The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 1054 Chu Heng Must Die

Cui Renshi knew that the reason he came to meet Changsun Wuji today was to bring this incident to a proper conclusion.

After thinking for a long time, Cui Renshi sighed dejectedly: "Okay, I admit that I was wrong about what happened yesterday. I was a little impulsive."

"The power an emperor possesses is beyond your imagination. No one knows who is around him!"

Zhang Sun Wuji said with a heavy heart: "Even if he is just a toothless tiger cub, a tiger is still a tiger, and there will be a day when he roars in the forest. Whether it is you or me, we must leave some room for maneuver when doing things. This time, you went too far."

"The emperor is always the emperor. There is only one emperor in the world. He cannot be abandoned unless it is absolutely necessary."

Looking at Master Cui Renshi with uncertain eyes, Changsun Wuji said indifferently: "Maybe the Cui family is very powerful, but you, Master Cui Renshi, and your family, and even more so, your branch of the family, are not unsaved."

"Compared to the entire aristocratic family, the Cui family is nothing. Compared to the entire Cui family, your branch is even more insignificant."

These words were like a thunderclap that instantly exploded in Cui Renshi's mind, making him shudder all over and a layer of fine beads of sweat appear on his forehead.

He knew that what Changsun Wuji meant was that if his branch of the family could be ignored, then he himself would be even more worthless.

Only then did Cui Renshi realize that he had no qualifications to challenge the emperor.

Before, he was in the limelight, challenging the emperor on behalf of the entire aristocratic family. He secretly felt that the emperor was no big deal, and he still had to swallow his anger under his attacks.

Now, after being reminded by Changsun Wuji, he realized that the emperor was afraid of the entire clan, not himself. If he really angered the emperor and caused a violent backlash, he would be crushed to pieces in an instant, even the clan behind him.

Nor would he go to war with the imperial power just for someone insignificant like himself.

Although the nobles were powerful, they had to pay a huge price every time they launched a war of this scale. Once the war started, there were too many uncontrollable factors, and no one could guarantee that they would be the final winner.

The fight between Yang Guang and the nobles was a life-and-death struggle, and countless branches of noble families and great families turned to dust and fell into eternal decline. After the change of dynasties, the people who stood at the center of power in the new dynasty were no longer the same people who had been in Yang Guang's court.

Among them, the Hongnong Yang family, the Fanyang Lu family and the Wenxi Pei family are typical representatives.

The Lu and Pei families were the most popular and influential families in the court at that time, and they were also the founding heroes of the Sui Dynasty. They made great contributions in the establishment of the Sui Dynasty. Not to mention the Hongnong Yang family, which was a nominal royal family and had the same status as the Longxi Li family today.

During the three expeditions to Goguryeo and the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, these three families suffered heavy losses because they were too close to Yang Guang and their interests were already tied together. Their main branches and forces were also swept away in the process of changing dynasties.

The current Yang, Lu, and Pei families were all eggs placed in other baskets at the time. Although they turned around in time and clung to the thigh of the new dynasty, they were no longer as prosperous as they used to be because their main strengths had been greatly damaged.

Among the aristocratic families, their power was not even as great as the later-emerging Guanzhong Du family and Jingzhao Wei family.

That is, in order to gain power and obtain broad support from the nobles, the Li family spent a huge amount of money to buy horse bones and maintain the balance of power among the nobles, which is why they kept them.

Otherwise, considering the current strength of the three families, the royal family can easily destroy them.

Although the aristocratic families are powerful, they are numerous and difficult to unite and form a joint force. Often in the chaos of a big reshuffle, people's hearts are different. Some aristocratic families target the royal family, but there are also some hiding behind and manipulating them, preparing to be the fisherman who benefits.

Therefore, unless it is absolutely necessary, and the emperor does not insist on eliminating the aristocratic families, the aristocratic families will not unite and fight a desperate battle against imperial power.

After figuring this out, Cui Renshi was panicked and subconsciously sat up straight. He was no longer as disrespectful to Changsun Wuji as before.

As an individual, Changsun Wuji was much more important than himself in terms of both his official position and status, so there was really no need for him to look at his face. In the final analysis, it was still to give face to the huge group of nobles behind him.

"Hehehe!"

Cui Renshi picked up the wine pot on the table and filled Changsun Wuji's cup with wine. He smiled and said, "Master Changsun, how could I not know what you said? Today you represent the emperor, and I represent the nobles. We are sitting here together."

"I just want to discuss how this matter should end. What do you think?"

Seeing that Cui Renshi was shocked by these few words, Changsun Wuji did not take it too far, but took up the wine glass and drank it all, letting go of the unpleasantness just now. After all, he was the uncle of the emperor, so he had to put the overall situation first.

Cui Renshi used the throne as a banner to make such a big deal out of it, and the emperor was so angry that he killed Princess Gaoyang. The nobles were also embarrassed and felt that it was a bit excessive, so they naturally took out their anger on Cui Renshi.

This old guy will suffer in the future!

"Chu Heng must die"

Changsun Wuji's words immediately made Cui Renshi, who had just calmed down, jump up like a raccoon whose tail was stepped on. "What? Don't go too far."

Cui Renshi's eyes were filled with undisguised anger, and he slammed the table and stood up, saying, "No matter what, Chu Heng is still a third-rank official in the court, and has been the Jingzhao Yin for more than ten years. Even if she did something wrong to the emperor in the court, no one can slander her for Gao Yang's matter!"

"It is true that she had an affair with a monk from Huichang Temple. You want to kill her for such a small mistake?"

Changsun Wuji ignored Cui Renshi's fierce reaction and said indifferently: "Some mistakes can be made and there are opportunities to make amends, but some mistakes cannot be made. Once you make a mistake, there will be no chance to start over. Chu Heng rushed too fast and jumped too high."

"If he stands in the court again, how will the emperor save his dignity?"

"In that case, we can let him leave Chang'an and go to the countryside."

Seeing that Changsun Wuji's expression remained unchanged and his demeanor was firm and unquestionable, Cui Renshi's heart sank, his eyes changed for a while, and finally gritted his teeth and said, "Or, you can let him retire and return home. If it really doesn't work, you can send him to exile a thousand miles away. No matter what, save his life."

"Chu Heng is working for our clan. If he dies in an ugly way, how will our clan maintain its dignity?"

"Humph, how old is Chu Heng this year? He is even older than me."

Changsun Wuji curled his lips slightly, his shrewd eyes revealed the wisdom of seeing through the world, and said with disdain: "He is the king of Wei's iron confidant. The king of Wei was imprisoned by the emperor, and he was strictly ordered not to be released for life."

"Chu Heng is a discarded pawn. What use do you have for him?"

"In fact, the moment Chu Heng jumped out, from the moment he exposed the matter of Princess Gaoyang in the court, he was determined to become a victim. Even if I hadn't asked him to do so, it wouldn't be long before the nobles would have dealt with him."

"His role has been fulfilled. The nobles will not let him become a thorn in the side of the friendly relationship between the emperor and the nobles. Instead of you doing this favor, why not let me do it now?"

Cui Renshi was stunned, obviously confused and doubtful.

Seeing the other party's expression, Changsun Wuji was even more disdainful and shook his head secretly. Chu Heng was old, experienced, and of high rank. The moment the King of Wei fell, his career in the officialdom was over.

As the saying goes, one must accept defeat if one is willing to gamble. This person could obviously have made a dignified exit and returned to his hometown to enjoy his retirement.

But he refused to accept his old age and insisted on making trouble. He turned to the nobles, hoping for a long career. However, he did not know that the nobles were full of talents and did not need people like him. Without the support of the King of Wei, it would be impossible for him to keep his position as Jingzhao Yin.

How many positions of the third rank are there in the court? Which one is not an important figure who can stand alone? Even for the nobles, they are existences that cannot be ignored. How could they let an old and decrepit dog occupy this position?

The nobles accepted Chu Heng on the surface, but in fact they were just taking advantage of him.

First, they used Chu Heng as a villain to make trouble for the emperor in order to suppress the power of the new emperor's accession to the throne. After the emperor surrendered, they took Chu Heng down and did him a favor to repair the relationship between him and the emperor. The aristocratic family's method was clever and comprehensive.

Cui Renshi couldn't even see through this, which shows that he won't have any great future.
The noble families were like dragons hidden deep in the abyss, with no head or tail to be seen, and Changsun Wuji was very afraid of them.

"No matter what, Chu Heng worked for our clan. His end was too tragic. Who would dare to join us in the future?"

Cui Renshi struggled with an ugly expression and said, "Leave him alive and let him escape unscathed. We will not fight for the position of Jingzhao Yin."

"Do you think the emperor's face is not worth a mere third-rank official?"

Zhang Sun Wuji was somewhat disappointed. This was the only thing a child of an aristocratic family could do. Cui Renshi still did not understand the depth of this. The emperor was rich in the world, and all the officials of the Tang Dynasty were just his subjects in the eyes of the emperor.

The emperor's dignity and face actually affect the emperor's authority. How can a third-rank official compare to this?

After all, Cui Renshi's vision is a little narrow, and he is still using the method of exchanging interests to solve problems. He has no idea what a real superior values ​​most. It is no wonder that he made Gao Yang's affairs known to everyone.

This move not only offended the entire royal family, but also made the nobles embarrassed, and the situation almost got out of control.

As if he had seen Cui Renshi's future fate, Changsun Wuji suddenly felt bored and lost interest in continuing the conversation. He stroked his robe and said calmly, "This is not the emperor's idea, but the empress dowager's idea."

"Go back and tell the Queen Mother's attitude to the heads of the families and the elders. They will naturally consider it. I have something else to do, so I will leave now."

After saying that, he stood up and walked towards the door.

(End of this chapter)