Chapter 139: Opening the Grand Canal and Building Luoyang, Arrogant and Extravagant (Seeking Monthly Votes)

No one knows what exactly happened inside Renshou Palace that night.

Yet the death of Yang Jian became an established fact.

Surrounded by the ministers—

Crown Prince Yang Guang formally ascended the throne and succeeded as Emperor.

For any feudal dynasty,

the passing of an Emperor is a major event capable of affecting the entire world.

Especially since Yang Jian’s reputation was exceptionally good.

After so many years of chaos, an Emperor like Yang Jian, who reunified the world and thoroughly stabilized the situation, was someone people deeply cherished.

Now, he is gone.

Fortunately, Yang Guang’s reputation is also quite good.

Over these years, his reputation for benevolence, filial piety, and love for the people has already spread throughout the world.

This has filled the common people with anticipation for the next Emperor.

After all, whether it was Liu Zhuang or Liu Chan, both Emperors who took up the burden from their fathers could be called benevolent and righteous rulers.

Capable of leading the entire world into a brand-new era of prosperity.

Only those in the imperial court could sense the storm contained within.

—Especially Gu Zhe.

Since that day, Gu Zhe has remained behind closed doors.

Although he saw nothing,

and Yang Guang has not yet done anything to him, the blow he suffered that day and the suspicions in his heart still stung him.

He knows very well that if everything is true, the world will absolutely fall into great chaos under Yang Guang!

Daxing Hall.

Although it is still a time of national mourning, Yang Guang does not care in the slightest.

His face is full of smiles as he gently strokes the contours of the dragon throne, his eyes filled with pride: "Ya ya ya~"

"I—"

"have waited for this day for far, far too long."

Ignoring everyone present, he muttered a few words to himself and sat directly on the dragon throne, his high spirits reaching their peak at this moment.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Without the slightest hesitation, everyone present immediately knelt before Yang Guang.

They are all Yang Guang’s confidants.

Yang Guang looked at them with satisfaction, his smile widening, "My dear ministers, there is no need for this; you are all my confidants."

"Once I ascend the throne, there will be rewards."

A smile has remained on his face the entire time.

Upon hearing this, everyone hurriedly bowed in gratitude.

Isn't this the result they wanted?

"Your Majesty!" At this moment, Yuwen the Strategist seemed to think of something and suddenly spoke: "I submit that, given the current situation, we should deal with Minister of Personnel Gu Zhe!"

—Deal with Gu Zhe!

This is a source of anxiety for them all.

Not only because Gu Zhe went to Renshou Palace that day, but also because of the image the Gu Shizi has long held in everyone's hearts.

No minister wants the Gu Shizi to enter the court.

Because whenever the Gu Shizi gains power, other families can no longer reach the pinnacle.

This includes when Yang Jian first summoned the Gu Shizi to court.

Many in the court had protested.

It was only because Yang Jian needed to quickly pacify the hearts of the people that he had to do so.

But even so, he never particularly favored the Gu Shizi over these years.

Now that the hearts of the people are settled,

they naturally want to take action against the Gu Shizi while the new dynasty is established, ensuring the Gu Shizi never has another chance.

"Gu Zhe?"

Hearing this, a trace of mockery flashed in Yang Guang’s eyes, and he immediately laughed, "No need to pay him any mind!"

He understands the minds of these people all too well!

It is impossible for him to move against the Gu Shizi now.

Although the Gu Shizi has long since seen better days and their influence over the world is no longer what it once was,

he has not yet officially ascended the throne.

If he were to move against the Gu Shizi at such a time, wouldn't he be inviting trouble for himself?

Hearing this, looks of disappointment flashed across the faces of those present.

Yang Guang noticed this.

A smile flashed across his face again: "Rest assured, everyone."

"I am not Liu Bei!"

"And my Great Sui is not the Former Han!"

"The Son of Heaven is the Son of Heaven; all this talk of the Liu and Gu sharing the world, or the Liu cauldron being inscribed with the Gu name—"

"None of this will ever happen in my Great Sui!"

His expression suddenly turned serious without him realizing it as he scanned the crowd: "I intend to be an Emperor without peer in the past or future!"

"Regardless of any Gu Shizi."

"No matter who it is—they are destined to submit at my feet."

This was both a comfort and a warning.

Even though everyone present was his confidant, Yang Guang did not care.

They were all old foxes.

How could they not understand the meaning behind Yang Guang’s words?

Yet they dared not say more, and one after another, they bowed to Yang Guang again, shouting, "Your Majesty is wise."

"Alright."

Yang Guang’s expression suddenly became casual, and that uninhibited smile appeared on his face again, "My dear ministers, there is no need to be nervous."

"I—I know of your loyalty; I was just speaking casually."

"The Son of Heaven is the Son of Heaven."

"The bad habits of the past must never appear in my Great Sui."

"As for Gu Zhe..."

"Have someone keep an eye on him for now; do not let him leave."

"The most urgent matter is Yang Yong!"

He looked at Yuwen the Strategist, "Botong, how goes the task I gave you?"

"Your Majesty, rest assured; I have already sent my son Yuwen Huaji to deal with the deposed Crown Prince Yang Yong," Yuwen the Strategist replied hurriedly, not daring to hesitate.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Yang Guang looked delighted, calling out "good" three times, and looked at Yuwen the Strategist, "Once this is done, your son need not be a palace guard anymore."

"Let him be a Junior Minister of the Imperial Stud."

He said it very casually.

A look of joy instantly appeared on Yuwen the Strategist’s face, and he hurriedly bowed in gratitude.

Envy flashed in the eyes of the other ministers.

Watching this scene, the smile on Yang Guang’s face grew even richer.

He loves this feeling of controlling everything.

He only needs to toss out a piece of meat, and others will scramble for it.

Everyone in the world.

Is under his control!

The seventh month;

Yang Guang formally held his enthronement ceremony and, under the witness of all officials, succeeded to the throne as Emperor.

He changed the era name to "Daye."

Using this era name to manifest the great achievements in his heart to the fullest.

Afterward, he immediately carried out a series of personnel changes, promoting all his confidants to key positions.

A bloody storm was unleashed throughout the imperial court.

Unlike every previous Emperor.

While other Emperors would also promote confidants, they would not go so far as to carry out massacres.

But Yang Guang would!

For the ministers who did not support him before, Yang Guang’s methods were extremely bloody.

Liu Shu and Yuan Yan, two of Yang Jian’s former confidants.

Beyond this.

Even those who had contributed greatly to the unification of the Sui Dynasty, such as Gao Jiong and He Ruobi, but had not supported him in the past, were also implicated.

This was a massive purge.

And after completely settling all of this, Yang Guang immediately began the first step of his grand ambitions.

Excavating a canal!

He resolved to draw water from the Gu River and Luo River in the Western Garden of Luoyang, extending east to Xuyi to enter the Huai River.

Connecting the two great water systems of the Yellow River and the Huai River!

This matter could be called earth-shattering!

Although construction had not yet begun, just hearing Yang Guang's idea made the officials feel the difficulty of this undertaking.

But—

Perhaps it was precisely because of this purge by Yang Guang that almost no one in the entire imperial court dared to refuse.

Some merely suggested that they should proceed gradually.

But these people, without exception, all suffered slaughter at the hands of Yang Guang.

Although he had only just ascended the throne.

The methods Yang Guang displayed already made everyone feel fear; he was an Emperor who liked to control everything himself.

He did not like others to oppose him!

This matter was thus decided.

The first year of Daye, third month;

Yang Guang formally resolved to excavate the canal, ordering Yuwen Kai to preside over it, mobilizing over a million men and women from the various commanderies of Henan, intending to create the Tongji Canal.

—The court and the public were shaken!

A project involving over a million people is unimaginable in this current era.

But this was not yet the end.

In the same year, Yang Guang again resolved to dredge and widen the Han Canal, which had been excavated by King Fuchai of Wu during the Spring and Autumn period.

He again mobilized over a hundred thousand people from Huainan to open the Han Canal.

The world was in an uproar!

No one would have thought that Yang Guang would take such massive actions immediately upon ascending the throne.

The entire court and public were in a state of shock!

Countless memorials flooded in; no matter how terrifying Yang Guang's imperial might was, at a time like this, there were finally people who had to submit memorials!

They could not bear it!

The imperial court could not bear such massive expenses.

The world could not bear such heavy corvée labor!

Even Gu Zhe was forced to submit a memorial, as were a host of Gu Shizi who had successively entered the world.

Although some of them were not in the imperial court but were serving as officials in the four corners of the land.

But it was precisely because of this.

That they could see the exhaustion of the people of the world more clearly; how could they not submit memorials?

But what use was this?

Facing these memorials, Yang Guang did not care in the slightest, and even went on to plan the construction of the Eastern Capital, Luoyang!

This was completely different from the Luoyang of the Great Han.

Yang Guang intended to carry out a series of large-scale expansions on its foundation.

He designated the Western Garden of Luoyang, covering over two hundred li in circumference, built a "sea" inside the garden with a circumference of over ten li, built the Dragon Scale Canal north of the garden winding into the sea, and built sixteen detached palaces along the canal, with the architecture and furnishings inside being extremely luxurious.

Including the dragon boats that represented his noble status!

For this, Yang Guang even conscripted over two million commoners from various regions!

The world was shaken!

This series of corvée labor could be called unprecedented.

The most critical point was—

Beyond this, Yang Guang also set the agenda for the expedition to Linyi, appointing Liu Fang as the General-in-Chief of the Huanzhou Route, and the Right Vice-Minister of the Secretariat, Li Gang, as the Military Sima, to attack Linyi.

The entire land of the Nine Provinces was bathed in blood.

No feudal dynasty could withstand such large-scale actions.

Let alone that the Nine Provinces had just experienced years of chaos.

The entire court and public were filled with grievances and lamentations.

Endless memorials were brought before Yang Guang, including those from high-ranking officials such as Gao Jiong, Yuwen Bi, and He Ruobi.

Everyone wanted to dissuade Yang Guang.

Furthermore, the momentum grew increasingly alarming.

This time, Yang Guang acted.

The third year of Daye.

Yang Guang issued an edict to execute Gao Jiong, He Ruobi, and Yuwen Bi on the charge of "slandering the government," and all their sons were exiled, only to be killed on the road.

Beyond this, there were the descendants of the deposed Crown Prince Yang Yong.

His eldest son, Yang Yan, was poisoned by Yang Guang.

The remaining ten descendants were all exiled and died miserably on the way to exile.

Prince of Qin, Yang Liang, raised an army.

Under the name of "Yang Guang has no virtue to inherit the throne," he decided to carry out a campaign to "rectify the difficulties," but was suppressed by the Duke of Chu, Yang Su, and was forced to commit suicide.

All of his descendants were placed under house arrest.

Yang Guang used a series of ruthless methods to suppress everyone who opposed him.

Under these circumstances.

The atmosphere in the court finally gradually changed.

This was a destined change.

When everyone discovered that opposing Yang Guang meant death, and flattering Yang Guang meant promotion, the hearts of men would change.

But they could change, what about the Gu Shizi?

Gu Yi had been watching all of this, and the thoughts in his heart were also incomparably complex.

This was also the catastrophe destined to be caused by the split of the Gu family.

Whether it was the ambition in one's heart;

Or the unwillingness to accept the long silence of the Gu family.

When a group of Gu Shizi chose another path and were no longer as united as they once were, all of this had already become inevitable.

Gu Yi had been silently watching all of this, and the thoughts in his heart were also incomparably heavy.

What kind of Emperor Yang Guang was.

He knew clearly.

Setting aside his achievements, just in terms of Yang Guang's talent and personality, the path he wanted to take was incompatible with the Gu family.

All of this was inevitable!

Although Yang Guang would not move against the Gu family now in order to prevent too much turmoil in the world.

But for the Gu Shizi.

Their ideals and aspirations would not accept this reality.

The courageous descendants submitted memorials written in blood and entered the capital carrying coffins, willing to die to offer remonstrance.

Those without courage abandoned their official posts and retreated from the world, refusing to emerge.

However, upon hearing news about their clansmen, they would always show a look of guilt, and some even stopped calling themselves by the name of Gu Shizi.

This was also a form of tempering for the Gu family.

The gradually rising heart of division would, under this turmoil, be reunited once more.

For the sake of a ten-thousand-generation legacy.

The unity of the family was also a key factor.

The Secretariat Mansion.

Since Yang Guang ascended the throne, Gu Zhe had been under disguised house arrest in the mansion.

Although he still held a nominal official position.

In reality, he had long since lost any power in his hands.

This was not the most critical part.

For Gu Zhe, the most critical part was the difficulty of overcoming the hurdle in his heart.

Although it had only been a few short years.

But now, he had long since lost his former high spirits, and the man looked as if he had aged several decades.

He had once aspired to make the family glorious again.

It was precisely because of this that he did not listen to the advice of Gu Yu and chose to enter the world.

He had even thought about surpassing his elder brother, Gu Yu.

But he had never imagined that he would end up in such a state today.

The night was long and lingering.

He sat in the study just like this, by the light of the lingering candle, holding a blade to slowly slice open his own finger.

Gu Zhe was also a man of talent.

Among the family descendants, although his talent could not compare to Gu Yu, it was still considered outstanding.

Being able to sit in the position of Minister of Personnel already proved all of this.

In truth, he still held endless dreams in his heart.

But now, all of this was fated.

As the person with the highest official rank in the current Gu Shizi, he would never allow himself to lose face for the Gu Shizi.

He no longer had any way out.

But he was not reconciled.

Now, he had a sufficient judgment of the future; he could be certain that under the rule of Yang Guang, the world would surely fall into great chaos.

What he wanted to do now was to thoroughly exacerbate all of this!

"Without destruction, there can be no construction!"

These were the words spoken by Gu Xi in years past!

Gu Zhe firmly believed that as long as Gu Yu was alive, the world would surely welcome a turning point!

Drops of fresh blood fell continuously.

He used his own fresh blood to write large characters one by one on the paper before him.

Afterward, he immediately summoned the servant within the residence.

This was a commoner from Julu who had come with him; every Gu Shizi descendant who went out had one by their side, and they would follow the Gu Shizi descendants from a young age.

They would take care of daily life while protecting the Gu Shizi descendants.

This had already come to be considered a tradition.

The loyalty of the Julu commoners toward the Gu Shizi was something others could hardly imagine.

"Young Master!"

Looking at the blood that was still dripping continuously, the servant was instantly stunned: "Why are you doing this??"

He hurriedly went to call for someone.

But Gu Zhe stopped him directly: "Find an opportunity to send this letter back to Julu."

His expression was incomparably earnest.

Seeing this, the servant was suddenly taken aback.

Immediately, he seemed to understand something; his entire expression suddenly became complex, and looking at Gu Zhe without saying much more, he took the blood-written letter from his hand.

These people had all been trained by the Gu Shizi.

Their abilities were not as simple as those of ordinary commoners.

Not to mention that the two had been together for many years.

It was not strange to guess Gu Zhe's thoughts at a time like this.

Tears fell unconsciously.

Gu Zhe looked at the child before him, smiled faintly, and then waved his hand directly: "Live well!"

The servant did not say much, staring earnestly at Gu Zhe.

Then he bowed deeply toward him.

Afterward, he turned and left.

The next day.

Gu Zhe rarely attended court, and he remonstrated with Yang Guang in the imperial hall.

He was scolded and mocked by Yang Guang in front of all the officials.

Amidst the flattery of one sycophant after another, Gu Zhe struck his head against the magnificent railing pillar inside the Daxing Hall and died.

He would rather die than insult the name of the Gu Shizi.

Gu Yi had been silently watching all of this, and he could not help but sigh as well.

In truth, over these years.

He had already seen too many deaths of Gu Shizi descendants.

The illustrious reputation of the Gu Shizi was not fought for solely by Gu Kang, Gu Xi, Gu Chen, and others; there were far, far too many people who had put in effort for this.

Although their talents were insufficient, they were also adding bricks and tiles for the Gu Shizi in other places.

Pity the bones by the Wuding River, still the people in the dreams of the inner chambers.

For the Gu Shizi.

This saying held true as well.

What is lamentable is that even Gu Yi could not fully remember the names of all of them.

But history would eventually remember.

Whether it be the genealogy of the Gu Shizi, or the stone statues repaired in nameless little places everywhere for those upright officials.

Their names would not fade away so easily.

And there would eventually be someone who remembers everything they did.

Yang Guang was very clever.

He completely suppressed Gu Zhe's death-remonstrance this time and did not let anyone spread it out.

But where in this world is there a wall that does not let the wind through?

Not to mention that the Gu Shizi descendants in the four regions were acting one after another?

If one were to say that Gu Xi of the past acted against the great trend because of his extraordinary talent.

Then this time—

It was the most ordinary Gu Shizi descendants acting against the great trend.

Although compared to the Gu Xi of that time, the influence caused by these people was truly far inferior.

But many things have a limit.

When this limit reaches a tipping point, everything will erupt.

Yang Guang did not care about any of this at all.

Under his iron-fisted methods, the entire imperial court became an existence that completely fawned upon and flattered him.

Everything seemed difficult to reverse.

The labor and toil of the four directions were like a heavy shackle, causing the commoners of the Nine Provinces to return to times even more arduous than the wars of the past.

Digging canals; building Longzhou; constructing Luoyang.

Every single one of these projects required astonishing manpower.

Millions;

Was just a short-term figure.

The manpower required just for constructing Luoyang and repairing the Western Garden was nearly two million every month.

But was what Yang Guang wanted really so simple?

Since his ascension, he had been having people collect rare treasures for him from everywhere, while also searching for beauties of the world, and even demanding that every region select and send a batch of beauties into the palace each year.

Besides this.

He successively led the princes, officials, imperial consorts, and palace maids out on tours, each time reaching as many as one or two hundred thousand people.

Wherever they passed, food had to be contributed within a radius of five hundred li.

The entire world was filled with grievances and lamentations.

It was under these circumstances that Gu Yu finally returned to Julu.

This journey.

For him, it could be said that he truly traveled ten thousand miles, seeing through the warmth and coldness of human nature and the rise and fall of the world.

Compared to before.

His entire state had also undergone a great change, especially his eyes, which seemed as if they could see through everything.

For him, the journey home was not easy to walk.

At the beginning, he would still do his best to help some commoners as he had in the past.

But he could save one person, yet he could not save the people of the world.

Gu Can was already very old now, having reached the moment of life and death.

His life was just like the Gu Shizi family heads of the previous generations.

He had given up everything for the family.

However, being able to see the return of Gu Yu, the eldest son he had the highest expectations for, could be considered a great blessing for Gu Can.

Julu, Gu Residence.

"My son!"

Just as Gu Yu stepped into the residence, Gu Can came up to meet him directly, and looking at Gu Yu's dark skin, his eye sockets instantly turned red: "You are..."

"Son is fine."

"There is nothing bad about having darker skin; just like our ancestor, the Marquis of Wencheng, what flourishes is the world."

Gu Yu first said with a smile.

Then he took a deep breath, and without any hesitation, he knelt down directly before Gu Can: "Son is unfilial; for many years I have not returned home, unable to care for Father by the bedside."

"Son."

Before Gu Yu could finish, Gu Can interrupted him directly: "Why say such things!"

"That you can return is enough for this father."

His eye sockets grew redder and redder, and he stared intently at Gu Yu, saying: "My son... the sons of my Gu family..."

Gu Can's voice suddenly became somewhat choked with sobs.

As far as the Gu family was concerned.

This was indeed the first time since their rise that they had faced such a situation; Yang Guang's attitude toward the Gu family made everyone feel the crisis of annihilation.

This man was a madman!

The reputation that the Gu family had always relied upon could not help the Gu family.

Even if the people of Julu would fight to the death to protect them.

But this was the Gu family's secret weapon, and wanting to rely solely on these people to resist the entire imperial court was undoubtedly still a pipe dream.

Gu Can had been worrying about this matter for some time now.

"Father, I know." Gu Yu said earnestly.

How could he not know?

"Son... my Gu family..." Gu Can's emotions became increasingly agitated, to the point that his body was constantly trembling.

He did not want the foundation of the Gu family to be destroyed in his hands.

Gu Yu stood up and kept comforting Gu Can.

Gu Can had indeed been holding it in for too long.

His brothers had long since passed away with the passage of time, and as for the younger generation, they were also unable to discuss major family affairs with him.

But Gu Yu was different.

Gu Yu carried the expectations of all of them on his shoulders.

It was not until a long time had passed, under Gu Yu's constant comfort, that Gu Can gradually calmed down.

He remembered the blood letter that Gu Zhe had sent back earlier.

Immediately, he took Gu Yu to go and examine it.

Currently, that blood letter was still in the hands of Gu Zhe's guard, a man named Xue San, whose ancestors had lived in the Gu family and had been recipients of their grace for generations.

Since returning to Julu, his temperament had also undergone a great change.

Even when dealing with Gu Can, he rarely spoke, and he did not say anything even when he heard the news of Gu Zhe's death.

From beginning to end, he had never returned home and had always been protected within the Gu residence, acting as if he were possessed, constantly practicing his martial arts.

Until he saw Gu Yu.

His expression finally changed, and he directly took out Gu Zhe's blood letter.

The content on it was very simple.

It was about the anomaly within the palace on the day Yang Jian died.

This news had been completely suppressed by Yang Guang, and there were very few people who knew about it.

Gu Yu looked at the content on it, and a trace of sadness flashed in his eyes; he understood Gu Zhe's intention.

To push for a chaotic world—there is no construction without destruction!

Once this news was released, it would give many people a reasonable excuse.

This was the Gu family's flexible moral bottom line!

To achieve one's goals, one stops at nothing.

Gu Yu's expression was cold as frost; his fingertips brushed over the letter paper soaked in bloodstains, and after a careless glance, he tossed it back to Xue San.

The dark red bloodstains wound like snakes on the plain white paper, and the air seemed to drift with a faint, metallic, fishy scent.

"Young Master!" Xue San stepped forward hurriedly, his robe hem stirring up a gust of wind; he looked at Gu Yu's retreating back, his throat as if choked by something, struggling to spit out these three words.

Gu Yu's footsteps paused, but he did not look back.

"I—" Xue San clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white, his eyes surging with unwillingness and determination.

"I know." Gu Yu finally turned around slowly, his gaze calm as water, yet ripples appeared when it touched the fire in the depths of Xue San's eyes.

"Endure for a few more days; only by living is there hope."

PS: It's the end of the month, and it's still the double monthly ticket period, begging for monthly tickets!!! Brothers, you can also give the character card a like while you're at it; there are so few likes.

(End of chapter)