I Can Control My Ancestors

Gu Jun has passed away.

Though his abilities were not dazzling, the Grand Tutor, who was crucial to the Great Song, finally succumbed to the passage of time.

He fell with his endless aspirations.

——The whole nation mourns.

In the current Great Song, the significance of the Gu Clan to the court often surpasses the royal authority itself.

Both in practical power and profound influence, this is indeed the case.

But time never pauses for anyone.

No matter how much reluctance and retention exist, the wheels of Kyushu continue to roll forward.

....

Time keeps flowing.

Gu Rui inherited Gu Jun’s position, and upon entering office, he ascended to the pinnacle of his career, holding absolute decision-making power over an empire.

The transition of power during this period was extraordinarily orderly.

It proceeded smoothly, even beyond Gu Yi’s expectations.

This was indeed related to the arrangements made by Gu Jun in his later years; during that time, he had already let go, handing all authority over to Gu Rui, in addition to the fact that the key ministers of the Great Song had not yet passed away.

These individuals were already aware of the inner workings of canal transport.

Naturally, they would assist Gu Rui.

How could the power transition not proceed smoothly?

It was precisely because of this that the aspirations buried by Gu Rui were finally picked up again, and he promptly demonstrated his capabilities.

——The first thing he did was dismiss officials.

This was not just targeting the Great Song’s bureaucracy.

It also included the Imperial Censorate.

In fact, this was inevitable, as the foundation of the Imperial Censorate grew deeper and its powers increased, this naturally led to many chaotic phenomena.

Gu Rui and Gu Jun’s personalities were entirely different.

Gu Jun was somewhat indecisive; even when aware of some issues within the Imperial Censorate, he had to make concessions.

Because the Imperial Censorate was the foundation of the Gu Clan.

Attacking the Imperial Censorate, in his view, was akin to digging up one’s roots.

But in Gu Rui’s eyes, this matter was entirely different.

Whether it’s for the Great Song or for the entire Gu Clan, to maintain a continually advancing situation, decisive actions must be taken.

The Imperial Censorate is of great significance.

He must nip all chaotic matters in the bud.

And through this action, he also aimed to continue sweeping away potential enemies.

Indeed, inside the court!

He wanted to unearth those who harbored dissatisfaction towards the Gu Clan hidden in the shadows!

And events unfolded just as he anticipated.

Facing Gu Rui’s rectification of the Imperial Censorate, a minor turmoil ensued, involving Imperial Censors and officials who, for their own interests, instantly harbored dissent.

This was followed by various rumors.

Rumors claiming "the Gu Clan harbors rebellious intentions, with designs to seize control of the Emperor" and such.

Diverse rumors surged almost instantly across various regions.

Many hands were naturally at work behind these.

It wasn’t confined to the Great Song; even the Liao and Western Xia weren’t willing to let the opportunity slip.

They were all drawn in by Gu Rui’s outward actions.

Thinking that Gu Rui, being young and intolerant, wanted to use this chance to abolish the Gu Clan’s influence within the Great Song!

Regarding this, Gu Rui did only three things.

First, he formally submitted his actions to the Emperor.

Second, he rewarded soldiers from all corners, strengthening the ties between them and the Gu Clan.

Third, he once again attracted a group of capable scholars!

And then——

A thorough cleansing swept through.

The Imperial Censorate and the entire Great Song bureaucracy, anyone involved in conspiracies, factionalism, or collusion with outsiders, were completely uprooted.

Faced with the Gu Clan, holding the righteous cause and military power, these individuals had no ability to retaliate.

Gu Rui wasn’t one to be compassionate or lenient.

Even Gu Yi had to admit, Gu Rui might be the Grand Tutor who carried out the heaviest purges since the Gu Clan took power.

Of course, these purges were aimed at cleansing the court’s interior.

Once this matter passed, the court was purified.

Not just the various issues among the populace, but the entire Great Song bureaucracy quickly fostered a new vitality, and following this, Gu Rui collaborated with a group of scholars to initiate reforms in various aspects within the court.

This time, the reforms weren’t on a large scale.

But rather, they adapted the existing framework to the era’s needs.

In less than ten years, through these operations, Gu Rui transformed the entire Great Song to fit his vision.

With the support of the Luoshu Harmonizing Device.

Gu Rui’s understanding of people’s hearts further developed, using various means to counter all challenges during this period, and he even caught several large fish buried for years.

This was indeed the largest upheaval since the founding of the Great Song.

As for Gu Rui’s actions, Gu Yi continuously refrained from extensive interference.

In the end,

he could not always control everything.

The current situation required him and the clan’s offspring to handle it together; he only needed to step in at critical moments.

Moreover, in his view, not all of Gu Rui’s actions were wrong!

Time swiftly passed.

One era quietly departed, another silently emerged.

As Gu Rui implemented a series of reforms in the Great Song, the Western Xia and Liao didn’t remain idle.

This was certainly a very unique era.

Not only was the Great Song continually growing stronger, but the Western Xia and Liao hadn’t shown signs of decline either.

Since Li Liangzuo ascended to power, he purged the power of the influential minister Mi Cang E Bang with swift actions, genuinely grasping the reins of power.

Subsequently, he emulated Song’s system, using the Western Regions’ trade routes as a foundation to vigorously promote commercial growth.