Tang Chen: Starting from the Xuanwu Gate Incident

Chapter 54 Praising the Noble Families

It was September, the third month of the year. As we entered the ninth month of the lunar calendar, the sky was higher, the clouds were thinner, and a hint of coolness began to creep into the air.

Shen Ce stood on a mound on the south bank of the river, his horse galloping. Before him stretched an endless field of millet, the heavy ears of grain turning golden, their heads drooping. A gust of wind blew by, and the millet in the field swayed its heads.

There were indeed several scarecrows scattered throughout the field, as far as the eye could see.

Shen Ce sighed, this was the scene that the vast plains should look like, not a messy expanse of withered stalks.

Seeing that the farmers were still busy harvesting and hadn't paid any attention to them, Shen Ce had the group stop by the roadside. He jumped into the field alone, patted a farmer on the shoulder, and asked with a smile, "May I ask, sir, how far is it to the Cui family's ancestral home?"

The farmer glanced back at him, and seeing that he was wearing a green robe, he stopped his work, put down his tools, rubbed the dirt off his hands and body, and bowed in return:

"Did Shangguan receive an invitation from the Cui family?"

Seeing that the farmer was neither servile nor arrogant, and that his every move was quite polite, Shen Ce was immediately inspired to strike up a conversation. Instead of putting on airs as an official, he replied formally, "I was indeed invited by my host, which is why I have come here."

The farmer did not reply immediately, but looked up at the official road. His gaze lingered on the carriage for a moment before he said respectfully, "Since you have been sent by the court, you may speak freely. There is no need to hide. The Cui family has nothing to hide."

After saying that, he raised his hand and pointed ahead: "Follow this road, ride a horse for an hour, and you will reach the Cui family's main residence."

Upon realizing his identity had been exposed, Shen Ce turned back to the delegation and immediately issued an order: Wen Wuyin was to ride out quickly and command Cui Shi to greet the angel.

Li Er's choice to win over the Cui family of Boling was extremely correct. A few days ago, Cui Dunli, the second son of the Cui family of Boling, was ordered to go to Youzhou to deliver an imperial edict to Li Yuan, the Prince of Lujiang, ordering him to return to Chang'an. Li Yuan had something to hide and dared not return to Chang'an with Cui Dunli.

Li Yuan openly rebelled, not only detaining Cui Dunli but also severely torturing him to extract the latest information from the court.

Cui Dunli was a remarkable man; he endured the torture without uttering a single word until his deputy, Wang Junkuo, beheaded the Prince of Lujiang. Wang Junkuo then sent Cui Dunli back to the Cui family's old residence to recuperate.

Shen Ce felt nothing but admiration for such a person. He was the first to disagree with anyone who said that all members of aristocratic families were incompetent and lazy.

As the old farmer said, the group rode their horses through the Cui family's fields for a full hour before finally seeing rows of houses at the end of their sight.

People often say that a house with three courtyards is a grand mansion, but Shen Ce roughly counted, and this one had more than ten courtyards...

When the delegation arrived at the main gate of the Cui family, they saw that all three black gold doors were wide open, and members of the four branches of the Cui family stood in front of the gate to wait for them.

Wei Zheng waited until the carriage came to a stop before getting up and stepping out of the carriage, standing on the carriage and holding the imperial staff in his hand.

Shen Ce shouted at the opportune moment: "The Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty has sent an envoy, Wei Zheng, the Junior Grand Master of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, who is here to comfort Shandong. Please order the gates to be opened to welcome him."

Although the doors were all open, Shen Ce still had to say it. Just like how, even though some members of the Cui family didn't want to come to welcome the imperial edict, if they wanted to stay in this circle, they still had to greet him according to etiquette.

After everyone bowed, Wei Zheng got out of the carriage and quickly went to Cui Dunli, helping him up and saying, "Lord Cui, you are injured, there is no need for you to bow."

Cui Dunli shook his head and smiled, "It's just a minor injury, nothing to worry about. Please, Lord Wei, come into the main hall."

Along the way, Cui Dunli introduced the Cui clan to Wei Zheng while describing the scenery along the route, but he did not ask a word about the purpose of the delegation's visit. Wei Zheng let the other party lead him around the front yard of the Cui family.

Although Cheng Chumo was from an official family, he had never seen such a large mansion before, and couldn't help but exclaim to Shen Ce, "How many members does the Cui family of Boling have that they need such a large mansion?"

After his eyes darted around a few times, he added in a low voice, "It's probably much bigger than the Eastern Palace..."

Seeing that Shen Ce was about to take out a wooden stick from his sleeve, he shut up.

Shen Ce pulled Cheng Chumo aside and whispered, "You're definitely going to get a beating, I told you! Even if Lord Wei came, he couldn't stop you."

Seeing that the outcome was already decided, Cheng Chumo closed his eyes and said, "Even if I have to get beaten up, I have to find out the truth."

"The clansmen probably number four or five thousand, and the families, tenants, and servants who depend on them probably number in the tens of thousands."

Stepping through the central gate, the sound of students reciting their lessons rose and fell, like beautiful music, reaching everyone's ears. Wei Zheng listened intently, but then he noticed something was amiss. Suddenly, he frowned and sighed to Cui Renshi beside him:

"Fu Qian's commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals has become increasingly rare since the Wei and Jin dynasties. I had thought that this commentary had become extinct, but unexpectedly today, I was able to hear the complete version of it in the Cui family."

Cui Renshi stroked his beard and replied with a smile, "The youngest son in the clan, his initial education is nothing to boast about. How does Lord Wei know that it's not in the official school?"

Wei Zheng shook his head: "When I was selecting books for my youngest son in the Eastern Palace, I couldn't find this one. It can be said that the official collection has been lost, and only the Cui family has preserved it."

The Cui family members all smiled but did not respond.

Shen Ce, following at the back of the line, glanced at Wei Zheng. This was no rigid scholar; when it came to flattery, he was even better than me. You can't judge a person by just one look; you have to observe them continuously to see their true nature. Next time anyone says that Wei Zheng is a pedantic and rigid person, he will be the first to disbelieve it.

He turned to Wen Wuyin beside him and asked, "Have you studied this text?"

"I have studied it," Wen Wuyin nodded, "but not the one annotated by Fu Qian."

From this perspective, it is not surprising that the Cui family was a prominent clan. Powerful families monopolized books and the channels for disseminating top-level knowledge. Ordinary students could only read the original books, and as for the content, unless they understood it on their own, they had to rely on their teachers for explanation.

It's like giving you the original text of "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River"—can you understand it on your own?

Don't know the words and want to look them up in the dictionary? Sorry, the dictionaries are kept by wealthy and powerful families and are not lent out.

Since the Wei and Jin dynasties, culture has been interrupted many times, but these aristocratic families have continued to thrive, passing down their knowledge from generation to generation and adding to it.

If one truly wants to govern a country, one cannot do without the support of powerful families. Should we appoint illiterate people as officials who are close to the people? That would be a tragedy for the common people.

Cheng Chumo, standing to the side, stared wide-eyed, completely bewildered by what everyone was saying.

Once they reached the central hall, everyone took their seats.

Despite his repeated refusals, Wei Zheng was forced to take a position alongside the elders of the Cui family, ranking first in the list.

He was, after all, from the Wei family of Julu, a second-tier noble family, though now fallen from grace. Shen Ce, on the other hand, did not receive such treatment; he was placed at the end of the table alongside Wen Wuyin. If it weren't for Shen Ce being the deputy head of the delegation, he wouldn't even have been able to enter the door.

As for Cheng Chumo... he went to play in the front yard.