The Lone Star of the Tang Dynasty

At the third watch in the middle of the night, the waning moon in the sky had not yet faded its cold light, and a sudden change had been quietly staged.

In less than two hours, that is, an hour before the fifth watch, this shocking news passed through the streets and alleys of Chang'an City like a swift wind.

Located in a deep mansion compound in the south of Chang'an City, at this moment is no longer immersed in the tranquility of the night, but brightly lit, noisy people, the entire Cui Mansion is like being thrown into a shocking stone, instantly stirring up layers of ripples.

Cui Yun, the head of the family, was majestic and solemn on weekdays, but at this time, his face was as white as paper, and his eyes stared ahead in distraction, as if his soul had been pulled out of his body.

In front of him, a little man with his head bowed and his head almost buried in his knees, trembling to convey the unbearable bad news.

The surrounding maids and servants were busy, anxiously persuading Cui Yun to stay calm: "Master, you have to take care of your health!"

Cui Yun just repeated a name in his mouth: "Zhengde...... Dead?Zhengde, is he really dead?" Those words were like a sharp blade, cutting his heart and lungs, making his body sway, like an old tree about to break.

Suddenly, the crowd consciously retreated to both sides, making way for an old man.

Although his steps are a little staggering, the old man with extraordinary bearing is Cui Baihe, the parent of the Cui family and Cui Zhengde's grandfather.

Seeing this, he eagerly asked, "What's going on? What are you all panicking about?" Yun'er, what happened?".

Cui Yun seemed to wake up from a nightmare, looked at his father with grief, and said word by word: "Father, he is ...... He died in prison in Dali Temple. "

As soon as these words came out, it was like a thunderbolt on a sunny day, and when Cui Baihe heard the news, his whole person suddenly shook as if he had been hit hard, and his hands tightly grasped the furniture around him to stabilize his body.

"Impossible! Li Shimin, how dare you attack my grandson?" His hoarse voice was mixed with disbelief and grief and indignation, "Zhengde is the bloodline of my Qinghe Cui clan, how dare you inflict capital punishment on him? How dare you, how dare you!"

"Li Shimin!" Cui Baihe's gaze was fierce and resolute, and a deep flame of revenge burned in his eyes, "I, Cui Baihe, will swear to you from today that I will find out the truth and seek justice for my grandson......!

The sky is faint, the dawn is beginning to appear, and a group of respected old men have already gathered in Cui's mansion, they are all at the helm of the major families in Chang'an City, gathered together at this moment, their faces are solemn, and the atmosphere is depressed and tense.

Several elderly people expressed their condolences to Cui Yun, and their words were full of concern and grief.

"Brother Cui, this matter is indeed distressing, but please be sure to mourn and change smoothly, and don't be exhausted by excessive pain. An old man reassured.

Another also continued: "As the so-called stay in the green mountains, I am not afraid of no firewood, although the situation is dangerous now, but our Qinghe Cui clan has a deep foundation and will be able to survive the difficulties." "

Zheng Taishan, the head of the Zheng family in Xingyang, was shocked and angry between his eyebrows, he took a deep breath and confessed to Cui Yun guiltily: "Brother Cui, I, Zheng, have the responsibility to overlook this matter, if I had rescued people earlier, it might not have caused today's tragedy." "

What Zheng Taishan was referring to was what happened last night, and the palace executed Cui Zhengde overnight without waiting for the reactions of the families, which made him unexpected, and he felt that the situation was serious. His face was solemn, and he secretly thought in his heart: The emperor's move was by no means a whim, but an obvious challenge to the family, and this was a signal to completely liquidate the old forces and open a new situation!

"Brother Cui," Zheng Taishan said indignantly, "Our five surnames and seven hopes have stood firm through wind and rain, and now they are even more deeply rooted and leafy, and their power is all over the government and the opposition. In the face of such a life-and-death situation, how can we sit idly by? Tomorrow, we should gather all the officials with the seven surnames in the DPRK and go directly to the palace to confront Li Er!"

His resounding words resonated with everyone, and the surrounding responses came one after another.

"What Brother Zheng said is extremely true, we can't let Li Shimin be so arrogant, if he doesn't issue an edict to show repentance, I see how he sits firmly on the dragon chair!"

"Yes, we must gather our strength!" an old man echoed, "Don't forget, in today's imperial court, my five surnames and seven wang children occupy half of the country, how can I allow others to be at the mercy of others!

Another old man took the case and said in a resolute tone: "Even though Li Shimin is bold, how dare he really be an enemy of me and many other families?

Everyone had the same heart and mind, and unanimously decided to act immediately the next day to face this big showdown related to the fate of the family and even the pattern of the world.

......

In a corner of Chang'an City, Suzaku Street is not a mountain dew, just a slightly noisy street in the bustling market.

Crowded with merchants and pedestrians, the uniqueness of this street lies in its liveliness and vitality, which attracted a young master from the Cui clan of Qinghe to set foot here.

The people are no strangers to a family like the Cui clan in Qinghe, although at the feet of the Son of Heaven, people's reverence for them is not as deep as in Qinghe, but more with a faint disgust and alienation.

However, on this ordinary morning, everything changed.

The eighth young master of the Cui family suddenly suffered a catastrophe on this Vermilion Bird Street and died in Huangquan. This incident instantly made Suzaku Street famous, and although the crime has not yet been settled, it is widely speculated that the tragedy is inseparable from the characters in Suzaku Street.

At dawn the next day, the news of Cui Zhengde's death spread like wildfire to the entire Chang'an City, and the families of dignitaries and nobles all knew about it. Those who were well aware of the contradictions and entanglements between the emperor and the family were all terrified when they heard the news, and had a premonition that the storm that had been brewing for a long time was about to break out - this was a harbinger of Li Shimin's head-to-head confrontation with the family gate!

From ancient times to the present, from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the division of princes and the formation of major family forces, to the Han Dynasty, the figure of the family gate valve has always run through the long river of history. In the Wei and Jin dynasties, the power of the family reached its peak, but it accelerated the change of regime due to excessive expansion, and the Wei, Western and Eastern Jin dynasties fell short-lived one after another, revealing a cyclical historical law: the rise of the gate valve is often accompanied by the decline of the dynasty.

Today, in the prosperous era of the Tang Dynasty, although the people are accustomed to living in the shadow of the nobles of the family, these people from famous families are also accustomed to being high. However, Li Shimin, a maverick existence, has broken this millennium balance. In the battle for imperial power between him and Li Jiancheng, the brothers were so close that they killed each other, and invisibly placed himself on the opposite side of many families.

Since Li Shimin's accession to the throne, the people in Chang'an City and even in the government and the opposition have been speculating about when the conflict between him and the family will be completely made public? This suspense is like a sword of Damocles, hanging high above everyone's heads.

Finally, the sudden death of Choi Jung-deok caused an uproar like a boulder thrown into a calm lake.

When the news spread, the entire Chang'an City was boiling, and the people were panicked, as if overnight, cracks appeared in the power structure that originally seemed to be stable, and the oppressive atmosphere before the storm shrouded the entire capital.

And at this moment, everyone is holding their breath, waiting for the upcoming thunder blow, not knowing where this struggle will lead Datang ......