My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 75 The Great Wei Has Lost Its Virtue!

Chapter 75 The Great Wei Has Lost Its Virtue!
Empress Dowager Hu's words were extremely outrageous, and her almost roaring voice echoed throughout the Taiji Hall.

It was a deep-seated disgust.

Upon seeing this, Cui Guang couldn't help but sigh inwardly; he had been careless in this matter.

I thought that after Empress Gao was forced to commit suicide at Yaoguang Temple last year, this old grudge should have been settled. I didn't expect that Empress Hu would still hold a grudge.

Empress Dowager Hu was born into the An Ding Hu clan. She was able to enter the palace thanks to her aunt.

Empress Dowager Hu's aunt had become a nun at a young age and was very knowledgeable about Buddhism. Emperor Xuanwu, who was also a devout Buddhist, asked her to lecture him on Buddhist scriptures. It was through this relationship that Empress Dowager Hu became one of Emperor Xuanwu's concubines.

At that time, Emperor Xuanwu's empress was named Gao Ying. Emperor Xuanwu was a devout Buddhist and somewhat negligent in governing, so he entrusted all the power of the court to Gao Ying's uncle, Gao Zhao, who was appointed as Minister of Works.

General Zhang Yi, who was in charge of the Western Expedition, was dismissed from his post and even suffered a stroke and became paralyzed after he fought with Gao Zhao for Princess Chenliu.

Gao Zhao and Gao Ying's ancestors came from Goguryeo during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen. They called themselves the Bohai Gao clan, saying that they were forced to flee there to avoid disaster during the war at the end of the Jin Dynasty. Now that the Central Plains are at peace, they have returned to recognize their ancestors.

At that time, there was chaos and war, so no one can say for sure whether it was true or not.

Later, the Gao family became prominent, and the Bohai Gao family also recognized them as their ancestor. However, what was absurd was that Emperor Xuanwu ordered the Gao family to move their ancestral graves from Pingcheng back to Bohai Su County, which was the ancestral home of the Bohai Gao family. However, Gao Zhao dragged his feet and eventually gave up. Nevertheless, the rest of the Gao family were buried in Bohai after they passed away.

What happened next was quite simple.

Gao Ying couldn't give birth to a second boy no matter what she tried, but instead had a daughter.

Empress Dowager Hu gave birth to a boy who was made crown prince, namely Yuan Xu.

Empress Gao tried several times to kill Empress Dowager Hu, but failed. In the end, after Emperor Xuanwu Yuan Ke died, Yuan Xu succeeded to the throne.

Empress Dowager Hu immediately joined forces with General Yu Zhong, Prince Yuan Yong of Gaoyang, and others to launch a coup, eliminating the power of Gao Zhao and Gao Ying, and thus seizing power.

Because of the names 'Gao Ying' and 'Gao Zhao', when Empress Dowager Hu heard the name of the Bohai Gao clan, she naturally thought of the days when she was living in constant fear.

Upon hearing that Gao Yu came from the Gao clan of Bohai, he would naturally react strongly.

Seeing this, Cui Guang and the others stopped talking, and Yuan Yi also kept quiet.

Seeing that everyone had fallen silent, Empress Dowager Hu calmed down, clearly realizing that she had just lost her composure.

But she didn't care.

She was the Empress Dowager.

No one in the world can say anything bad about her.

"The ancestral laws cannot be changed. If we make an exception and change his registration this time, can't the people of the other six towns change their registrations? We cannot set a precedent for this."

"However, he did a good job protecting the Princess of Guangping and preserving the dignity of the imperial family, so he should indeed be rewarded."

"He was rewarded with 100 catties of gold, 10 shi of pepper, 5 volumes of Buddhist scriptures, 200 bolts of cloth and silk, 100 cattle and sheep, 20 maids, and was also given brocade robes, jade belts, delicacies and fine wine."

The reward was indeed generous; pepper was a rare spice imported from the Western Regions, more valuable than gold.

Ten bushels of pepper in the West Market of Luoyang would cost about a hundred catties of gold.

If sold in Jiankang, the price could be ten times higher.

The Golden Sutras were not actually a few volumes of Buddhist scriptures, but rather treasures that the senior monks of Yongning Temple copied onto gold leaf and presented to Queen Hu. In the Buddhist atmosphere of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the value of these five volumes of Buddhist scriptures was probably no less than a hundred catties of gold.

As for cloth, cattle, sheep, and servants, that goes without saying.

It seems that Empress Hu was not completely stupid. She did not take her hatred for Gao Zhao and Gao Ying out on others. Although Gao Yu was unable to change his military status, he still received a generous reward. In fact, because of her earlier rudeness, the Empress Dowager increased the reward even more in order not to be seen as mean.

The meeting dispersed.

Cui Guang, Li Chong, Li Shao and the others gathered together to talk.

"Your Majesty is confused. The Prince of Jiangyang has already taken control of the Imperial Guards, and now he has also won the hearts of the Central Army. He controls both the Imperial Guards and the Central Army. The safety of Luoyang is entirely in his hands. Who can stand against him in the future? If he harbors any disloyal intentions... I fear another catastrophe is about to befall us."

They realized this when Yuan Yi stepped forward to defend the central army.

But unfortunately...

Both Yuan Yi and Empress Dowager Hu lacked political acumen.

It's completely undetectable.

"The Prince of Jiangyang is, after all, the Empress Dowager's brother-in-law, but the Prince of Qinghe is likely to face a great calamity."

They could see it, but they wouldn't remind Yuan Yi. They wouldn't do anything that would offend people. Besides, if the Prince of Qinghe couldn't even see it, he deserved to die.

Cui Guang had another worry, and his brows furrowed.

"The world is likely to face many troubles from now on..."

Li Chong remained calm and said in a low voice, "Today's calamity began with Emperor Gaozu, and it is beyond our control."

Emperor Gaozu of Northern Wei was Emperor Xiaowen.

Cui Guang was naturally aware of this. To be honest, these Shandong gentry were able to achieve their current status only because of Emperor Xiaowen's reforms. Before Emperor Xiaowen, where would Han officials have their current position?

but……

Cui Guang could only shake his head.

They were all well-versed in classical texts and knew very well...

The court was weak, the central army was in decline, and the contradictions between the border towns and the central government continued to accumulate and deepen. This was the harbinger of a great era of chaos!

And the one who sowed the seeds of these calamities was none other than Tuoba Hong.

With chaos looming, it's only natural to make plans early.

Literature flourishes in prosperous times, swords and spears clash in chaotic times.

These families, with their distinguished official ranks, had lived through the chaotic Han and Jin dynasties.

He knew better than anyone how terrible a chaotic world could be.

Cui Guang thought for a moment and suggested, "Lord Chenliu has been kind to the Gao brothers, so why don't you invite them to your residence for a gathering? We can take this opportunity to meet such heroes, and perhaps in the future..."

Li Chong was quick-witted and immediately understood Cui Guang's idea. He smiled and nodded, "Indeed, we should meet him."

………………

The imperial court's actions this time were indeed swift and decisive.

The day after the court meeting!

Ten soldiers who had incited and misled the people were taken to the East Market, cut in half at the waist, and executed as a warning to others. The other soldiers who participated in the riot were also released without charge.

This is the punishment of raising a big stick high and then gently slapping it down.

This also put the minds of the previously anxious and fearful soldiers in the central army at ease.

Gao Yu and the others learned of this news immediately.

"That's it!?"

When Liu Gui brought back this news, Gao Yu was stunned and could hardly believe it!

Gao Huan also found it outrageous. He glanced cautiously outside and whispered.

"In the past, when Emperor Gaozu of Han unified the world, he wanted to establish his capital in Luoyang. Lou Jing advised him to do so, saying that only those with virtue could establish their capital in Luoyang. Emperor Gaozu was a man of great talent and immediately understood the meaning behind Lou Jing's words. In the end, he decided to establish his capital in Chang'an, and from there, he controlled the world."

"Even Emperor Gaozu dared not do it..."

"Now... the Great Wei has lost its virtue!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Yu almost instinctively replied with a sentence.

"Has the Great Wei lost its virtue, and the whole world is chasing after it?"

"Erlang, watch your words!"

This virtue is certainly not that virtue. Luoyang is located in the center of the world, with fertile land stretching for thousands of miles. There is no better land in the world. However, Jin Guan is in a high position and looks down on the flat plain. Once the world changes, how can it be defended?

Gao Yu pursed his lips, unconcerned, and said, "Brother, don't worry, there are no outsiders here."

"We should be careful then. We should keep this to ourselves and not tell others about it casually."

Gao Huan shook his head, but what came to mind was the conversation he had with Gao Yu that night.

"The Central Army is so arrogant, yet its military strength has declined to such an extent that it will be difficult to control the world. This is not a sign of the prosperity of the nation. Given time, the world will surely change."

Is winter truly approaching?
………………

Erzhu Rong was a member of the Imperial Guard.

They even knew about the court's decision regarding the Central Army earlier than Gao Yu and the others.

"The court's handling of the matter has alienated the people."

"No... I need to find a chance to go back to Xiurongchuan! I need to make plans as soon as possible!"

Erzhu Rong immediately picked up a piece of silk and wrote a personal letter. He then summoned his confidant and ordered him to deliver the letter to his father, Erzhu Daiqin, as quickly as possible.

It's always good to prepare early.

………………

"The current Empress Dowager is indeed far inferior to the civilized Empress Dowager. This handling of the matter..."

Cui Xian shook his head and sighed, "I'm afraid great chaos is imminent!"

Jia Sixie didn't speak, but looked thoughtful.

………………

"good good good good!"

When Yang Kan learned of the court's decision, he immediately grinned.

"Brother, why are you so excited?"

Yang Changchu was very puzzled.

"The court is indeed full of incompetent people."

"Wei has lost its mandate! The whole world is chasing after it!"