I Can Control My Ancestors-Chapter 31 - 13: Heaven and Earth Mourn, Gu Xiao Passes Away

Chapter 31: Chapter 13: Heaven and Earth Mourn, Gu Xiao Passes Away
When news of Gu Chen being expelled from the Gu family for violating the Gu Clan’s rules spread, the entire Hebei was shaken.
Everyone was flabbergasted; no one had expected Gu Xiao to make such a resolute decision.
Gu Clan’s rules?
Just how strict are they, that Gu Xiao would even give up his own brother?
Isn’t the Gu Clan just a budding family?
How do they even have family rules?
No one could fathom why the Gu Clan would take such actions. After all, in their eyes, the Gu Clan’s foundation was still insufficient, and such actions seemed like digging their own grave.
However, when faced with the cold hard facts, people could only accept it helplessly.
What followed were tactics typical of old noble families.
But with the examples of those past officials, who now would dare accept bribes?
Now, with Gu Xiao presiding over Hebei, his power was intimidating.
Who would dare to act arrogantly in front of the first founding hero?
Besides, Gu Xiao had even ousted his own brother, should anyone dare take a bribe and be caught, the consequences would force the officials arriving in Hebei to deeply consider.
Every action has its cost.
And these people made their choices accordingly.
For a time, the land survey in Hebei became even stricter.
Whether it was Liu Xiu’s directive remains unknown.
First in line was King Zhending Liu Yang.
This old prince thought he could rely on his old tactics to surpass this calamity, but being the most conspicuous target, no one dared to help him.
Unable to bear the ordeal any longer, he suddenly passed away at home.
Then came the great families of Hebei.
Those who willingly cooperated and sacrificed interests fared better, but families that tried alternative methods faced absolute reckoning.
The entire Hebei region experienced tremendous upheaval.
The air was filled with wails of anguish.
In response to the backlash from these great families, Liu Xiu took direct measures.
Anyone who dared to rebel was killed without exception;
While those who didn’t rebel but attempted to bribe officials were all relocated to other counties, severing their ties with their original counties.
Gu Yi was right in his guess, Liu Xiu intended to strip the great families of the realm of a layer of skin!
....
But all of this had nothing to do with the Gu Clan now.
Regardless of the chaos in the outside world, the Gu Clan stayed aloof, observing everything from the sidelines.
From that day forward, Gu Yi devoted himself entirely to the internal matters of the family.
Besides addressing daily educational issues, he began deliberating on the rules that should be included in the Gu Clan’s code.
Gu Yi did not aim for every member of the Gu Clan to become a saint.
After all, on the court, the treacherous and complex situations could easily manipulate those who were overly stubborn "saints."
He wanted to set the rules at a just right level.
To ensure that Gu Clan members have some moral flexibility while maintaining an unbreachable baseline.
— One must never harm the people for personal gain.
This was the first iron rule of the Gu family’s code, anyone who violated it was immediately expelled from the family.
Similarly, there was also the abuse of power.
Gu Yi did not want someone in the family who was ready to rebel at any moment.
Regardless of the success, such a rebellion might lead to the downfall of the entire direct line of the Gu Clan with the change of dynasties.
This was a cost Gu Yi could not afford.
Beyond that were some requirements regarding virtue and morality.
Of course, these demands were not as severe as the punishment for harming the people.
Moreover, Gu Yi reinforced the family’s core ideology.
Which was to strive not for one lifetime, but for ten thousand lifetimes.
Gu Yi wanted all family members to strive for this goal, continuously emphasizing it with Gu Kang and Gu Cheng.
Even though Gu Yi wasn’t sure whether his efforts would pay off.
He knew these were preparations he had to make.
As the rules were established, Gu Yi gradually turned his attention to other matters.
At present, he did not know how to achieve points of success, but based on his previous gaming experience, he had some ideas.
Thus, he began guiding Gu Xiao to start a series of attempts, also preparing for the family’s future.
The first was in agriculture.
Gu Yi shared a wealth of modern agricultural knowledge with Gu Kang.
For modern people, this knowledge was considered common sense, but for the current Great Han dynasty, these were invaluable.
He often intentionally took Gu Kang and Gu Cheng to the fields to observe the farmers at work.
He spoke to them about theoretical knowledge, suggesting how tools might be improved.
Gu Cheng showed little interest in this; being extraordinarily gifted in Martial Arts, he was younger than Gu Kang by a year but already physically surpassed him.
But Gu Kang listened attentively.
Especially as he grew older, he began to contemplate more things.
Faced with Gu Yi’s theories, he would occasionally reveal a look of sudden realization or fall into deep thought.
Of course, Gu Yi would not abandon Gu Cheng.
Apart from having Gu Xiao teach him Martial Arts, Gu Yi also instructed him in some modern military training tactics.
Gu Yi certainly didn’t intend to force things prematurely.
Doing so would only backfire.
The second generation of the Gu Clan was the focus of the family’s development and could not afford any negligence.
These experiences were based on Gu Xiao’s past training of troops in Shecheng City.
Improving obedience was crucial in this era dominated by cold weapon warfare.