Chapter 444: I have the final say on which ancestor to worship in the future Taimiao
Gu Helian was a little surprised by Xiao Yan's frankness, but after a moment she felt that it was reasonable. Since he had revealed his identity today, there were some things he couldn't hide even if he wanted to, so it would be better to just tell it directly and gain some favor.
Gu Helian looked up at Xiao Yan's extremely skilled movements in brewing tea and said slowly, "So what are you going to do next?"
Seeing Xiao Yan looking at him, Gu Helian leaned against the cushion.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not interested in your royal family's affairs at all, and I don't want to know what your revenge is for. But since Tang Ning has chosen you, and she is the one Rong Yue is willing to protect at all costs, whatever you do will implicate her and Rong Yue."
"Since you're not on guard against me and you've even frankly revealed your identity, I think you have some thoughts about me, or rather, the Gu family behind me."
Xiao Yan chuckled: "Master Gu is wise."
Gu Helian rolled her eyes: "Don't praise me so falsely, I don't have any money to praise you."
Xiao Yan did not refute when he heard this. He just took the first cup of boiling tea and scalded the teacup placed next to the stove.
After pouring out the tea in the cup and using a small ladle to add new water to the pot on the stove, Xiao Yan said seriously:
"I want to clear my father's name, to uncover the old case of treason, and to seek justice for the over a thousand lives lost in the He family. I don't need to bother anyone else with recruiting soldiers, but I do have a request for Patriarch Gu..."
Seeing that Gu Helian wanted to speak, Xiao Yan said calmly: "Of course, I won't take the Gu family's things for nothing."
"You and Mrs. Rong are your own business. My relationship with Tang Ning is not enough for you to sacrifice the entire Gu family to help me. You prefer Tang Ning because of the old favor of the Rong family. If I use this to force the Gu family to help me, then I am truly shameless."
"How about I make a deal with Patriarch Gu?"
Gu Helian narrowed her eyes and looked at him: "What deal?"
Xiao Yan said calmly, "The Gu family lives in Zuozhou. Although they are the uncrowned king, their title is not legitimate."
"If you help me, after the task is accomplished, the Gu family will be granted a title of nobility, and Zuozhou and the surrounding areas of Hetai and Ximin will all become the Gu family's fiefdom. Moreover, the Gu family can become an imperial merchant, and be allowed to trade with other countries through the imperial trade routes. In addition to the normal profit sharing, they only need to pay commercial taxes."
Gu Helian's heart moved.
He has been in the Gu family for many years, so he naturally knows the situation of the Gu family. Although they are rich and have many friends, they are actually facing many crises.
Although the Gu family has been passed down for hundreds of years and is comparable to those aristocratic families, the people of the Gu family have been doing business for generations and their status is not high. The family's foundation is far inferior to those famous families. Moreover, the Gu family has no right to raise soldiers. Although they raise guards and have manpower in secret, many things are not visible to the public. The huge wealth of the family has also attracted countless covetous people.
The Gu family has been entrenched in Zuozhou for many years and has not dared to move out because only Zuozhou can protect the Gu family. Once they leave there, the Gu family will become a golden cake that everyone wants to snatch, and everyone will want to take a bite.
But if the Gu family could be granted a title and the areas of Zuozhou, Hetai and Ximin were designated as fiefdoms, the Gu family would be able to legitimately raise an army. Although the number would not be large, it would be enough for the Gu family to have enough power to deal with some desperate powerful people.
Most importantly, the Royal Business Road.
That is equivalent to using the trade route opened up by the powerful army of Wei to make profits for the Gu family. Compared with the dangers that the Gu family caravans may encounter at any time when they go on business, if they have the power of Wei as a country to back them up, the Gu family can do a lot more business.
But at the same time, once this is done, the Gu family will be tied to the Wei royal family.
If the emperor is smart and tolerant, the Gu family will be fine. But if the next emperor is narrow-minded, suspicious and jealous, and if the Wei royal family becomes unstable in the future, the Gu family's wealth and money will probably become a curse that will take the lives of the Gu family.
Gu Helian didn't reveal her thoughts, only frowning and saying, "The Gu family is not short of titles, and the merit of following the emperor is not that easy to come by. With what the Gu family has now, there is no need to wade into this muddy water."
Xiao Yan's sword-like eyes flickered. "Under an overturned nest, how can the eggs remain intact? If even the Great Wei was gone, would the Gu family be able to maintain their current wealth?"
Gu Helian's eyelids jumped: "Don't exaggerate."
"Whether it's alarmist or not, Patriarch Gu should be able to tell clearly."
Xiao Yan's expression was calm. "When I went to the northwest this time, I learned that the new emperor of Beiling had ascended the throne. Beiling's Imperial Preceptor, Xiahou Ling, has always been determined to conquer the Great Wei. Previously, due to the internal strife within their royal family and the struggle for power among the princes, they had no time to care about other things. But now that they have been unified, after the beginning of next spring, Beiling will definitely reorganize their army and march south."
"I have already set up a scheme to expose the past affairs between the Crown Prince and the He family. Within a month, the South will be in chaos, and then the disaster will spread to the capital."
"Emperor An's control over the court is already insufficient. The aristocratic families are eyeing him covetously, and the princes of various regions are also ambitious and uneasy about their status. They just lack a legitimate excuse."
"Once the old conspiracy is exposed, there will be many people who want to take advantage of the situation. If I can't gain a foothold in the court within six months, I can even suppress those who have evil intentions."
"By then, even before the Beiling army marches south, the Great Wei will be in tatters. The court will be in chaos, the imperial power will be unstable, and the powerful families will fight each other. How can your Gu family, guarding the Jinshan, survive in peace?"
Gu Helian's face turned slightly cold: "Are you blackmailing me?"
Xiao Yan shook his head: "I'm just telling you the truth. Whether the Gu family helps me or not, I will definitely do it. But if the Gu family helps me, maybe I can accomplish it faster."
Gu Helian glared at him: "You're dreaming. You want to seize the imperial power in just half a year? You're dreaming."
He said bluntly:
"When Crown Prince Li died, all the officials from the Eastern Palace were wiped out. Now, apart from the officials from the aristocratic families, how many people in the Wei court still remember who Crown Prince Li is? If your identity is exposed, Emperor An will definitely not sit idly by. Since you already have a bad reputation, he will kill you at all costs."
"Emperor An has been on the throne for many years, and there are many people in the court who are loyal to him. Moreover, the aristocratic families also intervened in the affairs of Crown Prince Li. They may not be willing to see you take the throne."
"Even if you gain control of the Northwest Army and the Di family is willing to help you, you also said that Beiling is in turmoil and the border troops cannot move without authorization. What can you use to fight Emperor An?"
Gu Helian just felt that Xiao Yan was a little whimsical. The old events had caused chaos in the court, but he, the former eldest grandson of the emperor, might not be able to defeat Emperor An.
Since ancient times, the victors are the kings and the losers are the bandits. If Emperor An is determined to kill him, regardless of his so-called reputation, regardless of the chaos in the world and the rise of vassal kings, and just wants to risk everything to drag Xiao Yan to the death, what can Xiao Yan do?
Will he be able to stop Emperor An by then?
Xiao Yan said, "So Emperor An only knows that I am the orphan of the He family."
Gu Helian was stunned: "What do you mean?"
Xiao Yan looked at him and said, "The He family was exterminated back then, but fortunately a bloodline escaped. After the past was uncovered, I only wanted to clear the He family's name."
He took the teaspoon and poured the boiling tea into the cup. Amidst the gurgling sound of the water, he said:
"Emperor An will do whatever it takes to drag the bloodline of Crown Prince Li to death, but he won't risk everything to deal with the He family."
"As long as he can shift the blame of the past onto someone else, the orphan of the He family will not be able to shake his throne. If he promises benefits and then admits his guilt, and the He family is able to compromise, what does Patriarch Gu think Emperor An will do?"
Gu Helian opened her eyes wide.
If the son of Crown Prince Li were alive, Emperor An would be unable to maintain his position on the throne, and he would naturally be willing to risk his life.
But if it was just someone from the He family, Emperor An would definitely weigh the pros and cons and take everything into consideration. He couldn't make up his mind to deal with Xiao Yan at the risk of ruining his reputation and losing his throne.
But……
"Are you crazy? If you admit that you are a member of the He family, how will you restore your identity in the future?" Gu Helian glared.
Xiao Yan raised his lips as he held up the cup filled with tea. "What I want is a legitimate return to the court, for Emperor An to compromise and admit his guilt, and for the Great Wei to overturn my father's verdict without too much chaos, clearing up all the past events one by one."
The teacup fell on the table in front of Gu Helian, making a slight sound.
"As long as the old case is overturned and Emperor An is forced to back down, I can legitimately get what I want. What difference does it make whether I'm a He family member or the emperor's eldest grandson?"
"When we defeat Beiling and regain control of the Wei Dynasty, I will have the final say on which ancestor we will worship in the Taimiao."
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