"Three hundred years ago, the common people of the Zhu family stood up and seized the Dragon Throne of Zhongzhou."
"Twenty-four ministers from the Dragon were granted the title of marquis and general, and in more than ten years they grew into twenty princes and nobles."
"Inside and outside the palace, there are constant entanglements of interests, open and covert fights, the decline of old clans, and the rise of new nobles."
"In Youjing City today, there are still nine major families with nine surnames beside the Tian family."
"Hong, Lu, Yu, Chang, Hu, Yin, Wu, Tang, Tang."
"The weight of these nine families in Zhongzhou is important or not. If they want to cut down their positions, seize power, confiscate their homes and exterminate any family, it will only take Long Yan's anger; it is not easy to say that it is not light. The cunning rabbit has three holes already, and it is difficult to kill them all in one dynasty. It’s even harder to prevent him from resurrecting and taking another bite.”
"And the Nine Families are well aware of the principle that things tend to harm their own kind. When dealing with situations that cannot be fully controlled, no matter how much resentment or resentment there is between them, they can put aside the situation and work together to overcome the difficulties."
"The Nine Families are insignificant compared to the millions of families in Zhongzhou, but if they are to be overthrown at the same time, although it is not Zhongzhou's land that is affected, it is the political and economic lifeline of Zhongzhou. It may not be possible to recover in three to five years."
"Therefore, even if the two hands in Beijing cover half of the sky, they can only win over the nine families in a small way. The purpose is also very simple and clear, to win the support of the majority of families and to persuade a few families to stand. side."
"However, over the years, no matter how many parties have been secretly working together and cheating, at least on the surface, the Nine Families' loyalty to the imperial power has not diminished at all."
"This is the reason why the two masters of Tingyu Pavilion dare to go to Beijing to win support."
"The biggest question is also here."
"The Hong family has been responsible for the official water transportation. No matter how loud the Red Sect's words are in the rivers over the years, they always have to bow their heads and smile in front of the Hong family. Not to mention whether the Red Sect is pretending to be humble or is it a sign of humility. No matter what agreement was reached with the Hong family in private, in short, the Hong family is living as happily as ever."
"The three families of Yu, Hu, and Wu are as stable as old dogs in the officialdom. They avoid things if they can, and delay them if they can't. Outside the officialdom, they continue to expand their territories, expand their family businesses, lay a solid foundation, and are always ready to do more than two things. ,there is always a solution to a problem."
"The Chang and Tang families seem to be the most low-key in Youjing. However, the two families have the strongest military atmosphere. Just because they don't like the treacherous things in the court, they put the family's focus outside Youjing. Most of the family's businesses are scattered in various places, and each of them controls more than 100,000 border guards. Only these two families can move forward and retreat freely in the capital, and it is the easiest."
"The Yin and Tang families both relied on their in-laws to rise up. They seem to have the most sense of existence, but in fact they basically rely on the outer shell of royal relatives, and they are the most powerful on the outside. The latter has long known how to restrain the superficial wealth and concentrate on running and expanding the family business. , the former has just woken up in recent years, and has been imitating others and stumbling upon them. In terms of the foundation of the nine major families, these two families are naturally the weakest."
"As for the Lu family, the most outstanding thing is that the head of the Lu family is the second-ranking official of the Ministry of Etiquette. Apart from that, in terms of scenery, it is not as good as the Hong family; in terms of not showing off the mountains and dew, it is not as good as Chang, In terms of power, no one can compare to the Tang family..."
"When it comes to the Lu family in Youjing, everyone will only have a fixed impression: The Lu family is the peacemaker among the nine families, specializing in singing red faces and making peace with mud. When the wall is about to fall, the Lu family will come to support it with a playful smile and say Harmonious sound brings wealth."
"It is precisely because of the face that is as thick as the city wall that the Lu family can have good relations with the eight major families and get involved in every industry. However, no matter in which aspect, the Lu family's investment is extremely limited. The participation level is also extremely low, so there is no right to speak. It seems that we have everything, but in fact we have nothing.”
"If you were in Tingyu Pavilion's position and had to choose one of these nine great families to be your backer after entering the capital, which one would you choose?"
For most people, this question is not difficult to answer, because there don't seem to be many choices. Gu Xinhun had asked himself before asking this question, and the Lu family would never be among his choices.
Sure enough, Luobo did not hesitate too much and answered without too much hesitation: "The Yu family."
Luobo only made a choice without explanation, but Gu Xinhun was not surprised at all by the answer, because he also chose the Yu family.
In fact, Luo Bao prefers the Chang and Tang families in his heart. After all, soldiers seem to be more loyal. The border guards may revolt, but they will not bend their knees and betray the country. It's just that the energy of the Chang and Tang families is not focused on Youjing. It is difficult to quench the thirst of people from afar, and because Meng and Luo are old members of the Shifu, looking for support from the military family will undoubtedly increase the fear of all parties, and will not be conducive to subsequent actions.
The Hong family has relatively single channels and methods, and the three most reliable families in terms of overall strength are the Yu, Hu, and Wu families.
As for the three families of Lu, Yin and Tang, they are not considered at all.
Among the three families of Yu, Hu, and Wu, Yu Le is both the Yu family and an important member of the Cangfeng Pavilion. The Yu family and the Cangfeng Pavilion are apparently unrelated to each other, but in fact they have long been disconnected. Compared with other gangs, Zangfeng is The pavilion is relatively controllable, and it seems more logical to establish a relationship with the Yu family and borrow the power of the Zangfeng Pavilion.
Therefore, the Yu family is the best choice among the nine families.
No matter how bad it is, it’s still the Hu and Wu families.
But why is it the Lu family?
How could the Lu family be so virtuous that the young master with a fan favored him?
This is the biggest puzzlement that Luobo and Gu Xinhun have after making their own choices.
"Because...the Lu family is rich?"
Carrot didn't drink, but he pursed his lips and smacked it for a long time, and finally came to this conclusion that even he couldn't convince himself.
Because the only basis for this conclusion is that everyone knows that the second generation of the Lu family spends money like water.
Gu Xinhun asked: "Then where do you think the Lu family's money comes from?"
Luo Bao lost more and more confidence and whispered: "The Ministry of Rites?"
Gu Xinhun said: "Rituals, sacrifices, banquets, foreign affairs and imperial examinations, there is indeed a lot of money to be made in these links, but how does it compare to the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Works?"
Carrot shook his head helplessly: "Of course it can't be compared."
Gu Xinhun sighed: "The Ministry of Rites is not a clean-water yamen. Everyone in the Lu family wants to please. It can only be done by collaborating with others, and it can never be the same. But when it comes to the ability to make money, the Lu family's Ministry of Rites is probably not even as good as the Yu family's official department." , let alone the Hu family’s household department and the Wu family’s work department.”
The reasoning had reached a dead end, not unlike the dilemma encountered at yesterday's gang meeting.
Gu Xinhun did not let Carrot continue to wander in the dead end of his thinking, and continued: "Yesterday, our second conclusion was to overturn the first conclusion: Tingyuge's choice of the Lu family has nothing to do with money."
"The inferences almost never come to fruition."
"Fortunately, there are some clues that help us avoid misunderstandings."
"The gang found the carriage they abandoned after changing rides."
"The wheels of the carriage are badly worn. It's fine if it goes slowly, but it's bound to cause problems if it goes fast."
“The carriage is very large and sturdy, and the structure inside the carriage is also very exquisite. There are secret boxes under the seats to store daily necessities. There are also several spaces with traces of food residue, and a curtain can be pulled down on the top of the carriage for cover. "
"It can be said that as long as the horses can run and pull, and the wheels are not worn out, they can eat, drink, and sleep in the carriage all the way without having to get out of the carriage at all."
"The strength lies in the fact that the six side panels are made of wood and inlaid with iron. With that thickness, even if a city guard crossbow is brought in, it can only knock down the carriage but cannot penetrate it."
"They must have prepared several such carriages along the way, and there must have been no less than twenty good horses."
"These preparations can only be made by asking the Lu family to help arrange them while they were in Youjing."
"Then we came to the third conclusion. Tingyuge chose the Lu family not only because the Lu family is rich."
"Even if the Hong, Yu, Hu, and Wu families are as wealthy, I'm afraid they may not be able to afford these equipment if they give them three or two more months of effort."
"The horse is okay. If you spend more money and use more connections, you can always find a way to bring it back from the north."
"As for those carriages, in terms of craftsmanship, it is not difficult to find such skilled craftsmen near Youjing. It only takes a month for them to barely make three or four carriages of the same style. In this way, it is inevitable It’s too late to arrange arrangements along the way, and it’s absolutely impossible to keep it quiet and unknown.”
"The only explanation is that the Lu family already had these carriages and horses, and now they just use them at the right time."
"If we spend more time to inquire about these situations, we can always get confirmation."
"As for whose idea it was to build such a carriage, there are two possibilities."
"The first possibility is that Tingyuge and the Lu family in Youjing have known each other for a long time, and they were already planning related matters in private as early as when Meng and Luo planned to go north. What they did after entering the capital was just It’s just a show to cover up the public’s eyes.”
"The second possibility is that these novelties have little to do with Tingyuge. They are purely new works created by the Lu family. Using them to help Tingyuge is the Lu family's cooperation and investment in Tingyuge. "
"Based on the limited information we have, this is the fourth conclusion we can draw."
"The last thing we want is the first possibility, and the comforting thing is that the second possibility is more likely."
After listening to a series of analyses, Luo Bao suddenly realized that he could not help but feel cold in his heart. The situation in Beijing was far more complicated than he imagined. He asked quietly: "Why?"
