Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 264 All the poor scholars in the world will flock to Wen He

"Insanity!"

"Arrogant and disrespectful!"

The Zheng family mansion in Xingyang.

The old man from the Cui family of Boling slammed his fist on the table and cursed loudly. If this were not the Zheng family mansion, he would have smashed the teacup in his hand to show his indignation.

Since the end of the Han Dynasty, no one has ever dared to provoke them so openly.

People say that it is an honor to marry a woman from one of the five prominent families, and that the five families and seven noble clans are respected and revered.

But today, a mere child declared war on them right there in the street!
Such behavior was seen as a blatant provocation by the Cui clan, which was widely regarded as the foremost aristocratic family.

"Why bother with this, Brother Liting? He's just a child."

Upon hearing this, the elder from the Cui clan of Boling glared at him and snorted, "Your Lu clan of Fanyang are sitting here so comfortably, but Lu Ziye, don't forget that that brat is threatening all the gentry!"

"The five surnames and seven clans are of the same blood and are closely connected!"

The old man named Lu Ziye sighed deeply, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly put the teacup down before saying, "I was against this matter before. The previous distribution had already caused us to have a rift with other gentry. This is already like cutting off one of our arms. It's just a little bit of wool, why not let him have it? Why make such a fuss?"

The others were somewhat dissatisfied upon hearing this.

He was not the previous representative of the Lu family in Chang'an. The previous representative had been transferred back to Fanyang to retire for some reason, but the Lu family did not explain why.

But everyone present knew perfectly well that the Lu family did not want to antagonize the royal family, which was why they sent Lu Ziye, a moderate.

"Does Lord Lu mean to blame my Zheng family?"

The middle-aged man in the seat of honor, dressed in a brocade round-necked robe, asked a question with a stern face.

He was Zheng Yuanzhu, the leading figure of the Zheng family in this generation.

"I had no such intention. I merely wish to remind you all that the Prince of Gaoyang is backed by His Majesty. You might as well take a count of how many officials of the fourth rank or above are currently in the court among the five clans?"

Of those present, only Zheng Yuanzhu was the Left Martial General, a third-rank official.

The rest of the people were all commoners.

The same was true for their next generation; only a few of the third generation became vice ministers, such as Lu Chengqing.

The rest were all below the fifth rank.

The Tang Dynasty has not yet reached the point where there are no lower-ranking officials or aristocratic families.

In particular, the five surnames and seven clans have been suppressed ever since the time of Yang Guang.

Zheng Yuanzhu was able to reach the rank of third-grade official because he was sent as an envoy to the Turks multiple times, and also because he surrendered his prefecture when the Tang army revolted.

Among the Sixteen Guards, they were one of the few who were not from the Qin King's faction.

As soon as Lu Ziye finished speaking, the room fell into a deathly silence.

"What does Lord Lu mean?" Zheng Yuanzhu's eyes narrowed slightly.

If he could, he wouldn't want to be enemies with Wen He, as he knew that this scion of Gaoyang County was backed by His Majesty and the Crown Prince.

But for him, family interests came above all else.

"Gentlemen, do not forget that Wen He produced cheap white paper and farm tools, forcing us to follow his rules. But we are all from families with a thousand-year-old tradition. Are we willing to be bullied by a mere child?"

Zheng Yuanzhu glanced at everyone present, sighed deeply, and said, "I do not intend to kill him, nor do I want to fight to the death. I simply want to fight for our honor."

"If we can get Wen He to back down this time, wouldn't that also mean His Majesty has backed down? Then the distribution issue might still be in our hands."

The so-called "five surnames and seven clans" was actually a huge alliance of interests.

The fact that no one spoke just now means they didn't see the potential benefits.

But now Zheng Yuanzhu has already thrown out a huge piece of meat.

The allocation of these distribution rights, through regional auctions alone, can generate several million strings of cash annually.

Such a large piece of fat meat, now only in Wen He's hands, how could they not be envious?

"Therefore, this matter is not just a matter for the Zheng family, but for all seven families." Zheng Yuanzhu's lips curled slightly.

He understands these people's thoughts all too well.

They're all hypocrites, spouting morals and ethics, but in reality, they're all scoundrels and lewd men.

"This matter..."

Not long after he finished speaking, someone spoke up.
Zheng Yuanzhu looked at the person who spoke, just as I had expected.

Those were people from the Li family of Longxi.

Zheng Yuanzhu was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected that the first to stand up and express their opinion would be the Li family of Longxi.

This is the emperor's own family.

"I, the Li family of Longxi, will not participate in this matter." The man from the Li family of Longxi was a middle-aged man. He did not hold a high official position in the court, but as a member of the main branch of the family, he was sufficient to represent the Li family of Longxi.

Zheng Yuanzhu immediately frowned, but before he could speak, he heard another voice refusing: "I, Li of Zhao County, have no business in cloth or leather, so I will not participate. Gentlemen, please do as you wish."

The speaker was also a middle-aged man.

Of the seven families present, two, surnamed Li, flatly refused.

"you!"

The old man from the Cui family of Boling suddenly stood up and pointed at the two of them.

However, the two young men of the Li family did not take it seriously and, as if they had agreed beforehand, got up together.

"Gentlemen, please continue your discussion. I will take my leave now."

The two exchanged greetings together, and before anyone could react, they walked away together.

'A bunch of lunatics!'

The two left the house, exchanged a glance, and shook their heads helplessly. All those with the surname Li are one family; now it's their world.

These people actually want them to go against His Majesty; isn't that tantamount to throwing away their own livelihood?

Moreover, even if Wen He suffers a loss this time, what about the future?
He's only ten years old.

If he holds a high position in the future, or if he becomes the crown prince, he will likely be fully powerful by then.

Getting revenge on them would be a piece of cake.

After the two families left, the house fell silent once again.

"Enough, enough, who else wants to leave?" The old man from the Cui family of Boling sighed.

But just then, a burst of laughter came from the side.

"Liting, don't be impatient. The fact that none of us have left means that we are truly of one mind and one heart."

The old man sitting at the head of the table on the left suddenly spoke.

After he finished speaking, he glanced at the old man surnamed Lu.

The latter looked a little embarrassed and coughed twice.

At that moment, everyone else turned their attention to him.

The Cui family of Qinghe.

The head of the five surnames and seven prominent families.

The number one surname in the world.

His words just now clearly meant that he wanted to exclude the two families surnamed Li from the future.

"Since we're going to deal with that brat, we must use swift and decisive measures without hesitation. As the saying goes, strike first. I believe that brat cares most about money, while His Majesty cares about his reputation. That wool is for making winter clothes for the soldiers at the front, so perhaps..."

The old man stroked his beard with a smile, then abruptly stopped mid-sentence.

But everyone present understood what he meant.

Since Wenhe valued wool, he destroyed it.

Without winter clothing, Your Majesty will still have to rely on them; otherwise, Your Majesty will be breaking your promise to the army.

Then they can take the opportunity to make a request to His Majesty and seize the distribution rights.

Sure enough, ginger is still spicy.

Everyone had to admit their admiration.

And just then.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside.

"who?"

Zheng Yuanzhu frowned. He had repeatedly ordered that no one should come in to disturb him.

Someone lifted the curtain, and it turned out to be Jung Yunho.

"Greetings, Father. Greetings, esteemed guests." Although Jung Yunho's face showed eagerness, he did not forget to bow to everyone.

"He is a polite man," the old man from Qinghe Cui nodded approvingly.

Normally, Jung Yunho would have been overjoyed to receive such praise from him.

It is important to know that during this period, the evaluation of elders among the five surnames could very well affect a person's career.

But Jung Yunho showed no joy at the moment. He took a few steps forward and whispered something in Jung Won-soo's ear.

The latter's expression immediately changed.

"What you said is true!"

Jung Yunho nodded seriously.

The others were puzzled by this.

"What happened?"

All eyes turned to Zheng Yuanzhu.

The latter, with a solemn expression, exhaled a breath of turbid air and said, "The magistrate of Gaoyang County has opened a bookstore in the East Market. No matter what kind of book it is, each one costs three coins."

"what!"

Everyone was immediately shocked.

"Has that brat Wen He gone mad?!"

The old man from the Cui family of Boling suddenly turned ashen-faced.

Even with cheap paper now, it's impossible to sell a book for three coins.

And surprisingly, no matter what kind of book it was, it was all three coins a book.

"Go and buy a few copies yourself!"

Jung Won-soo pointed at Jung Yunho, who immediately nodded and quickly walked out.

The faces of everyone inside the room were increasingly grim.

Especially the old man from the Cui family of Qinghe.

He had just said he would strike first, but while they were gathered here, Wen He had already made his move.

Three coins a book.