Although Sophia's words were not loud, they stung Situ Yushuang's heart like lightning. At this moment, Sophia could even clearly see her sister's slightly pale face, pale lips, and clenched silver teeth. The biting expression proved that her inner conflict was suddenly provoked by herself, causing her to fall into a painful struggle.
In fact, how could a smart woman like Situ Yushuang not consider the meaning of Sophia's words? Even Situ Yushuang herself had to admit how fragile and selfish she seemed at this point. She could only avoid and escape. This is a contradiction, but on the surface, he has to use confident, sonorous and fierce words to prove his inner weakness.
The Situ family and the Tang He Empire, the Tang He Empire and the entire Tang Clan, this layer extends outwards, and the extension is getting bigger and bigger. The meaning of my sister's words is undoubtedly negative. The Situ family can still represent the Tang He Empire. Benefit? Can the Tanghe Empire still represent the interests of the entire Tang people? If the answer is no, it undoubtedly means that the Situ family has no qualifications to ask the Tanghe Empire and the people of the Tang people to be loyal to it, and to have everyone sacrifice their lives for him.
But for Situ Yushuang to say that the Situ family represents the interests of the Tanghe Empire and the people of the Tang people, such unintentional words may be justified in other people's mouths, but Situ Yushuang does not want to be duplicitous, especially when he is In front of this sister. As early as more than 20 years ago, when the Luobi people began to wreak havoc on the land of Northwest County, the Situ family had gradually lost the interests of the Tanghe Empire and the Tang people that it should represent, and then it went from bad to worse. The Liberians ignored the existence of the empire and brazenly attacked the Jerok Principality, the Machikhans annexed Ankun and Jemelo, and later the Yuejing fell. These have fully proved this point. The Situ family could no longer let the Tanghe Empire, the most powerful country in the Eastern Continent, safeguard the interests of the Tang nation. The rebellion launched by the Taiping people further proved this point. The Tang people had more choices and chose their appropriate representatives to safeguard their rights and interests, although this was only the most superficial and meager idea.
But all this was not enough to say that it was time for the Situ family to step onto the historical stage, until Li Wufeng's strong rise. In Situ Yushuang's words, the behemoth of Xijiang created by Li Wufeng was actually a freak that gradually grew up by clinging to the already crumbling thin camel of the Tanghe Empire, desperately sucking its nutrients and even blood. It was the time when she bared her teeth and showed her mouth full of blood at the mother who raised her. This was also the most unacceptable aspect of Situ Yushuang from an emotional level.
Seeing her sister fall into a state of confusion for a moment, Sophia knew that now was not the time to show mercy. Her sister was a smart and determined person. She can see the situation clearly and can also analyze the direction of the situation on the mainland. It is precisely because of this that Sophia hopes that she can convince the other party. If she was just a stubborn fool, Sophia wouldn't want to waste her words and energy on useless things.
"Sister, you should have a clear view of the current situation in the Tanghe Empire. Your eldest brother said that I don't believe that you don't know. This kind of person who can even sell his own country's territory for his own personal gain, I can't I believe how long this kind of person can maintain this empire even if he is in power. His rule is completely based on extremely weak military power. When he loses the economic foundation to maintain military power, he wants to maintain his rule I'm afraid it means betrayal, and your brother seems to be more willing to sell his sovereignty and interests to the enemies of the empire. As for your sixth brother, I can only say that if he is not in troubled times, maybe he can be a quiet Prince Taiping lives a happy life. When he is in today's ever-changing empire, he will inevitably be involved in endless conspiracies and wars whether he wants it or not. It is difficult for him to control it with his little wisdom and ability. With such a chaotic and complicated situation, it is quite difficult to even deal with it. It will be his nightmare that the Maci Khan people are eyeing the Wuhu area. If there are no other factors to restrain it, my sister should also know that the Wuhu area has long been It is a county of the Machikhan people."
Sophia's series of undisguised comments made Situ Yushuang also hear a little bit of personal emotion in the other party's words. These days, his sixth brother didn't know why he was suddenly obsessed with this girl of his. . He was buzzing around Sophia like a fly. This was probably an important reason why Sophia made such a somewhat contemptuous comment about him, although Situ Yushuang also admitted that Sophia's evaluation of Situ Biao was not untrue.
Seeing Situ Yushuang lowering her head and remaining silent, Sophia continued her persuasion: "Sister, you should understand me. I am not a person who changes my objective opinions at will based on my own feelings. I believe you should also be able to see it. In the situation of the empire, no matter whether the Situ family wins or loses in the battle with Li Wufeng, the collapse of the empire will be inevitable. If Li Wufeng wins, it goes without saying that if Li Wufeng loses, the system of Western Xinjiang will inevitably collapse. It will be torn apart, the nomads will regain their independence, and the peninsula will probably soon become the territory of the Macchihans and the Nanyang Alliance. And what about the empire that has exhausted its strength in this battle? Facing the Liberians, How could it survive when there were fishermen like the Japanese, the Macihans, and even the Milanese? Anyone with any sense should know this."
"Sister, you seem to want me to support Li Wufeng to deal with my brothers, or to persuade my brothers to surrender to Li Wufeng and make Li Wufeng the new emperor of our Tang people?" There was a hint of sarcasm in the words. Squeezing it out from between Situ Yushuang's teeth, Situ Yushuang could understand the sincerity of her sister's words, but it was still emotionally difficult for her to accept. She could only use such extreme words to stimulate her.
"Sister's words are a bit too emotional. She did not ask her to do anything, and she has no right to ask her not to do anything. However, she just hopes that her sister can put aside all opinions and look at the current situation from a fair perspective as much as possible. , only in this way can my sister see clearly how the interests of the Situ family can be preserved to the maximum extent." Faced with her sister's somewhat vindictive words, Sophia seemed even calmer at this time, "If my sister thinks that using the empire or even The interests of the Tang people may be able to exchange for the continuation of the Situ family's current status, but my sister really thought wrong. No one will let go of this opportunity, let alone the wolves around the empire, even in the empire Those with strength who grew up in the civil war will not be let go. What I mean is that if Li Wufeng really falls in this battle. Didn’t the establishment of the Tanghe Empire also grow through such a scene? "
Sophia's last few words seemed to be a little irritating to Situ Yushuang. Situ Yushuang fell into silence again. What he deliberately avoided would never happen just because of his avoidance. On the contrary, sometimes it would even happen if it happened. Even more violently, she had vaguely heard that some of the so-called Four Heavenly Kings of the military under her eldest brother had begun to complain because the army's logistics could not be adequately guaranteed. Although this could not mean anything, it was definitely a bad omen. If she Such a phenomenon has appeared in the army that Xu has absolute control over, so what Sophia said is even more true.
"Sister, I hope you can calm down and think about the future of the Situ family. If you really can't let go of the entire Situ family, I think you might as well think about it from a different angle. As the saying goes, the sky is brighter when you take a step back. Many things are too big. Excessive persistence will make people fall into a vicious circle that they cannot extricate themselves from. Now you have pushed all the upper classes in the imperial capital, including the Situ family, to oppose Li Wufeng. Don't you think this kind of gamble is too risky, and you are too selfish? What?"
Sophia's words finally angered Situ Yushuang. Perhaps out of embarrassment, Situ Yushuang's voice suddenly rose to a level that Sophia had never seen before: "That's enough, sister Sophia, please pay attention to your identity. You and I are both adults." Man, Situ Yushuang is neither retarded nor a fool. I have my own opinions. I understand your kindness. Yes, I admit that sometimes I am a little selfish. Whether it is the interests of the empire or the interests of the Tang people you mentioned. , compared to the interests of the Situ family, sometimes we have to make some despicable sacrifices, but I have no choice, sister, please understand my difficulties."
From the initial outburst and sharp indifference to the pain of the subsequent words, Situ Yushuang found that she had never been so incoherent: "Sister, I will carefully consider your suggestions, but the decisions I make cannot be changed. Sometimes I even I hope I can lie down in bed and not wake up, but I lack the courage. Okay, sister, I am tired. I may have lost my temper today. I want to say sorry first. I want to rest first."
Situ Yushuang, who looked sleepy and confused, couldn't remember how Sophia left her room. She fell down on the embroidered couch in a daze, and some dim lights flickered in various postures. This kind of loneliness and helplessness in the silent night The feeling made Situ Yushuang feel even more desolate in her heart. The contentment and excitement just now had long since disappeared. Could it be that what she had done really put the Situ family and all those who followed the Situ family on the road to destruction? So how should I face all this? Situ Yushuang reflected on what she had done for the first time. Standing by the window lattice, Sophia looked at the tired girl with a complicated mood as she walked into the room. The lights were slightly turned on, and the beautiful figure looked a little lonely and helpless under the light. Sighing slightly, Sophia found that her position in this situation was getting more and more embarrassing. Yushuang did not hide anything from her. Maybe she believed in herself too much. Since the Jinzhong Incident two months ago, she As soon as she couldn't afford to fall ill, and started to be busy again more than a month ago, Sophia knew that her sister must have entered a new round of work, and most of the affairs she was engaged in were aimed at Wu Feng, which made Sophia Feeling bitter.
In fact, Sophia's inference was proved to be completely correct. From the few words she said to Yushuang and her expression and tone, Sophia could know that the matter promoted by Yushuang had a better result. Sophia did not vaguely know until the matter was completely successful. Driven by Yushuang, her two brothers finally reached a joint agreement, and even Sophia, who was mentally prepared, couldn't help but be surprised.
Everyone in the empire knows what the alliance between Situ Tai and Situ Biao means. Although Sophia is not from the empire, she has lived in Situ Yushuang's mansion for so many years, and the things she has been exposed to all day long make her understand this better than the average person. Hidden meaning. Sophia was even more frightened when Situ Yushuang boasted about how financiers from the Imperial Capital and the Five Lakes region, as well as big nobles and big businessmen, had united to provide huge amounts of financial and material assistance to Situ Tai.
Yushuang trusted her so much that it was naturally impossible for Sophia to reveal this news to Wufeng. However, Sophia also felt that the other party was not afraid of her leaking the news to Wu Feng. Judging from the determined look on the other party's face, it seemed that there was such a meaning. After thinking about it, there is no need to be secretive about this kind of thing when it comes to this point, not to mention that it is impossible for Wu Feng to know nothing about this kind of thing. It's just that Sophia didn't expect that the two people who had the closest relationship with her in the empire would go further and further away on this road. The contradiction between the two seems irreconcilable.
Gently pushing open the door of the other party's room, the room is filled with milky yellow tones, while the ground is made of small pieces of mahogany lined with peony patterns in unison, hanging from the jade-yellow ceiling carved with dark flowers. Several layers of dreamlike gauze curtains separated the large house into one large half and the other small half. There were also several tall tables arranged in an extremely well-proportioned manner in the outside. Several straight landscape strips hung on the walls, slanting A jade pipa with an ancient form hangs; a small brass cauldron is smelling of sandalwood; a large transparent bamboo shadow is sprinkled on the jade screen, and a delicate painting of a lady is half-covered The black paint is shiny. There is a beast-legged desk with four treasures of the study on top, and the two rows of bookshelves are densely packed with thread-bound books. There are also a few folded scrolls, and another freshly hand-embroidered peony is among the two bookshelves. From here, facing the heavy veil, the small half room is obviously the place where the beautiful woman is looking for her dream!
Somewhat tired, she rested her chin on her hands and leaned against the desk, but the girl could not hide the joy in her eyes. Although her body felt a little overwhelmed by these busy hours, the results achieved were obvious, especially the formation of the Situ family's united front, which was an incredible opportunity. While many nobles were cheering for joy, who knew? She has worked hard to make peace with her during this period, but she doesn't care about these false claims, as long as she can achieve her wish.
When things have come to this point, I have tried my best to achieve it, although there are still some disharmonious factors mixed in. But everything cannot be perfect. All parties have their own plans, as long as they can clearly understand who the current enemy is. What is the top priority and prompts them to take the correct countermeasures is enough. As for where the relationship between them will develop in the future, whether they will meet each other in war, those are not important. As long as they can defeat the behemoth of Western Xinjiang and completely disintegrate it, who will control the empire in the future? It doesn't matter if you come to inherit it, since it is all in the control of the descendants of the Situ family, so how much does it matter
The sound of soft footsteps interrupted the girl's thoughts. She knew without guessing that it was her girl who had been a little unstable these days. Situ Yushuang certainly knew why her girl, who was not involved with Li Wufeng, was uneasy. Situ Yushuang The threat posed by the alliance of the family to Li Wufeng was unprecedented. It was equivalent to gathering the original upper-level forces of the entire empire. The forces Li Wufeng had contacted through the Empress Dowager and Zhu Zimei in the early stage could not be concealed from his own eyes and ears. This time he successfully dispelled the threat. Li Wufeng's idea of trying to win over the upper-class nobles of the empire. As for the power that the Zhu family can muster, it is actually very small compared to the upper-class nobles of the entire empire. Perhaps what comforted Li Wufeng was the embrace of the frozen rose. Thinking of this , Situ Yushuang did not notice that there was more or less a hint of jealousy and sourness in her emotions.
"Sister is back?" "Sister is here?"
The greeting without much meaning started the opening remarks. Sophia's mood was a little complicated. It was difficult for her to use any language to evaluate what Situ Yushuang did. It might be too much to say that she did it for personal selfishness. In this game, she I didn't get anything. Apart from some praises, I'm afraid as a woman, she couldn't get more from it. It seemed that she was too great for the inheritance of the Tanghe Empire. The interests of the empire kept betraying her in the hands of Situ Tai. It is impossible not to know at all that the Dodon people, Japanese people, and now the Machikhan people are all salivating like jackals next to a piece of fat. Supporting the outbreak and expansion of the civil war in the empire is probably their most important It is impossible for Sister Yushuang not to see this, but why is she so persistent in supporting her brothers to unite to fight this uncertain battle? Could it be that she doesn't know that if the Situ family's united front really defeats Xijiang, the consequences may be more serious. The empire is no longer able to deal with the bites of the wolves from the outside world.
"Looking at my sister, it seems like she's finished her work?"
"Well, it's almost over. Sister can also relax and rest for a while. The remaining things are between their men." Situ Yushuang glanced at the other party. She had been vaguely busy during this period of time. The reasons were revealed to the other party, and she didn't care that Li Wufeng knew about it. Unexpectedly, although her sister was a little hesitant, she did not reveal the information to Li Wufeng as she feared. This made Situ Yushuang feel relieved and also Somewhat ashamed. However, seeing Sophia's hesitant expression, Situ Yushuang realized that his sister might have something important to communicate with him tonight.
After hesitating for a while, Sophia decided to tell her all her thoughts. She felt uneasy and unhappy. For so long, she had been watching her sister, who could be said to have been kind to her, become more and more different on the road. The farther she traveled, the more she felt that she needed to remind the other person, whether in public or private matters, that their attitude towards things should not be too paranoid. "Sister, I have some words that have been in my heart for a long time. A sister should not say these things originally, but thanks to my sister who has not given up over the years, I have been able to have a warm family when I was in the most difficult times. I will keep it in my heart all the time. Following my sister over the years, I have gained a lot of knowledge and become aware of the dangers of the world. However, my sister increasingly feels that all her recent efforts have actually deviated from the direction of the current development of the situation in the Eastern Continent. If this continues, it will not only make If the empire falls into ruin and fragmentation, the Situ family will gradually fall into a dangerous situation."
"Oh? If you have any opinions, please let me know. My sister is too busy during this period and has no time to think about many things. If she can point out the fallacies for her, I would be happy for her." She seemed to be interested. Situ Yushuang was not unhappy because of the other party's slightly harsh topic. In fact, she had conflicts before pushing the two brothers to join forces, and she also hesitated whether she should cooperate with Situ Tai.
Situ Tai has gone very far on land in selling the sovereignty of the empire in exchange for his own interests. The cruel reality forced him to seek financial assistance if he wanted to maintain such a large army. Donghai and Jiangnan made him He has completely lost credibility among the business class in these two places. Almost no businessmen are willing to cooperate with him. The business class would rather flee to other places to seek development than become a hostage in his hands. Under such circumstances, it will be difficult for him to maintain his life. There are only two ways, internal and external, but the support provided by the financial aristocrats of the imperial capital is limited. Before he completely wins the support of the great nobles and gentry of the imperial capital, the financial aristocrats cannot provide him with unlimited funds. His only way out seems to be It was placed in the hands of the Dotons and the Japanese who had always been in good weather, and the engagement to Princess Catherine seemed to give the Dotons another reason to provide financial assistance. As for the Japanese, the islands off the coast of the empire that had been occupied by them seemed to have become A natural excuse for Situ Tai to bargain.
"Sister, maybe what I said is a little unpleasant, but I still don't want to complain." Sophia's face was extremely serious at this time, and her tone became much slower, "In my sister's mind, the Situ family and the Tanghe Empire are two Which one is more important? Who is more important, the Tang River Empire or the Tang Clan?"