The residences of Prime Minister and Huangmen Shilang Pei Ju and Taichang Qing Pei Yun are both located in Beiqu of Zeshanfang. However, although the two Pei mansions are adjacent to each other, they have their own walls on the other side. Not only is there no door for easy movement between the two walls, there is even a gap of six or seven inches wide, which gives the impression that the relationship between the two is incompatible; after all, from a normal perspective, if they share a wall, not only will there be no need for a wall. Save money and save more than a foot of land.
However, in fact, the relationship between the two is very good. The main reason why this kind of discord was created was that when Yang Jian was implementing the "Great Suo Mao Yue" and "Loss of Nationality Settlement", he discovered that the property disputes between brothers were very serious, so he thought that there were many brothers and it was easy to have conflicts. For this reason, families that still live together with cousins are forced to live separately and establish their own families. If there are conflicts in property distribution, the government will step in to resolve them; and if officials dare to help others, they will be killed without mercy.
This policy has been supported by the people. Many people have actually wanted to separate their families for a long time, but the distribution of property is not satisfactory. Some people even have to fight for a pot or a bowl. No one wants to suffer a loss, so they simply don't want to split up. separated. Then the elder brother won't cook today, and the younger brother will sleep in tomorrow. As time went by, the relationship became more and more tense, and the family fell into disrepair. Later, the government came forward to help separate the families, and it was fair and just. In the end, everyone was happy.
Under this vigorous trend, Yang Jian turned around and asked officials and major aristocratic families to follow suit. You all said that uncles and brothers have a good relationship, no property disputes, and cannot bear the separation of flesh and blood. That is not impossible; I don't want to either. I want you to be separated from each other, and I hope you will be together all the time. Therefore, if the mortal world affects your family relationship, you should give up your official position. From now on, the family can express their family love at home. Yang Jian's move hit the vital point directly, so he had no choice but to follow the order.
However, officials and major aristocratic families were not worried about the "Tweening Order" appearing in their own families at first, because every family has a long-term development plan, and there is a complete set of rules for which children can be focused on training and which ones must be given up. . It's not that they are reluctant to invest resources in cultivating them, but the family's primary consideration is unity and priority. They are worried that side branches and concubines will rise rapidly after receiving resources, gradually overtaking the direct branches, and then seize power.
No matter how dissatisfied the concubines are, they have become an integral part of the family since they were born. Whether they want a career or survive, they cannot do without the support of the family. If anyone dares to go against the family, the family will punish him to death according to family law; even if he runs away, he will be punished by the world, making him a traitor and a white-eyed wolf that is reviled by the world and unable to gain a foothold.
It is precisely because of this that they are not afraid of betrayal by their concubines. However, the children of aristocratic families and officials are used to seeing the benefits of power. They have an obsession with power engraved in their bones, and they will strive to be first if they have the slightest chance; even those who have no ability are unwilling to be second to others, nor are they willing to become the leader in their lives. A vassal who is called around by others.
The concubines of the side branch have been suppressed and marginalized for a long time, and they have already been angry. They were not treated fairly when they were forced to separate, and their hearts have long been drifting away from the direct lineage.
Yang Jian waited for a while, and first replaced the nine-level Zhongzheng system with Xiucai Ke and Ming Jing Ke, regardless of family status; then he widely promoted four schools (primary schools), county schools, and prefecture (county) schools. The former solves the problem of poor scholars and outstanding children from major aristocratic families entering officialdom; while the latter solves the problem of education for their descendants.
The descendants and concubines of major aristocratic families have no worries about becoming officials, and the education of their descendants has also been settled. Their reliance on their direct lineage is extremely weak, and the injustice they suffered before slowly takes over. Who would be willing to work as a weakling for those of their direct lineage? Therefore, even if they did not break with the direct lineage, they still "worked but failed to contribute", causing all the major families to suffer from headaches and anxiety.
They had no choice but to join forces and force Yang Jian to give up his studies.
Yang Jian was already old at that time, and Yang Guang, who had just become the crown prince, was far less powerful than Yang Yong. In order to successfully hand over the throne, he had to order the abolition of schools and the temporary suspension of Xiucai Ke and Ming Jing Ke.
Despite this, the concept and system of family separation has been formed when the clan is large; once brothers, no matter how close the relationship is, separate their families, they will put their own small family first and naturally alienate themselves from other uncles and brothers; even the slightest contradiction will not matter. No, but no matter how good the friendship is, it cannot withstand the ravages of time. If we meet again after a few years of separation, we will have nothing to say and no idea where to start.
In Yang Jian's policy of "divide the clans when they are large", the group that suffered the most serious damage was undoubtedly the Guanlong nobles. Because the Guanlong nobles have been fighting for battles since the day they were founded. Any outstanding disciple is a good disciple and can be cultivated by the family. There is no obvious boundary between the direct descendants and there is not much difference in strength.
When there was no war to fight in the world, the various nobles of Guanlong aristocracy concentrated on reorganizing their clan affairs, and the concubines also began to have disputes and conflicts among the clan's "talkers". However, there is no distinction between the legitimate concubine and the legitimate concubine, and they are equally powerful. Suddenly they have to fight for a result, but they don't want to hurt their feelings. How easy is it? For example, in the Dugu family, the sons of Dugu Xin and the Guo family were constantly ostracizing and ostracizing Dugu Luo and his son in order to gain the title of direct line and the power of the head of the family. In the end, Dugu Luo's eldest son, Dugu Zuan, was unable to gain a foothold and had to give up his direct lineage. He took several younger brothers to start his own business.
Compared with the Guanlong nobles, the long-established gentry have already passed the stage where the descendants and descendants are of equal strength. They have already established a set of relatively fair clan rules and family laws through collisions. So it wasn't much of a shock.
Pei Ju and Pei Yun are known as the "Pei Family's Twins" outside. They are resourceful, meticulous in doing things, and know how to avoid risks. After Yang Guang gave the foundation, they built two mansions in Zeshanfang, which has a lot of land. Despite their "weird" appearance, although they didn't say anything, their down-to-earth approach was deeply appreciated by Yang Guang.
At this time, Pei Yun was receiving a distinguished guest from the south - Xie Ge, the head of the Xie family - in the side hall of the mansion.
. . . . . .
The Xie family started in the Wei and Jin Dynasties and became the last "Dangxi gentry" in the Eastern Jin Dynasty after the Wang family of Langya, the Xi family of Gaoping, the Yu family of Yingchuan and the Huan family of Qiaoguo. When the Xie family passed into the hands of Xie An, Xie Wan, Xie Shi, Xie Shang, Xie Xuan, Xie Yan and others in the middle of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, it was the most glorious and heyday of the Xie family. At that time, Xie An was promoted to the throne of prime minister due to his outstanding reputation and outstanding political talents. Xie Shang, Xie Wan, Xie Shi, Xie Xuan, Xie Yan and others also led strong troops all over Fangzhen. The Xie family almost monopolized the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The military and political power of the dynasty.
Especially in the famous "Battle of Feishui", Xie An was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the capital, Xie Shi was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the expedition, Xie Xuan was appointed as the forward commander-in-chief, and Xie Yan was appointed as the general of the auxiliary country. Together, the four of them created a classic battle example of defeating more with less. After the war, the four men of Xie An were granted official status on the same day. Not only did they receive their due rewards, but the status of the Xie family was also officially established. A situation of "sharing the world" with the royal family Sima and Wang was formed.
However, the four dynasties of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Southern Dynasties were destroyed in the war. However, after the rise of the Wei and Jin Dynasties and the prosperity of the Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties, the Xie family inevitably went downhill in the Liang Dynasty. When it came to the Chen Dynasty, although the Xie family still remained There are three generations of Xie Zhe, Xie Gu, Xie Yan and Xie Yi who occupy high positions, but the influence of the Xie family in the entire world is minimal. Even when Chen Shuling, the king of Chen Shixing, dug up the tomb of Xie An, which was the spiritual symbol of the Xie family, no one from the Xie family or the entire Chen Dynasty intervened, which shows the weakness of the Xie family.
When Chen died, Yang Guang escorted Chen Shubao and a group of Chen's ministers from Qiannan into the pass. Yang Jian awarded officials to the surrendered ministers one by one to show his appeasement. At that time, only Xie Wan, Shangshu Pushe and the prime minister, Xiao Yun, declined due to old age and illness. Sui officials, Yang Jian knew that they were unwilling to serve the two masters, so he praised their righteousness, gave them generous money and silk, and allowed them to return home.
In order to appease the political needs of the south, Yang Jian finally gave Xie Lingyun the post of Xie Ge. However, Xie Ge wanted to advance and retreat with Xie Niao, so he declined due to lack of talent. However, he would have angered Yang Jian and brought disaster to the Xie family. Because of the disaster, he had no choice but to recommend his son Xie Daohong.
Yang Jian then appointed Xie Daohong as the Shaoqing of Taifu and granted him the title of Duke of Yangxia County. However, Xie Daohong had been the Taifu Shaoqing for so many years, but instead of getting promoted, he was involved in the Li family case in Longxi.
Although Xie Daohong has not been punished and the royal family has not moved to the angry Xie family, the whole family is trembling with fear, fearing that the emperor's wrath will spread to the entire family.
The original head of the family, Xie Min, passed away in the seventeenth year of Emperor Kaihuang's reign. Before his death, he passed the title of head of the family to Xie Ge. Xie Ge couldn't wait for a long time for any news about his son, so he had to pack up the gold and silver and rush to Luoyang to work, hoping to avoid the danger of the family's destruction.
Xie Ge is an old man who is over sixty years old. The recent restlessness and family crisis have made him haggard and emaciated.
Looking at Xie Ge in front of him, Pei Yun felt sad. The Pei family of Wenxi also made many bets during the Eastern Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties; his lineage has been serving as officials in the Southern Dynasties. Not only did he witness the rise and fall of the Eastern Jin, Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen together with the Xie family, and established a marriage relationship, but also most During difficult times, Mr. Xie received many cares from many sources.
After Xie Ge finished explaining his purpose, his weakened body trembled like a candle in the wind, his eyes filled with tears, and he said sadly: "Taichang Qing, I am not an ignorant person, and will not do anything to force others to do something difficult." matter. If Quanzi really commits an unforgivable crime, the imperial court will kill all the old and old people, and there will be no regrets. I only ask that Taichang Qing will remember the past love and come forward to protect the other branches of my Xie family. . In the next life, the old man will join the grass in the ring, make an ox or a horse, in order to repay Taichang Qing for his great kindness!"
When Pei Yun was the General of Zhige and the Ling of Xingning in the Chen Dynasty, he had a very good relationship with Xie Ge. This was also the fundamental reason why Xie Ge came to him. When he heard this, he comforted him and said: "Brother, don't worry, no matter what it is, we will do it." You can sit down and discuss it calmly."
Seeing that he was not speaking in an official tone, Xie Ge felt a little more at ease. He finally calmed down and asked, "Taichang Qing, what's going on with my rebellious son?"
After all, Xie Daohong is his son, so how could Xie Ge not care? This time he came to Luoyang on behalf of the Xie family to take care of things. He was already mentally prepared to lose money to eliminate disasters and give up his car to save his handsome man, but he always had a little hope in his heart, hoping that his son would survive, so as not to give up his white hair to his black hair. People, lest the grandson Xie Shufang lose his father when he was young.
"The good nephew is still imprisoned in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment. Fortunately, the imperial court has been strict with officials over the years, but he has never been maliciously made trouble by the jailers. It's just that the good nephew is really too courageous. Not only does he have a relationship with Li Hun, who has been executed We are closely related to each other and are close friends with Li Yuan." Pei Yun sighed and said helplessly: "There are still many people who are silently paying attention to the follow-up of this case. Su Wei, who is presiding over the case, has just taken over as the Minister of Punishment, and his position is not yet stable; The Minister of Justice, Dugu Shun, is also secretly working hard in order to expand the results of the war. In order to prove their fairness and win the favor of the saint, they are prepared to uphold the saint's wishes and deal with those involved in the case severely. And Li Yuan is the real culprit behind the assassination of Yuanshou and his son. , if the Yuan family has this opportunity, not only will they not let their nephew go, but they may take the opportunity to bring the Li Yuan family in."
Although there is no result, every word reveals a message, that is, Xie Daohong is hopeless, and even the entire Xie family is implicated.
Xie Ge heard the implication. Even though he was prepared for the worst, after hearing these words, he was shocked and his mind went blank.
After a long time, he begged with tears in his eyes: "I, the Xie family, are willing to give up all their property. I only ask Taichang Qing to help me and protect the other branches of my Xie family. The more than two thousand members of my Xie family must be Taichang." I would like to erect the Changsheng Temple to express my gratitude for the grace of living!"
The implication is that Xie Ge has given up on his own lineage, and only wants to use the lives of his own lineage, old and young, to extinguish the anger of the emperor and the Yuan family, and to satisfy the utilitarian aspirations of Su Wei and Dugu Shun. But Pei Yun and Yang Yue are of the same kind. They are neither greedy for money nor lustful; their salaries are basically used to help the victims, and they are happy even with simple meals. However, they are very famous and powerful.
They believe that if they cannot shine in the annals of history, they will have failed their parents and lived in vain. However, the prerequisite for "leaving a name" in the history books is that you must have "power." With power, you can display your talents and ambitions and write a "good name" that will be praised throughout the ages. Therefore, the Xie family property may be exciting to other officials, but Pei Yun is indifferent.
Pei Yun let out a long sigh and said, "It's not that I don't know what kind of person my younger brother is, and I'm not ungrateful or unkind. If I can help my brother and nephew, I would have taken action a long time ago. How could I wait until now?"
"What about Prime Minister Pei? Can he help?" Xie Ge's tone was sad, and his whole body was trembling.
"He is the head of the Pei family, and he is responsible for the entire Pei family, as well as the Pei family's relatives and friends. This matter is unreasonable, and there are many people waiting for the opportunity to take action; how could he offend the saints and the Guanzhong gentry for the Xie family? , Guanlong and Guanlong factions? My brother is also the head of the family, so he should understand his difficulties and choices." Pei Yun had no face to face his old friend's desperate face and pleading eyes. He slowly closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then suddenly opened his eyes and said in deep thought: "In my opinion, apart from the saints who can help Xie survive this disaster, there is only King Wei in the world today. The saints obey King Wei's words , if King Wei is willing to help, great things can be expected."
Xie Ge's eyes lit up and he asked urgently: "Can Qing Taichang recommend me?"
"The introduction is not a problem, but brother, you should not have too much hope. Pei Yun glanced at Xie Ge and said: "Because King Wei hates evil and has a very bad attitude towards the aristocratic family. What's more important is that he is richer than anyone else, and his maids are more like ladies than ladies. Xie's family fortune was not enough to tempt him. "
After hearing this, Xie Ge breathed a sigh of relief, and suddenly said solemnly: "I have a big deal, and King Wei will definitely be tempted."
"What makes brother so sure?" Pei Yun asked curiously.
"This matter is related to the safety of the entire Southern Kingdom. Looking at the entire Sui Dynasty, only the Saint and King Wei can solve it." After Xie Ge finished speaking, he quickly explained: "It's not that I deliberately concealed it, but I came here thinking that my family The karma can be solved; secondly, I don’t want to involve Taichang Qing; thirdly, I don’t want to ruin the Xie family’s reputation for loyalty. However, as of now, we can only take it out.”
"Oh?" Pei Yun was also moved.
Xie Ge said: "How about we talk about it after we meet King Wei?"
"Yes!" Pei Yun nodded and said, "Without further delay, we will set off immediately."
