"Lord Chen, Lord Ceng, aren't you going to have a skewer?"
Li Yi held two skewers of chicken wings in his hand and waved his hand when Chen Chong and Ceng Shichun walked past him.
"How could I trouble County Marquis Li to cook personally? Please excuse me …"
Even though they had swallowed a lot of saliva because of the smell of meat when they were reporting to His Majesty, Ceng Shichun and Chen Chong still cupped their fists in fear and left quickly.
What a joke! His Majesty had just asked for a skewer of chicken wings and was refused by him. What would His Majesty think if the two of them dared to reach out now?
"Hypocrites …"
Li Yi glanced at the two who were running away. What did they mean by 'I wouldn't dare to trouble you'? They made it sound as if they had never troubled you before. One set in front of him, another set in front of the old Emperor.
"I won't give it to them. Come, one for each of you." Completely ignoring the old Emperor's gaze in the distance, Li Yi gave two skewers of chicken wings to Yong Ning and the proud Lolita.
"Thank you, sir …" The tsundere Lolita said reservedly and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
Li Yi had already put the other two skewers on the fire. Seeing this, he turned his head to the side and said, "Hey, hey, I just ate something and my mouth is full of oil …"
"Let me wipe it for you …" the proud Lolita took out a small handkerchief and ran over to wipe it. Then she quickly ran back …
"Humph!" Emperor Jing, who was lying on the rocking chair, made a strong nasal sound. Then he turned his head, peeled a grape and threw it into his mouth. He murmured, "Strange, really strange …"
"Why is it strange, Your Majesty?" Chang De lowered his head and asked.
Emperor Jing was surprised and said, "Chen Chong is capable, but he usually stands firmly on the side of the King of Shu and the Cui family. When it comes to matters that are disadvantageous to them, he always avoids the important and focuses on the trivial. What is going on today? The aristocratic families are causing trouble everywhere, and I am afraid that the Cui family is adding fuel to the fire. Today, he is unexpectedly so fair and impartial, without the slightest bit of bias.
"As an important official of the imperial court, it is my duty to uphold justice and not be biased. Why does Your Majesty say this …"
Emperor Jing snorted coldly and said, "I'm afraid that most people in the imperial court do not think as clearly as you …"
After peeling another grape, he said, "Speaking of which, these aristocratic clans have joined forces to rebel this time. The establishment of the academy has encountered great local obstacles. The capital is too far away, so the government decrees have been weakened … Go and call Li Yi over."
Li Yi handed over the responsibility of barbecuing to Li Han. He then washed his hands and walked over. Seeing that Jing Emperor was eating grapes one by one, he nodded and said, "Grape wine and grape, there is only a difference of one word, but there is not much difference. Your Majesty should not drink wine, so it is good to eat more grapes …"
After he finished speaking, he reached out and took the grapes that Jing Di threw over. Needless to say, these tribute grapes were indeed much sweeter than those outside.
Emperor Jing looked at him and asked, "The aristocratic families are now united. You want MIngzhu to edit the Clan Records. According to this method, the status of all the old aristocratic families will be different. Won't it cause a greater backlash?"
"I did not say all of them." Li Yi ate another grape and said, "For example, the Zhang family of Ping Yang, the Wei family of Yunzhou, the Gou family of Tongzhou …"
He named a few names, "These are all good and innocent families. Of course, they should be treated differently."
"The Zhang family of Ping Yang, the Wei family of Yunzhou, the Gou family of Tongzhou …" Jing Di frowned and asked, "Where are these people …"
Before he finished speaking, he closed his mouth again. His face showed a thoughtful expression. After a moment, he nodded and said, "Yes, these are all good and innocent families. The imperial court must give them special preferential treatment. Even if no one in their family is an official in the imperial court, their position in the clan records must be slightly raised."
"Go and continue with your work. Leave two strings of wings for me …" Jing Di waved his hand and turned back to order, "Come, squeeze these grapes into juice for me!"
…
Outside Hibiscus Garden, Chen Chong and Ceng Shichun did not separate but got on the same carriage.
Chen Chong frowned and said, "Your Majesty just said that you want to recompile the 'Clan Records'. I don't know what kind of storm it will cause …"
Ceng Shichun shook his head. "This is no small matter. Once the 'Clan Records' is recompiled, in the future, the selection of officials in the imperial court, the marriages between the aristocratic families, and the prestige of the aristocratic families among the people will all change. It can be said that it will fundamentally affect the status of the aristocratic families. It will not be easy for Your Majesty to suppress the old aristocratic families."
"Recently, the Cui family has been instigating in the background. Those people finally can't sit still anymore." Chen Chong looked outside and said, "Your Majesty's determination to build an academy and support the commoner families is so strong. It is reasonable to suppress them."
"However, in the past few decades, these old aristocratic families have become unprecedentedly united. I'm afraid that His Majesty's move won't go smoothly. Moreover, their reputation among the people is so high that it can't be destroyed by a single 'Clan Records'. It's still unknown whether or not it will be recognized by the people after it is re-compiled."
Ceng Shichun shook his head and said, "In terms of prestige, can they compare to the Eldest Princess? Right now, Her Highness is in charge. If she carries it out, who among the people will object? "
Chen Chong was instantly speechless.
In the past two years, the Eldest Princess had really done too many great things for the benefit of the country and the people. If not for this, His Majesty would not have abandoned all the princes and made her the acting regent.
It was precisely because the decrees she carried out were very close to the people's lives that in terms of prestige and reputation among the people, even His Majesty could not compare to Her Highness. Because of the Princess, the people who had changed the plight of their families even saw her as a living Bodhisattva and had set up a longevity tablet for her in their homes …
Chen Chong suddenly thought of something and asked, "Say, what do you think that Li Yi is thinking?"
Ceng Shichun looked at him and asked, "What do you mean?"
"You saw it just now. His imperial favor is unprecedented. What relationship does he have with His Majesty …" Deep confusion appeared on Chen Chong's face. "With his ability and influence, no matter which prince he chooses to support, the chances of the King of Shu ascending to the throne are extremely slim. However, he did not agree to any of the princes' solicitations. Instead …"
"Instead, he has always supported Her Highness the Eldest Princess?"
Seeing Chen Chong nod, Ceng Shichun thought for a moment, then said, "Perhaps he himself has realized that no matter what position he holds, no matter what position he holds in His Majesty's heart, if he participates in the struggle for the throne, he will definitely incur His Majesty's displeasure. Through this method, he is expressing his attitude and stance."
Chen Chong frowned. "You mean to say that by not helping either side, he is indirectly expressing to His Majesty that he will not participate in the struggle for the throne?"
"What else?" Ceng Shichun looked at him and asked, "Does Lord Chen think that he wants to support an empress?"
"This … of course not." Chen Chong shook his head.
However, compared to the last time he had answered this question, he hesitated for a moment longer.
… …
"Absurd, absurd! The Clan Records uses genealogical traditions to determine the ranks of the clans. How can it be so easily changed!"
"Duke Zhang, don't be agitated, don't be agitated." A middle-aged man supported the furious elder and said, "The court's actions have disregarded etiquette and subverted tradition. It will definitely not be recognized by the world. Duke Zhang, don't worry."
The elder looked at him and said disdainfully, "Of course you don't have to worry. Your Zheng Clan still has people who are officials in the court. Even if they have really been demoted, it won't be much. My Ping Yang Zhang Clan has been demoted by two whole ranks!"
Hearing this, the middle-aged man thought for a moment and said no more.
This elder of the Ping Yang Zhang Clan was right. The Zheng Clan was not like the Zhang family. The Zheng Clan still had people who were officials in the court. Even if the Clan Records were rearranged, the position of the Zheng Clan would not change too much.
As for the Zhang family that had no one in the court, who cared?
"Preposterous, preposterous! If this is the case, how can there be any etiquette!" Another person angrily slammed the table.
The person beside him also had a gloomy expression. "The division of clans has existed since ancient times. How can it be changed so easily!"
Like the Ping Yang Zhang Clan, the Wei Clan of Yunzhou and the Gou Clan of Tongzhou were also the two clans that had suffered the most in the editing of the Clan Records.
After Wei Fang and Gou Xu finished speaking, the hall became even more rowdy. However, it was impossible to know what everyone was thinking in their hearts.
Although there were many clans like the Zhang Clan, the Wei Clan, and the Gou Clan that had suffered in this incident, there were also some clans that, due to various reasons, not only did their status not suffer, they even improved. In the future, their prestige and fame would probably be even greater …
This was a good thing. After expressing deep sympathy for the Zhang Clan, the Wei Clan, and the other clans, when they returned to their clans, they still had to celebrate …
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