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

Chapter 442 "Sui"

Long live fourteen years.

The rumors in the court and among the people were not what Yang Jian wanted to deal with most, and of course, they were not what he feared most.

What he feared and terrified the most were the soldiers.

On that dark rainy night, Yang Jian saw the ambition and greed in the eyes of those soldiers. The miserable condition of Emperor Wansui aroused their greedy desires. They also wanted to become emperor, and they also wanted to kill Yang Jian.

Just like Yang Jian "killed" Emperor Wansui.

But in fact, Yang Jian only felt regret and pain in his heart because he really did not do it.

Let us turn back the time to that rainy night.

When countless heavy rains were pouring down, Yang Jian had a conversation with Zhang Annian in the Qinzheng Hall. Zhang Annian told Yang Jian all the unbridled "crazy words" in his heart.

What he said was that he was not an emperor but an ordinary person, and what he wanted ordinary people to realize that the so-called power and nobility were all in their hearts.

If the majority of the people do not recognize the so-called powerful, the so-called court, and the so-called officials, then they are nothing.

These crazy words made Yang Jian very scared and frightened. He even stood up and wanted to escape. But at this time, Zhang Annian pulled out the long sword hanging beside him, and stabbed it directly into his heart when Yang Jian had no time to stop him.

While Yang Jian was still in shock, he walked up to Yang Jian and placed the other end of the sword in Yang Jian's trembling hand.

Immediately afterwards, Su Wei rushed in with the group of soldiers.

When he heard the sound, Yang Jian reacted quickly and pushed the Emperor Wansui to the ground, but it was too late.

People only believed what they saw with their own eyes, and they thought that it was Yang Jian who killed Emperor Wansui.

Yang Jian was a "regicide".

There is no impenetrable wall in the world. This news has already spread out, and it is too late to stop it.

"Boom boom boom——"

There were footsteps coming one after another, and Dugu Xin walked in from a distance, his face slightly solemn: "Your Majesty, we can't delay any longer."

This is the third day after the death of Emperor Wansui.

“Someone out there is already talking about it.”

Dugu Xin swallowed his words, then looked at Yang Jian and said, "We must find a way to prevent such things from being recorded. I saw the historian recording this matter before."

"Also, our people can't hold back any longer."

"We must establish the country as soon as possible, and you must take over the throne as soon as possible."

Yang Jian raised his head in silence, his eyes bloodshot, and asked in a hoarse voice: "You also think that I killed the Wansui Emperor, right?"

Dugu Xin raised his head with a helpless look on his face: "Your Majesty, whether I think so or not, it has already happened. Now the historian even wants to record this incident."

"If you don't stop it, I'm afraid..."

There was a long silence.

Yang Jian stood up slowly, his face looking very calm.

He looked at Dugu Xin and said, "Didn't Zhang Chun, Wang Wen and the others shout that they wanted to see Your Majesty? Summon them to the palace in the name of Your Majesty, and tell them that there is something important to discuss. Ask them to come carefully and not be discovered."

"In addition, the person who summoned them should hint to them that I seem to be threatening to control the Wansui Emperor, so let their private soldiers in their homes be ready."

"Be ready to enter the palace to rescue at any time."

As Yang Jian walked out, he made clear arrangements and said, "Then let Su Wei prepare. As soon as Zhang Chun, Wang Wen and others enter the palace, we will immediately surround their residences in the name of the Emperor Wansui, expose their private soldiers and the fact that they are preparing for rebellion, and then quickly send people to spread the news."

A series of orderly arrangements came out of Yang Jian's mouth, and Yang Jian quickly reacted to what Yang Jian wanted to do. His eyes lit up and his heart was moved.

He said hesitantly, "Zhang Chun, Wang Wen and others have a very firm relationship with the Wansui Emperor. Zhang Chun and the Wansui Emperor have a relationship of monarch and subject, and even like a teacher and student, they are close friends."

"Will anyone believe that they killed the Wansui Emperor?"

Yang Jian's expression remained unchanged: "When we become the victors, then naturally people will believe whatever we say, and as long as history records it like this, then this matter will change from you and I killing the Wansui Emperor on a rainy night to Zhang Chun trying to kill the Wansui Emperor, and then the conspiracy was discovered by us, and in the end we turned the tide and saved Dayu."

"How can there be so much right and wrong in the world?"

"It's just a game for the winner."

He waved his sleeves and said, "Let's go and see the historian first."

There was a cold look in Yang Jian's eyes.

Since ancient times, there has been no emperor who interfered with the historians' recording of history, but from today on, there will be one.

Taishiguan

The Grand Historian was sitting there, recording the turbulent history of the past few days, when at this moment, footsteps were heard outside the hall.

Then two people walked in.

It was Dugu Xin and Yang Jian who was about to become emperor.

Yang Jian walked up to the Grand Historian, looking at him with a bit of indifference, as if he were looking at an ant: "What are you writing?"

The Grand Historian silently put down the pen in his hand and then straightened his clothes.

He sat there upright, with sunlight streaming into the room through the window.

Everything seemed so normal.

“I’m writing.”

"Yang Jian murdered his own emperor and plotted to take over the world;"

Dugu Xin sneered and was about to step forward, but Yang Jian stretched out his hand to stop him and instead drew the long sword from his waist.

"Bang--"

The long sword was thrown to the ground by Yang Jian.

Yang Jian looked at the Grand Historian and said, "I don't want to waste my words with you."

"change!"

"Zhang Chun tried to kill the king, but was defeated and fled!"

"Yang Jian and others turned the tide and saved the country!"

"change!"

The Grand Historian smiled faintly, looked at Yang Jian and said, "Do you know about the old story of Cui Zhu killing his king?"

"The historian wrote truthfully without changing a single word!"

Yang Jian sneered again and again: "But today is not the Spring and Autumn Period or the Warring States Period, I am not Cui Zhu, and you are not from the Taishi family!"

With a wave of his hand, the palace guards who had been prepared brought in Tai Shi Ling's entire family.

Among them was a three-year-old child, a sixty-year-old mother, and his wife.

"Change it or not?"

The historian closed his eyes and said, "No change."

"bass--"

As soon as the word "no" came out of Taishi Ling's mouth, his mother's head fell to the ground, and blood spilled on the ground.

"Will you change it?"

Tai Shi Ling's eyes were tightly closed with pain in them: "No change."

A delicate female head fell at Taishi Ling's feet, and the child cried loudly because of fright.

"Will you change it?"

The Grand Historian opened his eyes, looked at Yang Jian and said softly, "No change."

Yang Jian laughed, and the next moment, the three-year-old child was chopped into a pulp. Yang Jian looked at the Grand Historian and said, "Do you think you are the only historian I have?"

He waved his hand, looking quite refreshed: "Come here and revise the history book for your master."

A servile man came in, like a bug or a pug, and he changed the history book directly according to what Yang Jian said. Yang Jian walked to the side of the Grand Historian and said condescendingly: "You want a good reputation?"

"I will satisfy you."

He looked at the young man and said, "Write down that the Grand Historian Zhang Qiao conspired with Zhang Chun, Wang Wen and others to murder the Wansui Emperor."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Zhang Qiao and said, "Zhang Qiao, I respect you for being willing to sacrifice your own interests and support the Jianwu Department even though you were in the Imperial College. So I'll give you a chance."

"As long as you admit your crime in public, I will spare your life."

"otherwise--"

Zhang Qiao smiled faintly and then closed his eyes.

He stopped talking.

in silence.

Long live fifteen years.

spring.

The world was shocked.

The imperial edict Zhang Chun, the prime minister Wang Wen, the imperial astronomer Zhang Qiao and others attempted to kill the Emperor Wansui but failed. Zhang Chun was killed by bandits while trying to escape to Lingnan. Wang Wen confessed his crimes, but the imperial astronomer refused to confess his own.

At this time, the world was leaderless.

Yang Jian, an internal official in the Prime Minister's Office, and Dugu Xin, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, expressed their grief that they had received the last will of the Emperor Wansui, which was written by the Emperor himself. In it, the Emperor recounted his crimes over the years and said that many of his previous policies were forced to be implemented and were the work of Zhang Chun, Wang Wen and others. He also said that in the last stage of his life, he saw Yang Jian's ability, so he abdicated the throne to Yang Jian and hoped that Yang Jian would not refuse.

When this edict spread throughout the world, many people did not believe it.

Zhang Chun and others were promoted by the Wansui Emperor. How could they do such a thing?

This is simply alarmist.

However, the new Grand Historian TV station proved that all this was true, and all the palace servants present that day also said that it was indeed the case.

The matter ended like that.

Spring, the fifteenth year of Wansui.

People kept writing letters to Yang Jian, asking him to become emperor, but Yang Jian was always unwilling to do so. He felt that he was not worthy of the position and that he should move forward firmly.

He chose a young emperor from among Zhang's children to ascend the throne, while he himself continued to serve as "Prime Minister" and "General", and was given additional titles such as Grand Marshal, Supreme Pillar of the State, and then appointed as "King of Sui".

Winter of the fifteenth year of Wansui.

The young emperor granted Yang Jian a number of honors such as "wearing sword and shoes into the palace, and not bowing when seeing the emperor", and even bestowed the Nine Gifts on him, calling him "Father Prime Minister".

Spring of the sixteenth year of Wansui.

The emperor once again conferred the title of "Fifteenth Supreme Pillar of the State" on Yang Jian, and he concurrently served as the Grand Marshal of the Army of the World, the Grand Marshal, and the Imperial Censor.

For a while, Yang Jian's glory almost overshadowed Chen's brilliance.

In the autumn of the sixteenth year of his reign, the emperor once again made an unexpected move.

The emperor conferred the title of "Taiping Zhiping Tianshi" on Yang Jian, making him one of the three great Tianshi of Taiping Dao, only below the Great Sage and Great Saint Teacher Zhang Jiao; and the Patriarch Tianshi and Mighty Tianshi Chen Zhulou.

He was even given the title of the leader of the Taiping Dao.

The emperor's successive actions naturally aroused the attention of everyone in the court. They were all watching what the emperor, or rather, what the "Zhiping Tianshi" wanted to do.

Just like that, many years passed in the blink of an eye.

Long live twenty years.

Guandu
Li Yuan had a look of joy on his face. He walked into Chen's house and shouted, "Teacher, teacher, I have a son!"

Chen Zhan sat in the mansion, his expression did not change at all, he was just flipping through the book in his hands.

"Oh?"

"good."

"How is the child?"

Li Yuan chuckled and rubbed his hands: "That boy is chubby and in good health."

“It just hasn’t been named yet.”

"How about the teacher give this child a name?"

Chen Zhan put down the book in his hand, with a thoughtful look on his face. After a moment, he looked at Li Yuan and said, "How about calling him "Jiancheng"?"

He stood up and walked slowly in the yard.

"Achieve success and build a prosperous country and family."

Li Yuan muttered the name a few times: "Jiancheng. Jiancheng"

His eyes lit up: "Not bad."

"Teacher, let's call this child Jiancheng."

After finishing speaking, Li Yuan scratched his head and said, "But teacher, have you received the imperial edict from His Majesty? His Majesty summoned us to the capital, saying that there is something important he wants to discuss, but I don't know what it is."

Chen Zhan just glanced at Li Yuan, then shook his head and smiled: "Do you really not know, or do you want to play dumb?"

Li Yuan chuckled: "Then teacher, do you think I should go or not?"

Chen Zhan shook his head slightly and sighed: "Go, why not?"

"If you don't go, you will probably be the next Zhang Chun and others. Moreover, if he wants to secure the throne, he still needs people like you to protect him, so he won't do anything to you."

"At most, he wants to find you this time to witness it and be a witness."

Chen Zhan laughed sarcastically.

"He is a hypocritical person. He wants to sit on the throne and have a perfect reputation."

"Isn't this the case with many of the policies he has issued in recent years?"

"Not only at home, but also abroad, such as Jiaozhou, the two remaining countries in the Western Regions, and Goguryeo overseas. Isn't he trying to use his "name of benevolence and righteousness"?"

"Many people call him the 'Saint King'. Isn't this the perfect reputation he wants?"

"You really want both."

As he spoke, Chen Zhan glanced at Li Yuan's embarrassed expression again, laughed and stopped his complaints: "Okay, go ahead."

"But this time, Dayu may be over."

Only then did Li Yuan nod.

After Li Yuan left, Chen Zhan slowly turned around and walked towards the ancestral temple with a calm look on his face.

In the ancestral temple

A wisp of green smoke slowly rose into the sky.

Long live the twenty-first year, late winter.

All the ministers gathered in the capital Luoyang to listen to the emperor announce the edict that should have come long ago.

The emperor issued an edict, announcing the abdication to Prince of Sui Yang Jian, and mentioned Prince of Sui's achievements many times in the edict. After three requests and three declines, Yang Jian finally selected an auspicious day.

On the first day of the 22nd year of the Wansui era, Yang Jian ascended the throne and changed the dynasty

Changed Dayu to "Sui".

The reign title was changed to Kaihuang.

This year was 581 AD.

Destiny seems to have not changed, but it has deviated from its original track.

The Sui Dynasty was established.

(End of this chapter)