The carriage was pulling gifts, and the wife was adjusting Zhuang Xun's clothes. She heard that Concubine Li was going home to visit her relatives. Yesterday, Zhuang Xun and Si Qinmi went to prepare the betrothal gift, but they didn't come.
It was mainly Si Qinmi who bought it. Zhuang Xun felt like she was marrying a wife. She would buy with high standards and spend a lot of money. Zhuang Xun didn't feel bad, but he thought that marrying Siqin Mi was just a red thread. , feeling a little ashamed.
"I have sent you my greetings. When I see General Li later, don't be angry. No matter what happens, don't be angry. You are already a chief officer. You must keep your emotions and anger in check." Si Qinmi warned uneasily. Before Xun was about to get out of the car, his charming willow-leaf eyes gave Zhuang Xun great confidence, sending him to the last step, just like a mother sending college entrance examination students into the examination room.
"Madam, I understand, I am no longer a child." Zhuang Xun pressed Siqin Mi's hand. Before he came, he had thought about many situations where he would be made things difficult for him, but this was all his own doing.
But when trouble comes, just solve it. You must show your attitude instead of escaping. Avoiding will not solve the problem, but will only make it bigger.
After getting out of the carriage and looking at the large Yongguo Duke's Mansion on the lintel of the high gate, Zhuang Xun realized in a daze that Li Pingyuan had inherited the dukedom long ago.
It's just that compared to the official position of Duke Yong, the general of Chengguo seems to have a more respected status, so everyone calls him General Li.
But compared to Siqin's mansion, which Zhuang Xun occasionally passed by and was also a general, this kind of mansion was stingier, which probably showed the Li family's reserved character and didn't like to do tricks.
The door is open, but at least we haven't encountered the worst situation, which is that the Li family is closed, and there's really nothing we can do about it.
If you are willing to open the door now, it means that there is still room for discussion, and that is an opportunity. If you think about it carefully, the matter between Zhuang Xun and Li Rusi is already known to the whole city. Zhuang Xun cannot come to Taiwan because of his responsibility, so how can the Li family be better off? Also unable to get off stage.
"The imperial censor's visit brings glory to the emperor." Li Chengzhi came out to greet him first. He had already stood at the gate with a friendly smile.
"Long time no see, Mr. Li, you are in good health." Li Chengzhi's sincere smile made Zhuang Xun relax a lot, although he didn't know why the other party smiled at him, a man who wanted to marry his sister as his equal wife.
Speaking of which, it all started when they met the two siblings, and it was Li Chengzhi who was clearly the one who pushed him down.
"Okay, sister... Censor, please come in quickly, dad and the clan elders are already waiting for you." Li Chengzhi said honestly.
Zhuang Xun never imagined that the tall, handsome young man in front of him with a friendly attitude would have wanted to greet him with his sandbag-sized fist half a month ago, asking him what he meant and whether he looked down on his second sister.
"Clan Elder?" Do you want to make such a big deal?
Do you want a three-court trial?
The elder of the clan only appears when there is a major event in the clan. Will marrying Li Rusi cause such a big fuss?
"Don't worry, these tribesmen are always trying to persuade dad to agree to let the second sister marry you." Li Chengzhi broke the news while guiding Zhuang Xun towards the door.
"What?" Zhuang Xun couldn't understand. Who was helping him? Did he ask the elder of the Li family, Concubine Li?
"You heard me right, they are not on the same side as dad, they intend to help the censor and sister." Li Chengzhi replied affirmatively.
"Why?" Zhuang asked how this foreign aid came.
"Didn't Your Majesty promise to return the four counties of Henan in the Yu Kingdom to the Yushi if the censor and sister can do well?" Li Chengzhi said with envy that only Li Rusi, who married outside, could enjoy this.
In the country, even if these dukes have fiefdoms, they are only in name only and only provide finance and taxation. However, these four counties are free of charge and have complete control over the territory.
Only Li Rusi's foreign marriage could bring up this topic. Even so, you can imagine the excitement of the court meeting, and the voices of opposition were loud and rising one after another.
"That's right. The main reason is to reward General Li. Xun also benefited from General Li's heavenly merit." Zhuang Xun said gratefully.
"That's it. The clan elder feels that these four counties also have contributions from the Li family, and the second sister must marry the censor before they can get it." Li Chengzhi reminded Zhuang Xun, and also explained clearly why the clan elder helped the village. Inquire.
"Is that so? No wonder, what do they want?" It turns out that there are interests in it. No wonder he wanted to get involved, he said, how could someone be nice to him for no reason.
Mrs. Jiang calculates it differently.
"I want the children of the Li family to serve as officials in the four counties." Li Chengzhi broke the news, with a vague intention of siding with you.
"Is that all?" It's not hard to accept.
"Isn't the censor angry?" Li Chengzhi asked doubtfully, knowing that many people are very disgusted with this kind of thing, as if they were hammering nails into themselves.
"It's okay, Xun doesn't have a family. Instead of letting the original people occupy the official position, it's better to replace it with someone from the Wife family, who is more trustworthy." According to Siqin Mi, now that the poison has been drunk, Qiu Du will still ask for it. The Li family should send some talents over, there is a huge shortage of people.
Now I have a pillow whenever I doze off. Is there such a good thing?
"The censor is really open-minded." Li Chengzhi admired him and said that after his father's advice, he had basic political literacy. Zhuang Xun, as the head of a place, could trust the Li family and worry about the danger of being ignored by the Li family.
Without a family, this situation cannot be manipulated by others. After all, you have no family support. If a person dies, the inheritance he has worked so hard to save will immediately become someone else's wedding dress.
"It's not that they are open-minded, but what they said is indeed correct. There is General Li in these four counties, and the Li family has a share of the credit." Zhuang Wen knew the difference clearly, and he didn't think the Li family was overdoing it and had a share of the credit. It's only natural to come to ask for rewards.
"The clan elders like you, Yushi, will definitely love you to death." Li Chengzhi realized that his worries were a bit unnecessary. If Zhuang Xun could make concessions in the appointment and dismissal of officials, the clan elders would die to protect Zhuang Xun and Li Rusi's marriage. .
"This is not good. Now I hope General Li can let him go." Zhuang Xun also discussed with Siqin Mi how to take advantage of the Li family's influence. Now the Li family hurriedly sent it, feeling that they had taken advantage of it. Is there anything better than this in the world?
What is essentially mutual need has now become a unilateral request, which does not require more chips in exchange.
"Don't worry, dad is just pretending, don't be scared by him." Li Chengzhi is considered the best brother-in-law. All kinds of news seem to have leaked, and he is not strict at all.
"Don't look at me like this. The second sister asked me to say it. As for the second sister, you know." Li Chengzhi shrank his head, remembering the force Li Rusi squeezed his shoulders, and did not tell himself the information he should know. The future brother-in-law's fate may not be too subtle. He hasn't been beaten in a long time, but the experience of being taught a lesson in his childhood is still vivid in his mind.
They appear to be enemy forces, but are actually friendly forces.
"Understood, let's go in." Seeing the screen in front of the lobby, Zhuang Xun and Li Chengzhi distanced themselves.
He maintained the walking manner taught by Si Qinmi and wore a gentle and confident smile. This was not the first time he had taken the exam. He had done it several times and seemed to have gotten used to it.
As soon as he entered the lobby, everyone's eyes turned to him, including several old men of varying ages, but all over sixty years old, and Li Pingyuan, whom he had met once.
Zhuang Xun didn't know that the Li Pingyuan he saw last time was Ge Tan pretending to be Li Pingyuan. For Li Pingyuan, this was the first time he saw Zhuang Xun.
"The posture of a dragon and a phoenix." Li Pingyuan originally thought that the immortal said it out of favor, but when he actually saw it, he found that this sentence was really appropriate.
The appearance is just average, but the grace is excellent. He is wearing a yellow dragon python robe, which is a characteristic of the Yu Kingdom. When he wears it on Zhuang Xun, he has the majesty of a ruler who governs a country. His smile and posture are all natural, and he feels like the other person. Have manners.
Compared with the height and build of Li Chengzhi next to him, he is like a child, but it is obvious that Li Chengzhi is standing with him. Li Chengzhi is the guard and he is the person in charge. It should not be said that he has a very good temperament or that Li Chengzhi does not. temperament.
"I'm at Xia Zhuang Xun. I've met all the elders." Zhuang Xun bowed his hands and saluted gracefully and naturally, without any stage fright.
After all, he knew that there were people supporting him to eat in this kind of scene. He had experienced the fight against hundreds of officials alone at the longevity banquet. Naturally, there was nothing to be nervous about in such a small scene, not to mention that Li Chengzhi had given him reassurance.
"What a grace, what a grace. The censor is worthy of being a talented person who can enter Mrs. Jiang's tent. How many people in the country can match such a grace?" The group of old people was headed by an old man in his seventies or eighties, holding a Teng Teng. Snake crutches, still strong and healthy even in old age.
"Old people and old people praise me, and I don't deserve it." Zhuang Xun really couldn't bear this kind of praise. It was obvious that he was average-looking, so receiving such praise was an embarrassing compliment in his eyes.
"Take it, uncle, he doesn't praise people very much. If you can get his praise, you are indeed outstanding." Li Pingyuan also had to admit that Zhuang Xun had a good image and made people feel comfortable.
He is not the kind of relegated immortal who comes out of the mortal world, but the kind of person who can see his cultivation and personal dignity from his actions.
"General Li is overly praised." Zhuang Xun handed over his hand.
"Sit down, the censor is a guest from afar." The old man asked Zhuang Xun to sit down. His caring attitude was much better than that of Li Pingyuan who remained silent after explaining.
Kneeling is popular in the Li family, or in other words, kneeling is popular throughout Chengdu. Zhuang Xun also sat on the side of the lobby at the invitation of the octogenarian.
His hands were hanging in front of his legs, his eyes were looking straight ahead, no longer in focus with everyone's eyes, and he seemed to be taking it calmly.
Zhuang Xun, who was exposed by Li Chengzhi, felt at ease. After all, the other party's concern was for his own benefit, and there was no need for him to show his gratitude.
And his calmness once again raised everyone's evaluation of him. Several clan elders looked at each other and expressed satisfaction to each other. Although the official system of this world is already a six-department system, the social customs are closer to those of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and their demeanor towards people is very good. Evaluative, especially the talkative Cheng Guo.
After all, mediocre people can't defend Jiannan, and there is no need for them to continue to pay attention. Although Zhuang Xun does not show the talent of a ruler now, his demeanor has already passed the eyes of everyone.
"The imperial censor traveled thousands of miles from Yu State to Chengdu, and completed the mission given by King Yu. He is really young and promising." The compliment came from the mouth of the octogenarian, which was both polite and complimentary.
Several clan elders have also heard of Zhuang Xun's ability to handle territorial issues at the diplomatic level, although they did not know that Zhuang Xun was endorsing it.
"It's hard to say that I'm deeply favored by the emperor. I'm doing private things on the pretext of official duties. I'm deeply ashamed." Being deeply ashamed means not being ashamed. It's just polite words. He wanted to lead the topic to the marriage proposal. superior.
"The matter between the Yushi and Ru Si has been aroused in the Yu Kingdom. Since His Majesty the King of Yu has asked the Yushi to go to Chengguo, he might not have the intention of asking the Yushi to come to the Li Mansion to solve this problem." The old man said with a smile and took the Zhuang. If you ask.
"It's my emperor's pity." Zhuang Xun was very grateful to the old emperor. He gave money, people, official positions, territory and holidays like this. If this kind of boss is not necessary, he really doesn't want to rebel against him. If he doesn't have imperial blood, he will definitely He will be a loyal minister, but there is no if.
The curse of the Emperor's Vein lingers above his head. Within ten years, which year will be completely unpredictable. Only by climbing up desperately can he be qualified to live. Neither he nor Si Qin Mi dare to bet that the enemy will surrender before him. I can let him go in the end.
"It seems that both your majesties have the intention to help the censor and Xiao Rusi." The elderly man continued to speak when Li Pingyuan said nothing.
"Yes, especially His Majesty King Cheng, who even gave the land of four counties as a dowry, which shows the excellence of Uncle Li's achievements." Zhuang Xun complimented the sullen Li Pingyuan.
Of course, I didn't receive a response from the old father.
"How does the censor plan to deal with these four counties? Should you also hand it over to Mrs. Jiang?" the old man asked casually, but his eyes were fixed on Zhuang Xun.
Originally they were not in a hurry. After all, they heard that Zhuang Xun did not have a family, and his wife Wei Lanzhi did not have a family either. Zhuang Xun married Li Rusi as his wife, and the Li family was Zhuang Xun's wife's family. Zhuang Xun had no foundation. Must rely on.
For Li Rusi's family, Chengguo's glory and wealth are enough, but for the entire Li family, Chengguo has reached its limit and needs more living space. Zhuang Xun is an excellent investment. Originally, for Li Ping The daughter who was married far away was an equal wife. They all watched farce and jokes, but after receiving Li Shaoyun's letter, it was indeed beneficial to the entire Li family to let Li Rusi marry Zhuang Xun and be an equal wife. Taken together, Then came.
I don't want to be so humble. A big family must have stability and face. But when Zhuang Xun was purchasing betrothal gifts yesterday, Mrs. Jiang was also doing a big purchase, buying craftsmen as a family unit, and mobilizing food and grass to Jiannan Road.
Needless to say, this news can be understood. The relationship between Zhuang Xun and Mrs. Jiang was originally ambiguous. Now that Mrs. Jiang is transferring supplies to Jiannan Road, she has obviously reached some agreement with Zhuang Xun.
If the Li family still maintains a pretentious attitude, and all Zhuang Xun's official positions are thrown away from Mrs. Jiang, completely tied to Mrs. Jiang, and excluding others, then the Li family will really have no place to cry.
That's why several clan elders went to Li Pingyuan's house today to put pressure on him. They couldn't let him disagree.
After a long tug-of-war, Mrs. Jiang took the lead and grabbed the important position. Later, the Li family could only eat some scraps when they entered.
"No, there are so many people, we still need some talents." Zhuang Xun once again had the joy of copying answers.
"Look at the Li family..."
"When did I marry my daughter to him, why are you discussing the dowry?" Li Pingyuan snorted coldly. If he didn't show his presence, it would be true that the Li family was willing to marry off their daughter.
(End of chapter)
