The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

What was supposed to be a grand drama, one that was expected to cause considerable turmoil, ended with Zhou Keji being beheaded after confessing to some matters.

Chen Huai'an himself felt that the result was somewhat unreal.

What about resistance?

What are the difficulties?

Where did you go?

Is that all?

Chen Huai'an was a little confused, but thinking that ending it was better than dragging it out, he stopped caring.

He immediately returned to the Ministry of Revenue to continue arranging the construction of the Yellow River.

This is not only for implementing work relief, but also to prepare for the major floods next year.

As long as the Yellow River doesn't have any problems and there isn't a large-scale breach, the floods will definitely not be that severe, at least they will be within a controllable range.

Therefore, Chen Huai'an paid close attention to this matter.

As the person directly involved, he went to the Ministry of Revenue to oversee the construction of the Yellow River, while others did not have such an easy time.

Wei Zheng and Fang Xuanling urgently began compiling the court gazette.

Du Ruhui returned home, sat in his study, closed his eyes to rest for a while, and finally slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

"Father, you're back?"

At this moment, a boy of about seventeen or eighteen years old knocked on the door and came in. Seeing his father's appearance, he knew that something big must have happened today, and sat down opposite Du Ruhui with a serious expression.

"My son," Du Ruhui murmured, gazing at the boy before him who had grown up, exuding a scholarly air and whose eyes held no trace of weakness, "you've grown up..."

Du Gou smiled and said, "Father, your son will always grow up, but you won't get old either."

Du Ruhui slowly shook his head, not answering the question, but instead said, "You are from a prominent family and can be appointed directly. Your father plans to arrange for you to serve as an official in the court."

"Do you want to start with literary pursuits or martial arts?"

Du Gou's smile faded, and he pondered, "Can't I choose all my sons?"

"It would be more advantageous for me to start with military service and then switch to civil service later."

"I don't ask to go very high on the path of martial arts. I just need to walk this path. With your status, Father, I can perhaps start as a guard by His Majesty's side. This is not overstepping my bounds."

Du Ruhui felt somewhat gratified upon hearing these words.

In fact, most of the so-called纨绔子弟 (playboys) in Chang'an were sons born to concubines, or at most second sons. Whether it was Cheng Yaojin or anyone else, they all had extremely strict requirements for their eldest sons.

If the true heir to the family is an incompetent fool or a spoiled brat, who can trust him to take over everything in the family?

Even though the three young brothers, Cheng Chumo and his brother, seem simple-minded, they are actually quite clever.

Cheng Yaojin and his group treated their eldest son well when necessary and disciplined him when needed.

As for Du Gou in front of us, Du Ruhui had nurtured him with all his might, and he could be described as both a scholar and a warrior.

The goal, of course, is to hope that this child will be able to support himself in the future.

In retrospect, Du Gou did not disappoint him.

Du Ruhui nodded and said, "Serving as a guard will be very beneficial to you. Your father will arrange for you to serve as a bodyguard to His Majesty, so that you can make more friends and become familiar with His Majesty."

"Thank you, Father." A hint of joy flashed across Du Gou's face, which was exactly what he had hoped to see.

Du Ruhui waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to be so polite, and then said, "Today, something very special happened in the court. I'll tell you about it, and you can tell me your opinion."

"Okay, Father, please speak, I'm listening." Du Gou dared not be negligent, which was also one of Du Ruhui's methods of cultivating him.

Du Ruhui would tell him things that could be told without reservation, and then ask him to analyze the various situations, who benefited, who suffered losses, and why they did what they did, etc.

If he said something wrong, Du Ruhui would patiently guide him, trying his best to teach his son all his experience, and at the same time let his son understand as early as possible just how cruel the court was.

Immediately afterwards, Du Ruhui recounted everything from Chen Huai'an taking the Crown Prince out of the city to inspect the locust plague, to Chen Huai'an leading the Crown Prince to beat someone, to the Censorate officials impeaching him in court, and the rules that Li Shimin set with an unyielding attitude.

After speaking, Du Ruhui personally brewed a cup of tea for his son, who was deep in thought.

After some time, Du Gou frowned slightly: "Judging from the result, Mr. Chen definitely won. This is not unexpected. Mr. Chen is a bit strange. Both the Lu and Zheng families were defeated by him, so it is normal for him to win."

"The equal-field system was the absolute foundation of the Tang Dynasty and was closely linked to the militia system."

"On the eve of launching an attack on the Eastern Turks, such an incident occurred in Wannian County, which is under the jurisdiction of Chang'an. This has completely touched His Majesty's sore spot, and he will never tolerate it."

"However, I always felt that this matter ended somewhat hastily."

"Also, Mr. Chen brought the Crown Prince to beat people up... I still can't understand it."

"Why don't you understand?" Du Ruhui asked in return.

Du Gou asked doubtfully, "Father, given Mr. Chen's status, there are far better ways to resolve this matter. Hitting someone was ultimately an impulsive act. If it could be resolved properly, it would be a great achievement, and it could also be used to stabilize the equal land system, eliminate corrupt officials, and add to his merits."

"Now that the Crown Prince has taken the lead in fighting, even if the Crown Prince takes the blame, it would be the best outcome if he isn't punished, and the spoils would go to His Majesty..."

As they talked, Du Gou suddenly realized: "Father...you mean, Mr. Chen did it on purpose?"

A slight smile appeared on Du Ruhui's lips: "Child, you are very clever, but not enough."

"You have too little experience. You don't understand why Mr. Chen would bring the Crown Prince to beat people. You only see that in the end, His Majesty gained the results and seized the opportunity to stabilize the equal-field system and curb land annexation."

"But what they didn't see was that Mr. Chen, accompanied by the Crown Prince, beat people in front of a large crowd—that's the most important thing!"

Du Gou was stunned for a moment. When Du Ruhui finally said "beat him in front of many people," he emphasized the words.

But what does it matter?

"Father, I don't understand." Du Gou didn't pretend to understand; he frankly admitted that he didn't understand.

Du Ruhui patiently explained, "I'll ask you a question and you'll understand. You don't understand why Mr. Chen brought the Crown Prince to beat people because you're looking at the big picture from an absolutely rational standpoint."

"But while reason is good, emotion is also essential."

"I ask you, His Majesty ordered a thorough investigation, and the Minister of Justice presided over the trial in court. Were ordinary people allowed to stand by and watch?"

"Of course," Du Gou replied immediately. "His Majesty's intention in doing this is to give the people an explanation, and the people can naturally stand by and watch."

"Then..." Du Ruhui asked again, "After the joint trial ends, will the people know why Mr. Chen brought the Crown Prince to beat people?"

"When the people know the whole story, what will they think of Mr. Chen and His Highness the Crown Prince?"

"..."