Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 98: The Aristocracy Submits to the Emperor with Both Kinship and Power
The next day, Empress Wu submitted a memorial, requesting an imperial decree to exempt Su from her responsibilities in the Forbidden Garden on the grounds that Yuchi Gong had made great contributions in his inspection of Chang'an.

When Li Zhi learned that Lady Yuchi had gone to Wu Meiniang to plead for mercy, he agreed to the Queen's request and ordered Di Renjie to release the Su family members.

However, Mrs. Du was not so lucky.

Li Zhi adopted a carrot and stick strategy.

For aristocratic families like the Su family who took the initiative to admit their mistakes, we should appease them, but for other aristocratic factions, we need to make an example of them to scare the monkeys.

Du was the chicken he chose.

Li Zhi issued an edict to link the Du Chong case, the Polo Society case and the Forbidden Garden case together, and criticized the Du family for their improper family traditions and poor parenting.

All officials of the Jingzhao Du family in the court were dismissed from their posts, and all the Du family students in the Imperial College were expelled from the school.

Overnight, the huge Jingzhao Du family collapsed.

When a building is about to collapse, people's instinct is to run for their lives.

Within the Jingzhao Du family, there are two major clans, one is the Southern Du, known as Du Gu, and the other is the Northern Du, known as Du Qu.

All three major cases were committed by Du Gu. Du Qu in the north suffered an unexpected disaster and vented his anger on his fellow tribesmen.

Not long after Li Zhi issued the decree, Du Qu approached Du Gu and divided the family tree. The two families had no contact with each other from then on.

Although Du Gu lost power, the family business was still there. However, without the support of power, the family business would only attract jackals.

Because Du Chong betrayed Zhangsun Wuji, the Du family had long been unacceptable to other aristocratic families.

Recently, the aristocratic families were severely punished by Cheng Zhijie and Yuchi Gong, and they poured all their anger out on the Du family.

After the decline of the Du family, not only did no one lend a helping hand, but one person even stepped on them and secretly tried to seize the Du family's property.

Not only that, even the servants in the mansion began to rebel.

Those who wanted to steal stole, those who wanted to fight fought, and some even stole land deeds and ran away.

There were gossipers in the folk who spread the rumor that the Du family suffered a devastating disaster because Du Gu was gouged by Du Zhenglun, and the family's prosperity was lost, making it impossible for them to recover.

Inside the Du Mansion, the brothers from each family were scrambling for land deeds, family property, gold and silver items, preparing to split up and make a living.

Outside the Du Mansion, Du Fu stared in amazement at how such a great family was falling apart.

Du Chong's funeral was not held in time. The coffin was still placed in the mourning hall, but there was not even anyone to keep vigil.

Du Rong stood beside him. Seeing his bloodshot eyes, she gently advised, "Brother, don't be too sad. Take care of your health first."

She has lived a life similar to that of a dependent since she was a child, but she is more open-minded about it.

Du Fu remained silent for a long while. Then, in a low voice, he said, "Sister, you can give up your family property, but you can never forget your enemies."

Du Rong was stunned and asked, "What enemy?"

Du Fu said coldly: "Remember this, we have two enemies, one is Du Zhenglun and the other is Gao Youdao!"

Du Rong was silent for a moment and nodded.

Not far away, the sound of water was heard and the newly dug canal was flowing continuously. This newly dug canal witnessed the decline of a prosperous family.

Beside the canal, Chang Sun Chong looked at the decline of the Du family. For some reason, he felt an indescribable fear in his heart.

He took a deep breath, got on the carriage, and said to the driver, "Let's go back to the Duke's Mansion."

The driver was surprised and asked, "Prince Consort, didn't Alang say that he won't let you go back home?"

Chang Sun Chong angrily said, "Just go back when I told you to. Why are you talking so much nonsense?"

The carriage quickly drove back to Duke Zhao's mansion.

Chang Sun Chong looked up and saw that the mansion that used to be bustling with people was now extremely deserted, with few visitors. He felt even more depressed.

Duke Zhao's Mansion.

In the study, Changsun Wuji put four desks together and filled them with various books.

These books are all historical books, including Book of Liang, Book of Chen, Book of Zhou, Book of Qi, Book of Sui, and the Ten Records of Jingshu.

Changsun Wuji planned to write a voluminous work similar to the Records of the Grand Historian, covering the history of previous dynasties.

If this book can be compiled, it will not only make him famous for thousands of years, but also serve as a life-saving talisman for his Changsun family a hundred years later.

Just as he took off his shoes and lay on the table to read the classics, there was a knock on the door.

Changsun Wuji sighed, got off the table, put on his shoes, and ordered, "Come in."

With a "creak", Chang Sun Chong pushed the door open and came in, panting, his face pale without a trace of blood.

"Father, father..." he said with his head lowered.

Chang Sun Wuji glanced at him and said calmly, "Didn't I tell you not to come to me if you have nothing to do? Why are you here?"

Chang Sun Chong said in a trembling voice, "Several major events have occurred in Chang'an City in the past few days. I am frightened and want to come and talk to you, father."

Zhang Sun Wuji stared at him for a while, then stood up, poured a cup of hot tea, handed it to his son, and said, "Don't panic, I'm not dead yet. Sit down and talk."

Chang Sun Chong drank a sip of tea, feeling a little more at ease. He said, "I just came back from Du Gu. From now on, there will be no more Jingzhao Du family in the family tree."

Changsun Wuji said calmly, "This is normal. Things in the world are unpredictable. No family can prosper forever."

Chang Sun Chong looked up at him and said, "Father, will our Chang Sun family be like this as well?"

Zhang Sun Wuji was silent for a while, then slowly said, "I don't know what will happen in the future, but as long as I live, I will definitely not let the Zhang Sun family suffer such a disaster."

Chang Sun Chong said: "Then we need to plan early."

Zhang Sun Wuji raised his eyelids and asked, "What are you planning?" Zhang Sun Chong stood up and walked to the table. "Father, the knife is already at our neck. If we don't make a plan, we will end up like Mrs. Du."

Changsun Wuji asked, "The swords you mentioned are referring to Yuchi Gong and Cheng Zhijie, right?"

Chang Sun Chong asked, "Does father know?"

Zhang Sun Wuji snorted and said, "Although I never leave my house, I haven't reached the point of closing my eyes and ears."

Chang Sun Chong asked, "Have you also heard about the Xiao family's affairs?"

Changsun Wuji flipped through a legal code and said calmly, "I heard about it. The Xiao family has many assets and relies on their power. When doing business in Chang'an, they were always aggressive and domineering. It's not surprising that they were punished by Cheng Zhijie."

Chang Sun Chong said: "But don't blame Xiao this time!"

"Oh?"

"That Xiao family member only beat up a Hu merchant and didn't do anything to him, but Cheng Zhijie beat him with a hundred sticks, turning him into a cripple and unable to stand up straight again."

Changsun Wuji just said "hmm" and said nothing.

Chang Sun Chong gritted his teeth and said, "There is something that father must not know."

Changsun Wuji said without even looking up, "You mean to say that you bumped into Yuchi Gong when you violated curfew?"

Chang Sun Chong was surprised and asked, "You already know?"

Changsun Wuji said, "Laiji has already written to tell me."

Chang Sun Chong clenched his fists and said, "You didn't see what was happening. Yuchi Gong didn't look like an official at all. He looked like... a bandit!"

Changsun Wuji looked up and said, "You're right, he and Cheng Zhijie are bandits!"

Chang Sun Chong was stunned and said, "Now that you know this, are you just going to sit there and wait for death?"

Changsun Wuji asked in return, "Let me ask you, what is the reaction of the aristocratic families now?"

Chang Sun Chong was silent for a moment, then said, "How else can we react? Everyone is so nervous, and the clan members are strictly forbidden from leaving the house."

Changsun Wuji said, "Then let me ask you again, they have always been ruthless in their actions. After suffering such a great loss this time, why don't they seek revenge?"

Chang Sun Chong was stunned and said, "Yuchi Gong and Cheng Zhijie are notorious for their crimes, and they have the army behind them. Who would dare to be the first to confront these two bandits head-on?"

Changsun Wuji said, "This is their ability. They can make others fear them and not dare to retaliate against them. Your Majesty's goal of intimidating the nobles has been achieved, hasn't it?"

Chang Sun Chong murmured, "Your Majesty, are you just trying to shock me?"

Zhang Sun Wuji said, "I've told you long ago that His Majesty wants stability, not chaos. But you just can't see it."

Chang Sun Chong frowned and said, "With these two people patrolling Chang'an, everyone is so nervous when they go out at night. How can they feel at ease?"

Changsun Wuji glanced at him and said, "The stability your majesty wants is not peace of mind for you and me, but peace of mind for the people. Don't get this wrong."

Chang Sun Chong snorted, "These two are too strict in enforcing the law. If this continues, the people will simply flee Chang'an. How can we feel at peace?"

Changsun Wuji said in a deep voice: "Laws were originally created to prohibit evil. If they are not strict, how can they curb people's greed?"

"That's what the law really looks like in the eyes of the people. You have privilege, and the law can't do anything to you, so you used to feel comfortable."

"Now that Yuchi Gong and Cheng Zhijie have stripped you of your privileges and treated you the same as the common people, you are feeling uneasy and fearful."

Chang Sun Chong swallowed his saliva and couldn't say a word.

Changsun Wuji continued, "You just said that the people of Chang'an would flee? That's wrong. The people of Chang'an are very satisfied with the two of them."

Chang Sun Chong was shocked and said, "This is impossible."

Changsun Wuji clapped his hands, and with a "creak", a Xuanwu guard pushed the door open and walked in.

Changsun Wuji asked, "Tell my dear, what have people in Chang'an been talking about these days?"

Xuanwu Wei said, "The people in the neighborhood are saying that there are fewer thieves and robbers recently, the security in the streets has improved, foreigners have become more honest, and the prices of goods have dropped."

Chang Sun Chong was shocked and asked, "Don't they know that Cheng Zhijie and Yuchi Gong killed and beat people?"

Zhang Sun Wuji sighed, "Chong'er, you really don't understand the thoughts of the common people. They won't care which powerful person is dealt with, and they may even applaud behind their backs."

"What they really care about are the price of rice, firewood and salt, things that are closely related to them. When they have nothing to do, they will discuss a few words about the court affairs after dinner."

Chang Sun Chong smiled bitterly and said, "This kind of life is too simple."

Zhang Sun Wuji said, "This is the life of ordinary people. You haven't experienced hardship, so you naturally can't understand it."

Chang Sun Chong asked, "Father, will His Majesty exterminate all the noble families?"

Changsun Wuji shook his head and said, "No, if Wei Hongji and Xiao Rui hadn't been restless, Your Majesty wouldn't have invited Cheng Zhijie and Yuchi Gong out."

Chang Sun Chong whispered, "That's good."

Changsun Wuji continued, "I've long said that the aristocratic families are the cornerstone of the Tang Dynasty. Your Majesty will not easily destroy himself. Next, Your Majesty should appease the aristocratic families."

In fact, Changsun Wuji knew very well that the turmoil in Chang'an was caused by him.

Because of him, the status of the aristocracy plummeted from its peak, and everyone felt uncomfortable and naturally wanted to rebel.

As a result, he was awakened by a slap in the face by the emperor, and naturally he would recognize his own status again.

Although the court and the country were shaken by his grandson Wuji, as the imperial power grew stronger, everything would eventually return to stability.

The Tang Dynasty's court is about to enter a brand new pattern.

(End of this chapter)