The Lu family stood quietly, and amid the various expressions of the clan members, they only heard the head of the family at the top say: "Regarding Liu Lang's matter, what our Cui family is really facing may not be the coercion from King Fanyang——"
This sentence made the tribesmen stunned for a moment: "The head of the family means..."
"Yesterday, I received a secret letter from Prince Rong, in which he asked whether the Cui family needed help from Prince Rong's Mansion—" Cui Ju said, "If the Cui family needs it, he can try to send Liu Lang and others back to the family unharmed."
"...Prince Rong?" A middle-aged tribesman frowned, "Nothing is wrong... Prince Rong can make such a guarantee? Could it be..."
"Is there someone from Prince Rong in the Fanyang army?" Cui Wei also reacted, his expression changed slightly: "If this is true, then this person's status is probably not low..."
Does this prove that Prince Rong was probably behind Prince Fanyang's rebellion?
With this in mind, the Cui clan members had a brief noisy conversation.
Therefore, the safety of Liu Lang and others is not in the hands of King Fanyang, but rather in the hands of King Rong...
The current situation of Liu Lang and others not only means that the lives of the thirty of them may be in danger at any time, but also concerns the situation of the Cui family in the court. At such a critical juncture, if the empress really takes action against the Cui family regardless of the consequences, the Cui family alone will have no possibility of escaping unscathed.
The Cui family is no longer the same Cui family as before. They must make a choice now, otherwise they will end up with no remains left in the fighting among all parties.
All the clansmen in the hall were aware of this.
Even though Cui Wei was dissatisfied with Prince Rong's actions: "Prince Rong's actions are clearly forcing my Cui family to express our position..."
They use the name of helping to coerce others, but they act respectably enough, making it impossible for people to get angry.
In the past, no one would dare to let the Cui family swallow such a loss!
In the past, before the great change, the Cui family would not have to be so panic-stricken as they are now, and they would have to choose to rely on those who hold weapons in order to continue to survive...
"The world has changed." Cui Wei clenched his fists tightly, his eyes slightly reddened by his unwillingness and resentment: "There is no longer a way for gentlemanly etiquette to survive in this world."
Some members of the tribe fell into sighs and silence, while others looked lonely.
"It is the Cui family's prosperity over the past hundreds of years that has given us the illusion that this prosperity will never fade away." Cui Ju looked at everyone, including his eldest son, and said, "But in fact, there has never been a precedent of power and nobility in this world lasting forever."
"Gentlemen and etiquette will never die out. The world will always need gentlemen and etiquette." Cui Ju's old voice was as solemn and long as the sound of ancient bells and chimes: "The only ones who will die out and be replaced are those who hold the sharp weapon of gentlemanly etiquette in their hands and look down on others."
Even if the Cui family is gone from this high position, there will be others.
It is said that only the gentry are noble and true gentlemen. Let’s just tell this to the world. If you still deceive yourself with this today, you are stubborn and stupid.
Cui Ju's words almost tore open the truth that the gentry lived in the world with gentlemanly etiquette and laws. Upon hearing this, Cui Wei's expression changed indescribably, and then his tense shoulders slowly sank, and he was speechless for a long time.
He knew what his father said was the essence, but the situation in the world really changed too quickly, so quickly that he and many of his clansmen could hardly react...
The existence of their five major clans can be traced back to several dynasties ago. In the storms of power changes, they have long become the symbol of the world's orthodox etiquette. At that time, almost all the literati in the world came from the gentry, and it was difficult for common people to have people who were qualified to touch the political world.
As a result, a situation emerged in which the emperor's surname changed, but the surnames of the gentry remained unchanged.
The reason why the founding emperor of the Great Sheng Dynasty was able to ascend the throne smoothly was also due to the support and recognition of several major aristocratic families. In order to strengthen the close relationship with the aristocratic families, the emperor of the Great Sheng Dynasty asked to marry the daughters of the five major families more than once, hoping to let the royal daughters marry into the aristocratic families, but the Qinghe Cui family and other families simply disdained and were unwilling to be tied to these fleeting imperial powers.
They always took the initiative and dominated the situation until the power of the poor gradually rose and the emperors tried to use the poor to balance their status and divide their interests.
But at that time they still did not feel like they were facing a formidable enemy, and subconsciously they still tacitly accepted that the world would always need them to govern and lead.
A few years ago, when they were fighting against the empress, many members of the clan still firmly believed that governing the country with culture was the long-term way. People like Cui Jing who became the empress's pawns were only disgracing the family and would only bring the Cui family into the quagmire of power struggles among the lower classes.
But now...
They were wantonly held hostage by those holding weapons but they had no way to do anything. The one who protected the Qinghe people in time was Dalang, who had been rebuked and criticized by them in the past and was eventually expelled from the tribe.
In this world, dignity can no longer be defended by words alone. The worship and reverence that the people and heroes once gave them has been gradually removed by the sharp blades that emerged from the chaos.
Knowing that they have been swept away by the torrent and have no way to escape, the Cui family members are filled with a heavy sense of resentment, anger, and silence.
"The situation is set. Standing still and blaming others is only courting destruction." Cui Ju did not complain or accuse Rong Wangfu, the Fanyang Army, or even the Empress. He said to his clansmen, "Compared to Fanyang Wang, Rong Wang was the first one that the Cui family considered... Rong Wang's move this time only pushed the choice that the Cui family should have made forward one step faster."
Prince Rong was reminding them that it was time to make a decision “in time”.
Power struggles should not be mixed with any useless emotions. Emotions will only make judgments lose their due objectivity.
After hearing this, Cui Wei gradually calmed down.
The clan members also tried their best to distance themselves from their emotions. Someone asked seriously, "Has the head of the family thought it over? Are you going to help King Rong succeed?"
In the past two years, they have watched and waited, and believe that Prince Rong is indeed the best choice at the moment - as for Prince Fanyang who suddenly rebelled, in their view, he is more like someone who is making wedding clothes for others.
In comparison, although Prince Rong also used his scheming against the Cui family, it is undeniable that the other party is calm and resourceful, patient and shrewd, has military power in his hands, and has many supporters... and he is from the orthodox Li family and has the same father as the late emperor. It is destined that he will have a legitimate reason to consolidate the situation in the future and achieve twice the result with half the effort.
All these advantages are not comparable to those of King Fanyang Li Fu.
Mrs. Lu was also waiting for the head of the family's answer. She did not want to see the clan's decision-making affected by Liu Lang, but if the clan's decision did not conflict with saving Liu Lang, as a mother she would naturally be very grateful.
At this time, the old man at the top said slowly: "There is another option that we have never thought of."
Immediately, a clan member asked, "Who is the master referring to?"
Cui Ju: "Huainan Road is always peaceful."
The hall suddenly fell silent. After a moment, several members of the Cui clan who were usually reserved even showed expressions of surprise and confusion on their faces.
Cui Wei also looked surprised.
Mrs. Lu was stunned, and then her eyes lit up. A voice emerged in her mind uncontrollably—the master's vision was so unique and bright? !
She only knew that the master was wise, but she didn't know that he was so wise... The master was already this old, when did he secretly make such progress? !
Mrs. Lu became inexplicably excited. She clenched the handkerchief tightly in both hands, trying hard to suppress the urge to speak in agreement.
The clan members finally reacted. One old man even couldn't help but leave his chair and stood up, saying with a trembling voice: "What does the head of the family mean? The Huainan Dao Chang Suining is just a little girl, and she is from another family. How can my Cui family support such a person..."
He wanted to say, "Is the master of the family getting senile?", but because he was seven or eight years older and looked even more senile, he held back.
"I've never heard the Patriarch mention Chang Suining before..." A clan member asked more tactfully, "Why would the Patriarch suddenly consider her?"
And at this final moment of decision, even if the head of the family only took it into consideration, it was already very shocking.
The Cui family opposed the Ming empress, and at least half of the reason was that they opposed women being in power, but now... the head of the family is actually considering supporting another woman who has risen to power, and a young girl? What is the reason for this? Although the head of a noble family has prestige, the survival of a family has never been decided by the head of the family alone.
Cui Wei was also very clear about this, so even though he also thought that his father's words were shocking and even a bit absurd, he did not speak out in opposition or question - if his father really meant this, countless clansmen would oppose it, and he did not need to add unnecessary pressure to his father.
However, he was really confused and just wanted to hear the reasons given by his father.
However, Cui Wei almost subconsciously believed that no matter what reasons his father gave, he would not be able to truly convince the tribe members.
Cui Ju saw the reactions of his people, but his tone remained calm and objective: "Huainan Dao Chang Suining is a person with outstanding talent, which makes people unable to ignore her. And looking at the current situation, there are no other people in the world who are as eye-catching as her-"
"She is indeed a woman, but it is precisely because she is a woman that she was able to gather such a great momentum in a few years, which shows that she is very intelligent and resourceful."
This woman's style of doing things seems to be extremely reckless and bold, but that is ultimately because some people have always believed that she does not have the ability to match her style... But in fact, she has come this far without any luck at all, and has relied on her unquestionable ability.
Although Cui Ju never mentioned it, he had been secretly paying attention to Chang Suining for a long time.
It is no exaggeration to say that the process of that young woman's governance of Jiangdu and Huainan Road repeatedly surprised him and even amazed him.
Besides being amazed, he was even confused for a moment. He was puzzled as to how such a young girl, who had been kept in the boudoir for a long time several years ago, had learned those extraordinary, mature and unique political methods?
To put it in a paradoxical way, this talent even goes beyond the scope of talent.
He felt puzzled and even strange, so he could only suspect that there was an extraordinary master helping her.
Until a few months ago, he received a letter...
Amid the tribesmen's disapproval or hesitation, Cui Ju said, "Before Ling'an went to fight the Northern Di this time, he secretly sent back a letter—"
Following these words, the noisy and chaotic hall regained its brief silence.
The old man's deep voice resounded in the silence: "Ling An said in the letter that the governor of Huainan Road, Chang Suining, is a man of outstanding talent and unparalleled virtue. He has the qualities of the late crown prince Li Xiao and can be the ruler of the world."
As the old man finished speaking, the surroundings fell into an even more strange silence.
Do you have the appearance of the former Crown Prince Li Xiao?
Can he be the ruler of the world? These two sentences are more arrogant than the last...
How could such an evaluation appear on a girl who is only eighteen years old?
"I think this rebellious son is clearly possessed by a demon..." Cui Wei could no longer bear it and said, "He actually used his delusional words to try to influence the decision-making of the clan!"
He hadn't forgotten that this rascal had asked for the Chang family's daughter's hand in marriage at the Hibiscus Flower Banquet without authorization! "Bewildered by ghosts, bewildered by words of favoritism..." Madam Lu was surprised and said, "Could it be that all the merits and achievements of Envoy Chang were imagined by Ling Anfa?"
After asking, facing her husband's brilliant expression, Mrs. Lu said with a sincere but uncertain look: "This... I guess it's impossible, right?"
It was as if she really didn't know the truth, but was just an uninformed woman who wanted to know the whole story from her husband and was eagerly concerned about the mental state of her eldest son.
"..." Cui Wei turned his face away in embarrassment: "Of course I am not saying that it is all his imagination...but the so-called former crown prince's appearance can be the ruler of the world, which is too pretentious. How can a little girl like her compare with the former crown prince?"
Although he disdained imperial power, he did not deny the excellence of the former Crown Prince Li Xiao, especially when he needed to bring up the issue of gender - there is a natural gap between men and women, so how can they be compared?
Most of the other members of the Cui clan had similar ideas to Cui Wei.
Besides, their mood was complicated, with mixed feelings of joy and sorrow.
The good news is that it turns out that Ling An is not blindly loyal to the empress, and they had misunderstood him before.
What's worrying is that he is so foolishly loyal to another woman... He is willing to drag their entire family to be loyal to her!
What kind of love-crazy guy is this?
How did he reincarnate into their Cui family? However, these embarrassing words were not suitable to be discussed in detail. They only talked about the major events to appear objective and fair: "Master, even if we don't mention other things, Chang Suining had previously taken the collection of books from the Jiangnan gentry for himself and announced it to the literati of the world. This move also had a lot of impact on our Cui family..."
"This is her ability, not her weakness." Cui Ju said: "This is the general trend, and she is just taking advantage of it. There is nothing wrong with this. She is not an enemy of our Cui family."
Cui Ju looked at all the tribesmen, and there was a hint of sigh in his tone: "If you put aside your prejudices and think carefully about her achievements along the way, you will know that even the founding monarchs who have achieved success with their talents and means in the past few dynasties may not be able to walk as steadily and experiencedly as she does..."
"She is now able to confront the other kings. She has come this far from nothing. Have you ever calculated how long it took her? And how many years did Prince Rong spend to build up his power to where he is today?"
"What does this mean? Have you ever stopped to think about it carefully?"
These questions, one after another, plunged the Cui clan members into complex and heavy thinking. (End of this chapter)
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