Chapter 142: A Fine Head, Who Can Take It? (Seeking Monthly Votes)

—Move the mountains!

Gu Yu took advantage of this sacrificial ceremony to thoroughly swear his determination.

He also set the future path for the Gu family!

When the Nine Provinces flourish, the Gu family prospers!

Gu Yi silently watched all of this, his heart also surging with great emotion!

How could he not also be waiting?

He wanted to see Gu Yu’s methods!

He also wanted to see, after several hundred years

of glory and many years of silence, how much power the Gu family could erupt with!

Now, this day had finally come!

Gu Yu had clearly made full preparations.

He did not completely expose the family to the public eye; this was something he emphasized above all else.

Gu Yu simply had the family members disperse!

The lineage of the Marquis of Huan;

the Lingnan lineage;

and the lineages scattered across the world.

By now, the Gu family was long past being that sparsely populated family of the past!

Although the influence of these lineages was not as great as the main branch,

they still possessed extraordinary influence in their respective regions.

And Gu Yu sat in command of the main branch, controlling the four directions from afar!

—Invisible rumors rose one after another across the entire world.

"Yang Guang did not obtain the throne righteously!"

"The bloody case at Renshou Palace."

"Patricide!"

Gu Yu’s judgment of the human heart was clearly also extraordinary; when he began to have people spread rumors in the dark, these rumors instantly spread throughout the entire Nine Provinces!

There were others helping to spread the rumors!

And these rumors became more and more outrageous as they spread!

But who would care about that?

The events of that day at Renshou Palace would always leave a gaping hole for everyone to talk about!

And once all of this had a name, the rumors across the entire world could no longer be stopped!

—The hearts of the people were in complete chaos!

The influence of the Gu family was fully displayed at such a time; although they could not use all their power, and although they could not put everything out in the open,

the moment the Gu family acted in unison, it still had a tremendous impact on the entire world!

A single spark can start a prairie fire!

That is how it was now.

Of course, Gu Yu’s methods were far from being that simple.

Beyond this, he also made use of prophecy and superstition.

In any era,

this was a lethal weapon, though it was a pity that Gu Yu could not currently use the Gu family’s prestige to guide this turmoil of the human heart.

If he could, the entire Nine Provinces would absolutely suffer a heaven-shaking transformation.

Nursery rhymes; stone inscriptions; celestial phenomena;

all sorts of rumors conforming to prophecy and superstition rose up in all directions.

Gu Yu’s strike this time was very decisive, attacking the very foundation of the entire Sui Dynasty from every aspect!

The Renshou Palace incident—was the reason for rebellion that Gu Yu gave to the lords of the world!

Prophecy and superstition—were to make the common people of the world believe that the Sui Dynasty had lost the Mandate of Heaven!

From the lords to the commoners!

Gu Yu launched his first offensive with thunderous means!

But this was not the end!

Aside from giving others confidence, Gu Yu also took action regarding the economy and the refugees!

The foundation built over hundreds of years was something others could not imagine.

Not to mention that when Gu Yi was controlling Gu Ye back then, he had already left behind the tradition of preserving craftsmen for the entire family.

To imitate the imperial court’s Five-Grain coins was far too easy for the Gu family.

As for the refugees.

Gu Yu’s method was even simpler; it was nominally disaster relief.

And that was indeed what was being done!

It was just that—

while providing disaster relief, he guided the common people toward Luoyang, including all of Yang Guang’s temporary palaces.

This was a pure killing blow!

The moment the anger of the refugees was completely ignited, the entire world of the Sui Dynasty would be destroyed in an instant.

The situation grew increasingly chaotic.

This series of methods by Gu Yu could truly be said to have pushed the Sui Dynasty to the edge of a cliff.

Even Yang Guang could no longer remain calm.

Originally, he had been thinking of dealing with the Gu family and starting his third expedition!

But—

the current situation had completely exceeded his control.

The economy had collapsed;

refugees were everywhere;

the momentum of the ambitious heroes in all directions was growing stronger.

The rumors rising in various places had reached a point where Yang Guang had to pay attention, finally making him completely vigilant.

Luoyang, West Garden.

Looking at the palace maids playing before him, Yang Guang, with his hair disheveled, no longer had his former interest.

Beside him,

Empress Xiao, her shoulders half-exposed, nestled in his arms with a charming face. Seeing that Yang Guang was not in high spirits, she could not help but ask coquettishly, "Your Majesty, what is the matter?"

"Are these palace maids not to Your Majesty’s refined taste?"

Too many stories had truly happened in this West Garden.

This was the first time Yang Guang had shown such an expression.

Hearing this, Yang Guang smiled slightly, took a sip of wine, and then burst into wild laughter.

Under Empress Xiao’s surprised gaze,

he suddenly spoke again, stroking his long beard, and murmured, "A fine head, who can take it?"

Although he said these words in a very low voice,

how could Empress Xiao, nestled in his arms, not hear them? Her expression suddenly changed, and she hurriedly rose, intending to kneel.

"No need!"

However, Yang Guang directly interrupted her.

He beckoned to her, pulled her back into his arms, and with Empress Xiao’s face full of shock, he smiled and said, "Great affairs of state, what do they have to do with you?"

He drank another cup of wine, then suddenly, filled with poetic inspiration, he looked at the singing and dancing before him and laughed loudly: "The shadows of the jade branches shatter the nine-layered lamps, the sound of the dance breaks the rainbow garments."

"Already feeling the dragon boat sinking into the night mist, yet still teaching the silk cables to tie to the spring breeze."

"The poem is finished, suddenly splashing with cinnabar characters, half turning into frost flowers, half into beacon fires."

Empress Xiao had been staring intently at Yang Guang the entire time.

By this moment, it was Yang Guang who had gradually recovered; he laughed heartily: "I am not like those useless people of the Southern Dynasties of the past!"

"My Great Sui—"

"is also not a realm that was just laid out for the taking!"

He had reignited his ambition!

They were but a few rebels; what could they do to him?

Beacon fires were rising everywhere in the world!

With the Gu family’s intervention, the situation of the entire world had reached a point where it was completely uncontrollable.

Yang Guang no longer had the heart to target the Gu family.

He had to suppress the rebellion!

If he could not completely suppress this momentum, then the world of his Great Sui would likely never know peace again!

Yang Guang stood up once more.

Even vaguely, as he prepared to lead his army on an expedition again, he even felt as he had back when he was the Prince of Jin.

But what can be done about this?

As the saying goes, pulling one hair affects the whole body, especially in the current situation where the Nine Provinces are ablaze with the fires of war.

It is impossible for Yang Guang to attack Yi Fang with the force of a thunderbolt.

Although the warlords of the four quarters all harbor ulterior motives.

As long as Yang Guang has not fallen, he remains their common enemy!

They will exhaust every possible means to thoroughly crush Yang Guang!

The entire world is awash in blood and carnage.

Naturally, there are those who have come to seek out the Gu Shizi!

In truth, for the warlords of the world, seeing the entire realm reach this point in such a short time, they already have some guesses in their hearts.

One might ask, in the entire world, only the Gu Shizi could strike such a ruthless blow against the imperial court from every aspect!

But this is merely a guess.

They go to seek the Gu Shizi because they want to obtain the support of the Gu Shizi!

The current situation is just like this; whenever the world falls into chaos, the influence of the Gu Shizi rises!

If they could obtain the support of the Gu Shizi.

That would be a tremendous boon for all of them!

But Gu Yu has never made any choice.

Regarding the feudal lords of the four quarters.

He has always maintained the same attitude.

As the head of the Gu Shizi, every choice he makes concerns the rise or fall of the entire family; he cannot afford to be anything but cautious.

The situation is becoming increasingly turbulent.

Although Yang Guang has turned his attention to domestic affairs.

The current domestic situation still makes the state of the entire Sui court increasingly difficult.

The most critical issue is the instability of military morale!

Yang Guang’s temper has been completely indulged.

Once a person is accustomed to extravagance, it is impossible to return to those days of frugality.

This is exactly how Yang Guang is now.

He has become accustomed to the feeling of controlling everything, and can no longer return to the state of the Prince of Jin, who had to endure everything to compete for the position of Crown Prince in the past.

Whenever the situation does not go his way, he executes generals to vent his anger.

This causes the soldiers of the entire Sui army to live in fear day and night, making it impossible for them to suppress the rebellion with their full strength.

The state of the entire Great Sui is deteriorating day by day in a short period of time.

The fall of the nation—

These two words, which are clearly familiar yet feel strange, have appeared in everyone’s heart without them realizing it.

In just a few short years.

The entire Great Sui has reached a point of no retreat.

Taiyuan.

Li Yuan has lived a very difficult life over these years.

Since Yang Guang ascended the throne, his days have never known peace.

Yang Guang does not trust him.

If it were not for a series of self-humiliating measures and the circumstances of the situation, Li Yuan might not have been able to hold power even today.

But even so, Yang Guang has always sent people to monitor Li Yuan.

This makes Li Yuan very uneasy.

Especially the situation in recent years, which makes him feel anxious.

He is, after all, a royal kinsman of Yang Guang.

In the current situation, regardless of whether Yang Guang succeeds in suppressing the rebellion, he cannot see a way out for himself.

It seems he has only one way out.

That is to fight for it himself, and many people have already tried to persuade him to do so.

But Li Yuan has never been able to take that step.

However, Li Yuan is also making a series of preparations, letting his eldest son Li Jiancheng associate with talented people, while at the same time he himself is recruiting troops and accepting the surrender of rebel forces under the pretext of suppressing the rebellion.

This gives many people the opportunity to overthink.

However, Li Yuan does indeed need a boost!

Either he must be truly pushed to the brink, or he must be filled with absolute confidence!

Only then.

Perhaps Li Yuan can truly take that step!

At this time, Jinyang.

Li Shimin, dressed in battle armor, walked quickly into the government office. Pei Ji, the Vice-Supervisor of Jinyang Palace, first bowed and saluted, then asked: "Lord Pei, my father..."

"Sigh."

Pei Ji let out a deep sigh and shook his head before Li Shimin could finish speaking.

He naturally knew what Li Shimin wanted to ask.

Just a few days ago, Li Shimin had already found him, and the two of them naturally talked about wanting to help Li Yuan officially take this step.

As one of Li Yuan’s absolute confidants.

Pei Ji still has considerable influence with Li Yuan.

But unfortunately—

Perhaps because this matter is truly too critical, even Pei Ji did not say much when trying to persuade Li Yuan.

Seeing this, a look of helplessness flashed across Li Shimin’s face.

Although he is still young, only sixteen years old, the sharpness in him is not lacking in the slightest.

Over these years.

Li Shimin has already established some merits.

He is no longer the child in swaddling clothes; he has gradually become a very sharp sword.

And unlike the original history, as Li Shimin grew older, Gu Yi had also carefully observed him.

Li Shimin admires Gu Chen extremely.

And is deeply influenced by him.

The current chaotic world is a stroke of luck for Li Shimin, giving him the opportunity to emulate how Gu Chen once fought across the entire world!

He wants to push Li Yuan to rise up also because he has seen through the current world.

The Sui Dynasty is destined to perish.

This is a judgment Li Shimin is very certain of.

Yang Guang has completely incited the anger of the entire world, and coupled with the rumors from the four quarters, it is impossible for him to continue as Emperor.

Now, even if he suppresses the rebellion, it is just a final struggle.

As a royal kinsman of Yang Guang.

If they do not rise up, when the empire changes hands in the future, the fate of their Li family is destined to end in tragedy.

He believes Li Yuan can also see all of this.

But he does not know why Li Yuan is still unwilling to take this step.

The candlelight flickered, making the figures of the two in the tent appear to flicker in and out of the light.

Pei Ji’s eyes moved slightly, as if a flash of inspiration had struck, and he suddenly broke the silence: "Young Master, I do have one more plan."

Hearing this, Li Shimin’s eyes lit up immediately. He folded his hands and bowed solemnly to Pei Ji, saying earnestly: "Lord Pei has great wisdom, I hope you will not hesitate to teach me!"

Pei Ji did not rush to speak, but paced slowly to Li Shimin’s side.

He lowered his posture and whispered a few sentences in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

Before the words had even faded, Li Shimin’s face instantly turned cold and stern like frost. After a long time, he slowly shook his head: "This matter truly needs careful consideration."

"This..." Pei Ji’s expression was slightly stunned, his eyes full of confusion, "What does the Young Master mean?"

Li Shimin stared at the jumping candlelight on the desk, his Adam’s apple moving slightly as if he were weighing his words: "If we could obtain the assistance of the Gu Shizi, does Lord Pei think my father would be determined to raise the banner of righteousness?"

"The Gu Shizi?!" Pei Ji’s expression changed drastically.

He lowered his eyes to look at his clasped hands, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the lines on his palms: "Young Master may not know, but the Gu Shizi has lived in seclusion for many years. And regarding the matter of Gu Zhe back then..."

Before he finished speaking, the implication was self-evident.

As a cousin of Yang Guang, Li Yuan has both old grudges with the Gu Shizi and no bargaining chips to move the other party; how could this matter be easy?

Moreover, compared to other warlords in the world, what advantage does Li Yuan have now that would make the Gu Shizi willing to help?

Li Shimin took a deep breath, his sleeves brushing across the desk, causing the bamboo slips on it to tremble: "Lord Pei, as the saying goes, those who achieve great things do not dwell on trifles."

"If I can make my father take this crucial step, even if there are thousands of difficulties and dangers, it is nothing to fear!"

Pei Ji was shocked to the core upon hearing this, finally reading the determination in the young man’s eyes—

He intends to set up a scheme in the name of the Gu Shizi to push Li Yuan to rise up!

This matter can absolutely work.

Under the current situation, being able to obtain the support of the Gu Shizi would absolutely be like a needle to calm the sea.

But doing so would certainly come with a price.

In the world today, why is there no ambitious hero who would falsely use the name of the Gu Shizi?

Because as soon as this matter is done, there will certainly be a price to pay; the slightest carelessness would push the Gu Shizi further and further away, and the chain reaction caused by this move would be unimaginable.

Pei Ji’s expression was extremely grave as he carefully pondered the gains and losses involved.

Yet Li Shimin seemed to have already made his decision, looking at Pei Ji earnestly as he said, "If my Li clan can grant the world a prosperous age of peace and stability, how could a family like the Gu Shizi bear ill will toward my Li clan?"

Li Shimin’s tone was exceptionally resonant, his resolute face full of ambition and high aspirations.

In fact, he had always harbored a desire to befriend the Gu Shizi.

Whether it was for the sake of what Gu Chen had left behind, or for the sake of the entire world.

Li Shimin harbored endless ambition in his heart.

He had long since set a goal for himself; he intended to recreate the great feats of Gu Chen from years past.

To let the Ten Directions Conquest Envoys appear in the world once again.

To kill until this chaotic world is restored to stability; to kill until no one in the entire world dares to claim supremacy again!

Ps: (Kneeling to beg for monthly tickets; currently, we are approaching seven thousand monthly tickets, and we are still three thousand short of reaching the badge requirement. I beg you brothers for your support; there will be another update later! I will never break my word!!)

(End of this chapter)