After calming down for a moment, Xiao Rui raised a question: "Although I was young back then, I had finally experienced that era. How come I didn't hear about the money and food provided by the Five Surnames and Seven Hopes? I only know that after the Jinyang uprising, Pingyang The princess broke through Guanzhong with lightning speed, captured Chang'an, and seized countless grain and grass, thus increasing her strength in recruiting troops."
Cui Shouzhen nodded and asked: "What happened after taking Guanzhong? Li Tang's power expanded rapidly. In the end, the three pillars were Li Tang in Chang'an, Wang Shichong in Luoyang, and Dou Jiande in Hebei. It was at this time that we made our bets."
Xiao Rui understood, "The Cui family in Qinghe is located in Hebei, and the Zheng family in Xingyang is located in Luoyang. In the end, you bet on Li Tang. You are so bold, so this matter is secret enough that outsiders don't know. Then why was it built by the prince? What? If I remember correctly, at that time, King Qin had already become famous and had many elite soldiers under his command, so he seemed to have more potential. "
Cui Shouzhen didn't speak, but just looked at Xiao Rui, as if he was taking a test.
Xiao Rui did not press the question, but fell into deep thought. He put himself into the role and the position of Qi Wang, the fifth surname. Why did he choose Prince Jiancheng instead of King Qin Li Er?
Is it a distinction between civil and military affairs? It's not quite like it. Although the King of Qin can fight, Prince Jiancheng has also led troops. He still relies on his soldiers and generals to fight... yes, his soldiers and generals.
"Is it because of the common people and nobles?"
"At that time, the King of Qin recruited talents from all over the world, with a cloud of counselors and a rain of generals. Half of his team were from common people from poor families. Are you afraid that if you support him, in the future, when he becomes emperor, he will encourage the rise of poor families and suppress the gentry class?"
Cui Shouzhen clapped his hands and praised: "You are worthy of being a champion, the most talented person in the world, and your reputation is well-deserved. Sure enough, your quick thinking can't defeat you. Yes, this is the reason. We bet on Li Tang because we have considered the world situation and feel that Li Tang has a better chance of winning. big."
"After that, we have to find a way to get Li Tang to support the noble families. Every change of political power is a struggle for power. New nobles replace the old nobles. This has been the case in all dynasties. And the reason why Five Surnames and Seven Hopes can The inheritance is endless just because I know how to place bets.”
Xiao Rui suddenly realized, "I understand. The opportunity was very good at that time. The three parties worked hard, and Li Tang was not the strongest one. Only by destroying Wang Shichong of Luoyang would they have a chance to show off with Dou Jiande of Hebei. They are also in urgent need of foreign aid."
"But you miscalculated in the end. You didn't expect that there would be a Xuanwu Sect. In the end, King Qin took over the world."
"No, no, even if there is no Xuanwu Sect, you may not succeed. Prince Jiancheng is not mediocre. It can be said that the four princes of Li Tang are dragons and phoenixes, and they are not the best in the pool. Even if he takes the seat, You want him to be a puppet and be manipulated by you, but that's impossible."
"Don't forget, if we talk about the struggle of the gentry against the common people, then Li Tang belongs to the Guanlong Group and is also from the gentry. With or without your support, he should represent the interests of the gentry."
"But they didn't. Because no matter who becomes the emperor, his status will immediately change and become the one to maintain his dominance. No matter what the nobles or the common people, they are all forces that he has to control."
"The noble families are too prosperous, so naturally they have to use the poor families of the common people to suppress them."
"Even a talentless mediocrity would choose this."
Cui Shouzhen nodded and said: "Yes, you are absolutely right. So in addition to the marriage layer, we also added a villain bet."
"Is there any other agreement?" Xiao Rui was surprised and wanted to slap him in the face after he said it. I'm so speechless. The secrets I learned today seemed to be a bit too much to digest.
"Haha, yes, we asked him for an IOU." Cui Shouzhen recalled: "An IOU signed by Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng. King Qin didn't know about it."
"As long as that IOU exists, the royal family will always owe us a favor. Even if they don't support us, they won't dare to go too far."
"Do you think the reason why the King of Qin was invincible on the front line at that time was because he was very strong? No, it was also because he had a strong logistics team. Prince Jiancheng was a kind man and did not care much about the false reputation rumored by the outside world. In order to support his younger brother in winning the war, he sacrificed a lot , shouldering a lot of pressure.”
"There are rumors in the world that half of the Tang Dynasty was conquered by the King of Qin. It is true, but the other half was built by the prince. The King of Qin may not understand this at the time, but today, he must have I already understood."
"It's a pity that Prince Jiancheng is dead. There is one less person in the world, and that IOU was buried in the dust. The Supreme Emperor and we all made a tacit agreement not to mention it again."
"Since then, we have been on guard against the imperial court's suppression. The world is at peace, and people with five surnames and seven hopes only serve as officials and do not want to be involved with the royal family anymore."
Haha, of course Li Er understands everything, that’s why he can’t sleep well every night. Is it really because of an innocent soul seeking his life? No, it's because of the guilt he feels towards his eldest brother Li Jiancheng! With this guilt, he worked hard day and night, determined to govern the country to perfection, so as to prove to the world that he would do better as emperor than his elder brother.
It seems that only in this way can he slightly alleviate the guilt in his heart and give himself a legitimate reason to face his elder brother after his death.
Xiao Rui understood it completely, and he would have made the same choice if it were him. Because you married off your daughter knowing that the emperor would suppress you, in the eyes of other families, you were trying to break up with the dragon and the phoenix. The alliance is no longer solid.
Once a split occurs, facing the emperor's suppression will be a disaster.
Seeing Xiao Rui's face, Cui Shouzhen said sincerely: "Master Hou, you are a person. The reason why I am willing to tell you everything today without any secret is because I know that you are very human. If it were you in this position, you would still make the same choice. of."
"So, please understand my difficulties. We just want our family to survive. We have no choice."
"Ning'er and the prince are a perfect match. As a father, I am very willing to see them together. But I am the head of the Cui family, and I can't do this. As a member of the family, Ning'er should also contribute to the family. Please understand and don’t use any means of coercion."
At this time, the problem was thrown to Xiao Rui, who looked embarrassed, "This...hey! I knew this trip would be difficult, but something like this happened. I am also entrusted by someone, and I am in a dilemma."
Although I, Xiao Rui, only play high-end matches, this round is really a dilemma. How good would it be if you were the Zheng family in Xingyang? The two sides are enemies, and if I just rob someone, you probably won’t think it will destroy the alliance. But no, you are kind to the prince, and have been questioned by other families. If you get closer to the royal family, the five surnames and seven hopes will really be divided.
Cui Shouzhen smiled, "Sure enough, I am not wrong about the person. Your Majesty pushed for this, mostly because he wanted to take the opportunity to destroy the five surnames and seven hopes. But the Marquis is kind-hearted and still thinks that we are also part of the Tang Dynasty. , unwilling to kill."
Xiao Rui rolled his eyes and said, "It's good that you know. Although I can't stand you families with big businesses and powerful families, but the natural nobility will always exist. Although I, Xiao Rui, hate evil, I am also reasonable. You are also big. People of the Tang Dynasty, you can't just kill them all indiscriminately in order to divide the interests, right? In that case, let alone saying that you are not convinced, you won't be able to convince the public if you say it. Wouldn't everyone be in danger in the future?"
Cui Shouzhen gave a big salute and said, "Thank you, Lord Marquis, for your understanding."
I thought that this matter would be settled once the words were said, but Xiao Rui suddenly changed the subject and said something like this: "So, my approach is to kill people and kill people!"
Phew...what? Murder and heart-wrenching? What do you want to do? Cui Shouzhen didn't seem to understand.
But he knew that Xiao Rui was probably going to do something wrong again. Just like before, he actually came up with a plan to kill the Wang family in Taiyuan. Who in the right mind could do this?
