The second day of the internal government meeting, August 26th, was an ordinary day.
But for the Zhou clan people, they cannot be ordinary, because today is the birthday of their clan leader Zhou Bai. Some thoughtful people want to organize a birthday banquet, and ordinary clan members also want to express their gratitude to this young clan leader who has led the family to rise, and send some small gifts. .
However, Zhou Bai suppressed these voices. The Jinshi celebrations a few days ago were already in full swing, and there was no need to worry about the seventeenth birthday.
When several members of the tribe who gave gifts met with bad luck one after another, no one used this as an excuse to come to visit him to show their favor. However, the elders of the family did not feel that Zhou Bai was unkind. Instead, they thought it was a sign of maturity and stability.
Seventeen is too young and it is not appropriate to make too much noise, lest other forces think that he is frivolous and unreliable.
Zhou Bai didn't just want to live, he went to the old patriarch Zhou Mingxuan's house and invited the heads and heirs of each house to hold a family banquet.
Except for close people like Zhou Xiangwen and Zhou Rui and his son, even Zhou Chang, the owner of the third house, attended the banquet as promised. The original unhappiness was nothing compared to the current status gap.
This family banquet was also held after discussion between Zhou Mingxuan and Zhou Bai. They both knew that they should take advantage of the fact that the person in charge of the previous generation was still there to win over the hearts of the family.
At the gate of Zhou Mingxuan's house, Zhou Bai became a serious welcome guest.
Zhou Chang saw the high-spirited young man at the door from a distance. Thinking of the young man's achievements in the past two years, he felt a little confused.
Being knighted by imperial edict is actually not the pinnacle.
At that time, due to the pressure within the family, he took his son Zhou Heyun to plead guilty. Although his behavior was embarrassing, he may not have a trace of guilt in his heart.
Maybe one day Zhou Heyun can do the same?
But when Dingzhou was Jieyuan later, and now Jinshi, the Tianren Archway was a glory that no one could hope for.
How could Zhou Chang understand that his son and Zhou Bobi were like a firefly to a bright moon.
Fortunately, they are both members of the Zhou family, and there is no deep hatred. Being able to invite him to the family dinner means a lot.
"Brother Bai, it's a happy birthday, just a little thought." Zhou Chang calmed down, strode to the door with a little awkward smile on his face.
"Thank you, Uncle Chang. The elders have already taken their seats. Please come in."
Zhou Bai took the gift box and asked Zhou Rui who was following him to hold it for him. Then he pretended to be strange and looked behind Zhou Chang and said, "By the way, isn't peace coming?"
"He is incompetent. He has never entered school or gained any fame, so I left him in the countryside and studied behind closed doors in the manor." Zhou Chang was stunned and quickly explained.
This is not what you said at the beginning, when you will gain fame and when you will return to your clan.
Of course, Zhou Chang was just complaining in his heart. The current gap in status made him unable to stand up to his elders.
Zhou Bai nodded and said: "Yeah, that's fine. But now that the family has become more powerful and has a lot of property, if Uncle Chang is interested, he can apply to the Qunshi Hall and let He Yun do the work."
"If you are really talented, as the clan leader, I will certainly give you a chance."
Zhou Changzi readily responded and his steps became much more brisk.
Over the past year or so, he has finally realized what it means to be warm and cold in human relationships, and he hates evil servants like Zhou Datian.
When the person walked away, Zhou Rui said from the side: "Sure enough, you are a lot more generous, my patriarch."
Zhou Baixi smiled and said nothing, but it was true. Different positions meant different levels of thinking.
Yesterday's summary meeting was to unite the hearts of the people in the household, and today's family banquet was to unite the hearts of the family. If these main direct descendants of the homeowner are of the same mind, then the whole family will be of the same mind.
He was deeply aware that a storm was coming, and without even mentioning it, he said that the actions of the Zhao family in the past few days were a precursor to a major war.
Combining various official and secret methods, they forcibly suppressed the Zhou family's business in the county.
For example, in a clothing store in the tribe, a large number of local gangsters would pour into the store during the day. They would pretend to choose fabrics and admire the clothing.
But as soon as customers come, they will block the door of the store or scare them away. In the end, no business can be done at the end of the day.
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At night, it is common for shops to be vandalized, stolen, or even set on fire.
For this reason, the clan can only send more manpower to be on duty day and night, which is slightly better.
When Ji Hongzhe was here, reporting to the official would definitely be useful. Now that Shou Heng is in charge, all the relationships that are being managed below, and if they are not serious enough to embarrass you, it will all be considered as money.
Another example is that bandits who had not appeared for a long time frequently targeted the Zhou caravans heading to other counties.
The servants fought tooth and nail to protect him, but he couldn't grab anything, but he could certainly destroy the goods and delay time.
After all, under Zhou Bai's intentional cutting, most of the people responsible for inland transportation were clan soldiers and servants, not the inner palace villagers.
It's fine for a day or two, but over time, the losses will be unbearable, and the Zhou family's strength will be doubted by other families, causing more and more neutral factions to turn to the Zhao family.
Zhou Mingxuan's house is much larger than Zhou Bai's courtyard, and it also has a special reception area. The oversized round table is just big enough for guests.
Dishes are placed on the round table, but they are all normal home-cooked dishes, such as leek and eggs, meat sauce soup, small fish, pickled eggplant...
The old lady took two maids and served the last few dishes: "They are all here. I made them myself, old lady, so don't dislike them."
"Hello, madam." Everyone stood up and said hello. They had no less respect for this person than they did for Zhou Mingxuan.
During the years when Zhou Mingxuan was the clan leader, Mrs. Yu firmly kept the back houses of the direct descendants stable, allowing the masters of the front houses to focus on their careers.
The Xiang clan before the Zhou clan was number one. If Zhou Mingxuan had five points of merit, then his wife must have two points.
"Okay, that's all good. Zhou Bai's birthday party is also a family banquet, so it's more casual."
When Mrs. Yu saw that Zhou Bai had not yet sat down, she pointed to the seat and said, "Brother Bai, take the main seat. I'll call the old man and Yueyun."
Zhou Bai smiled and nodded, looking at the old lady's leaving figure, still not moving.
A quarter of an hour later, the old patriarch Zhou Mingxuan slowly walked out of the back hall with the support of Mrs. Yu and Yu Yueyun.
Seeing this, Zhou Bai hurriedly stepped forward to greet him. He and Yu Yueyun just looked at each other and took over the position very naturally.
Yu Yueyun went up and dragged out the chair, while Zhou Bai helped Zhou Mingxuan sit down.
"In the old patriarch's home, the old patriarch must be the one in charge." Before the second elder could speak, he said with a smile.
Although he was smiling as he spoke, his determination could not be refuted, so Zhou Mingxuan had no choice but to acquiesce.
The two generations of patriarchs, the old and the new, seemed to have reached some kind of tacit understanding before today's family banquet.
Then Zhou Bai and Mrs. Yu sat on either side of the main seat, while Yu Yueyun stood behind Zhou Mingxuan with her hands on his shoulders. It seemed that she was not ready to eat.
Everyone was very curious, but they didn't dare to ask too many questions. They just regarded Yu Yueyun as a filial piety.
Zhou Mingxuan is in good health today. Compared to his pale appearance that day when he was worshiping his ancestors, his face is quite a bit bloody, he speaks with great energy and is in high spirits.
"On the occasion of the patriarch's seventeenth birthday, today we have gathered all the direct lineage owners of the twelve houses together, either to discuss important matters or to chat at the family banquet."
Zhou Bai nodded and followed Zhou Mingxuan's words: "Well, what the old patriarch meant is what I meant. Everyone should know the situation our clan is facing these days. There are foreign enemies at hand, so we should unify our internal thoughts first."
"Everyone, please pour out your respective sufferings and accumulated conflicts. Today, our two clan leaders will give you an understanding."
"I belong to the Dafang clan, and I think I have enjoyed too many advantages within the clan. But I still want to say that our Dafang is very aggrieved and it is difficult to do anything. We must be fair in everything..." Zhou Mingxuan, as the old clan leader, Dafang The homeowner took the lead in talking about the grievances and difficulties in his heart.
As he spoke, he also greeted everyone to start eating, and gradually the atmosphere became lively.
Then Zhou Lin from the second room, Zhou Chang from the third room... everyone complained one after another about why the conflict occurred and who was right and who was wrong.
Of course, Zhou Chang is very smart. He seems to be complaining, but he is actually admitting his mistake.
He brought out the small grievances he had with Zhou Bai, which instead highlighted Zhou Bai's magnanimity and righteousness in dealing with things.
Other families must also recognize this. After Zhou Bai took over the family, there was no partiality or unfairness in the sentencing of large and small matters.
Slowly, the simple home-cooked dishes on the table were swept away, with almost no dishes left, which meant that the family banquet was coming to an end.
Everyone suddenly didn't realize it. Although there were still many things in their hearts that they still didn't say clearly, just to this extent, it made them feel so much more open-minded.
Yes, there are things in your family that you can’t talk about openly.
The two clan chiefs cleared the accounts that could be cleared in person. The old millet and rotten sesame seeds that could not be cleared were easily poured into the bitter water.
They didn't know that in Zhou Bai's memory, this was called a life meeting within the organization.
"My elders and peers, I am a heavenly being, but in this life in the mortal world, I must do something great.
"Some elders understand this business better, and some elders are still confused, but it doesn't matter. Our family and I will both prosper and suffer."
"After tonight, when facing foreign enemies, no matter what the situation, please give us your full support."
Zhou Bai finally took out a pot of spiritual wine, poured a glass for each person, and then prepared to end the family banquet.
Who knew that Zhou Mingxuan also wanted a cup? Yu Yueyun could only plead in a low voice: "Dad, please use tea instead of water. The spiritual energy of this spiritual wine is really not something your body can bear."
However, Zhou Mingxuan didn't know that his body was already hopeless. While holding up his empty wine glass, he glanced at everyone on the table.
"The patriarch didn't say it clearly, so I'll tell you clearly."
"Old man, let me tell you, it is not easy for the Zhou family to be lucky enough to have a dragon! No matter inside or outside, you must completely obey any order of the clan leader. Otherwise, you will not be allowed to enter the ancestral graves after death, and the soul will not be allowed to enter the clan temple. You know I can do this .”
The homeowners looked at each other, how could this be like explaining the funeral arrangements?
Of course, they also understood Zhou Mingxuan's confidence, because he had the Yinyou Edict sent by Zhou Bai, and he would definitely be able to enter the spiritual realm and become the ancestral spirit of the Zhou clan.
"Did you hear that?! Ahem."
The old patriarch's angry shout made everyone stand up together again, and then bowed their hands towards Zhou Bai and saluted: "We will obey the patriarch's order in the future, otherwise we will not enter the ancestral graves or the clan temple after death!"
Zhou Bai also responded solemnly, acknowledging the "surrender" of these elders.
He secretly sighed in his heart, why is the clan in this world, why are there small families in the world that can rise step by step? It is because of generations of clan members like Zhou Mingxuan.
There was no other way, the wine had to be poured even if it was not poured, but even if he replaced it, Zhou Mingxuan wouldn't notice.
Zhou Mingxuan raised his glass, Zhou Bai raised his glass, and everyone raised their glasses.
"There is no such thing as a banquet in the world that never ends. I would like to congratulate Brother Bai on his birthday..."
The vicissitudes of life's deep words announced the end of the family banquet, but Yu Yueyun burst into tears, and the hand on Zhou Mingxuan's shoulder trembled slightly.
This is a farewell, a farewell of letting go of obsessions.
When all the guests had dispersed, Zhou Mingxuan finally couldn't hold on anymore. Even though he had the power to protect his heart all the time, he only breathed his last while lying on the bed.
The husband and wife, father and daughter said their final goodbyes, while Zhou Bai waited quietly outside the house and made arrangements for the funeral.
"Go and call the elders of the clan and the other sons-in-law of the eldest family. Remember not to disturb too many people."
Although the old patriarch only has one adopted daughter, Yu Yueyun, there are other men in the eldest family, so there is no need to worry about the heir.
Not long after, Yu Yueyun and Mrs. Yu walked out with red and swollen eyes.
"Brother Bai, is it really hopeless?" the girl asked reluctantly with a tearful voice.
Zhou Bai shook his head with a heavy expression: "You have been taking care of me with magic power every day for the past six months. You should know the situation better than me. It is not a problem of depletion of energy and blood, thin body and mental fatigue, but that his life span has stopped here."
"What's more, the old patriarch has fulfilled his wish and doesn't want to endure the hardship any longer. He is too tired in his life."
After hearing this, the mother and daughter could only accept the reality and opened the door, allowing the two patriarchs to make the final handover.
Zhou Mingxuan was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, trying to save some energy. He opened his eyes when he heard Zhou Bai's voice coming in.
"Don't let them know, otherwise it will be too noisy."
Zhou Bai shook his head: "We are all gone. As you asked, things behind you should be as simple and peaceful as possible."
"I can become an ancestral spirit, and I can also enjoy the blessings of the underworld. If it is too grand, what will happen to the tribesmen who are suffering in the underworld."
"It's just the wrong time to leave, Brother Bai, don't feel bad." Zhou Mingxuan slowly stretched out his withered palm and pressed it on the back of Zhou Bai's hand.
At this time, his breath was about to run out, and his words were as soft as mosquitoes.
Zhou Bai shook his head and did not interrupt the old man's thoughts. He just silently input a magic power to activate the last vitality in his body.
"Do it boldly. The dragon of my family is not a mere Zhao family, a mere county magistrate can bully you."
"I can rest assured that Jun'er and the family will be left to you."
"Remember, prosperity does not count for one person, but prosperity for generations..." At this time, rapid footsteps came from outside, and the old man's hand just happened to loosen.
The last words dispersed in the wind, and a touch of sadness appeared in Zhou Bai's calm heart, and then he nodded gently and promised to the empty space at the door.
There was a soul there, and the imperial book he held in his hand glowed slightly, guiding him to the spiritual realm.
On this night, life and death just completed a delivery.
Not only did this not reduce the family's luck, but the moment he entered the spiritual realm, his luck suddenly increased.
Zhou Mingxuan, who had just become an ancestral spirit, looked around with some confusion. There was a gray and black air everywhere, and he could faintly hear the sound of weapons clashing.
Brother Bai is going to use force!
