Video Editor

Chapter 1371 Final Chapter
The Yongwang Mansion in Chang'an formed an overwhelming momentum towards Luoyang. After the Chang'an army drove the Luoyang rebels out of Tongguan again, they were no longer anxious to continue attacking Luoyang.

However, after the Anxi mercenaries took control of the Guanzhong and Yizhou regions at lightning speed, the Prince Yong's Mansion immediately reorganized the Anxi mercenaries and transformed them into the Prince Yong's Mansion Rebellion Suppression Army in Chang'an of the Tang Dynasty, and Lu Tong was appointed as the first commander of the Prince Yong's Mansion Rebellion Suppression Army.

After completing the reorganization of the 200,000-strong army of the Yongwang Mansion to suppress the rebellion, they immediately marched into Jingzhou, Yuzhou and other places from the direction of Yizhou, and then quickly conquered the Central Plains region of the Tang Dynasty by force.

Whenever the rebel army conquered a place, they would first control the local aristocratic families. Any aristocratic family that resisted the rebel army would be razed to the ground, while the aristocratic families that were willing to surrender would be left with a way out. However, the system of equalizing the land tax and the system of paying taxes together for all the gentry was the bottom line of the Prince Yong's Mansion.

Of course, public schools will be built in various places as soon as possible, and it will be stipulated that all children under six years old must go to school. In order to prevent the people from being disgusted with and rejecting this policy, officials at all levels in Prince Yong's Mansion will also provide food and accommodation for these students, and a certain amount of grain rations as an allowance every month. Sure enough, such preferential conditions attracted the people of the Tang Dynasty.

As for the rebel suppression troops of Prince Yong's Mansion, their numbers are expanding at an increasingly faster rate as they fight in more and more places. Every surrendered soldier will receive special training from the rebel suppression troops, and then they will be able to become qualified rebel suppression troops.

Su Wuming came up to Su Ning and asked, "Your Highness, Luoyang is now an isolated city. Should our rebel suppression army capture Luoyang?"

"No rush! Luoyang always sent envoys to our Chang'an in the past, and this time I will also send envoys to them." However, Suning was ready to give the Kaiyuan Queen another chance.

"Surrender?"

"Yes! Su Wuming, you and the Kaiyuan Empress are old acquaintances. I'll trouble you to go to Luoyang this time."

"Yes! Your Majesty, I wonder what the conditions are for our Prince Yong's Mansion?"

"The Qinghe Cui clan must be exterminated! As long as Luoyang is willing to surrender to Prince Yong's Palace, Prince Yong can spare the life of the Kaiyuan princess, but they must leave the Central Plains. I will arrange for them to go to Japan to become vassal kings."

"Ah? Your Highness, the Kaiyuan Empress of Luoyang wouldn't agree, would she?"

"Hmph! I've already given them a chance to live. If they don't know how to cherish it, that's their own fault."

"Yes! Your Majesty, Wuming knows what to do."

In fact, it didn’t matter whether the Kaiyuan Empress in Luoyang agreed to surrender or not, because she had already controlled the entire world, and a small isolated city of Luoyang was really nothing.

Moreover, even if Empress Kaiyuan really surrendered to me, I would find a way to kill these remnants of the Li family. Ever since Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, began to be wary of me, I had already decided to send their entire family to heaven.

I would rather let the world down than be let down by the world. This has always been Suning's character, so if we have to blame someone, we should blame Li Longji for choosing the wrong target to bully.

……

Suning really hates aristocratic families. Perhaps every Chinese person dislikes these things because Chinese people yearn for true fairness.

Throughout the long course of Chinese history, aristocratic families have played an important role on the national political stage.

They are not only wealthy economically, but also occupy an important position in social, cultural and political aspects.

The "King and Ma share the world" in the Eastern Jin Dynasty is a classic example of the co-governance of aristocratic families and imperial power.

At that time, the aristocratic families, with their strong economic strength and extensive social networks, formed a special political balance with the imperial power.

Sima Rui’s successful ascension to the throne was inseparable from the support of the Wang family of Langya.

So, what is the essence of the power of the aristocratic families? Simply put, their power does not only come from wealth and military strength, but more importantly, it comes from the monopoly of knowledge and culture.

In ancient China, the dissemination of knowledge mainly relied on books and oral transmission, and these resources were extremely scarce in the early days.

Relying on their accumulated knowledge resources and cultural heritage, the aristocratic families have established an unshakable prestige in society.

This prestige not only affected the appointment of officials at the time, but also had a profound impact on the values and behavior patterns of the entire society.

The aristocratic families gradually consolidated their status through three major amplification effects.

First of all, there is the monopoly of knowledge. Ancient books are precious and difficult for ordinary people to obtain, while the aristocratic families have firmly grasped these resources through inheritance and education within the family.

The second is the construction of social networks. The aristocratic families trust and support each other, forming a powerful social circle. This circle not only helps them gain a higher political status, but also consolidates their social influence.

Finally, it is the consolidation of social prestige. Aristocratic families further enhance their status by being associated with highly prestigious figures and events.

Their social prestige comes not only from the achievements of their ancestors, but also from the family reputation accumulated over a long period of time.

However, with the evolution of history, the glory of the aristocratic families inevitably declined.

The Huang Chao Uprising in the late Tang Dynasty dealt a fatal blow to the aristocratic families, and many of them disappeared in this turmoil.

More importantly, technological progress and changes in social systems gradually weakened the foundations of aristocratic families.

The popularization of printing technology in the Song Dynasty led to a significant drop in the price of books. Knowledge was no longer an exclusive resource for wealthy families, and ordinary people could also change their destiny through reading.

At the same time, the implementation of the imperial examination system completely changed the power structure of Chinese society.

The imperial examination system broke the monopoly of aristocratic families on the appointment of officials. Instead, all talented people could pass the examination to enter the officialdom and become pillars of the country.

The demise of aristocratic families did not happen overnight, but was a process of gradual disintegration.

With the rise of civilian society, the power and resources originally confined to the aristocratic families were gradually dispersed and weakened.

The society in the Song Dynasty no longer needed to rely on the support of aristocratic families. The strength of imperial power and the popularization of the imperial examination system gradually marginalized the status of aristocratic families and eventually led to their demise.

However, the influence of the aristocratic families did not completely disappear.

After the Song Dynasty, the concept of clan gradually replaced aristocratic families and became an important part of Chinese society.

Each clan concentrated its resources to cultivate scholars, hoping that they would enter officialdom through the imperial examinations and thus bring glory to the family.

This kind of mutual support and sense of responsibility within the family has become an important cultural gene that continues to this day in Chinese society.

To sum up, the rise and fall of aristocratic families reflects the profound changes in ancient Chinese society.

They once dominated society with their knowledge, networks and reputation, but with the advancement of technology and institutional reforms, the aristocratic families gradually lost their power base and eventually went to the margins of history.

The focus of Chinese society also shifted from aristocratic families to the broader civilian groups and clan organizations. This change had a profound impact on Chinese society.

But this time, the emergence of Suning joined the progress of this era, and the aristocratic families became a historical term hundreds of years in advance. The situation in which the aristocratic families were above the common people would never happen again.

……

The current situation made Li Lingyue, the Kaiyuan Empress of Luoyang, feel disheartened. At this moment, she had realized that the Li royal family had completely gone to destruction.

Prince Yong's rebellion-suppressing army not only wiped out all the aristocratic families in the world, but also completely uprooted them. Of course, all the Li royal family members scattered throughout the Tang Dynasty were slaughtered.

Now, only dozens of Li royal family members are left in Luoyang City, and it is obvious that Prince Yong's Mansion will not let these people continue to survive. This makes Empress Kaiyuan Li Lingyue wonder where Su Ning's hatred for the Li family comes from.

In fact, the current Kaiyuan Empress Li Lingyue feels extremely regretful. If she knew that this would happen today, why would she rebel and declare herself emperor? Otherwise, she would never have given that guy Su Ning the opportunity to take advantage of her. The price of her mistake was the extermination of their Li royal family.

Su Wuming simply addressed Empress Li Lingyue as Princess Taiping, "Su Wuming pays his respects to Princess Taiping."

"Princess Taiping? This title seems to be from ancient times. Now only you, Su Wuming, would call me that." Sure enough, Empress Kaiyuan Li Lingyue on the dragon throne felt a little surprised.

"Princess Taiping, our Prince Yong is willing to leave Luoyang a glimmer of hope." "Oh? Tell me! I want to see how compassionate you are to Prince Yong."

"As long as Luoyang opens its gates and surrenders to the Yongwang Mansion's rebels, all the royal family members in Luoyang will be spared from death, but they will be exiled to Japan to serve as vassal kings."

At this moment, the Kaiyuan Empress Li Lingyue could not help but sneer, "Humph! Su Wuming, didn't your Prince Yong always say he would obey the blood edict? Why is he willing to disobey it this time?"

"Princess Taiping, Luoyang has become an isolated city. Opening the city and surrendering is naturally Luoyang's only option. We at Prince Yong's Palace naturally do not want to commit more bloodshed."

"Su Wuming, what if I refuse?"

"Princess Taiping, why bother? Don't you want to leave some bloodline for the Li royal family?"

"Haha, rather than letting the descendants of the Li royal family linger on, it would be better to choose a glorious death. Even if they meet the ancestors of the Li family, they will have no regrets."

"Princess Taiping is indeed a heroine. Su Wuming admires her."

Then Su Wuming bowed deeply to Li Lingyue who was sitting on the dragon throne, and then turned around and left the imperial city of Luoyang. He felt very sorry for the sudden collapse of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

The rise and fall of dynasties all follow their own patterns. When they perished, it was either because of natural disasters or external wars. However, it was rare for a dynasty to perish at its peak like the Tang Dynasty. Of course, all the responsibility lies with the infighting and fighting within their royal family.

With no way out, Empress Kaiyuan Li Lingyue hanged herself that night. Then the group of "loyal ministers and brave generals" in Luoyang directly opened the city gate, and then the rebellion suppression army outside the city entered Luoyang City in a mighty and majestic manner.

"Your Majesty, how should we deal with Li Lingyue's body?"

"A rare heroine. Let's bury her next to Qianling Mausoleum. I believe she must have been loved by her parents."

"Yes! Your Highness, what should we do with the remaining members of the Li royal family?"

"All of them shall be executed! This is the blood decree of the late emperor, and we, as his subjects, must obey it."

"But...but they have already surrendered. Isn't it inappropriate for us at Prince Yong's Mansion to do this?"

"Hmph! What I want is the surrender of Empress Kaiyuan. Since she has already refused with her actions, there is no need to give them another chance."

"Yes! Your Majesty."

With the suicide of Li Lingyue, the Kaiyuan Empress of Luoyang, the entire Li royal family became the dust of history, and there was no longer a member of the Li Tang royal family in the world.

……

Readers familiar with history know that in the feudal era, no matter which dynasty, the most feared thing was to gain power in an illegitimate way.

That's why Suning resolutely killed all the members of the Li royal family. After all, this was a blood edict from Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji before his death, and it would definitely not leave any trouble for himself.

In fact, when Prince Yong's Mansion controlled Guanzhong and Yizhou areas, Yao Chong and Song Jing wanted to unite the ministers to persuade Suning to become emperor, but Suning resolutely refused.

When the Yongwang Mansion's rebel army was reorganized and quickly occupied the world, and Luoyang City became a deserted city, Yao Chong and Song Jing once again proposed that Suning become emperor, but Suning felt that it was not the best time and refused again.

Of course, Yao Chong and Song Jing both understood that this was a drama of three refusals and three declines, so after the rebel army broke through the city of Luoyang, the drama of three refusals and three declines was officially over.

"Lord Yao, Lord Song, have you chosen a name for the new dynasty?"

"Your Highness, we have unanimously chosen either 'Yong' or 'Chu' as the name of our country."

"Well, the Tang Dynasty belongs to the virtue of earth in the Five Elements, and Yong is also earth-virtuous. As for Chu, it is wood-virtuous. What do you two think is better, that both belong to earth, or that wood overcomes earth?"

"Everything has divine judgment."

"Alright! Then let's name our country Chu."

"Yes! Your Highness, this is the coronation ceremony drafted by the cabinet and the Ministry of Rites. Please make your decision."

"Okay! Stay here for now. I'll take a closer look later."

"Yes! Your Majesty."

As the emperor himself, Suning needs to offer sacrifices to the heavens at the Circular Mound to let God know that the boss of the world has been replaced. God, please approve it.

Of course, whether God agrees or not is up to God, and as ordinary people, how can we know? Anyway, God will not jump out to oppose it.

Then the emperor's personal army placed a golden chair on the east side of the altar, facing south, which represented "sitting north and facing south, and being called the solitary person in the south."

A set of imperial crown and robes was placed in front of the golden chair, waiting for Emperor Suning to bury him with his own hands. This was an ancient way of offering sacrifices to heaven by burying objects.

Then all the officials took the lead in kneeling and reporting to the place where Suning buried the things, saying that the burial ceremony was completed, which meant that King Yong was invited to ascend the throne.

And they also supported and surrounded Prince Yong Suning to sit on the golden throne. Of course, Suning did this to show that he was supported.

Then Suning went to his parents in person to pay homage, and then wore heavy robes to worship heaven and earth. After worshiping heaven and earth, he went to the ancestral temple to worship his ancestors. After worshiping the ancestors, he returned to his parents and performed the five bows and three kowtows, and then returned to the Taiji Hall to ascend the throne.

Just the journey back and forth would have exhausted Suning, not to mention the thick and heavy robes he was wearing.

Of course, don’t think that the worship process is simply walking, worshipping at a place, and then walking again after worshipping, like a revolving lantern. It is not the same. There are many subtle operations in between.

After Suning sat on the golden chair, all the officials immediately brought the crown and robes and put them on him.

After Suning was put on the clothes, the officials returned to the queue they had just formed and bowed to the great emperor. Then solemn music sounded, and all the officials performed a breathtaking push-up exercise in unison for four consecutive times. Then they stood up and the music stopped.

Next comes a complicated process of officials presenting treasures. The general meaning is: Your Majesty, today is the joyous day of your ascension to the throne. We, the officials, will present you with a jade treasure. From now on, this jade treasure will represent your status, and we, the officials, will treat the treasure as if we were seeing a person.

Of course, it was impossible for His Majesty the Emperor to hold such a large piece of jade himself, as that would be too embarrassing. So Shang Baoqing stepped forward and put the jade into the box.

The Prime Minister knelt and presented the imperial seal to the Chancellor. The Chancellor held the seal and reported to the Emperor that he had ascended the throne. "We, your servants, are presenting the imperial seal to the Emperor." The Minister of Treasures accepted the seal and placed it in the inner chamber.

It was also very troublesome to present this piece of jade. The prime minister, who was in charge of all the officials, had to walk up and kneel down, take the jade from the kneeling official holding the treasure and present it to the emperor. So the two old men, Yao Chong and Song Jing, were also very tired. After presenting it, they stood up, did push-ups again, and then stood up again.

After the ceremony, they returned to the line. They had to bow again and do two push-ups. After standing up, they bowed again. Suning discovered that they had to dance.
Then he knelt on his left knee, kowtowed three times, and shouted three times, "Long live the emperor."

Then he knelt on his right knee to show the tablet in his hand, bowed, did four push-ups and then stood up. Only then was the entire ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven concluded.

Then he returned to the Taiji Hall, where all the officials congratulated him. Of course, all of this would be recorded in the "Da Chu Hui Dian".

All the officials followed the emperor back to the Taiji Hall and stood in line. When the emperor walked up to the throne, there was another round of playing of musical instruments and singing, and the music did not stop until the emperor sat on the throne.

The emperor sat on the throne, bowed and knelt on the ground. Background music played. He bowed four times in a row and then stood up straight. Then the official holding the edict of accession knelt down and walked to the table that had been placed, handed it to the official receiving the edict, who knelt down and put it away and then stepped back. Then the official announcing the edict knelt down and read the edict of accession to the throne.

This set of cumbersome etiquette almost annoyed Suning, but he saw that it was not easy for His Highness and the officials. Some of the old officials in their seventies and eighties would be half dead after going through this set of procedures. Moreover, they were all just playing along with him, so all the anger in Suning's heart disappeared.

……

(End of this chapter)