In Hanlu City, there were many more people walking around in the guild hall near Ji Mansion. No one lives here all year round, and it is only opened every five years when the major families come here for an alliance.
Every Wanhu family has a courtyard here. As the lord became seriously ill, these courtyards became lively.
In the courtyard closest to Ji's Mansion, Lu Zhan was entertaining two people, Ba Zhi, the head of the Ba family, and Qiu Linxuan, the head of the Qiulin family.
The three of them didn't need servants. They found a pavilion in the backyard and made tea by themselves.
"Brother Lu, how long do you think that one can last?" Ba Zhi pointed in the direction of Ji Mansion behind him. Lu Zhan picked up the tea bowl and took a sip happily, and said thoughtfully: "It should be able to last for a while. The people from the Dengtian Palace have also seen it and sent a lot of pills. At least they can reach Zhaoqin City. However, the oil has run out and the lamp has dried up. I once went to the bed to visit. My body was as cold as ice and my mind was scattered. On hot days, a pile of charcoal fires should be lit in the house, and the good fire would melt the elixirs. I can only let him wake up for a while." Bazhi hesitated, covered the tea bowl in his hand,
"If that one leaves, who are you going to support, the eldest or the second?" Lu Lie glanced at the tea bowl in front of the other party and couldn't help but laugh: "Brother Ba is sure that the lord is in poor health and is ready to close the coffin. I don’t know which one Brother Ba would prefer.”
"I prefer Ji Chen. He is a relatively loyal person and has not entered the path of spiritual practice. His control over the province will inevitably be weakened accordingly, which is also good for our families. As for the idea of restructuring, I am afraid it will be more difficult to promote. "Bazhi said bluntly, turning to look at Qiu Linxuan beside him,
"Brother Qiu Lin, what are your intentions?" Qiu Linxuan, a tall man, sneered when he heard this: "Ji Xin has worked hard for so many years, thinking about making the Ji family last forever like the human race, but in the end he still fell to his own fate. , all in vain." He said and looked at Lu Lie with a smile,
"The Lu family is the largest among all my families. With such an excellent opportunity, I think Brother Lu might as well take the opportunity to ascend to power and change Hanlu City to another owner. We herdsmen are always whoever has the bigger fists will get the upper hand, so why not change our surname? After the change of dynasty, a new policy was established." Lu Lie stroked his beard and smiled slightly,
"Brother Ba, you are putting me on the fire. With so many households, how can I, the Lu family, be able to rise to the top? Forget it, let's not bring this up. I also think it would be better for Ji Chen to rise to the top. Ji Ye is my I also read that although I have no intention of being powerful, if I sit in a high position, it will inevitably cause trouble again. Well, let's jointly submit a letter before going to Zhaoqin City to settle the matter to prevent recurrence." At this moment. , suddenly a servant came to announce and handed over a greeting card, saying that the head of the Murong family, Murong Yingge, was visiting.
Lu Zhan laughed when he heard this,
"Murong Yingge is here to fight for his son-in-law's position, and he just wants to submit a letter together." Qiu Linxuan twirled his beard and said thoughtfully: "This person is said to have a close relationship with the Ji family. I don't know what he thinks about the restructuring. How about you, why don't we avoid it?" Lu Zhan smiled and waved his hand towards Qiu Linxuan,
"Brother Qiu Lin, don't worry. It's true that the Murong family and the Ji family are related by marriage, but as far as restructuring is concerned, they are not on the same road. Murong Yingge has been with me for a long time. He once complained bitterly to me, saying that Ji Xin pressured him to take the lead. I agree with the restructuring, but I feel quite resentful in my heart. At the point where we are now, the interests of the family are the greatest, and a little love between children is nothing. I don’t believe it. If it involves family affairs, you would be reluctant to give up one or two of your children. I’ll tell you the truth. , our Lu family and the Murong family have already formed an alliance. Moreover, this person's ambition is no less than that of everyone here. I think everyone has read the history books of the human race, and there are not many cases of those foreign relatives usurping the throne. Haha, Ji Xin has been tough all his life, but he has nothing to do with it. He gave birth to a cowardly son. After he left, the Ji family could not be said to have lost a lot of power to the Murong family." Bazhi sneered: "He took a shortcut, but it's a pity that we are shepherds and this is Kuntianzhou. , if you want to play the tricks of the human race, you are not accustomed to the local environment. If there is a new lord, we must find ways to reduce the number of guards in various places and reduce the land directly under the lord's jurisdiction. The Murong family can either follow our path and share a share of the pie. Or don't blame us for taking over his territory." Lu Zhan put his palms in his hands and laughed.
"Don't worry, Murong Yingge is just a fox. He can pretend to be powerful, but he doesn't have the strength of a pillar. No matter how much he eats, he won't turn into a tiger. He will assess the situation."
"By the way, I heard that Ji Bi arrived in Hanlu City yesterday. He is the lord's younger brother. He arrived later than us outsiders." Bazhi suddenly remembered something.
"I heard that the position of lord was originally intended to be passed to Ji Bi, but was given to Ji Xin because he was unable to practice. He was also exiled to Wuling City and became a small city lord. It is said that the garrison in the mountain this time was also for Be on guard against him. Is it possible that Ji Bi is angry, that's why he came so late?" Qiu Linxuan refilled the tea for the other two family heads. With a flick of his finger, a buzzing fly landed outside the pavilion.
"Haha, Ji Bi, you are a loser. I heard that the reason why he came late this time was because he collected a thousand men and horses from his Wuling City and gave them all to Ji Xin to defend Hanlu City. Just in case something changes. Think about how many people there are in his Wuling City, but this will leave him empty-handed. He even ran over to see his brother off. I have never seen such a spineless person." Lie raised his eyes and glanced at Qiu Linxuan. He wanted to say something but held it back.
"Be careful, Ji Bi still has some ideas. By the way, the three of us are chatting here and leaving the Murong family master outside." He turned to the servant and said: "Please invite the Murong family master here quickly. Forget it, I'd better go and greet them." The sky gradually darkened, Lu Zhan's face turned red, and after sending the other three heads of family out the door, he turned and returned to his study.
The four of them had a great time chatting today, and Lu Zhan simply invited the three heads of family to a dinner party. While they were drinking and drinking, an offensive and defensive alliance had been decided.
The servant brought a bowl of snow lotus soup and placed it on the table. Lu Zhan grabbed the bowl and took a few bites. Suddenly he remembered something, raised his head and said,
"Go and call Jia Kui." The servant agreed, turned around and walked out the door. After a while, Jia Kui came to the study.
When Lu Lie left Hanlu City, considering that Jia Kui was familiar with the city, he kept him to serve his father.
In the past few days, Jia Kui has been very busy. In addition, he is familiar with all the connections in the city and can handle things quite neatly. This makes Lu Zhan value him more and more.
After entering the study, Jia Kui bowed to Lu Zhan.
"My lord." He said, stepping forward and taking down the empty bowl from the table, then turned around and handed it to the servant behind him.
Lu Zhan nodded with satisfaction. This boy had a bright eye, but his background was a bit poor. Otherwise, if he had practiced for a few days and established military exploits, he would be more than enough to become a city lord.
"Jia Kui, I'm going to Zhaoqin City soon, and I don't need your service here. Tomorrow you go back to find the young master and tell him that before I return, the troops and horses cannot be withdrawn, and that I have to fight with the Ba family and Qiu family. For the Lin family to join forces to create some momentum, it would be best to involve the Murong family, so that the Ji family can see our combat power and know our determination, so as to save them from overthinking. Then contact the families further away and take action together. Move. Today I heard from the head of the Murong family that several governors of the Ji family seem to have some ideas and want to mobilize some of the guards back. I just want them not to dare to mobilize the guards without authorization. Remember, to move without breaking, it will not only make the Ji family feel The pressure cannot make them jump over the wall. As for whether to send out troops in the future, we will discuss it based on the situation when I return from Zhaoqin City. At this point, Lu Zhan thought for a while and then said: "But if I have someone in Zhaoqin City, If something unexpected happens, just send troops to capture Hanlu City first. When the province is in chaos, you will decide who will succeed you. Our Lu family will take Lu Lie as the next head of the family. The Qiu Lin family is right, those with good moral character will be promoted to the top. Why can I, the Lu family, only be a member of ten thousand households? However, our strength is not yet strong enough to overwhelm the heroes. We cannot stand out, lest we invite annihilation of our clan. We might as well help others to rise to power. As for who it is, Lie'er knows who it is. But I understand. "
"I understand." Jia Kui quickly replied.
"Okay, let's go. After this matter is over, don't follow the young master. Go and find a future in the army. Just say it was me." Lu Zhan pinched his eyebrows. In the past two days, I'm really tired of dealing with various companies.
Seeing that Jia Kui did not leave, Lu Zhan was a little strange.
"But something happened." Jia Kui's face turned red, he stepped forward and knelt down.
"Thank you very much, Master, for your mercy. I will follow you until death and do what a dog and a horse can do. However, the Master also knows that my identity is a bit embarrassing. I am afraid that the Master will be suspicious when I go back to deliver a message this time. I dare you to ask the Master for a gift." Just a token so as not to delay the official business."
"Haha, that's true." Lu Zhan chuckled. His son was quite suspicious sometimes. He casually took off a knife from the wall and handed it to Jia Kui.
"This knife is something I carry with me. It has been with me for many years. Lie'er will know it once he sees it. That's all, I'll write another letter." After speaking, he cheered up and wrote a few words. What to say to your son.
Jia Kui took the letter, carefully put it into his arms, and quickly stood up.
"Master, you have worked hard for many days, so please rest early. I will definitely deliver the letter."
"Oh. Okay, thank you for the hard work." Lu Zhan smiled slightly when he heard this, put down the pen, and signaled Jia Kui to leave.
"My lord, I'd like to take my leave." Jia Kui bowed and backed away. When he reached the door, he knelt down and kowtowed again. Fang turned around and walked out of the door, closing the door gently.
"He is indeed a talented person. Why can't Lieer look down on him?" Lu Zhan shook his head slightly and prepared to read for a while before going to bed.
Early on the next morning, shengs and xuns were blaring in Hanlu City, and a large golden carriage slowly drove out from Ji's Mansion, with guards wearing heavy armor on both sides.
At the four corners of the car body, there are blazing torches. This furnace will not stop when exposed to the wind, but there will be no smoke and dust, and it can continue to burn for more than a month.
Even so, everyone could still see that there was a faint layer of white air surrounding the car, and a layer of hoarfrost formed on the carriage.
The servants serving in the car were all wearing thick clothes and their faces were pale from the cold. The motorcade slowly walked out of the city. There were more than a hundred ceremonial guards in front of it, and the tall flags had the big character Ji on them.
The leaders of the recent branches of the Ji family followed closely behind the golden carriages, and the carriages of each family followed behind. As soon as they left Hanlu City, two columns of heavy cavalry quickly followed up on both sides of the convoy, tightly protecting the convoy. There were several hawks flying around in the sky, alert to the surrounding situation.
Ji Ye sat in the golden chariot, looking at his father who was like a candle in the wind, silently holding a letter tightly in his hand.
Turning his head to look at the undulating grass waves outside the window, he asked softly,
"is this okay."
