On the north bank of Xinzhong Bridge, in the study of Qu Yuanfu in the south of Chengfu Square, Yuan Shouhe hurried to Yuanwei and Yuan Wendu to discuss matters.
Yuanwei is the head of the Yuan family. His residence is located at Dunhoufang on the north bank of Luoshui River and just north of Beishi City. Hearing the invitation from Yuanshou's servants, he rushed over. However, his home was further away than Yuan Wendu, and only then did he arrive at Yuan Shou's residence.
Recently, the Yuan family has been paying more attention to Li Hun's ally, but neither Yuanwei nor Yuan Wen knew anything about the disappearance of Li Hun's son Li Shirun. When Yuan Shou said this, they were immediately surprised.
After hearing this, Yuan Wei looked at Yuan Shou and asked in a deep voice: "Shou Changshou, what do you think?"
"Master, I think this is not an accident, but a premeditated incident." Yuan Shou gave a definition, and then told Zhang Jin's analysis and decision exactly, and finally said: "Li Hun is too busy taking care of himself at the moment. We are willing to be friends and allies with us. However, we really need him and the Li family in Longxi at this time. We can completely agree to the conditions he proposed before. In addition, we must also help him find Li Shirun. It is best to control Li Shirun. Hand, make some conditions to him."
"I have no objection at all to the idea of finding and controlling Li Shirun!" Yuanwei pondered for a while, looked at Yuan Shou, and said slowly: "However, the conditions proposed to us are too harsh, and of course it's not that I can't bear it. And. It's because Li Hun is a villain through and through. Being capricious and going back on his word are his usual tricks. Once he gets the money he needs, he will definitely turn his back and deny it. By then, we will have spent the money, but in the end we will get nothing."
"What I mean is to give him step by step and lift him up step by step. As long as his appetite is not satisfied, as long as he keeps asking for us, then he can always serve us."
After Yuan Shou and Yuan Wen heard this, they understood the family leader's concerns and long-term considerations, rather than reluctance. After a while, Yuan Shou said: "Master, although Li Hun is greedy and capricious, he is very aware of the situation of our Yuan family and understands that we are begging him now, so he has made harsh demands. If we do not satisfy him, , he will impose more stringent conditions."
After hearing what he said, Yuanwei knew that he had an idea and asked, "What do you think?"
"In my opinion, I will replace the gold, silver and jewels he asked for with fertile farmland." Yuan Shou sneered and continued: "This kind of treacherous and sycophant is inhumane, and death is not a pity. If we give him gold, silver and jewels, he will definitely die. Accept the account. If it is replaced by fertile farmland, he will not be able to take it away or hide it, and it will return to my Yuan family in the future. Moreover, the origin of many of our fertile farmlands and farms is unknown. They are nominally occupied by businessmen and wealthy households, but these people still come from the Yuan Dynasty. They simply can’t withstand the investigation. If the court examines it seriously, it will still be found on us. If it is given to Li Hun at this time, he will naturally have to bear the blame before. "
"Brother, this method is brilliant." Yuan Wendu praised, turned to Yuanwei and said: "Master, our Yuan family is in an extremely difficult situation. What we fear most is the court censorship. If we follow brother Changshou's plan, even if Li Hun went back on his word in the end, but he also accepted the cause and effect, and he was also responsible for the crimes related to these fertile lands. In this way, our pressure was reduced a lot."
"Okay!" Yuanwei was already tempted when he heard what Yuan Shou said. Seeing that the No. 3 figure also agreed, he agreed to the suggestion. He said to Yuan Shou: "Chang Chang, if you contact him again tomorrow, tell us If the Yuan family's money cannot be recycled temporarily, they will replace it with fertile land of the same price. If he is still dissatisfied, add another 10 to 30% of the land."
"Little brother, I obey!" Yuan Shou responded.
Yuan Wendu chuckled, and Yuan Shou said: "Brother also hinted to him that as long as he is willing to help us tide over the difficulties, we can give him more; in short, it is to make him covet our family's property, so that He felt we had a lot to exploit."
"This is exactly the reason." Having settled the matter, Yuanwei no longer paid attention. He pondered for a moment, then turned to talk about another matter to his two clan brothers: "The imperial court's annual review this year was very fast and vigorous; as for the withdrawal of the military government, the saint had asked Yu Wenshu and others to investigate secretly early on. , once we take action, it will be as powerful as thunder."
Yuanwei paused for a moment, sighed and said: "As far as I know, the Dugu sect and the Dou sect have been moving very quickly recently, and they are seizing the time to do the tail-cutting method of survival. Our situation is far more severe than theirs, we must Take the time to cut off some dead branches and leaves, and you must not delay any longer, and you must not be merciful."
"Here!" Yuan Shou nodded, cupped his hands and said, "Head of the family, Wen Du, I have a decision that is difficult to make now. Please refer to it for your reference."
Yuanwei and Yuanwen both looked at each other. Seeing that his expression was very solemn, Yuanwei said to Yuanshou, "Tell me and listen!"
"I, the Grand Palace Minister, have a falsely high rank but no real power. There is no point in being treated as such. I want to resign." Yuanshou glanced at Yuanwei, saw a look of surprise on his face, and quickly expressed his thoughts: "Master, from the fact that the saint continued to appoint Su Wei despite being angry, it can be seen that he has always regarded the Guanlong nobles as a serious problem. Otherwise, Su Wei would not have been allowed to continue to lead the Guanzhong nobles against the Guanlong nobles."
"Among the three factions of the Guanlong nobles, the Saint regards the Yuan family and the Yuan faction as a thorn in his side. However, he is also worried that after the Yuan family's defeat, the three factions of the Guanlong nobles will lose their power to stand apart, and will eventually be unified in Dugu. Family, or the Dou family. So his thoughts towards our Yuan family are the same as Su Wei’s, he hates it but needs it."
"If the younger brother shows weakness and resigns, and gives him a step down to extinguish some of his anger, he will most likely retain the younger brother just like he retained Su Wei, even if he takes advantage of the situation and gives up his post as younger brother. But he wants to restrict the Dugu family and the Dou family. After thinking about it, I will definitely promote Wendu and let Wendu replace me in the court and speak for the Yuan clan on my behalf."
After saying that, Yuanshou asked Yuanwei: "Master, do you think this method and decision of my brother is feasible?"
Yuanwei and Yuanwen were both very open-minded. After listening to Yuanshou's explanation, they immediately understood that Yuanshou was prepared to sacrifice himself to preserve the Yuan family. If he sincerely resigns and takes responsibility for all previous crimes, many things will change. And the situation of the Yuan family will be much better because of his resignation and departure.
Yuan Wen fully agrees with Yuan Shou's idea, but if he resigns and loses all his positions, he will be the biggest beneficiary. If he speaks out, Yuan Shou may misunderstand, which will damage the relationship within the Yuan family. Unity. Therefore, this matter must be decided by the head of the family, Yuanwei.
Yuanwei closed his eyes and pondered, saying nothing for a long time.
For a moment, the study became quiet.
After a long time, Yuanwei opened his eyes and said in a deep voice to Yuanshou: "This method of longevity is excellent. But the time is not right, and our Yuan family is not at a point where we cannot survive. If you resign at this time, you Your efforts will be meaningless and worthless.”
Yuanshou frowned and asked, "When does the head of the family think the best time is?"
Yuanwei let out a long sigh and said: "At the critical moment of the annual review and the withdrawal of the military government, if there are major problems that cannot be resolved in our Yuan family, please resign! Only in this way will the resignation be meaningful and valuable."
Yuan Shou pondered for a moment, then nodded and said: "Master, I understand!"
"Master, Alang, something big has happened!" At this moment, the manager of Yuanshou Mansion opened the door, burst into the study, and said loudly to Yuanshou: "Alang, the soldiers patrolling the city have sent news, saying that The eldest son was assassinated on the south bank of Xinzhong Bridge."
"What did you say?" Yuanshou, Yuanwei, and Yuanwen were all shocked when they heard this, and stood up in unison.
The manager of the Yuan Mansion repeated in a trembling voice: "The eldest son was assassinated on the south bank of Xinzhong Bridge! The assassin escaped by boat from Luoshui."
Yuanshou stayed for a long time, then rushed out without saying a word.
At this time, the sky had darkened, and the lights outside the mansion were bright. Yuan Shou arrived outside the mansion and was about to board the prepared carriage when suddenly several poisonous arrows were shot out in the darkness, hitting Yuan Shou who was particularly conspicuous. He took a few quick steps and fell to the ground without saying a word.
Yuan Wei and Yuan Wendu, who followed closely, were a little late. When they arrived at the gate of the mansion, they saw Yuan Shou who had been hit by an arrow and fell to the ground.
The expressions of the two people changed drastically, and they looked around with uncontrollable anger. Only a few dark figures disguised as guards of the "Yuan Family" were seen. Taking advantage of the chaos in the mansion square, they quickly disappeared into the night.
