Chapter 372 The Three Great Aristocratic Groups of the Tang Dynasty
When Princess Taiping heard the word "King of Zhou", she suddenly raised her head and stretched her neck to look here.
Hedong Hou felt his head dizzy, suddenly stretched out a big hand to grab Guo Yang's collar, and said sternly: "You just let him take the body away like this? Why didn't you stop him!"
Butler Guo's face was ashen as he said: "We said that my uncle was seriously ill and could not see guests. Who knew that the king of Zhou was actually accompanied by an imperial doctor. He said that he and his uncle were sworn friends, and when he learned that he was seriously ill, he brought the imperial doctor to see him.
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"Fart! How could Sun Lang, a seventh-grade school clerk, have a relationship with the King of Zhou?" Xu Guogong cursed angrily.
Butler Guo trembled his lips and said, "He said that, and we couldn't stop him anymore, but he discovered my uncle's body."
Hedong Hou said sternly: "Trash, wouldn't you hide the body? How did he find it?"
Butler Guo was not his subordinate. He pointed at his nose and scolded him. His face turned green and red. He snorted secretly and said:
"The eldest lady ordered that my uncle's body be placed in a remote wing, but as soon as King Zhou entered the palace, he went straight to that wing! What can we do!"
Song Guogong sighed: "I think he must have sent people into the house in advance to check the bottom before breaking into the house."
The Marquis of Hedong asked anxiously: "What about the letter? Did you find a letter on Sun Lang?"
Butler Guo was startled and looked at Song Guogong and said: "Master, before you left the house, didn't you ask us to wait for you to return to the house before dealing with your uncle's affairs? So we didn't search your uncle's body!"
Song Guogong's mouth felt bitter.
Because of Gu Feng's sudden appearance, he didn't even have time to take a look at Sun Lang's body. He didn't expect such an omission.
The eyes of Hedong Hou were red, like a wild beast in desperate situation.
This kind of situation of gain and loss is more depressing than never getting the letter!
Princess Taiping in the distance said happily: "That's great. My second cousin is really foresighted and knew in advance that the letter was on Sun Lang's body."
Zhou Xing was stunned and said: "Your Highness, only Brother Gu knows the whereabouts of that letter. I'm afraid His Highness King Zhou doesn't know that Sun Lang has that letter on him."
Princess Taiping touched her chin and said, "That's right. After all, the second cousin can't predict the future, so why would he snatch Sun Lang's body?"
Li Siwen smiled and said: "Your Highness, Sun Lang is the son-in-law of the Xiao family, not a slave. He was killed by the Xiao family for no reason. This is a handle!"
Princess Taiping suddenly smiled.
At this moment, Hedong Hou and others all turned around and left quickly outside the door. It seemed that they planned to retreat temporarily and make other plans.
Suddenly, the roar of Lord Hedong came from outside.
"His Royal Highness King Zhou, why did you break into Mr. Xiao's residence without permission?"
Princess Taiping was surprised and happy. She led the people out of the lobby and saw a group of people in the courtyard blocking the way of Hedong Hou and others. The leader was Wu Chengsi.
Wu Chengsi said coldly: "You can break into the princess's mansion without permission, but can't I, the king, break into your mansion?"
Song Guogong said solemnly: "His Royal Highness, King Zhou, we are here to arrest a domestic slave, and this person killed Yan Yaosheng of the Wei Mansion. We took the official document from the Zhongshu Province approving the arrest, and then we entered the princess's house without permission."
Zhou Xing curled his lips and said: "Mr. Xiao, what you said is wrong. Whether you want to arrest a slave or a murderer, you should report it outside the door. How can you break into the princess's house without saying a word?"
Princess Taiping quickly walked around Song Guogong and others, came to Wu Chengsi's side, and said with a livid face:
"Second cousin, these people are simply lawless. If General Su hadn't arrived in time, they would have snatched him away and silenced him!"
Hedong Hou said loudly: "Your Highness Princess, what do you mean by this? That cheap slave Gu Feng betrayed his master and falsely accused me. Even if I capture him and bring him back for justice, that's the right thing to do!"
"He also killed my son-in-law Yan Yaosheng. Your Highness the King of Zhou, you used to be the young minister of Dali Temple, do you want to protect him?" Xu Guogong asked.
Wu Chengsi ignored them and asked Princess Taiping about the situation in a low voice. Princess Taiping quickly told the story about Gu Feng.
"Second cousin, the letter from Princess Nanyang is on Sun Lang. Please hurry up and have someone take it out." She finally said.
Wu Chengsi glanced at Gu Feng, nodded, waved his hand, and someone under him came over carrying a stretcher.
Lying on it was the body of a man, none other than Sun Lang.
The expression on his face was both sad and relieved.
Gu Feng came quickly and wanted to run towards the corpse, but Feng Wu's figure swayed and blocked him.
Gu Feng said anxiously: "The letter is in the second brother's boot!"
The two guards took off Sun Lang's boots, rummaged for a moment, and both said: "Your Highness, no letter was found."
Gu Feng said angrily: "Impossible." As he said that, he rushed over to search for it himself, but Feng Wu still blocked him from passing by.
"Feng Wu."
Hearing Wu Chengsi speak, Feng Wu stepped aside.
Gu Feng carefully inspected Sun Lang's boots for a long time, and sure enough he found no letter. He held his head and whined: "How could this happen...how could this happen..."
The Marquis of Hedong in the distance was overjoyed and laughed loudly: "Gu Feng, please stop pretending. There is no such letter. How could you possibly find it?"
Gu Feng's spirit almost collapsed. He roared angrily and rushed towards Hedong Hou.
When he was in mid-air, a soft whip wrapped around his waist and pulled him back.
Gu Feng turned around and saw that it was Feng Wu who took action again, roaring: "Don't hinder me!"
Wu Chengsi scolded: "Gu Feng, calm down, do you still want to avenge your father?"
Gu Feng said miserably: "How can we take revenge if we don't have any letters?"
Princess Taiping snorted and said, "It's really worthless."
The Marquis of Hedong said loudly: "Your Highness, King Zhou, and Your Highness, Princess, since you insist on protecting this slave, we have no choice but to let your Majesty come to make the decision and take our leave!"
After saying that, the group of people bypassed Wu Chengsi and others and left the princess mansion.
Wu Chengsi ignored them, stared at Gu Feng closely, and said:
"You have been working hard for many years just to clear your father's grievances. I believe that everyone present admires you and is willing to help you."
His tone changed and he said: "But if you give up on your own, no one can help you."
Duan Zhiya said loudly: "His Royal Highness King Zhou is absolutely right! Brother Gu, I believe your words and admire your actions! It's rare that His Highness King Zhou and Her Royal Highness the Princess are willing to help you, so don't give up!"
All the students spoke out to encourage Gu Feng.
Su Qingjie grinned and said: "Boy, you have to remember that death is just an escape, it is a choice only a coward makes!"
Zhou Xing squinted his eyes and analyzed: "There is no way that letter disappeared for no reason. Could it have been stolen by a servant of the Xiao family?"
Gu Feng looked at the crowd, his eyes gradually blurred, and he nodded vigorously and said: "Thank you, thank you."
Wu Chengsi didn't talk nonsense and said straightforwardly: "What was the last time you met Sun Lang? Did he say anything special?"
Gu Feng wiped the corners of his eyes and said: "At that time, all my dens in the city were found by the Xue family. In desperation, I found my second brother and wanted to hide in the Xiao family."
He gritted his teeth and said: "The second brother blamed me for killing the eldest brother and was as cold as ice to me. Not only did he not let me hide, he also said that there was no hope of revenge and told me to get out of Chang'an!"
"In anger, I completely fell out with him and asked him for Princess Nanyang's secret message, but he refused to give it to me. In the end, we broke up on bad terms. Unexpectedly, he died suddenly."
Wu Chengsi's eyes flickered and he said, "Do you know how he died?"
Gu Feng lowered his head and said, "It must be because someone saw me talking to me, which aroused suspicion in the Xiao family."
"No." Wu Chengsi said word for word: "He died trying to steal the Xiao family's agreement."
"This...how is this possible?" Gu Feng was stunned.
Princess Taiping pursed her lips and said, "It seems that Gu Erlang has some backbone."
Gu Feng said blankly: "If second brother still has a desire for revenge, why did he do that to me?"
Li Siwen put his hands behind his back and said leisurely: "He did this to protect you! He probably decided to steal the agreement alone a long time ago. If he succeeds, it will be great. If he fails and is captured, you may be implicated."
"I'm not afraid of being implicated, why would my second brother do this?" Gu Feng hissed.
Wu Chengsi said slowly: "Maybe he wants you to live so that the Gu family can continue."
"But...he can also..."
Princess Taiping said coldly: "Don't forget who his wife is. He doesn't want to leave such an heir for the Gu family. Haven't you noticed that Yan Yaosheng and Sun Lang have no heirs for so many years? What's the reason?"
Gu Feng was stunned.
Wu Chengsi was silent in thought. Princess Taiping's words gave him an astonishing idea, and he quickly asked: "Have your eldest brother and second brother ever said why they have no heirs?"
Gu Feng was stunned for a moment and said: "I never asked them these things, and they didn't tell them either."
Wu Chengsi was silent for a while, then suddenly sighed and said nothing more.
Zhou Xing touched his nose and said strangely: "So, it seems that Gu Dalang and Gu Erlang have not forgotten their hatred, so where did the secret letter go?"
Wu Chengsi pondered for a moment and said, "In my opinion, that letter has probably been destroyed by Sun Lang."
Gu Feng said in a daze: "...Destroyed?"
Wu Chengsi said: "Have you ever thought about it, that letter is actually not of much use to you. Princess Nanyang is dead, so there is no way to prove the authenticity of the letter, so it may not be able to be used as evidence."
He stretched out his hand to stop Gu Feng who was about to speak, and said: "Even if this evidence is valid, according to the Tang Law process, it is necessary to collect evidence again on the people and objects from that year. Do you think we can get other evidence?"
Gu Feng gritted his teeth and said: "If it is handed over directly to His Majesty or His Highness the Queen, as long as His Majesty or His Highness believes it, they can still be convicted!"
Wu Chengsi said: "Even if it is true as you said, then only one person, Xue Hui, can be convicted, and it is not necessarily a death penalty. The other two families will definitely retaliate against you crazily, and the three of you will undoubtedly die."
Gu Feng was stunned and speechless.
He actually understood all this, otherwise the three brothers would not have taken the risk of sneaking into the three homes.
It was just that the evidence he finally obtained was of no use, which still made him a little discouraged.
Coupled with the fact that his second brother risked his own life and stole the agreement, he suddenly realized that he seemed to be blinded by hatred and ignored many things.
"Gu Feng, you can't stay in the city anymore. I will arrange you in a safe place, and we will help clear your father's grievances." Wu Chengsi said slowly.
Gu Feng nodded silently. He had already been shaken in his heart and had lost the willpower to seek revenge alone.
Maybe the three brothers chose the wrong method from the beginning.
At the end of Xu and the beginning of Hai, the sky was already dark, the moon was hazy, the stars were dim, and there was a damp smell in the air, as if a heavy rain was about to come.
Gu Feng was taken away by Wu Chengsi's personal guards, and Li Siwen, Su Qingjie, Zhou Xing, Zhang Gou and other talented people also said goodbye and left.
Before leaving, Wu Chengsi asked everyone not to tell anyone about today's incident. He still had no evidence and did not want Li Zhi to know about it.
After sending Li Siwen and Su Qingjie away, Wu Chengsi returned to the princess mansion and stood alone in the corridor, silently looking at the starless night sky with a touch of sadness in his heart.
Suddenly, he felt a heavy weight on his shoulders. He turned around and saw Princess Taiping standing beside him, covering him with a large fox fur cloak.
Her movements were clumsy and she obviously rarely did this kind of thing.
"Second cousin, they are all gone, can you tell me now?" Princess Taiping asked with a smile.
"Tell you what?" Wu Chengsi asked curiously.
"Hmph, don't try to hide it from me. You just asked about Gu Dalang and Gu Erlang's heirs. There must be a reason. In fact, I could have vaguely guessed it even if you didn't tell me."
"Oh, what did you guess?"
Princess Taiping raised her delicate chin and said: "If Gu Dalang and Gu Erlang are really greedy for glory and wealth, then it is impossible for them to have no heirs."
"Well, then what's the reason?"
Princess Taiping tilted her head and said: "I think they may have secretly used some folk remedies to prevent themselves from having children. I heard that Sun Lang's status in the Xiao family is very low, maybe because he has problems in that area."
Wu Chengsi listened silently.
Princess Taiping added: "However, they persuaded Gu Feng to give up hatred. This is only a possibility!"
After waiting for a while, she saw that Wu Chengsi remained silent and said angrily: "You should ask 'what is possible' at this time!"
Wu Chengsi smiled and said, "What's possible?"
Princess Taiping said: "They may have found that they have been unable to get revenge for so many years, and felt the difficulty of this matter. They wanted Gu Sanlang to give up hatred and live his own life, and the two of them would take revenge."
Wu Chengsi was silent for a long time and sighed: "It may be that they are tired of hatred, but they can't look back, so I hope Gu Sanlang can look back."
Princess Taiping nodded and whispered: "So Gu Sanlang may have misunderstood his two brothers. No wonder Yan Yaosheng shed two lines of tears when he died."
Wu Chengsi shut his mouth tightly, suddenly not wanting to say another word.
After an unknown amount of time, he found Princess Taiping leaning on his shoulder.
Looking down, he saw her eyes tightly closed and her long eyelashes trembling slightly. Wu Chengsi hesitated for a moment and said:
"Taiping, I have something to tell you."
Princess Taiping's whole body seemed to tense up instantly, her eyes still closed, and she asked in a low voice: "Is it a good thing or a bad thing?"
"bad thing."
Princess Taiping trembled and said, "Then don't say it, I don't want to hear it."
Wu Chengsi frowned and said, "This matter has something to do with my aunt. Are you really not going to listen?"
Princess Taiping suddenly opened her eyes, raised her head and blinked her big eyes, and said: "Is it related to the Queen Mother?"
Wu Chengsi nodded.
Princess Taiping stood up straight, her expression became more serious, and said: "What's wrong with the queen mother?"
"My aunt was assassinated today."
Princess Taiping looked panicked and asked urgently: "Is the queen mother not injured?"
"She's fine. Don't worry, they didn't succeed."
Princess Taiping hurriedly asked what happened, and Wu Chengsi explained in detail what happened in Da Ci'en Temple.
Princess Taiping let out a long breath, hugged Wu Chengsi's arm and said, "Second cousin, thank you for being alert, otherwise my mother would have been in trouble this time."
Wu Chengsi said coldly: "These aristocratic families are more sinister and vicious than King Pei. You must be more careful in the future."
Princess Taiping's pretty face turned as cold as ice, and she said in a cold voice: "These traitors, once we get evidence of their crimes, I will definitely execute them all!"
Wu Chengsi said: "Even if there is evidence of guilt, we can't take action against them for the time being."
"Why?" Princess Taiping opened her eyes wide.
Wu Chengsi was silent for a moment and said: "My aunt still needs some time to prepare. These aristocratic families are deeply rooted in the court. If we take action rashly, it will easily damage the vitality of the court."
Princess Taiping was silent for a while, then nodded and said, "I understand."
After a while, Wu Chengsi said again: "Taiping, your father... I'm afraid he doesn't have much left in his body."
Princess Taiping squinted her eyes and whispered: "Yes, I know."
Wu Chengsi was slightly surprised: "You know?"
Princess Taiping said in a hoarse voice: "I went to see my father two days ago. He was already too thin and out of shape, and there was no luster in his eyes. I knew then... that he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer."
Wu Chengsi sighed and said softly: "Okay, don't be sad. Let's go to the palace immediately to find my aunt and tell her what happened here. The treasury matter has finally come to light."
Princess Taiping nodded, ordered a maid to prepare the carriage, and both of them rode the carriage towards the palace.
Snap, snap, snap.
The rain finally fell and hit the roof of the car, making a loud sound.
Princess Taiping was leaning on the brocade couch in the car, with one hand raised to support her forehead, and the other hand playing with a white jade wine glass, and said:
"Second cousin, do you think that after my mother finds out about this, will she change her mind and decide to attack the Xue family immediately?"
"No." Wu Chengsi answered firmly.
"Why?"
Wu Chengsi said slowly: "Because she plans to use this opportunity to completely cleanse the entire Guanlong family."
Princess Taiping shuddered slightly and said solemnly: "Then you must be careful. They are well-informed. If they notice something, they will definitely fight back! The queen is safer in the palace, so you must be their first target!"
Wu Chengsi opened the car curtain, and a gust of cold wind brought the raindrops in. He silently felt the feeling of the cold wind cutting the noodles, and said lightly: "Don't worry, I won't give them a chance!"
In the next few days, the city of Chang'an was unexpectedly quiet, and the assassination of Wu Mei was suppressed. Not many people knew about it, only the court officials were discussing it quietly.
As for what happened that night at Princess Taiping's Mansion, even fewer people knew about it. The most talked about thing among the people was Xue Rengui's matter.
However, although it appears calm on the surface, the underlying undercurrent is very intense.
Wu Mei used various names to transfer some of the children of aristocratic families who held important positions, including General Dugu De of the Jinwu Guard and Yu Wenqiao, the Minister of Punishment.
The aristocratic families also felt that the storm was coming. They were very alert and had already found out the news about the night at the Princess Mansion.
There were three major camps of nobles in the Tang Dynasty, namely the Guanlong Group, the Shandong Gentlemen and the Jiangnan Gentlemen.
Originally, the Guanlong Group was the strongest, and its strength could even threaten the imperial power.
However, after the purge ten years ago, the Guanlong Group suffered a huge blow, and its strength was not as good as that of the Shandong nobles.
Later, with the fall of King Pei, the Zheng family in Xingyang who had surrendered to King Pei and the Shandong gentry who were attracted by the Zheng family were purged, which dealt a big blow to the Shandong gentry.
In addition, the Xue family in Hedong also belonged to the Shandong gentry. Therefore, facing the situation that the Guanlong clan was about to be purged, the Shandong gentry did not choose to sit on the sidelines like the Jiangnan gentry.
Within the gentry, two voices emerged.
A group of families, headed by the Pei family of Hedong, the Wang family of Taiyuan, and the Lu family of Fanyang, all believed that the Guanlong family had brought their own fault, and there was no need to worry about them.
Some families, including the Cui family of Qinghe, the Cui family of Boling, and the Wang family of Langya, used the principle of losing their temper and trying to help the Guanlong group to check and balance the Wu family.
While they were quarreling fiercely, two factions emerged within the Guanlong clan, one of which was firmly close to the Xiao and Wei families.
The other faction, led by the Jingzhao Du family, chose Mingzhe to protect themselves and cut off from the Wei, Xiao and other families.