Chapter 665 - 105: When Prosperity Peaks, Decline Follows; After My Flowers Bloom, All Others Wither!

Before an Emperor who harbors antipathy, the act of a loyal minister sacrificing himself in remonstration will only evoke stronger aversion from the Emperor.

That is certain.

For the entire day, Gu Jian was not summoned.

This news spread throughout Princess Zhen’s court in an instant, as if someone were deliberately pushing all these events forward.

At this point, everyone finally realized the frailty of the Gu Clan.

All the attacks descended instantly at this moment.

The court’s atmosphere was treacherous.

If all these tactics had been directed at Gu Xuan, Gu Xi, and others, even if they didn’t possess mystical identities, they could still block everything.

But for the current younger members of the Gu Clan, all these are ultimately difficult to withstand.

This is the impact brought by talent.

In truth, the Gu Clan’s power is still substantial, but it lacks a central figure to drive everything forward.

Humans are creatures that gravitate towards benefit and shy away from harm.

When the Gu Clan becomes the object of everyone’s division, those families that once stood united with the Gu Clan will inevitably hesitate.

Not taking a share in such times is already regarded as doing justice to the Gu Clan in their eyes.

This is the Emperor’s attitude.

No one can alter it.

Gu Yi had been silently observing all of this and, after much hesitation, ultimately chose not to intervene.

Not only did he refrain from manipulating, he even refrained from using the Spirit Communication Jade.

Times are changing.

The rise and fall of the Great Tang are ultimately beyond his vision.

To defy fate and reverse the heavens at such a time would entail unimaginable consequences for the Gu Clan; he must endure.

Under these circumstances.

Aware of the irreversible situation.

Gu Jian was ultimately forced to make a decision and submitted his resignation on the court, hoping to trade the retreat of the Gu Clan for Li Song’s concession, to abandon the personal campaign against pirates.

Li Song naturally did not refuse this affair.

In the beginning, he was even quite pleased, feeling that he had finally become a true Emperor, driving the Gu Clan out of the court.

But just as Gu Jian led his disciples to retreat from Luoyang and return to Julu.

Citizens of Luoyang saw them off in masses.

Countless people were tearful, some even knelt in the path of Gu Jian and his followers, unwilling to let the Gu Clan retreat in such a manner.

When hearing this from the eunuch.

Li Song was infuriated once again.

"Could it be that only the Gu Clan has their hearts set on the world, and this Emperor has become the villain?" Li Song exclaimed in rage, "This Emperor will certainly show the world! Who truly is the master of this vast Kyushu!"

With these words spoken, there was no room left for maneuver.

The next day—

Li Song issued an edict to announce to the world his decision to personally campaign.

The following March, the army set sail from Mingzhou State, allied with Ryukyu naval forces, and vanquished the pirates in the East Sea.

Just when the army was celebrating.

Li Song suddenly issued an edict to move against the Ryukyu navy.

The two sides clashed in a great battle in the East Sea.

Although caught off guard, the Ryukyu navy quickly adjusted under their overall superior quality, turned the tides, and defeated the Tang Army in the East Sea.

Li Song nearly fell into the sea and perished.

And this was not the end.

Though he narrowly escaped back to the shore, the Emperor, unaccustomed to the turbulence of the sea, was already shattered in courage.

Days after landing, Li Song suddenly died in the Mingzhou palace, leaving behind a tottering kingdom and a Crown Prince just two years old.

The news spread, shaking the realm to its core!

A simple battle made everyone acutely aware of one thing.

It seemed the frailty was not only within the Gu Clan.

The Great Tang as well.

....

—The situation fell into complete chaos.

Fortunately, the Gu Clan held substantial influence in Ryukyu, ensuring they did not interfere under such conditions.

Including all four foreign races.

The Gu Clan was also able to exercise restraint through religious means and past experiences.

But in court, it was different.

Indeed, some desired the Gu Clan’s return, but those opposing them far outnumbered.

Especially those under Li Song’s deliberate patronage.

All these individuals held high positions and would not easily surrender this God-given opportunity to allow the Gu Clan to return to court.

As for the stability of the throne, they had not a shred of doubt.

What could a child Emperor do?

Only in this way could they be more easily controlled.

In this life-and-death struggle, no one would ever give the Gu Clan a chance.

Even Gu Jian himself was blocked halfway when returning to Luoyang.

And Gu Jian was ultimately limited by his own abilities.

In addition, his age was simply too advanced.

In the midst of this strife, he passed away in front of Luoyang city, with a dying wish: "Do not bury me in Julu, I am ashamed to face my ancestors."

From this moment on, reversing the situation became impossible.

Gu Jian’s death plunged the Gu Clan into its weakest period.

And the entire Great Tang, under such circumstances, could only continue heading in the wrong direction.

...

With Gu Jian’s death, the last essence of purity in the court completely lost its influence.

And with the change in court dynamics, when external threats disappeared, infighting gradually commenced within those alliances.

——This is court strife!

There are no eternal allies, only interests.

As everyone moved incessantly in one direction, all fellow travelers from all directions became enemies.

The Tang internal conflicts reached their most intense.

The two-year-old Emperor and the powerless Empress Dowager became mere tools under these circumstances.

They were unable and had no capacity to intervene in anything.

And there were many chain reactions caused by this situation.

That is the collapse of governance.

Departments that were once used for management became tools for extracting the people’s fat and blood.

In an unregulated environment, the most terrifying greed in human nature exploded completely.

And the disaster resulting from this vicious cycle extended far beyond this.

In the Great Tang, various sectors were deeply interconnected; a rot in any one area quickly, like the first fallen domino, triggered a chain collapse, eventually dragging down the entire realm.

Refugees proliferated, and land annexation became increasingly rampant;

Maritime trade ground to a halt, reduced to a tool for those in power to line their personal pockets;

Even the foundation of the dynasty, the imperial examination system, was thoroughly corrupted in this storm—

Not to mention that many students from humble backgrounds could no longer afford the cost of the examinations; even those with some financial backing had no choice but to seek refuge with a faction.

Only then could they find a slim chance of "making it" in the officialdom, which had turned into a quagmire.

The chronic diseases of the feudal dynasty’s final years reappeared vividly now.

Even if the young ruler in the deep palace were to grow up one day, he would ultimately remain a puppet in the hands of the power ministers, unable to reverse the situation in this crisis.

No, it cannot be called reversing the situation.

Perhaps it is precisely because he grew up under the shadow.

This Emperor didn’t have a shred of resistance or any of the characteristics of a Li clan member.

Of course, over the years, there were always those in the court attempting to "assist" him, to act in his name.

But these so-called "loyal ministers" were nothing more than a succession of power plays on the theatrical stage of power, each taking their turn to step on and off.

No one would, as the Gu Clan did in the past, willingly return power to the Emperor at the pinnacle of power, restoring the world back to the Emperor.

In just a few decades.

——The Great Tang went from the zenith during Li Yu’s reign, where all nations came to pay homage, to a time of utter devastation, teetering on the verge of collapse.

Gu Yi quietly observed all of this, with little ripple in his heart.

There is a cause for every effect.

The Great Tang reaching this point, is it not fate?

There has never been a dynasty that does not decline. The Gu Clan could shield the Great Tang for a time, but not for eternity.

This, naturally, did not disturb the calm in his heart.

He continued to quietly watch everything in the dark, staying attentive to the rise and fall of the world, as well as the Gu Clan’s fortunes.

Until many years later, Gu Yi’s gaze finally shifted slightly.

He finally saw someone worth noting.

Julu.

Gu Academy.

A man with dark skin and a face full of vicissitudes was staring intently at the rankings before him.

The rankings were published this year.

And once again, he failed to make the list.

On his face, there was neither sorrow nor joy, not even a sigh, just a long gaze at the masterpieces hanging in the academy.

Suddenly, he stood up and walked to a piece of paper laid out on the side, lifting his pen with a flourish: "When autumn arrives on the eighth of September, my flowers bloom, outlasting all others."

"The fragrance pierces through to Chang’an...the whole city is clad in gold!"....

.....

(Ps: Begging for monthly votes, begging for support from brothers, Yu is extremely grateful.)