When Shi Yi thinks about Xianyu, someone always comes to disturb her.

After Prince Rui came out of the Zhong family, he always felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on his heart. He felt very depressed and his breathing was blocked.

Recalling Zhong Limo's words:

"My ancestor once made friends with a Taoist master. He said that my ancestor was too talented and intelligent, and he had deprived his descendants of their blessings. If he did not exercise some restraint, future generations would suffer endless disasters. However, my ancestors believed that people should use their talents in the right way when they live in the world. At that time, the government was turbulent and the people were living in poverty. My ancestors believed that the ancestor of your royal family was a virtuous person who would be able to find a way out for the people. Therefore, my ancestors vowed to use all the strength of the family to assist the lord to ascend the throne. Since then, everything has gone smoothly, and talented people from all sides have come one after another.

When my ancestor saw that the royal family no longer needed his help, he recalled the words of the old man and thought that he should leave some opportunities for future generations. He resolutely returned to his ancestral land and lived in seclusion. In his spare time, he taught his descendants to read and spent a few years enjoying his grandchildren. In fact, my ancestors did not leave anything to their descendants that could change their fate. If we have to say that they left something, it is just an ancestral house, four empty walls, and a few acres of thin land that is barely enough to make a living. "

The ancestors said that if the descendants have no place to live and no food to eat, they can return to the ancestral land. These items are in a dilapidated state, no one will rob them, and they will definitely be preserved for many years. He said that not giving good houses is because he is afraid that unfilial descendants will sell them for money; not leaving good farmland is because he is worried that future generations will have no power and will find it difficult to keep it. Although the house is broken, it can provide shelter; although the land is small, it can barely make a living and not starve to death. No one cultivates the wasteland, but after it is cultivated, someone will fight for it. Haha, the small land and ugly wife are still the treasures of the family, no one will take it away and no one will fight for it.

Our ancestors did not leave behind any books or books, only a few family mottos, which were no different from those of others, and were all passed down orally. Even if others wanted to steal them, they could not do so, not to mention that ordinary family mottos were not worth it. Therefore, Prince Rui, there is no need to worry about the stolen items in our family. It is really nothing. It was just that these books were taken away and abandoned in the ditch, and we picked them up again. "

Prince Rui admired the generosity of the Zhong family's ancestors, but he didn't expect that his descendants would really wither like this? If he knew, would he regret helping his ancestors conquer the world?

Now that the Zhong family is being bullied, the Li family still claims to be a big family. They are too shameless. He is not afraid of others being afraid of the Li family. What's more, his royal brother has made it clear that since the Zhong family has come out, they must be treated well in the future. Therefore, he has to take the blame for the Zhong family.

He returned to the palace and wrote three pieces of letters in a very eloquent manner, all of which were aimed at cursing the head of the Li family.

He scolded the Li family for framing the Zhong family, coveting the heirlooms of the Zhong family, and all the shameful things they had done. He also singled out the sentence "The Zhong family is a true gentleman, and the Li family is all villains!" and wrote it on a large piece of paper, then sent someone to deliver it to the head of the Li family.

After watching the letter being sent away, Prince Rui felt relieved and relieved. It was obvious that the descendants of meritorious officials were still protected. If he did not speak up for them, he felt that he would have a guilty conscience for the rest of his life.

Therefore, Prince Rui wrote another letter to the emperor, submitting his opinions on how to deal with Minister Chen's family. He stated that the case could not be ended just because Minister Chen's eldest son died. The Chen family must pay a heavy price.

On the second day, the emperor personally issued an imperial decree in the court, stripping Chen Shangshu of all his official positions, sentencing him to three years of hard labor for not raising his son properly and causing trouble for the people. Even after the eldest son died, he was not allowed to be buried, and a mass grave was his final destination. This also conformed to the consistent style of the Chen family. Mrs. Chen served thirty years of hard labor, and was not allowed to be paroled or redeemed.

What this means is that as long as Mrs. Chen is alive, she must complete the thirty years of hard labor, and is not allowed to take a day off, nor accept any ransom from his family.

Because the national treasury was empty, several regulations were promulgated, which basically meant that the families of convicted officials could use money to reduce some punishments, lower some penalties, shorten some years of service, etc.

However, Mrs. Chen was not allowed to use these privileges. In other words, Mrs. Chen had to serve thirty years of hard labor, so that she could experience the sufferings of the world and pay the price for her actions.

If Lord Chen still has a chance of coming out alive, then Madam Chen has almost no chance of coming out alive.

What's more, the Chen family's property has been confiscated, and only an official residence is left, which will be returned to the court soon, and the old lady of the Chen family can no longer live there.

Old Mrs. Chen herself is in danger, who can pay the ransom for them?

In the past, Mrs. Chen was unwilling to help and befriend her sister's family. Now, no one comes to visit her, let alone give her money.

The concubine and illegitimate son of the Chen family were very kind not to take advantage of the situation. They didn't want to have anything to do with anyone in the Chen family and just lived their own lives behind closed doors.

There was no more Minister Chen in Kyoto, and the Chen family soon disappeared, existing only as a negative example in the official residences of various major officials to educate future generations.

Soon, word spread in the Li family that several members of the Li family were punished to guard the family temple and were not allowed to serve as officials for the rest of their lives. They did not mention a word about the letter from Prince Rui and had to accept the scolding.

It was his own fault for bringing shame to his family in Kyoto and even to the royal family.

In recent years, the children of the Li family have been implicated and have no face to go to the imperial court for examinations, for fear of being publicly named by the royal family. The Li family cannot afford to lose face, so they can only let the children of the Li family remain silent for a few years.

For the big families, this loss is huge. The imperial court is so small and there are only so many good official positions. Which big family does not try their best to send their children to those important positions?

During the years when the Li family was absent, I am afraid that the structure of the court would have changed a lot. There is nothing that can be done about it. Since the emperor ascended the throne, he has shown a very pragmatic spirit and has begun to deal with the administration of officials. After several rounds of rectification, the big families have begun to protect themselves.

The reason why they can become a big family is that they can judge the situation and adjust personnel arrangements at any time according to the direction of the court.

To put it bluntly, the imperial court is a platform operated by everyone. Everyone wants to be in an advantageous position and seek benefits for their family, but this seeking requires a high level of skill.

It's not that you just keep fleecing the imperial court. What will you do after you've fleeced all the people?

Therefore, everything is done step by step and secretly. When a crackdown is launched, we must avoid the sharp edge and do things that are beneficial to the court. When the court becomes wealthy, we can make appropriate efforts to take advantage of it. At that time, the emperor will turn a blind eye.

It is better to be honest in the current situation and live longer before planning for the future.

The Li family retracted their claws, and other families followed suit and became extremely obedient. During this period, many practical officials emerged in the court, and the morale of officials in various places also improved a lot.

The lives of ordinary people are finally not so difficult anymore.