When he got up early in the morning, An Wuyu opened the almanac.
On the third day of July, in the month of Guiwei and on the day of Renchen, it is appropriate to visit friends, make alliances, offer sacrifices, and pray for blessings.
"It is indeed an auspicious day." He couldn't help but sigh.
After reading those six letters, Anwuyu didn't sleep well all night. When I woke up in the morning, I felt as if I had suddenly become decades younger. Time flies and my future is bright, and I have a desire to seize the day.
Twenty years ago, the second uncle passed on to him the secret of the family that had lasted for more than 300 years. He knew that his ancestor's surname was Duanmu, but he did not expect that it would be the Julu King of the previous dynasty.
Only then did he understand why his ancestors had passed down the clan leader's secret instruction: destroy Dahua and restore the ancestral name.
For more than ten years, he has been working secretly, but he has never seen anything promising, and he is almost discouraged. It wasn't until Dahua had so many misfortunes recently that his thoughts of restoring his surname to Daye came to life again.
Of the six letters sent by Yu Lingyi, five were to clarify An Wuyu's doubts, while the other was to give hope to the An family.
A hope that made Anwuyu think it was worth paying all the price and risking everything for it.
They had made an appointment yesterday, and they met outside the Star Picking Pavilion at the beginning of the morning. Guessing that the time was coming, An Wuyu picked up his sword and walked out.
... ...
Chu Zhong went to Anxian, and there were only six masters left in Prince Jia's palace: Du Chong, Qing Ji, Hua Fang, Ying Sheng, Qiong Qi, and Taotie. Fortunately, the two newly promoted soldiers were not bad at martial arts.
Although he knew it was dangerous outside, Xia Chengxuan had to go out today.
In the stable, a group of soldiers stood still with a horse each, and four unicorn chariots were lined up one after another. Xia Chengxuan got on the front chariot without hesitation.
A tall and thin man who looked like Lu Jianting took a few steps forward and approached the wind window to wait for orders. He heard a voice coming from inside: "Jianxing, go to the Yiwang Mansion."
Lu Jianxing responded "Yes!" and shouted "Get up!". The soldiers mounted their horses and the charioteers took their positions, and slowly walked out of the small gate of the palace.
Yiwang's Mansion and Jhawang's Mansion are more than thirty miles apart, which is half an hour's journey.
Xia Chengxuan didn't ask anyone to send the greeting card first. He knew that Xia Chenghuan would definitely be at the house at this time.
According to the current situation, Prince Yi's Mansion, Prince Jha's Mansion, and Prince Zhi's Mansion are all unable to defeat Prince Yun's Mansion. Only the three of them working together can have a chance of victory. Xia Chengxuan decided to take this first step.
The cavalry stopped at the side gate of Prince Yi's Mansion. Lu Jianxing took out his waist badge and gave it to the palace guard, and then said to him: "Our heir apparent has something important to discuss with Prince Chenghuan. Go and report it quickly."
After finishing speaking, he led the chariot team and headed straight into the mansion.
All the guards looked at me and I looked at you, but no one dared to come forward and stop me.
... ...
Although the Chen family is considered a big family in Zhuzhou, they seldom interact with others. Therefore, Zhuzhou is still in the state capital, and even the common people know very little about the Chen family. They don't even know who the head of the Chen family is or who is in the house. In the eyes of Zhuzhou people, the Chen family only deals in medicinal materials. There is a large village in Chenjiaji in the southwest of Zhuzhou, and that's it.
With such a net worth, he was considered a wealthy businessman in Zhuzhou, and no one had to use their brains since childhood. However, no one, whether it was the government or the gangsters, took more than half of the advantage.
Over time, everyone came to know that the Chen family was definitely not a kind person, and gradually they all stayed away from it.
The Chen family has never been hospitable. Except for the servants who go out to buy some vegetables, meat, and firewood, the door of the house is closed almost all year round, which adds a sense of mystery to it.
The Chen family, which has not entertained guests all year round, had a distinguished guest today.
In the living room of the Chen family, an old man with yellow hair and withered hair was sitting quietly.
"Brother Xiaoyu has been waiting for you for a long time, but you are far away from me!" Chen Jinbei, who is fair and slightly fat, walked quickly, bowing and apologizing all the way, smiling happily.
The yellow-haired old man returned the gift with his hand, and said with a smile: "I'm here to bother you again, so don't worry about being near the north."
Chen Jinbei looked to be in his fifties at most, while the face of the yellow-haired old man seemed to be in his seventies, but the two of them were considered brothers and seemed to be quite familiar with each other.
After a few words of greeting, the host and guest sat down. The yellow-haired old man got straight to the point and explained his purpose, "Last month, an elder of the Xu family discovered a pig iron mine in Luzhou, Zhulan County. The reserves are huge and unprecedented. .”
It turns out that this old man with yellow hair and withered hair is the eldest of the three brothers of the Xu family, Xu Xiaoyu, who has been hiding in the world for many years.
"Oh? Such a thing happened? Great!" Chen Jinbei's eyes widened and he slapped his leg hard, making his face tremble slightly.
Xu Xiaoyu stroked his beard and smiled and said: "This elder originally only went to look for green saltpeter to make elixirs, but he accidentally discovered this mine. It is really a blessing from heaven!"
"Haha, that's right!" Chen Jinbei couldn't help but nodded, and suddenly said seriously to Xu Xiaoyu, "We can't let the imperial court know about this!"
"The imperial court is already busy with itself. How can it think about prospecting at the moment? Besides, we have taken care of everything in Luzhou Prefecture, and the government will never interfere again. At the end of last month, the Xu family bought the mineral vein from the prefecture government. The five mountains where it is located. There are more than 400 households within a fifty-mile radius of the mine. The Xu family also gave each family a large sum of money and bought them fields in the state capital. Naturally, they were all grateful and moved happily. Go over there. Before coming here, I have sent nearly a thousand people over to prepare for the mining." After Xu Xiaoyu told the whole story, his face became a little embarrassed and he said seriously, "However, the terrain of the mineral deposit area is quite steep. It is still difficult to open the mine. We had to hire people, set up equipment, dig mountains, and build roads first, which cost a lot of money, and then I came to the door."
Chen Jinbei chuckled, his face full of pride, and replied loudly: "Brother Xiao Yu, you are so polite! Money is nothing more than external possessions. It will not be taken with you until you die. My brother has such great ambitions, and I really admire him. If he can achieve a great cause, The Chen family is naturally obligated to contribute! How much silver is needed, but you can just ask."
The two have a close friendship and can be described as close friends. Xu Xiaoyu seemed to have expected that Chen Jinbei would not reject him, so even though he agreed, there was no strange expression on his face.
He stroked his yellow beard and said in a deep voice: "Opening mountains and building roads are hard work. The wages given to laborers should be favorable, and daily clothing, food and accommodation should not be insufficient."
"This is natural!" Chen Jinbei nodded in agreement.
"The mining operation must not be delayed. Besides the laborers, I am proud to have someone to supervise me day and night. It is best if they are all Jianghu people." Xu Xiaoyu said solemnly.
Jianghu people are always safe in handling affairs with money. They are good at martial arts and can control the situation. They are the best candidates to supervise the work.
"Not bad!" Chen Jinbei agreed seriously.
From the diners in Chenjiazhuang to the servants who sweep the floor and cook, everyone is a veteran of the world. Jianghu people value reputation and take money from others to eliminate disasters for others. Some dead men even risked their lives for money, but it is rare to hear of anyone using money to betray their master.
"There are many tools required for iron smelting, and it will probably take a long time to prepare enough. It is best to order them now." Xu Xiaoyu added.
As Xu Xiaoyu said before, although the mineral vein has been found and the mine has been purchased, in order to extract the mineral deposits, one still needs to hire people, dig mountains, build roads, and install equipment. It takes a lot of time to dig mountains and build roads. During this period, it is time to find people to forge the tools needed for ore refining.
"That's how it should be!" Chen Jinbei replied with a smile.
"I want to hire all the famous forging masters and blacksmiths in Dahua to come to Luzhou, and all the forging and refining equipment can be done at the foot of the mountain." Xu Xiaoyu added, "Forging tools at the foot of the mountain, digging mountains and building roads on the mountain are indispensable. A small worker who still needs help."
Chen Jinbei pondered for a moment, touched his nose, and said, "I'm afraid it won't take ten thousand people to accomplish this."
Xu Xiaoyu shook his head and said with a smile: "A rough estimate is that at least 30,000 people are needed!"
The more people who want it, the bigger the mineral deposits are. For them, the bigger the mineral deposits, the better.
"That's great!" Chen Jinbei put his palms together and laughed.
There are four difficulties in planning this big thing: raising money, gathering grain, buying troops, and refining weapons.
Among them, the first difficulty is refining weapons.
In order to prevent civil unrest, the imperial courts of various countries have extremely strict control over the pig iron veins. It is extremely difficult to build weapons in large quantities. Therefore, popular uprisings have rarely succeeded in history, but military rebellions have often succeeded.
If you have money, you can gather food and recruit troops. Now that you have this mine where weapons can be refined, things are ready to be done.
The two looked at each other for a few breaths, and it seemed that they could see the blazing fire in each other's eyes.
"How much money this matter will cost will be borne by the Chen family." Chen Jinbei said seriously to Xu Xiaoyu.
The Chen family is rich and has plenty of money. However, the money did not come from the strong wind. Chen Jinbei is willing to help the Xu family mine regardless of gain or loss, because this is the ancestral precept of the Chen family that has not been passed down by the patriarchs of the past generations.
Destroy Dahua and restore the ancestral name.
It is true that the Chen family is rich enough to rival the country, and it is also true that China is in decline. However, if the Chen family seeks such a big thing, it is still no different than a pedantle shaking a tree.
The Chen and Xu families were on good terms. After Chen Jinbei became the head of the family, he learned about what Xu Xiaoyu was planning, and they have been secretly helping each other over the years.
He didn't know why the Xu family was so paranoid about this matter, and he never asked why. But he knew that the two of them were on the same path in the vast sea of people.
Yes, there must be An Wuyu here, and the three of them are close friends.
They have always kept a tacit agreement, that is, they will never find out each other's details, and they will never ask about the reasons. This is not only a guarantor, but also a kind of self-protection.
"One million two hundred thousand taels."
Xu Xiaoyu didn't think too much and answered immediately. It was obvious that he had made detailed measurements in advance.
Everyone thinks that the Xu family is a century-old family in the martial arts world. Not only does it have a profound knowledge of martial arts, but its family background is also extremely wealthy.
In fact, although the Xu family has accumulated a lot of wealth over the past century, it is far from enough to support their arrogance over the years. Most of this large amount of money spent was money from Tongdui Bank.
In the past, the loan amount was tens of thousands taels, tens of thousands taels, and at most it was only 150,000 taels. But today, Xu Xiaoyu asked for 1.2 million taels as soon as he asked!
Chen Jinbei nodded slightly, lowered his head to think, then picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea, then raised his head and exhaled heavily.
Xu Xiaoyu kept looking at him without asking or urging him.
"I'll give you two million taels." Chen Jinbei put down the tea cup and said with a serious face.
... ...
The palace guards found Xia Chenghuan in the mourning hall.
Xia Muren's funeral has been completed long ago, but the mourning hall in Yiwang Mansion has not yet been evacuated. Every morning, noon and evening, Xia Chenghuan would come here to keep vigil for his late father.
"Father, how can I take the palace, mother, brother and sister out of the current predicament?"
Xia Chenghuan had asked this question hundreds of times in front of Xia Muren's spiritual throne.
"Your Majesty, Crown Prince Chengxuan asked for an audience. Now... he came directly into the mansion. We can't stop him. He should be waiting in the side hall now." The palace guard reported tremblingly.
According to the hospitality rules of wealthy families, guests should send greeting cards before visiting so that the host can arrange the time.
If a greeting card has not been sent in advance, the guest must wait outside the house for a while and wait for the host's permission before entering the house.
The palace guard let Xia Chengxuan directly enter the side hall, which obviously broke the rules of the palace.
"Xia Chengxuan?"
After hearing these three words, Xia Chenghuan stood up suddenly, walked quickly to the palace guard, and took out the saber from his waist.
I thought that the prince was so angry that he wanted to operate on himself, but he was so frightened that he immediately knelt down on the ground. Unexpectedly, Xia Chenghuan took the knife and ran straight to the side hall, leaving the palace guard kneeling on the ground with a confused and surprised look on his face.
"Bang!" Xia Chenghuan came up and kicked Xia Chengxuan, who was standing in the hall with his back to the ground.
Before he could get up, he kicked him in the chest again, kicking him all over.
"If it weren't for the people from Prince Jaw's Mansion who held back the Shenshao Camp all the way, why would my father be killed?"
The more Xia Chenghuan thought about it, the angrier he became, almost going crazy.
Seeing Xia Chengxuan struggling to stand up, Xia Chenghuan charged up another palm and slapped him hard on the face, causing his mouth and nose to be filled with blood.
The so-called poor in literature and rich in martial arts, there is no one among the royal children who does not practice martial arts. Xia Chenghuan is twenty-eight years old and has been practicing martial arts for twenty years, so his skills are naturally not weak. The power of these two kicks and palms was unreserved, and Xia Chengxuan was beaten until his internal organs were tumbling, and his ears were ringing and dizzy.
"If you hadn't sent people to cause trouble all the way, the Shenshao camp would have arrived at Pingshangyuan long ago. How could my father be harmed by the thieves!"
Xia Chenghuan roared angrily, his face twisted with anger. After saying that, he grasped the handle of the knife with both hands and slashed Xia Chengxuan's neck.
When the blade was less than two inches away from his skin, it finally stopped again.
Xia Chenghuan was breathing heavily, his eyes were cracked, like an evil ghost.
"kill him!"
"kill him!"
"kill him!"
It was as if hundreds of voices were whispering in his ears. His hands holding the knife were shaking slightly, as if hundreds of undead were pushing the blade towards Xia Chengxuan's neck.
Xia Chenghuan pressed Xia Chengxuan's shoulder with the blade of the knife, and cut several cuts on his neck. Blood flowed out and dyed the collar of his robe red.
Despite this, he still stood upright, his eyes tight and his face unchanged.
From beginning to end, he never said a word, not even a groan.
He clearly remembered the purpose of his trip: to plead guilty and to make an alliance.
"My child, it's not his fault..."
"My child, it's not his fault..."
"My child, it's not his fault..."
Just when he was filled with rage and lost his mind, there seemed to be hundreds of other voices whispering in his ears. This was clearly Xia Muren's tone.
"Father..." Xia Chenghuan said softly, and tears came out of his eyes.
With a "clang", he finally threw away the bloody knife in his hand.
... ...
After talking about the business, Chen Jinbei took Xu Xiaoyu for a walk in the yard.
Although it has not yet entered autumn, the sweet-scented osmanthus trees in Zhuangzi have bloomed some small flowers, and the fragrance is already refreshing.
As they walked along the path, the two of them talked and laughed. They were indeed friends who had forgotten their friendship.
They keep many secrets in their hearts, which they can neither tell nor ignore. For a long time, they have had less fun and more worries. Both of them thought that it was truly a blessing to meet such a like-minded person in their lifetime.
No matter whether the great cause is successful or not, if you have good friends like you, you will have no regrets in this life.
"I heard that the martial arts alliance is going to be reorganized in Jianghu. Do you think the Xu family will not miss such an opportunity?" Chen Jinbei changed the topic and asked Xu Xiaoyu.
Dahua's martial arts world is extremely powerful. If they can work together, they will be a very powerful force. If you can become the leader of the martial arts alliance and control all the heroes in the world, even the Emperor of Great China will not have to be afraid at all. With the Xu family's status in the world, they are naturally qualified to compete for the position of leader of the martial arts alliance.
What's more, how can the Xu family be an ordinary martial arts family?
"Third brother is already preparing for this. This bastard in Suye learned about the third brother's thoughts, left a letter and then disappeared, saying that he would lobby those big shots." Xu Xiaoyu said with a smile, his face Quite a bit of joy.
"I'm afraid this won't be easy." Chen Jinbei stopped and said, "The Yan Gang, Yufeng Escort Bureau, Suxin Palace, Xiaojinshan, Liuzhuo Temple and other major sects should not be underestimated."
Although the Chen family doesn't travel much in the world, they always send a copy of the letters and newspapers from Zhaixing Pavilion. It can be said that Chen Jinbei knows everything in the world without going out.
The sects he mentioned not only have many disciples, but also have top-notch experts in charge. If they want to compete, they may not be much weaker than the Xu family.
"Yes. Yi Qilin, Zhang Suiguang, Yun Xiaomeng, Jin Shenfeng, and Master Ruyan are all long-established masters, and their martial arts are top-notch." Xu Xiaoyu said seriously, "The following few people are not bad. Yi Qilin, um... They met at Prince Duan's Mansion in the capital last month, and the third child said he was only 50% sure."
After coming out of Prince Duan's Mansion, several people sat together to discuss the situation in the world, during which Xu Xiaoyi deliberately felt Yi Qilin. He could feel that the opponent's martial arts had not deteriorated due to old age, but had become much better. He thought that he was never sure of victory.
"Brother Xu, the Xu family should pay special attention to Yun Xiaomeng." Chen Jinbei said seriously.
Xu Xiaoyu was startled, then understood, and asked curiously: "Oh? This Yun Xiaomeng also deliberately concealed his martial arts?"
"I don't know that." Chen Jinbei shook his head and said, "Brother An and Wan Wuyue have a good relationship, as you know. Six years ago, Yun Xiaomeng defeated Jin Shenfeng in Xiaojinshan, and he was present at that time Brother An once told me afterwards that Yun Xiaomeng has obtained the true inheritance of his master and will be number one in the world in the future."
"Is there such a thing?" Xu Xiaoyu looked shocked and murmured, "When Wang Wuyue passed away, Yun Xiaomeng was still young, so I really didn't expect that she would be able to fully inherit the truth. Wu Yu never told me this. Festival."
At this moment, Chen Jinbei's eldest son, Chen Luzhi, walked over quickly and said to the two of them with a smile: "Uncle Xu, father, Uncle An came to the house with one person."
After hearing this, both of them looked happy and looked at each other and smiled, "It's rare that the three of us are together again today." Suddenly he remembered that Chen Luzhi said that An Wuyu came with one person, and asked again, "The other one Who is one person? Ru Zhen or Ru Qing?"
"I don't know him. He's a handsome man in his fifties." Chen Luzhi replied.
Xu Xiaoyu patted Chen Jinbei and said with a smile: "Never mind that, it's just a good time for him to ask about Yun Xiaomeng."
... ...
When Xia Chengxuan returned to the stable, all the guards saw that his mouth, nose, and neck were covered in blood. They were shocked and angry, and they drew their swords out of their sheaths.
"What are you doing!" Xia Chengxuan shouted coldly, "Put away the knife!"
"Prince!" Lu Jianxing had rushed to the corridor, and after hearing this, he looked unwilling. Lu Jianting and Xia Muchao died together in Tianmen City, and no one in the Lu family complained. Lu Jianxing also volunteered himself and became the bodyguard of the palace, taking over from his elder brother.
The Lu family had received kindness from Prince Jia, and no one could repay it in many generations. Even if Lu Jianxing was asked to die for Xia Chengxuan, he would not even frown. Seeing the young master's description, it was obvious that he had been abused and humiliated. How could he bear it?
"Jianxing, let's go! Don't ruin my big event!" Xia Chengxuan scolded sternly.
Lu Jianxing is not afraid of death, but he is afraid that he will not be loyal. As soon as he heard that he was going to ruin the young master's important affairs, he had no choice but to put his sword in its sheath with hatred.
Xia Chengxuan entered the last carriage and said in a deep voice: "Leave the city gate and go to the white army camp!"
... ...
Chen Jinbei and Xu Xiaoyu were walking back. They met An Wuyu and Yu Lingyi before they could walk a hundred feet.
"The yellow-haired old man in front of me is a master!" Yu Lingyi sighed inwardly, "Dahua deserves to be a holy land of martial arts. Just entering the courtyard, there are two people who are not weaker than me."
"Master!" Xu Xiaoyu was also secretly frightened, thinking, "When did such a powerful person appear in the world? I'm afraid he is no worse than me."
An Wuyu supported Chen and Xu and said with a smile: "I just heard from Lu that Brother Xu was here, and I thought I heard it wrong. Haha... It's really God's blessing!" He pulled the two of them to Yu Lingyi's side and said with a smile: "This is... Mr. Yu. He has something very important to do with you. You name it, coincidence or not, he made up his mind on the way here. After leaving this mansion, he went straight to Ruozhou to find Brother Xu. Haha, God is really here to help, I didn't expect Brother Xu to come to this mansion today."
How could such a coincidence happen if it wasn't God's will?
Since God intends to bring them together, doesn't it mean that what these people have planned has been achieved at the right time?
Now that you have the right time, why worry about failure to achieve great things!
Thinking of this, his blood couldn't stop boiling.
Both of them have known An Wuyu for many years, but they have never seen him laugh to his heart's content. They can't help but be secretly surprised, and they both think, "What is it that makes him so happy?"
Yu Lingyi, Chen Jinbei, and Xu Xiaoyu greeted each other, and then smiled and said: "Yu came here today because he really has something important to discuss with Mr. Chen. As Pavilion Master An said, the next person Yu is planning to find is Xu. Sir, I didn’t expect that you would happen to be here, it’s really great!”
Chen Jinbei knew that what Yu Lingyi and the two discussed must be extremely secret, so he said to him: "In that case, why not change a place and sit down to talk in detail."
