Struggle in the early Tang Dynasty

Page 1979

After receiving the decree, there was joy in Duke Qin's mansion.

Guo Ye said: "Mr. Shun, don't go. If someone Guo is very happy today, we must get drunk!"

Dong Shun shook his head, and said: "Don't rush to celebrate, Your Majesty has an order, ordering you to enter the palace as soon as possible after receiving the order."

……

In Wangbei Pavilion.

The emperor and ministers had finished seeing the ceremony, His Majesty Li Er winked, and the maids and eunuchs who were serving all retreated.In the huge hall, there are only two monarchs and ministers left.

His Majesty Li Er said: "Guo Aiqing, do you know why I brought you here in such a hurry?"

"But for the case of Monk Tianfu?"

"Exactly. Monk Tianfu is dead, so many things have become unproven. I come to ask you, before taking him to the Qi Palace, did you interrogate him? Did you have a statement signed by him?"

"Your Majesty Qizuo, there is no confession. Because King Qi's wedding is just around the corner, if you come too late, you will make a big mistake. Therefore, before the interrogation, I hurriedly brought Monk Tianfu in front of you."

"That's good."

"Your Majesty, what are you talking about?"

"Uh... what I mean is, that would be a pity."

After a slight pause, His Majesty Li Er continued: "Guo Aiqing, is it strange if you say it is strange? It is said that Monk Tianfu rebelled, and the evidence of the crime is solid. Anyway, he is a capital crime. Why did he recruit Li Quan without using punishment? "

Guo Yedao: "It's not surprising. Because Weichen captured not only Tianfu monk himself, but also his wife and children in Bliss Mountain Villa. I promise him that as long as he confesses truthfully, his family will be safe!"

When His Majesty Li Er heard the words, his expression changed slightly, and he said: "What? Keep his family safe? Can you keep him? The crime of conspiracy is to punish the nine clans!"

Guo Ye knelt down on the ground and said: "Monk Tianfu's rebellion was actually forced by the five great gentry families. The crime is unforgivable and justifiable. I hope His Majesty will show you extrajudicial grace!"

"Extrajudicial favor? The family members of the Tianfu monk will not be held accountable, and the five noble families will not be held accountable! Then my father, my three princes, wouldn't my death be in vain?"

"The five noble families can't be held accountable? Your Majesty... are you right?"

His Majesty Li Er sighed slightly, and said: "I will not hide it from you, in fact, I do intend to forgive the five noble families."

"why?"

"It is because of the crime of treason that the nine clans will be punished. The five noble clans and the courtiers are inextricably linked. I want to fulfill their crime of treason. Everyone is in danger. I am afraid that my throne will not be stable. Throwing a rat Under the circumstances, we can only let them go."

"You won't die by beating a snake, but you will suffer from it! Aren't you afraid that they will come back and continue to harm you?"

His Majesty Li Er smiled sinisterly, and said: "I will not give them this chance! Although I will not convict them of treason, I will severely weaken them so that they can no longer do harm."

Guo Ye said: "This...isn't that easy. In fact, the most important strength of the five great gentry clans is their reputation, which is admired by the world. This kind of strength is invisible and intangible, but it really exists. How do you weaken it?"

"Of course I have a solution, and this solution is—marriage ban!"

Chapter 1823 Wugou has an appointment

"Marriage ban? What do you mean? Could it be that young people from the five noble clans are prohibited from getting married?"

"Of course not. How could I have made such a fatuous decree? The ban on marriage means that from today onwards, intermarriage among the five noble clans is strictly prohibited."

"Can this weaken the reputation of the five great noble families?"

"That's natural. There are two main reasons why they have never lost their reputation. One is the 'law of etiquette', and the other is 'marriage Shangya'. The law of etiquette is illusory, and only wedding lady Shang is common in the world. My ban on marriage will hit 'Shang Marriage Ya'!"

Seeing that Guo Ye still looked blank, His Majesty Li Er continued to explain: "Intermarriage among the five great gentry clans has two main advantages. One is to be isolated from the world and have pure blood. The other is to marry each other and unite as one."

"Now that there is a ban on marriage, they must intermarry with outsiders. After a long time, the five noble families will be no different from other noble families, and they can no longer be proud of their blood. There will be no reputation."

"At the same time, their internal connections will gradually weaken until there is no longer any name for the five great noble families in the world."

After Guo Ye finished listening, he nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I understand. However, the effect of the ban on marriage will take a long time to appear. Is there any immediate solution?"

"The most immediate way, of course, is to punish them for the crime of treason, and directly ransack their homes and exterminate the clans of the five great gentry families. This method hurts one thousand enemies, and self-damage eight hundred. I don't take it. As for other methods, it is nothing more than beating their money. Idea. But..."

Speaking of this, His Majesty Li Er glanced at Guo Ye and said, "Thanks to Guo Aiqing, now there is only one ostentation left among the five great noble families, and there is no surplus money at all."

"No way, in order to buy the glass workshops of the five great gentry clans, Weichen gave them 41 coins!"

"It's true that you gave them 41 guan, but for the marriage with King Qi, they spent more than one million guan! In order to raise this money, they also borrowed a lot of foreign debt. I'm afraid it won't take long. , they have to pawn their property.”

"So miserable?"

"Who says it's not? It can be said that the five major noble families now have nothing but reputation. There is no need to weaken it at all."

Guo Ye felt as if he was punching the air, and said, "I never imagined that the five great gentry clans have fallen so badly. Thanks to the humble ministers, they are still facing a big enemy! According to you, they are no longer something to worry about?"

"Exactly, this is also one of the reasons why I let them go."

"Since you have let go of the five noble families, the family members of Monk Fu that day..."

"Forget it, I will give you this face. Monk Tianfu has been a monk since he was a child, and he has never married a wife and had children. Do you understand what I said?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty! By the way... Although the crime of treason against the five great noble families will not be prosecuted, Li Quan will not be pardoned, right? I want to ask His Majesty for an errand to capture Li Quan's family."

"Why? You have so much property, do you still care about the income from the raid?"

"Uh... To be honest, Weichen and Li Quan have been fighting for so long, and the hatred is as deep as the sea. The debt is not dead, so Weichen thinks..."

"You, you..." His Majesty Li Er pointed at Guo Ye and said, "Young and vigorous, full of enthusiasm! What is your status now? I am one of the most high-ranking officials in the Tang Dynasty! I am ashamed of you for even wanting to take revenge on the family members of the enemy. .”

"Anyway, they should be beheaded according to the law. Before they die, can't I use the waste? I hope your majesty will do it!"

"Okay, but don't go too far! Otherwise, I won't be able to protect you if Yushi is impeached!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The reason why Guo Ye asked for this errand was of course not for revenge, but for Li Ningxiang.

He was in charge of copying Li Quan's home, and there were so many things he could do. It was easy to erase Li Ningxiang's name from the file.

At that time, all the insiders will be killed, and Li Ningxiang's identity will no longer be known.

After solving this matter, a big stone in Guo Ye's heart finally fell to the ground, and said: "If your majesty has nothing else to do, I will retire."

"Don't leave yet, let's talk about the monarch and ministers! Uh... the beauty I gave you a few days ago, is Duke Qin still satisfied?"

Guo Ye quickly fell to his knees and said, "I have nothing to say. Your Majesty not only does not punish the crime of the minister, but also presents it with a beauty. It is really... The humble minister is smashed to pieces, and it is difficult to repay His Majesty's kindness!"

"It's fine if you're satisfied. How can I hurt the heart of a hero just because of a woman? But... don't make an example!"

Guo Ye smiled wryly: "How dare I have a next time?"