Chapter 7 Eighteen Concubines
"Do not conceal the ruler's faults, offer advice to those in power, and do not flaunt your virtues outwardly; select the virtuous and capable, and do not favor those within the court; appoint those who are worthy of their positions, and determine their salaries based on their abilities; when you see a virtuous person, do not place yourself above them, and do not accept salaries beyond your means; do not use power as a pretext for your actions, and do not use your position as a pretext for loyalty; do not conceal the virtuous to hide your superiors, and do not be harsh to your inferiors to flatter your superiors; when the ruler is alive, do not serve the crown prince, and when the country is in danger, do not associate with the feudal lords; if you are obedient, advance; if you are not, retreat, and do not follow the ruler."
The students spoke in unison, their resounding voices echoing through the air, as if a cataclysmic upheaval was about to occur.
The people stared at them blankly, not even knowing what they were saying.
The students' appeals for justice did not last long; the imperial palace was enraged, and merciless iron hooves trampled over them.
Blood dripped from the swords of the Imperial Guards.
They were all slaughtered.
The bright red on the ground turned into a pale red after being washed with several buckets of well water.
The common people looked at the corpses with indifference. After all, what they saw most often were corpses, which were then burned in a flame.
At this time, people did not realize that the deaths of common people and military men were common. When scholars began to die and the lives of aristocratic families became as worthless as grass, it proved that an upheaval was not far off.
Because above all aristocratic families, the pinnacle of power is imperial power.
When imperial power crumbles, the first to suffer are the ordinary people.
At first, the collapse of the Yuwen family's building had little impact on ordinary people.
It's nothing more than His Majesty wanting to implement new policies, one policy today, another tomorrow, causing chaos in various departments. There are always people coming to the blacksmith shop to collect money, one name today, another tomorrow.
But Yao Ge knew a junior eunuch in the palace, who in turn connected with a senior eunuch. He paid tribute to them and received a small yellow flag, which he posted at his door. As a result, no one came to collect the money.
So they could talk about national affairs again while eating.
"Grand Tutor Yuwen is already this old. I simply don't believe he intends to rebel. He doesn't even have a son. Who would he rebel for?"
"Everyone says he's a man who's married to a plum blossom and has a crane as his son, hahaha."
"Sigh, when Grand Tutor Yuwen was around, at least the tax revenue wasn't so lax. It felt like anyone could come and collect some money."
They sat at the doorway, speaking passionately and uttering nonsense.
Guan Zhiwei listened quietly, when suddenly she saw soldiers escorting a group of prisoners past, all of them young girls who were crying and sobbing.
"What crimes did they commit?" she asked.
Brother Yao, being well-informed, said, "This is from a confiscated house; those are all the concubines of Grand Tutor Yuwen."
Guan Zhiwei's expression was subtle. He was of noble character and devoted himself to his family, but that did not prevent him from having eighteen young and beautiful concubines.
What will become of these women?
"They are so young and beautiful, they must have gone to live with other powerful and wealthy families."
The second brother looked on with envy: "I wish I were a woman, I'd never have to worry about food or drink..."
Brother Yao chuckled, almost choking on his porridge. "If you were a woman, what man would want you? You still dare to dream of power and wealth."
The second brother retorted, "If I were a woman, I'd be as beautiful as a flower. Besides, you've already married your sister-in-law, so why are you making fun of me?"
"My wife is gorgeous, and she's a great homemaker. She could beat you to death!"
The two started arguing.
When no one was looking, Gouya secretly gave Guan Zhiwei a copper hairpin and said shyly, "Little Guan, I think you are prettier than them."
Guan Zhiwei glanced at her own profile picture. It had zero charm; it couldn't possibly look good. This kid was lying again.
She suddenly frowned.
The "Darkness Value" column has been raised to twenty.
[Dear, if you don't want to follow the usual path, then go for a 100% "darkening" level and start the heroine's revenge story...]
Guan Zhiwei picked up the copper hairpin and tapped her head.
It's so annoying how long-winded it is.
Dogtooth looked at her inexplicable actions and was so ashamed that he couldn't lift his head—"It's copper, not iron. I didn't lie this time."
"Don't make this stupid face."
Guan Zhiwei said disdainfully, "Like a bootlicker."
[What simp? He's just openly paying for his crush.] The system got excited.
Dogtooth, bewildered, admitted, "I am a dog."
What do you mean by "like"? It's just dog teeth.
The system was speechless: [You've got him completely fooled, and he'll still say—"It's just that I like spinning around."]
Guan Zhi squinted, examining the dog tooth. Really? Was it really that easy to manipulate? Then…
"Dog teeth".
"Hmm?" Dogtooth asked nervously.
"Something's happened!!!" Sister Ning rushed in, her basket on her shoulder piled high with vegetables, panting, "Something's happened again! The Emperor! The young Emperor! The palace has been...!"
Everyone was drawn to it.
According to the account, the general situation was that the young emperor hated Yuwen Huai's manipulation so much that he wanted to kill him at all costs.
Yuwen Huai's henchman Wang Yong was unwilling to be executed. He evaded the court's search, gathered eight hundred soldiers, colluded with outsiders, broke into the palace, and took control of the emperor, empress dowager, and court officials.
"Eight hundred people can control the palace?" Guan Zhiwei was surprised.
"Didn't His Majesty order a massacre in the streets? Many noble families died, so someone wants to teach His Majesty a lesson!" Sister Ning said decisively.
Brother Yao asked suspiciously, "How did you know?"
I heard about it at the farmers' market.
Guan Zhiwei thought the vegetable market was a truly magical place.
"Yuwen Huai has truly committed a terrible sin. He is neither a true ruler nor a true subject, leaving behind a great scourge."
"If something were to happen to the young emperor, wouldn't the country be without an heir?"
"There are still some princes with fiefdoms."
"Anyway, everyone should be careful these days. Sigh, these days are so nerve-wracking."
A chilling atmosphere hung in the air. Some unknown force patrolled the streets, shooting anyone deemed suspicious. Shops dared not open, and pedestrians were almost nowhere to be seen. Even the blacksmith's shop had taken a rare few days off.
What was Guan Zhiwei doing at this time?
She is exercising her rights.
Dogtooth was very grateful to her, and she felt she couldn't waste it, so she ordered people to do this and that, and asked them to build her a new bed, but the lame bed wobbled when she turned over.
She also built a large wooden tub, boiled water, and took a bath. The moment she soaked in it, she felt grateful to the whole world.
If you have money and don't enjoy it, you'll be struck by lightning.
Then she ran out of money.
She only has enough money to take a bath and buy two new outfits.
She still had twenty grams of gold on hand, but she didn't want to sell it yet. She understood the principle of saving gold in times of chaos, and with the current unstable situation, the price of gold would only continue to rise.
There are still two weeks until payday. If we live frugally, we can manage.
Why are you giving up a good life and making such a mess of things?
The system really doesn't understand.
Guan Zhiwei said, "Some people like to be dressed in decent clothes and put in a coffin, but I prefer to be left to rot in the wilderness. It's just a personal preference."
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