A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

After Gao Jiong's first wife passed away, Empress Dugu, for the purpose of surveillance, suggested that Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, remarry Gao Jiong.

However, Gao Jiong refused, saying, "I am now old, and after court I only go to the Buddhist hall to chant sutras. I really have no desire to remarry." He spoke very humbly and simply.

But in reality, he already knew that he was a thorn in Empress Dugu's side, and that anything Empress Dugu suggested was never a good thing.

This matter did not involve the struggle for the throne or power, and Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, had not completely lost his trust in Gao Jiong. After hearing this, Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, believed it to be true and dropped the matter.

However, not long after, Gao Jiong's most favored concubine gave birth to a son at this very time.

When the news reached the palace, Empress Dugu immediately seized upon it. She said to Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, "Does Your Majesty still trust Gao Jiong? When you wanted to arrange a marriage for him, he was thinking of a concubine, yet he deceived Your Majesty by saying he was old and uninterested in women. Now that concubine has given birth to a son, his crime of deceiving the emperor is blatantly obvious!"

At this time, Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, was already quite old and not as clear-headed as he had been in his youth.

Coupled with his earlier suspicions about Gao Jiong, and with Yang Guang and Empress Dugu constantly whispering in his ear, the aging lone wolf, with his emphasis on power, gradually developed a suspicious mind.

He finally decided to kill Gao Jiong.

Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, casually found an excuse to dismiss Gao Jiong from all his posts, and even stripped him of his noble title.

This veteran official, who had made outstanding contributions to the establishment of the Sui Dynasty, was reduced to an ordinary citizen overnight.

When he was in power, there were naturally many hostile forces in the court. Now that he had lost the emperor's trust and had been stripped of all his official positions, all these enemies rushed up and attacked him. In addition, the forces of Yang Guang and Empress Dugu launched a full-scale counterattack in the court. Three days later, Gao Jiong was found hanged in his residence.

This prime minister, later hailed as a man of great talent in both civil and military affairs, insightful in worldly matters, respected by both the court and the people, undisputed by any dissent, dedicated to serving the country, and capable of doing everything in his power, thus bringing peace and prosperity to the world, ended his life in such a hasty manner.

In historical records, he is mentioned alongside Zhuge Liang, Guan Zhong, and Xiao He as a famous prime minister.

After Gao Jiong's death, none of the people he had recommended to Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, such as Su Wei, Yang Su, and Han Qinhu, came to collect his body. In the end, it was Crown Prince Yang Yong who personally came to the mansion to collect Gao Jiong's body and buried him with the respect due to a disciple.

Standing before Gao Jiong's tombstone, Yang Yong's eyes were lifeless. He never imagined that his father would become so cruel.

Gao Jiong risked his life for Yang Jian back then. It can be said that without Gao Jiong, there would be no Sui Dynasty as we know it today.

But Gao Jiong was executed for such a ridiculous reason. After Gao Jiong's death, who was next?

There was no one else besides him.

Yang Yong sat there alone, poured Gao Jiong a cup, and then drank one himself.

Cup after cup, jar after jar, the wine Yang Yong brought was soon finished.

"Master, I'm leaving now. I think it won't be long before I can go down and join you."

"Please walk slowly down there and wait for your disciple."

"I hope that in our next life we ​​will still be master and disciple, and that we will not have to be born into an imperial family."

Touching Gao Jiong's tombstone, Yang Yong was in tears, unsure whether it was for Gao Jiong or for himself.

He is still collecting Gao Jiong's body now, but will someone else collect his body in the future?

The following year, Crown Prince Yang Yong, who had lost Gao Jiong's protection, was deposed, and the emperor's second son, Yang Guang, became the heir apparent.

After becoming crown prince, Yang Guang reversed his previous treatment of Yang Yong and began to show the demeanor of a crown prince, frequently bestowing gifts upon his elder brother.

In order to win the favor of Emperor Yang Jian and Empress Dugu, Yang Guang always acted extremely frugal.

Even after becoming the crown prince, he still kept everything simple.

With his "help," the deposed crown prince Yang Yong's life was even better than before, far exceeding that of the current crown prince.

After deposing Yang Yong and making Yang Guang the crown prince, Yang Jian kept a close eye on the two of them.

Even though Yang Yong was crippled, he was still his eldest son, and blood was thicker than water. He did not want Yang Yong to be killed by his other son.

Yang Guang's performance greatly pleased him, so he was no longer worried that Yang Guang would order Yang Yong's execution after his death.

This may be the best outcome for the two brothers.

Having resolved the issue of the two brothers, Yang Jian once again focused his attention on the court.

The execution of Gao Jiong had a profound impact on the court, affecting several major actions that were underway.

Whether it was the imperial examination system, the establishment of medical schools, or the construction of railways, everything was greatly affected.

In particular, even after 23 years of the Sui Dynasty's establishment, the goal set by the Prince of Yan was still not achieved, and the position of the Ministry of Agriculture remains vacant to this day.

Furthermore, with the passing of one after another of the founding ministers, the country once again showed signs of turmoil.

This trend became even more pronounced after Gao Jiong's death.

Rumors had already circulated throughout the land that the Sui Dynasty's ascension to the throne was illegitimate. If it weren't for the promotion of the imperial examination system and medical schools, which made his reputation among the people extremely good, there would probably be widespread resentment and uprisings everywhere by now.

After Gao Jiong's death, Yang Su assumed the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.

Although Yang Su was also a man of both literary and martial talents, he was slightly inferior to Gao Jiong in both areas, making him a smaller version of Gao Jiong.

However, it is clear that this level is still insufficient to compete with the powerful families of the world.

Only by having Yang Jian step in and take sides could the balance be barely maintained.

The affairs of the court consumed a great deal of Yang Jian's energy, but when Gao Jiong was in power, he still had the leisure and time to go out for spring outings and leisure activities.

He now works late into the night every day, and even then he can't finish dealing with state affairs. He hasn't been to the harem for months, and usually rests directly in the palace where he works, and continues to deal with state affairs after waking up.

Such a lifestyle had a tremendous impact on his health, and before long, Yang Jian's body collapsed.

In the twenty-fourth year of the Kaihuang era, Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, fell ill and died in the same year. His son, Crown Prince Yang Guang, succeeded him and changed the era name to Daye.

With Yang Jian's death, the mountain that had been weighing down on the powerful families of the land was lifted, and they began to fight for power and profit without any scruples.

When Yang Guang first ascended the throne, the power in the court was not strong enough to withstand the powerful families.

Only then did Yang Guang realize just how much pressure there was in being an emperor.

There is already a popular saying that Yang Jian's ascension to the throne was illegitimate, and Yang Guang's ascension to the throne was also illegitimate.

After all, he took his position from his brother.

Upon hearing this news, Yang Guang was furious and immediately issued an edict to execute the deposed Crown Prince Yang Yong.

This fell into the trap set by the powerful families. Yang Yong had been deposed for several years, during which time he did not do anything wrong, but spent his days drinking and having fun, indulging in wine and women.

Moreover, Yang Yong was Yang Guang's elder brother after all. Not only did you seize his throne, but you also tried to kill him. This is simply unacceptable.

Many people in the public have even spoken out in support of the deposed crown prince Yang Yong.

Faced with this situation, Yang Guang had only one way to deal with it: kill!