Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 823: The Aristocratic Family Moves
In the residence of Taiwei Yang, Yang Xiu hurried back from outside and walked all the way to the study.

At this moment, Yang Biao was sitting around the charcoal stove, reading a book leisurely.

"Father, how can you still concentrate on reading after such a big thing happened?"

Yang Xiu stretched out his hand to snatch the book from Yang Biao's hand, but Yang Biao became anxious and hugged the book in his arms, looking like he was protecting his beloved treasure.

"This is a paper book that your father has obtained with great difficulty. This Lianshan is known as one of the three Yi in the Book of Changes. This book has been gradually lost since Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty. I am afraid that there are no more than two palms of books left in the world today, let alone paper books. Your father spent a thousand gold and five thousand acres of paddy fields to get it back. If it is damaged, you can't afford to pay for it."

Yang Xiu was both angry and amused: "Father, now that disaster is imminent, why should you be stingy with just a book?"

Yang Biao glared at him unhappily: "What disaster is coming? You are just exaggerating."

"How could my son be so alarmist? Your Majesty was in court this morning, but you still pretended to be sick and didn't go out. I don't know what happened in the court..."

"Hey, how big of a deal could it be? Your Majesty has just flipped his hand and foiled Feng Fang and his gang's evil plot, thus maintaining the stability of the government. How could there be any disaster? I think this is clearly a great joy."

As Yang Biao spoke, he carefully wrapped the book in a roll of brocade and then put it into a very exquisite wooden box.

Yang Xiu was stunned: "Why, father knows everything?"

Yang Biao smiled and said, "Do you think that because your father is sick all day, you can shut your eyes and ears and not care about anything?"

Yang Xiu seemed to have thought of something: "Looking at your expression, father, could it be that... could it be that you had already guessed that this day would come? So when the ministers asked you to come forward and make a decision for them, you pretended to be ill and refused to let them in?"

"You, at least you're not that stupid."

After Yang Biao put away the wooden box containing "Lianshan", he sat down again.

Yang Xiu still looked puzzled: "But now..."

"What's going on now? Those traitors are punishable by everyone. Your Majesty is wise and wise, and with the blessing of the Han ancestors, you can eradicate them in one fell swoop. This should be celebrated by the whole country, but you are shouting and making noises here. If the news gets out, won't it bring disaster to my Yang family?"

Yang Xiu felt a little aggrieved at first after being scolded by Yang Biao, but soon he seemed to understand and his expression gradually brightened.

"Ah... I understand now. Father is saying..."

"What are you talking about? Your father said nothing..."

The father and son smiled at each other.

After a long while, Yang Biao suddenly said, "Xiu'er, after the spring comes, you will have the coming-of-age ceremony, right?"

Yang Xiu didn't know why his father suddenly brought up this matter, but he still replied: "Father, in March next year, I will be twenty years old."

Yang Biao nodded: "Yes, that's right. I'm twenty years old now, I'm an adult, and it's time for me to serve the government and be loyal to the court."

When Yang Xiu heard this, his eyes lit up.

In the north of Luoyang City, at the residence of Shangshu Ling Xun Yu, that night, apart from Xun Yu, Zhongshi Cheng Xun You also did not rest in his own residence, but appeared in the residence of his cousin's uncle.

At this time, the two of them were neither drinking nor resting, but standing respectfully in the study.

In front of them sat an old man, who was thin, with protruding cheekbones, and dressed in a grey robe. He looked ordinary, but his temperament was very elegant. His every move and every glance revealed his demeanor as a gentleman.

"Xun Yu greets his uncle."

"Xun You pays respect to his uncle and great-grandfather."

It turned out that the old man was none other than the current head of the Xun family in Yingchuan, the great Xun among the so-called "Eight Dragons of the Xun Family" - Xun Jian and Xun Boci.

Xun Jian nodded slightly in return, then pointed with his hand: "Sit down."

The two of them then sat down.

Xun Jian looked at the two of them and said, "This is the first time I have left Yingchuan since the Factional Persecution. I'm sure you two are both surprised and want to know why I suddenly came to Luoyang." Xun Yu said, "I have some guesses, but I don't know if they are true."

"Oh? Then tell me about it first."

Xun Yu paused and said, "Your Majesty suddenly displayed the power of thunder and the skills of an emperor, defusing a disaster that could have caused chaos in the court. Now nearly half of the ministers at the heart of the court have been arrested and imprisoned, and the court and the public are shocked. At the beginning, my Xun family had planned to join forces with the Feng family and others. Now that the plan has failed, my uncle will naturally go to Luoyang in person. First, to find out the truth and see if Your Majesty has already known about what happened to my family that day and whether he has the intention to take action against my family. Secondly, if nothing has happened, then the family must be preparing to take action to compete for the many dangerous official positions that have suddenly become vacant in the court."

Xun Jian showed a gratified look on his face: "Well, Wen Ruo is indeed a leader in the clan, and he really knows everything. Yes, this old man came here for this reason. I wonder what you two think about this first matter?"

Xun You said, "From my grandson's perspective, although His Majesty may not know the exact content of the agreement between our clan and the Feng family, he must have guessed a little about our clan's attitude. It is even possible that His Majesty is aware of the meeting between the clan leaders of both families."

Xun Jian's face froze: "Hmm? Why do you think so?"

"It's very simple. Your Majesty has a secret army that outsiders are absolutely unaware of since Yanmen. This army is elusive and its ability to gather information is second to none in the world. Your Majesty has encountered such a great disaster, so how could he not use them to investigate everywhere?"

Xun Jian was surprised: "I have heard rumors for a long time, but I didn't expect that there really is such a force?"

Xun You nodded and said, "This is true. However, this army has always been under the direct command of Your Majesty alone. It is difficult for others, not to mention me and my uncle, even generals like Guan Yu, to mobilize them. Only Your Majesty knows how many people there are, how they usually act, and what intelligence they have obtained, so we are not aware of it."

At this point, his tone paused, and then he added: "But... forgive my rudeness, even if my grandson and my uncle knew the inside story, we must not tell my uncle."

Xun Jian was not surprised by this, nor was he angry: "Well, it should be so. My Xun family has been able to prosper since the Factional Imprisonment Disaster, all because we are cautious and measured. The reason why we did not agree to the Feng family and others to directly join forces to put pressure on His Majesty this time was to help behind the scenes. I was worried that once the matter was exposed, the family would suffer. Now it seems that it is fortunate that this is the case, otherwise the fate of the Feng, Zhao and other families will be the same as the fate of our family now."

As soon as he mentioned this matter, Xun Yu and Xun You both showed some resentment in their expressions.

"Forgive me for being disrespectful. I once said that the current emperor is so wise that he is rare in history. My clan is so conservative and backward that we only follow the interests of the so-called aristocratic families and scholars, and we are secretly disobeying your majesty, but..."

When Xun Jian heard this, his face immediately became a little unhappy, but then he sighed.

"Alas... I now fully agree with what Wen Ruo said. Back then, we made a mistake and nearly suffered a catastrophic disaster. Now it seems that what my brothers and I have been thinking is indeed out of touch with the current situation..."

Xun Yu and Xun You were delighted: "Uncle, if that's what you said, could it be that the family has agreed..."

Xun Jian nodded and said, "Our clan has always welcomed a wise ruler and retreated when faced with an incompetent ruler. It is said that we should be loyal and modest. This time, since it has been proven that our previous thoughts were indeed wrong, we should correct them in time. I just wonder if Your Majesty has any resentment towards our clan?"

Xun Yu immediately denied it: "Absolutely not."

"Oh? Why do you think so?" Xun Jian asked hurriedly.

"At the grand court meeting that day, Your Majesty won over some of the noble families in the court, wiped out some, and intimidated some. This not only eliminated the trouble, but also made the remaining families unwilling or afraid to be enemies with Your Majesty. Even if they were resentful in their hearts, at least they would not take any action on the surface."

Xun Jian took over the topic and said, "Well, I have heard about this matter. The emperor used a title and two prefects to exchange for the Taiyuan Wang family's defection. He also promoted Zhong Yao's eldest son Zhong Huan from a commoner to the position of Internal History of Grain. Even his second son Zhong Yu, who is only ten years old now, became the companion of the emperor's eldest son Liu Zheng. Minister Cui Lie was also granted the title of Marquis of Xiang. Although his two sons did not get promoted, his one nephew and two nephews were all promoted by Your Majesty to serve as officials in the court. With these three people, one-third of the ministers in the court stood on Your Majesty's side. Add Qian Li, Meng Jian, Lu Zhi and others, and a few ministers whose positions were already swaying with the wind, and Your Majesty will naturally win."

"That's right. These three were the ones that His Majesty won over. Feng and the others were wiped out, and His Majesty wanted to intimidate them..."

Xun Yu stopped talking here, but the three of them already knew what was going on.

Xun Jian narrowed his eyes and stroked his beard. After a long time, he suddenly spoke.

"Okay, from now on, my Xun family will support the emperor without reservation. No matter whether it is good or bad, whether there are rewards or punishments, we will never let your majesty down."

Xun Yu and Xun You were very surprised: "Uncle/great-uncle is wise."

Xun Jian suddenly asked, "By the way, although your Majesty is both wise and brave, he has never been good at political schemes. Why did he do this this time? Did you really not give him any advice?"

Xun Yu shook his head, "Indeed not. But... I did hear that when His Majesty was going to the Queen's bedroom, the Queen sent a maid to stop him outside the door and asked him to go to Zhaoyang Palace to sleep with Concubine Shu. After His Majesty went to Zhaoyang Palace that night, he issued two edicts the next day to win over Prime Minister Wang Yun."

"Empress?" Xun Jian was greatly surprised.

"Although it is said that bystanders can see clearly and may be able to see through such a complicated situation, it seems that the queen of the Han Dynasty is definitely not an ordinary person. The revival of the Han Dynasty is just around the corner."

(End of this chapter)