After everything was arranged at Zheng Guo's banquet, Li Ran returned home and told Ji Le the whole matter.
The Chu State came to invite him, and the new king specially invited him. Li Ran knew that he could not refuse easily.
However, after he told Ji Le about this, Ji Le's expression suddenly darkened.
Since their marriage, the two of them have been spending less time together and more time apart. First there was Li Ran's mission to Jin, then there was the meeting in Guodi, and then there was the new policy of Zichan that never stopped for a moment.
Ji Le originally thought that after the Zichan New Deal was promoted, Li Ran would be free, but unexpectedly, there were waves of unrest, and God was not willing to grant her wish after all.
The time they spend together as a couple is really very little.
Her pair of dark and translucent eyes suddenly dimmed a lot.
However, she did not express dissatisfaction with Li Ran's mission to Chu State, but was very worried.
"My husband already refused the prince's invitation at the Guodi meeting. If he goes to Chu State this time and he forcefully recruits me again, how will my husband respond? Could it be that Dr. Zichan is confused? He actually agreed. ? Isn’t this deliberately leaving an opportunity for Wang Ziwei?”
In a hurry, she almost said the wrong thing.
However, her consideration is not unreasonable.
Previously in Guo Di, the reason why Wang Ziwei failed to recruit Li Ran was mainly because at that time, Wang Ziwei was on someone else's territory and was restricted by the general environment. After all, he was constrained in doing things and found it difficult to perform.
But now if Li Ran goes to Chu State, that will be their own territory. Once Wang Ziwei forcibly recruits Li Ran, and Li Ranruo still refuses to comply, is it possible that Wang Ziwei can still be rejected like he was in Guodi?
With his Prince Wei's temperament, he would definitely not give up so easily!
"Haha, Le'er doesn't have to worry about this."
"oh?"
Ji Le was startled when he heard the sound, and doubts flashed on his little head.
Li Ran, on the other hand, continued speaking as if nothing had happened:
"As the saying goes, 'take advantage of others and obey', since Prince Wei has usurped the throne and became the king, if he behaves in such a domineering and unruly way in the future, not to mention how the countries in the Central Plains will react, they will be in trouble. There will certainly not always be silence in the country.”
That's right, his prince is usurping the throne and seizing power, and there are so many pairs of eyes staring at him. Moreover, I don’t know how many people are waiting there with ulterior motives.
I'm afraid only God knows this.
And Li Ran also knew very well that the path that Wang Ziwei was taking now would be followed by someone from Chu State in the future.
"What did your husband say?..."
Ji Le felt that there was obviously something in Li Ran's words, so he immediately asked again.
But who would have expected that Li Ran just smiled, pretending to be a little secretive, and did not continue to answer.
Immediately, he only explained some things about Ji's family business to Ji Le.
After all, he could also expect that if he went to Chu State this time, he might not be able to return to Zheng Yi for a while.
As the head of the Ji family, he definitely can't care about this these days. Naturally, these burdens will fall on Ji Le and Owl Wings.
In this regard, Ji Le also understands this.
"Hey... now that I think about it, we were still used by my father after all."
In the two years after marrying Li Ran, Ji Le gradually learned more and gained more knowledge. And many things that were originally unclear are becoming increasingly clear at this moment.
"The reason why dad agreed to our marriage...actually, isn't he taking advantage of my husband?"
"He knows that your husband has a good relationship with Dr. Zichan, and has a close relationship with several doctors in the Jin Kingdom... That's why dad will let you, my husband, take over the position of head of the Ji family."
"Dad used me to firmly tie my husband and the Shi family together. Therefore, no matter what my husband does outside, and no matter what my husband will be like in the future, the Ji family will be glorious because of her husband."
The clever Ji Le finally understood it after two years of marriage.
Originally, she only thought that her father only agreed to her marriage to Li Ran because he loved her.
However, as Li Ran's responsibilities within the Ji clan became more and more important, his influence in Zheng State also became greater and greater. It can even be said that he has become the most important person in the Zheng State's government and the public.
Only then did she realize how naive her original idea was.
To put it bluntly, Ji Xian has always been a businessman, and he is also the core of the Ji family business group.
Like her, everything he does and every decision he makes cannot be arbitrary.
Even the marriage of his beloved youngest daughter Ji Le is something that needs to be weighed repeatedly for the whole Ji family.
This is by no means something that can be decided by personal likes and dislikes of sacrificial music.
"Haha, but...what's wrong with this? What my father-in-law is thinking about is just to protect the century-old lintel of the Ji clan. This is not really a fault, right?"
Obviously, Li Ran was already aware of this.
Even when he first heard from Ji Zeng and Ji Xun that Ji Xian wanted to marry Ji Le to him, he had already figured out everything about it.
However, he also really likes Ji Le, and Ji Le is indeed interested in him. Since they are in love with each other, what's the harm in being used?
"But ever since we got married, my husband has been busy with various chores within and outside the clan. Roughly speaking, the time we have been together has only been a few days... and we have never had a good time..."
Smart and playful, she still maintains a kind and pure heart even after becoming wiser.
She is full of yearning for love, so she doesn't have much concept of "political marriage". She only hopes that she and the person she loves can become more and more in love with each other as time goes by.
Even though she was a person of this era, she didn't know that the term "love" would still exist in later generations.
But all she hoped for was that the two of them could be together to watch the changes of spring, summer, autumn and winter, to visit the majesty of the mountains and rivers, and to experience the purest and purest emotions in the world.
This is what she wants.
But this hope has gradually become ethereal because of this complicated and troubled world.
As she spoke, she couldn't help but feel even more depressed.
There were some things that she couldn't stop, but deep down in her heart, she still couldn't help but have fantasies.
When emotions surged, she was still the girl Li Ran first saw in Qufu, simple and pure.
Li Ran reached out and took her into his arms, gently caressed her face, and looked at her with extremely gentle eyes.
"Don't worry Le'er, I will always be with you."
"But..."
The best memories in the world are always the first unexpected encounter.
Time will not leave traces on this sky, traces will often only remain in people's hearts.
The relationship between the two no longer needs to be confessed.
Because companionship is the longest confession of love.
Ji Le's heart softened when he heard the sound, and he was overflowing with sweetness. He raised his head and slowly kissed Li Ran's lips.
Words will only become redundant at this time. Only the breathing that both people can hear is their deep love.
The setting sun in late autumn is still raging on the side of the mountain, and the cool autumn wind comes from the distant valley, and then gathers in this small courtyard, and finally turns into a bright smile, spreading out between the sky and the earth...
——
Chapter 213_Preparations before departure
Early the next morning, Li Ran summoned Sun Wu, Chu Dang, and Owl Yi to come together to discuss matters.
Before leaving, you still have to make preparations -->>
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"Chang Qing, how many warriors do you have under your command now?"
After the meeting in Guodi, Li Ran asked all the warriors recruited by General Sun to move to a valley outside Zhengyi City. Firstly, it was to avoid being discovered by the eyes and ears of Feng Duan, Sihei and others, and secondly because of the randomness. As the number of people increases, keeping this group of people in the city will be very eye-catching.
Therefore, Li Ran is actually not very clear about the current number of people.
"There are currently three hundred and twenty-seven people in total. They are not many, but they are all people who are willing to die for the service!"
Soldiers are more valuable than more, so Sun Wu usually selects the quality of his warriors very carefully. This is mainly due to Li Ran's current financial resources, which are indeed different from what they used to be. It is said that a brave man must be rewarded with a heavy reward, so keeping some elite soldiers and generals around him is no longer a luxury for Li Ran.
Li Ran nodded and arranged:
"Well, that's very good! Chang Qing, then you go and select more than a hundred good players to join me in Chu this time."
"The remaining warriors will all be placed at the disposal of Owl Wings. They will be scattered throughout the city to act as eyes and ears."
This time he went to Chu State, the future was uncertain, so of course Li Ran would not fail to make some preparations.
As the saying goes, when soldiers come, they will cover up the water and the earth. With more than a hundred good hands accompanying him, it is an extra guarantee for him, Li Ran.
"Sir, I want to go too!"
Before Li Ran could finish speaking, Chu Dang was already shouting urgently.
He heard that Li Ran only gave orders to Sun Wu and Owl Yi, but he didn't have anything to do. What's so great about this? So, there was a quarrel immediately.
Li Ran couldn't help but roll his eyes at him when he heard this, and then he couldn't help laughing and said:
"Nonsense, I will take you with me, you are my number one warrior!"
Chu Dang's brute strength is definitely something that can only be seen once in a hundred years. With just Chu Dang alone, he can defeat tens of thousands of guards. How could Li Ran not know this?
After hearing Li Ran's instructions, Chu Dang immediately became very happy and shouted:
"Okay, okay! I can't stay in this place any longer!"
"I can finally go out for a walk. Thank you sir for making it possible!"
Chu Dang is obviously a martial artist who cannot settle down. It would be too difficult for him to stay in one place for a long time.
"Haha, Brother Slut has such a temper that he really can't calm down."
Seeing Chu Dang running to clean up and salute, Sun Wu immediately smiled and said.
Li Ran couldn't help but nodded and said:
"Well, it would be really strange if he could calm down."
"By the way, Chang Qing, I have asked you to take the time to secretly select and train these warriors recently. It is really hard for you, Chang Qing."
Li Ran stood up and bowed to Sun Wu.
After all, isn't it a typical case of asking the military sage of later generations to train his personal guard for himself?
But who would have expected that when Sun Wu heard this, he immediately returned the gift and replied somewhat flattered:
"This is Sun Wu's duty. Sir, these words undermine Wu."
"Furthermore, Wu Yi has benefited a lot from following Mr. Wu, so how dare he say the word 'hard work'? Mr. Wu, please don't say this again. Wu Shou deserves it."
The reason why Sun Wu can become a soldier sage in the future is definitely inseparable from his good learning.
During the period of time when he followed Li Ran, whether it was plots or conspiracies, whether strategies or knowledge, they were constantly growing. And the reason why he traveled to various countries was to continuously improve himself?
Since you can gain so much knowledge by following Li Ran, why should you feel aggrieved?
Li Ran was very happy when he heard Sun Wu's words. He immediately said no more and only entrusted him to arrange the warriors.
Then, he called Owl Wings to the backyard again.
Seeing that he was so serious about his work, Owl Wing knew that he must have an entrustment, so he immediately nodded and listened attentively.
"Owl Yi, after I leave, remember all the big and small things in Zhengyi City and any disturbances! Be sure to write them down as soon as possible."
"For example, some elders in the clan are secretly communicating with the Qi people, and secretly colluding with Shu Niu. If you have clues, you can discuss it with your wife before making a decision. Don't be reckless!"
"If you meet Madam and you are unsure about what you are paying attention to, you can quickly send her to the Kingdom of Chu to find me. I will reply personally."
Originally, Sun Wu had been doing these things secretly. Now that Sun Wu will follow him to the Chu Kingdom, he can only leave it to Owl Wings.
"promise!"
Owl Wing had nothing else to say and answered without hesitation.
Li Ran helped him up, and the two sat down on the ground in the courtyard.
"You can discuss matters within the clan with Madam. However, if you encounter foreign affairs, such as Feng Duan, Si Hei, or even Shu Niu, Ji family, you can not disclose these matters to Madam for the time being."
Surrounded by foreign enemies, Li Ran could no longer entrust such a heavy burden to Ji Le. How could her small shoulders be able to bear such an arduous task?
"If you encounter something strange in the dark, you can directly inform the sect master first, and then ask the sect master to talk to Dr. Zipi. Of course, you must also report it to me afterwards."
Although Ji Xian has been using him, but when he said it, he was not using Ji Xian? Just like when he went to Chu State this time, he could only rely more on his father-in-law for many things in Zheng Yi.
"In addition, you must send letters from Jin and Lu to Chu as soon as possible."
This is critical.
Whether it is the Shusun family of the Lu State or the Shuxiang family of the Jin State, their intelligence is extremely important to Li Ran's judgment of the current situation...
After Li Ran had given him countless instructions and thought about it, nothing was left out, and then Owl Wing made the arrangements.
Owl Wing, who had been given orders like a mountain, knew that he had a heavy responsibility this time and did not dare to be careless. He immediately wrote everything down and made arrangements immediately.
Later, Li Ran came to Ji Xian's study room again, preparing to say goodbye to Ji Xian. After all, as the head of the family, it is necessary to say farewell to the head of the family.
"We have a long way to go before we go to Chu State. Zi Ming needs to be more careful!"
"I am already old, and I will have to rely on you for everything in the clan in the future."
Ji Xian looked at this son-in-law who was getting more and more attention from Zheng Guo's officials and even the ministers of various countries. He couldn't say whether he was relieved or helpless for the moment. Instead, he had mixed feelings.
After all, the more attention Li Ran received, the deeper the Ji clan would be implicated.
Ji Xian didn't know at this moment whether the original decision was good or bad for the entire Ji clan, or for Ji Le?
But it's too late to say anything now, and now we can only place our hope on Li Ran.
"By the way, Ji Zong and Ji Xun, what are your thoughts? Can you give me a definite letter now?"
Changing the topic, Ji Xian brought up this commonplace topic again.
After all, he still hopes that Li Ran can assist Ji Zong or Ji Xun to become successful.
Because he now also knows that it is difficult for him alone to tie Li Ran down.
There is no doubt that Li Ran will do his best to help the Ji clan.
But the future of the Jishi clan ultimately depends on Jishi himself. ???..coM
Regarding this point, Ji Xian is seeing it more and more clearly.
"Back to my father-in-law, in the past year, although the two brothers have been able to cope with everything in the clan, there are still some deviations in general."
"As for who is more suitable for the position of head of the family, Brother Zhong or Brother Meng, my father-in-law must have already had the answer in his mind. When the time comes, my father-in-law will just announce it to the public."
Although Li Ran did not talk about some things on the table, the subtle deviations between the two of them could still be observed on weekdays.
And with the knowledge of offering sacrifices to ancestors, how could he not know it?
