The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 507: The Hope of the Aristocratic Family
Pei Ji was not angry at the ridicule of the crowd. He just sighed and said, "My dear uncles, I dare to ask you a question - why did Qin and Tang finally conquer the world when so many heroes emerged at the end of the Han Dynasty?"

The hall fell silent for a moment. The head of the Cui family narrowed his eyes and asked, "What do you mean, nephew Pei?"

Pei Ji looked around at everyone, his voice was soft but every word was clear: "Because the emperor knows how to 'use the emperor to control the princes'. Now the emperor has ascended the throne and has millions of soldiers under his command. Moreover, he has implemented new policies and won the hearts of the people. If we confront him head-on, wouldn't it be like hitting a rock with an egg?"

The head of the Lu family sneered: "My family has gone through hundreds of years of ups and downs. Are we afraid of a newly established dynasty?"

"That's right!" The head of the Zheng family slammed the table and said disdainfully: "The previous Emperor Guangwu was so powerful, but what can he do in the face of us, the noble families?"

Pei Ji felt a chill in his heart after hearing this. He certainly knew why these people were dissatisfied with Qin Shou. It all came down to interests. These people were not loyal subjects and did not get any benefits.

Look at the newly promoted noble families, Xun, Zhong, Sima, Gu, Zhang, etc., all of them are noble families with fiefs. Recently, the criteria for evaluating noble families in the upper class have changed from talent and time to titles.

Only if you have a fiefdom can you be called a noble family, and only if you have a fiefdom can you be called the foundation of a family.

These people in front of him, even including the Pei family, even though they have connections in the court and a lot of land at home, they are all noble families, but they have no fiefdoms. They can only be a prominent family and a local tyrant.

As old-fashioned families, how could they possibly agree to such a thing?
But there was nothing to be done. Those who had fiefs were all loyal ministers of the emperor, especially those who had military merits, and they had nothing to do with the aristocratic families in front of them.

Most of these aristocratic families were composed of civil officials, but it was very difficult for civil officials to be granted titles. Except for a few who were granted the title of duke, the titles of others were not hereditary, which meant that if they did not make any contributions, their titles would be downgraded in the future.

But no matter what, in the end he could still keep a part of his fiefdom and still be among the aristocratic families, which was much better than people like himself.

"Zheng Shibo, be careful with your words!" Pei Ji suddenly raised his voice, interrupted him, and whispered: "This is a different time. Your Majesty has implemented the equal-field system in Guanzhong, and the people have enough food and drink; he has set up a military academy in the army, and the generals from humble families are loyal. What's more terrifying is that Qin's style is pervasive. Today we are gathered here to discuss, and maybe tomorrow it will reach your Majesty's ears."

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over everyone's heads. The heads of the families looked at each other, cold sweat oozing from their foreheads.

The head of the Cui family tried to remain calm and said, "Then follow my nephew's opinion."

Pei Ji took out a scroll of bamboo slips from his sleeve and said, "I have prepared a petition for the Pei family to donate all the excess land in the family to the court. I will also copy the books in the family and present them to the court. In addition, the Pei family will make every effort to prepare for the first imperial examination."

He had figured out that the most important thing about the Nine-Rank System that the emperor was going to implement was the imperial examination. The selection of the so-called Zhongzheng officials was secondary; the most crucial thing was still the imperial examination.

He could even conclude that the imperial examination would be the right path in the future, and that everyone, whether from a noble family or a poor family, would take this path.

But this goes against the ideas of the aristocratic families.

"You!" The head of the Lu family was so angry that his beard was shaking. He pointed at the other party and cursed: "You are going to be a traitor to the family!" Donating land would be fine, but he also donated his own collection of books to the court. This is simply digging up the foundation of the family. In this era, books are monopolized and owned by the aristocratic families. It is impossible for the poor to get access to them.

Although Qin Shou invented papermaking and printing, and was able to print many books with the help of Cai Yong, many books were still privately owned by aristocratic families.

Pei was indeed a traitor to the family by presenting the book at this time.

Pei Ji smiled calmly: "Lu Shibo, he who knows the current situation is a hero. Your Majesty once said, 'All the talents in the world are within our grasp.' Rather than passively being beaten, it is better to take the initiative to seek change. My Pei family is willing to be the 'first family to seek change.'"

Pei Ji's words were like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, stirring up thousands of waves. There was an uproar in the hall, and the faces of several family heads were uncertain. Some were angry, some were in deep thought, and some had a hint of hesitation in their eyes.

Cui Yan, the head of the Cui family, slowly stood up, stroked the bamboo slips on the table with his old hands, and said in a deep voice: "Nephew Pei, have you thought it through? Once the land is donated, the foundation accumulated by the Pei family for hundreds of years will be..."

"Uncle Cui." Pei Ji said, neither servile nor arrogant. "I made this decision for the future of the Pei family. Your Majesty is determined to implement the new policy. Instead of waiting for the court to force us to surrender, it is better to offer it voluntarily. Perhaps it can give the family a glimmer of hope."

Zheng Hong, the head of the Zheng family, sneered: "What a 'glimmer of hope'! Pei Ji, are you scared by the emperor? My noble family and I are of the same blood. If we unite..."

"What if we unite?" Pei Ji suddenly raised his voice and looked at Zheng Hong with burning eyes. "Has Lord Zheng forgotten the fate of Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, Sun Quan and others? No matter how powerful we are, can we compare to these people?"

This sentence was like a sharp sword, instantly piercing the tense atmosphere in the hall. Everyone's face changed suddenly. Not to mention Cao Cao and Sun Quan, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were from the family of three officials for four generations, occupied the land of Hebei, had millions of elite soldiers, and who knows how many students and former officials, but in the end, they all disappeared.

Although people like us come from prominent families, we are still far behind these people.

The head of the Lu family, Lu Yu, sighed and sat back at the table dejectedly: "Is there really no other way?"

Pei Ji looked around at everyone, his voice low but firm: "My uncles, times have changed. Your Majesty founded the country with military merits, and he values ​​practical matters over fame. If my family wants to continue its glory, we must adapt to this new era."

He unfolded the book in his hand and continued, "The imperial examination system seems to have cut off our right to recommend candidates, but with the background of each family, it is not difficult to train their children to pass the examinations. As for Xiantian, I have received news that His Majesty intends to select the first batch of students for the Military Academy from the children of the Xiantian family."

"What?" Cui Yan raised his head suddenly, a gleam of light flashed in his cloudy eyes. As the highest institution for training military officers in the new dynasty, its students will surely rise to prominence in the future.

What will the Tang Dynasty be like in the future? That is, you will be awarded a title for your military achievements. It is almost impossible to be awarded a title for being a civil official. After all, if you are not a loyal minister, you will have no chance to be awarded a title.
Joining the Military Academy and building up military merits will greatly increase your chances of success. This is also one of the ways to obtain fiefdoms.

For a moment, hope appeared on everyone's faces.

(End of this chapter)