Three Kingdoms, at the beginning of the game, recognize the thief as the father, hit the spectacle,

But before the two of them returned to Wancheng, Qiao Xuan heard about Liu Hong, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, who made Zhang Yan the prefect of Lujiang. News that the entire county government has been relocated to Wancheng.

Speaking from conscience, his son-in-law has become a provincial and ministerial senior official in his hometown. As the head of the local family, Qiao Xuan must be a thousand and ten thousand happy in his heart. How to be fair for the people, after being influenced by his daughter, will more or less make some political or economic resource deflection for the development of the Qiao family, which can be said to be a big deal for the owner of the family good thing.

But when it comes to the change of Lujiang County, Qiao Xuan feels a slight embarrassment in his heart.

At this moment, the old man in his forties who was sitting in front of him came from the largest family in Lujiang, Zhou Zhong, the Patriarch of the Zhou family in Shu County who had been secretly dominating the head of the Guoqiao family for two generations and three generations.

And the reason why Zhou Zhong ran to his home for such a long time on the pretext of visiting his old friends was precisely because, as the head of the Zhou family, Zhou Zhong also got the news from Qiao Xuan at the same time he got the news from his own. My younger brother, Zhou Yi, who is still serving as Luoyang Commander, learned of this series of news about the political changes in Lujiang.

In all fairness, even if the new Lujiang prefect leans towards your Qiao family in some administrative measures, or supports the scholars from the Qiao family overtly and secretly, Zhou Zhong will not go too far. What to say, after all, you have a good daughter, and you have also caught a wealthy son-in-law. This is the skill of your Qiao family, Qiao Xuan, and my Zhou family will recognize it.

But now you have actually transferred the political center of the entire Lujiang River from Shu County to Wan City, isn't this a bit too ugly?

Not to mention anything else, let me just say that my Zhou family is a wealthy family that has been passed down for hundreds of years. It is not too difficult for the new prefect to stuff some forces belonging to his own family into the shogunate bureaucrats of the new prefect. While helping the new prefect to govern the political situation, he also seeks some small development for himself.

But now your Qiao family not only replaced the prefect of Lujiang with someone from your own family through nepotism, but even persuaded the other party to move the entire county of Lujiang from Shu County to Wancheng. What about the foundation of the year, and what about the scholars of the Zhou family who previously worked in the government office of the former prefect?

If the other party did not relocate the county government to Wancheng this time, then even if your Qiao family is on the rise because of this, at least our Zhou family and some small noble families in the surrounding area will still have a bite to eat, so we won’t be hit by the sudden huge change The whole family was devastated.

Now according to the news he has learned, if Wancheng becomes the new county of Lujiang, not to mention how the Zhou family will develop in the future, many small families from the surrounding Lujiang vassal states will unite to Resist Qiao Xuan or the Qiao family's discourse power and social status among the entire Jiangdong gentry.

You must know that after so many years, apart from the Qiao family and the Zhou family, as well as the "Gu", "Lu", "Zhu", and "Zhang" in Wu County, the gentry in Jiangdong, who are inclined to business families, the rest The small families under him have already formed a kind of order and regulations like unspoken rules through years of marriage.

And if this "encirclement network" against the Qiao family really appears, no matter whether it is the Qiao family who stands on the official side or the alliance of ordinary gentry wins, the impact on the entire Jiangdong gentry will definitely be is extremely profound and negative.

Of course, Zhou Zhong, as an old fox who can be ranked as one of the nine ministers and has been the head of the Zhou family for more than 20 years, he is definitely not a fool, and at the same time, he also believes that he has been friends with him for a long time. Xuan will not be some stupid person.

And for this reason, today he wants to negotiate with the Qiao family through the Zhou family's size and influence before those small gentry react, and carve up a part of the Wancheng before the power of Wancheng is formed. The scholar seat among the new staff of the prefect of the series.

If one day, the Qiao family and the new prefect unite to stand against the entire Lujiang River, or even the entire Jiangdong six counties, then the closeness of strength between the two parties will only result in a loss-lose result.

And in this match that can be said to be evenly matched, if the Zhou family can stand by the Qiao family to help him resist—or to ease the disadvantages caused by the small Jiangdong families uniting to isolate the Qiao family Influenced by this, the Qiao family's chances of winning in this political change in Lujiang will be much higher than before.

It can be said that in Zhou Zhong's cognition, as long as Qiao Xuan's brain is not stupid, he will definitely understand his intentions, and before those small families in the Lujiang area react, he will form allies with him and fight together The resistance and rejection of the Qiao family by the original family alliance in the Jiangdong area.

In this process, not only the Qiao family can flourish rapidly as they wished, but even the Zhou family in Shu County, which may have been greatly affected by the relocation of the Lujiang county government, may not be able to make further progress in that great success. , which can be said to be a rare win-win situation.

As long as Qiao Xuan relaxes his tone a little at this moment, Zhou Zhong can almost be sure that even if he can't extend his hand into Wancheng, the headquarters of the ally Qiao family, he will probably win the actual control of one or two counties under the jurisdiction of Lujiang River. There is definitely no big problem for a family of hundreds of years.

But what he didn't know was that at this moment, Qiao Xuan felt a strong sense of helplessness in his heart about the thoughts of his old friend.

……

"Hey, I borrowed the auspicious words from Duke Zhou..."

……

Sighing slightly, Qiao Xuan didn't deliberately evade or perfunctory Zhou Zhong at this moment, but even his own heart was concerned about the future of Lujiang, and he still didn't have any definite plans in his heart.

But now that Zhou Zhong's hint was dismissed as nothing, Qiao Xuan didn't know how to explain to the other party that the change of the Lujiang county government was not instigated by himself behind the scenes as Zhou Zhong thought, but just It's just the personal behavior of my son-in-law Zhang Yan.

Since it is a personal act, it means that although Qiao Xuan is also a party with vested interests in this matter, he has not discussed with Zhang Yan in advance about the division of rights in Lujiang's future.

Under such circumstances, how could Qiao Xuan dare to represent Zhang Yan's decision to divide up the Lujiang rights with the Zhou family in advance?

It's not that he thinks too much, if the new prefect Zhang Yan is just an ordinary person who buys an official with his family money, then that's all. The aristocratic scholars of the family acted as mouthpieces to manage the three-acre field under his command instead.

But is Zhang Yan an ordinary person?

He is not!

Behind him is Zhang Rang, the eunuch who ranks first among the ten permanent servants, and even the three princes and nine ministers are changed at will!

This time, if the other party is really willing to use representatives of local forces such as the Qiao family and the Zhou family to expand their family, that would be fine. With the idea of ​​overhead manipulation, Qiao Xuan really didn't know where to cry.

After all, with Zhang Yan's background and strength, if he breaks up with Lujiang...even with the entire Jiangdong gentry, he will be replaced by another place. Jingzhou, Yizhou and other inland states and counties are still lacking a lot. As long as Zhang Yan is transferred to any county town with his retainers, he will still be a military and political chief who covers the sky with one hand and has boundless power. It can be said that there is no actual loss. exist.

Unlike the other party who is full of retreats, in this Lujiang, if the relationship between the aristocratic family and that Zhang Yan breaks down, it can really be said to be a bad luck for eight lifetimes.

Even in the midst of the other party's revenge, his Qiao family can keep the original power of the local wealthy family as much as possible through nepotism...

But for those smaller families or those who have no personal relationship with him, if they are not directly uprooted by the other party and wiped off the map of the Jiangdong area, it is already counted as thankful. Let the heart be kind.

In fact, as early as a few days ago, when Zhang Rang sent someone over to say goodbye, Qiao Xuan had subconsciously thought about what he would do if he said that he was big or not, and that a direct confrontation between a small and big family and a wealthy family would have something to do with Zhang Rang. Such consequences occur.

Just thinking that the Yuan family, which ranks first among the aristocratic families, has been suppressed by the opponent so far, and can only linger under the command of the general He Jin. The idea of ​​hostility between characters of this level.

You must know that his Qiao family is just a well-known family in the Jiangdong area by virtue of its reputation and hundreds of years of family history. .

And comparing them with each other is obviously not something that people or organizations of their size can consider.

The reason why he has not made a clear statement this time under Zhou Zhong's repeated questioning is not because Qiao Xuan is too greedy and wants to monopolize the political resources and elements of the entire Lujiang River... On the contrary, his behavior is precisely for the sake of the entire Lujiang River. Considered by the gentry, for the sake of his old acquaintance, the Zhou family.

If the opponent is really in a hurry, Zhang Rang doesn't even need to make a move. As long as Zhang Yan disperses the soldiers who are rumored to have pacified the banditry in the Hedong and Taiyuan areas to the territory of Lujiang, that will be enough for the size of the entire Lujiang River. Power to drink a pot.

You must know that there are a total of [-] soldiers. If they take off their armor and wear yellow scarves, they will be able to stir up and down the entire Lujiang River in an instant, and disasters will continue. There is no actual evidence of the other party in hand.

Really, if [-] "yellow scarves" descended from the sky in Lujiang at such a time when things were not going well, then next year the gentry in Lujiang would simply hang themselves collectively, and they would all die.

Sighing slightly, Qiao Xuan also knew that it was difficult for him to convince the other party directly through simple words, so he kept dragging Zhou Zhong along, and did not make any clear expression for several days.

And in a little while later, I thought that in order to publicly express my attitude, I had sent my servants in advance to inform the family representatives of the appointment that they would come to Lujiang Wancheng, Qiaoxuan's home.

At that time, as long as I, under the witness of all the big and small forces in Lujiang, publicly stated that the Qiao family did not know about the relocation of Lujiang in advance, then for the sake of the Qiao family's initiative to disclose information, probably those gentry would also Will not be too embarrassing with him.

It didn't take too long, just when Qiao Xuan and Zhou Zhong were going back and forth to test each other and perfunctory each other, a young man with the appearance of a book boy knocked on the gate of the courtyard, and then walked towards The direction of the two came over.

Chapter 32 Open and honest

"Mr. Qiao, the patriarchs you sent to invite earlier have all arrived."

"All the aristocratic families in Lujiang that have been passed down for more than three generations are all present, and the Gu family and Zhang family in Wu County have also arranged for agents to come."

"The person in charge of the Zhu family hasn't shown up yet, but according to the informant, the other party's carriage has already entered the territory of Wancheng, and it may not take too long to visit our Qiaofu."

Walking quickly towards the direction where the two were chatting, I saw that the bookboy didn't have anything to hide from Zhou Zhong who was present, but just stood beside him, and whispered a report to the patriarch of his family, Qiao Xuan. One sentence.

Hearing this, Qiao Xuan finally relaxed a little, and then waved his hand to let the other party prepare. At the same time, he also got up, intending to go to the main hall to receive the visiting family heads.

"Qiao Xuan, what do you mean by this?"

On the other hand, seeing the other party's appearance, Zhou Zhong frowned slightly, apparently not quite understanding what the Qiao family's bookboy said just now, referring to the presence of all the Lujiang family.

He didn't explain too much to Zhou Zhong. At this moment, Qiao Xuan was thinking in his heart how he should have a showdown with those small and medium aristocratic families in Lujiang, so he just smiled and gestured to Zhou Zhong, telling him to follow along with him. After going to himself, he will take the other party to the main hall of the Qiao family.

"Wait, tell me what you said first..."

"Call all those guys, are you crazy!"

He was not deceived by Qiao Xuan's indifferent expression, Zhou Zhong just roughly recalled the movements of the various aristocratic families mentioned by the book boy, and recalled the roles played by these aristocratic families in the territory of Lujiang, and suddenly rose in his heart. A bad association came up.

It's not as natural as Qiao Xuan's expression now, he, an old man in his 40s, is pulling the other party's sleeve tightly at this moment, and at the same time, he has become a little nervous.

The reason why he is still staying at the Qiao family's mansion today is not because he wants to completely tear the face off with the other party, or to threaten the Qiao family.It's just that they want to cooperate with each other and carve up the political rights in Lujiang. This is a win-win situation for both parties.

Hearing the words of the other party, Zhou Zhong was a little surprised. Could it be that the Qiao family is planning to directly disclose the political changes in Lujiang to the public?

You know, although those small and medium-sized aristocratic families are not very powerful, they all have considerable influence in the various towns in Lujiang.

If those guys really knew about the relocation of Lujiang River in advance and directly participated in it, it would definitely be of no benefit to the Qiao family and the Zhou family.

But on the other side, seeing Zhou Zhong's appearance, Qiao Xuan just nodded to the book boy and asked him to make a series of preparations first.

Then, he smiled and patted Zhou Zhong's elbow, and explained to the other party helplessly.

"Okay, okay, Brother Zhou, you don't have to be like this. I know all the things you said, and I have already heard what you mean..."

"It's just about the interior of Lujiang River, but it is really special. The recent series of changes are not what you imagined in advance."

"A few days ago, the reason why I didn't express my position or explanation with you in advance was also because I was worried that you would misunderstand my thoughts and misunderstand me as those lustful people who want to monopolize power. You have not responded positively until today."

"It just so happens that those guys have all come to my Qiaofu today, so I'll talk to you frankly and honestly, and you'll understand everything after listening."

After all, Qiao Xuan sighed slightly, looking at Zhou Zhong's expression, he seemed hesitant to speak,

But after pondering for a while, he didn't say anything more. He just gestured to the other party, then patted the back of the other party's hand, and walked towards the main hall of his home for receiving guests first.

Behind him, Zhou Zhong also stood there a little silently, not knowing what he was thinking.

Then, until Qiao Xuan's figure had disappeared at the gate of the courtyard, he pursed his lips, and followed him into the main hall.

……

The two came to the main hall of the Qiao family one after the other, and saw that there were already more than a dozen heads of Lujiang local families gathered here. , are still some aristocratic families from Qian County, Shu County and other counties directly under the Lujiang River.

Before these aristocratic families arrived, they only knew that they had been invited by the head of the Qiao family, Qiao Xuanyue, to discuss important matters, but they didn't know that the other party had also called other people over. It is inevitable that they will be a little surprised.

For these people, the reason why they came here today was mainly because of the inviter Qiao Xuan or the reputation of the Qiao family in the Lujiang area. It is estimated that the other party did have something important to say, so naturally they sold the other party's face.

It's just that when several heavyweight figures appeared, those relatively small families really couldn't help but whisper.

……

"That's... from several big families in Wu County?"

"Why are they all here?"

……

"Qiao Xuan, what exactly is he going to discuss with us, why did he call those outsiders..."

He looked around with some doubts, and soon, everyone present found that, except for the Lu family, the remaining members of Jiangdong's aristocratic families had already arrived.

However, as a wealthy family of the same level and one of the four major families in Wu County, the Lu family not only did not show up here, but even the family's agent disappeared.

After thinking of Lu Kang's identity as the recent head of the Lu family, in fact, many people with relatively flexible minds have already reacted.

Then, in the eyes of Qiao Xuan and Zhou Zhong, what they saw was such a chaotic scene

……

"Today, distinguished guests are here, and Qiao is here to greet you."

Smiling and greeting everyone present, Qiao Xuan and Zhou Zhong came out from behind the door of the main hall one after the other.

In front of them, those people who were a little noisy before, after seeing today's rightful lord come out, gradually calmed down, and stopped discussing what was there or not, but waited for Qiao Xuan to come out. The speaker gave an explanation to everyone present.

Arching his hands to the crowd, Qiao Xuan first made an opening remark, and at the same time stood on the main seat in the hall, and then signaled to the servants behind him to arrange the cushions and tables that had been prepared long ago.

Afterwards, all the people present found a suitable position according to their own family's status and strength, and sat down one by one.

Is Chapter 33 a bit too much?

"Mr. Qiao is very polite."