Chapter 264 Jiangdu
Xiao Chanyan sighed. Her uncle was not bad. He was really capable, and he had also made great contributions in persuading Xue Ju to surrender. As long as he was willing to bow his head, His Majesty would not use him.

But the younger generation in the family, including her brother, are not worthy of reliance, which is also an important reason why she is eager for her son to enter the Eastern Palace.

There were very few officials in the court who came from Jiangnan families, and their Xiao family showed signs of a lack of successors. The Zheng family of Xingyang, who was behind Concubine Zheng, was not very prominent in the court, but had produced many civil and military officials.

But their power is not small, and what's more, the five surnames and seven families have been intermarrying for generations, and in many cases their attitudes can be agreed upon through internal communication.

"Your Majesty, the more you do, the more mistakes you make. If you do nothing, it's not a mistake. If you do nothing, you'll be the legitimate eldest son."

Xiao Chanyan nodded when she heard this. She had originally thought so, but as she watched her son grow up day by day without getting the status he deserved, she became a little flustered.

It was mainly the emperor's fault. His attitude was too vague. As a mother, how could she not consider her son's long-term future?

"I heard from your Majesty a few days ago that this trip will promote talented officials in Jiangnan. Uncle and brother should select a few talented and learned scholars for your Majesty."

"promise."

After all, the two men were outsiders and it was not easy for them to stay with the queen for long, so they said goodbye and left soon.

The two of them took a boat to their own ship, and Xiao Yu suddenly said to his nephew: "The queen has changed a little."

As an elder brother, how could Xiao Xuan not notice that his sister, who used to be so quiet and elegant, has become more and more unfamiliar.

Xiao Xuan didn't say anything, but Xiao Yu answered on his own: "Once you enter the palace, it's like entering a deep sea. There is only one way forward and no way back. No matter what kind of woman you are, she will end up the same."

Xiao Yu thought of her own sister. There had not been much change between her and him when she was in the boudoir or in the Prince of Jin's mansion, but after she became the queen, she became a stranger.

But the family did let her down, and she once said that she never wanted to see the Xiao family again.

"Xuan'er, you have to remember that the queen is the queen after all. Her son's surname is Li. Even if there is my Xiao blood in his body, it does not mean that he will be good to the Xiao family. In the end, the family still depends on its own children."

.........

The Emperor and Empress accompanied the Retired Emperor and Empress Retired to live in Jiangdu Palace. The two venerables lived in Dalei Palace, while the Emperor and the Empress themselves lived in Guiyan Palace. Local officials submitted a petition, saying that the temporary palace was the place where the soul of Emperor Yang died and that it should be rebuilt and renovated before people could occupy it.

But he was rebuked by Li Jiancheng, saying that rebuilding the palace would cost a huge amount of money and the people were not yet settled, so how could they carry out such a large-scale construction? This was not only true for the Jiangdu Palace, but also for palaces everywhere in the country.

Finally, he issued an order to seal the palace where Emperor Yang was killed and Liuzhu Hall, and ordered officials from the Ministry of Rites to go to Wugongtai to hold a grand sacrifice and summon monks and Taoists to prepare for the relocation of the tomb and burial.

Before setting off, the emperor asked officials from the Imperial Observatory to arrive in advance to look for a Feng Shui site in the south of the Yangtze River as the final mausoleum of Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty.

After arriving in Jiangdu, the ministers immediately dispersed and searched everywhere for the remaining talented people in the opposition. This surprised the Jiangnan literati who were already paying close attention.

The dispute between the emperor and his ministers soon spread to all counties and prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River. People from all walks of life in the south of the Yangtze River, who had been excluded from the court for four years after the founding of the country, felt the emperor's great grace.

You know, in the eyes of people in Jiangnan, the Lanling Xiao family was founded in Shandong and moved south during the Yongjia Rebellion. They are not native Jiangnan people, and naturally cannot represent Jiangnan.

At present, except for the Xiao family, most of the officials born in Jiangnan only work in the Hongwenguan and the Imperial College. Only a few can enter the Six Ministries, let alone become the Secretariat and the Shangshu to participate in the government.

The Shandong family rose so quickly, mainly because the Guanlong nobles used their main strength to suppress Jiangnan. During the reign of Emperor Yang, he intended to use the Jiangnan nobles to replace Guanlong. Therefore, after the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, Guanlong instinctively suppressed the Jiangnan nobles. This gave the Shandong family an opportunity. The Tang Dynasty was not a small country in a corner. There were not many Guanlong nobles, and most of them were in the army. Someone had to handle the government affairs. If these people were not used, those people would be used.

Historically, after Li Shimin resolved the Guanlong issue, he had to face the situation of Shandong gentry dominating the market. Even when compiling the "Clan Records", the royal family was inferior to the Cui family.

But now the emperor has to take the initiative to bring the Jiangnan families into the court. Whether it is a three-way confrontation or a fight between two tigers, he cannot let one family dominate alone.

Li Jiancheng was now fighting the Turks in the north, destroying Tuyuhun in the west, and swallowing up Liao territory in the east. This was the time when his imperial authority was at its peak.

However, Guanlong was weak, the royal family was attacked, and Shandong was not yet firmly established. Naturally, there was no force that could organize to oppose the emperor's will.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards are on standby with swords in hand, ready to launch a purge at any time. Now no one will doubt whether the emperor has this determination, as many powerful people have already used the lives of their entire families to prove this.

Faced with the emperor's proactive display of goodwill, the Jiangnan families such as Zhu, Zhang, Gu, Lu, Wu, Yu, and Yao naturally did not dare to miss it.

They all brought their most outstanding sons and daughters to the Jiangdu Palace to meet the emperor. They also hurriedly arranged for the sons and daughters of their in-laws and other branches to look for the officials who were ordered to find talents.

However, to their surprise, those officials did not want children from aristocratic families, and focused on looking for poor scholars.

This also poured a bucket of cold water on the heads of the overly happy Jiangnan families. Your Majesty's intentions are lofty and difficult to predict!
But can they still give up their positions in the court? Can they be willing to be excluded from the center of the court and be exploited and bullied?
So they slowed down their pace, and auspicious signs occurred frequently in various parts of Jiangnan, and the news of Your Majesty's noble virtue spread to the ears of all people.

But to their surprise, although the emperor did not reprimand the officials and people who offered auspicious signs, he did not reward them either. Each family could only go to the emperor to meet him in an orderly manner.

"How does mother feel?"

Dou has been in good spirits these past two days. She can even go out and stroll around for a while, breathing in the moist air and looking at the beautiful scenery. Who wouldn't want to live a few more days?

"It really lives up to its reputation, but my son, you can also see from this that extravagance can damage one's spirit and mind, so you should take this as a warning.

I think the palaces in various places across the country are already good enough. There is no need to build new ones in the future. The blessings of man will eventually end. We should learn to cherish our blessings and take care of our health so that they will last a long time."

Li Jiancheng supported his mother and walked slowly among the pavilions and terraces: "I know, I will definitely follow your teachings."

Dou pointed to a pavilion and Li Jiancheng helped her walk there. Li Wei went forward first and laid a thick cushion.

"My son, since mother has said so, let me say a few more words."

"Mother has given instructions, and my son is listening."

Dou whispered, "The queen is not the same as before. This is not her fault, it's your fault.

Chengzong is your eldest son, and he is five or six years old now. He seems to have good talent, so why don't you want to make him the crown prince?"

...............

(End of this chapter)