Chapter 128: The End, Gu Ye Passes Away (Seeking Monthly Votes)

An invisible haze shrouded the Great Han.

The Emperor has passed away—

And he was a sage monarch like Liu Chen.

He did not do nothing!

Within the imperial court, he stabilized the administration and controlled the civil service; the rewards he bestowed upon the common people were in no way inferior to those of the other brilliant monarchs of the Great Han.

He had simply entrusted his youthful ideals and aspirations to Gu Ye.

He had shouldered the heavy burden that the position of Emperor required him to bear.

The masses were grief-stricken.

Starting from Luoyang, people everywhere wept upon hearing the news.

The sudden passing of Liu Chen brought the once-thriving Great Han to a halt.

Gu Ye was also deeply grief-stricken.

From this day on, he became increasingly silent.

A sense of the same aura that Gu Xi and Gu Chen possessed in their later years gradually emerged upon him.

He had to take up the heavy burden!

No matter how great the sorrow in his heart, or how weak his body felt.

At this most sensitive time for the Great Han state, he had to stand out and ensure the future direction of the Great Han.

Luoyang.

The sound of water dripping from the copper clepsydra was piercingly sharp in the deathly silent Great Hall; civil and military officials stood on both sides of the raised dais according to their rank, their dark court robes hanging down like solidified tides.

The atmosphere throughout the hall was incomparably solemn.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

As the sound of footsteps gradually echoed, the assembled officials could not help but look toward the source.

The next moment—

They saw Gu Ye, dressed in court robes with a long sword hanging at his waist, slowly walking into the hall while holding Liu Jun’s hand.

The eyes of the officials instantly narrowed.

Although they had long harbored some suspicions, seeing this scene with their own eyes still made them feel agitated and their bodies tremble.

The scene of Gu Xi escorting Liu Da to the throne in the past was reenacted today.

But everything was completely different.

Back then, Liu Da was still young, and the Great Han had just experienced turmoil and could not afford more chaos.

But Liu Jun was not young anymore!

The level of shock this brought to people was entirely different.

Gu Ye’s gaze was firm; he did not care at all about the gazes of the officials and walked toward the dragon throne while leading Liu Jun.

Liu Chen’s assessment was correct.

Liu Jun’s personality was indeed a bit weak.

Even at this stage, his hands were faintly trembling.

Gu Ye’s expression remained as calm as it had been from the beginning, and he slowly led Liu Jun toward the white jade steps.

The entire hall was silent.

The gazes of the officials followed Gu Ye and Liu Jun the entire time, watching as Gu Ye helped Liu Jun onto the dragon throne.

Afterward—

Just like Gu Xi had done in the past, Gu Ye stood by Liu Jun’s side with one hand gripping the long sword at his waist.

"Proclaim—"

"The late Emperor’s last edict."

Gu Ye’s voice spread throughout the Great Hall.

His gaze, deep as an abyss, swept across the officials. As the voice of the Attendant reading Liu Chen’s last edict faded, he spoke again: "Officials, pay homage to the new Emperor!"

Thump. Thump.

As if by instinct, the officials immediately knelt down toward Liu Jun.

And Gu Ye no longer held back.

He also knelt deeply toward Liu Jun, who was covered in cold sweat on the dragon throne.

From beginning to end, Gu Yi had never interfered in any of this.

In fact, he could understand Gu Ye.

A weak-willed Son of Heaven is absolutely not a good thing for a feudal dynasty.

He wanted to make Liu Jun confident.

It is strange to say, but an Emperor with Liu Chen’s personality actually produced a Crown Prince with Liu Jun’s personality.

It was truly just like those laws of the noble clans.

After three generations of heroes, one eventually welcomes a mediocre person.

Liu Chan was actually quite ordinary.

But his character was exceptionally extraordinary.

At least in Gu Yi’s view—

This Liu Jun was far inferior to Liu Chan; perhaps it was truly because Liu Chen’s personality was too vigorous, making Liu Jun feel a severe lack of security.

And he held a sense of alienation toward everyone.

Even when facing Gu Ye, he dared not fully open his heart.

This already explained the problem.

It was fortunate that the current court of the Great Han could be considered clear; at least there were no corrupt officials in the court harming the country and the people.

Otherwise, once Gu Ye passed away, the Great Han would definitely be turned upside down.

But even so, Gu Yi could be certain:

With the passing of Liu Chen—the peak period of the Yan-Han Dynasty seemed to have truly come to an end.

From this day on, Gu Ye completely revealed his methods.

He held a grand enthronement ceremony for Liu Jun and announced the change of the era name to "Changxu" during the ceremony.

"Chang" refers to prosperity and brightness, manifesting the atmosphere of a flourishing age;

"Xu" carries the meaning of a beginning and inheritance.

The intention was to continue the current flourishing age of the Great Han.

And subsequently, Gu Ye began his formal regency.

In fact, although Gu Ye had risen to power long ago, he had never held power and interfered in politics in the true sense.

This was also due to Gu Yi’s influence.

In this life, what Gu Ye governed was the Nine Provinces and Huaxia, not just the imperial court.

All his influence in the court was actually implemented through people like Zhang Hua and Zhong Hui.

This indeed caused many people to misunderstand Gu Ye’s capabilities, thinking he had no methods in internal politics and court struggles.

Human greed is unimaginable.

Perhaps it was because of the extraordinary nature of the first three Prime Ministers that many people harbored ulterior motives.

Especially those whom Liu Chen had left behind for Liu Jun.

They could actually be considered to have the merit of supporting the new ruler.

With Liu Jun’s enthronement, these people naturally rose to power, and their inner ambitions also swelled.

Of course—

They were naturally not stupid enough to fight Gu Ye or seize Gu Ye’s power.

The idea of these people was to restore the previous court situation.

They wanted Gu Ye to leave the capital!

But they ultimately underestimated Gu Ye; Gu Ye was never an incompetent person from the start.

Although his attributes were indeed inferior to those of Gu Kang and Gu Xi.

But as the most outstanding descendant of the Gu family of his generation, and having been influenced by Gu Chen, his ability and methods could not be ordinary.

Facing the offensive from these people.

Gu Ye would not show the slightest mercy.

He had completely seen through Liu Jun’s personality and would not leave any hidden dangers for the Great Han.

Ambition has no end!

Even if these people did not want to directly target Gu Ye, the moment their ambitions rose, their fate was already sealed.

Fortunately, these people still had some ability and did not go too far.

This allowed Gu Ye to spare their lives, merely demoting them out of Luoyang.

—The court and the public were shocked!

This move by Gu Ye completely intimidated everyone.

These were the Emperor’s own supporters, yet Gu Ye did not hesitate in the slightest, nor did he have a shred of apprehension.

How could one not feel fear?

From then on, Gu Ye immediately began personnel adjustments in the court.

Through the character and talent of the court officials, he quickly built a foundation centered around Liu Jun.

His methods were extremely decisive.

Perhaps it was precisely because he also understood that he could not hold on for much longer that he acted in such a way.

Under these various methods, everyone clearly realized one thing.

Gu Ye was not ignorant of courtly methods.

In the past, he simply did not need to intervene in state affairs.

Regarding this, Gu Yi did not interfere too much.

As for the details of politics, he indeed still needed to learn.

Gu Yi now increasingly enjoyed observing and thinking, and he could clearly feel his own progress in this.

This progress had nothing to do with the backwardness of the system.

It was about mindset—

For instance, in terms of military affairs, Gu Yi could now identify key positions based on the terrain.

This progress in mindset was extremely rare.

As for politics, it was the same.

Although the current system of the Great Han was far too backward compared to the modern era, Gu Yi already possessed the perspective of a modern person, and with the progress of his mindset, he could also apply it to the modern era.

The most crucial education of the Gu family had always been teaching by example.

And Gu Yi was also a student among them.

He would follow these generations of capable people, learning their abilities and mindsets.

Regarding Liu Jun's personality, Gu Ye saw it very clearly.

Although he now held absolute power.

He had not overstepped his bounds.

He used another method to slowly build up Liu Jun's self-confidence.

Whenever facing various state affairs, he would always ask for Liu Jun's opinion.

At the beginning, Liu Jun would always say, "The Grand Tutor shall decide," but as he gradually adapted, he began to try to answer.

Actually, in Gu Yi's eyes, this was not a good thing.

A person without a sense of security who suddenly becomes confident is very likely to do some crazy things.

But after deep thought, he did not choose to interfere.

No large-scale turmoil occurred in the Northern Frontier or Lingnan.

Based on this point alone, it could be shown that the system implemented by Gu Yi had gradually taken root in people's hearts.

As for the future of the Great Han...

Gu Yi could not interfere.

If it were truly possible to make a dynasty prosper for ten thousand generations, he would have already let the Gu family sit in that position.

Now that the Gu family was facing a gap between generations and it was difficult to find talent, the future of the Great Han could only be left to the people of this era.

If there was anything Gu Yi did interfere with, it was that he also left behind many things through Gu Ye.

It was mainly for the sake of the family.

Aside from more specifically improving the ancestral teachings.

Gu Yi was making the moral bottom line of the Gu family descendants more flexible and strengthening their mission for the Nine Provinces.

He absolutely could not let the Gu family be bound to a single dynasty.

This was something Gu Yi had to do!

Time passed in a hurry.

In fact, the current Great Han court did not need Gu Ye to interfere too much; he only needed to control the key aspects.

Of course, Gu Ye was also paying attention to Lingnan.

As the days since he left Lingnan grew longer, some chaos finally arose in Lingnan.

Unlike the chaos Gu Yi had originally imagined.

This chaos was not caused by those Hundred Yue who had not yet completely integrated into the Great Han.

—But by the Han people who had migrated there.

There are always people who go mad for the sake of profit.

With the development of trade routes over these years, some things in Lingnan were bid up to very high prices, and the core of the problem lay here.

Upon hearing of this, Gu Ye immediately reacted.

He exercised deeper control over the land of Lingnan.

What Gu Yi had not expected was that, perhaps truly because a fixation had arisen in his heart again, Gu Ye's body, though still very poor, just persisted like this.

He devoted all his time to governing state affairs and teaching his descendants.

Based on the comments Liu Chen had made back then regarding the character and talent of the court officials, he managed everything in an orderly manner.

And under these circumstances—

The gloom that had arisen throughout the Great Han due to the death of Liu Chen finally gradually dissipated.

Although Liu Jun had not displayed any particular ability.

But for the common people of the world, the Gu family's regency was also a matter that made them feel very at ease.

Yet... time is ruthless.

Even if Gu Ye's fixation was deep, how could he possibly keep persisting?

The second year of Changxu, the fourth month;

Wen Yang passed away from illness.

This great general, who only regretted being born too late, finally could not resist the erosion of time and passed away from illness in Luoyang.

Compared to the original history, he had actually changed a lot.

But he ultimately could not avoid the fate of the martial generals of this era.

This was absolutely a fatal blow to Gu Ye.

Although the special training of Wen Yang was carried out under Gu Yi's manipulation.

But the "manipulation" of this game was not about controlling a puppet; it only caused corresponding thoughts and actions to arise in people's hearts.

Gu Ye's feelings for Wen Yang were no different from those for family.

They were even more intimate.

When he watched Wen Yang die before his own eyes, endless sorrow finally washed away his fixation.

And with the current state of his body, the moment the fixation in his heart dissipated.

His end was already destined.

The Champion Marquis Mansion.

The vermilion rafters and green tiles had not changed in a hundred years, the bronze bells on the eaves hung through the long, leisurely years, and regardless of the changing seasons, it remained as sturdy as before.

Liu Jun looked hurried, his robes fluttering as he stepped into the mansion.

"Grand Tutor! Grand Tutor!"

His urgent cries echoed in the corridor.

As soon as he pushed open the door to the inner chamber, what came into view was Gu Ye, whose breath was weak on the bed.

The atmosphere in the room was suffocatingly oppressive.

The eyes of everyone in the room were red, tears swirling in their eyes, having long forgotten to pay their respects.

At this moment, how could etiquette compare to the sorrow in their hearts.

"You all withdraw first." Seeing Liu Jun arrive, Gu Ye's dim eyes flashed with a glimmer of light; he raised his trembling hand, signaling everyone to leave.

Although everyone was full of reluctance, they could only withdraw in tears.

Liu Jun walked slowly to the bedside, tightly gripping Gu Ye's gaunt hand, his voice choked with sobs: "Grand Tutor, please take care of your health; the Great Han cannot do without you!"

"Your Majesty, this old subject's time has come; it is time to go underground and report to the Filial Mu Emperor."

The corners of Gu Ye's mouth lifted slightly, revealing a smile of relief.

He stared at Liu Jun, his gaze full of concern, "Your Majesty, have you ever thought about how the future path of our Great Han should be walked?"

This was a question Gu Ze had asked countless times during this period.

"Grand Tutor, rest assured, I will certainly inherit the legacy of the late Emperor and protect the Great Han empire!" Liu Jun's gaze was firm, his tone resonant and powerful.

Although he had not been on the throne for long.

But this "position" had brought him great changes; he was now extremely confident.

The worry in Gu Ye's eyes did not dissipate; he stared deeply at this young emperor, wanting to speak but stopping, and finally sighed long: "If Your Majesty can remember the late Emperor's way of governing, that would be the fortune of the Great Han."

This sentence contained too many meanings.

Gu Ye seemed to have gradually perceived the flaws in Liu Jun's personality.

But at such a time, even with a thousand words, it was difficult to say anything more.

"Your Majesty, this old subject's abilities are limited; although I have returned to the court for nearly two years, I have failed to cultivate for Your Majesty the kind of capable ministers of a peaceful age as in the time of the ancestors; this is my dereliction of duty."

"From this, it can be seen... this old subject is far inferior to those who came before."

"However, the ministers currently in the court are all loyal; Your Majesty need not worry too much."

"As for Lingnan and the Northern Frontier, Your Majesty only needs to know that one must not easily resort to force, and prioritize stability; in this way, as time passes, the two regions will naturally integrate into the Great Han, and Your Majesty will also achieve immortal merit."

Gu Ye braced his spirit and stated his concerns one by one.

Liu Jun’s expression was solemn; he listened earnestly, nodding in response from time to time.

Outside the residence, it was already in complete chaos.

Any movement from a great lord like Gu Ye would have an unimaginable impact on the Great Han.

The court officials had already arrived one after another.

It was just that, hindered by Liu Jun being inside the residence, they could not approach.

Their expressions were incomparably complex.

Everyone was very clear on this.

As long as Gu Ye fell—the Great Han would undergo a complete transformation!

Even if the status of the Gu family remained unshakable, the Gu family’s current influence in the court was no longer enough to control it.

Ever since Liu Bei proclaimed himself Emperor.

The Great Han was finally going to welcome days without the Gu family.

For all of them, this was an unprecedented opportunity, so it was inevitable that their thoughts were complex.

Gu Ye really said a great deal.

Under the subtle influence of Gu Yi, he ultimately had too many regrets regarding the Great Han.

By now.

He only wanted to be able to stabilize the current prosperous age of the Great Han.

Liu Jun had been listening the entire time; only when Gu Ye’s voice completely faded did he gently pat Gu Ye’s hand: "Grand Tutor, rest assured, I will not let you down."

"Then this old subject can rest easy." Gu Ye replied, his entire person growing increasingly weak.

Liu Jun sighed softly again, looking at Gu Ye and saying: "Grand Tutor, is there anything else you wish to entrust?"

"Subject... after this subject dies..."

Gu Ye’s breathing became increasingly rapid, but he still forced himself to hold on for one last instruction: "Your Majesty... no need for an elaborate funeral, just follow the actions of our Gu family ancestors and bury me in Julu."

"Although this subject has had some small merits for the world in this life..."

"To the ancestors of the clan, it is not worth mentioning; under no circumstances must the specifications exceed those of the ancestors."

His voice grew weaker and weaker.

The moment he finished this sentence, there was no longer a sound.

Gu Yi’s field of vision turned completely pitch black in this instant.

At the same time, the game’s prompt popped up once again.

【The character you were controlling has died.】

【Because the character was controlled by you, no achievement points can be obtained.】

【Do you wish to control again?】

Looking at the prompt before him, Gu Yi did not hesitate and chose "No" directly.

He did indeed still have achievement points for control.

But for the Gu family, this was not the best time.

The prompt vanished instantly.

And the next moment, the vision before Gu Yi gradually became clear; he had returned to the previous bird’s-eye perspective.

He transformed once again into an existence akin to a deity.

In the darkness, looking down upon the world.

Liu Jun sensed Gu Ye’s death; he gently released Gu Ye’s hand.

He stood up slowly.

He walked toward the outside of the room.

Gu Yi could clearly feel that, compared to the Liu Jun of the past, his posture was suddenly much more upright at this moment.

—With a creak.

As the door was pushed open, the Gu family descendants and the court officials waiting outside immediately looked over.

Liu Jun looked at the crowd with an upright posture.

Facing their gazes, he was silent for a moment before speaking slowly:

"The Grand Tutor has passed away..."

"You all, go and pay your respects immediately!"

As his voice fell.

The sound of people kneeling one after another rang out immediately, accompanied by the sounds of wailing.

The second year of Changxu, the day of Yiyou in the fourth month;

—The eighth generation Champion Marquis, Regent Grand Tutor Gu Ye passed away in Luoyang.

Posthumous title: Jingxiang.

"Jing" for one who is wise and thoughtful; "Xiang" for one who expanded the territory and possessed virtue.

——————

"In the fourth month of summer, the day of Yiyou, in the second year of Changxu, Regent Grand Tutor Gu Ye passed away in Luoyang.

He served three dynasties, provided relief for famines across the Nine Provinces, banned hypocrisy, and rectified the hearts of the people from their moral decline;

He pacified the four frontiers, the barbarians bowed their heads, the seas and lands were peaceful, reaching an age of extreme prosperity.

When he passed, the Emperor wore plain mourning clothes and held court, suspending official business for five days.

The nine markets of Luoyang closed their doors, wine shops and tea houses hung white silk from their lintels; old farmers in the fields of Henei burned their plows and hoes, and children in Jiangzuo threw their bamboo horses into the clear streams.

Garrison soldiers in Longxi took off their armor and knelt to the south, their tears staining their spears;

Fishermen in the South Sea tied white sails into banners, offering sacrifices to the stars from afar.

On the day of the funeral procession, white mourning clothes filled the twelve streets, and the white carriages and horses stretched for thirty miles; an old woman held a wheat cake and blocked the coffin, weeping: 'When the Lord was here, this old woman could eat this cake; after the Lord is gone, who will feed me?'

Taoist temples in Guanlong cast golden statues of him, with the two characters 'Stabilizing the Tripod' engraved on the back; tribal chiefs in Lingnan carved wood into shrines, beating copper drums and singing every night.

Posthumous title Jingxiang, buried in Julu; the inscription on the back of the stele read: 'The oracle of the people, the pillar of the nation. On the day you look upon the altars, you shall remember Lord Ye.'"

—"Book of the Flame Han: Biography of Gu Ye"

(End of this chapter)