Chapter 141: What Is a Golden Age — Julu Reveals the Resolve (Begging for Monthly Tickets)

Li Shimin's decision caught everyone off guard.

Chang'an was no short distance from Julu.

What's more, Dou Jiande now already occupied most of Hebei; although he had not attacked Julu, he had even held a sacrifice there, to build up his reputation.

But that did not mean Li Shimin's trip to Julu would be safe.

He was no longer an unknown minor general now.

Although his reputation was still far from that of awe-inspiring the realm, he could be considered to have initially made his name known throughout the land.

If Dou Jiande learned of this, Li Shimin would surely fall into crisis.

Because he could not possibly bring many troops on this journey.

Even Gu Yi was quite surprised by this, never expecting Li Shimin would make such a decision at this moment.

Not only did Li Yuan refuse to agree, Xue San was also trying to dissuade Li Shimin.

But Li Shimin had his own reasons.

Chang'an.

"Father, no matter what, your son must go."

Li Shimin said with a solemn expression, looking seriously at Li Yuan, "Great turmoil has already risen across the realm; the Gu clan had people investigate all the lords of the land—what does this show?"

"—The Gu clan already has the intention to emerge from seclusion!"

Instantly, Li Yuan's expression could not help but subtly shift.

"Although the Gu clan's reputation has gradually declined over these years, in the current situation, if the Gu clan were to emerge, it would absolutely sway the stance of the lords on all sides."

"Our Li clan may now occupy Guanzhong, seemingly with firm foundations."

"However—"

"Has Father ever considered under what banner to address the people of the realm?"

Li Shimin could not help but ask again.

This was also one of the changes.

It was precisely because Li Yuan believed the Gu clan supported him that he had not, as in the original history, raised the banner of supporting the restoration of the great Sui dynasty.

He too had his own ambitions.

If the Gu clan could support him, why could he not seize the realm?

But now the situation was different.

Li Shimin had deceived him.

Moreover, the news of Yang Guang's death had not yet arrived, so Li Yuan was naturally taken aback for a moment.

But after only brief consideration, he slowly opened his mouth and said: "We may enthrone the Prince of Dai, Yang You, as sovereign."

He could not proclaim himself emperor.

To proclaim himself emperor under the current situation would surely make him the target of all; Li Yuan was no fool.

Hearing these words, a trace of disappointment inevitably arose in the eyes of everyone present.

They had all been hoping Li Yuan would proclaim himself emperor.

This could bring them unimaginable benefits.

Only Li Shimin's expression remained utterly unchanged as he looked at Li Yuan and said seriously: "But what if the Gu clan lends its aid?"

A single simple sentence, yet it caused the atmosphere within the hall to change abruptly.

Even Li Yuan was stunned.

If he could obtain the Gu clan's aid, then what he wished to do needed no further words!

"Father."

Li Shimin looked seriously at Li Yuan and said earnestly: "Since the Li Emperor of the late Han, the realm has been in great turmoil until now; although the people of the Nine Provinces gained a few years of peace in between, it was of no use."

"The hearts of the people of the realm are already weary."

"If our Li clan truly wishes to rule the realm and create a new golden age, the Gu clan can serve as our left and right arms!"

He earnestly laid out his analysis.

Li Shimin's goal was too firm.

He simply wanted to become a second Gu Chen, whether in Wu Gong or in civil governance.

He wanted to set right the entire Nine Provinces.

To forge a true golden age.

And now was the turning point within it; since the Gu clan had already shown its intention to emerge from seclusion, winning the Gu clan's support would absolutely far surpass continuing to attack and seize territory.

He was laying the foundation for forging a golden age.

This was Li Shimin's precise judgment of the situation!

As for the dangers involved, he naturally knew them.

But Li Shimin's courage was beyond what others could compare; once he truly made his decision, there would be no more hesitation.

In truth, it would have been most effective for Li Yuan to go personally.

Failing that, it should have been Li Jiancheng, the eldest son.

Unfortunately, Li Yuan, as commander of the three armies, could not go, and Li Jiancheng was in the rear and likewise could not.

And the dangers this move required facing.

Only someone like Li Shimin, who dared to lead from the front every single time, would dare to go.

The entire hall was utterly silent.

In truth, for Pei Ji and the others, having the Gu clan enter court once again was a great blow to them.

But matters always had two sides.

The realm is still unsettled today, the road ahead unknown—the Gu clan can bring them no great benefit.

It is precisely because of this that the expressions of these people are so incomparably complex.

Li Yuan was no different. He gazed seriously at this son of his, and only after a long silence did he open his mouth to ask: "Second Son, have you truly thought this through?"

"My son's mind is already set!"

Li Shimin did not hesitate in the slightest.

Seeing this, Li Yuan could not help but sigh again, then waved his hand: "If that is so, then go."

"If this matter can be accomplished—"

"In days to come, you shall surely be the Ten Directions Conquest Envoy of our Li clan!"

To have the Gu clan's aid is beneficial to the greater cause.

As commander of the three armies, Li Yuan could say no more.

The matter was thus settled.

Li Yuan was still very worried about Li Shimin, and wanted to let Li Shimin bring as many elite troops as possible.

But Li Shimin refused this arrangement.

He did not even bring any extra soldiers and horses, only a few of his own trusted confidants.

—Li Jing; Qutu Tong; and Xue San and the others.

Why bring any troops at all?

The purpose of this journey is to be swift, precise, and ruthless.

For Li Shimin—

A thousand armies and ten thousand horses are likewise useless; having only these few men is already enough!

They hurried along the whole way.

Li Shimin truly held a great longing for Julu; from childhood to now he had lost count of how many times he had yearned for this "sacred ground" of Julu.

Although they faced danger at every single moment.

But from beginning to end, Li Shimin's mood remained so light and cheerful.

Xue San had originally thought that Li Shimin, upon learning his true identity, would gradually distance himself from him.

After all, no one would like that the men under their command were sent by someone else to watch over them.

But Li Shimin did not mind at all.

He even grew increasingly close to Xue San.

Along the entire journey, he kept asking Xue San about the situation within Julu.

And apart from a few key questions, Xue San did not conceal anything either, telling Li Shimin about the lives of the common folk of Julu.

Every time he spoke of these things, his face would always show a look of nostalgia.

Simple and ordinary.

Yet incomparably content.

Li Shimin listened very attentively. Compared with those exaggerated rumors, what Xue San said was far more normal, with no exaggeration at all.

But Li Shimin felt not the slightest disappointment.

On the contrary, his longing for Julu only grew stronger.

A single prefecture able to enjoy several hundred years of peace—is this not a sacred ground?

Why need so many rumors of ghosts and monsters?

And most crucially, what Xue San said also gave Li Shimin a deeper understanding of the prosperous age he wished to build.

He did not ask about any hidden matters, such as how many people like Xue San the Gu clan had, and the like.

Li Shimin did not care about these things.

By comparison, what he wanted even more to know was the Julu common folk's opinion of Gu Chen.

Upon hearing this question, an unconcealable worship instantly surged onto Xue San's face; after a long silence he finally answered.

"Our family's ancestors have been receiving the Gu clan's grace since the era of Emperor Guangwu."

"Generation after generation, until today it remains the same."

"In years of great famine, the Gu clan gives us grain; in times of great chaos, the Gu clan protects us whole."

"Even in ordinary years—"

"The Gu clan also teaches us to read and writes, and heals our illnesses for us"

He did not single out Gu Chen.

Because in the hearts of every Julu commoner, every single generation of the Gu clan is the same—they have always shown kindness to them.

Singling out Gu Chen, Gu Xi and the others would not be appropriate!

"It is the Gu clan who let every household of ours have surplus grain; it is the Gu clan who let us survive in these times"

Li Shimin listened very attentively, and the others were the same.

This was the first time they had come to understand Julu from another angle.

Before he knew it, Li Shimin fell increasingly silent.

The scene Xue San depicted had an obvious sense of disconnect with the reality they were seeing before their eyes.

War; refugees; bandits; robbers;

Everything in reality seemed to make Li Shimin think of something.

How could Gu Chen's path be so easy to walk?

To turn the tide of a chaotic age and forge a prosperous one.

The right time, the right place, and the right people—not one can be lacking.

But would Li Shimin back down?

Obviously not!

Gu Yi was likewise silently watching all of this, and a sense of anticipation was gradually welling up within him.

This was the spark struck between the Gu clan and Li Shimin.

Although he did not know what changes the future history might still bring, it still filled him with immense anticipation!

It took nearly a full month before Li Shimin finally arrived at Julu.

Along the way, they naturally encountered many dangers.

But those were merely bandits, utterly incapable of threatening the few of them.

The moment Li Shimin formally set foot in Julu Commandery, he could clearly sense the difference within it.

The refugees were gone;

The bandits were gone;

The chaos and the troubled times seemed gone as well;

In truth, even Gu Yi himself had never anticipated this — through the efforts of generation after generation, Julu had completely become a sacred ground for the entire Nine Provinces, so much so that it could even influence the modern era.

This was entirely beyond what he had originally envisioned.

Even he himself was occasionally struck with shock when seeing everything within Julu, let alone Li Shimin.

He had absolutely no memory of any so-called golden age.

Although the people of the world all said that the Kaihuang reign was a true golden age, compared to Julu it still fell short by far too much.

This time, Li Shimin fell completely silent.

The peals of laughter and joy from the common folk, the students heading to the Gu clan academy to study diligently, the waterwheels in the fields and the busy farmers.

All of this brought Li Shimin far too great a shock.

Could this be what a golden age looks like?

His feelings grew ever more complex, and he himself became increasingly silent, following Xue San straight toward the Gu residence.

He could not make a grand show of it, nor reveal his identity.

In truth, Li Yuan had had Li Shimin bring some gifts — all of them rare treasures of the world.

But when Li Shimin saw all of this with his own eyes—

He suddenly felt that those gifts truly were not worthy of the Gu clan.

The influence of such a clan—

Had already completely transcended any mere object.

Did the Gu clan need money?

Did they need those so-called rare treasures of the world?

How could such things possibly be worthy of the Gu clan?

Even Li Shimin himself had perhaps failed to notice that his understanding of a golden age had, imperceptibly, begun to take on some shape.

The Gu residence.

When Gu Yu saw Li Shimin, he too was extremely surprised.

In order to prevent the news from leaking—

Li Shimin had not sent a visiting card in advance, and Xue San had likewise sent no word.

This was not because Xue San had grown disloyal.

Rather, there was simply no need to do so.

In the land of Julu, how many common folk came each and every day?

Li Shimin had not come to attack Julu; he had brought only a few men by his side, and could not possibly pose the slightest threat to Julu.

Why bother saying more?

Yet Gu Yu recognized Li Shimin the very first moment he saw him.

Although after the long journey, Li Shimin's current appearance was somewhat disheveled, the resemblance to Li Yuan between his brows was still easy to discern.

"Second son of the Li clan, Shimin pays his respects to Lord Gu!"

Li Shimin had clearly long prepared himself, and the instant he saw Gu Yu he immediately bowed to him with full seriousness.

"Greetings, Young Master."

Gu Yu returned the courtesy with proper form, then made an inviting gesture and led the few of them inside.

Everything within the Gu residence was steeped in the marks of time.

Li Shimin had been casual the entire way, but upon stepping into the Gu residence he suddenly grew somewhat tense.

Gu Yu showed no particular attitude.

He treated him as he would any other feudal lord, observing only the proprieties due — even though he had already guessed Li Shimin's purpose in his heart, from beginning to end he never said a word about it.

He was indeed somewhat surprised, having failed to expect that Li Shimin would be so bold as to rush to Julu.

But it was not enough to make a decision on that account alone.

What struck him as odd, however, was that Li Shimin seemed to have forgotten the purpose of his trip altogether — for the first two days after arriving he never once brought it up.

He observed the Gu residence; he observed everything within Julu.

From the administration of officials;

To the daily lives of the common folk;

He himself grew ever more silent.

And so it was only after three full days that he once again sought out Gu Yu, bowed in earnest, and said: "I beg Lord Gu to dispel my doubts."

"I shall tell you all I know, holding nothing back." Gu Yu seemed to have long prepared for this, and even led Li Shimin into the study.

Gu Yi could sense it.

Gu Yu also seemed to have taken an interest in Li Shimin.

Li Shimin's actions over these three days had indeed completely exceeded his expectations.

The study was unusually quiet.

Gu Yu looked at Li Shimin and asked very calmly, "What questions does Young Master have?"

Li Shimin frowned slightly, was silent for a long time as if organizing his words, then finally opened his mouth to ask, "By what method should a prosperous age be built?"

Julu had already completely exceeded his understanding.

It gave rise to many questions in him.

"What kind of world does Young Master think can be called a prosperous age?" Gu Yu did not answer, but asked instead.

This time Li Shimin did not hesitate, but directly said, "It should be like Julu."

This came entirely from his heart.

Everything about Julu was something he had never seen before.

But this time Gu Yu shook his head: "Young Master is mistaken. Julu only achieved its present state after several hundred years of stability. Is what Young Master wishes to ask about merely the prosperity of a single commandery?"

"The realm!" Li Shimin immediately shook his head.

Gu Yu smiled: "Then I can tell Young Master, if one day Young Master can let the greater part of the realm eat their fill, then it can be called a prosperous age."

His tone was very casual.

Looking across ancient and modern, there was probably no one who understood the so-called prosperous age better than Gu Yu.

Even the Kaihuang reign could not accomplish such a thing.

Yet that could still be considered a prosperous age!

Hearing this, Li Shimin fell silent once more, his brows tightly knit.

He was still far too young right now.

From the lands of great chaos, to a holy land like Julu, and then to Gu Yu's judgment of a prosperous age.

The gap between before and after made his thoughts grow ever more muddled.

Gu Yu did not continue to say anything. After letting Li Shimin digest it for a long time, he once again softly opened his mouth: "Walking this journey, what are Young Master's views on the realm?"

"Water can carry a boat, yet it can also capsize it."

Li Shimin was silent for a moment, then said with a solemn expression.

This time Gu Yu could not help but nod, praising: "Young Master is wise, worthy of the bearing of a Son of Heaven."

When the words fell, the entire study once again sank into silence.

Li Shimin's expression was extremely complex.

In truth he had many things he wished to say, yet did not know where to begin.

All of this—

For him, it seemed truly too early.

Gu Yu had indeed taken an interest in Li Shimin. Watching Li Shimin's state, he was, for once, willing to let Li Shimin view the texts left behind by generations of Gu clan ancestors.

Since the late Emperor Xiaoshun.

This was still the first time a feudal lord had enjoyed such treatment.

Li Shimin naturally felt immensely honored, and very much wished to thank Gu Yu, yet did not know what to offer.

As for those so-called rare treasures of the world.

He had long since handed them all to Xue San, and felt too embarrassed to offer such things as gifts.

But Gu Yu told him to look at ease.

This period of time was not especially long. Li Shimin's talent was originally not poor, let alone that he was so devoted as to neglect sleep and meals?

Gu Yi had also been paying attention to all of this, wanting to see with his own eyes what changes would occur.

In truth this was not anything especially important.

Especially after the Gu clan's talent had been in a gap for so many years, those texts could no longer keep pace with the changes of the realm.

Among them were mostly admonitions from the ancestors.

To put it plainly, it was to keep the clan's children clear-headed.

Yet this was often the hardest thing, especially for those in power.

Only by maintaining constant clarity.

Could one avoid making too many wrong decisions.

Li Shimin read very earnestly. Seeing the efforts and sacrifices made by generation after generation for the Gu clan's continuation, he seemed to gradually awaken to some of the truths within.

A prosperous age;

Compromise and sacrifice.

It was through the efforts of generation after generation that all of today had been forged.

Li Shimin's gaze grew ever more resolute.

Just half a month later, his entire person seemed as if he had come back to life, once again restored to that former high-spirited state.

Even compared to before, the look in his eyes was even more resolute!

Gu Yu asked Li Shimin what he had thought of.

Li Shimin did not say much, only wished to ask Gu Yu to take him to the Gu clan ancestral hall to pay respects.

If following the past—

At most Li Shimin would only pay respects to those few stone statues, the most being Gu Chen alone.

But now it was no longer the case.

Li Shimin solemnly performed a sacrifice on behalf of the entire Gu clan, and only at the very end did he arrive before Gu Chen's stone statue, dropping directly to his knees and declaring in a ringing tone:

"Only today do I know that a golden age is not bestowed by Heaven — it is achieved by man!"

"In this life, Li Shimin vows to hold fast to this heart: I shall wield a three-foot sword and open a peace for ten thousand generations!"

He was declaring his resolve!

——————

"In the fourteenth year of Daye of the late Sui, the world was in chaos. Li Shimin traveled east from Chang'an, intending to pay his respects to the Gu clan, and along the way saw:

North of the Wei, the starved dead choked the roads; an old woman split bones for kindling to cook. East of the Yellow River, children were sold for food; withered bones lay bleaching in the wilds.

Upon reaching the borders of Julu, he suddenly saw:

Fields laid out in neat rows, the sound of plows one after another; children recited 'Lu Ming' in the village school, old men divided millet porridge at the crossroads.

The court of disputes had no backlog of cases; the market had a public scale.

Later, when paying his respects to the Gu clan and discussing the realm, he observed the governance for three days and perused the Gu clan's records for half a month, then before Gu Chen's statue made his vow, saying:

"Now that I have seen Julu, I understand that 'when the root is firm, the state is at peace' is the work of plowing and well-digging.

"I vow to hold fast to this heart, so that the people of all the Nine Provinces may stand beneath benevolent governance!"

——《Chinese Dictionary · Julu's Declaration of Resolve》

(End of this chapter)