Chapter 14: The World Trembles, The Clans Strike Back

Regarding the Land Measurement Decree suddenly announced by Liu Xiu, the reaction from the officials in the imperial court was immense, even exceeding that of Liu Xiu’s act of deposing the Empress.

After all, deposing the Empress only struck at a portion of the people.

Once this group was struck, others would naturally rise to take their place.

But the land measurement touched upon the interests of everyone.

The court and the public were shaken to their core!

All manner of memorials of opposition, like snowflakes drifting and swirling, piled straight up on Liu Xiu’s imperial desk.

Even the Guanzhong clans, who had always supported the Emperor, had unexpectedly begun to oppose him this time.

Such a reaction was the first he had encountered since he restored the Great Han.

But Liu Xiu was never a timid man.

Back during the Battle of Kunyang, he had dared to propose confronting the New Army despite the dire straits he faced then; how much more so now?

He did not hesitate in the slightest, immediately dispatching his trusted confidants to every region.

At the same time, he rapidly promoted a group of officials to forcefully suppress the masses with the majesty of imperial power.

He officially finalized the Land Measurement Decree!

Once this decree was issued, the world was shocked!

For a time, countless men and horses rushed out from Luoyangcheng in all directions.

Those great clans were not fools; they knew well that they could not confront Liu Xiu with a hardline stance.

But as the saying goes, "There are policies above, and countermeasures below," they still retained plenty of room to maneuver in order to deal with this land measurement.

Julu.

The current development of the situation in Hebei was entirely as Gu Yi had expected.

The King of Zhending, Liu Yang, was truly old and lacked the courage to take action.

When news arrived that Guo Shengtong had been deposed and the titles of several members of the Guo family had been stripped away, he had no extreme reaction, merely remaining depressed all day, hiding within his princely estate.

And these clans in Hebei also made various changes in rapid succession.

That was to distance themselves from Liu Yang and the Guo clan.

This prince, who had once stirred up winds and clouds in Hebei, appeared on the verge of collapse within a mere few days.

"Gathering for profit, scattering when profit ends"—this saying is truly a golden rule.

The Emperor’s displeasure with Liu Yang and the Guo clan was already an extremely clear signal.

Even those who had once shared deep ties with Liu Yang and the Guo clan could not help but choose to avoid them now.

This was the cruelty of reality.

And after confirming that there would be no chaos in the Hebei region, Gu Yi’s focus naturally returned to the interior of his own family.

The Gu clan still had too few people.

There was no help for it; Gu Yi dared not let Gu Xiao become too obsessed with women.

Although Gu Xiao’s body seemed sturdy enough for now, given the medical standards of this era, if any real problem were to arise, it would likely mean death.

Gu Yi dared not gamble.

Fortunately, the bodies of his two sons, Gu Kang and Gu Cheng, were both very healthy.

No premature deaths had occurred; otherwise, Gu Yi would truly have been in despair.

But these peaceful days had not lasted long before a letter from Liu Xiu in Luoyang was delivered directly to him.

When he saw Liu Xiu’s letter with his own eyes, even Gu Yi could not help but be startled.

Land measurement?

Liu Xiu was actually going to be this ruthless?

First depose the Empress, then immediately measure the land?

This course of action was completely different from the trajectory of history as he knew it, and even Gu Yi had not anticipated this.

However, after thinking it over carefully, he understood the reason behind it.

It was different from the original history.

Because Liu Xiu’s unification of the world had gone more smoothly this time, the strength of the great clans today was actually far greater than it had been in history.

Liu Xiu was a wise emperor, and he had the example of the Former Han to look to.

It was normal for him to act so decisively.

Once he had thought this through completely, Gu Yi’s heart was shaken even more.

How many people would have to die this time!

Gu Yi remembered clearly that in the original history, Liu Xiu had successively wiped out the leading clans through various policies.

That was how it was in the original history.

But what about now?

The great clans would absolutely not sit and wait for death, and Liu Xiu also needed to weaken the great clans.

"When an emperor is enraged, a million corpses fall."

This sentence flashed suddenly through Gu Yi’s mind.

Although he understood that Liu Xiu would not go to such extremes, a chill still inevitably rose in his heart; this was his deep worry for the future of his family.

The Gu clan now appeared to have a bright future, but in reality, it had only just begun, and the biggest reason was Gu Xiao’s close relationship with Liu Xiu.

However, what would happen when the times changed in the future?

Gu Yi had to think deeply about this question.

The subsequent development of events was just as Gu Yi had anticipated.

Once the imperial court’s summons officially began, the region first affected by the Land Measurement Decree was naturally Guanzhong.

And the Guanzhong clans gave their own response:

———Bribery!

They bribed the officials responsible for the land measurement, promising them various benefits in an attempt to falsely report the amount of land and conceal the true population figures.

This tactic did indeed have some effect at first.

Liu Xiu had not expected that there would be people so daring and reckless right under the feet of the Son of Heaven.

But once he learned of this matter, these people naturally met with the Emperor’s wrath.

The involved officials were all executed, and their family assets were confiscated.

All great clans that concealed land and population had their land confiscated, their people re-registered into the household registers, and the leaders of the clans were even punished.

Perhaps to intimidate the world, Liu Xiu’s actions this time were extremely ruthless.

However, how could these means alone make the great clans of the world submit?

Wishful thinking is one of the underlying traits of human nature.

Their tactics immediately shifted———deluding the common people.

In this day and age, let alone understanding the court’s policies, there were not many people who could even read.

Under the deliberate incitement of these great clans, voices of opposition gradually began to rise among the common people as expected.

This was indeed a ruthless move.

Although Liu Xiu could bring himself to strike at the great clans, he had to make some adjustments when facing so many common people.

On one hand, he sent officials to various regions to pacify the people.

At the same time, he adjusted the entire Land Measurement Decree to ensure it would not touch the interests of the ordinary people.

This was destined to be a tug-of-war.

And as the days passed, from Guanzhong to Guandong and across the entire world, turmoil arose everywhere.

Zhending.

Facing the group of clan members who had come again after such a long time, Liu Yang even felt as if it were a different lifetime.

Although their quality of life had not changed much recently, the huge psychological gap made it difficult for the aging Liu Yang to bear.

Facing these people again, a cold sneer could not help but flash across his face, "Why do you all not go find the Marquis of Guannei?"

"What business do you have coming to this Prince?"

His words were full of resentment.

However, for those who had come again, how could they care about his resentment?

"Your Highness! We know we were wrong!"

"Now that the court has issued this Land Measurement Decree, there is turmoil everywhere, and it looks like our Hebei region is about to be dragged into it."

"You must give us an idea."

Liu Xiu’s hardline methods had indeed panicked this group of people.

But to ask them to easily hand over their family’s foundation was absolutely impossible.

With Gu Xiao refusing to see them, they could only come to find Liu Yang, hoping to come up with a countermeasure.

"Hmph! What can this Prince do about the court’s policies?"

Liu Yang continued to vent the resentment in his heart.

Seeing this, although the crowd felt even more disdain for him, they still had to flatter him for a while; only then did Liu Yang’s expression gradually recover, and he began to speak of the matter.

"Why must you all panic?"

His expression was calm, without a hint of panic: "Our Hebei region is different from other places."

"This is not only the place where the Emperor’s reign began."

"And the Marquis of Guannei is here!"

When mentioning Gu Xiao, his expression could not help but turn ugly; Gu Xiao could be said to have made him lose all face during this period.

Upon hearing this, everyone wore a look of confusion.

What if the Marquis of Champion is here?

What if he refuses to see us?

Liu Yang seemed to have long been prepared; looking at the crowd, his gaze suddenly turned ruthless, "The Marquis of Champion is not alone."

"If something were to happen to his own brother,"

"How could he continue to stay out of it?"

"Gentlemen... think back to when Gu Chen first arrived in Hebei; the things you sent over were surely not sent for nothing, right?"

"He, Gu Xiao, wants to rely on the Gu clan being a new noble house with shallow foundations, and thus wishes to remain aloof and watch from the sidelines."

"How could it be that easy?"

Hearing these words, everyone suddenly realized the truth.

What Liu Yang was referring to were the gifts they had sent to curry favor with Gu Xiao when Gu Chen first arrived in Hebei.

This naturally included farmland!

But if they really did that, wouldn't it mean tearing off the mask with Gu Xiao?

For a moment, everyone could not help but fall silent.

Liu Yang just watched them silently.

They were all thousand-year-old foxes; how could he not guess what these people were thinking?

But he did not intend to say anything more.

Neither wanting to part with their interests nor wanting to avoid this disaster—how could there be such a cheap deal?

They had to stand back up!

As long as the entire Hebei clan rejected the Gu clan, they would wait for Liu Xiu and Gu Xiao to pass away.

Once the Gu clan faced a situation where the old generation had passed and the new had not yet taken over, within a generation, they would be enough to swallow the Gu clan whole.

Even if he would not live to see it in this lifetime, he must plant this seed!

At this moment, the room fell into an eerie silence.

Everyone looked at each other, their expressions varied, as if they were communicating with their eyes.

Finally, after a long time had passed.

They finally made their decision and nodded with serious expressions.

In fact, there was nothing to hesitate about.

Since Gu Xiao could not bring them any practical benefits, what was the point of currying favor?

Regardless of anything else, they had to survive the immediate disaster first!

Julu.

"Kang'er, you tell me."

"Why does His Majesty want to promote the land measurement policy?"

As Gu Kang and Gu Cheng grew older, Gu Yi became directly involved in their education.

At this moment, he was using this land measurement affair to train Gu Kang's political sensitivity.

This was the matter Gu Yi cared about most at present.

By now, Gu Yi already had some plans.

Aside from the previously decided rules of not harming the people and avoiding internal clan friction.

Gu Yi also intended to make detailed distinctions regarding the entire clan's education.

In addition to the classics that this era cared about most, they would also study according to their own strengths.

Those good at literature would study literature, those good at martial arts would study martial arts, and those good at business could also be merchants.

This was destined to be a long process.

As for the disturbances outside, what did they have to do with the Gu clan?

Given Gu Xiao's current status, unless the entire Hebei region rebelled, it would not require him, the Grand Marshal, to take action personally.

But such a thing was simply impossible to happen right now!

Hearing Gu Yi's question, Gu Kang frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then spoke:

"It is because the people of the world are exhausted."

"I still remember what Father told me before, that His Majesty liberating slaves and restoring production were all intended to restore the national strength of our Great Han."

"And as more and more slaves are liberated... then the land of our Great Han is naturally not enough."

"So we can only solve this problem through land measurement."

After speaking, he looked at Gu Yi quietly, and only when he saw Gu Yi smile did he smile along.

"Not bad."

Gu Yi nodded with great satisfaction, then asked again: "Then tell me, will the great clans of the world agree to the land measurement?"

"No!" This time, Gu Kang answered without hesitation, "They will certainly not agree."

"Why?" Gu Yi asked again.

Gu Kang suddenly fell silent.

Although he was quite talented in this area, many problems were not something a seven-year-old boy could fully solve.

"Brother!"

Just then, Gu Chen rushed in, his face full of nervousness.

Looking at his expression, Gu Yi immediately sensed something unusual.

His heart tightened, and he immediately controlled Gu Xiao to stare at him intently, asking:

"Why are you so panicked?"

"Brother..." Gu Chen swallowed, a flash of fear in his eyes, stammering and not daring to speak.

"Speak!"

Gu Xiao let out a sharp shout.

He was not a gentle person to begin with, and under Gu Yi's influence, he was already showing signs of anger.

Seeing this, Gu Chen's body could not stop trembling, and not daring to hesitate any longer, he hurriedly said:

"The imperial officials for the land measurement... have already arrived in Handan."

He clearly had more to say.

Seeing this, Gu Yi had already guessed a few things in his heart, and a surge of anger arose spontaneously.

Gu Xiao was instantly affected; he immediately stood up slowly, stared fixedly at Gu Chen, and asked: "Zhanyang."

"When I asked you to come to Julu, did I not repeatedly warn you never to commit acts that harm the people, so as not to ruin the reputation of our Gu clan?"

"Brother has said so." Gu Chen lowered his head, his body shaking even more violently, as if he might break down at any moment.

"Then I ask you again, since you came to Hebei, have you ever..."

Gu Xiao had not finished speaking.

Gu Chen could no longer bear this invisible pressure, suddenly fell to his knees with a "thump," and cried out in a breakdown: "Brother!"

"I have never done such things!"

"These were all sent to me by these Hebei officials and clans!"

"They originally said they were their own, but recently I heard that these people are actually using my name to seize the people's land."

"I never thought of doing such a thing!"

An elder brother is like a father!

Not to mention that Gu Xiao was the founder of the Gu clan's current status; Gu Chen's fear at this moment had reached its peak.

Gu Yi had been coldly watching all of this.

When he heard what Gu Chen said, he had already guessed everything.

The Gu clan had been used as a shield!

One must know that Gu Xiao, as the Emperor's favorite minister, was now guarding Hebei.

If such a thing happened, how could it be justified if these officials did not take Gu Chen to task first?

But how could these officials dare to truly move against Gu Xiao's own brother?

In a brief moment, Gu Yi understood the stakes involved and felt only increasing helplessness in his heart.

Despite all precautions, he still failed to prevent it!

Back when the world was unified.

The first rule Gu Yi set was that the descendants of the Gu clan must never commit acts that harm the people.

This point was crucial for whether the clan could be passed down for thousands of years.

As long as this could be maintained, the people would gradually become a protective talisman for the Gu clan as time passed!

But now this...

Gu Yi silently controlled Gu Xiao and glanced at Gu Kang beside him.

The clan's descendants were still watching here.

If he let this go, would it exacerbate the problems the clan would face in the future?

If a truly rebellious person appeared, would the entire clan be destroyed because of one person's fault?

In an instant, Gu Yi's mind was filled with thoughts, and he immediately made a decision.

There must not be any slip-ups regarding this matter.

Once the floodgates of morality are opened, given the current power of the Gu Shizi, Gu Yi finds it hard to imagine what kind of people might emerge from the Gu Shizi in the future.

He had overlooked too much before.

This thought suddenly arose in Gu Yi’s mind.

Previously, Gu Yi had always wanted to focus his primary efforts on stabilizing the family, hoping to use that to secure more opportunities for himself to exert control.

But he now realizes that this line of thinking was clearly wrong.

Not to mention the times when he is not in control, even now, when he can exert control and the family has so few members, such unexpected matters still arise.

If the family grows stronger in the future, even if he could continuously control every generation, could he really ensure the family’s continued prosperity?

The Gu Shizi does not contend for a single lifetime; it contends for Wan Shi!

What the Gu Shizi will eventually develop into, and just how powerful it will become, no one currently knows.

Not even Gu Yi.

Simply put, what Gu Yi thought of before belonged to individual heroism, but this was fundamentally a mistake.

To achieve the plan of the Gu Shizi’s legacy and glory for Wan Shi, relying on the strength of one person alone will not work!

Restrictions must be placed on the descendants of the Gu Shizi as well!

At the very least, the Gu Shizi must not produce anyone who incurs the wrath of both gods and men!

———Establish family rules!

Establish family rules that all descendants of the Gu Shizi must obey!

The new book is in its seedling stage; I ask brothers for your support, please collect and vote.

This plot segment serves as an overall transition to determine the tone of the entire family, which will aid in subsequent development.

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(End of chapter)