"Brother grandson, you don't have to sigh. If you don't want to marry your granddaughter to the eldest prince, just push it away. Your majesty and empress can't force you to marry the royal family."
Sanyuan Gong comforted Sun Zhuangyuan.
Sun Zhuangyuan took a sip of the old wine, "Your Majesty, I am sure to refuse. At worst, I will go to prison for a few days. I am not sure about the empress. Who can refuse the empress these years? Even King Anxi, You have to follow the path designed by the empress."
Sanyuan Gong and Zhou Shi'an have a close relationship.
Both of them were tricked by the empress to teach at Shanhe Academy.
From their own experience, it seems that there is really no way to reject the empress.
Unless the queen empress decides to give up this marriage.
Zhou Shi'an said with emotion: "The empress always has a way to grasp our weaknesses and stimulate our inner desires with the most touching words."
San Yuangong felt ashamed, "In the final analysis, the six roots are still impure, and there are too many desires, so the empress can take advantage of it."
"Listen to your words, this old man's heart is so cold. Both of you stop talking."
Sun Zhuangyuan looked sad.
Three gray-bearded men drank together to amuse themselves.
"I always feel like I'm on the queen's boat."
"Shanhe Academy is considered a paradise for you and me, not a pirate ship."
"Brother Sun will be miserable. He wants to be in-laws with the royal family."
Sun Zhuangyuan burst into tears, "Stop talking, I'm so sad!"
beep beep...
Being married to royalty is scary.
…
Gu Jiu always pays attention to efficiency in handling affairs.
Two days later, she went to Shanhe Academy to find Sun Zhuangyuan for tea.
Sun Zhuangyuan wanted to run away.
Sanyuan Gong and Zhou Shi'an held him back, "Brother Sun, you must not run away. You can run away and the monk can't run away from the temple. Now that the Empress Empress has arrived, you should go to the Houshan Bieyuan to meet her and hear what she has to say. "
It's hard to talk about it, and finally persuaded Sun Zhuangyuan.
Watching Sun Zhuangyuan go to the other courtyard, Sanyuan Gong said happily: "Fortunately, I don't have a granddaughter."
Zhou Shi'an nodded heavily, "The same goes for the old man."
"Brother Zhou, don't be too happy, the eldest prince's wife, if it's not the daughter of the grandson family, it might be your daughter from the Zhou family. At that time, you, the most famous member of the Zhou family, will still be roasted on the fire."
Zhou Shi'an waved his hands again and again, "This old man has been away from the family for many years, and I never ask about the affairs of the family. I don't care whether he marries a daughter or not, it will affect him, and this old man will never say a word."
"Brother Zhou is open-minded! But you are from the Zhou family in Chuzhou after all, and the Zhou family uses your name to act in your name, so there is nothing you can do about it."
Zhou Shi'an smiled wryly, "That's why I don't listen, I don't watch, I don't think about it."
Seeing the miasma in the clan, he was annoyed.
A bunch of hypocrites!
When the family grows, there will always be a few bad guys.
…
Sun Zhuangyuan bit the bullet and went to see the empress, ready to be questioned.
Therefore, when they first met, he cut straight to the point, "If the empress intends to marry the old man's granddaughter as a wife for the eldest prince, the old man's idea is that he does not agree to this marriage."
Gu Jiu smiled, "Can I know why my husband rejected this marriage?"
"So, the empress really likes my Xiao Qi?"
"The seventh mother of the Sun family is outstanding in appearance, virtuous and dignified, worthy of being the wife of a prince."
"Impossible!"
"I am all ears."
Sun Zhuangyuan said bluntly: "The Sun family has a big family and a great career. If Xiao Qi marries His Royal Highness the First Prince, the Sun family may become the second Pei family and become a confidant of the imperial court. Therefore, this marriage is absolutely unacceptable. "
Gu Jiu said with a smile: "If I remember correctly, your Sun family prides itself on being a pure minister and never takes sides. The concubine of Prince Renxuan was from the big family of the Sun family, and the Sun family has never publicly supported Ren. Prince Xuan. Therefore, when Prince Renxuan and the concubine passed away one after another, the Sun family only suffered some twists and turns, but did not shake its foundation. Now that the palace wants to marry the Sun family’s Qiniang, the Sun family can follow the example of the past and become a pure minister."
Sun Zhuangyuan asked back: "Will the empress let the Sun family continue to be pure ministers?"
Gu Jiu asked with a smile: "Is this palace's attitude that important?"
Sun Zhuangyuan nodded again and again, "If the empress agrees that the Sun family will continue to be a pure minister, I can agree to this marriage. If the answer is no, I beg the empress to let the Sun family go. There are so many good girls in the world, it's not my little girl." No."
"Does Mr. Sun know what I want to do?"
"Your Majesty and Your Majesty are afraid that the Sun family's tail will not be lost, and they are afraid that the Sun family will threaten the court, so they want to stir up internal strife in the Sun family and weaken the power of the Sun family. Is the old man right?"
"Half right."
"The old man dares to ask, what is the other half?"
Gu Jiu shook her head and did not answer this question.
Instead, she asked: "If I insist on marrying Sun Qiniang for the eldest prince, what will sir do?"
Sun Zhuangyuan sighed, "I can only accept my fate, go home and wait for death."
"Mr. is too pessimistic. Things have not reached that point."
Sun Zhuangyuan remained silent.
Gu Jiu smiled knowingly, "Sir, you might as well listen to Ben Gong's plan."
"The old man is all ears."
Gu Jiu took a sip of tea, "The registered population of your Sun clan is only about 13,200. We all know that the actual population is far more than this. It is conservatively estimated that your Sun clan is of the same clan, with a population of about 13,200. There are about 25,000 people. Including servants, there are 70,000 to 80,000 people. Such a huge family is staggering."
Sun Zhuangyuan hurriedly said: "The Sun family has only four heirs living in the capital, and the other branches are scattered all over the place. It seems that there are many people, but in fact they are not twisted together."
Gu Jiu smiled, "Mr. Sun's words are not true. The Sun family is only in the capital, and there are 20,000 to 30,000 masters and servants. Most of the branches of the Sun family live in Dingzhou, their ancestral home, and they are only a few meters away from the capital. It’s a long journey. Every year to worship the ancestors, the main characters from the branch will come to the capital and stay for about half a month to a month, so as to maintain the cohesion of the family. I’m not wrong.”
"The Sun family has no backs." Sun Zhuangyuan hastily stated his position.
Gu Jiu said with a smile: "Mr. Sun, don't be nervous. I didn't say that your Sun family was rebellious. It's just that such a huge family is an extremely dangerous existence in the eyes of this palace. Mr. Sun knows that your family is a threat to the whole world. who set a very bad, very bad example."
"The old man doesn't understand the meaning of your mother's words. The Sun family has always taught people to be filial, and never taught people to do evil."
"The existence of your Sun family is itself a kind of evil. It is a great evil to the court, to the world, and to the common people."
Sun Zhuangyuan was angry, "My lady is valuable, but she can't slander the Sun family with empty words."
Gu Jiu raised her hand to signal the other party to be calm.
"Mr. Sun listened to me in detail. The Sun family has existed in the world for hundreds of years, has been living in groups, and has achieved great success. It has become the leading family in the world. With the Sun family as an example, everyone in the world will follow suit."
"Is this rare and evil?" Sun Zhuangyuan tortured his soul.
Gu Jiu affirmed: "Of course it's evil, but it's still a great evil. Nowadays, it is popular among the people to have the same family name. They are not the same ancestors, so they have to be twisted together, what kind of same clan and same clan. Gather the strength of the family and hold together to exclude outsiders.
As long as there are a few promising figures in the family, within twenty years, the family will become a local tyrant, not only forcing the good into slavery, occupying good land, but also strong enough to compete with the local government. When the government acts, it must first ask the opinions of these families.
Ever since, the strong will always be strong, and the weak will always be weak. What can ordinary people or small families do? Can only succumb to the big family, become a vassal, and seek refuge one after another. If things go on like this, the world will come to an end sooner or later. You say, is this evil? "
Sun Zhuangyuan frowned, "Doing things as a family did not start with the Sun family, but has existed since ancient times."
Gu Jiu smiled, "However, your Sun family is the most successful big family in the world. No one would envy the power of your family. There is a folk saying that if you have a daughter, you should be the wife of the Sun family, and if you marry a wife, you should marry the daughter of the Sun family. Your majesty. A word from your Sun family in the local area is more effective than His Majesty's will from the imperial court.
The Sun family's ancestral home was in Dingzhou, and all yamen, from officials to officials, had long been monopolized by the Sun family and their relatives. Any official who comes to Dingzhou to serve as an official will have to follow the winks of your Sun family.
Rather than saying that the imperial court is running Dingzhou, it is better to say that the Sun family is running Dingzhou. Dingzhou is rich in land, but the tax revenue is decreasing every year. I don't believe that Mr. Sun doesn't know about the famous tricks here. "
Sun Zhuangyuan sweated profusely, "All states in the world have this problem, not only Dingzhou."
Gu Jiu sneered, "However, your Sun family has set a bad example for the world. The success of the Sun family has stimulated the world to follow suit. Look at the world, in another fifty years, every county, every I am afraid that the state capital will be controlled by the clan forces. The power of the imperial court is getting weaker and weaker, and the tax revenue is getting less and less.
Dare I ask, will it be the clan world or the dynasty world by then? The clan ate up the local population and tax revenue, but has it ever given back to the local area? When the imperial court was fighting, did the clans ever contribute a penny or a grain of grain
The imperial court operates, and all the money and food come from the common people. However, the small people not only have to bear taxes and corvees, but also have to bear the oppression and exploitation of the local clan tyrants. This is not evil, what is it? "
Sun Zhuangyuan was short of breath and his face was flushed.
He said eagerly: "The clan has become a trend, and the trend cannot be violated. Does the empress want to go against the trend?"
Gu Jiu smiled and remained silent.
Sun Zhuangyuan said again: "The clan is the foundation of the place, and the foundation cannot be shaken. The Sun family has evil, but the Sun family has always restrained the children of the clan, and dare not harm the neighbors."
Gu Jiu sneered and said, "How long has it been since Mr. Sun returned to Dingzhou? Five years, ten years, or twenty years? Do you know what Dingzhou looks like today?"
As soon as the words fell, Bai Zhong walked into the tea room carrying a basket of materials.
Gu Jiu pointed at the basket, "In there, there are numerous evidences of your Sun family harming the neighbors, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Mister Sun, do you want to open it and see what dirty things your clansmen have done all these years?" .”