I Can Control My Ancestors

Chapter 561 - 62: Glorious Era, Wu Zetian’s Test

In just a few months, the entire court’s power dynamics were swiftly disrupted.

The Guanlong aristocracy suffered a major setback.

Although Zhangsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang seemed unaffected, still managing state affairs each in their respective positions,

their influence was nonetheless severely diminished.

Not only did scholars from various regions enter the court, but also the Wu family behind Wu Zetian flooded into the court, causing a tremendous shift in the court’s power structure.

And although Li Zhi still refrained from actively interfering in state affairs,

his imperial authority rose significantly in the minds of the ministers.

The only one seemingly unaffected was the Gu Clan.

Actually, the Gu Clan’s status in the Great Tang today is quite peculiar; it’s not as unattainable as it was during the Yan Han era, yet its height remains beyond reach for others.

The key lies in the accumulated family prestige of the Gu Clan over the centuries.

This prestige has brought numerous conveniences to the entire Gu Clan.

The Emperor trusts the Gu Clan, and the people hold faith in the Gu Clan as well.

This is the core reason.

Gu Yi quietly observed all of this, not surprised in the slightest by Wu Zetian’s tactics.

In history, she was always an extremely ruthless woman.

That’s her nature, and it would never change.

What truly surprised her was the attitude of the Gu family members regarding this matter.

Even after Gu Jing had deduced the overall process, the Gu family did not make a big fuss, which clearly indicates the flexible moral boundaries of the Gu Clan.

Of course, this might also be because the Gu Clan, concerned with the broader world, looked down on the so-called palace intrigues.

But at the very least, the Gu family members, regardless of their talents, possessed a sense of the larger picture.

Wu Zetian handled everything too cleanly.

If any Gu family member had made a big fuss based on mere speculation, considering the Gu Clan’s influence and Li Zhi’s favor towards Wu Zetian,

the resulting commotion would have been significant.

The greatest possibility would be that the entire Great Tang would have been embroiled in this conflict.

From minor conflicts among ministers, it could escalate into a confrontation between imperial power and the Gu Clan, leading to large-scale factional alignments among the courtiers, with monumental consequences.

There would be no perfect solution.

The Gu Clan would certainly be demoted from its divine position, regardless of victory or defeat.

And as this series of events unfolded, the damage to the cultural fabric of Kyushu would be unimaginable.

None of this has happened yet, indicating the current attitude of the Gu Clan towards the world.

The Gu Clan is no longer what it was during the Great Han; its focus now is solely on Kyushu and the family......

.....

Time swiftly passed.

Although this large-scale power transition somewhat affected the governance of the Great Tang,

the overall structure remained stable.

This naturally could not lead to major chaos.

Especially the Imperial Censorate.

Under Gu Jing’s reforms, the Imperial Censorate’s power has grown significantly, serving as the foundation of the Great Tang, ensuring the country does not descend into chaos.

Zhangsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang have completely changed.

They seem to have understood Li Zhi’s intentions, and after the incident settled, stopped overthinking and

calmly managed their tasks, waiting for the day to retire.

For people of their status, "securing a stable way out" is indeed rare.

After all, they had previously defied the Emperor’s wishes.

The fact that they remain in court shows Li Zhi’s benevolence towards them.

At least in the ongoing developments, Li Zhi harbors no murderous intent towards them.

Everything gradually returned to normal.

Local systems are still operating as usual, and the trade routes of the Western Regions are fully open now, propelled by significant interests, dual citizenship also functions normally.

One by one, the people of the Western Regions, while retaining their national citizenships, begin to integrate into the Great Tang.

This brings about noticeable differences.

The number of students in the private schools promoting Confucian education across the Western Regions is increasing.

Initially, their parents may have simply wanted their children to learn the Great Tang’s writing system for benefits, but this subtle influence gradually erodes their original beliefs.

This is the magical aspect of Kyushu’s culture.

No matter your previous customs and traditions, once you begin accepting Kyushu culture, your behavior and habits will slowly change.

Until you fully integrate into Kyushu and forget everything from before.

This is the fundamental reason Gu Jing pursues this strategy.

Although now the Western Regions seem unchanged, in just one or two more generations, the current customs and traditions of the Western Regions will be completely dismantled.

Leading from individual national rivalries to unity within Kyushu.

Apart from this, the advantages of various systems extend beyond these.

The overt benefit is the silver and gold income resulting from a trade surplus.

Gu Jing has banned the outflow of silver and gold from the Great Tang, although it’s impossible to control all the people, but when the country’s strength is robust, and goods are tremendously favored by foreign aristocrats,

merchants will voluntarily retain the Great Tang’s currency, and the people also reject foreign currencies, urging merchants to exchange them instead.

In foreign transactions, merchants also devalue the foreign currencies.