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

Chapter 364: The Imperial Edict (Part )

Yang Xiu and Yuan Ji remained calm and said, "Of course we ask the Minister of State to support the country, turn the tide, and save the Han Dynasty from danger."

Between saving the big man and being in trouble?

Lu Zhi said calmly, "Now that we have King An in charge of the Han Dynasty, where can danger come from?"

"Don't talk nonsense here, both of you."

Although he said this, Lu Zhi had no intention of seeing the guests off. He just stared at Yang Xiu and Yuan Ji.

Yang Xiu smiled and said, "Minister, there is no need to use such tricks between you and me."

"We are following the emperor's order to punish the rebellious king. Although King An is in good health, he is now seriously ill. Even if the crown prince of King An wants to help the country, he does not hold any official position."

"So, the emperor had no choice but to order us to invite you, Master."

Lu Zhi's hand holding the teacup did not tremble. He took a sip of tea and said, "By order of the emperor?"

"Where is the emperor's edict now?"

Yang Xiu and Yuan Ji looked at each other, then took out the imperial edict given to them by Liu Bian from his sleeves and said in a low voice: "Minister Shangshu Ling, here is the blood-stained imperial edict on your majesty's clothes."

"If you still think you are a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty, then join us in fighting against the enemy!"

Bloody edict on clothes?
Lu Zhi's expression changed, and he took the imperial edict. Then he looked carefully at the words written on it, with a look of shock in his eyes.

This was actually written by the current emperor himself?
After a brief pause, Lu Zhi asked, "Who is the thief the emperor wants to punish?"

Before getting the definite answer, Lu Zhi did not dare to accept this so-called "Secret Edict". He knew in his heart that if the enemy of this Secret Edict was "Chen", then this so-called "Secret Edict" was just a roll of waste paper.

But what if the "thief" in the secret decree is not Chen?
It’s not that he can’t give it a try.

Yang Xiu and Yuan Ji also understood Lu Zhi's worries and immediately said, "Of course it's Cao the thief!"

The two of them looked at each other and said Cao Cao's name very decisively at the same time.

When Lu Zhi heard that the thief was Cao Cao, he instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

For him, although Cao Cao's power was huge, it was not to the extent that he was afraid. Who was he? He was Lu Zhi, who was the official of the Shangshutai and the prime minister. He was also known as the Three Prime Ministers together with the Central Government and the prime minister.

So what if Cao Cao was born into the Cao family and the Xiahou family of Qiao County?

To put it bluntly, in Lu Zhi's eyes, these two so-called clans were nothing more than "ants", that is, the so-called "new nobles", and what about Lu Zhi? Lu Zhi was born in the "Fanyang Lu Clan".

His family was distinguished for generations. As early as during the reign of Emperor Qin Shihuang, his ancestors had served as one of the Sixteen Ministers. Their clan became wealthy at almost the same time as the Guandu Chen family.

However, the Lu family is different from the Chen family. The Chen family has had prominent members holding the positions of the Three Dukes for generations, and has controlled the world for nearly five hundred years, while the Lu family has experienced ups and downs until today, but it is also considered a famous and prominent family.

Since the fall of the Yuan family of Runan and the Yang family of Hongnong, the Lu family of Fanyang has become the leader among all the clans in the world, except for the Chen family.

This version of the Lu family can be said to be an enhanced version of the original "Fan Yang Lu family", because the original ancestor of the Lu family was "Lu Zhi", and in this version, Lu Zhi's ancestor has already become famous all over the world.

Lu Zhi himself was also extremely ambitious. After serving as governor of four counties, he was transferred to be a provincial governor. After serving in three provinces, he entered the imperial court. He was first the Minister of Works, then the Minister of Civil Affairs, and then the General. He was later transferred to the Minister of the Secretariat.

If we talk about the power, status and qualifications in the court, except for Chen Chengji, the "King An", everyone else has to stand back, even if Chen Zhulou comes.

Of course, what is even more frightening is that Lu Zhi is a "great scholar".

What does this mean?

This means that many famous people in the world are his disciples. One of his most famous disciples is one of the most important ministers in the court today, the emperor’s uncle Liu Bei, Liu Xuande!
The "famous White Horse General" Gongsun Zan on the border of Youzhou was also his disciple.

This is also one of the reasons why Yang Xiu and Yuan Ji chose to win over this person personally.

Lu Zhi sighed and said, "The emperor treated Cao Cao like his father, but he did such a thing. It is really heartbreaking."

"The Cao Mengde who dared to kill the children of the rich and powerful may have died. Now only Cao Cao who wants to monopolize power is left!"

Lu Zhi looked at Yang Xiu and said firmly, "What do you two want to do?"

"I will definitely cooperate!"

An Wangfu
Chen Zhulou, who had just fallen asleep, was awakened by a burst of hurried footsteps, and then the servant following Chen Chengji pushed the door open in an instant with a look of panic on his face.

"Sir!"

The man's face showed grief, fear, and confusion: "Sir, he, he is seriously ill!"

"Mr. Bian Que and Mr. Zhang Zhongjing have passed away. They all say that they only have their last breath left!"

"Sir, please go over there immediately!"

what?
Chen Zhulou's drowsy look instantly woke up. He looked at the boy in front of him and without time to question or ask more questions, he immediately stood up, without even putting on his shoes, and simply stepped in.

Chen Zhulou hurried to the outside of Chen Chengji's courtyard and rushed in directly. Looking at Chen Chengji lying on the bed, his face was a little nervous and anxious: "Father, my son is here, my son is here!"

Chen Chengji looked at Chen Zhulou who was kneeling in front of the bed and forced a smile on his face.

In fact, his body could no longer hold on.

He had only relied on the last breath in his heart to hold on until now, but now that Chen Zhulou has returned, he has relaxed his breath. Once he relaxes, it will be time for him to return to heaven.

He looked at Chen Zhulou tremblingly, and his voice almost became a breath.

"No need to cry."

"I can rest in peace now that I can wait for you."

As Chen Chengji spoke, his tone seemed to have calmed down, and he looked more energetic than before.

"You must remember that no matter what decision you make in the end, as long as it is in accordance with your heart, there will be no problem."

"Go."

Along with Chen Chengji's voice, the night sky was suddenly torn apart by a huge thunder, and in the blink of an eye, heavy rain fell.

The sudden rain seemed to wash away everything, making people feel daunting and frightened.

Chen Zhulou looked at Chen Chengji, who had already closed his eyes after saying the last two words, and his expression became even more determined.

Is there no problem if I follow my heart?

He seemed to know what his father meant. Hearing comforting voices in his ears, Chen Zhulou knew that this was not the time for him to continue to be immersed in sorrow.

The turmoil in the court was already inevitable, and the death of his father at this time further intensified the flames of the court.

Chen Zhulou slowly closed his eyes.

Even if his father died, Chen's dignity and power would not be greatly damaged.

In other words, it was precisely because of Chen Chengji's death that the "palace coup" that was destined to begin could almost come to an abrupt end.

Because King An is dead.

Because King An died on this ordinary night.

Therefore, the whole world will become quiet and silent, and everyone will bow their heads to mourn the passing of King An. If anyone dares to do something out of line at this time, they will inevitably face the wrath of the Chen family, because the dignity of the Chen family will never be violated.

This is different from the first day Chen Chengji entered Chang'an City many years ago.

But even at that time, even at that time, if Cao Cao had only killed a few children from noble families, he would have been brought to the court and impeached, and Cao Cao himself also wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to join the Chen camp.

What's more, nowadays?
Chen Zhulou closed his eyes.

He calmly issued his orders.

"Send someone to the palace and tell the emperor that my father has passed away."

"Also, send someone to the Yang family, the Yuan family, and the Shangshutai Lingfu to tell them that no matter what decision they make, they should stay still."

"Within three days, no unrest will be allowed in the world!"

Chen Zhulou's voice was cold.

After a slight hesitation, Chen Zhulou slightly modified the previous order: "Forget it, I will go to His Majesty in person, and you send people to the General's Mansion and say the same thing as when you went to Yang, Yang and others."

"Within three months, I will take care of my father's funeral."

"I don't want to see any weapons!"

As they spoke, everyone in the mansion began to get busy. Chen Zhulou got on the carriage and headed towards the Weiyang Palace.

In fact, he didn't want to have any entanglement with the emperor at this time, and he also wanted to give the emperor a chance.

but.
Chen Chengji's death disrupted many people's plans.

Whether it belongs to the emperor, Chen Zhulou, or Cao Cao.

杨府
Yang Xiu and Yuan Ji had just returned from Lu Zhi's residence after a busy day when they heard the servant hurried over with a look of fear on his face: "Sir, sir."

The servant looked at Yang Xiu and whispered, "Someone from the Anguo Palace came and said he wanted to see you for something important."

Prince An’s Palace?

Why would anyone come to Prince An’s Palace at this time?

Yang Xiu and the other man looked at each other with shock and fear on their faces, but even though they couldn't guess what the people from Anguo Palace would do at this moment, they didn't dare to delay any longer and immediately walked towards the main hall.

The man who came was just an ordinary servant, but Yang Xiu was still very respectful to him.

He is a third-rank official in front of the prime minister, let alone a servant in the Prince An’s palace?
"I wonder why King An sent you here?"

When Yang Xiu said this, he was still looking at the person who came. He had just come in, and when his eyes fell on the white cloth around the person's waist and head, he felt a little uneasy, but Yang Xiu was really not sure.

Because at this time, if the guess in his mind came true, it would be a huge deal.

The words that came out of the servant's mouth were just as he guessed. He only heard the servant say respectfully with a hint of arrogance: "In reply to Mr. Yang, the prince asked me to come here to pass on a message to you."

He lowered his eyes and said, "Someone else in the mansion has gone to Yuan's mansion, but since Yuan Yilang is also here, I will tell him together."

"His Royal Highness King An passed away tonight."

"The prince said, no matter what you want to do, what you are about to do, or what you are thinking, stop immediately."

"Now that the prince has passed away, the prince just wants to be at peace with the funeral for the prince."

"During the three-month mourning period, I don't want to see any weapons."

"If you don't listen to this advice"

The servant raised his head and looked directly into Yang Xiu's eyes: "You will bear the consequences at your own risk."

After saying this, the servant bowed slightly and said, "I have delivered the message, the prince, and I will leave now."

Then he walked out the door.

After the servant left, Yang Xiu suddenly fell down on the chair, looking decadent.

"God doesn't help me."

He closed his eyes. "If King An can hold on for a while longer, we can take Cao Cao down before he can react. Then King An and the Crown Prince will definitely not object."

"The current situation is as turbulent as it was at the end of the Qin Dynasty."

"According to the Chen family's past practice, they will return to Guandu City and choose another wise leader."

"Our two families can also take advantage of this opportunity to control the government and use our power to quickly restore the heyday of the Han Dynasty during the last years of the Han Dynasty."

"But now it's all over."

Yes.

Yang Xiu and Yuan Ji's original intention was not to help Liu Bian take power, and they also knew that Cao Cao's death would cause turmoil in the world.

They even knew that war was coming, just like the end of the Qin Dynasty.

But they don't care.

Troubled times are better for aristocratic families like them, because anyone who wants to become the emperor must get help from people like them.

Similar to the Yingchuan Group, the original Yingchuan Group chose Cao Cao. After Cao Cao established the Cao Wei forces, the major clans almost controlled the power in the court, and Sima was one of them.

So later Cao Pi compromised and began to implement the "Nine-Rank System". What does the emergence of the Nine-Rank System mean?
Meaning
There are no poor families in the upper class, and no aristocratic families in the lower class.

This means a complete victory for the aristocratic family.

What Yang Xiu and Yuan Ji wanted was this kind of "victory of the aristocratic family".

They hid behind the dynasty and supported it to win victory, so as to gain sufficiently large benefits when the new dynasty was established.

But now.
Everything is lost.

King An died tonight, disrupting everyone's plans.

There will be no fighting or fighting for three months. After three months, Cao Cao must have made all the preparations.

It is already unknown who will win by then.

Weiyang Palace

Liu Bian looked at Liu Bei, who had woken up and was sitting in front of him, with a look of loss on his face.

"Uncle, you are my uncle. Why don't you help me? Instead, you help Cao Cao, the traitor?"

Sitting in front of him, when Liu Bei was about to say something, the attendant hurried in and said, "Your Majesty, the prince of An Kingdom has entered the palace. He said he has something important to see Your Majesty about. He is already outside the palace."

Liu Bian raised his eyebrows. The crown prince of An Kingdom?

"Please come quickly!"

(End of this chapter)