I open a history tutorial class in Daming

Chapter 128: Zhenguan Reshuffle

When Zhu Yuanzhang was worried about smallpox.

His Majesty Li II was not idle either.

Tang Dynasty, the ninth year of Zhenguan.

Lizheng Hall.

When Empress Changsun heard about the quarrel caused by the jealous wife of Fang Xuanling, she invited her to the palace to discuss it in detail.

And a duke's wife, especially one who will be of great use soon, is worth her time waiting.

Today, Empress Changsun was dressed in plain clothes. Although she usually did not like to show off her extravagance, she was even more so today.

She leaned quietly on her phoenix couch, glanced at the maids around her, and suddenly said:

"I am a little tired. You can go down first and wait for the wife of Duke Wei to arrive before passing on the message."

No one dared to ask more questions, and no one even dared to ask for a royal physician.

The Queen's majesty is unquestionable, and whatever she says is what counts.

When all the palace maids were about to leave Lizheng Hall, she said:
"Ruyi, please stay for a while."

There were more than twenty palace maids, female officials and others in the palace who were responsible for serving the queen, not to mention those waiting outside the palace.

Among so many people, some had served the queen for many years, some were talented and beautiful, but she only called out to Wu Ruyi, a yellow-haired girl who had just entered the palace not long ago...

The other people looked at him strangely.

Even though they all knew that Wu Ruyi was born into a duke's family and had inexplicably become a female official by the Queen's side at the age of eleven or twelve, and that her status was indeed different from theirs, this was still too outrageous.

But Wu Ruyi didn't care about other people's expressions or looks at all.

She just bowed respectfully and properly, and said:
"Here."

Only Empress Changsun and Wu Ruyi were present in the Lizheng Hall.

The former looked at him for a long while before he smiled and said:

"Ruyi, do you know why I kept you here?"

Although Wu Ruyi seemed calm, she was still young after all, and was still a little nervous.

After pondering it over again in his mind, Wu Ruyi lowered his eyes:

"I don't know."

In fact, she had some guesses in her mind.

For example, he had just returned to Chang'an from Jingzhou when he was summoned to the palace. What was the reason behind this?
For example, why would the Queen Mother, a person of such noble status, know that her situation was difficult and be willing to leave her a way to survive in the palace?
For example... Today the Queen summoned the wife of the Duke of Wei. Does it have anything to do with me?

After thinking about the last question again and again, Wu Ruyi put a red cross on it in her heart.

impossible.

Not only her, but even her parents and relatives had nothing to do with Fang Xuanling, the prime minister of the time. How could this matter be related to her?

But if it was unrelated, why would the Queen leave me alone to talk?
She thought she was the smartest among the children of the Wu family, but at this moment she was really confused.

Empress Chang Sun spoke slowly:
"I have a good business here. Would you be willing to take it on behalf of the Wu family?"

"Oh, actually, it can't be said to be a completely good business... There are good and bad sides, it depends on how one chooses."

When Wu Ruyi heard the words "good business", she wanted to refuse on the spot, but when she heard the last sentence, she stopped.

The reason why she and her mother traveled thousands of miles back to Chang'an from Jingzhou was because they knew that her father did not have much time left and was on the verge of death. They were afraid that her father would die of illness soon, and the last straw was missing.

After her father's death, neither her mother, her, nor her other sisters would be able to inherit the Wu family's business. In the end, the business would only be left to her two half-brothers.

The two brothers, Wu Yuanqing and Wu Yuanshuang, had always insulted their mother and daughter before their father passed away. Once they inherited the family business, the humiliation would definitely be more than doubled, so their mother rushed back to Beijing early to find a way out as soon as possible.

Now that good things are happening, Wu Ruyi naturally cannot think about them. Even thinking about her mother's family is better than these two people.

But if there are good and bad...looking at the qualifications of these two people, they haven't read many serious books, and they always want to enter the officialdom with the help of their father. How can they tell the difference between good and bad?

"I don't understand, please give me some guidance, Queen."

His thoughts were forcibly suppressed as Wu Ruyi bowed respectfully.

The corners of Empress Chang Sun's mouth curled up slightly.

"You should know that the wife of the Duke of Wei is going to the palace today, but no one knows why she is going there."

"In fact, Your Majesty has recently acquired a new and powerful skill. In the blink of an eye, you can turn a stack of white paper into a book, including the Four Books and Five Classics."

"But new things always have many obstacles. People with a large collection of books at home naturally don't want the books to be everywhere, because then their books will lose their value, right?"

"So, I suggest to Your Majesty that you select more new noble families from the court and sell this craft to them half-give and half-sell, so that people who lack books can have books to read, and the people of the world can have another way to read and learn to read."

"Ruyi, does your Wu family have any ideas?"

Hearing this, the thoughts that had just been suppressed in Wu Ruyi's heart were once again stirred up by storm.

She was not an ordinary palace maid, nor was she an ordinary female official.

Her father was a duke and her mother was from the Hongnong Yang clan, a royal family of the Sui Dynasty. Even though her father did not pay much attention to them, her mother's knowledge was enough for her to understand the family structure, not to mention that she had the opportunity to hear about state affairs at any time at home.

Wu Ruyi had read many books when she was a teenager, and because of this, she knew the value of books. Many of the books were treasured by her father in his study, and she had to beg him to take them out to read. It was not that her father was stingy, but most of those books were unique. If they were accidentally dirty or damaged, it would be difficult to find the same book again in the world.

So she knew how terrifying this new skill that the Queen mentioned was.

Even if powerful aristocratic families like the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Clans did not dare to challenge the emperor directly, my father often said that the hearts of the Shandong gentry were like those that had been pierced by needles and rolled in ink, they were small and dirty, and if they were targeted by them, the royal family would not end well.

This skill is indeed very enviable, but it also directly shakes the fundamental interests of the Five Surnames and Seven Families, that is, it destroys the preciousness and uniqueness of the books in their families. Whichever family dares to take the hot potato bestowed by His Majesty first will be in big trouble!
If there is no capable person in the family to keep things in check, any one of the Five Surnames and Seven Families can tear a small family apart.

However, the beauty of this conspiracy lies in that it puts both the benefits and risks out in the open.

It is said that a tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind, but the first group of people who get the book, as long as they take care of the people around them after they get the book published, especially those new rich families with no background, and then find some potential scholars from poor families, and give the book to them, they will get a lot of favors and connections, not to mention fame and prestige, as well as connections with the emperor.

In this day and age, giving someone a book is like giving them a future, and its value cannot be measured by gold, silver or treasures! Wu Family, do you need it?

Wu Ruyi pursed her lips.

If her father still had three to five years to live, she would refuse without hesitation, because her father would definitely take over this "good business" and pave the way for his two brothers in the last stage of his life before dying. This benefit might have nothing to do with her, but when revenge comes, she and her daughter will definitely be implicated.

But now, my father is on his last legs and it seems that he has no more than half a year to live. The family has invited many doctors, but they all shook their heads and said that he would not live happily.

This kind of situation...

The journey from Chang'an to Jingzhou would take three to five months. By the time the things and the imperial edict were delivered, my father would probably be almost dead.

Wu Yuanqing and Wu Yuanshuang, these two useless idiots, without their father's protection and with such short-sightedness, can they protect the Wu family?
Wu Ruyi was no longer worried about being harmed. She was now serving the Empress. Even if she was transferred to another palace, she was confident that she could survive in the palace with her own ability. Her mother had returned to Chang'an, Luoyang and other places. Although she was not like a fish in water, she had returned to the social circle of noble ladies, among whom there were many relatives of the Yang clan, so it was not difficult for her to rebuild her network of relationships.

When they returned to Chang'an, the two sisters stayed with their mother, so they didn't have to worry about whether their mother's life was being taken away by someone.

I went over the whole process in my mind, but in reality, only a dozen breaths had passed.

Wu Ruyi collected his thoughts and said obediently:
"If the Queen wants the Wu family to spread this craft, I think my father would be willing to do so."

"Back then, he was willing to work for the Emperor, and his loyalty to the Tang Dynasty is undeniable. How could he refuse such a small thing?"

"But, I have something to say, I wonder if Her Majesty the Queen is willing to listen."

The smile in Empress Changsun's eyes grew more intense.

No wonder this girl was able to achieve great things later on...

She is not only cruel to herself, but also to her family. Most importantly, she is cruel to the point. She knows that her father and brothers are unreliable, but she still takes advantage of the situation to hurt them.

Wu Shigui rose to prominence following the retired emperor, and was considered Li Yuan's most trusted confidant. So before the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Wu Shigui was still in the Yangzhou Military Governor's Office. Afterwards, he was summoned back to the court, first to Yuzhou, then to Lizhou, and finally to Jingzhou. In short, they were all far away from Chang'an, and not wealthy places.

Wu Ruyi specifically pointed out that she had no intention of hiding this little thought, and she even blatantly told Empress Changsun -

That’s right, Your Majesty, I just want to make life difficult for them, but they are not your Majesty’s or yours, so you shouldn’t mind, right?

Empress Changsun has always liked smart people, especially those who don’t show off their intelligence.

This is exactly what Wu Ruyi did.

She said calmly:

"Okay, you say."

Wu Ruyi bowed respectfully, without making any mistakes:

"I think that my father and brother are in Jingzhou right now, which is a long way from Chang'an. If we summon them to discuss the matter and wait for them to return to the capital, we will inevitably miss the best opportunity at the beginning."

"So, why not just issue an order and have someone take this skill along with the imperial edict? I will then write a letter to explain to him that there are other people involved in the court, and then Father will have nothing to worry about."

Empress Changsun sighed and gently held her forehead.

In this light, it is no wonder that Zhinu would be bewitched by this little girl in the future and even give her the opportunity to become an empress.

A beauty who was only eleven or twelve years old, she had means and brains, and when she got ruthless, she didn't care about her relatives. She had no intention of holding back her father and brother. She just started it, and she blocked all the escape routes for the Wu family. It really didn't affect Wu Ruyi herself, but even if her two brothers treated her badly, they were still related by blood, right?

By doing this, isn’t she worried that the Wu family will become extinct?

Wu Ruyi has been accustomed to observing people's words and expressions since she was young. This is how she grew up in the Wu family.

Seeing the Queen's expression, she guessed something and said with a smile:

"Empress, you seem to only know that my two brothers treated me and my mother badly, but you haven't heard anything else?"

"My father was always busy with official duties and was not at home. When he was at home, my two brothers acted nicely, but once he left, they would speak rudely to my mother, even insulting her. I can imagine how much worse they would do after my father passed away."

"Although she is their stepmother, they have never been treated unfairly by their mother since they were young. But they are so cruel and unkind. I don't know where they learned this."

"I know who is good to me and who is not. I will not do these things for no reason. It's just that some things must be eradicated. Of course, if they can accept this overwhelming wealth, it is my destiny. I have no regrets."

Empress Changsun had sat up straight.

After hearing Wu Ruyi's words, she vaguely understood the situation of the mother and daughter in the Wu family.

What Wu Ruyi said was right. They were already like this before Wu Shigui died. What about after he died? A stepmother with no blood relationship, three half-sisters who were used to being bullied, orphans and widows, wouldn't they be at the mercy of others?

It is no wonder that Wu Ruyi did not hesitate to enter the palace in history. For her at that time, entering the palace as a concubine of the lowest rank was better than being controlled by others and not being able to see the future clearly.

"……it is good."

Empress Changsun was in a state of confusion but her expression remained calm.

She tapped her fingers and said:

"Go out and prepare the letter to send to your father and brother. Once you're done, give it to me. If there are no problems, after discussing with His Majesty, I will send it to Jingzhou along with the imperial edict."

"Do you have any other ideas? Tell me now."

There was a notification outside Lizheng Hall, and it was the wife of Duke Wei who was summoned.

For the first time, Wu Ruyi disregarded palace etiquette and faced the empress, who was gentle and the mother of the country, sitting on the phoenix couch, and her heart was filled with waves.

But in the end, she just smiled and said:
"Empress, I was born in the seventh year of Wude, so I didn't get to witness the turbulent times back then. But now, it seems like an even bigger storm is about to start in the world..."

"I sincerely hope that you and your majesty will succeed."

"It's not just because of the mess at home."

"It's just that a book is really important to many people in the world."

During the chaotic times at the end of the Sui Dynasty, Wu Ruyi was not yet born.

She was only two years old when the Xuanwu Gate Incident occurred in the ninth year of Wude.

Now, in the ninth year of Zhenguan, the ambitious emperor is going to take action against the aristocratic family that has been passed down for thousands of years...

It was a blessing to meet him, and her life was worth it!
(End of this chapter)