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

Chapter 456: The Layout of That Year
Yang Jian laughed wildly while holding the letter, and the attendants around him lowered their heads and dared not speak.

They hadn't seen the emperor so happy for a long time.

Cheng Yaojin and Qin Qiong had different expressions. They obviously didn't know that the things they were escorting were so important. On the contrary, the expression of Li Shimin's servant did not change much. He obviously knew about this matter.

After the laughter died down, Yang Jian looked at the three and said, "Go back and tell Erlang that I know what he said and I understand his worries."

There was a hint of gentleness on the corners of his mouth. Obviously, after the things Li Shimin sent him made him feel better, he was willing to provide Li Shimin with some better "attitude" and a way out.

"Liu Fu, draft the decree."

"Li Shimin, the governor of Liaodong County, was promoted to the title of 'General Zhenbei' and the governor of Liaodong Road. He was in charge of all military and political affairs of Liaodong Road, and was also the governor of Liaodong Road. If there were any changes in Liaodong, he could act according to his discretion."

Liu Fu's expression changed, and his evaluation of this "Li Erlang" became higher.

Just now, the talents of the Black Guards came to tell us about the meeting between Li Shimin and Zhong Zhangsun. Your Majesty was worried about the affairs of Liaodong. When he saw what Li Shimin sent, he immediately conferred the titles of Liaodong Demotion Envoy and Liaodong Jiedushi on Li Shimin. Needless to say, such titles and rewards must have won Your Majesty's trust.

If we calculate the time, these three people must have set out immediately after Zhong Changsun's visit, and traveled day and night without stopping. Only with such speed and such reaction could they place their "evidence" and "loyalty" in front of the emperor shortly after the news from the Black Guards arrived in Kyoto and was presented.

While drafting the edict, Liu Fu was secretly impressed by Li Shimin's extraordinary talents.

Yang Jian on the side was thinking more, and he thought of another person very keenly.

He looked at the servant and said, "How are your son and Lin'an these days? Are they in good health? I estimate that there may be some unrest in the Liaodong counties in the near future, and I am afraid that these two will be needed to deter those villains."

The servant bowed his head and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, my son and Lin'an are in good health. They always like to go hiking and have fun in the mountains, and they are always thinking about your Majesty's health."

"Before I came here, Master Lin'an and Master Young Master told me to take good care of myself after I see His Majesty."

"Mr. Lin'an also said, 'Most of the world's affairs are just a hundred years of spring and autumn, which pass in the blink of an eye. Smoke and dust rise and fall in the blink of an eye. This is just the normal state of the world. ' Please don't overwork yourself."

After hearing this, Yang Jian sighed softly.

"I do know what Lin'an is worried about, but these things are not something I can decide."

He spread his hands and smiled, "Today, I finally understand how the Prime Minister felt before he passed away. At this age, many things in this world are no longer decided by me."

"The prime minister back then didn't trust me, and I did fail him in the end. Now, I am also worried about the Prince of Jin and the Crown Prince, but I'm afraid that things won't go as I wish in the end."

As Yang Jian spoke, he sighed again and glanced at the attendants around him.

"If I were ten years younger, I might still have the ability and energy to handle these things. It's a pity."

Unfortunately, Yang Jian did not finish his words and then sighed again.

He waved his hand: "Forget it, I'm tired."

"Liu Fu, draft another decree."

"The Marquis of Lin'an was promoted to 'General of the Northern Expedition', and was appointed as the governor of Liaozhou Province, the governor of Youzhou Province, and concurrently the governor of two provinces, and the Grand Commander. In an emergency, he can handle all military and political affairs in Youzhou, Liaobei, Liaoxi, Liaodong, and Liaonan."

"Seeing the Marquis of Lin'an is like seeing me."

"Give the Marquis of Lin'an the imperial sword, which can be used to kill all those who disobey you."

"Officials below the second rank can be killed without reporting to the emperor; officials below the first rank can be killed first and reported later!"

It was reasonable that when Yang Jian conferred the titles of Jiedushi of Liaozhou Province, Jiedushi of Youzhou Province, and Envoy of Two Provinces and Grand Commander on Lin'an Marquis, the people in the hall were not shocked.

But after hearing the following words, everyone was stunned.

Is this reasonable?

Can officials below the second rank be executed without reporting to the emperor? Can officials below the first rank be executed first and reported to the emperor later?

This is equivalent to handing over the entire Northwest region to Chen Linan!
How many second-rank officials are there in the entire court?
From Kyoto to Liaozhou and Youzhou, except for the three dukes and thirty-six ministers, most of the other officials are of the second rank or so. In this way, this Marquis of Lin'an holding the imperial sword can directly kill his way from Youzhou to Luojing?
The expressions of the eunuchs and palace maids serving the emperor all changed. They were thinking about how to spread this fatal news to the outside world.

Yang Jian sat there feeling a little tired.

When everyone had left, he sat down at the table, writing something furiously.

His expression was very solemn.

Because this is a letter written to Chen.

When Liu Fu came back from the Secretariat, he saw Yang Jian sitting there with his eyes closed.

"Liu Fu, give this to the Printing Office and have them print this book. The selling price will be 15 wen."

Liu Fu took the book respectfully, and then whispered, "Yes."

When Liu Fu left and the entire hall was empty, Yang Jian sighed deeply again.

Now that he is about to die, what he wants in his heart is naturally to wash away the dirt on his body.

"Long live the emperor——"

He murmured to himself in a low voice: "Is this also part of your calculation?"

Yang Jian was very suspicious that this book was deliberately left behind by Emperor Wansui and then passed into the hands of Li Shimin, or it was deliberately passed into the hands of someone from the Li family, not necessarily Li Shimin, but definitely someone from the Li family, because only someone from the Li family had the qualifications to continue to stand in the new dynasty.

Chen is not suitable because he is too "straightforward".

Then, he would wait for the right opportunity - for example, when he was about to die, and ask Li's people to deliver the book to him, and then he would spread the book widely through him.

The Emperor Wansui probably had guessed the change in his mood.

As for why it wasn’t widely circulated until the last minute?
There was a hint of self-mockery on Yang Jian's face. If this book had been circulated earlier, he would have been like a "frightened bird" and would have simply hidden the book or destroyed it all.

Because the truth recorded in this book and the words said by Emperor Wansui will only destroy the supremacy of imperial power more thoroughly.

Only by destroying everything can I calm my restless heart.

And after more than ten years of changes, before he died, he naturally would not think about maintaining the supremacy of the damn imperial power.

He just wanted to get rid of the name of "regicide" that had been attached to him for more than ten years.

Therefore, at this time, not only will I not destroy this book, but I will have it printed in large quantities and spread it among the people.

And what does the circulation of this book mean?
It means that while the reputation of "regicide" disappears from him, the imperial power and the last trace of the sacredness of the emperor will completely disappear. The so-called emperor will also have all kinds of troubles, and the so-called saint will be nothing but an ordinary person.

What is the scariest thing?
The most terrifying thing is the unknown and the mystery.

When he is mysterious and unknown, you will use all your imagination to think about what this person is like, and constantly exaggerate him, making him more sacred. But when you know what he is like, what his life is like, and even see what he thinks in his heart by reading his "miscellaneous talks", he changes from being infinitely high and infinitely large to being limited and grand.

Of course - this only applies to most people.

For some truly "sacred" beings, the more you know about their deeds and the more you think about them, the more you feel they are great and magnificent.

Such as Chen.

In a dark room
An old servant stood up tremblingly and then lit the candle on the table.

He coughed a few times, took out a pill from the bottle beside him and swallowed it, and then he felt better. The pill was prepared for him when Emperor Wansui was still alive. It could relieve the pain in his body and allow him to live a few more years.

"Dao San."

"Have we completed our mission?"

An old man, equally old but healthier than the old servant, came out from the shadows, walked to the table and sat down under the candlelight.

"Ah."

His voice was light.

"The book passed from Li Shimin to the hands of the traitor, and the traitor was just as Your Majesty had guessed. He was willing to print a large number of copies of the book, even at a very low price, just to allow more people to read the book and wash away the dirt on him."

The old servant laughed sarcastically: "Wash off the dirt on your body?"

"He is still so hypocritical. Even if the title of regicide is removed from him, he is still a traitor who forced the emperor to abdicate and rebelled! This will definitely be recorded in history, even if he asked that guy to change the history books of that year!"

“There will always be people who remember those things from the past!”

His voice was sharp and a little noisy.

Dao San's expression remained unchanged: "Okay, no need to be angry."

"It's been so many years, and you haven't let go of those things? His Majesty didn't ask me to send you out of the palace to let you live like a demon day after day like this."

"General Manager Ying'an."

"Your Majesty hopes that you can live a comfortable life, and then you can be busy with these things in your spare time."

Ying An sneered: "A comfortable life?"

He suddenly raised his voice: "I feel very comfortable now!"

Ying'an laughed suddenly, like a turtledove that had succeeded in its revenge: "Look, he hasn't found out the identities of Zhongsun Xie and Lu Weihong in all these years, and he even gave the Liaodong branch county to them to manage!"

"And those traitors are just like Yang Jian back then. They have ambitions for the throne and they want to rebel!"

Ying'an's eyes were filled with the flames of revenge. The flames had been burning for decades, using his already dry and frail body as fuel for the burning.

"His sons also began to fight among themselves, and eventually ended up killing each other."

"Looking at these, I can even eat two extra bowls of rice at night!"

Dao San looked at Ying An even more helplessly: "You know, His Majesty didn't want you to indulge in hatred back then."

When mentioning the Emperor Wansui, Ying'an's expression became more relaxed: "Yes, Your Majesty is always so kind."

He said with some pain: "Sometimes I think that I shouldn't have asked for information about Lord Chen for Your Majesty. If it weren't for Lord Chen, Your Majesty wouldn't have ended up like that."

In his later years, Emperor Wansui was always thinking about the contents and ideas in those books, and Ying'an knew all of this.

He also knew that was the thought of Chen Ye, the ancestor of the Chen family.

Without these, would the Wansui Emperor still be living in the cold palace? Although he would have less food, clothing and other necessities, with his own help, he would still be able to get by and live out his life in peace?
After Yang Jian's rebellion, could it be Your Majesty who was conferred the title of Duke by the Emperor Wansui to appease the hearts of his old ministers? And then lived a happy life?
Ying'an didn't know any of this.

But he knew that once he was immersed in the flames of revenge, he would burn all his enemies to ashes.

Dao San looked at Ying An and said, "So, the counselor in the Prince of Jin's Mansion was really sent by you?"

Ying An chuckled: "That's my disciple, isn't he talented?"

He held his head high and said, "Although I haven't read many books, I have money, and I also have the things I read with Your Majesty. Although I don't know how to read, I can still write it down."

"Not only the Prince of Jin's Mansion, the one in the Crown Prince's Mansion is also mine."

"I will make these two blood relatives kill each other, and then die in front of Yang Jian!"

Spring, the nineteenth year of Kaihuang.

The emperor's health was getting worse, and he treated Prince Jin better and better, which made the prince even more fearful and terrified.

He didn't know what he should or could do, he just knew that he wanted to keep his position.

At this time, a retainer named "Zhang Shian" walked up to him.

Zhang Shian's talent was recognized by Yang Yong. Over the years, Zhang Shian's strategies helped him defeat the King of Jin many times and retain most of his strength.

"Shi'an, what do you think I should do?"

Zhang Shian frowned slightly: "The news from the palace is that His Majesty has handed over Liao Province and Youzhou to Lin'an Marquis and Tiance Marquis. This shows that His Majesty's health is really not good, and he is making final preparations."

"And judging from the reactions in recent days, I think His Majesty has the person he likes."

Yang Yong sighed: "I know, I know everything."

He turned his head and looked at Zhang Shian: "So we only have that last way?"

Zhang Shian hesitated for a long time, and finally nodded: "Yes, Your Highness."

"If you want that position, there is only one way left."

He threw the bait in his hand into the pond.

He uttered those two words lightly.

"Forced into the palace."

(End of this chapter)