With Yu Lingyi taking action, Xu Xiaoshi just took a break from the martial arts alliance, and he had a more important thing to do.
Xu Xigong is the young head of the Xu family. On such a grand occasion, he actually attracts more attention than Xu Xiaoshi, the third master of the Xu family. Therefore, when Xu Xiaoyu came to Juheyuan last night, he informed Duanmuyu about this matter.
The relationship with the royal family of the Jue Kingdom is the most critical inheritance of the Xu family when the successive heads of the family change, and it can never be mentioned to the rest of the people, even if they are as close as father and brother, sons and nephews, wives and daughters.
In early July, Xu Xiaoyu made up his mind to return to his "family" after meeting Chen Jinbei, An Wuyu and Yu Lingyi in Chenjiazhuang. Therefore, as soon as he returned home, he called the closest relatives in the family and told them the secret that had been passed down in the family for more than three hundred years.
When Zhen Zhen's words were not surprising, he slowly said, "The Xu family is a branch of the Duanmu family of Jue Kingdom, and we are all descendants of the royal family of the previous dynasty." The other six people in the secret room could hardly believe their ears.
"How is this possible?"
"Did I hear you correctly? Is the eldest brother (father/uncle) old and confused?"
Until Xu Xiaoyu told the old story of how the descendants of the two former princes Duanmu Xu An and Duanmu Chengping were gradually divided into Ruozhou Xu family, Qianshuicheng An family and Zhuzhou Chen family, and took out some old things left in the house. With the evidence, the six people had no choice but to believe it.
To them, it was nothing less than a shocking thunder.
After a brief period of confusion, the six of them finally accepted this fact. After all, blood is a gift from God, and it is a connection that is difficult to determine. Returning to one's ancestors was a matter of course, and they were surprisingly in favor of Xu Xiaoyu's decision.
In addition to the three Xu brothers, the most direct descendants of the Xu family include the second generation Xu Sugong, Xu Suye, Xu Suyan, Xu Sumo, and Xu Suxun.
Xu Xiaoyu is nearly twenty years older than Xu Xiaoshi and Xu Xiaoyi, and his eldest son Xu Sugong is also nearly forty years old. He started helping his third uncle with the clan affairs seven or eight years ago, and he has absolute authority among the younger generation of the family.
Xu Jinye, on the other hand, although extremely talented in martial arts and had already made a name for himself in the world at the age of twenty-six or seven, was not loved by his father and two uncles, nor by his brothers and cousins at home. I respect Xu Sugong far more than him because of his wild and casual behavior.
It was precisely because of this that on the night of the Xu family's secret meeting, Xu Xiaoyu was the only one who did not call him.
"Lao San, you also know Suye's temperament. This matter concerns the lives of tens of thousands of people in the Xu family, so I think it's best not to tell him."
Xu Xiaoyi never disobeyed his brother. Although he felt something was wrong, he still didn't say anything.
Xu Jinye was so smart that he soon realized that his family seemed to be avoiding him from doing anything important, intentionally or unintentionally.
He knew about the martial arts alliance, but what his father and brother did seemed to be much more than that. He had doubts but didn't want to ask. After holding it in for more than ten days, he finally couldn't bear it anymore and rode out of the house on his snowy horse. He stayed there for several months.
"Although outsiders speculate that I covet the position of the young head of the Xu family, how can I compete with brother Su Gong? Why are my father, eldest uncle, and second uncle so cold to me? Not only my brother, but even Su Yan and Su Mo have begun to fight for the family. I am the only one doing things...am I really that bad?"
The more Xu Jinye thought about it, the more miserable he became. He felt that he had become an abandoned son of the family, until he met the young man chasing his father's oxcart outside Tanzhou City.
"How can we let go of blood relatives? If my father and brother think that I am not good, then I have something that makes them dissatisfied. If I run away because of this, wouldn't I be worse than this young man?"
Therefore, he reined in his horse and rushed back to Ruozhou that night.
When Xu Xiaoyi saw him coming back, a long-lost smile appeared on her face, and she just said: "It's good that he's back. You have to remember that no matter what, no matter when and where, you are a descendant of the Xu family."
After coming out of his father's study, Xu Jinye returned to his dormitory with tears in his eyes.
"Yes, I am a descendant of the Xu family. This was decided at birth. In my whole life, I must be a member of the Xu family first, and then Xu Jinye."
So, he turned around and went to find his uncle again, the old man whom the Xu family said was indispensable. That's when he decided to replace his second uncle, Xu Xiaoshi, in the martial arts school.
Xu Suye's request was exactly what Xu Xiaoyu wanted, and he immediately agreed.
... ...
Yin Liyang is the Chief Secretary of Hanzhou Prefecture. Originally, no one dared to say a word even if he walked across this three-acre land in Hanzhou. Today, a group of people were walking sideways in front of him, and he didn't dare to take a breath.
Seeing him standing timidly and not daring to move, Xia Chenghuan wanted to tell him to relax, so he walked up to him and said to him with a smile: "Secretary Yin, please sit down for a moment. The things here have nothing to do with you. There is no need to panic.”
When Yin Liyang saw him coming, his legs felt weak and he almost stopped standing. He said with an anxious look: "I made an oversight! I... I am guilty! Please forgive me, Your Highness Prince Rui!"
He was not a fool. He was a dignified prince. He led the Shenshao battalion to rush hundreds of miles and suddenly replaced the gatekeepers at the city gate. Something big must have happened. I didn't know anything about it. At best, it was an oversight. At worst, hey, it could be a minor or serious crime. It might be a crime that would kill the Nine Clans.
The Shenshao camp is the emperor's personal soldier. They always stay still. Once they move, something big will happen.
"What would alarm the Emperor and His Highness Prince Rui? Is it the Salt Gang? Or the Xu family in Ruozhou?" Yin Liyang thought about it and felt a headache and embarrassment.
Xia Chenghuan shook his head and said seriously: "Of course you are guilty, but now is not the time to hold you accountable. If you feel nervous, just go back to the deacon's room to rest. You cannot go back to your private residence."
Although he had brought enough people, he was still new here and needed the help of Yin Liyang, a local official, for many things, so he was detained at the prefectural government office.
A silver-armored general walked up quickly, stopped in front of Xia Chenghuan, stood still, and reported: "Prince Rui, the city defenders, patrol soldiers, and government officials have all been replaced by our people."
"Okay, you go to the city gates and keep an eye on them in person. Don't let anyone out." Xia Chenghuan said to the general while looking at the city defense map.
The military general hesitated for a moment, but finally asked: "Chenghuan, if we change defenses and patrol in such a big way, aren't we just trying to scare the enemy? If the target gets wind of it in advance and hides it, it will be difficult to find it."
"Xiuping, what we want is to alert the enemy. Instead of looking for a needle in a haystack and checking secretly, we should openly tell them that we are setting up defenses and will start arresting people soon!" Xia Chenghuan said with a smile, "The enemy is in the dark, we are in the light, Only by forcing them to reveal some traces will the rest of the matter be easier to deal with. The snake is lying down, and if you don’t kill it, how will we know where it is?"
Gu Xiuping suddenly understood, nodded heavily, and replied: "That's it. I understand."
The Shenshao Battalion is the emperor's personal soldiers, and the generals and assistants among them are almost all relatives of the emperor. Although Gu Xiuping in front of him is only a fifth-grade general, his grandmother is the sister of Emperor Yonghua and Prince Duan. Therefore, in front of Xia Chenghuan, he dared to call him by his first name.
Xia Chenghuan put down the city defense map, walked to Gu Xiuping, and said sternly: "The man we want to arrest is a big shot. He will not be easy to deal with. Let the soldiers be prepared for a tough battle. There must be many guards around him and his martial arts must be very good. Strong, our soldiers guarding the city gates must be very alert, prepare defenses and fortifications, and minimize damage. If things go well, you and I will be great contributors to the court. If we let him escape, Even if the emperor doesn’t blame us, we will definitely regret it for the rest of our lives!”
"Chenghuan, tell me clearly, who are we trying to catch this time?" Gu Xiuping leaned over and asked in a low voice.
... ...
No one could have imagined that this shy young man could be so powerful in martial arts. The five-foot green blade seemed to be alive in his hands, agile and cold.
"Young Master, you are such a master of swordsmanship. I am so convinced by my defeat!" Tao Jichun, the leader of Qinzhou Huanfeng Mountain, clasped his fists and sighed, "Oh, Tao is a frog in the well, I am so ashamed..."
After saying that, he stumbled off the Sifang Terrace.
Jiang Xiaobai pursed his lips and smiled, then said to Tao Jichun's back: "Master Tao has some reservations. This junior was lucky enough to win even half a move. I'm really ashamed."
On the school field, Xu Xiaoshi passed through the crowd and walked quickly towards the Sifang Platform.
