Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5222 A Heavy Responsibility on Our Shoulders
The Changsun family had many members, and although many had died, seven or eight remained. Therefore, it was extremely important who would be the first to step forward and break free from the shadows hanging over their heads to shoulder this heavy responsibility.

Calling it a "heavy responsibility" is no exaggeration.

This person not only entered officialdom and escaped the predicament caused by the rebellion of the Changsun family, but also established a firm foothold and broke through the indifference and alienation of the court and the public, and then led the rest of his family members to enter officialdom.

In the future, it is very likely to become the new banner of the Changsun family.

All the disciples understood this principle, and they looked at each other with solemn expressions.

This is certainly an honor, a great opportunity to escape the current predicament and soar freely, but it also means that heavy responsibilities are on one's shoulders.

After a moment of silence, Changsun Zhan said, "Now that my elder brother is the head of the family, he should naturally be the one to take up an official post."

Changsun Xu also said, "That makes sense. Brother, you don't need to worry about any rumors or gossip. We brothers all recommend you for an official position."

Since the death of Changsun Wuji, the Changsun family has been suppressed. Now that the ban has been lifted, it is Changsun Yan, the head of the family, who is the first to take office. This will inevitably be seen as suppressing his brothers and monopolizing the benefits. All sorts of rumors will surely emerge.

The saying goes, "To repel external aggression, one must first pacify internal strife." If the descendants of the Changsun family cannot unite as one and be free from resentment, how can they hope to rise again?
Changsun Yan shook his head and refused: "It's not just the possible rumors from the outside world. If it were only that, what would I have to fear for the prosperity of the family and the future of my brothers? It's just that I am well aware of my own shortcomings. I have neither the talent to save the world nor the strategy to stabilize the country. Even if I were to take office, I would be mediocre and have only average talent. How could I waste such a heaven-sent opportunity?"

Upon hearing this, all the brothers' expressions turned serious.

In this prosperous and peaceful era, talents are emerging in both the military and political spheres. Not to mention the traditionally powerful and influential families, even those from humble backgrounds and commoners have produced many outstanding individuals due to the reform of the imperial examination system. The first member of the Changsun family to enter officialdom will have to compete with these outstanding individuals of the time.

If you fail in the competition and remain stagnant and unproductive for many years, how can you talk about bringing your family back to life?
The pressure is too great.

Therefore, everyone looked at the youngest grandson, Changsun Run.

The eighteen-year-old, unmarried Changsun Runzheng was looking down when he suddenly felt many eyes on him. He looked up, slightly bewildered, and his heart skipped a beat.

Slightly flustered, he quickly said, "Why do you brothers look at me like that? I am young, inexperienced, and have limited abilities. I dare not take on such a heavy responsibility!"

Changsun Xu said, "When Father was alive, he often praised me as the 'unicorn' of the Changsun family, and even expressed his intention to rival the second son of the Fang family. I was very pleased. Among all my brothers, only you are intelligent, quick-witted and steady in temperament. If you were to take up an official post, I would approve of it."

Changsun Zhan also said, "I agree."

The others chimed in, "Young man, don't refuse. Only you are capable of this task."

Changsun Yan asked, "Little brother, what do you say?"

Changsun Run swallowed hard. He hadn’t expected that such a heavy responsibility would fall on his shoulders. However, with his brothers’ firm attitude, how could he be afraid and back down?
He then stood up and bowed deeply to the ground: "I am aware that I am not talented enough to shoulder such an important responsibility, but since you brothers have shown me such kindness and placed such high hopes on me, how could I dare to belittle myself and fail to live up to your trust? I will do my best and persevere despite all difficulties!"

"Good! If the Fang family can produce a second son to carry on the family tradition, who knows if my Changsun family can't produce an outstanding twelfth son? In the future, the restoration of our family's reputation will all be thanks to the twelfth son!"

Changsun Yan was overjoyed. He patted Changsun Run's shoulder heavily and said loudly, "Twelfth Brother, there's no need to worry. Your brothers won't let you go alone without support. Since His Majesty has lifted the suppression and confinement of the Changsun family, it's equivalent to sending a 'forgive and forget' signal. We will naturally reconnect with those relatives and old friends who were once connected with the Changsun family's interests, and help each other. Our strength will surely increase greatly."

Even a centipede with a hundred legs will not fall down after it dies, let alone a once behemoth like the Changsun family.

In the past, due to Changsun Wuji's rebellion, all families avoided him like the plague to avoid being implicated. But now His Majesty has shown an attitude of "forgiving the past" and displayed a "generous" and "benevolent" demeanor. Those families have put aside their concerns and will naturally turn to re-establish contact with the Changsun family.

With the help of these families, how could Changsun Run not rise rapidly and achieve great success in his career?
Perhaps in just ten years, the Changsun family will produce a high-ranking official of the level of the Six Ministries and Nine Temples.

Changsun Run nodded, feeling the weight on his shoulders as heavy as Mount Tai, a responsibility he could not shirk.

*****
The Imperial City, the Ministry of Personnel.

Today was not a day for court, but it was just past dawn, before the first light of day had appeared on the horizon, and the candles in the yamen were still burning. The officials who arrived at the yamen one after another were surprised to find that the Minister of Personnel, the Prince of Hejian, who had not come to the yamen for a long time, was sitting in his office with the window open, drinking tea at the desk near the window.

The weather was already cold on a winter morning, and wisps of white steam rose from the teapot. The Prince of Hejian, who had not been seen for a long time, was in good spirits.

Many officials, upon entering the yamen, would bow and greet each other outside the window of their duty rooms. Li Xiaogong would smile and nod, exchanging a few pleasantries before the officials would take their leave and go to their respective duty rooms to begin their day's work.

Because of the selection and recommendation of officials in the vassal states, the Ministry of Personnel was extremely busy, and everyone quickly became preoccupied with their own affairs, leaving no time to pay attention to the Minister of Personnel...

It wasn't until the Left Vice Minister Du Zhengyi and the Right Vice Minister Linghu Xiuji arrived together and were summoned by Li Xiaogong to the duty room for a talk that many officials sensed a slightly different atmosphere.

“I heard a few days ago that Your Highness had caught a cold and was feeling unwell, but I don’t know if you have recovered yet. Although the government office is busy, we can manage. We just need to go to your residence every other day to ask Your Highness to sign and stamp the documents. Why do you have to sit in the office yourself? In the end, your health is the most important thing.”

Du Zhengyi sat opposite, picked up a teacup and poured one for himself and one for Linghu Xiuji, took a sip, and smiled as he comforted Li Xiaogong.

His elder brother, Du Zhenglun, was a former official of the Sui Dynasty and a meritorious nobleman during the Zhenguan era. He once served as the Vice Minister of the Chancellery and concurrently as the Left Vice Minister to the Crown Prince, and was granted the title of Marquis of Nanyang County. His official career was smooth and he rose rapidly, with the potential to become the heir apparent. However, he made a mistake in the process of educating Crown Prince Li Chengqian, which caused Li Chengqian's dissatisfaction and angered Emperor Taizong, who demoted him to the position of Prefect of Guzhou.

Li Chengqian, after ascending the throne, seemed to still harbor resentment towards Du Zhenglun, and never summoned him back to Chang'an...

However, Du Zhenglun was qualified enough and had a good personal relationship with Li Xiaogong. Therefore, although Du Zhengyi had not been appointed to an official post, he relied on his brother's friendship with Li Xiaogong and always spoke without restraint.

Compared to Du Zhengyi, Linghu Xiuji, although also from a prestigious family, with his father Linghu Defen once being a leading figure among the Guanzhong aristocracy, had limited talent and a superficial personality, and was not valued by Li Xiaogong. Therefore, he was rather reserved in front of Li Xiaogong.

Li Xiaogong chuckled and boiled water again: "You two should grow up quickly. My old bones can't hold on for more than a few days. If I can't help you up before I retire completely, the Ministry of Personnel will probably be usurped by others."

It's one thing to listen to these words, but how could the most powerful government of the Six Ministries be allowed to exchange favors privately?

Linghu Xiuji quickly got up, took the teapot from Li Xiaogong, filled it with water from the bucket next to him, and placed it on the small stove.

Du Zhengyi avoided this question and asked curiously, "Does the Prince of the County have come to the yamen despite his illness? Is there some important matter that requires your personal attention?"

This prince is frail and bedridden, and he has no ambition in politics. He usually just goes through the motions and avoids official business whenever possible. He doesn't even bother to ask questions unless necessary. So, his sudden appearance at the government office early in the morning must mean something is wrong.

"Ah."

Li Xiaogong hummed in agreement and said, "Yesterday afternoon, His Majesty sent Wang De to my residence, saying that members of the Changsun family would be coming to the Ministry of Personnel today to request an official position in a fiefdom..."

Du Zhengyi and Linghu Xiuji were immediately startled: "The Changsun family?"

Li Xiaogong nodded: "It's the Changsun family."

"Changsun" is a prominent Xianbei surname. Although it originated from the same lineage, it split into multiple branches after the Sui and Tang dynasties.

But since His Majesty personally intervened and Li Xiaogong confirmed it, it could only be the "Changsun family".

The Changsun family was once a prominent clan, hailed as the second most powerful clan in the Tang Dynasty, second only to the imperial Longxi Li family.

Du Zhengyi still couldn't believe it: "His Majesty has permitted members of the Changsun family to serve in the government?"

Today, the Changsun family is no longer the same as it once was. All the family's elites have perished, and the rest are mediocre and of little talent. Even if they were to enter officialdom, they would see no future in it.

However, whether or not members of the Changsun family are allowed to serve in government carries entirely different political implications.

If families that have committed heinous crimes of treason can be forgiven and their children allowed to serve in government, does this mean that noble families and powerful clans that have made serious mistakes and suffered punishment in the past can also rise to prominence again like the Changsun family?
It should be understood that since Emperor Taizong's sudden death, and the two coups after Your Majesty's ascension to the throne, the impact has been far-reaching. In addition, there are members of the imperial clan involved in the "Zhaoling Case"... If they are all pardoned, it would be equivalent to detonating a thunderbolt in the court.

Li Xiaogong nodded again: "Although my eyesight is failing, I am not deaf, so I certainly wouldn't have misheard."

However, he immediately warned: "We subjects should simply follow Your Majesty's orders and must never try to guess His Majesty's intentions or delve into trivial matters, lest we bring trouble upon ourselves."

Du Zhengyi and Linghu Xiuji immediately stiffened and said solemnly, "Your Highness, rest assured, we understand!"

Li Xiaogong nodded, scratched his brow, and asked, "The Changsun family members will be coming to the yamen soon. Let's discuss now which fiefdoms and what official positions are suitable for the Changsun family members to serve in?"