kingnovel Chapter 571 - 65: Ever-Bright Glory, an Unblemished Realm
Chapter 571 - 65: Ever-Bright Glory, an Unblemished Realm
——Li Zhi is ill!
This is undoubtedly a matter of great significance for the current Great Tang.
Although he seldom intervenes in state affairs these days,
don’t forget, he is still the Emperor of Great Tang.
Moreover, the Crown Prince Li Hong is still very young.
Any unforeseen event would be a major blow to a dynasty!
Gu Jing naturally understands this, and has no choice but to set everything aside and hurry back to Luoyang.
....
Luoyang.
An invisible gloom pervades the entire court, Li Zhi’s sudden illness seems to have pressed the pause button on Great Tang’s development.
Luckily, the current political system of Great Tang is still at its peak.
Including the stability of the Imperial Censorate.
This has formed the lower limit of the court, preventing Great Tang from falling into chaos.
What surprises Gu Yi is that Wu Zetian did not take advantage of this hiatus to act, and even rejected those Wu Clan youths.
She is genuinely in some awe of Gu Jing.
Even when faced with such an opportunity, she does not dare to do anything, afraid of completely angering Gu Jing and causing further turmoil.
It is no secret that Gu Jing now holds Li Shimin’s edict.
This serves as a heavenly bestowed sacred sword, hanging over everyone’s head at all times.
Someone like her, how could she possibly not be aware of this?
August.
Ultimately, Gu Jing returned to Luoyang and was able to meet Li Zhi.
Luoyang Palace.
Gu Jing slowly steps into the hall, a strong medicinal scent assaults his senses, and his expression involuntarily changes slightly.
"Your Majesty..."
He calls softly, walking closer to the dragon bed.
Li Zhi on the bed immediately opened his eyes, abruptly turning his head toward the sound. His bloodshot eyes lit up suddenly upon catching sight of Gu Jing: "Is it the Grand Tutor?"
"Has the Grand Tutor returned?"
His vision seems blurred, and immediately a painful expression appears on his face.
"Your Majesty, it is I who has returned." Gu Jing swiftly steps forward, disregarding any etiquette, and tightly grips Li Zhi’s outstretched hand.
"Grand Tutor!" Li Zhi’s voice carries uncontrolled excitement, immediately squeezing Gu Jing’s hand tightly, letting out a long sigh, "The Grand Tutor returns, We are at peace in Our heart..."
He is truly afraid, afraid that during this hiatus the entire Great Tang might encounter some troubles.
Unlike what everyone else thinks.
Li Zhi is a person highly sensitive to power.
Only someone like Gu Jing, who bears the name of a centuries-old family along with the entrusted world by Li Shimin, can truly give him peace of mind.
"Your Majesty, how could it be just this?" Gu Jing looks at Li Zhi, his entire expression extremely complex.
He never imagined that Li Zhi, at such a young age, would have his health deteriorate to this extent, even to the point of being unable to handle the government affairs.
This completely exceeded his expectations.
For the development of the entire Great Tang, this constitutes a major variable.
He cannot afford to be careless.
Li Zhi also lets out a deep sigh but ultimately says little more, and thus holds Gu Jing’s hand while entrusting him: "Grand Tutor, this world is entrusted to you!"
He wants Gu Jing to handle the affairs of state.
This already happened completely differently from history.
In the original history, Wu Zetian took advantage of this opportunity to start developing her own power on a large scale, eventually even directly overshadowing Li Zhi.
But now, she has no such opportunity!
Gu Jing is not only the protector of the Li Tang royal family but also the greatest constraint to prevent others from encroaching on core power!
Upon hearing his words, Gu Jing without any hesitation solemnly nodded: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I am here—"
His voice is deep and every word carries immense weight:
"Great Tang will not fall into chaos."
As the words fell, Li Zhi’s tightly held hand finally loosened. He silently lay back on the dragon bed and closed his eyes.
Gu Jing said no more.
He solemnly bowed toward the monarch on the bed, then turned and walked boldly out of the hall.
The situation has changed suddenly.
The return of Gu Jing seems to have provided the court of Great Tang a stabilizing force once more, as the impact of Li Zhi’s sudden illness was almost immediately suppressed by him.
This is the first time Gu Jing has directly participated in state affairs, steering the entire development path of Great Tang.
Gu Jing certainly will not initiate large-scale changes.
The current foundation of Great Tang is already sufficient, which can be seen from the gap period.
What he really needs to do is just stabilize the court and the people’s hearts.
Suppress some people’s ambitions, and similarly, he can use this to control the balance of the entire court.
Not beyond Gu Yi’s expectations.
When things progress more smoothly, the ensuing institution will gradually be perfected with time.
In May of the tenth year of Yonghui, as another batch of caravans returned successively.
Those merchants from overseas also reached Kyushu.
They gathered in Panyu.
Though Gu Jing’s ability in internal affairs may not be top-notch, his vision is by no means inferior. After discussion among the ministers, he quickly finalized this matter.
Establishing foreign quarters in the entire area of Panyu.
And formulated a comprehensive system targeting foreign merchants, allowing them to conduct business in Panyu.
Among this, a tariff system is implemented.
Also including the Maritime Trade Supervisor which plays a significant role within this.
This series of systems marks considerable progress for the current Great Tang maritime plans.
The merchants who could reach Kyushu are not mere petty traders; the capital they carry is by no means a small number, capable of bringing Great Tang substantial revenue.
Of course, there are certainly restrictions among them.