Chapter 579: Chapter 69: Standing Alone for the Nation, Maritime Trade Development

No one could have anticipated that in the rising Great Tang Dynasty, two emperors would pass away in such a short span of years.

This was not a good omen.

It always reminded people of precedents, such as the Former Han Dynasty which experienced similar events.

Subsequently, the Former Han underwent great turmoil, eventually declining from prosperity to downfall.

However, the only fortunate aspect was—

The Former Han had Gu Xi, and now the Great Tang has Gu Jing.

Compared to Gu Xi, Gu Jing holds the edict of Emperor Taizong, serving as both a hazard and a safeguard.

At the very least—

The events of the Former Han cannot be repeated in the current Great Tang.

....

Gu Jing completely assumed control of the court affairs.

There was no choice, as Li Longji was simply too young, and Gu Jing had to shoulder this heavy burden.

Gu Jing had unconsciously become the stabilizing force of the Great Tang.

He was the only one capable of commanding respect among the people.

He could suppress the ambitions of others.

This was what Gu Jing must do!

It is worth mentioning that Gu Jing did not alter Li Hong’s reign title; he merely managed affairs as usual, making his attitude clear to the world.

——He was merely temporarily holding power, waiting for Li Longji to grow up!

Nobody was surprised by this.

By now, the name of the Gu Clan needed no further proof from other sources.

It was exactly because of this that there was no chaos within the Great Tang, at least the court maintained a relative balance.

But that sense of unease still loomed over the entire Tang court.

There was no way around it—

Gu Jing was indeed getting old.

Meanwhile, Li Longji was still at an age where he needed protection and care, which only gave these old foxes more to think about.

Gu Jing understood this as well.

As a true schemer, he entrusted no absolute trust to anyone, whether they were ministers or people within the Imperial Palace.

Instead, he took the unconventional step of raising Li Longji within the Champion Marquis Mansion.

Anyone else doing this would face enormous criticism, even the Gu Clan could not completely escape reproach.

But Gu Jing was indifferent to this.

He was invulnerable.

Yet Li Longji was too fragile; any malicious intent from others could easily cause problems for him.

If Li Longji indeed encountered a problem....

For the sake of the throne, the current balance would certainly be disrupted, and if by then Gu Jing’s health was failing, nothing could reverse the situation.

The ministers cared deeply about this, urging against it on grounds of propriety and other issues of grand principle.

Who among them wished to see the Gu Clan remain in power indefinitely?

The Emperor was raised from a young age in the Champion Marquis Mansion.

What would his future sentiments towards the Gu Clan be?

Would there truly be a path forward for them in this Great Tang?

Everyone had to consider and interfere in this matter.

However, something Gu Jing did not expect was—

Wu Zetian chose to support him at this time, along with Mrs. Pei, Li Hong’s Empress, both standing by Gu Jing to legitimize the matter.

Though neither held actual power,

one was the Grand Empress Dowager, and the other was the Empress Dowager, their influence was still significant and could not be entirely dismissed.

Thus, the matter was settled under these circumstances.

Time passed fleetingly.

Gu Jing did not implement large-scale reforms, instead continuing the precedents established over the years, keeping the Great Tang on its path forward.

One after another, the Gu Clan’s offspring entered the Imperial Censorate.

And from the Imperial Censorate, they went to various places.

This was also a choice forced upon Gu Jing, as he could not hand over the burdens of the court to his less capable family members out of favoritism.

The Imperial Censorate was the best destination for them, allowing the Gu Clan to gain reputation while monitoring the empire.

By now, nearly everyone had tacitly agreed that the Imperial Censorate belonged to the Gu Clan.

This was the result of reputation and the larger environment.

It wasn’t because of Gu Jing’s current power, but because the Gu Clan’s century-long reputation fit perfectly with the role of the Imperial Censorate.

The Imperial Censorate indeed held significant power.

If not controlled by the Gu Clan, it would definitely instigate a bloody storm in the court.

For the current Great Tang, entrusting the Imperial Censorate to the Gu Clan was the best arrangement.

This was a universally acknowledged reality.

With the court stable, the implementation of various systems gradually became more comprehensive over time, driving the national strength of the Great Tang.

As industries bloomed simultaneously, national strength rapidly developed.

This was certain!

In the ninth year of Da’an, the development of coastal cities had reached a level of saturation.

This was an astonishing change.

Gu Yi remembered clearly that in the original history, it would take hundreds of years for Kyushu to experience such prosperity.

It wasn’t until the Southern Song period, when the capital moved to Lin’an and maritime trade was developed on a large scale to maintain the court’s finances, that such a situation first arose.

But even then, it involved only a few coastal cities.

But now it’s different—

The current Great Tang is blossoming in all directions.

Various coastal cities have different port routes due to their locations, and under the influence of immense interests, merchants have flocked en masse, driving agriculture and handicrafts.

More and more people have flocked to these coastal cities.

This situation far surpasses that of original history.

Especially in Panyu.

Since Gu Ye subdued Lingnan years ago, Panyu has been expanded several times, with the last expansion occurring during the Yonghui era.