"Father!"
Zheng Hao let out a mournful cry and immediately fell to the ground crying.
Zheng Shuo stepped forward with an uncertain expression and tested Zheng Wen's pulse, only to find that he was really dead.
Death is like a lamp going out. Even if he did something wrong during his lifetime, now that he is dead, it can only be wiped out. This is true even if he has just become the clan leader and needs to establish his authority. If a person is alive and makes a mistake, he should be punished no matter what. But to establish power from the dead, no matter how cruel a person is, he cannot do such a thing.
With a sigh, Zheng Shuo said to the people around him: "Since Mr. Zheng Wen has gone, we will not hold him accountable. Order someone to prepare a good coffin for Mr. Zheng Wen, and after the first seven days, we will set off to escort him Let the old man return to his family’s land.”
After saying that, he put his hand on his forehead and walked out of the room.
A group of clan elders followed him to the lobby. After sitting down, everyone lamented.
Zheng Wen is dead when he dies, the problem is that such a mess is left behind. Now, the six families have begun to publicize in a high-profile manner that they will also join the Prince's disaster relief project and contribute to this disaster. Although they did not gain as much popularity among the people as the prince, they should not be underestimated.
The more prosperous the six families are, the more dazzling the Zheng family will be when they leave the ranks. It is conceivable that if some people want to deal with the Zheng family, they just need to spread some rumors among the people. It won't take long for the Zheng family to be in trouble.
When thinking of this scene, several clan elders felt their heads aching.
It is extremely difficult to save a building from falling!
After pondering for a long time, a clan elder with white beard and hair finally said: "No matter what, the Zheng family's reputation cannot be lost at all. For this, you can pay any price!"
As clan elders, they all know that the family has a profound heritage, and losses such as money are just trivial matters. What truly maintains their glory for a hundred years, and even a thousand years and ten thousand years later, is the family's reputation.
Seeing the clan elders say these words categorically, Zheng Shuo raised his head and said: "Several clan elders, the crisis faced by the Zheng family this time is either without a solution or the price we have to pay. It could be huge."
Several clan elders looked at Zheng Shuo, nodded and said, "Let's talk about it."
They still believed in Zheng Shuo. In fact, although Zheng Shuo is of the same generation as Zheng Wen, they are very different in age. Now he is only thirty-seven. Even in the history of the appointment of the head of the Seven Families, he is still very young.
However, because he has traveled extensively in various parts of the family's business and has first-rate ability, this time he was appointed as the new head of the family.
With a long sigh, Zheng Shuo said: "In the final analysis, every failure of Zheng Wen has something to do with the prince. This time, it is not the court, but the prince who is in charge of the disaster relief. Since the Zheng family missed the contract to purchase grain, There is no need to hurry up and sign the contract, we don’t have to bow down for a small amount of money.”
"However, disaster relief is different. If it is not a major disaster that the imperial court cannot provide relief for, otherwise our large-scale disaster relief will be a crime that invites people to buy people's hearts. No royal family can tolerate such behavior. Therefore, we must For disaster relief, we have to be like the other six families and have a good reputation."
The clan elder with white beard and hair thought for a moment and said helplessly: "You mean, we have to reconcile with the prince?"
Zheng Shuo nodded and said: "Yes, no matter what, the prince is a problem that we can't get around. Zheng Wen's approach is really too confusing in my opinion. The downfall of Queen Wang proved that the family's attempt to pass It is impossible to assimilate with the royal family through means such as marriage. The events of the "Clan Chronicle" during the Taizong period prove that the aboveboard and head-on method will not work either."
"In fact, the most important thing to maintain between our aristocratic family and the royal family is that the well should not interfere with the river."
"As long as we don't take the initiative to threaten the imperial power, the emperor can't do anything to us. Our family background is enough to support us in facing any risks, even the change of dynasties. Only in troubled times can talents emerge. Now that the world has been in peace for a long time, No matter how talented a child from a poor family is, it will be difficult for him to reach a high position in the end. But we are different. It is obviously impossible for the emperor to completely expel the power of the five surnames from the court. "
"Because of this, if the royal family is serious about dealing with us, we will definitely resist or even fight back. However, if the royal family does not take the initiative, we can only slowly control the power of the court and cannot go too far. As far as our family is concerned, "There is nothing more terrifying than being responsible for the collapse of a country."
After listening to Zheng Shuo's words, the clan elder nodded: "We all know these things, but how to reconcile with the prince? In order to deal with the prince, Zheng Wen even used the power of the court. To be honest, according to the rules of returning to the clan According to the intelligence, Zheng Wen may have fallen into the prince’s trap!”
Zheng Shuo smiled slightly and said firmly: "This junior thinks that the prince is only targeting Zheng Wen, not the Zheng family. Even though he is the prince, he is not qualified to take action against our Zheng family. Since it is a personal grudge, it is really It's so easy to solve. I heard from this junior that since the prince took over the East Palace, he has been blatantly arranging property and is very thirsty for wealth."
Having said this, Zheng Shuo showed a relieved smile: "In the final analysis, all we need to pay is just some money."
"It's just property, so that's easy to handle. Zheng Shuo, I'll leave the affairs of Chang'an to you. It's time for us to return to our clan and make preparations. You are now the head of the family, so you don't have to ask for everything. We old guys are asking for instructions."
Zheng Shuo stood up and bowed to show respect.
After looking at the respectful Zheng Shuo and several clan elders, they stood up and left.
If Zheng Wen hadn't caused such a big incident, they wouldn't have appeared.
After sending several clan elders away, they stood in front of the Zheng family's courtyard. After the carriage drove away, Zheng Shuo slowly straightened up and looked in the direction of the East Palace.
From a personal point of view, he really wanted to add something more to the gift he gave to the East Palace.
Zheng Wen has been the head of the family for decades, and even once had the upper hand in a confrontation with the current saint. If he hadn't been so wrong in these few things, it would really be no one else's turn to compete for the position of head of the family.
And if the prince hadn't made Zheng Wen miserable, and the mess the Zheng family was facing was so difficult, I'm afraid Zheng Shuo wouldn't be able to inherit the title of head of the family.
There are more than one or two people competing for the position of head of aristocratic families, especially for someone like him who rose to the position at such a young age. There are countless people praying for him to make a mistake and pull him down from this position.
Anyway....
After smiling in the direction of the East Palace, Zheng Shuo went back to prepare the gift list and greeting card.
In any case, to save the Zheng family's reputation this time, he can only succeed!
In the evening, the greeting card from the Zheng family was sent to the East Palace.
Seeing that the name was "Zheng Shuo" instead of "Zheng Wen", Li Xian couldn't help but look at Li Yun in surprise and asked: "Who is this Zheng Shuo? What happened to Zheng Wen? Why is it not him who sent the greeting letter? "
Li Yun was also confused and could only say: "I really don't know. Your Highness, wait a moment. I will send someone to investigate right now."
Seeing Li Yong running out in a hurry, Li Xian suddenly felt that it was time to establish his external intelligence network.
Although the East Palace's finances are very tight this year, if something like this happens again, I am ignorant and simply too passive.
Thinking of this, he took the paperweight and knocked on the table.
The next moment, the door of the study room was pushed open. Zhou Quan turned around, closed the door, stepped forward to the desk, and then bowed to wait for orders.
The paperweight knocking on the table was a code indicating that the following conversation should not be known to outsiders.
Although he couldn't see outside, Li Xian knew very well that the eunuchs trained by Zhou Quan must have dispersed around the hall to ensure that no one came close.
Looking at Zhou Quan, whose face was full of wrinkles and whose legs were as stable as wooden stakes when he bent over, Li Xian said: "Zhou Quan, I think it's time to set up an external intelligence network. Due to various things before, I’ve been putting it off again and again, but now I can’t put it off anymore. Three years, I’ll give you three years to get the intelligence network to take a prototype, how about that?”
Zhou Quan raised his head and said with a smile: "It doesn't take three years, but at most one year. I will guarantee to support your intelligence network. As for reaching the level of a secret guard, as long as you are willing to spare the money, it will be completed within three years. It is not question."
Zhou Quan doesn't know how to tell lies, and Li Xian knows that very well. Since he thinks that one year is enough time for the intelligence network to take shape, then it must be possible.
Waving his hand, Li Xian said indifferently: "How much money is not a problem. In addition, Donggong has opened some small shops before, and they are all under the jurisdiction of Sihai Building and Juxian Building. If possible, try to choose manpower from these industries." , firstly, it’s concealed, and secondly, it can also save a lot of money.”
Zhou Quan nodded in agreement, and couldn't help but admire the prince's intelligence. He had never thought about this before. Even if you are an intelligence collector, you should have a serious job to cover up.
"At the same time, you also have to train a group of subordinates for Gu. You don't need to select children and train them from an early age. You just need to let them have a certain level of combat power."
Zhou Quan also knew that it would take a long time to train children from a young age before they could be trained into useful people. His Royal Highness obviously did not have time to wait.
only....
He still felt that since he wanted to teach, he should start with children. Only in this way could the dead soldiers trained be called elites.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Quan bowed and said: "Originally, I shouldn't talk too much, but Your Highness, should we also train some children? In this way, His Highness will not lack real masters to drive him in the future."
"Just do as you say. You will naturally have a sense of how to do it. I don't have to worry about it."
After hearing the prince's agreement, Zhou Quan bowed and walked backwards out of the study. The eunuchs surrounding the study who were on guard against eavesdropping also resumed their original positions.
Li Yun ran quickly and came back quickly. Soon, he brought back Zheng Shuo's information and the news that Zheng Wen was dead.
Zheng Shuo's information is not something that can be obtained casually. Li Xian knew very well that Li Yun went to the emperor to bring in reinforcements, but he didn't reveal it.
not to mention....
After reading Zheng Shuo's information, Li Xiandu felt that he was really a talent.
Different from ordinary children of aristocratic families, Zheng Shuo did not stay in the family area and study in old papers since he came of age. Instead, he traveled and studied at the same time. He even did not hesitate to hide the true lineage of the Zheng family and devoted himself to being a businessman, earning a lot of money for the Zheng family.
He has traveled a lot and has seen a lot of people. His willingness to put down his body shows that he has a strong will. To be honest, compared to Zheng Wen, Zheng Shuo is obviously a difficult type to deal with.
Especially after seeing the contents of the gift list, he was even more sure that Zheng Shuo would be difficult to deal with.
The cumulative value of the gifts recorded on the gift list is enough to serve as a dowry for a daughter of the principal wife of the Zheng family.
Even if he is a prince, he cannot ignore such a generous gift.
Attack the enemy with great gifts!
Rather than trying out gifts bit by bit, sending enough gifts at once to focus on the key points is obviously the best choice.
Especially in later generations, when facing some special people, instead of giving small gifts again and again to test them on the edge of being greedy and not being greedy, it is better to give them a harsh one and directly crush their persistence.
These words were spoken by a director on the way home after he drank too much during a school dinner.
Although he didn't like hearing these things, Li Xian still wrote them down. There are some ways in society that you won’t be exposed to if you don’t like them. Although some truths are cruel, they are still truths. When things come to a head, instead of asking others, it is better to know these things yourself and react directly.
The quality of gifts is generally linked to the importance of what the gift-giver requests.
There is no doubt that Zheng Shuo has spent such a large amount of money and the things he demands must not be trivial.
Although I really wanted to refuse, just separating the Zheng family from the six families would give their reputation a sufficient blow.
But...
After taking a look at the gift list, Li Xian found that he really couldn't refuse.
It smells so good!
Seeing that Li Yun was still waiting for instructions, Li Xian sighed, put a pen on the gift list, picked out some things with powerful names and circled them, then handed the gift list to Li Yun and said:
"The things that have been circled will be sent to the East Palace Treasure House tomorrow. The rest will be sold and converted into copper coins, which will be included in the disaster relief funds."
"ah?"
Hearing what the prince said, Li Yun couldn't help but said: "Your Highness, in this case, most of these gifts will be sent to disaster relief. This is a huge amount of money."
Li Xian sighed and said, "What do you know? Just do what Gu said. Take the gift list away quickly and don't let Gu see it again, lest Gu regret it again."
Seeing His Highness the Crown Prince's insistence, Li Yun had no choice but to leave with the gift list.
When Li Yong left, Li Xian couldn't help but throw the pen on the table and let out a long sigh of relief.
To be honest, only a small number of people who can remain indifferent to the temptation of money are truly moral people, and a small number of people have a lot of money and do not care about money. More people are unable to keep their true intentions!
