As Yang Ji and Pei Shuying talked about that day, due to geopolitics, the Pei family always maintained a neutral attitude in the battles between several major political forces. It was the Pei family's middle position that enabled Pei Ju, the head of the Pei family, to win. Yang Jian favored him and entrusted him with important tasks.
Because he has played the role of a bystander for a long time, Pei Ju has a very thorough understanding of the current situation. He knew that the Guanlong nobles were far stronger than the Shandong gentry, the southern gentry and other political forces combined. Their military strength was extremely terrifying. In addition, the Guanlong nobles had a bad habit of changing dynasties. Such a powerful existence was unstoppable for any Those that were not allowed by any emperor would be liquidated by Yang Jian sooner or later.
While Yang Jian is weakening the strength of the Guanlong nobles, the power of the royal family alone is obviously not enough. He will definitely support the second, third and fourth parties to compete with the Guanlong nobles. Only by weakening the strength of several major forces Only when they are as weak as equals can the emperor take control. However, due to the emergence of cheap books and Yang Jian's tough stance on banning books, the power struggle between Yang Jian and the Guanlong nobles, Shandong nobles, and southern nobles turned into a battle between poor families and aristocratic families.
The sprout of this new political landscape finally made Pei Ju, who was sitting on the mountain watching the fight between tigers, unable to sit still. He knew that if the situation was allowed to develop, the Pei family would lose the value of balancing the Guanlong nobles and the Shandong gentry in less than twenty years; and the Pei family, which had lost its use value, would surely suffer misfortune from the two major forces without the support of the imperial power. Attacked from both sides, one can imagine the situation at that time.
After an urgent discussion between Pei Ju and his clan brother Pei Yun, the two quickly reached a consensus. They both believed that if Pei continued to watch with a cold eye, sooner or later something bad would develop. If he waited until the situation was established, it would be too late. Therefore, the top priority is to get on the royal ship as soon as possible.
It's just that in official circles, rashly taking sides when the situation is not clear has always been the stupidest behavior. If you follow the wrong person, Pei will not get a bite of the mutton, but will be embarrassed all over. But if you don't stand in line, you will also suffer big losses in the future.
The Pei family could have directly followed Yang Guang. However, when Yang Guang seized the throne, their status was too low and they had no say in the court. If they express their attitude to Yang Guang now, it would be nothing more than They are just icing on the cake and will never enjoy the treatment of Yang Su, Su Wei, Yu Wenshu, Shi Wansui and others.
But what would Yang Guang, who has not yet ascended the throne, think if he supports Yang Zhao or Yang Zhen to win the next crown prince?
Yang Guang will definitely think, "I, Yang Guang, have not even become emperor. I, Yang Guang, am only in my thirties, and you are so eager to take sides. Do you think I will die early or are you trying to kill me?"
In view of this, the only person in the royal family that Pei could choose was the evil star Yang Ji. This is not to say that their Pei family is loyal to Yang Ji, but to use Yang Ji's power to express their attitude to Yang Jian and Yang Guang.
Yang Ji is now rising rapidly and becoming more powerful. As long as Yang Guang ascends the throne, he will become his own faction in the Sui Dynasty. At that time, he will not only become the backbone of Yang Guang's restraint on Yang Su, Guanlong nobles and other military forces, but also a counterweight Gao Jong, Su Wei and other veteran ministers have great talents. The most important thing is that Yang Ji has become a lonely minister, and the emperor inherently trusts lonely ministers.
If the Pei family associates with such a stupid young man, I am afraid that the emperor would like it, because this can strengthen the strength of the imperial party and make the butcher knife in the emperor's hand sharper.
As long as Yang Ji continues to be such a jerk, he will always be a sharp blade in the emperor's hands, and his every move will always represent the vane of the emperor's governance. If it really comes to a point where the situation is beyond control, it will not be too late for Pei to withdraw his power. At that point, Pei will have the fame and the emperor's trust that he needs.
In the study, Pei Juzheng and his eldest son Pei Xuanji were chatting about the current situation. Seeing that his father was a little distracted, Pei Xuanji wisely changed the topic to today's "family banquet" and asked with a smile: "Aye is worried about King Wei?" Come?"
"A little bit!" Pei Ju nodded and said calmly: "The assassination of He Ruobi, the book ban, the Hanshi demonstration and other major events have made everyone in the court and inside and outside the court regard King Wei as the leader of the Hanshi; this name It sounds nice, but the dispute between the aristocratic family and the humble family is turbulent and dangerous. Without the emperor's escort and full support, if the emperor compromises with the aristocratic family, the first person to be shattered to pieces will be the so-called 'Leader of the Hanshi'. If he continues If he makes excuses not to come, then I can be sure that he is a stupid and loyal person who has a little cleverness but no foresight, so there is no need to waste time on him; but if he comes happily, it means that he also realizes It’s hard to be alone, and you realize you need allies.”
"But, does he understand the importance of coming or not?" Pei Xuanji asked with a frown.
Anyone with a little experience in officialdom knows that Yang Ji jumped out to compete with the aristocratic families, causing all the conflicts between the imperial power and the aristocratic families to focus on him. When the matter was successfully concluded, the emperor could either get rid of Yang Ji to quell the resentment and conflicts at all levels. This is the so-called "cunning rabbit is dead and the lackey is cooked"; or he could abandon it. If things don't go well and the emperor ends up compromising, Yang Ji will still be the unlucky one.
In fact, Yang Jian has always done this. When he introduced the "Four Nobles", he made the family members focus on the "Four Nobles". Later, the saint got rid of Yu Zeqing, not only because of his high moral character, but also because he had become invisible. He became the head of the Guanlong nobles, and such leaders were always feared by the emperor. When Yu Zeqing was eliminated, a group of backbones of the Guanlong nobles were eliminated, which could be said to be a multi-purpose achievement. Later, Wang Shiji was eliminated. This was also a signal. Who was Wang Shiji? They were the confidants of Gao Jiong and Yang Yong. It was indeed Gao Jiong and Yang Yong who killed Wang Shiji. If Gao Jiong had not renounced his family long ago, how could he still be alive today?
Su Wei also has ups and downs. Every time he falls, a group of people will fall. The reason why he climbed up quickly instead of falling completely was that on the one hand he had real ability, and on the other hand Su Wei cultivated countless talents and had very deep connections in the officialdom.
Isn't Yang Ji now Yang Jian's sharp blade to eradicate the family members? If he would not form an alliance with civilian officials, but always maintain influence in the military, he would most likely be the second Yu Zeqing, not Su Wei.
Pei Ju nodded and said, "He must know very well."
When he witnessed the dispute between Yang Ji and He Ruobi in Furong Garden, he just felt that Yang Ji was impulsive, not capable enough, a little smart but without foresight, and was somewhat disapproving of his provoking He Ruobi; When he defeated He Ruobi, Xue Zhou, Liu Shu, Xue Daoheng and others with vigorous arguments, Pei Ju admired Yang Ji even more.
But despite his admiration, Pei Ju still didn't think Yang Ji was anything great. Compared to the shrewd, capable and well-established court officials, in his eyes, Yang Ji was still a young boy who was just starting out and was good at sophistry.
Later, when he returned with brilliant military exploits, Pei Ju's impression of Yang Ji remained unchanged. No matter how good a person was at fighting, if he didn't understand the power struggle, he would sooner or later be ruined and his fate would be ruined. Let's not talk about it far, just take Hu Luguang and Gao Changgong of the Northern Qi Dynasty, and Yu Wenxian of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. Which of these three people is not the god of war in the world, and which one is not an invincible figure, but in the end they fell silently in the political struggle. Among them?
Nowadays, Yang Ji can see the value of books to the imperial power. Not only does he resolutely oppose the book ban, but he also decisively publishes the list of prisoners during the demonstration by the Hanshi, and uses the power of the Hanshi to overthrow the unrepentant Cui Zhongfang, Wang Long, Zheng Shanyuan and Zhang Jin also disgraced the Boling Cui family and the Guanlong Zhang family. Only then did Pei Ju take Yang Ji seriously and regard him as a person of the same level. Yang Ji's move of only announcing the names of prisoners from two families made him even more surprised and amazed.
But just like the two "ifs" Pei Ju said at the end, if Yang Ji still doesn't come, there is really no need for Pei to waste his time.
"Aye, I don't understand a little bit." Pei Xuanji hesitated for a moment and then asked: "The saint attaches great importance to the reuse of King Wei. It is true that he transfers the conflicts between the emperor and the family to King Wei. But the power in his hands is too much. If it's too big, wouldn't the saint be worried that the prince would kill him with this sword? Aren't he worried that King Wei would disobey the prince's orders in the future?"
Pei Xuanji's words represent the confusion of most officials. Although the position of the crown prince of the Sui Dynasty is unbreakable, everyone knows that Yang Yong's power has not declined and Yang Liang is ready to make a move. However, Yang Jian turned a deaf ear to Yang Yong and Yang Liang, and still A powerful Wei Wang Yang Ji was created. Do you think the matter is not big enough and Yang Guang is not troublesome enough?
"Before Yi Chu, who said that King Wei has the strength he has today, I would be the first to not believe it, but now I don't." Pei Ju glanced at his son and said lightly: "Can't you see that the Great Sui Dynasty Will it fall apart if you are not careful?"
Pei Xuanji said in shock: "How is this possible?"
"Nothing is impossible." Pei Ju sighed and said: "The current situation of the Sui Dynasty is very similar to that of Emperor Wu of the Zhou Dynasty. In the final analysis, it was the saint's drastic reforms that offended too many people and too many forces."
Pei Xuanji suddenly realized: "That's why the saints put more emphasis on the royal family. After all, their own family members are more reliable, isn't that right?"
"What you are talking about is only one aspect." Pei Ju slowly took a sip of tea and continued: "The other aspect is to prepare for the replacement of the old with the new, and Zhang Jin used it to threaten the saint with 'small bandits', which just gave the saint a plan. The excuse is that as long as the military power of Yongzhou, Liangzhou, Yizhou, Youzhou, Yanzhou, Yangzhou and other places is always in the hands of the prince line, even if the Han king in Bingzhou makes trouble, he will be in a dilemma and be besieged on all sides, and nothing will happen. In terms of government affairs, What the princes have to do is to govern the officials. After this governance, the emperor will gain both fame and fortune, but it is the princes who offend the noble families."
"My child understands." Pei Xuanji also understood and said: "Since ancient times, both education and politics have been controlled by the aristocratic families, and those poor people are just farmers used by the aristocratic families to provide for themselves. If the aristocratic families want you to live or die, how can you have any room for resistance? And without the support of the aristocratic families, what will happen to those princes who have offended the aristocratic families in the world? "
Although these words may sound arrogant and unpleasant, they are the truth that cannot be refuted.
Words like "Princes and generals should rather have the right kind" are certainly encouraging, but in fact they are just slogans to fool the people.
Which of the royal families and princes from ancient times were common people? Even if the right time, right place, right people, and the right people make a monster-like humble warrior achieve great glory, they still lack a strong foundation and strength, and will eventually be annihilated in the troubled times.
Even though Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, was recorded as being "from a peasant family", the reality is that this is nonsense. The "outrageous personality and dislike of reading" in the classics reveals Liu Bang's family background.
Whether it was the era of the late Qin Dynasty or today's splendid Sui Dynasty, it was extremely difficult to study. How could a "farmer" like to study or not? Even if you like to read, can you afford to read?
Therefore, the nobles of aristocratic families are the masters of people!
The rest are like ants.
This is the real reality.
Even if the popularization of movable type printing gradually reduces the cost of reading, how can it take just a few years for the talents of poor scholars who can serve as rebels to appear? The princes do not have this talent base. Even if they rebel in the future, they will not be able to defeat Yang Guang, who represents orthodoxy.
Pei Ju smiled happily, "My son finally understands."
At this time, there were hurried footsteps outside the door, and the concierge reported at the door: "Alang, the steward of Prince Wei's Mansion responded and said that King Wei and Princess Wei have gone out."
When Pei Ju heard that Yang Ji had brought his princess, he was stunned at first, and then he was overjoyed: "King Wei is really smart and far-sighted."
Pei Xuanji said doubtfully: "How can you see it?"
"When a prince interacts with foreign ministers, it is easy to attract attention, and it does not bring much benefit to him or us." Pei Ju said with some joy: "Everyone knows that King Wei is Shuying's savior, but we have never expressed it Thank you, if King Wei came alone, the idea of a thanksgiving feast would be a bit far-fetched, but now that the couple is here, their credibility will naturally be greatly enhanced."
Having said this, Pei Ju quickly told his son: "Go and inform your mother-in-law, your wife, and Shuying, and ask them to dress up for the occasion. Then the whole family will go to the main entrance to greet King Wei and his wife, and make it clear and fair that this banquet is for Designed with gratitude.”
"My child obeys your orders." Pei Xuanji stood up and left quickly.
Pei Ju stood up and quickly asked someone to bring the dress.
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