your Highness is the person most like her... I have never seen her, so I always wonder what she would be like."

King Jin's face relaxed.

They were sitting at two tables respectively, with a space between them. They were neither far nor close, just five steps away.

Hongwen Hall was built under the leadership of Empress Changsun. In addition to a large collection of books, there are also desk seats next to the front door so that people can rest and read.

The order of hierarchy in the harem is a matter of etiquette and rules. Even if the emperor of the Li family is bold and unrestrained, the matter of setting up seats still has to be discussed based on the pattern and hierarchy.

So when we put these tables, how should we put them, how many should we put, and at what level?It really troubled those craftsmen.

Later, it was Empress Changsun who spoke: Everyone is a student in learning, how can they be superior or inferior?Just hang a portrait of Confucius in the middle of the lobby.

Therefore, the table was placed in a circle, forming a zigzag shape, with no beginning or end.

Then a screen wall was built between the sea of ​​books and the table at the back, with carved window lattice on both sides, green vases placed, and a huge portrait of Confucius hung in the middle.

King Jin and Wu Rou were sitting next to the table with a zigzag shape. They were slightly staggered, so they were sitting opposite each other. Their expressions could be seen clearly.

There were still few people in the palace at noon today. Occasionally, there were one or two eunuchs on duty, sorting and moving books one after another, as if they were unconscious, just doing their work with their eyes closed.

After a long silence, the young man's clear voice sounded, with a sense of alienation and disgust:

"I've said before, I don't want to talk about my mother and father, and you don't have to ask insinuating words."

Wu Rou hesitated for a moment, thinking that she no longer wanted to inquire about the Queen's affairs, and she was telling the truth.

The honor and favor that belong exclusively to Empress Changsun are due to current events and luck. They were accumulated bit by bit by working side by side with His Majesty for more than 20 years.

Of course, her shining soul arc was also slowly shaped during this process.

This is simply not something that anyone can imitate.

There is no more Changsun Queen in the world, and there is no chance of a second Changsun Queen.

But for some reason, King Jin was extremely sensitive to other people's prying eyes. This once again touched upon his dislike. "Your Highness, Wu Rou is telling the truth, and there is no other meaning... But I have one thing to ask Your Highness. The imperial concubine mentioned the "Clan Chronicle" at the flower viewing banquet. Judging from the words, His Majesty does not like the ranking of the four surnames. , to warn the powerful officials in the court not to flatter their positions, "The Chronicle of the Clan" is just a ranking, is it so important?"

King Jin replied directly:

"Of course it's important, but I can't explain it in one or two sentences."

Wu Rou had lost all hope for promotion. She suddenly lost her goal and seemed confused and relaxed.

she says:

"I have nothing to do now. Your Highness, please tell me a little bit? Just... just review your homework?"

King Jin thought for a while, looked at the book in front of him, and said:
“First of all, before the imperial examination system was introduced in the Sui Dynasty, the selection of officials in the imperial court had always been based on recommendation, and those powerful clans controlled the channels for official selection.

Many people flock to it just to become officials. After relying on their recommendation to become officials, they will give back wealth and benefits to powerful families, and be controlled and influenced by them.

The source of rights is people.

So many officials regard the clan members as rhinoceros heads, which is equivalent to sharing a part of the imperial power. Even in special periods, the clan members can control the trend of the court and change the dynasty.

After the Wei and Jin Dynasties, due to the influence of the Wu Huan Dynasty, the rights of clan clans were greatly impacted.After the establishment of the Northern Wei Dynasty, in order to maintain rule and promote national integration, Sinicization was vigorously promoted.

But one of the great achievements of Sinicization is the widespread popularization of poetry and etiquette, allowing people outside the clan to also learn knowledge. It was at that time that the "Three Character Classic" appeared.

Nowadays, there are so many scholars from poor families, and there is no shortage of talented people. Coupled with the implementation of the imperial examination system, the influence of clan clans on the court is not as good as before.

But centipede insects are not dead, their reputation has been too loud for too long. Even if they do not have official titles, they are still nobles in the eyes of scholars, which is an honor that is difficult to achieve.

My father never looked at bloodline when recruiting talents, he just used them if they were talented.It is tantamount to digging up the foundation of the clan and blocking their path to revival. They have become enemies long ago.

But now, the emperor sent people to compile the "Chronicles of Clan", and the four surnames are still at the top, which proves that their prestige among the people far exceeds that of the court.

He couldn't bear it no matter what, the scholars he selected from a poor family went to make pilgrimages to the noble families of the fourth surname.More importantly, if things continue like this, it will not be conducive to the stability of the imperial power. "

Wu Rou listened quietly and asked again:
"Then...since it's so serious, why not...why not use more powerful means to ask the concubine to invite the concubine of Chang'an City or the person who is in charge of the marriage to come to the palace to say a few words. Will it really be useful?"

Jin Wang Li Shan then raised his eyes, looked at Wu Rou with studious eyes, and asked:
"A more powerful method?...For example?"

Suddenly asked by King Jin, Wu Rou's eyes turned to the side. She held her colorful shawl in her hand, twisted it twice in front of her chest nervously, and said thoughtfully:
"I don't know...like...like finding a reason to kill them?"

Prince Jin's eyes were visibly shocked, and his carefully carved lips were slightly opened. He shook his head for a while and said:
"Why are you so murderous?"

Wu Rou quickly put down the twisted silk and lowered her head guiltily, fearing that Prince Jin would discover the ghost living in her heart.

King Jin did not care about it further, but turned around, looked at the books spread out in front of him, and continued:

"Killing a slave at will will cause panic, let alone killing those powerful clans with long reputations. My father is the Holy Lord Mingjun, and he is not a tyrant who is easy to kill. How can he be so casual?
Moreover, the matter of getting married seems to be a trivial matter.In fact, it is related to the alliance of interests between the two families.

Although everyone is usually polite and doesn't seem to care about the status of each other's families, when it comes to getting married, their inner calculations will be revealed. The calculations are clear and cannot be fake at all.

The higher the family status and the greater the interests of the family, the more so.

Therefore, the reputation of the four surnames has greatly increased now, and it is also because the powerful people want to marry too many of them, which invisibly elevates their status.

As long as the news spreads and the dignitaries of the current dynasty can give up the marriage of four surnames, it will naturally have a great impact on their reputation. "

Wu Rou listened and combined with what the imperial concubine said at the flower viewing banquet, many things became clear. She felt that it made sense and couldn't help but say:
"Your Highness knows so much, I have never thought about this..."

Prince Jin visibly stiffened and his ears turned red. He seemed a little embarrassed and said:
"Most of them were taught by my father, so they are nothing."

Wu Rou looked at his profile and suddenly felt a lot of envy.

It’s great to have Aye.

When her Aye was still alive, he would often teach her some principles. Although it was not a matter of state, he always had some wisdom about people and things.

Even though it was of little use to her at the time, after he left, she was able to endure the bullying from the Wu brothers. After entering the palace, she became obedient and careful, and could barely be considered as having both sides, all because of Aye's teachings.

Thinking of what happened to her after Aye's death, Wu Rou couldn't help but feel sad and melancholy, and asked out of nowhere:

"Is His Highness King Jin afraid?"

Jin Wang Li Shan turned his head strangely and saw Wu Rou looking at him with a pair of misty and sad eyes.

She is always lively and courageous on weekdays, but today she was really unusual.

"What are you afraid of?" Jin Wang Li Shan asked with a gentler tone.

"Afraid... that one day, suddenly, my life will be turned upside down because I have lost my support?"

(End of this chapter)