Chapter 156: Li Shimin Ascends the Throne, Gu Yu Passes Away (Begging for Monthly Votes)

Time slipped swiftly by.

This matter caused an enormous stir throughout the entire court.

It was not only because of the Tujue's attack, nor because Gu Yu had been able to hold off the Tujue's invasion.

As the current head of the Gu clan.

Gu Yu being able to hold off the Tujue's invasion did not come as too great a shock to people.

What truly struck the ministers as unexpected was Gu Quan's death.

The Gu Quan of today was no obscure nobody; the status of the Gu clan, combined with the merits he had earned in several great battles, had long since made him the second most important figure in the army after Li Shimin.

How could the ministers not care when such a man had now passed away?

As for other thoughts—

Naturally some people secretly speculated about the identity of that masked general, but not a single one dared to speak it aloud.

After all, Gu Quan had openly followed Gu Yu away in front of Li Yuan and all the ministers.

Moreover, the court did not believe—

That anyone would pay such a price simply to support another person.

Under this strange atmosphere, the matter gradually faded away within the court.

Li Shimin was ultimately persuaded to hold back.

He did not muster the three armies, but instead, in his capacity as regent, once again dispatched envoys to the Tujue and redrafted the alliance between the two sides.

He deeply agreed with the words Gu Yu had written in his memorial.

For one who held power—

The truly difficult thing was forbearance and keeping one's original heart.

Li Shimin constantly reminded himself, telling himself that his aim was not to compete for momentary victory or defeat but to forge an unprecedented age of prosperity.

He would certainly have his revenge.

He would let the Jieli Khan know the price of repeatedly breaking the alliance and raiding the Great Tang.

But not now.

What he had to do now was stabilize the court, ascend to that position, and bring the entire realm fully back from years of chaos.

After thinking this through, Li Shimin immediately began his own scheming.

He began reducing the taxes on the people of the realm.

Not under Li Yuan's name, but under the banner of "Crown Prince Li Shimin," he ceaselessly gathered the hearts of the people across the realm.

Besides this—

He likewise made certain revisions to the imperial examinations.

He restored the Imperial Academy and established the Directorate of the Imperial Academy.

Making a series of preparations for his future governance.

Everyone could feel that the sky over the Great Tang was about to change completely.

Li Yuan had already become nothing more than a figurehead.

And Li Yuan himself understood this; watching as, under Li Shimin's governance, the entire Great Tang was so orderly in every respect.

Finally, on the third day of the eighth month.

Li Yuan seemed to have finally made his decision.

He summoned Pei Ji and made his attitude clear to him.

"If I abdicate and take the honorific title of Retired Emperor, what then?"

—Abdication!

Although Pei Ji had long anticipated this day as well, when he truly heard the news, a trace of unwillingness still lingered in his heart.

For who would be willing to accept it?

He was Li Yuan's man.

He had been Li Yuan's trusted confidant ever since Li Yuan first raised his banner.

After so much difficulty he had reached the point of unifying the realm and becoming the sole unrivaled figure at court, yet all of this was about to vanish like smoke and ashes.

How could he be willing to accept it?

Although he had gradually been stripped of real power, at the very least his official post remained.

People are just like that.

Once Li Shimin gradually sheathed the butcher's blade and the threat of death slowly faded, Pei Ji began to want more.

If Li Shimin ascended to the throne in the future—

Let alone any power, he likely could not even keep his current post.

"Your Majesty absolutely must not do this!" Pei Ji immediately dropped to his knees and earnestly began to counsel Li Yuan.

But Li Yuan had clearly made up his mind.

That was simply the kind of person he was—indecisive much of the time, but once his mind was set, others could hardly change it.

No matter how unwilling Pei Ji was, he had no choice but to accept this reality.

Yet the news of what had happened within the Palace of Supreme Purity spread regardless.

By the very next day, rumors that Li Yuan intended to abdicate had already circulated throughout the entire court.

This matter stirred towering waves across the whole court!

—Retired Emperor!

The only precedent the ministers could think of was how, in former years, Han Gao Zu Liu Bang, after fully unifying the realm, had honored his father Liu Taigong as Retired Emperor.

But what were the circumstances back then?

The Han Empire's realm was won by Liu Bang himself.

In contrast, his father Liu Taigong contributed nothing, merely leveraging his father's status to become Taishang Huang and enjoy comfort—this was perfectly reasonable!

But Li Yuan was different.

Li Shimin's merit was indeed great, but who could erase Li Yuan's merit?

Simply put—

In the Tang Empire's realm, Li Yuan was the hidden strategist behind the campaign, while Li Shimin was the executor.

The merits of these two men cannot be ranked in order.

How could he be made Taishang Huang?

Yet no matter how much the ministers debated, they could not resist the prevailing tide.

From the highest court ministers;

to the common people across the land;

who did not wish for Li Shimin to ascend the throne?

Who could change it?

The Eastern Palace.

Upon hearing this news, Li Shimin was ecstatic.

He had changed completely.

Becoming Emperor was his first step toward building a glorious era!

He had originally thought he would have to wait longer.

Now Li Yuan wished to abdicate immediately—he was naturally overjoyed.

But he also knew he must go through the so-called "three refusals and three entreaties."

Ritual law was often an umbrella protecting imperial power.

Li Shimin was supremely confident—he could do without these rituals, but he must also think of future generations.

On the eighth day of the eighth month;

Li Yuan formally issued an edict: "Heaven's favor rests upon the Virtuous Prince—the Qin Wang." He officially decided to pass the throne to Li Shimin.

A tug-of-war between father and son unfolded throughout the Tang Ting.

Li Shimin refused once;

refused a second time;

even Li Yuan grew angry—though he understood Li Shimin's intent, he still felt resentment.

The third time—

he decided to first issue a sacred decree forbidding Li Shimin from refusing, then issued the abdication edict again.

And this time, Li Shimin naturally did not refuse.

On the ninth day of the eighth month, in the Xiande Hall of Taiji Palace.

Li Shimin formally accepted the homage of all officials, announced the change of era to "Zhen Guan," named Princess Changsun as Empress, made his eldest son Li Chengqian Crown Prince, granted amnesty across the land, and officially ascended as Emperor.

A brand-new era officially began from this day.

And the very next day,

Li Shimin announced the abolition of Wu De's old policies, implemented the Zhen Guan New Policies, and made a series of personnel appointments across the court.

Only then did the ministers fully realize just how decisive Li Shimin was.

This was Li Shimin's invincible will.

Upon ascending the throne, he immediately issued new policies and reshuffled personnel.

He was not afraid the ministers would be dissatisfied and cause unrest.

No one could deter his resolve to build a glorious era; he refused to waste any time on such matters.

He appointed Changsun Zhangsun Wuji as Minister of Personnel and Duke of Qi;

Fang Xuanling as Secretary of the Central Secretariat and Duke of Xing;

Du Ruhui as Minister of War and Duke of Cai;

Yuichi Gong as Grand General of the Right Wu Hou and Duke of Wu;

All those civil and military officials who had once followed him now officially entered the core of Tang power—the foundation of the Zhen Guan court was thus formed.

This even included Wei Zheng and other ministers who had once served Li Jiancheng.

This was Li Shimin's extraordinary nature!

Whenever he recognized a man's exceptional ability, he set aside past grievances.

The court and realm were stirred with turmoil.

He gave no overt rewards to the Gu clan, merely promoting them gradually according to their merit, and did not interfere with the Grand Tutor's authority.

This led many to form other ideas.

They thought Li Shimin's actions stemmed from the Gu clan's failure to openly support him, and so on.

But none knew that Li Shimin had already granted the Gu clan their reward—only that it had not yet fully manifested.

A brand-new era officially arrived.

Compared to the reforms conducted by Gu Yu, Li Shimin's own imperial implementation of the new policies was far more thorough.

He redrew provincial and commandery boundaries and abolished related officials.

Unlike in original history.

Now, having traveled more of the land, Li Shimin understood the people's exhaustion far better than he had in original history.

Likewise, with Julu and past glorious eras as templates.

He also became clearer on how to allow the people to rest and cultivate.

Land distribution;

Clean governance in officialdom;

Criminal law;

Commerce;

During those years in Chang'an, Li Shimin did not merely think about resolving his own crises—he also considered how to enrich the realm and build a golden age.

He had already worked out everything for these matters.

Though details still required supplementation from Changsun Wujie, Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, and others.

But as emperor, Li Shimin needed only to point out a general direction—and that was enough!

In truth, Li Shimin wished to recall Gu Yu to court.

He understood Gu Yu's talents perfectly.

If Gu Yu returned, he would surely partner with this emperor to forge a golden age unlike any before, at the fastest possible speed.

But unfortunately, Gu Yu could no longer hold on.

His life had been ill-timed; most of it had been spent searching for a future for the Gu clan.

Compared to other gifted Gu clan members, his direct impact on the realm was not as immediate, yet his contribution to the family was unimaginable.

He placed all his hopes upon future generations.

In fact, even now, Gu Yi felt Li Shimin was one of the people Gu Yu had entrusted his legacy to.

Otherwise—

Given Gu Yu's nature, he would never have spoken so much to Li Shimin after arriving in Julu, and later in Chang'an.

Isn't what Li Shimin is doing now precisely what Gu Yu envisioned?

Ill-timed life was Gu Yu's greatest sorrow.

Yet to meet a ruler like Li Shimin in his old age, and those successors who would carry his wishes—this too was Gu Yu's fortune.

At least, someone remained to finish what he could not.

Li Shimin also deeply cared about Gu Yu's physical condition.

But what could be done?

The root cause of Gu Yu's weakening body was not illness—it was merely his age; even Gu Yi could do nothing about it.

All men reach the limit of their strength; Gu Yu had already expended too much of his spirit in silent devotion to his family.

After learning this, Li Shimin fell silent for a long while.

And from then on—

He cherished time even more.

In October;

Li Shimin resolved to establish the Censorate to supervise all officials, subdividing it into the Court Division, Palace Division, and Inspection Division, and dispatching Censorial Officials to patrol the regions, fully initiating the reorganization of Tang's officialdom.

The gravity of this matter far surpassed anything before.

To the court officials, Li Shimin's action constituted a genuine threat to their vested interests.

The wave of opposition was likewise far greater than ever before.

Eventually,

The matter had even reached Li Yuan's ears, with hopes that Li Yuan could persuade Li Shimin to relent.

But Li Shimin's stance remained utterly unchanged.

Before the court, facing all officials, he declared aloud, his voice resounding: "If officialdom is not clean, the people will not be at peace!"

"I intend to see officialdom as clear as a mirror, prefectures and counties free of dust!"

He entrusted this matter to the Gu clan's descendants.

Not only out of trust, but also because he knew this was what the Gu clan excelled at most.

Since the days of Gu Kang,

Every generation of Gu clan leaders had cared more deeply about officialdom than others, especially after Gu Xi, when it became an established practice.

In addition, he formally abolished the Wu De-era "Five Averages and Six Monopolies" policy targeting merchants, stimulated private trade, ordered the casting of "Kaiyuan Tongbao" coins, and resolved to gradually phase out old currency.

He officially launched the Zhen Guan-era reforms.

——The Four Quarters were shaken.

Li Shimin successively dispatched officials to oversee the implementation of policies across the realm, including land equalization, taxation, and every detail under his scrutiny.

The people of the Four Quarters all felt the emperor's grace.

Though court policies continued to pour forth, these targeted only the regional officials.

For the lowest-level commoners,

They could merely sense the court's resolve to let the people rest and recover.

The people of the realm had suffered too long.

Though they could not yet fully perceive the changes brought by officialdom reform, even the mere reduction in taxes was enough to make them deeply grateful to the court.

But could all things proceed so smoothly?

In the first year of Zhen Guan, natural disaster struck the Guanzhong region once more.

This disaster was by no means severe, yet the people of the realm were already utterly exhausted.

Even though the disaster was not serious, it still triggered a great famine across Guanzhong.

This was a major blow to the implementation of the new policies.

Especially since Li Shimin's一贯听劝 nature gave those ministers who had long opposed his policies the perfect opportunity.

Taiji Hall.

"Your Majesty, during the Wu De era, there was never a great calamity. Now that the new policies have just been implemented, disaster has returned—it is no auspicious omen. Your humble minister begs Your Majesty to consider the people of the realm and restore the Wu De policies."

"The realm is exhausted, and now disaster strikes again. If Your Majesty wishes to revitalize the realm, you must restore the Wu De policies!"

"."

As one official after another stepped out, their cries echoed through the hall, each face filled with such sincerity, as if they truly cared for the people of the realm.

These men were almost all veterans of the Wu De reign.

Li Shimin did not act against them directly; he merely stripped them of real power.

This too was Li Shimin's mercy toward them.

After all, Li Yuan is still alive.

These men were all old comrades of Li Yuan.

The atmosphere was utterly silent.

Looking at the men before him, Li Shimin's gaze grew colder, yet he did not erupt in anger; instead, he turned to Pei Ji and said calmly, "Why does the Grand Commandant remain silent?"

How could he not see that all these men were led by Pei Ji?

How could he let the true master remain uninvolved?

"Your Majesty," Pei Ji took a deep breath, bowed to Li Shimin, and hesitated before saying, "I dare not speak much on the new policies, but I know Your Majesty's ambition to revive the Nine Provinces."

"Now that the new policies have just been enacted, disaster has descended."

"Perhaps it is Heaven's will. I humbly beg Your Majesty to consider the ministers' advice."

He did not speak too directly, yet his stance was clear.

This was Pei Ji's cleverness.

"Grand Commandant, your words are mistaken."

Before Li Shimin could speak, Wei Zheng immediately snapped, stepping forward quickly: "What has this disaster to do with the new policies?"

"If you know Your Majesty's ambition, how can you say such things?"

"Surely restoring the old Wu De system will stop the great famine?"

"Did all you colleagues forget what Marquis Wencheng once said: 'Respect the spirits, but keep them at a distance'?"

He left no one the slightest bit of face.

Instantly, Pei Ji and the others' faces darkened.

The Gu School is one of the core classics of Confucianism today; Wei Zheng accusing them of forgetting "Respect the spirits, but keep them at a distance" was, in plain terms, an insult.

In contrast, when Li Shimin saw this, the anger on his face gradually faded.

He loved Wei Zheng like this.

Though this man often gave advice without regard for context, at times like these, such men were invaluable.

"Enough."

Seeing someone about to erupt, he intervened at the right moment, then slowly rose and said, "Wei Zheng speaks truly: 'Respect the spirits, but keep them at a distance' was the very foundation of Marquis Wencheng's words."

"I have studied the classics and histories since childhood."

"Recall when Marquis Wenxiang, Lord Xi, dealt with the Nine Provinces' calamities—did he ever yield?"

"To conquer half of Heaven's will;"

"I have remembered this saying since the day I first heard it. If Marquis Wenxiang could withstand the Nine Provinces' calamities, why should I, his descendant, be unable to withstand a famine in Guanzhong?"

"Issue the edict—"

"From this day forward, the court shall launch relief efforts and exempt all disaster-stricken regions from taxes for the entire year."

"Anyone who dares to speak of restoring the old Wu De policies shall not escape my wrath!"

As he spoke the final words, Li Shimin's gaze sharpened, locking onto Pei Ji and the others.

Instantly, Pei Ji and the others felt a wave of killing intent and instinctively bowed their heads.

They dared not say another word.

A grand relief campaign unfolded across the entire Guanzhong region.

Only now, at this moment,

did the benefits of administrative reform fully reveal themselves. Though it had only just begun, it sent a powerful shock through all regional officials!

This great disaster did not, as those men had imagined, spark any unrest.

On the contrary, upon hearing the court's policies, disaster victims across the realm praised Li Shimin's wisdom.

No one felt despair.

Even at this dire moment, the refugees of Guanzhong still held hope for the future.

It was the longing for a golden age!

Shuofang.

The atmosphere was utterly silent.

Gu Yan knelt beside the bed, his voice choked as he recounted the news from the provinces and the court's new policies to Gu Yu.

He bit his lower lip hard, veins bulging on his cheeks, eyes red, yet stubbornly refusing to let tears fall.

Behind him, the Gu clan disciples stood rigid, heads bowed, muffled sobs rising and falling in the silent room.

Gu Yu lay still, his face pale as death, his breath so faint it was nearly imperceptible.

Since that great battle's victory, his already weakened body had grown even more frail.

Yet even so, he forced himself to rise each day, poring over Gu clan texts, studying steppe warfare tactics, personally instructing his officers and soldiers in training.

He poured all his life's knowledge and understanding of the steppe into this final training.

This was the last thing he left to Li Shimin, to Gu Quan, to Gu Yan, and the others.

He firmly believed that Li Shimin would also have need of these in the near future.

After Gu Yan finished speaking, Gu Yu's eyelids moved slightly, and as if summoning all his strength, he slowly opened his eyes.

His clouded gaze swept over the gathered sons and grandsons before him, and in a voice faint as a gossamer thread he said, "Your Majesty is a sage Son of Heaven; this is the blessing of the Nine Provinces, and likewise the blessing of our Gu clan!"

The room instantly fell into deathly silence; everyone instinctively softened their breathing, hoping to engrave every single word of Gu Yu deep into their hearts.

Gu Yu paused, and a hoarse sound came from his throat: "In the years past, when the Han court collapsed and the world fell into great chaos, our Gu clan paid a bitter price to protect the family's inheritance and to safeguard the common folk of this land."

"Generation after generation of yielding, generation after generation of walking on thin ice…"

Speaking to this point, a single clouded tear seeped from the corner of his eye and slid slowly down along his wrinkles.

"It is precisely this that has won for our Gu clan the best opportunity to return to its peak."

His voice suddenly rose a little, a flash of light passing through his eyes, "But you must remember — never, for the sake of a moment's lust for power, ruin the entire clan!"

"The honor or disgrace of a single moment is not what our Gu clan contends for."

"Just as our ancestors said—"

"There is no immortal dynasty under heaven; you all must remember this point. For our Gu clan, the rise and fall of a dynasty may be cast aside, but the honor and disgrace of the Nine Provinces may not be cast aside."

"Only by ensuring this, by merging our Gu clan's fortunes with the rise and fall of the entire Nine Provinces, can our Gu clan endure forever."

Suddenly, Gu Yu began to cough violently, his body trembling beyond his control, his breathing growing rapid and ragged — yet he forced himself to hold on with his very last breath, and said with a steadfast gaze: "After I die, bury me back in Julu."

"That is the root of our Gu clan; I wish to keep company with our ancestors."

He paused for a long while, then continued with great difficulty, "Tell Your Majesty… do not bestow a posthumous name upon me."

"In this life, though I campaigned on the battlefield, I earned no merit for the realm; I must not sully the reputation of our forebears."

"If Quan'er has offspring in the future, be sure to send them to the Gu clan."

"His whole life, he has given far, far too much for our Gu clan."

"The things I have left behind, you may examine them carefully; if in some future day the world welcomes an age of prosperity, they may perhaps be put into practice."

"."

His voice grew weaker and weaker, broken and断续.

Accompanying those sounds of weeping, Gu Yu's aged hands at last fell limply to the bedside.

First year of Zhenguan, eighth month;

Grand Tutor of Great Tang, Gu Yu, passed away at Shuofang.

(PS: The guaranteed monthly votes have refreshed mid-month — brothers, please lend a hand and give plenty of support; this era of prosperity will far surpass all that came before!)

(End of chapter)