Northern Dynasties

Chapter 1309: The Tree of Ten Circles

Since he was stripped of his official position and returned home, and one of his sons was demoted and another was exiled, Yu Jin's house was no longer crowded with guests as before. The sycophants no longer visited him frequently, and Yu Jin himself became low-key and cautious, no longer entertaining guests at home except for his close relatives and friends.

When the imperial guards suddenly arrived at the Duke of Yong's mansion, the entire mansion suddenly became panicked and chaotic. Even Yu Jin's face suddenly changed drastically, and he whispered to his close servants: "Why doesn't Your Majesty want to disturb us?"

However, when the imperial guards made their purpose clear, saying that the Supreme would be visiting Duke Yong soon and that they had only been ordered to come here in advance for security arrangements, the panicked Yu Jin family members finally calmed down. Soon they became excited again and actively cooperated with the imperial guards to make various security arrangements. They even cut down several old locust trees that had been transplanted into this mansion at the beginning of the year with great effort.

There is strength in numbers. Although Yu Jin's mansion was very large, it took less than an hour to tidy up the place. The screen wall and the verandas at the front yard were all demolished, and the rubble on the ground was swept away and covered with thick felt carpets.

The overall changes in the central hall for banquets were not very big, but it was cleaned from the top beam to the eaves, and the furnishings in the hall were replaced. Some overly luxurious and gorgeous furnishings were replaced with simple and restrained decorations.

As for the inner hall of the mansion, although the Supreme would not come here, some of the female relatives and servants in the mansion had been moved elsewhere, and royal guards were stationed in the corridors in front of the hall. In addition, the food staff and wine and food materials of the Food Bureau of the Palace Province had also moved in.

This was not only the first time that the Emperor visited a minister's residence since the founding of the dynasty, but also when everyone thought that Yu Jin was about to fall out of favor and power, and even Yu Jin's family members had such thoughts, the Emperor suddenly showed favor again. The entire Yongguo Mansion was filled with a cheerful and festive atmosphere. Even if they were asked to demolish the entire mansion and then redecorate it, they would probably be happy to do so.

The house was rearranged by the imperial guards and servants. Yu Jin changed into formal clothes and led his children, grandchildren and relatives to the outside of the town gate early in the morning to wait for the arrival of the emperor.

The Supreme Lord visited the Duke of Yong's Mansion today, but he also invited some other ministers and nobles from the capital. Therefore, when it was getting close to evening, the invited ministers who were scattered among the various blocks in the city also gathered at Yu Jinfangju.

Since the emperor had not arrived yet, everyone naturally did not dare to go to Yu Jin's house first, so they all waited outside the gate with Yu Jin's family. However, since the nearby street envoys had been notified in advance, they all paid great attention to directing traffic. Although there were many officials and carriages from all directions, there was no traffic jam, and everyone went in and out in an orderly manner.

"Your Majesty may be taking this opportunity to warn the people in the capital to follow the street cleaning order and be careful not to violate the rules. Even if there are crowds of people and travelers, the streets will not be blocked and it will be difficult for people and horses in the city to move!"

When an official came here and saw this scene, he couldn't help but think secretly. Recently, the capital issued a street cleaning order, and many powerful families in Beijing were inevitably subject to inspections. So when he saw a similar scene, he couldn't help but subconsciously associate it with something else.

Although everyone has different views and feelings about this new street cleaning method, and quite a few powerful people in the capital can't help but feel resistance, after a period of intensive law enforcement, many people have realized the existence of this ban, and in order to avoid unnecessary trouble, they have begun to consciously reduce some illegal behaviors.

After all, these actions are nothing more than seeking convenience. However, if they are targeted by Jingzhao Prefecture or the two county governments, no matter how heavy the punishment is, it will undoubtedly add a lot of troubles, which exceeds the convenience brought by the previous violations.

As the sky gradually darkened, the emperor arrived as promised, and everyone gathered themselves together and went to greet him.

"There are some cases left in the palace. I will have time to go out after I finish dealing with them. I am sorry to have kept you waiting for so long."

Li Tai slowly stepped down from the imperial chariot and waved to the civil and military ministers who had been waiting for a long time. Then he stepped forward, leaned over and pulled up Yu Jin who was already bowing on the left side of the road. He said with a warm smile: "I came to visit you today. Duke Yong did not blame me for being an unwelcome guest. I am already very grateful. There is really no need to be polite!"

"I am truly overwhelmed by your kindness! Your Majesty has come to me and brought glory to my humble home. If you find this disturbing, then I would secretly wish to be with you year after year, day after day, morning after night!"

Yu Jin bowed deeply again, and then stood up with the help of the Supreme Lord. He held the Supreme Lord's arms tightly with both hands, so that Li Tai could not withdraw his arms. He wanted to help Yang Zhong and others who were bowing behind him, but they could not do it. They could only smile and say, "No need to be so polite, gentlemen."

Li Tai felt the perfect force from Yu Jin's palm on his arm, and for a moment he couldn't help but sigh that everyone will grow old eventually.

Yu Jin has also experienced the ups and downs of life in the world for many years, but as he grows older, especially after the end of their era, it has become difficult for him to gain new merits and prestige through conventional channels. He can only maintain his influence in the current situation through other means. To do this, he may need to use some small tricks that even he himself did not look down upon in the past.

Take the present for example, even if Yu Jin became the only minister present who was supported by the Supreme Emperor and exempted from formalities, it really meant nothing to Li Tai. If he wanted, he could spend half an hour tonight to help all the ministers who came to see him stand up one by one. This actually did not have much practical significance for Yu Jin, but it could bring him considerable comfort.

After putting away his feelings, Li Tai did not deliberately ignore Yu Jin's face, but held Yu Jin's wrist with his backhand, and then walked into the square together. In addition to nodding in response to the ministers one by one, he also asked Yu Jin with interest to introduce the descendants of the Yu family standing behind the ministers.

Yu Jin's family is large. In addition to those who had been dealt with before and those who were serving as officials outside, there were more than a dozen descendants present. The older ones were mature and steady, while the younger ones were just children.

Among the first six leaders of the Western Wei Dynasty, Yu Jin's family was the most prosperous, and Yu Jin was the only one still alive. From the perspective of obsessive-compulsive disorder, it was indeed a bit of an eyesore.

Of course, Li Tai's visit this time was not to remove this somewhat annoying existence. If he murdered a hero for such a reason, it would be more or less a bit wrong. Even a spirited young man like Qi Lord Gao Yang would not do that.

The hall of Yu Jin's house was originally very spacious and grand. After some modifications and arrangements, it could accommodate more guests. The guests Li Tai invited today were mainly the ministers who were among the top in the court. After everyone took their seats one by one, the hall became very spacious and comfortable.

"My lord, despite being so busy with state affairs, still took the time to grant me grace and visit my home. I am truly grateful and flattered. What a pity that I am too old and weak to offer anything. I can only offer a cup of wine to wish my lord eternal blessings and a long life!" As everyone entered the hall and took their seats, Yu Jin, as the host, stood up first to propose a toast. He still had some doubts and anxieties in his heart, because he didn't know the specific intention of the Supreme Lord's visit to his home today. In addition to the blow he had suffered a few days ago, he kept a very low profile today.

Li Tai gave Yu Jin enough face. He stood up from the table, held the cup and came to Yu Jin's table and said with a smile: "Mr. Yu has made great contributions to the country and is well-known throughout the world. Why don't you have something to offer? I have benefited from you for a long time! The depth of our friendship is hard to express in words. Let's drink this cup and we will understand each other's hearts!"

When Yu Jin heard these words, his face immediately showed excitement. He tilted his head back and drank the wine in the glass. He kept this posture for a while, until the remaining wine on the wall of the glass flowed into his mouth. Then he held the empty glass with both hands to show his gratitude, as if there was really some precious liquid in the glass.

Afterwards, Yang Zhong and other ministers also stood up to toast. Although Li Tai could not respond one by one, he filled his glass with wine again and drank it all. When he returned to the table, he sighed and said, "This is a great day! Not only am I reunited with all my old friends, but also because my contributions have not been in vain and we are honored together in this world! In the past, the Qi family stole my life and trapped me in Guanzhong. Although I had the strength to do my best, I could not stretch my strength. Now that the strong enemy has been eliminated and the mountains and rivers are unobstructed, you all have made great contributions. I am now in charge of the world, and I should thank you all for the people of the world!"

"Your Majesty, in accordance with the will of Heaven, protects the people of the world. We, the ministers, are fortunate to follow your Majesty and sacrifice our humble bodies to accomplish great deeds!"

Everyone was humble and their expressions became more joyful. They were all successful now and were already very happy. When they thought about how the old enemies of Northern Qi had all become slaves of a fallen country, their joy naturally became even stronger.

Li Tai personally left the palace today and came to Yu Jin's residence to meet with the ministers. Naturally, it was not just for celebration. He first had a banquet with everyone, which made the atmosphere in the hall cheerful and lively, but the atmosphere was soon destroyed.

After drinking the wine in the cup in front of him, he raised his hand and stopped the waiter from refilling the glass. Then he sighed with some regret, lowered his head and looked at the people in the hall who were laughing and talking, and said in a deep voice: "There have been many things happening in the capital recently, and many of them have involved your families. Today, you have put aside your own family worries and come here to have fun together, which shows the depth of your friendship."

After these words were spoken, the still joyful atmosphere in the hall immediately cooled. Many people were forcing themselves to smile, and now the smiles on their faces became more and more superficial. They didn't know whether they should continue to maintain them.

"In the past, the world was in chaos and the righteous path was not flourishing. Human affairs had to be handled appropriately, and sometimes the laws were not strict. But this is not the norm, it is just a way to deal with chaos. Now that the constitution has been promulgated and everything has been renewed, the chaos of the past must be eliminated one by one. Although the Lord is the Son of Heaven on Horseback, he should also be a peaceful and holy monarch. Therefore, he issued administrative orders and preached the teachings of the king, so that all industries will prosper and all people will obey the law."

Yang Zhong, who had been relatively silent, stood up from the table and said to the Supreme with a serious expression: "There are indeed some uneasy things in my family, but they are all caused by the unfilial behavior of my family members. I only wait for the officials to make fair judgments, and I dare not ask for favoritism."

He learned from his new wife that it was because she went to the palace to plead for mercy and was seen by the Supreme, so the Supreme decided to leave the palace to meet with the ministers on a whim. So he was nervous, and when he heard the Supreme take the initiative to bring up this topic, he quickly stood up and expressed his opinion.

When the other people heard what Yang Zhong said, their expressions became a little unnatural, especially Yu Jin, who had already been punished. His face became even more gloomy at this moment, and he even began to wonder if the Supreme Master would come to his house with Yang Zhong and others to continue to punish him today?

"Duke Anguo's words are indeed reasonable and appropriate, but they are also somewhat alienated from human nature. To keep the world well governed, we must rely on abiding by the law, but the law and human nature also have something in common."

Li Tai first raised his hand, motioning Yang Zhong to sit down, and then he spoke again: "I am now in power, but pacifying the world and establishing the country is not the work of one person. You have all helped me in this matter, and I know in my heart that it is natural for us to share wealth and honor. I have made laws and disciplined the people in order to seek order in the world, but the only thing I can talk about between me and you should not be just laws and regulations.

Now I ask you, who does not hope to last long after making achievements? Did the Qi clan have such great joy? Why was it so difficult to continue their achievements and was destroyed in one generation? Except for the heroic and brave rulers and ministers of the Tang clan, was it also related to the fact that their children were corrupt and unable to maintain their achievements? Why were their followers noble in the past, but now they are slaves of the Tang clan? "

At this point, he looked at Yu Jin again and continued in a serious tone, "Yu is a founding father of the Principality, with a deep reputation that can benefit all his descendants, but can this family rival a country?"

After hearing this, Yu Jin stood up in a hurry and said with a face full of shame: "My family education was not strict, my sons were not good, and I failed to follow the family rules. I let them violate the national law and they should be punished. I only regret that I could not eliminate the crime before it happened."

"Your words are too much. Although being able to balance public and private affairs is a model for a minister, if it is difficult to do both, putting public affairs before private affairs is also a sign of loyalty and diligence. You have worked very hard for state affairs, and it is inevitable that you have neglected family affairs. Therefore, the court needs to propose a reduction in the penalty and show mercy in the law. But you should also know that the law is showing mercy to reward you, not to encourage the evildoers under your command to grow!"

Li Tai stood up from the table, looked around at them and said, "A tree of ten circumference starts life like a shoot. If a good tree is allowed to grow again, dead branches will kill it, and how can its crown and leaves be strong? You have all sacrificed your lives for the country and served the country, how can I bear to see your lives end in an instant? It is easy to be rich and noble for a lifetime. If any of you have trouble making a living, the fault lies with me! It is difficult to be rich and noble for generations. If my disciples do not keep it, who should be blamed?"

"Your Majesty has good intentions, and we are grateful from the bottom of our hearts!"

After hearing this, everyone stood up from their seats and bowed in response.

"Everyone has a mother's love for her child. If you can't bear to see your son wandering around in the world, you can bring him back home tonight."

Li Tai looked at Yu Jin again and said with a smile.

After hearing this, Yu Jin hurriedly took off his hat and bowed his head, saying, "I thank you very much, my lord, for your kindness. I have violated the law and will not be allowed to stay here!"