Speaking of the Cui Clan, he had to talk about his ancestors.
During the Pre-Qin period, someone surnamed Cui was once a high official of the Qi State and was active in the Shandong region.
During the Qin and Han Dynasties, the Cui surname developed very quickly and became a large family in Hebei. They used this as their origin and moved around. When the Cui surname searched for its ancestors, they would go to Qinghe and Boling prefectures in Hebei.
From the Western Han Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, Cui's official career continued.
From the Wei and Jin Dynasties to the early Tang Dynasty, according to the family status of the aristocratic families, the surname Cui ranked first, and even the surname Li of the country was inferior, which showed the glory of the surname Cui.
Especially in the Tang Dynasty, the Cui family was the most prominent. There were 11 prime ministers from Qinghe and 12 from Boling. This number was terrifying, and the power of the Cui family could be seen.
Not only the Cui family, but the head of the Wang family in Taiyuan, Wang Gui, was also an official remonstrant. The head of the Lu family, Lu Yanqing, was the Shimen Order and the Eastern Palace Scholar…
Not to mention anything else, the five surnames and seven Wangs, these few prominent families would definitely not agree to Li Er being so impulsive.
A few days later, Cui Mingan returned with a travel-worn face. The five families and seven Wangs gathered at Cui Mansion to discuss countermeasures.
"Brother Daozhen, we are following your lead. His Majesty's reform of the imperial examination is clearly targeting the Cui family!”
Cui Mingan, also known as Daozhen, was also known as Cui Gan for the taboo of Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty.
After all, Cui Mingan was an old fox who had been in the officialdom for many years. How could he be provoked by his little provocation? He glanced at Lu Yanqing and said,
"Yan Qing, you are wrong. The five surnames and seven Wangs are united, sharing honor and disgrace. If our Cui family is damaged, how good will your Fan Yang Lu family be?”
"Uncle Cui Shi is right. His Majesty seems to have made up his mind to weaken the power of the aristocratic families.”
The one who spoke was Wang Jingzhi, the son of Wang Gui, the head of the Wang family. Because his father, Wang Gui, was already fifty-six years old and had caught a cold recently, he had sent Wang Jingzhi to discuss the matter.
Wang Jingzhi was also an extremely arrogant person. At the age of 20, he was already a man of Nancheng County. He was already one of the best among his peers. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty even married his third daughter, Princess Nanping, to Wang Jingzhi in the eleventh year of Zhenguan.
Born in the five surnames and seven Wangs, and with a noble title, how could Wang Jingzhi not be arrogant?
However, all of this changed with the arrival of a man named Qin Feng.
Although Qin Feng was born into a poor family and was the son of a landlord, he was lucky to have a strange Taoist master who had countless skills such as horseshoes, ice making, salt making, and so on. He had already become Lord Lan Tian before he was even twenty years old.
Moreover, according to his father, Wang Gui, the remonstrant doctor, Second Emperor Li had taken a liking to Qin Feng, especially when he made him the chief examiner of the imperial examination. This was a great honor.
Even if he was the son of a remonstrant, he still had to follow the imperial examination system obediently. It was an achievement for the chief examiner to preside over the imperial examination, and those who were on the list would become his disciples.
The more Wang Jingzhi thought about it, the angrier he got. Why was Qin Feng, who was born in a lowly family, stronger than him in everything?
Cui Mingan and Lu Yanqing looked at each other and saw the sly smile on each other's faces.
"That's right, then what's your plan?" Cui Min Gan asked kindly.”
Wang Jingzhi was pleased to see the two family heads looking at him expectantly, but he knew that he still had to lower his stance in front of them.
"Uncle Cui Shi is too kind. I don't deserve to be called a brilliant plan. However, didn't His Majesty want Qin Feng to be the chief examiner of the imperial examination? Then, we, the five surnames and seven Wangs, will send a few representatives to test him.”
Seeing that the two family heads were listening carefully, Wang Jingzhi was even more proud. He continued,"If he wins, we won't say anything. If he loses, what right does His Majesty have to shut the mouths of the people?”
After Cui Min Gan heard this, he praised,""Nephew Jingzhi is so young, yet you can think of such a brilliant plan. As expected, heroes come from the young. In the future, your achievements will definitely not be inferior to ours!”
This was the first time Wang Jingzhi had been praised by someone of this level, and he felt extremely happy. Usually, his father, Wang Gui, was very strict with her and rarely praised her.
This time, if not for Wang Gui's cold and Wang Jingzhi's constant pleas, he probably wouldn't have had the chance to discuss this.
"Nephew Jingzhi, Brother Cui and I are both old. It would be a loss of status to test someone who is not yet twenty years old. Why don't we send some of the younger generation and let you lead them to take the test together?”
Lu Yanqing's words first put his and Cui Min's age and status in front of him. It was not convenient for him to appear, so it was completely reasonable for Wang Jingzhi to lead the examination.
Wang Jingzhi also wanted to agree, but he didn't dare to be so arrogant. He said,""This…this can't be done. The Cui family and the Lu family are full of talents.”
Cui Mingan continued to persuade him," Hey, Nephew Jingzhi, you don't have to be humble. Your achievements are already outstanding among the younger generation of the Five Surnames and Seven Wangs. Who else would be qualified if you didn't bring along?"”
Wang Jingzhi pretended to decline a few more times. The two old foxes could naturally see it and still kept praising him.
Finally, Wang Jingzhi gritted his teeth and said,""Alright, since the two family heads have said so, Jingzhi can't refuse.”
Cui Mingan patted Wang Jingzhi's shoulder and said,""With you leading us, we can rest assured. Tomorrow morning, you will go to the palace with us.”
Wang Jingzhi bowed and said," Then I'll accept your request. Oh right, Qin Feng is a good craftsman. We can avoid his strong points." Nephew is not talented, but knows a thing or two about poetry and songs. I hope that the children selected by the two uncles are good at calculation, scriptures, words, etc.”
After receiving the approval of the two masters, Wang Jingzhi said,""Alright then, I will go back and prepare. I will take my leave first.”
After Wang Jingzhi left, Cui Mingan and Lu Yanqing smiled as if their plan had succeeded.
They all knew that Second Emperor Li was not a person who acted on impulse. He had led his troops to attack the Sui Dynasty, killed the Crown Prince in the coup of Xuanwu Gate, forced his father to abdicate, and made an alliance with the Turkic Khagan at the Wei River.
What Second Emperor Li had experienced was something that ordinary people could not experience in their lifetime. These experiences had also tempered his temperament.
From this, it could be seen that Second Emperor Li was already dissatisfied with the Shandong aristocrats and wanted to use this imperial examination system to further weaken their strength.
However, as the Five Families and Seven Wangs, with so many eyes on them in court, they had to do something to protect the interests of the gentry.
If the person who had come to the Wang Clan today was Wang Gui, perhaps they would still be wary and not use the method of examination, but it was Wang Jingzhi.
After all, a young man was still a young man. With just a little hint, he would be able to charge forward and risk his life.
In the matter of the school examination, if they won, it would be the five surnames and seven Wangs. If they lost, it would be Wang Jingzhi of the Wang family in Taiyuan who would take the blame. After all, he was the target of public criticism. The Lu and Cui families were invincible.
However, the two of them also hoped that Wang Jingzhi would win and let the world see that the Five Surnames and Seven Wangs were still the most dazzling families in the world.
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