Just when Xun Shuang and Zhang Wen were preparing to strengthen their relationship through marriage, Liu Bei, Zhang Heng, and Guo Jia were sitting opposite each other in the guest room drinking tea.
Zhang Heng originally planned to invite Xun You over, but then he thought that Xun You should be called by Xun Shuang at this time, so he gave up.
"How was it that Mr. Xuande met those Xun clan disciples today?" Zhang Heng asked with a smile.
Just like a blind date, Xunshi wanted to examine Liu Bei, but the Liu Bei Group also had to see if Xunshi's quality was worth wooing him.
Liu Bei smiled brightly, "It's just our first meeting, so we can't tell much. But...the Xun family has a good family tradition. The children in the family all seem to be humble, polite, and as gentle as jade."
"This is natural." Zhang Heng nodded and smiled, "After all, the Xun family is a descendant of Xunzi. Poetry and etiquette are passed down from generation to generation, and it is reasonable to be strict in running a family. As for his talent and learning, Mr. Xuande will slowly discover it in the future."
Unexpectedly, Zhang Heng's compliment immediately aroused Guo Jia's dissatisfaction.
"The master's reputation is too great. Except for Wen Ruo and You Ruo, the Xun family's descendants are just a bunch of mediocre people, not worth mentioning."
Liu Bei immediately asked curiously: "How do you talk about being filial? Is it possible that the Xun family is just a group of people who are just trying to gain fame?"
"Go, go, drink your wine honestly, you have nothing to do here!" Zhang Heng waved his hand to Guo Jia to shut up, and then smiled at Liu Bei, "Mr. Xuande must not listen to Fengxiao's nonsense, he I was living in someone else's house before, but I had an affair with many maids, and in the end I was almost kicked out by them, so naturally I felt resentful."
Hearing this, Liu Bei immediately showed a shocked look and looked at Guo Jia up and down.
"Oh, this is happening!"
Looking at Fengxiao's small body, he was able to have affairs with multiple women. It was rare for him not to be squeezed dry.
When the scandal was exposed in front of Liu Bei, Guo Jia's face suddenly turned red, and he became angry and said: "Zhang Ziyi, how can you smear my innocence out of thin air in front of my lord!"
However, Zhang Heng said with disdain: "What innocence? I saw with my own eyes that day that Xun Pi wanted to fight you desperately. If I hadn't stopped him, how would you have survived?"
With a body as small as Guo Jia's, I'm afraid ten more people wouldn't be able to defeat Xun Pei. Being beaten to the point where he could find teeth all over the place would be considered an easy task.
"Nonsense, nonsense!"
Guo Jia immediately broke through his defense, jumped to his feet and cursed: "How can a rotten scholar like Xun Pei, who has no power to tie a chicken, be my opponent!"
"Okay, Fengxiao said it well!" Zhang Heng praised, "I can still talk to Mr. Xun Pei. I will invite him over later to compete with you Fengxiao. How about it?"
As soon as he heard about the competition, Liu Bei immediately became interested and looked at Guo Jia expectantly.
But Guo Jia immediately gave up, and no longer mentioned Zhang Heng's slander against him. He only made excuses and said: "I am a guest in someone else's house, how could I be so rude? What if I accidentally hurt Xun Pei? It’s not beautiful, my lord, please don’t listen to Ziyi’s instigation.”
Yep, this is the first time I've seen someone describe coward in such a fresh and refined way.
Without Guo Jia's interference, Liu Bei and Zhang Heng once again talked about Xun's recruitment.
"Xuan De Gong, if you go to run Xuzhou, it will take several years to stabilize it. During this period, you should reduce the number of wars and manage the people's livelihood. Only in this way can the treasury be abundant and the people live in peace. The Xun family has many talented people, but it is impossible to govern Xuzhou. The missing link.”
Zhang Heng's words set the tone for the next few years.
The war is almost over, and now it's time for the farming dogs to grow.
If you want to govern a huge Xuzhou well, in addition to upper-level decision-making, you also need a huge middle-level organization that goes deep into the grassroots to implement the top-level strategies, so that it can be effective.
What the Liu Bei Group lacks most now is this kind of middle-level civil and military personnel.
Xuzhou has five prefectures and dozens of counties. Even if Zhang Heng has great power, it is impossible for one person to manage them all.
The descendants of the Xun family and their relatives and cronies can just play these roles.
This is the reason why Zhang Heng insisted on asking Liu Bei to come to Yingchuan in person. With the help of these people, a complete political power can be quickly established.
Liu Bei nodded in agreement. Although he was not good at government affairs, he understood the importance of grassroots governance.
"Since Ziyi thinks the Xun family is important, then we will do our best to recruit him."
"Don't worry, Mr. Xuande, I have a countermeasure to ensure that the entire Xun family will be brought under the command of Mr. Xuande." Zhang Heng said with a smile.
At this time, Guo Jia suddenly came up again and said with a thief smile: "If the chief secretary wants to tie the entire Xun family to our warship, he might as well implement a marriage plan and ask the lord to marry a Xun family's direct daughter. wife."
Forehead……
Zhang Heng glanced at Guo Jia.
This kid is really full of bad ideas, he really... thinks of me.
But after Liu Bei heard this, he couldn't help but think of his previous wives and the children who died in the turmoil, and his expression became sad.
Zhang Heng saw Liu Bei's thoughts and comforted him: "People cannot be resurrected after death, so please show your condolences. But now, Duke Xuande, you are the lord of Xuzhou, so you should marry another wife and have children to inherit the business and stabilize people's hearts."
"What Ziyi said makes sense." Liu Bei sighed and nodded slowly, "But it also depends on whether the person is willing. It's not easy to force this matter."
For Liu Bei, whose brothers are like siblings and women are like clothes, it doesn't matter who he marries.
"Don't worry, Mr. Xuande, I will handle it properly." Zhang Heng cupped his hands and said with a smile.
…
"Father, why are you calling your daughter?"
Xun Cai walked into the room and saluted Xun Shuang.
"Father Xun, my father has something to tell you." Xun Shuang waved his hand and motioned for Xun Cai to sit down first.
Xun Cai nodded and knelt down next to Xun Shuang.
Looking at his daughter's cold face, Xun Shuang's eyes showed a trace of regret and sadness.
"Nv Xun, your husband has been dead for more than a year..."
Before he finished speaking, Xun Cai's expression suddenly changed and he said coldly: "What did father want to say, but who came to propose marriage again?"
"No, no, no one proposes marriage, don't worry, Ms. Xun..."
Xun Shuang knew very well that his daughter had a strong temperament, and was afraid that she would commit suicide if she couldn't get over it, so he quickly shook his head and waved his hands.
Xun Cai didn't believe it, and the look on his face became a little colder.
"Since no one mentioned the marriage, why did father bring it up?"
Xun Shuang sighed and spoke slowly: "Female Xun, my father just thinks that you are still so young and it is not an option to continue like this. I just want to ask you if you are willing to find a good family to marry."
"No, my daughter will never marry again." Xun Cai refused very simply.
"Why!" Xun Shuang said with a sad face, "As long as you live for your father, you can marry or not. But after your father dies, how will you, a weak and helpless woman, survive?"
Xun Cai still shook his head, "My daughter can take care of herself, so my father doesn't have to worry?"
"What nonsense are you talking about... How can a woman not marry?" Xun Shuang shook his head and sighed, "My father is old and his days are not long. I have no regrets in my life. Now I just hope that I can find a good home for you. If I can’t see you get married with my own eyes, I will never die in peace for my father!”
Seeing his father's expression of sadness, even though Xun Cai's heart was as solid as stone, he couldn't help but move slightly, and two lines of clear tears fell from the corners of his eyes.
After thinking for a long time, Xun Caicai said quietly: "If the father insists on asking his daughter to remarry, the daughter will obey his orders, but... he must agree to one condition."
"What conditions!" Xun Shuang said with great joy when he heard this, "As long as you, Xun, are willing to marry, don't mention one condition, it will be a hundred, and my father will agree to it!"
"Please ask father to send someone to bring Achan back. My daughter will marry her with her."
Hearing this, Xun Shuang's smile suddenly solidified on his face.
The so-called Achan is Yinchan, the daughter of Xun Cai and her husband Yin Yu.
The former Xun Shuang used letters to trick his daughter into going to Luoyang, which had angered the Yin family, and the two families had severed contact with each other. How could they be willing to send Yin Chan here now?
Furthermore, after all, Yin Chan is also the daughter of the Yin family, so why should you, Xun Cai, remarry?
"Nv Xun, this matter... is difficult to handle..."
"If the father doesn't allow it, my daughter would rather die than get married." Xun Cai's slightly relaxed expression turned cold again.
"Okay, I promise you as a father!" Xun Shuang gritted his teeth and said.
