Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 689 Reunion with Chen Zhongshu

Inside the Jing'an Marquis's residence.

Yang Zhengshan is receiving an unexpected guest.

Chen Zhongshu!
The old man finally couldn't resist and came to Kyoto.

Well, he had no choice but to come to Kyoto, since the imperial tombs of Daiei had fallen into the hands of Dai'an.

It was impossible for him to continue living quietly in the imperial mausoleum.

In the tea room, Yang Zhengshan and Chen Zhongshu sat facing each other, with wisps of warm tea steam rising and a rich aroma of tea surrounding them.

Chen Zhongshu stroked the warm teacup, his gaze lowered as he looked at the pale yellow, clear tea inside.

"Life is unpredictable! Who could have imagined things would turn out like this!"

"If His Majesty had known this would happen, he certainly wouldn't have spared you!"

Chen Zhongshu's voice was deep, unlike the others; it was deep with a hint of sharpness. Although the voice wasn't loud, it clearly reached Yang Zhengshan's ears.

Yang Zhengshan looked at him, stroked his long beard, and a slight smile appeared on his face.

"Haha, you and I are old friends, so just say what you mean, why accuse me in such a veiled way!"

The emperor Chen Zhongshu referred to was not Emperor Yanping or Emperor Jianxing, but Emperor Chengping.

If Emperor Chengping knew that the Yang family would one day gain great power and rule the world, would he have killed Yang Zhengshan first?
The answer is yes.

Given Emperor Chengping's ambition and character, he would never leave Yang Zhengshan as a potential threat.

But Chen Zhongshu was right, things are unpredictable!

Back then, Yang Zhengshan never thought of rebelling, much less of having his grandson become an emperor.

In his heart, imperial power was actually a burden; what he wanted most was not power, but transcendence.

What he wanted most was for the Yang family to be above the imperial power.

However, this was also inspired by the Temple of Martial Gods. If the Temple of Martial Gods could stand above many dynasties, then why couldn't the Yang family stand above the imperial dynasty?

However, this ambition only arose after the Yang family moved to Star Moon Island; he had never had such thoughts before.

When Emperor Chengping was still alive, he was a loyal and capable minister.

Chen Zhongshu was not saying this to criticize Yang Zhengshan; he was simply reminding Yang Zhengshan not to forget the trust Emperor Chengping had placed in him.

Chen Zhongshu gave a wry smile. "It seems I have no room to bargain with you now!"

Yang Zhengshan gently shook his head. "You're wrong. The fact that you're sitting here proves that you have room to bargain with me!"

"You yourself said that things are unpredictable. Although I played a part in the destruction of Da Rong, everyone should understand that Da Rong was not destroyed by my Yang family!"

"Back then, I didn't think about anything. In fact, to avoid conflict with the imperial court, I even moved the Yang family away from Darong!"

"It's just that sometimes things are beyond our control!"

"Although I left Darong, I still can't let go of Chongshan Town and Tenglong Guard!"

At this point, Yang Zhengshan let out a soft sigh.

Qu Changkong had told him that he was not in control of his own destiny. At that time, he felt that he had broken away from the court and was no longer involved in the struggles within it.

But the result?

Chongshan Town became the private territory of the Yang family, Liaodong became an independent entity, and Tenglong Guard became a tightly knit group.

Although it may seem that Yang Zhengshan did not participate in the Da Rong court during his twenty years on Xingyue Island, in reality, the Yang family's influence was everywhere in Da Rong.

The Yang family members and those close to the Yang family in Chongshan Town are all closely connected with the Yang family.

Not to mention the Tenglong Guard, the six families are practically subordinate to the Yang family.

Under the control of Lu Wenyuan and Lin Zhan, Liaodong gradually caught up with Chongshan Town.

If the Yang family had said they wanted to give up on everything and completely sever ties with Darong back then, would that have been possible?

Obviously impossible!

Yang Zhengshan was not a heartless person. His relatives and friends, nephews and descendants were everywhere in Chongshan Town, Tenglongwei and Liaodong.

He can relinquish power, but he can't abandon his family and friends.

Therefore, he could only let Chongshan Town develop on its own, and let countless people closely follow in the footsteps of the Yang family, elevating the Yang family to a high position.

Today, the Yang family represents not only their own interests, but the interests of countless people closely related to the Yang family.

People like Luo Shang, Xie Yuan, Han Cheng, Wu Zhongzhe, Yu Tonghai, Xue Ping, Song Dashan, Lu Wenyuan, and Lin Zhan, all had their own interests and the interests of their descendants closely tied to the Yang family.

Chen Zhongshu looked up at him, his gaze deep and murky.

Yang Zhengshan also looked at him, a faint smile always on his face.

"For the Yang family to gain the world, it's not necessarily a bad thing for Da Rong!"

"At least I still have some lingering affection from the past, and I won't completely wipe out the Da Rong royal family. As for those royal family members who left, I'll pretend I don't know anything about them!"

"Of course, I will not disturb the peace of the late emperor. Don't worry, I will preserve the Rong Emperor's tomb."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhongshu breathed a slight sigh of relief. "Then this old man thanks Marquis Yang on behalf of His Majesty!"

Yang Zhengshan picked up the tea and drank it. "But you must also abide by the rules of the Da'an New Dynasty and not do anything to embarrass me!"

"I know that Lord Yang is ruthless. If I want to live peacefully, I must abide by the rules!" Chen Zhongshu said, no longer so nervous.

Yang Zhengshan grinned, "I'll take that as a compliment!"

The two exchanged a smile, and the atmosphere immediately eased, becoming as casual as old friends chatting.

Chen Zhongshu naturally understood Yang Zhengshan. He knew very well that Yang Zhengshan was an easy person to talk to, but he also knew that once he offended Yang Zhengshan, Yang Zhengshan would definitely not show any mercy.

He had not forgotten that Yang Zhengshan had once been known as a butcher.

He was just an old eunuch. Although he possessed great cultivation, he didn't have any great ambitions. He only wanted to guard Emperor Chengping's mausoleum for the rest of his life. As for anything else, he couldn't care about it and didn't want to care about it.

"I have some more men here, do you need them?"

"You mean?"

"The Joseon Dynasty, Yi Sang-hee!"

Yang Zhengshan raised an eyebrow. He wasn't surprised that Li Shangxi was by Chen Zhongshu's side, after all, Li Shangxi was also considered Chen Zhongshu's grand-disciple.

After Chen Zhongshu retired, Zhang Mingzhong took over the position of Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and Li Shangxi became Emperor Yanping's trusted eunuch.

Li Shangxi was not only Zhang Mingzhong's adopted son, but it was also Chen Zhongshu who recommended him to Emperor Yanping.

Not long after Emperor Yanping passed away, Zhang Mingzhong also died, while Li Shangxi chose to retire.

Each emperor has his own set of ministers, and the first ministers to be replaced are the palace officials, especially old eunuchs like Li Shangxi.

This is also Emperor Jianxing's problem. In fact, Li Shangxi is a great talent. Whether it is ability or cultivation talent, he is not much worse than Chen Zhongshu.

If Emperor Jianxing had been able to give Li Shangxi a more important role, perhaps the Great Rong Dynasty could have been destroyed two years later.

However, Yang Zhengshan was somewhat surprised that Li Chao had also gone to see Chen Zhongshu. But upon closer reflection, Yang Zhengshan understood.

With the fall of Kyoto, Li Chao hastily fled with only Li Feihe. He had few options: either seek refuge with Chen Hengchang or escape overseas. Apart from these two choices, he could only go to find Chen Zhongshu.

Li Shangxi can be used, but he cannot stay in the Da'an New Dynasty, since Li Shangxi's relationship with the Da Rong royal family is too close.

Can the Joseon Dynasty be used?
It is indeed possible. Although the new Da'an dynasty has many hidden dangers, none of these dangers can overthrow the Yang family.

The Yang family's foundation is no longer with the new dynasty. To put it bluntly, even if someone were to oust Yang Chengye from the throne now, Yang Zhengshan could still take it back.

Don't forget, the Yang family's foundation is on Shenmu Island. Shenmu Island doesn't have many soldiers, but it has many powerful martial artists.

It's useless to overthrow the Yang family and destroy the Da'an New Dynasty, and it's also useless to destroy Shenmu Island, unless you can kill Yang Zhengshan.

Otherwise, as long as Yang Zhengshan is still alive, the Yang family will surely make a comeback.

One Li Chao poses no threat to the new Da'an Dynasty, but both Li Chao and Li Feihe are capable and powerful individuals who can still serve the new Da'an Dynasty.

"Li Chao can remain in the new dynasty, and he cannot be given the title of marquis, but I can decide to grant him the title of first-class earl!"

"Speaking of which, Li Feihe can also be considered my student."

"As for Li Shangxi, if he is willing, he can stay by my side; if he is not willing, he can stay with you at the imperial mausoleum!"

At this point, Yang Zhengshan looked at Chen Zhongshu again, "Actually, I'd rather you stay by my side, haha, and you don't have to guard that imperial tomb anymore. I can assure you that no one will disturb the late emperor."

Chen Zhongshu, Li Shangxi, and Lü Hua were all eunuchs, but in Yang Zhengshan's eyes, they were all outstanding talents.

Don't think that eunuchs are just a group of servants; they are inner court officials.

Although they addressed each other as "old servant" within the imperial city, the Grand Eunuch was not a servant, but an inner court official.

For example, Lü Hua never referred to himself as "old servant" in front of the emperor, but always referred to himself as "your subject".

Strictly speaking, they were the emperor's retainers.

In fact, the Yang family has many retainers, such as Wu Zhan, Wu Zheng, and Ding Qiu. They are all retainers of the Yang family, but they are not eunuchs.

Chen Zhongshu and Li Shangxi are both talented individuals who have been honed in the imperial palace. It would be a waste to send such talents to guard tombs.

"Don't rush to refuse. I have some plans I'd like to discuss with you. Once things settle down in the new Da'an Dynasty, I plan to visit the legendary Da Zhao Dynasty!"

"The martial arts of the Great Zhao Dynasty are flourishing, and there are beings who have surpassed the Innate Realm. I want to find a way to break through to the Innate Realm. How about you come with me?"

Yang Zhengshan tempted him.

Chen Zhongshu would not have been tempted by anything else, but when it came to finding a way to break through to the Innate Realm, he was indeed somewhat tempted.

Chen Zhongshu's eyes flashed, "Then His Majesty's tomb!"

“That’s easy. That mausoleum will become Da’an’s imperial mausoleum in the future!” Yang Zhengshan said with a smile.

What Chen Zhongshu was worried about was that Emperor Chengping's tomb would be vandalized.

Why doesn't Yang Zhengshan just put the imperial tombs of Da'an and Darong together?

When someone dies, it doesn't matter where they're buried.

As for whether the emperors of Da Rong would retaliate against the Yang family's descendants once they were underground, Yang Zhengshan wasn't crazy enough to worry about that.

Chen Zhongshu thought for a moment and said, "Let me think about it and I'll give you an answer in a couple of days!"

"Okay!" Yang Zhengshan wasn't in a hurry.

Just as the two were talking, Wang Lei, who was guarding outside the door, walked in.

"Master, this is from the capital!" He handed a memorial to Yang Zhengshan.

Yang Zhengshan opened it, glanced at it, and then shook his head. "Just tell them that you can't build something new without destroying it. Let them do whatever they want."

The memorial contained information about what Chen Hengchang had done in Jiangnan.

Yang Zhengshan was actually happy to see this happen.

If Chen Hengchang won't do this, then the new dynasty of Da'an will have to do it.

A large number of the local gentry and powerful families in Jiangnan had to be killed; otherwise, it would be impossible to equalize land distribution and implement the new policy of merging land tax and poll tax under the new dynasty.

Now that Chen Hengchang has done it, it has actually saved the new Da'an dynasty a lot of trouble.

At the very least, it will prevent the new Da'an dynasty from bearing the infamy of excessive killing.

Of course, Chen Hengchang's actions will also cause suffering to ordinary people, and it is unknown how many poor people will be implicated as a result.

If the new dynasty of Da'an were to take action, its methods would likely be more moderate, minimizing the impact on ordinary people and the livelihoods of the people in Jiangnan.

Every advantage has its disadvantages. Yang Zhengshan also wanted the Da'an New Dynasty to launch a southern expedition as soon as possible, but the conditions did not allow it, and there was nothing he could do.

He understood these things better than Yang Chengye.

Wang Lei took back the memorial, bowed, and left the tea room.

Yang Zhengshan did not want to interfere in the affairs of the new dynasty. If he interfered too much, it would affect the dignity of Emperor Yang Chengye.

An emperor is an emperor. Even if Yang Zhengshan could become the retired emperor, he could not suppress the emperor.

However, Yang Chengye always wanted to ask Yang Zhengshan for his opinion, so when he was unsure about something, he would have someone send him a memorial to ask for Yang Zhengshan's opinion.

No sooner had Wang Lei left than Yang Zhengshan hadn’t even finished his cup of tea when another attendant came in to report: “Master, someone outside is requesting an audience. They say they are an old friend of yours, and this is their visiting card!”

Yang Zhengshan was surprised. An old friend!

He has many old friends, but since they are old friends, they naturally wouldn't come to deliver a formal invitation; they would simply come and say hello.

He took the visiting card, glanced at it, and showed an expression of utter astonishment.

"It really is an old acquaintance! Please come in!"

"Yes, sir!" the attendant replied and went to fetch the person.

Chen Zhongshu asked, "Who is it?"

“You may not know him, but you definitely know the person above him, Lü Hua!” Yang Zhengshan said with a smile.

"Lü Hua? He's still alive?" Chen Zhongshu asked in surprise.

Lu Hua has been missing for many years. He was imprisoned on Black Mountain Island by Chen Hengchang for five years, and later joined Chen Hengchang's forces. Counting the time, he has been missing for eight or nine years.

Lu Hua has never shown his face in recent years, and many people probably thought he was dead.

After all, he's not young anymore; he's in his sixties or seventies now.

Chen Zhongshu didn't know where Lü Hua was, but Yang Zhengshan did.

"He's alive and well, and he's already entered the Innate Realm. He can live for at least another seventy or eighty years!"

"Where is he?"

"Jiang Nan, he is now a close advisor to Chen Hengchang, and he has established the Blood-Clad Guard for Chen Hengchang!"

Chen Zhongshu remained silent for a moment, and once again couldn't help but sigh at the unpredictability of life.

(End of this chapter)