Chapter 805 Jiangdong Luo Family!
In May, it is the beginning of summer, when the weather is getting hotter but not yet hot. A drizzle at night washes away the heat of the past few days, and the ground becomes lush and green, like jasper, and colorful flowers of various shapes and shapes bloom one after another.
Hanshan Temple outside Gusu City was built by the special order of the then emperor Xiao Yan to commend the monk Hanshan for his contributions to the grassland. Everyone in Liang State knew that the emperor was keen on promoting Buddhism. In the misty rain of Liang State, hundreds of temples stood among the beautiful mountain scenery.
Luo Youzhi did not stop Xiao Yan from doing anything.
As long as Xiao Yan did not entrust the affairs of state to ghosts and gods, and did not give these monks special social status and privileges, religion was not worth mentioning to Luo Youzhi. He just quietly introduced the "Daliang Buddhist Law", raised the requirements for becoming a monk, and treated it as the identity of a commoner.
Twenty years have passed since Daliang was founded, and two years have passed since Luo Youzhi, the Duke of Gusu, who was known as the ruler of half of Jiangdong, passed away. At this moment, unrest is brewing again in Liang.
According to Luo Youzhi's idea that "temples, Taoist temples, and places of worship for gods should be built on mountains", Hanshan Temple is also on a mountain.
The stone steps were slightly smooth after the rain, and the sunlight shone through the dense branches and leaves, forming spots of light. Human figures passed through the flickering and mottled light and shadows. There were not many people on the mountain path, and it was very quiet. Most of the people coming and going were scholars and women wearing wide robes with big sleeves, as well as children who came to worship Buddha and seek the truth.
On the mountain road, there was a group of people. The men were all wearing scholar's robes, and there were several women, as charming as flowers, wearing ladies' clothes. Since Luo Chu, the Duke of Yuzhang, took control of Jiangdong, the land of Jiangzuo has attached great importance to appearance, character, and romantic demeanor.
One must have an unyielding character, noble character, and profound knowledge.
The leader of this group was Luo Youzhi's son, Luo Xianzhi, the current Duke of Gusu County.
As Luo Xianzhi walked down the mountain, he said to the people around him: "Your Majesty has summoned me to Jianye again. This time, it seems that I have no choice but to go."
Those traveling with him included his mother, sister, and brother.
His sister Luo Yourong asked curiously, "Why don't you want to go to Jianye? Your Majesty treats my family very well."
Luo Xianzhi raised his hand to block the dazzling light and said softly, "My Luo family is known as half of Jiangdong because of my father's reputation. When my father was alive, he was the prime minister, and Your Majesty obeyed my father's orders. With both the title and the position, we have the Liang Kingdom and the Luo family today.
But after my father passed away, Your Majesty only understood military affairs and not government affairs. Liang State gradually fell into chaos and there was infighting in the court. Although my brother could inherit the position of Duke of the County, he could not inherit the position of Prime Minister.
Our Liang State has its own system. My father was the prime minister for 18 years. He suppressed the aristocratic families and made laws to prevent the aristocratic families from rising to prominence and enjoying high positions. Now, even my Luo family is being suppressed.
Although my Luo family is the most prominent family in the clan history, we are only a sixth-rank official in the court. What use is that in the face of oppression?"
Luo Yourong asked again: "Since His Majesty has summoned you to Jianye, he will surely make use of you. I think you don't have to worry."
Luo Xianzhi said worriedly: "This is exactly what I am most worried about. How can the emperor destroy the state system for one person?
Will the man who first created clay figures for burials have no descendants?"
As soon as these words were spoken, there was a sudden silence, and no one spoke anymore. Only spots of light were left, falling on people's bodies and faces.
…
Luo Xianzhi had walked this road countless times from Gusu to Jianye by boat, but none of them had ever been as arduous as this time.
After 18 years of governance by Luo Youzhi, Jianye has become the undisputed number one city in Jiangdong. Its prosperity and after several expansions are even not inferior to Luoyang in the past.
The rows of commercial goods and the people crowding shoulder to shoulder is not only a scene of prosperity, but also a reflection of the strong tax collection capacity. Liang State had long recovered from the great trauma of the expedition against the Hu people, and now had food, money and people.
Luo Xianzhi did not board the Luo family's large ship. He did not want to let everyone know so quickly that he had arrived in Jianye. He planned to first figure out what the current situation was and see if it was consistent with what he had learned from the family intelligence.
When Luo Xian got off the boat, many people had already passed the news back to their masters.
On a slightly cool afternoon, Luo Xianzhi entered the Liang Palace to meet the ruler of this vast country.
The Liang Palace was magnificent, with countless gold and jade, and countless exquisite murals. This palace was also supervised by Luo Youzhi.
The city of Luoyou did not allow Xiao Yan to save money on material things, as long as it was not an extremely outrageous palace complex like the Apang Palace of Qin Shihuang and the Changsheng Palace of Emperor Li of Han.
In a palace where Buddhist Bodhisattvas and Vajra were depicted everywhere, Luo Xianzhi met Xiao Yan again.
This emperor, who had ruled Liang for twenty years, naturally looked extremely majestic. Old age had not diminished his heroic spirit. He was still the cavalry emperor who dared to lead an army of hundreds of thousands to the grassland to fight with the Hu people.
This was naturally not the first time that Luo Xianzhi and Xiao Yan met. When he was young, as the prince of Gusu County, he had been summoned by Xiao Yan many times and had received various rewards from Xiao Yan many times.
He was almost arranged to marry a princess, but because Luo Xianzhi already had a fiancée, the matter was dropped and a princess of the Xiao family was arranged to marry Luo Xianzhi's younger brother instead.
Xiao Yan sits at the top with his horse and golden sword. The Huchuang, which came from the north, has gradually become popular in Jiangdong, which has a lot to do with Luo Youzhi's vigorous promotion.
Luo's view has always been that everything should be comfortable. Kneeling is not as comfortable as sitting on the buttocks, so kneeling should be abandoned. In Jiangdong today, except for formal places such as grand court meetings, most people no longer kneel.
"Lingxiu, it's really not easy to invite you to Jianye."
As soon as they met, Xiao Yan expressed his dissatisfaction to Luo Xianzhi. Luo Xianzhi was not flustered when he heard this, but said solemnly: "Your Majesty, calm down. Whenever I go out, I often consult divination. If it is beneficial, I will go, and if it is harmful, I will avoid it.
Daliang is what it is today, it is not easy. If it is because of me that the fate of Daliang is affected, I will be blamed for it even if I die. I will never be able to see Your Majesty or my father again."
Xiao Yan believed it and said no more. He turned to say, "Lingxiu, I invited you to Jianye this time because I want you to be the Minister of the Chancellery, to take over your father's position, and to help me correct the country."
really!
Luo Xianzhi knew that this was the case, even though the position of Shangshu Ling was far less legitimate than his father's position as Prime Minister, and the power was incomparable.
After all, the position of prime minister is above the three highest officials. In the Later Han Dynasty, the prime minister was either Dong Zhuo or Cao Cao. Luo Xianzhi was the de facto prime minister, and even the crown prince had to pay his respects to him. It can be imagined how much Xiao Yan trusted Luo Xianzhi.
The Shangshu Ling was the de facto prime minister, and only the Recorder of the Shangshu had real power among the Three Dukes, just as officials such as the Taiwei had to be the Commander-in-Chief to have real power.
The position of Shangshu Ling given by Xiao Yan to Luo Xianzhi was a great honor, and it almost made him the most powerful official in an instant.
but!
This won't work!
Luo Chengzhi bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I am the Minister of the State, and I have a heavy responsibility. I am not old enough to be an adult, and I have never participated in state affairs. I am afraid that I cannot live up to the expectations of the people. Moreover, we have our own system in Daliang, where people are promoted based on their merits. Those above the fourth rank can only be promoted after a detailed assessment. How can you neglect the state affairs because of me?"
Xiao Yan frowned upon hearing this, and after a moment's silence, he said firmly: "In extraordinary times, extraordinary things should be done. If there are talented people but they are not selected, how can the country be at peace? If there are talented people but they are not selected, how can the country be prosperous? This is my intention. You should step down and think more about it. My intention is yours."
Luo Chengzhi walked out of the palace with a face full of confusion. He turned around and looked at the palace a few more times, becoming more and more confused. What kind of extraordinary times are they now? Could something have happened?
After he got on the carriage, the coachman waited quietly for orders. The Luo family naturally had a vast mansion in Jianye City, but Luo Chengzhi was not planning to go there immediately.
He ordered: "Go to Master Xie's residence and deliver the gifts brought from Gusu to Master Xie's residence."
After receiving the order, the coachman drove the carriage to Xie's house.
Xie family.
The fastest rising family in the past twenty years. When the clan annals were first compiled, the Xie family had not yet been included in the list of the top nine families. As an outsider who migrated from the Central Plains, they barely managed to gain a foothold in the second column of the clan annals.
However, Xie An of the Xie family was a great talent in Jiangzuo, one of the most romantic figures, and Luo Youzhi's right-hand man. As a result, the family rose to prominence. When the clan records were recompiled, the current Gusu Xie family was ranked as the first-class noble family.
In fact, this is the truth about being a samurai.
A hundred years ago, the Yuan family of Runan, which had three dukes for four generations, truly rose from a low-level aristocratic family to a noble family in just a few decades. They prospered because of the imperial power, and fell because of the struggle for imperial power.
Imperial power is the most powerful force in the secular world, enough to make a family prosper or perish. Even a puppet emperor can drag down a top family with his blood.
This is the emperor!
All the noble families have a heart that wants to serve the country.
Because only by turning the family into a country can wealth be preserved for a long time. Otherwise, once there is no talent, the family will decline within a few generations or even a hundred years. Even once the issue of succession to the throne is involved, the planning of dozens or hundreds of years will end in an instant.
The reason why Luo Shi did not become a king was because he would die if he did so, and also because even if he did not become a king, Luo Shi could still preserve his wealth and status for a long time. Otherwise, Luo Shi would have become an emperor long ago.
Today, the throne of the Xiao family of Liang is much more stable than that of the Chu family. Especially after eighteen years of diligent governance by Luo Youzhi, a balance has basically been formed in Liang. As for Luo Youzhi, he certainly does not want the aristocratic families to monopolize the official positions in Liang, but he has not completely defeated the aristocratic families morally.
Luo Youzhi believed that the existence of aristocratic families had its significance and was not entirely bad. He promoted people from humble backgrounds not because he believed they were born to be in power, but because he was worried that talented people would be lost in the wilderness, eventually causing a shock to the country.
It is extremely practical!
It fully implemented Luo's consistent political ideas.
The carriage stopped and Luo Xianzhi got off. The Xie family had a high gate, but the mansion was not particularly magnificent. It was full of bookish atmosphere, which was exactly the popular trend in Jiangzuo at that time.
That is simplicity and elegance, talking more about scriptures, Confucian scriptures, Buddhist scriptures, and Taoist scriptures. These things are integrated here, and the scenery and natural landscape of Jiangzuo are quite compatible with these. It is not as cold as in the north, where it is difficult to survive, so it is becoming more and more prosperous.
"Please report Luo Xianzhi's visit to the Luo family."
Luo Xianzhi delivered the visiting card, and then waited quietly outside the mansion, holding two gifts in his hands. The Luo family never lacked gifts, and the Jiangdong Luo family received many things as heirlooms.
The doorman was quiet and hurried to the mansion. There was a commotion in the mansion. The door of the mansion opened and Xie An, wearing a wide robe with big sleeves and a crown and scarf on his head, walked out. Luo Xianzhi bowed and saluted, saying, "Grandmaster, I beg you to forgive me for coming here without permission."
Xie An stroked his beard with a smile on his face and said, "My dear nephew, I am sorry to be so rude to you. Please come in quickly."
The two of them walked together until they reached the central hall.
Xie An dismissed his attendants and asked nervously, "Why did my nephew suddenly come to Jianye City?"
Luo Xianzhi smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty has sent many letters, so I have to come. My nephew has just come out of the palace. Your Majesty wants to make me the Minister of the Chancellery, but I refuse for now. I came to the Taifu Mansion to ask why Your Majesty has suddenly become so abnormal."
Shangshu Ling!
Xie An was immediately startled, but when he thought that the man in front of him was the son of the former Duke of Gusu, and that in the entire Liang State, except for the crown prince, there was probably no one else who could surpass the man in status, he thought it was normal.
Hearing Luo Xian's question, Xie An hesitated for a moment, thinking of the relationship between the two families, and whispered: "My dear nephew, this is a rumor that my nephew heard. It is said that our Liang army suffered a defeat in Yuzhou, and the food and grass were not fully supplied, which led to our defeat.
This news was covered up by His Majesty. It is said that some ministers took advantage of it for their own benefit. His Majesty must be dissatisfied with the current minister in charge, so he wants to replace him. After all, military and national affairs come first. "
Luo Xianzhi was shocked when he heard this.
Several years after the defeat of the Hu people, as each country gradually gained some strength, humans, who would never stop, naturally started wars. The largest scale of these was the joint expedition of Yan and Liang to attack Han. They claimed to divide up the land of Han, with the Yellow River as the boundary. The land north of the Yellow River belonged to Yan, and the land north of the Yellow River belonged to Liang.
Liu Chen was a great man and an excellent emperor, but he was still unable to cope with both Yan and Liang at the same time.
Especially a few years ago, there was a young general in Yan State named Murong Ke. He was only in his teens, but he was victorious in every battle, especially in battles with large armies. He had never suffered a loss. In addition, Xiao Yan and Liang State were at their peak, and famous generals emerged in the country. All of a sudden, the Han State suffered a huge blow.
Most of the cities in the northern part of Jizhou were captured by Murong Ke, and the land of Yuzhou was also constantly being encroached upon by the State of Liang.
The reason why Han was able to survive was that Wei extended a helping hand, which was extremely crucial, because Wei and Yan had huge conflicts of interest in Hedong, just like the competition between Qin and Wei for Hedong and Hexi during the Warring States Period.
Wei hoped to tie down Yan's military forces on the Han front line so that they could free up their hands to seize Hedong and gain a springboard to attack Yan.
When Xiao Yan was at his most successful, he was even on the verge of conquering the entire Yuzhou, and almost the entire Huaihe River and Si River fell into his control. But at the critical moment, Luo Youzhi suddenly passed away, and Xiao Yan was short of food and grass at the front line, so he had to retreat in a hurry.
I didn't expect that I would suffer a defeat now.
However, this defeat should not be a big one, it should be just an ordinary conflict. However, this conflict made Xiao Yan feel something was wrong, so he was so anxious to let himself take over his father's position. This was considered a desperate move.
Let’s not talk about whether he can match his father’s talent. Even if he can, the situation is different. So many people are eyeing him covetously. Now the main branch of the Luo family is not prominent and has disappeared from the world for more than ten years.
The only Luo family member with holy marks in the world is said to be in the Western Regions. Most people have never seen him. Everyone knows that in the war against the Hu people, the direct line of the Luo family died out and suffered a disaster even worse than the demise of the Luo Kingdom.
It is said that all the remaining members of the Luo clan are now in the distant Liaodong, but the area is overgrown with weeds and the roads are isolated, so no one can find them. Even the road that the Luo clan army came out of has been washed away by the water melted from the snow, so no one can find the Luo clan.
There are no direct descendants of the Luo family in this world anymore, and no holy marks exist anymore.
In the eyes of many people, the Jiangdong Luo family is indeed the Luo family, but it is not the Luo family, because fundamentally, the world has a natural fear of the direct descendants of the Luo family. The shining holy mark on the center of the forehead reminds everyone all the time that the Luo family is indeed a different family.
But Jiangdong Luo's forehead does not have a holy mark, so the deterrent effect is greatly reduced.
The Jiangdong Luo family behaves completely differently from the Luo family's direct descendants. If they want to maintain the Luo family's reputation in the Central Plains, they need extraordinary wisdom and considerable luck.
Especially after the Yinghou lineage in the Han Dynasty became increasingly weak, the Jiangdong Luo family became more cautious.
What the lineage of Yinghou of the Han State encountered was unimaginable. Now, there is only one man in the lineage of Yinghou, and that is the current Yinghou. He has only a daughter and no son. If he cannot give birth to a son, the lineage of Yinghou will exit the stage of history without an heir.
Luo Xianzhi frowned deeply. Facing what Xie An said, he was indeed in deep thought. This was probably the extraordinary time that the emperor mentioned.
After a long time, Luo Xianzhi said slowly: "Grandmaster, now the four countries are competing for supremacy, Yan and Liang are against Wei and Han, it is at an extremely critical moment. If we can divide Han and seize Shu, Daliang will be able to swallow up the world. Your Majesty may have the same idea.
But if I agree to your majesty now, it will destroy my father's system and cause far-reaching consequences. What do you think I should do?"
The simplest consequence of agreeing to the emperor to be the Shangshu Ling is that the system of merit-based promotion established by Luo Youzhi before would be destroyed. No matter how many excuses he found, it would be useless because people in the world are not blind.
If the Luo family can do this, then the other aristocratic families can do it. Even if we cannot gain the emperor's trust and directly become the Shangshu Ling, other official positions should always be left to us.
There is no reason in this world that the officials are allowed to set fires but the common people are not allowed to light lamps, especially in Jiangzuo.
Especially in Jiangzuo, where the aristocratic families are based.
No aristocratic family in this world likes to go to other places for trouble.
For the Jiangdong nobles, they are Jiangdong aristocratic families. As long as they can guarantee their interests in Jiangdong, it is enough. Why should they go to other places to risk their lives? Not only the gentry think so, but ordinary people think so too.
Why did the imperial court launch a northern expedition and shed blood and risk their lives in other places?
The expedition against the Hu people would have never been successful if it had not been for the miracles performed by the Goddess of Luo River and the subtle influence of King Su. This is the reason for the idea.
This kind of thinking is rooted in everyone's heart, not just in Jiangdong, but everywhere. Without a righteous cause, no one likes to go to other places to fight.
Morale is only possible when we defend our country.
It has been like this since ancient times!
In order to get the Jiangzuo families to support the imperial court's Northern Expedition, Luo Youzhi promised to allocate large tracts of land to them in Qingzhou, Yanzhou and Yuzhou after the Northern Expedition. He also promised ordinary people that his military merits would be exchanged for land and more rewards.
In the merit system designed by Luo Youzhi, the military merit for fighting in other places is basically twice as much as that for fighting locally, which is based on this situation.
If Xiao Yan destroyed the system established by Luo Youzhi in order to launch the Northern Expedition, the aristocratic families would be completely released again, and it cannot be said that Luo Youzhi's eighteen years of work were lost in one day.
After all, people from poor families do have stable channels for promotion now, and they are not discriminated against much in Jiangzuo. In Jiangdong, it mainly depends on whether the person himself is capable.
But at least half of Luo Youzhi's efforts to suppress the aristocratic families were in vain.
Xie An certainly knew what Luo Xianzhi was talking about. He had been with Luo Youzhi for many years, and naturally knew what Luo Youzhi was doing. Hearing this, he pondered and said, "My dear nephew, what the former county lord did was a great plan, but when he implemented this policy, the county lord once told me that there is no system in this world that can truly prevent the rise of aristocratic families."
Luo Xianzhi sighed and said, "Of course it is so. We are well versed in history, and the history of the past 1,400 years is in our hearts.
Fourteen hundred years ago, the Zhou kings were enfeoffed. At that time, the power of the Zhou emperor was so great that if the princes did not pay tribute, he would abolish their fiefdoms at will. However, as time went by, the princes became more and more powerful, and the emperor's authority disappeared.
By the time of the Qin and Han dynasties, all the princes and nobles were wiped out, and the Han emperor became a true and omnipotent monarch for hundreds of years, but in the end he still ended up becoming a local power. There is no need to say more about the Later Han Dynasty.
In this world, as time goes by, places will definitely become bigger and bigger. Even when the main branch of the Luo family is still around, this problem cannot be solved. So my father never thought about solving this problem, and never thought about completely eradicating the aristocratic families.
Eliminating the aristocratic families will simply replace them with a new group of people, and nothing will change.
He often told me not to waste time on this, because if I spent my whole life fighting against it, I would accomplish nothing.
So as long as the aristocratic families in Jiangdong are obedient, not corrupt, and can be used as tools for him to manipulate, and can become his dogs, my father will let them do whatever they want. "
Xie An's expression did not change when he heard the comparison of the aristocratic families to dogs. The last sentence of Luo Youzhi's words was not just directed at Luo Xianzhi alone.
He not only described the aristocratic families in this way, but also the common people.
This sentence is quite famous.
Luo Youzhi once scolded the head of the Zhang family in the court, saying that Zhang was just a dog, and if he didn't obey now, he would die. After that, the Zhang family was demoted by Luo Youzhi, and until now, no official from the Zhang family has been hired as a government official. When the clan annals were recompiled, the name of the Zhang family was not included. In another few decades, if the Zhang family has not been revived, and when all the current in-laws and others have passed away, the Zhang family will basically have completely fallen from the top family to a poor family.
Luo Xianzhi continued, "But my father also said that although it is inevitable for local governments to become bigger, we should delay it if possible. The day when we lose control of it will be the day when the dynasty will fall."
Xie An sighed and said, "But now that the countries are fighting, if we can't recruit talents without any restrictions, I'm afraid Daliang won't even last until the day of its fall. The former Duke of the county was very capable and could suppress all kinds of dissatisfaction in the country and provide a steady supply of money and food to the front line, but the current several important officials in the court probably don't have this ability, and I can't do it either, and the emperor doesn't want me to be able to do it."
There was a hint of desolation in Xie An's words. He had once been an important official in the court, the Grand Tutor, a title that was one of the Three Dukes. In the entire Liang State, his reputation was one of the highest.
But after Luo Youzhi's death, he immediately lost the emperor's trust in him, or rather, the emperor had never trusted him, but only loved him because of Luo Youzhi.
There are quite a few talented people in Liang State now. The land of Jiangdong has always produced talents, especially those who can govern the country and command the army, and there are endless talents.
But the emperor did not trust these people, which was fatal.
Especially after suspected embezzlement occurred, the emperor became even more suspicious of his subjects, which was an extremely terrifying situation.
It is undoubtedly the best state for a country when the ruler and his subjects have no doubts about each other, but this state can only be encountered by chance. The successive victories of the State of Liang when facing the State of Han were inseparable from the mutual support between the ruler and his subject, Xiao Yan and Luo Youzhi.
Now Xiao Yan couldn't find anyone he trusted, so he summoned Luo Xianzhi, because he trusted Luo Xianzhi, or rather, he believed that Luo Youzhi's son would not let him down.
Upon hearing this, Luo Xianzhi stood up and paced in the courtyard, frowning as he weighed the pros and cons. This was truly a big deal. He kept muttering, "The dynasty has only been around for 20 years, how could it be facing such a problem?"
Xie An also kept stroking the cup in his hand, waiting for Luo Xianzhi's answer. This was a dilemma. There was no right or wrong. It all depended on what he wanted.
At this moment, a charming voice suddenly sounded in the corner of the courtyard, "Don't fight for the past life, don't fight for the future life, everything is just a dream, just fight for the present.
The first plan proposed by the Duke of the County can only solve the problem temporarily, but it may be of little use. Why don’t you come up with a new plan?
The former Duke of the County has made great contributions to Jiangzuo. You may also be able to do the same. If you surpass your father and grandfather, you should be a real man!"
Luo Xianzhi paused and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw a young girl in her twenties standing in the corner. She was wearing a plain dress and had a fair and pretty face. Her eyes were bright and lively, and seemed to be flashing with endless wisdom. She had a scholarly air.
A lady from a noble family, a lady from a noble family, with a kind and elegant heart.
Luo Xianzhi had countless words in his mind to praise her, but he was speechless.
————
The Duke said, "The rich are dogs, the poor are horses. They are all my followers. If a dog barks at them, or a horse leaps at them, they shall all die."
Jiangzuo is silent, and no one dares to speak out. ——"Southern History: The Family of the Duke of Gusu"
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
