As soon as Lin Feng and Xu Liuli walked out of the imperial city and were about to find an inn to stay, an attendant came up to them and bowed: "Master Lin, please wait a moment. Gu Shangshu will be here shortly."
This is the person arranged by Gu Xi.
As soon as he learned that Lin Feng was coming, he arranged for people to guard outside the imperial city.
Lin Feng nodded.
The attendant went to report, but not long after, Gu Xi strode over, walked up to Lin Feng, and saluted, "Little Master, Princess."
Xu Liuli nodded.
Lin Feng said: "You are the official secretary of the Jin State, the head of hundreds of officials, why bother to come in person?"
Gu Xi said sternly: "When my junior uncle arrived in Jinling City, how could I, as a disciple of the Xunmen, not show my friendship as a landlord? My junior junior uncle was living in my house in Jinling City. When I finished my work, I was about to leave. , I will send the young master away again."
Lin Feng said directly: "I came to Jin State, on the one hand, to negotiate with His Majesty, and an agreement has been reached to promote the division of Xia State's territory between Jin State and Qin State. On the other hand, it is about my marriage to Liuli. This matter Your Majesty has said that he will make arrangements. When the marriage is over, I will take Liuli and leave Jin."
Gu Xi said: "My uncle's marriage must be held in my Gu family. You don't know anyone in Jin, so my Gu family is here to arrange your marriage. On the princess's side, it is your Majesty's responsibility. As for your uncle, I am here to arrange it." , it will be handled at the Gu family, which is just right."
Lin Feng said: "It's too troublesome for you."
Gu Xi shook his head hurriedly and said, "It's not troublesome, it's not troublesome. Junior uncle, come with me."
"Then it's hard on you."
Lin Feng agreed directly.
For Lin Feng, if Gu Xi is willing to handle the marriage, he can just let Gu Xi arrange it.
Gu Xi said: "Uncle, princess, please come with me."
Lin Feng and Xu Liuli agreed and went straight to Gu's house. Upon arriving at Gu's house, Gu Xi first arranged for someone to prepare the yard for Xu Liuli and Lin Feng, making it available for them to live in.
Gu Xi didn't bother him for the time being.
On the one hand, Lin Feng and Xu Liuli had just met, so they naturally had a lot to say. On the other hand, when it came to Lin Feng's marriage, Gu Xide went to the palace to contact the emperor and discuss the general situation and process.
Lin Feng and Xu Liuli were in the room, and they had space to talk privately. The two of them cuddled together, Xu Liuli was mainly talking, and Lin Feng listened to Xu Liuli's words, occasionally interjecting a few words.
Under the tenderness and affection, the two gradually fell in love with each other.
Finally, it was cloudy and rainy again.
In the evening, Lin Feng and Xu Liuli packed up and chatted in the yard about their trip to Qin.
A trace of anxiety appeared on Xu Liuli's pretty face, and she asked: "Husband, what is Sister Bai's temperament like, is she easy to get along with?"
Lin Feng said: "Yu Yao has a very gentle temperament and is easy to get along with. You can rest assured."
When he was in Qin State, Lin Feng chatted with Bai Yuyao and talked about Xu Liuli in private. Bai Yuyao had no objection.
Even supported.
This is due to the circumstances of the times. Most of the aristocratic families in the world, or those who have some family fortune, have three wives, four concubines, or even groups of wives and concubines.
Basically, men from powerful families have more wives and concubines.
People from large families marry wives and take concubines. On the one hand, men have enough resources to be able to marry wives and take concubines. This is the situation of the times. On the other hand, in order to pass on the family, the family must have many heirs.
The inheritance of a family requires heirlooms of poems and books, as well as resources, but the bottom line is that the heirs must be prosperous.
In such a big family, if you only have one son and one heir, all your hopes will be pinned on one person.
It just so happens that in this era, medical conditions are even worse.
If you don't pay attention, you may die young.
Even if you grow up safely, if you grow crooked and fail to become talented, and there is only one heir, the family will completely collapse. If there are many heirs, even if there is a high probability that there will be many rice bugs and many incompetent ones, as long as one or two are successful, the family can continue.
This is a high probability situation.
A large population, coupled with the family's inheritance of poems and books, as well as the accumulation of resources and connections, are the foundation of the inheritance of a large family.
It was for this reason that Bai Yuyao once asked Lin Feng to take a concubine.
When Xu Liuli heard Lin Feng's words, she turned her eyes, thought for a while and said, "I believe in my husband, and I also believe in Sister Bai."
"It's peace of mind."
Lin Feng smiled and reassured.
Bai Yuyao's temperament is easier to get along with, and Bai Yuyao also knows Xu Liuli.
The two of them were talking, when an attendant came in and reported: "Sir, the master of the house invites you two to a banquet."
"knew."
Lin Feng and Xu Liuli stood up and walked out.
When the two of them arrived at the dining room where they were dining, Gu Xi and the Gu family arrived. Gu Xi specially invited Lin Feng to sit at the top.
The banquet was extremely sumptuous.
Everyone in the Gu family knew Lin Feng's identity and also knew Xu Liuli's identity, and they all respected him. They enjoyed the banquet.
After dinner, Gu Xicai invited Lin Feng and Xu Liuli to the study to discuss things.
Gu Xi sat upright and said directly: "Uncle, princess, regarding your marriage, I went to the palace specifically in the afternoon to discuss it with Your Majesty. Someone will welcome the princess to live in the palace later, waiting for the marriage."
"The auspicious day selected now is four days later, November 28, which is an auspicious day."
"At that time, my junior uncle will personally lead the wedding team to the imperial city to welcome the bride."
"Under normal circumstances, when a princess from the royal family gets married, it is impossible for a wedding procession to enter the imperial city. That is to say, His Majesty loves the princess and makes an exception. Therefore, the Gu family is allowed to arrange for people to go to the imperial city to welcome the bride, and then bring the procession back to the Gu family. According to The ceremony of marriage is carried out.”
"Marriage is just such a process."
Gu Xi said: "In short, everything that should be there will be there. Because this wedding is different, there are some exceptions and some differences. For the young master uncle and the princess, you just follow the arrangements and don't need to worry about it."
Lin Feng said: "Thank you for your hard work."
Xu Liuli also looked grateful and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Shangshu."
Gu Xi looked proud and said, "It's an honor for me to take care of my little master uncle."
Gu Xi also talked about some details that should be paid attention to in other marriage matters.
Not long after, there was a knock on the door, and an attendant came in to report that it was someone from the palace who invited Xu Liuli to enter the palace.
Lin Feng escorted Xu Liuli out of Gu's house, and then returned to the study with Gu Xi.
Gu Xi said with emotion: "Young Master, your specifications for marrying a princess are the first of its kind in the Jin Kingdom. Your Majesty made every concession for the sake of the princess. Even many arrangements were arranged by your Majesty and I have never mentioned them."
Lin Feng knew that Sima Chong loved Xu Liuli, so he said again: "Thank you for your hard work."
Gu Xi said: "My junior uncle disgraced me. In fact, I am also in his favor. With the relationship between the princess and my junior uncle, the Gu family has greater influence in His Majesty's heart. I In the court, the right to speak is also more important."
After a pause, Gu Xi said again: "Speaking of which, I have doubts in my mind now, and I would like to ask my junior uncle to clarify them."
Lin Feng said: "What problem do you have?"
Gu Xi said sternly: "Uncle Master, it stands to reason that I come from the Gu family. As the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, as the head of the Jin Dynasty's officials, I represent not only the courtiers, but also the family. It's just that I have reached this stage. , I care about not only the family, but also the court and the world."
"As a Confucian disciple, I cultivate myself, manage my family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world. When I reach the stage of governing the country, I will display my ambitions and govern the country to make the Jin State stronger and the people of the Jin State to live and work in peace and contentment."
"But, I can't do it."
"Every time I govern, many policies that are beneficial to the people will not be implemented because they involve the interests of major families. If the policies are really implemented, how should we arrange them?"
"Is there a way to crack it? Or, is there a way to get the best of both worlds?"
Lin Feng understood immediately.
When Xie Chong was in power in the past, Xie Chong was just a politician. He did not consider how the people were, as long as they could live well. On the premise of maintaining stable governance, Xie Chong mainly focused on strengthening the family's strength.
This is a basic concept for people from large families to govern.
Fulfill your ambitions and strengthen your family.
Gu Xi has not been in power for long, and he is not a cold politician. He has more ideas and ambitions.
He wanted to improve people's lives.
But this matter is not easy, because the political environment of Jin State is completely different.
Lin Feng thought.
He didn't answer immediately.
Gu Xi waited quietly without disturbing Lin Feng. He knew that the problem he raised might not be a big problem in Qin. But in Jin State, this is the most fundamental problem.
After a long while, Lin Feng said: "Gu Xi, if you want to govern for the people and promulgate policies that are beneficial to the people, it is impossible to bypass the aristocratic families of Jin. If you really want to implement it, I have three strategies: upper, middle and lower. , for you to choose.”
Gu Xi was in high spirits and said quickly: "Uncle, please give me a clear explanation."
Lin Feng said: "My best strategy is to persuade the aristocratic families in Jin to release some resources. As long as the main aristocratic families in Jin are willing to cooperate, your idea of governing for the people will be easy and will not be too difficult. Yes. With their cooperation, you will feel more at ease. Of course, how to persuade is your business."
"It's difficult, it's too difficult."
Gu Xi shook his head and spoke.
He himself is from the Gu family of a big family in Jin. He knows the situation of the big family. How could the big family not care about their own interests?
Cooperate with him in doing things.
Why?
Gu Xi knew it was difficult, so he said directly: "I want to benefit the people. In essence, it means taking food from the big family's tiger's mouth and giving it to the people. Therefore, the big family cannot fully support me. Junior uncle, where is Zhongce?" "
Lin Feng said: "The middle strategy is simpler, but it will inevitably lead to conflicts with big families. There are countless big families in Jin State, and there are many big families who commit crimes. You can find one or two typical big families to deal with them, and use them to deal with them." Beating the big family and promulgating policies will naturally benefit the people. Of course, you need to master the negotiations involved and the appropriateness. Even, it is not easy. "
Gu Xi nodded, thinking in his mind.
Anyway, it is definitely feasible.
Lin Feng continued: "My middle plan is implemented. Although there will be a rift between you and the big family, you can still work together without raising your head and lowering your head. However, once the bad plan is implemented, it will be a complete rift."
Gu Xi said: "What's the next step?"
Lin Feng's eyes were sharp and he said: "The next step is to be simple, crude and direct, and directly plan to overthrow the big families of the Jin State. On the one hand, we will introduce policies to comprehensively attack the big families of the Jin State. On the other hand, we will search for evidence of the big families' crimes and continuously destroy them. A big family can completely solve the problem of big families in power in Jin State. As long as the big families are no longer in power, any policy can be implemented."
"Difficult, difficult, impossible."
Gu Xi shook his head and said: "Uncle Master, you are not in the official circles of the Jin State, so you don't know the influence of the Jin family. The penetration of the Jin family is too great. In the Jin officialdom, all the people are from aristocratic families. If we really want to deal with big families, , I’m afraid I will step down directly the next day. Even being dismissed is the easiest, and the most likely outcome is death.”
Lin Feng shrugged and said, "Then there is nothing we can do. After all, reform is not an easy matter. It requires real revolution and bloodshed."
Gu Xi sighed, and after a moment of silence, he said: "I thought about the middle strategy mentioned by my junior uncle, and it seems to be feasible. I will move closer to this aspect, try to win over a group of righteous people, and then suppress them. I encourage big families to do their best to benefit the people."
Lin Feng said: "Even this arrangement is not easy. Why is it so difficult for aristocratic families to deal with each other? Because there is me among you and you among me. Although there is competition, the more we are one. If you want to implement this policy, you will have to slowly Come on, it’s best to communicate with the emperor again. With the emperor’s support, there will be less resistance.”
"I see."
Gu Xi nodded solemnly.
Things are not easy, but Gu Xi insists on doing it. Now that I have become the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the head of hundreds of officials, I have to do something meaningful and within my ability.
Otherwise, how can one live up to the official title on his head?
Lin Feng saw Gu Xi's expression and said no more. He came to Jin State as an envoy to negotiate and resolve Xu Liuli's matter. Lin Feng had no control over the issues in the Jin Dynasty's court. He could make suggestions, and he had done his best to benevolent and righteous.
To put it bluntly, if Jin and Qin really wanted to fight, the two sides would still be hostile.
Everything depends on Gu Xi himself.
