When Lu Hanjiang received the news from Linlangzhai's steward, he felt quite puzzled, so he went to look for Lu Shangshu again for some advice.
"Uncle, could it be that I, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, act too kindly? Do I make the head of the Chen family think that I am a better talker than Mr. Meng?"
Then, Lu Hanjiang told Lu Shangshu all the news brought by Linlangzhai's steward. He was really curious. After he treated Yunzhong Chen's overtures with an indifferent attitude, the other party still acted in such a high-profile manner.
.
It is well known that Lu Hanjiang became a disciple of Luo Yuanjing. The head of the Chen family bought these two paintings at a large price and sent them to him. He also made an appointment with him to meet him with great fanfare. What did he want to express? What level did he, as a commander, rank in the eyes of the other party?
exist.
After Lu Shangshu listened to Lu Hanjiang's question, he did not show any surprise or confusion. He ordered someone to serve tea. When the aroma of tea filled the study room, he said: "Do you know "The Chronicle of the Clan"?
?”
Hearing this, Lu Hanjiang frowned slightly. This name was not unfamiliar to him. After recalling it for a moment, he replied: "After Emperor Taizu ascended the throne, he wanted to imitate the "Chronicles" revised by Emperor Taizong of the Li Tang Dynasty and reprint the surnames in order to
In order to rectify the name of the Luo family, I ordered people to rewrite the genealogy, compile it, and name it "Clan Chronicle" after it was written into a book."
"Well said."
Lu Shangshu nodded with satisfaction. After all, there is a difference between not loving reading and not reading. So he asked again: "Then do you know which surname ranks first in the re-edited "Clan Chronicle"?"
Hearing this, Lu Hanjiang's eyes were strange, and he said matter-of-factly: "Since Emperor Taizu ordered it to be compiled, then the Royal Luo family should naturally be the first...right?"
At the end of the sentence, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. Even Lu Shangshu mentioned this, so obviously the final result may be quite unexpected.
"Isn't it?" Lu Hanjiang looked at Lu Shangshu who was smiling but not smiling, and shook his head helplessly: "Uncle, please don't try to hide yourself anymore. Let's be frank, where is the Luo family placed? Is there anyone who would dare to put them there?
Outside of the tenth place, right?”
"That's not true. In order to take care of His Majesty the Emperor Taizu's face, the Luo family was indeed placed among the ten." Lu Shangshu sipped tea lightly, and then said: "When the "Clan Chronicle" was first compiled, the Luo family was
Line nine."
Lu Hanjiang probably couldn't understand the meaning of Lu Shangshu's cold joke, but Xing Jiu might as well just be thrown out of the top ten. Being the last one in the top nine is far more humiliating than being thrown out of the top ten.
After all, the Luo family is a royal family.
Lu Shangshu said calmly: "At the beginning of the founding of our dynasty, the aristocratic families contributed a lot. Without their help, it is difficult to say who has the last name in the world today. Therefore, during the Taizu period, the aristocratic families were so powerful that they only used a single "Chronicle of the Clan"
It is simply impossible to move them down."
Lu Hanjiang said with great interest: "If the emperor is strong, his ministers will be humble, and if the emperor is weak, his ministers will be arrogant. What's more, this family is not considered your Majesty's ministers at all. In such a situation, are all the past emperors just like turtles?"
"Bold, how can you make fun of the late emperor's famous name?" Lu Shangshu's face was serious, but he quickly slowed down: "The power of a family can never be eliminated by talking about it. Even if all the previous emperors had this intention, it was nothing more than that.
It's just a matter of raising the Luo family to seventh place in the "Clan Chronicle"."
Lu Hanjiang clicked his tongue and shook his head. Lu Shangshu knew what he was thinking, so he said bluntly: "Everyone knows how powerful the family is. The previous emperors of our dynasty spanned hundreds of years and made almost no achievements in suppressing the family until they came to the throne today."
"Oh?" Lu Hanjiang was surprised at first, and then he believed it: "Indeed, His Majesty has great power now, and he has the sharp knife of Jin Yiwei in his hand. Chrysostom can kill whoever he wants. Over the years, His Majesty has also
The blood of many aristocratic families is shed, right?"
"You are really becoming more and more courageous," Lu Shangshu glared at him, and then said, "Don't say these words again after you go out."
"Yes, yes." Lu Hanjiang replied lazily, not sure whether he heard it or not.
Lu Shangshu shook his head and said: "After His Majesty came to the throne, there were Brother Meng and Commander Wen outside to fight for him, and inside there was Master Luo and his Confucian disciples who joined the court to stabilize the situation for him. In just a few years,
In this time, he used thunderous means to eliminate the power of a large number of aristocratic families in the court."
Recalling those thrilling days, Lu Shangshu's calm eyes rarely showed a hint of excitement, but it was just a flash in the pan.
"His Majesty was so strong back then that he didn't even want to use a dull knife to cut flesh. He directly risked chaos in the world and went to war with the family, forcing the family to almost jump over the wall. But -"
As he said that, Lu Shangshu's face showed a bit of disdain: "In a hundred years of leisure, even though the lintel is still prominent, the big ship of the family is getting old after all, and the person at the helm no longer has the skills of his ancestors.
and courage.”
Then, Lu Shangshu sneered and said: "Your Majesty dares to gamble on the inheritance of our ancestors, but the aristocratic family is attached to yesterday's glory, reluctant to part with glory and wealth, cares about small things, but always gives in on big things."
Hearing this, Lu Hanjiang said curiously: "That's not right. According to what you said, uncle, the power of that family should have been wiped out by His Majesty decades ago. Even if there is some left, it cannot be as strong as it is today."
That’s how powerful it is.”
"You are right. If His Majesty had persisted, it would have only taken another ten years. No! In five years, the family would have become a passing cloud. It is a pity..."
Lu Shangshu sighed deeply, as if he didn't want to mention the past anymore, but said a little lonely: "The aristocratic family escaped, and their heritage is still there, but they revived in just a few years, although they restrained themselves because they were afraid of Your Majesty.
…But that’s about it.”
After recounting this past incident, Lu Shangshu looked at Lu Hanjiang and said, "Now you understand why the head of the Chen family dared to invite you to meet."
"I understand." Lu Hanjiang nodded.
The battle between the emperor and the aristocratic family ended in vain, but in the eyes of the aristocratic family, the aftermath of this disaster may have already become the victory they won by persisting to the end.
Thinking about it this way, even when facing the current His Majesty, these aristocratic families have never given him a good look, let alone a commander of the Royal Guards.
Seeing Lu Hanjiang thoughtful, Lu Shangshu said jokingly: "You may not think of him as arrogant, but Chen Zihua definitely takes you seriously."
"Ah? Is this considered serious?" Lu Hanjiang said rather speechlessly.
Lu Shangshu laughed and scolded: "Don't be ignorant. I don't even take His Majesty seriously. I am willing to give you the dignity of a junior and invite you to come out. It's all thanks to your surname Lu."
Lu Hanjiang was stunned for a moment, then he chuckled and said, "Uncle, I haven't asked yet, where does the Lu family rank in the "Clan Chronicle"?"
Lu Shangshu stroked his beard and said leisurely: "In the current Clan Chronicle, the Wang family ranks first, the Chen family ranks third, and the Lu family ranks sixth."
Yes, he is just a head taller than His Majesty - Lu Hanjiang had a strange expression, he wanted to laugh but couldn't.