Thousand-year-old family: its rise began with Shang Yang’s reforms

Chapter 359 Everyone has their own thoughts

The world is corrupt, but there are always people willing to support this corrupt world and provide a way of survival for the people.

Zhang Jue was such a person.

Chen Zhulou sat in the wobbly carriage, looking even more pensive.

He was not actually unwilling to overthrow the Han Dynasty, he was just a little afraid.

Chen Zhulou's fear was different from the fear that Chen Chengji, Cao Cao, and Liu Bei believed.

Chen Chengji believed that Chen Zhulou was reluctant to make a decision because he was worried about the choice Chen would make, while Cao Cao and Liu Bei believed that Chen Zhulou was afraid of the suffering that the war would bring to the people.

They all thought of one aspect, but none of them thought of it comprehensively.

Chen Zhulou lifted the curtain and looked at the Han Dynasty's landscape. The landscape seemed to be covered by a layer of gray mist. His eyes were far away, as if they had no focus.

He was worried about both the people of the world and the Chen family.

Contrary to what Chen Chengji thought, Chen Zhulou was worried that if he participated in Zhang Jiao's fight for the world in his own name, it would ruin the "good reputation" of the Chen family. The Chen family had never participated in the fight for the world, even when the Han Dynasty was fighting with Qin and Chu.

Even Chen Zhanying's ancestor used a pseudonym in the Qin court.

If he rashly joined Zhang Jiao's Taiping Dao, what would happen to Chen's reputation in the future?

Isn't this getting involved in the court's party struggles?
The people of the world are one of the reasons why Chen Zhulou hesitated.

This involves a philosophical question: is it a short-term pain or a long-term pain?
If the Han Dynasty is overthrown, it will naturally be a shorter pain than letting the people continue to sink in this corrupt lake of the Han Dynasty.

But this "short" is only relative.

Moreover, this short-term pain is really too painful. Once the war breaks out, the people will probably have no way to survive and will suffer even more than they do now.

But what about long-term pain?

Let the people continue to be numb?
Chen Zhulou didn't know how to choose, because he knew that his choice and his every move would affect the people of the world. To use a very appropriate word, the disputes of the next thirty years and the lives of the people of the world for the next thirty years would depend on Chen Zhulou's one thought.

How could he not think carefully?

The carriage swayed, carrying Chen Zhulou towards Chang'an City.

Zhang Jue, who was left far behind, stood with his hands behind his back, his Taoist robe covered with dust. He looked at the sun in the sky and muttered to himself, "Even the brightest sun will eventually fall."

"Four hundred years of the Han Dynasty have made this dynasty corrupt and rotten."

“Everything that my mentor said back then is gradually coming true.”

When Chen Chengji was traveling, he met Zhang Jue. During the time they were together, Zhang Jue had already regarded Chen Chengji as his teacher.

"Where is the future of the Han Dynasty?"

Zhang Jue walked silently in this world with worry in his eyes. If it wasn't really necessary, he was actually unwilling to rise up in rebellion.

Weiyang Palace
Emperor Liu Bian sat there, listening obediently to Liu Bei's usual advice, which was nothing more than words like staying away from treacherous ministers, staying away from eunuchs, and checking and controlling the court. Liu Bian just listened with his chin in his hand, with a bored look on his face.

If you hear such words too much, you will naturally become impatient.

In Liu Bian's eyes, it didn't matter who was a loyal minister and who was a treacherous minister. What mattered was who was willing to listen to him and who was not.

As for whether he is right or wrong? It doesn't matter.

For Liu Bian, he wanted to become an emperor like Emperor Wu, and become a unique emperor in the history books of the Han Dynasty.

Then, what he says must be right. Even if it is wrong, the people below should do it first. If it is really wrong, they can talk about it later, instead of questioning whether he is wrong from the beginning.

Cao Cao and Liu Bei naturally also felt the emperor's emotion, so they tried their best to correct it.

But the emperor is now fifteen or sixteen years old, and is in a stage of self-assertion and rebellion. Naturally, the emperor regards the advice of the two as a heart-breaking statement and as an attempt to continue to control the government.

So Liu Bian was very unhappy.

But at the same time, the emperor was too smart. Even if he didn't like such remarks, he would pretend to have listened to them in front of Liu Bei, and then continue to do his own thing.

Liu Bei looked at the emperor in front of him who was obviously distracted, and there was a hint of fatigue in his expression.

He said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty?"

"Did you listen to what I said?"

Hearing Liu Bei's call, Liu Bian came out of his thoughts, looked at Liu Bei and said with a smile: "Of course I listened to what the emperor's uncle said."

He just said this and changed the subject, "Uncle, I heard that the prince of An Kingdom is almost recovered from his illness and is coming back to Chang'an City?"

Naturally, most people could not know that Chen Zhulou was traveling around the world, especially that he was with Zhang Jue. Therefore, Chen's statement to the outside world was that Chen Zhulou was seriously ill, so he returned to Guandu City to recuperate.

Afterwards, he left Guandu under a changed name and followed Zhang Jue.

Even Cao Cao and Liu Bei didn't know much about this. They just thought that Chen Zhulou was somewhat disappointed with the Han emperor, so he returned to Guandu on the pretext of recuperating.

When the emperor asked about this, Liu Bei naturally had to cover up for his friend: "Your Majesty, that is exactly what happened."

There was also some anticipation in his brows. He knew Chen Zhulou's talent and ability. If Chen Zhulou could come back, the Han Dynasty would have more help.

Even Liu Bei felt that this turbulent situation was a bit complicated.

While he was sighing, he also covered up a few words: "The Crown Prince of An Kingdom was still very young back then, and his health has not been very good since he left Guandu. He has recovered after returning to Guandu this year."

"King An is not in good health now, so the Crown Prince has no choice but to return."

The emperor did not care why Chen Zhulou left. He just wanted to know whether Chen Zhulou was Liu Bei or Cao Cao.

"According to the uncle, what kind of person is this prince?"

The emperor did not know Chen Zhulou very well, but he knew that Chen Zhulou was a good friend of Liu Bei and Cao Cao, and the three of them were quite famous in Chang'an City at that time.

People who can be friends have some similarities, right?
The emperor guessed this.

Liu Bei's answer did not disappoint the emperor. He just smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you will know when you meet the prince."

"The head of the Chen family has always been a dignified gentleman who serves the country and the people."

"Donglin is the most talented among them. His literary talent is comparable to that of Emperor Gao's Zifang, and his martial arts is comparable to that of the Marquis of Huaiyin."

Liu Bian's eyebrows flickered: "How could the emperor's uncle admire this person so much?"

He laughed loudly: "Then I really want to see it for myself."

After the two chatted for a few more sentences, Liu Bei left early because he was thinking about the government affairs of the Secretariat.

As soon as Liu Bei left, Liu Bian's expression suddenly became gloomy. He just asked in a low voice: "Why did the emperor's uncle bring up the old things today? Who did the emperor's uncle meet these days?"

The attendant beside him immediately spoke up and told about the meeting between Liu Bei and Cao Cao, and then he cautiously guessed: "Maybe the Grand Commandant said something to the Emperor's uncle?" Liu Bian's expression became even gloomier, because he knew that Cao Cao was dissatisfied with him.

What he feared even more was that Cao Cao would discover his plan, so he whispered, "Tell the General of the Household to temporarily put things on hold for the next few days, and don't let the Grand Commandant, the Emperor's uncle, and King An find out."

Liu Bian stood up, walked a few steps in the Weiyang Palace and said, "Also, send someone to go to Prince Hongnong to see what he has been doing these days."

It is one thing that Liu Bei himself was unwilling to be the emperor, but whether Liu Bei would agree to welcome another person as the emperor is another thing.

Although Liu Bian is the eldest son, this man has another legitimate son!
They have equally noble status, and the late emperor liked that one more.

It was also after the emperor ascended the throne that his younger brother Liu Xie was named "King of Hongnong" by the current emperor Liu Bian!

The emperor's men had just taken action when Cao Cao's men received the news.

Cao Cao held the paper in his hand and looked at the news on it, with a hint of sarcasm on his lips. The imperial palace had almost become a sieve. Everyone knew that the most honorable person in the Han Dynasty now was not the emperor, but the Grand Marshal, King An, and the Emperor's uncle.

Among them, apart from King An who did not care about the affairs, the most honorable ones were the Grand Marshal and the Emperor's uncle.

Therefore, these "fence-sitters" had already decided who to support, and any disturbance in the palace could not escape Cao Cao's eyes and ears.

Cao Cao just shook his head.

"Son of Heaven"

He became even more determined about that idea.

Cao Cao himself was a Han minister, and he also wanted to be a Han minister forever.

But even if he changed the emperor, he would still be a minister of the Han Dynasty, right? The Duke of Zhou could depose the King of Zhou and establish another emperor, so why couldn't Cao Cao do the same?
When the moonlight fell on his cheek, there was a ray of light and darkness entangled on Cao Cao's cheek.

The reason why he couldn't make up his mind was that Duke Zhou could do this and would definitely have a good reputation, but Duke Cao might not be able to do it.
After all, Duke Zhou belonged to the Zhou royal family, and how could Duke Cao, who didn't even have a different surname, have a good reputation?
I'm afraid I can't escape the label of being a Cao thief.

"That's all."

Cao Cao sighed fiercely: "Let's wait for Donglin."

"Wait for Donglin to come back and discuss it."

董府
There are two Dong mansions in Chang'an City, and this is something everyone in Chang'an City knows.

During the previous emperor's reign, Dong Zhuo's Dong was naturally more honorable, but now Dong Cheng's Dong is more honorable.

The two Dong Mansions are almost next to each other, so naturally people will compare them.

In front of Dong Cheng's mansion, there were constantly carriages and horses; in front of Dong Zhuo's mansion, there was almost no one.

In the backyard of Dong Zhuo's mansion, Dong Zhuo put down the weapon in his hand and threw it aside, while his servants picked it up.

He wiped his sweat and looked at Jia Xu with a smile: "Sir, you are right."

Dong Zhuo was very emotional: "If I had not taken a step back, I would be the one being pushed to the forefront now."

He curled his lips and said, "I am a rough guy and I don't want to get involved in their dispute."

Jia Xu just smiled gently.

Because of Dong Zhuo's every move after entering the capital, as well as the time when he entered the capital, Dong Zhuo at this time was no longer the original Dong Zhuo.

He is now one of the regent ministers and is extremely low-key. No one wants to offend him, and he also listens to Jia Xu's words and moves cautiously step by step. In the court, except for matters concerning Xiliang, Dong Zhuo is very cautious and neutral, and does not express his opinion on anything.

This attitude has won the support of many parties.

The Yuan and Yang families of the past had declined because of the "clearing the court" incident, and now there is no family that can take the lead. They are only vaguely led by the Chen and Xun families of "Yingchuan". Apart from these two big families, there are the Lu families of Wujun and the Lu families of Fanyang. The four major families are competing with each other and no one is willing to submit to the other, but they can only unite and form a force to compete with the other three in the court.

The aristocratic families are also the weakest.

Then there is the royal force headed by Liu Bei. This faction is not strong, but not weak either. The royal relatives are still very powerful, but they are not united.

The second strongest group is the "new nobles" headed by "Cao and Xiahou". The Xiahou family of Qiao County is considered the most powerful force because of Cao Cao, and some people from aristocratic families have also vaguely joined their faction.

For example, several younger generations of the Xun family.

Xun had the idea of ​​betting on both sides.

The strongest is naturally the Chen family.

As a result, the forces in the court did not seem so clear.

It seems that there are four factions fighting, but in fact there are three kingdoms. It seems that there are three kingdoms fighting, but in fact there is the division between Chu and Han.
There were four factions fighting each other: the aristocratic families, the imperial party, the new nobles, and the Chen family. Sometimes the first three would unite to take a break from the "heavy pressure" of the Chen family, because the Chen family's forces did not often participate in this fight.

The Chen family's power is for the people, so most of the time it will not really touch the bottom line of the interests of the three factions.

The royal party, the new nobles, and the aristocratic families allied themselves with each other. After all, there were no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.

Jia Xu just smiled and said, "It's a pity. When King An dies and the Crown Prince returns to Chang'an, everything will change. The storm will rise again. At that time, it will be difficult for the general to continue to hide away."

Dong Zhuo stretched out, and his muscles and bones crackled.

"That's just right."

"I just want to stretch my muscles. After these years of self-cultivation, some people really think I am a dying tiger."

He grinned, but the words he said were extremely sinister.

"There are also people who treat me like a dog and order me around."

"You are really courting death."

A carriage slowly drove into Chang'an City, and everyone who was paying attention to Chen Zhulou realized it.

The Crown Prince of An Kingdom is back.

After Chen Zhulou came back, he first met his father, chatted with Chen Zexi for a few words, and then went to a garden in the city with a pot of wine.

The purpose of this trip is to meet old friends.

The moonlight is just right.

Liu Bei and Cao Cao met in front of the garden with smiles on their faces. At this time, they were no longer General Cao or Emperor Liu.

It was just to see old friends Liu Xuande and Cao Mengde.

This night is perfect.

When meeting old friends.

(End of this chapter)