The Lanling Xiao family is a prominent family based in Lanling County, Donghai County. It originated during the Jin Dynasty.
When the Yongjia Rebellion moved south, due to the large family size, they were settled in the Wujin area of present-day Jiangning, and settled in Lanling County. It was called "South Lanling" in history, so they were called the Lanling Xiao family.
Outside the ancestral home of the Xiao family in Lanling, Zhu Pei frowned, his mood fluctuating as the carriage rocked.
When he came to the Xiao family this time, he came with a mission.
If it cannot be completed, their Zhu family will suffer heavy losses.
After getting off the carriage, the ancient and simple door of Xiao's house came into view.
After passing the tall door, you can vaguely see the house inside.
This house is very large, and the walls that are several meters high look majestic.
Looking around, it is quiet and elegant inside, with the gurgling river water, and it is quite elegant and reclusive.
Before entering, Zhu Pei saw three or two servants by the gate.
When he saw Zhu Pei coming, he hurriedly stepped forward to greet him and ushered him into the house.
Walking into the manor, you can see the lush bushes on both sides of the road, making the sky look dark even in broad daylight.
The breeze blows gently, the leaves are rustling, and the branches are swaying, making it look like a leisurely and elegant place.
When the field of vision widened, two-story wooden buildings appeared in front of them. The wooden buildings were simple, heavy, elegant and simple.
When Zhu Pei came to the building, the servant asked him to enter the building by himself and then turned around and left.
Looking at the wooden building in front of him, Zhu Pei felt hesitant and uneasy.
It would be great if they could force the Xiao family to put pressure on Yang Fan, but if they couldn't, then hundreds of years of their Zhu family's efforts would really be in vain.
After shaking off his loose robe, Zhu Pei opened the door and walked in.
The hall inside the building is bright and the smooth floor can reflect people's reflections.
There are seats on the ground and a tea table, with several people kneeling and sitting behind the table.
Seeing that so many people from the Jiangnan gentry had come, Zhu Pei calmed down, bowed slightly, and said apologetically: "It's a long way to go, and there are things at home that delay the time. Please don't blame me."
Those present here are all talkative people in the Jiangnan gentry clan. Even if they are not the clan leader, they are still the mainstay of the clan.
However, after all, the Zhu family belongs to one of the several powerful families in Jiangnan. Even if Zhu Pei arrived late, no one cared too much about it.
So everyone present said politely: "Brother Zhu, you are so polite. Who doesn't have some things at home? We have just arrived and have no place to live."
Zhu Pei greeted everyone politely and smiled at Xiao Ran: "Brother Xiao, I'm sorry for being late. Since everyone has come to the Xiao family to discuss things, please invite Mr. Xiao Wan and Mr. Xiao to come out. This matter Only Mr. Xiao can uphold justice for everyone."
Xiao Wan is the contemporary head of the Xiao family in Lanling and Xiao Yu's cousin.
In Zhu Pei's view, only when Xiao Wan speaks out will the Xiao family mobilize all their strength to put pressure on Yang Fan.
If they can't even see the owner, then their visit to the Xiao family will be in vain.
In response to Zhu Pei's words, Xiao Ran smiled and did not answer. Instead, he gestured with his left hand and invited Zhu Pei to sit down. Then he said: "Brother Zhu, your Zhu family is busy with affairs, but our Xiao family is not bad either. There are more things to consider, why can't you just come to them?"
Of course Xiao Ran also knew the purpose of everyone gathering here today.
Although it was said that it would be a matter of time to invite the head of the Xiao family out, it was not something Zhu Pei could do just because he wanted to.
After all, the Xiao family is also the leader of Jiangnan.
Hearing this, Zhu Pei's smile froze slightly. This was an insinuation of his busy schedule.
Since he was here to ask for help this time, Zhu Pei could only hold back his anger and said with a smile: "Of course, the Xiao family belongs to a high-ranking family and must have many affairs, but we have come all the way, why won't Mr. Xiao come out to see us?" ?”
"Besides, what we are discussing this time is also related to the future of your Xiao family. How can we treat it like a trivial matter?"
There is a mystery behind Zhu Pei's words.
It means that everyone is here to plan the future of the Jiangnan noble clan, and it has nothing to do with your Xiao family.
If you don't invite your family head out, what qualifications does the Xiao family have to be the leader of the Jiangnan gentry, and how can they be worthy of future generations?
When the two met for the first time, their smiles were cute but hidden, and the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became subtle.
When Zhu Pei sat down, Xiao Ran looked around at everyone present, and then said in a deep voice: "You are all from a noble family in the south of the Yangtze River. We have had many friendships in the past, and our Xiao family is not pretentious."
"We, the Xiao family, can also roughly guess the purpose of everyone coming here this time. If we, the Xiao family, have no objection to everyone advancing and retreating together, if you want our Xiao family to be the leader, then my Xiao family will be the first to refuse!"
Everyone in the hall looked at each other.
Everyone came here originally to force the Xiao family to deal with Yang Fan.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they met, Xiao Ran stated that the Xiao family would not be coerced by anyone.
The middle-aged man in a brocade robe was obviously dissatisfied with Xiao Ran's words, and said angrily: "Xiao Ran, can you represent your Xiao family? If your Xiao family is unwilling to stand up for anything, then how can your Xiao family be worthy of being a Jiangnan noble family? leader?"
As soon as these words came out, the whole hall was shocked.
Xiao Ran's face darkened, he glared at the middle-aged man in brocade robes, and said in a gloomy voice: "How dare an eagle dog come to Xiao's house and bark?"
The middle-aged man in brocade robes sneered: "I am a descendant of the Lin family from Jiangnan, and also Lin Bo, the principal of the Lin family's second house."
Lin Bo has always advocated good relations with the Zhu family, and of course there is no need to be polite in his words.
What's more, before coming, the Zhu family promised that once the Zhu family became the leader of Jiangnan, they would help Lin Bo compete for the position of the head of the Lin family.
Now seeing that Zhu Pei and Xiao Ran are full of conflict, they naturally side with the Zhu family.
Hearing Lin Bo's words, Xiao Ran suddenly said angrily: "Little Lin, dare to insult the Xiao family? Do you really think our Xiao family can be bullied?"
Lin Bo still sneered: "This time our Jiangnan noble clan is in crisis. If your Xiao family can only protect yourself, how can you deserve the respect of my Lin family?"
Xiao Ran was immediately furious and shouted directly: "Come here, beat this arrogant and rude person out with a stick!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a servant of the Xiao family ran in and dragged the confused Lin Bo out by his arms.
Lin Bo didn't expect that Xiao Ran would dare to be so rude to him, and immediately made a fuss.
In the end, all I could hear was a series of miserable screams fading away.
Xiao Ran acted so resolutely that everyone in the hall looked at each other.
Everyone knew that Lin Bo was forced by the Zhu family to take the lead, but unexpectedly he was beaten out with random sticks as soon as he opened his mouth!
This is simply a slap in the Zhu family’s face!
For a moment, everyone's eyes turned to Zhu Pei, wanting to see what Zhu Pei would do.
At this time, Zhu Pei was about to explode with anger. He really didn't expect Xiao Ran to be so disrespectful.
This was a naked slap in the face, not only Lin Bo's face, but also the Zhu family's face.
Everyone here doesn’t know that this Lin Bo is actually the Ma Zai of their Zhu family!
Zhu Pei's face was ashen and he said angrily: "Xiao Ran, everyone is here to discuss important matters. Even if Lin Bo is a little disrespectful to your Xiao family, there is no need to beat him out, right?"
Xiao Ran glanced at Zhu Pei sideways and said: "You, the Zhu family, can not care about your reputation, but I, the Xiao family, can't. If anyone does not respect my Xiao family, from now on, my Xiao family will fight these people until death." Keep in touch!"
Everyone present was silent and expressed their opinions one after another saying they did not dare.
Everyone is a bright-eyed person, and of course they can see the intention of Xiao Ran's move, which is to establish the prestige of the Xiao family.
Since you are asking for help from others, you have to keep your tail between your legs. Otherwise, why should people help you?
What's more, for the benefit of one's own family, there is no need to offend the Xiao family for a Lin Bo.
Zhu Pei's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, but he did not dare to say anything. If he really dared to confront the Xiao family, he might be beaten out. That would be really embarrassing.
Seeing that no one dared to refute, Xiao Ran knocked on the table in front of him and said slowly: "Since you are here to discuss the future of the Jiangnan gentry, our Xiao family, as the leader of the Jiangnan gentry, naturally wants to listen to everyone's opinions and opinions. Thoughts, please wait a moment, drink a cup of tea to calm down, I will go and invite the head of the family first..."
After saying that, Xiao Ran turned around and left, leaving everyone looking at each other in shock.
In the attic not far away from the second-story building, the owner of the house, Xiao Wan, was standing in front of the window sill, looking up into the distance, motionless, as if thinking about something.
From the bottom of his heart, he actually didn't want to see most of the Jiangnan nobles coming to the Xiao family.
Not long after the bidding in Huating County, these people came to the door, obviously they wanted to ask for something.
The most likely thing is that these people want the Xiao family to come forward and lead everyone to resist Yang Fan.
After a series of events, and because of Xiao Yu's explanation before leaving, Xiao Wan had no intention of standing up for these people.
What's more, Yang Fan gave ten shares of Datang Royal Bank to the Xiao family, so they had to think carefully about it.
Although the Xiao family was also cheated in this auction, if the shares were used as collateral for the loan, the Xiao family would not need to pay much money at all this time.
Now that Yang Fan controls almost the entire Jiangnan, Xiao Wan has no intention of openly going against Yang Fan.
But when these Jiangnan aristocratic families arrived, the Xiao family had to express their gratitude.
After all, as the leader of the Jiangnan gentry, the Xiao family could not afford to see all these families decline.
Xiao Wan knew very well that with the Jiangnan family's wealth, if all the bidding money was paid off, there would no longer be any noble family in Jiangnan.
Thinking that some time ago these Jiangnan nobles actually wanted to bypass the Xiao family to deal with Yang Fan, Xiao Wan felt very unhappy.
Even so, the Xiao family cannot completely sit idly by.
Therefore, Xiao Wan must once again show the presence of the Xiao family and the status of the Xiao family.
On the one hand, these Jiangnan nobles should be exposed to the public and make these people fearful.
On the other hand, let them ask themselves, so that these people can realize that in today's Tang Dynasty, only the Lanling Xiao family can serve as the leader of the Jiangnan gentry, and no other families can.
How to show the status of the Xiao family?
The most direct way is to solve the problem of funds for the Jiangnan nobles.
Of course, it's not that the Xiao family has so much money to lend to these people, but that Xiao Wan has another way.
However, even if Xiao Wan wanted to save these aristocratic families, Xiao Wan did not intend to take action immediately.
Because only when people are in desperate situations can they feel the warmth of providing help in times of need.
More importantly, he also needs to evaluate whether Yang Fan accepts his suggestion.
Because if we want to solve this problem, the most important thing is Yang Fan!
The people who went to Huating County to contact him have not yet sent back the information.
Therefore, Xiao Wancai did not immediately go to meet the children of the Jiangnan family who came to the Xiao family.
Through the observations and information collected during this period, Xiao Wan knew Yang Fan's temperament well. He really didn't know whether Yang Fan would accept his proposal.
If he did not accept this proposal, it would be impossible for the Xiao family to ease the relationship between the Jiangnan nobles and Yang Fan.
If the Jiangnan nobles who were bidding could not come up with so much money, Xiao Wan really didn't know if Yang Fan, a stick man, would take revenge regardless.
Although Xiao Wan couldn't stand the behavior of the Jiangnan nobles fighting for power, he couldn't just watch these Jiangnan nobles suffer a complete defeat.
After all, Yang Fan controls tens of thousands of naval soldiers. Once they get mixed up, you can imagine how miserable the Jiangnan nobles will be!
It may not be possible for Yang Fan to carry out massacres, but it is entirely possible for Yang Fan to confiscate all the properties of these aristocratic families.
Now Xiao Wan can only hope that Yang Fan will accept her suggestion for reconciliation for the sake of Empress Xiao and Xiao Yu.
Xiao Wan was deeply shocked by Yang Fan's methods when she thought of the money that Yang Fan had given to the emperor not long ago from aristocratic families in other areas.
He really didn't expect that Yang Fan was not only outstanding in ability, but also had a subtle control over people's hearts.
This move directly broke the opportunity for all the aristocratic families to work together to deal with him, and passed most of the crisis directly onto the emperor.
In this way, the pressure on Yang Fan was much less.
Once someone dares to have evil intentions, Yang Fan has the ability to retaliate with harsh means.
At the same time, by handing over so much money to the emperor, you can get rewards and protection from the emperor.
It was terrible that Yang Fan resisted the temptation in such a short period of time.
This guy's political wisdom is slicker than those who have been immersed in officialdom for many years.
Now Yang Fan only keeps the money bid by the Jiangnan gentry. The Jiangnan gentry have been frightened to death, who dares to resist?
In this way, even if you know about the auction
He was ripped off by Yang Fan again, and in the end he could only swallow the bitter pill silently.
This series of methods can be called perfect, and the calculations that link each link can be called brilliant.
What's more important is that Yang Fan can resist the temptation of tens of millions of dollars at a young age. This is not something that everyone has the courage to do.
"Having a child is like a sail. No wonder Xiao Yu sighed like this before leaving. The talent for sailing is so monstrous, I really envy others!" Xiao Wan sighed with emotion in a low voice.
What is most important to a wealthy family?
Talent!
If an amazingly talented person emerges from the sky, it can often push the entire family to a higher level, and even lay a solid foundation that will last for thousands of years!
Although the Xiao family itself is considered to be full of talents, they are still far behind Yang Fan.
The Xiao family of Lanling has been a noble family for generations. Although they once lost their country and ruined their family, they quickly rose again with the wealth and heritage accumulated by their ancestors.
But compared with its heyday, it is far behind.
what is the reason?
Of course there are no monster-like talents.
Although his cousin Xiao Yugui is the prime minister, given his age, reaching such a high status is already the limit.
What's more, the emperor obviously didn't trust Xiao Yu that much in Yang Fan.
You know, Xiao Yu has been dismissed as prime minister twice, who knows if there will be a next time.
Although the Xiao family was extremely noble, Xiao Wan knew very well that without Xiao Yu's support, the Xiao family would surely begin to lose.
Even if Empress Xiao made a plan first and married her daughter to Yang Fan as a concubine.
After all, that girl Xiao Shiyun’s bloodline is actually Yang!
If any of the legitimate daughters in his family could climb to the heights of Yang Fan, he would at least be able to ensure that his Xiao family would be able to sit back and relax for decades.
It's a pity that although Xiao's daughters are famous all over the world, none of them are particularly outstanding among this generation.
Xiao Wan was helpless!
While she was thinking, Mrs. Xiao came to the attic to report to the housekeeper.
"Master, Xiao Ran said that everyone in the family is already waiting. I wonder if you will go to meet me."
"Let them wait."
"promise!"
"Come back!" Xiao Wan stopped the steward who was about to leave and asked, "Has the elder who went to Huating County to meet Yang Fan come back?"
The steward smiled bitterly and said: "Master, the clan elders are already old, and there is a distance of several hundred miles from Lanling County to Huating County, so we won't be able to come back until evening at least."
Xiao Wan thought for a moment, nodded and said: "In that case, let's go meet these people first and see what they have to say."
After saying that, Xiao Wan walked towards Xiao Ran who was waiting.
(End of chapter)
