〖South Fujian Yue clan, a shipping family, enduring for a long time, a rising star of the Hai clan, has old grudges with the Yue clan, which can never be resolved.
- "History of Yong, Biography of Huozhu"〗
Inside the Jinghai Villa, above the red building, I looked at the geographical map of the mountains and rivers on the table, and smiled: "The Nanmin Yue family is the first shipping company in the world. Since the collapse of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Yue clan took the opportunity to take control of the military and political power in Nanmin. After the establishment of the state of Nanchu, Nanmin was still unique. Under the pressure of Dayong, Nanchu did not have the energy to pacify Nanmin. Therefore, the Yue family is actually one of the princes. Although Nanmin is nominally a vassal of Southern Chu, in fact, just like Binzhou, it is not under the control of Southern Chu. However, the Yue family will not be too much. Chu ironed his heart. Although the Yuejia could surrender to Dayong in exchange for support, they would retreat to the sea in a short period of time, and the Yuejia's industry in Nanmin would suffer heavy losses. Therefore, for the Yuejia, It is best that the world is torn apart like this, so that they can have greater interests."
Princess Changle, who was sitting on the soft couch next to her and concentrated on embroidery, raised her head and said thoughtfully, "When my cousin was dormant in the East China Sea, the Yue family took the initiative to support my cousin and marry him. It's to contain Dayong's idea."
I said leisurely: "Yes, although the Yue family lives in the South China Sea, they do not have the ability to compete in the Central Plains, but they do have ambitions for separatism. 'Three thousand guests are drunk in a full house, and twelve states are cold with one sword', this is how to describe the prestige of the Yue family. In the famous sentence, these twelve states refer to Fuzhou, Jianzhou, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Tingzhou, Nanjianzhou, Shaowu, Xinghua and Meizhou, Jieyang and South Australia in eastern Guangdong, although South Australia is not yet called a state. , but this place is known as the throat of Fujian and Guangdong. The merchant ships gather here, and the prosperity is even better than Binzhou, so it is called 'Twelve Prefectures'. Although the Yuejia actually only controls Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, Jieyang, and Nanao, this is the southeastern part of Guangdong. The essence of Fujian is backed by the mountains and the sea. Southern Chu is powerless, and Dayong is beyond the reach. Although the Yue family has a low profile, it has never competed for hegemony, nor has it become king and hegemony. I know the grand occasion of the Yuejia family. If you want to maintain such a position, in addition to being a vassal to the strong, it is possible to let the troubled times continue endlessly. This time the Jiang and Yue families remarried, it is the Yuejia initiative. of."
Princess Changle frowned slightly and said, "It's really hateful that the Yue family is so attentive. The suffering of the people in the world probably doesn't matter to them. Suiyun, if that's the case, why are you seeing this marriage a success? It's not as they wished. Moreover, now that Hai's is engaged in shipping with your support, Binzhou has become the second largest seaport after Quanzhou in southern Fujian, and the military support of my cousin is even more important. Now Yuejia is probably also sailing the ocean. The idea of trade, if they master the secret technology of Hai's shipbuilding, wouldn't it be more powerful, and from this aspect, they won't be able to successfully marry the Jiang family?"
I played with the jasper paperweight in my hand, and said lightly: "Although the Yue family has bad intentions, it is my wish to let them intervene in ocean-going trade. This is how things are in this world, except that the throne can only be occupied by one person. What, it's best not to try to monopolize it by one person. Now the ocean trade is monopolized by the Hai family. I don't know how many people are jealous. Today, the world is not unified. The Hai family is the Son of Heaven. Even if I don’t move the Hai family for the time being, in a hundred years from me, the Hai family will be destroyed. In this case, it is better to let the Yue family take a share of the pie. There will also be people who want to crack down on suppression, but as long as they are skilled enough, they can support it.”
When Princess Changle heard the sentence "The first person who wants to deal with the Hai family is the emperor", her hand shook, the embroidery needle had stabbed her finger, but she calmed down after hearing this, and said, "This is also true. Although the emperor is wise, it's hard to pretend to be invisible. Since your husband has this plan, the marriage of Jiang Yue doesn't need to be on your mind. It's just that the Yue family is already so powerful. Tends to Southern Chu and refuses to surrender to Dayong, so now that your husband is letting them intervene in ocean-going trade, doesn’t that fuel their arrogance even more?”
I said meaningfully: "How can there be such a good thing? Although the Yuejia can participate, it is not now. If the Yuejia is not weakened, let alone I will not be relieved, even Brother Hai will be uneasy. I am going to give Yuejia first. A heavy blow to the family, and give them another chance to participate in ocean shipping."
Princess Changle said worriedly: "But since the Yue family is the overlord of the South China Sea, how can your husband give them a big blow? After all, Nanmin is still the territory of Nanchu. If the Yue family is angered, they will turn to support Nanchu completely. Isn't it more troublesome?"
I shook my head and said: "Everything is prosperous and declining. The Yue family has been passed down for more than ten generations now, and it has long been full of worries. What is especially criticized is that the way of doing business in the Yue family is too overbearing, and it is difficult for business opponents. They are often suppressed by all means. Those who follow me will prosper, and those who oppose me will perish. Businessmen in southeastern Guangdong and Fujian have to look up to him. Zhongying once mentioned that he offended a deacon of the Yue family in eastern Guangdong. When he went out to sea, he met sea bandits, and his family property was destroyed. Later, Zhong Ying suspected that this incident was done by the Yue clan. Although there was no evidence, the Yue clan and the sea bandits had always had contacts, and Zhong Ying had originally Those who can continue the business, those creditors did not want to force him to repay the debt, but hoped that he could continue to run the business so that he could pay off those huge debts. Due to the debt, Nanmin couldn't afford it, so he moved to Dayong. It was also a coincidence that he was in charge of the business of Tianji Pavilion without any plans. He saw Zhongying's talents and supported him to make a comeback. Later, the thief found out that he and Hai Zhongying were not together It was my uncle and nephew, and I lived in seclusion in the East China Sea, so I fully supported the Hai clan. Jiang Hou was also very dissatisfied with the Yue family, which formed the situation in which the Hai clan came to the fore today. The Yue clan’s style of behavior naturally creates a lot of enemies. I still can't see it, if it comes to a critical time, it will be a situation where a group will attack, and the Yue family is also full of worries. The battle for the Yue clan's patriarch is now in full swing, and it is the best opportunity to attack the Yue clan. "
Princess Changle sighed and said, "The royal family's succession is of course bloody, and the battle between the great family and the head of the family is also a life-and-death tragic event."
I said softly, "Zhen'er, have you thought about the Hunting Palace again?"
A trace of sadness flashed in Princess Changle's eyes, and she said, "How can I forget this matter, the eldest brother committed rebellion and gave him his death, the sixth sister-in-law committed suicide, and the empress also committed suicide. Zhener really doesn't want to recall such a tragic event."
I walked to Princess Changle, gently took her into my arms, and said, "Don't think too much, this is what they deserved, and the love between you and me is also due to the change in the hunting palace, not for anything else. , just for this, you shouldn't be so sad."
Princess Changle couldn't help but blushed. Although she had been married for nearly three years, she couldn't help but lose her composure in public when she recalled that day when she was hunting the palace, and she was still ashamed in her heart. I saw that she was no longer sad, so I said: "Since you don't like to hear about the family affairs of the Yue family, I won't mention it. At this time, Shen'er should wake up, you can take a look, I have to read some documents. Well, it's gone."
Princess Changle put away the embroidery and complained, "You said that you left the imperial court for two years and rested in peace, but you can't let go of these things. If you knew this, you might as well not leave, even your hair has turned gray. What the hell are you doing!"
I couldn't help but smile and said: "Zhen'er, I told you a long time ago that I have nothing to do with my hair. Although the Jiuzhuan Heart Protection Pill saved my life, when I arrived in the East China Sea, Mr. Sang took care of my body again. But the medicinal properties were still too strong, which made my hair look like this. In recent years, I have been calm and conscientiously resting my body. As for the trivial matters of Hai's and Yue's, I just got it out of my boredom. Relax, didn't you see me forgetting to eat and sleep?"
Princess Changle rolled her eyes at Jiang Zhe and said, "Okay, I believe you are, if you hadn't helped your second brother, you wouldn't have almost died in Chang'an, you won't be allowed to work so hard in the future, do you think I don't know? , A few days ago, as soon as the letter from the second brother arrived, you started to get busy. It seems that this leisurely day is coming to an end. I will not stop you from doing things. It's just that everything must be relaxed and orderly, but don't work hard like before. Just fine."
I hurriedly said: "It must be certain, the wife's order must be obeyed, otherwise, I will go to see Shen'er with you."
Princess Changle smiled and said: "Don't be fooling around, when I don't know, if I ask you to see him, I will definitely tease him again. He is just snoozing. I don't know what kind of temper you are. I heard the second sister-in-law say that you always secretly bully and tease Lan'er, and now even Shen'er doesn't let it go, you really don't look like a father."
I couldn't help shrinking my neck. I didn't dare to refute this. I made my son cry several times, but the princess caught me.
After the figure of the princess disappeared, I withdrew my reluctant gaze and went up to inspect the embroidery left by the princess, and I found the blood stains on it. There is always a sense of guilt in my heart. That day, the princess and I eloped to the East China Sea and got married under the auspices of Mr. Sang. Not to mention the cumbersome etiquette of a princess getting married, not even having the basic six ceremonies, and there were very few people watching the ceremony, except for those around you. Apart from a few people, there is not a single outsider. After getting married, I spent nearly half a year in recuperation and taking medicine. The princess was just a title, but the princess did not complain, she served her wholeheartedly, and took on the responsibility of presiding over the housework and taking care of her. Lan's responsibility, although with the help of Dong Que and Zhou Shangyi, it took a lot of effort for a beautiful girl to take care of these trivial household chores. In the past two years, my health has improved greatly. Although the friendship between husband and wife is good, I still dare not indulge the temperance in the boudoir, but the princess, as always, takes good care of my daily life and food. In order to recuperate my body, she even asked Mr. Sang for advice from the medicated food secret book collected by the royal family. Now my diet is all bought by the princess, and even Mr. Sang has to admire the princess' talent in this regard. Thinking of the little cakes that the princess occasionally cooks, I couldn't help but swallow.
The princess is so affectionate, I should have spent some idle life with her like this, but now I have to re-enter the world, although I don’t want to leave this plain and happy life and return to the dangerous world, but this is also helpless Li Zhi asked Hua Liu to send a letter a few days ago, explaining the current situation, and asking me to help out, not to mention Li Zhi's past favors, even in the face of Princess Changle, I can't ignore it. If something happened to the Dayong royal family again, I'm afraid Changle would not be able to bear it. Besides, this is also a good opportunity for Princess Changle and the Emperor Taishang to reunite. In any case, Li Yuan was always annoyed when the princess eloped back then, but now that he re-emerges in response to the emperor's edict, he can make their father and daughter rehabilitate, so the princess will surely be happy of. Moreover, I know very well that now I have become the son-in-law of the Dayong royal family, and my fate is closely related to Dayong. If Dayong cannot rule the world, then I don’t want to live a happy life.
Looking at the stack of documents on the bookcase, and flipping through it again, a cold smile appeared on my face, and I said softly: "Donghai, Yuejia, Beihan, Nanchu!" The tone gradually took on a chilling meaning. .
At the same time, in the port of the island where the Marquis of the East China Sea held the wedding for their beloved son, on the boat where the Yue family in the South China Sea was giving off their wedding, in a very secret cabin, a young man with a beautiful appearance and an elegant temperament was also reading the documents. , A silver lamp in the windowless cabin radiated a dim light, reflecting the face of this young man who was about thirty years old. Perhaps it was the effect of the light, and the young man's handsome face had a vicious murderous intent.
"Donghai, Yuejia!" The young man whispered, a cold light of disdain flashing in his eyes. Putting down the documents in his hand, the young man picked up the silver lamp and walked to the corner of the cabin. There was an exquisite map hanging on the bulkhead there. It drew the territory of the original Eastern Jin Dynasty. Territories are circled with different colors of paint. The young man's eyes fell on Binzhou in the north and Quanzhou in the south, showing a cold smile, and then his eyes fell on Qinzhou and Zezhou, where the Northern Han and Dayong faced each other. He said to himself: "The Northern Han Dynasty should take the opportunity to attack Dayong, they should not miss such a good opportunity, although losing the East China Sea is not a fatal blow to Dayong, it is also a traumatic loss. There is another benefit in controlling the East China Sea, maybe I can catch that person."
Thinking of that person, a look of disgust flashed on the young man's face, and he said fiercely: "Jiang Zhe, Li Zhen, I will never let you go, Li Zhen, you promise your chastity and refuse to marry me in every possible way. That's fine, but you eloped with Jiang Zhe, you are so unchaste and unclean, what face is there to live in the world."
Just as the young man had a cruel and vicious look on his face, someone said from outside: "The first seat, everything is ready, and there is news from the more unruly. If there is no accident, please don't take the first seat."
A trace of sarcasm flashed on the young man's face, and he said, "Come in."
The cabin door opened, and a thin-looking middle-aged man walked in. He said respectfully: "The first seat, the first seat of Yihuang Hall and the first seat of Fengwu Hall have received letters, please indicate when to activate."
The young man said lightly: "What's the hurry, wouldn't it be better to wait until they both lose out?"
The middle-aged man smiled slightly and said, "Yue Wujiu can be considered a shrewd person. This time, he actually got into the first trap like this, which is really a shame. The first wise and wise, how can those merchants be able to match."
The young man, however, was not at all complacent, and said, "I have also failed miserably before, and I have learned two things, one is that there is no one without weakness in the world, and the other is that if things If you don't succeed, you can't relax. Yue Wujiu is not a fool, but his weakness is too obvious. Speaking of which, this is also the way of inheritance of the Yue clan that gave him too much ambition.
Speaking of which, the ancestors of the Yue clan were quite far-sighted people. He knew that the wealth is only three generations old, and it was difficult for the pampered descendants to take on great responsibilities. rule. Each generation of suzerain can choose a worthy heir as the next suzerain from the descendants. If all the heirs are unworthy, the suzerain can choose one of them to be the deputy suzerain, and then designate the most outstanding person in the clan as the chief deacon. The power is in the hands of the chief deacon, and at the same time, the suzerain will designate a close person to be the guardian of the law. In this way, if there are worthy descendants of the acting suzerain, they can, with the assistance of the protector, take back the power of the suzerain from the chief deacon. If there is no outstanding heir in the third generation, then the chief deacon can inherit the suzerain position. In this way, it not only gives the collateral children in the clan the opportunity to seize the direct line, but also gives the greatest guarantee to the direct line. Just imagine, if the acting suzerain who has been deprived of power does not know how to properly educate his son to regain power, then this branch will be replaced It is also a matter of course. So after this rule was set, the Yue clan passed on for seventeen generations. Although the direct line once lost power, it was finally recaptured. This is the reason why Yue Wu Jue felt uneasy in his heart and cooperated with us.
Although the current suzerain of the Yue clan, Yue Wuling, is mediocre, he is not a fool. He has consolidated his power by marrying his own sister to Jiang Yong, Marquis of Donghai. Jiang Haitao, his eldest son, Yue Wenhan, is even more brilliant. You said that Yue Wuzhuo saw that the power he had obtained was going to be sent out again. How could he be willing? . "
The middle-aged man said hesitantly: "Nevertheless, Yue Wenhan is highly respected by the children of the Yue clan. If we help us like this, the more Wujiu will be, I'm afraid those people of the Yue clan will not accept Yue Wujiu as the suzerain."
The young man smiled and said: "There are some things you don't know, this Yue Wenhan is indeed a great talent, but he has done one thing that shouldn't be done. He shouldn't block our way, and there shouldn't be such a person who is dedicated to him. A good sister who thinks about her, should not have married such a concubine."
The middle-aged man said suddenly, "Could it be that Madam Xue is also a member of Yihuangtang?"
The young man hesitated for a moment, then said, "That's not true. In the past, Mrs. Xue was also an old acquaintance of ours. She was originally from a noble background, but now, her father is also a high-ranking official in the court, a dignified young lady. , if it wasn't for the wrong behavior, how could it be someone's concubine. Speaking of which, the door owner, Ji Shouzuo and Yan Shouzu still feel that Mrs. Xue has lost their face. However, in any case, if it is not Mrs. Xue's persuasion When we met the Yue Wenhan brothers and sisters, I'm afraid they would have committed suicide long ago, so they won't be at our mercy. Who made this Madam Xue look good and didn't want to tell her husband about the old things in the past, if we didn't threaten her with this, how would she be willing to submit. "
The middle-aged man said: "But the first one originally promised, after the event is completed, to save Yue Wenhan's life and let him help Mrs. Xue as the main room, will you agree to this matter if it's not correct?"
The young man sneered: "It's not okay if you don't agree. The reason for leaving Yue Wenhan is to restrain the more unruly, lest he be too arrogant. Anyway, Yue Wenhan will not have the ability to escape our palm by then. The big crime he committed, except for Nan Chu and us, who can protect him."
After the young man said these words, the cabin fell into incomparable silence. He subconsciously recalled the hard work of the past few years. It was not easy for Nan Chu, who was originally hostile, to gain a foothold, and everyone in the door had their own thoughts. After two or three years The battle, finally let him regroup Fengyimen, group Fengwutang and Yihuangtang, and disperse the original forces of Fengyimen. Ji Xia and Yan Wushuang lead the two halls respectively. They often fight in secret, but they set up Chentang by themselves, recruiting outsiders to get started, and taking charge of external affairs and front-line work. On the surface, they are neutral, but because the two halls criticize each other, their own Chentang has become the most important force. Yu has already given Santang an overhead, and there is no other power except for a guard around him. And because he knew that Fengyi Sect was not the place where he could seize the ultimate power after all, he cleverly maintained Ling Yu's position and the balance within the door. What a difficult process did he finally fully grasp Fengyi Sect. The revenge of his dreams begins. And he finally persuaded Shang Weijun to cooperate with him. For Shang Weijun, the Lu family, who controlled the military power with one hand, was too big a threat, even more than the threat of Dayong's Nanchu. Self-destruction of the Great Wall is probably the hobby of those in power in the Southern Chu dynasties.
Lu Can, a flash of coldness flashed in the young man's eyes. If it wasn't for the fact that he still had to rely on this person to defend against Dayong, he would have thought of letting Lu Can die, not because of Shang Weijun, but because Lu Can used to be him. 's disciple. There seemed to be a vicious beast roaring and screaming in his chest, destroying everything that person left in the world. This was already the only obsession in his - Wei Ying - heart.
In the wedding hall, after the heavy curtains, the bride is still waiting for the auspicious time under the service of the maids and servants. He is the bride's own brother, the younger sect master Yue Wenhan and the Yue family's chief deacon, the more incoherent. Of course, they were already in the front of the wedding hall at this time. Apart from the female family members of the Yue family, there were only servants of the Jiang family in the back hall. It was not someone else who was in charge of taking care of the bride, but Mrs. Xue, Yue Wenhan's concubine.
This Mrs. Xue has been married to the Yue family for nearly two years. This lady is a young lady whom Yue Wenhan met by chance. It is said that she was from a famous family in the north. Yue Wenhan's mother, who passed away in Putuo Mountain a few years ago, reconciled her wish and accidentally met this Mrs. Xue. She was quite in love and pursued it hard, but this Mrs. Xue was cold and frosty and repeatedly refused. After more than a year of hard pursuit, Yue Wenhan finally moved the beauty. According to Yue Wenhan's intention, they wanted to marry her as the main family, but they were opposed by the elders of the Yue clan. They had high hopes for Yue Wenhan and regarded him as the future suzerain. The marriage of the suzerain of the Yue clan could not be easily decided. of. Although the Xue family has both good looks and good looks, their origins are unknown, and they can never be the main office. In desperation, Yue Wenhan turned to the Xue family and pleaded, hoping that she would marry herself as a concubine and wait for the right time to straighten her up. Unexpectedly, after thinking behind closed doors for a few days, Mrs Xue agreed and said that she was not worthy of being Mrs. Yue. Although Yue Wenhan was strange, he was already deeply in love and happily married Mrs. Xue. The relationship between the two was originally very good, but since the young lady's wedding date was agreed, there seemed to be no problems between the two. Yue Wenhan suddenly became indifferent to the Xue family, but the Xue family did not care, and instead enthusiastically discussed the marriage of the younger sister.
Rou Lan and Li Lin, led by the maids of the Jiang family, walked into the back hall and saw that Mrs. Xue was instructing the maids to touch up the bride's makeup. Xue's age is also twenty-six or seven years old. Her appearance is like a spring flower, her body is like a willow, her expression is generous, and her temperament is graceful. Although there are many people in the room, she is in good order under her command. However, Rou Lan's thoughts were all on the bride. Looking closely, she saw that the bride was only sixteen or seventeen years old, weak and slender, with picturesque features, beautiful and elegant, although she was still young, she was already stunning. If there is any inadequacy in her appearance, it is that her complexion is too pale, almost transparent, although it is beautiful, it is too pale and appears to be deficient in qi and blood. Therefore, Mrs. Xue was applying rouge to her with her own hands. After carefully drawing for a long time, she reluctantly let go. Mrs. Xue must be good at grooming. After her skillful hands, Miss Yue really seemed to be a little bit more bloody and gorgeous. She was dressed in a red silk wedding dress, with a phoenix crown and a rosary, which made her even more beautiful. The maid who led the soft blue exclaimed, "Young Madam is really good-looking, and the little Marquis is really a blessing."
Her voice alarmed Xue Shi and the others. She smiled and said, "It turns out that it was Mama Li who arrived, is this?" Her eyes fell on Rou Lan and Li Lin.
The maid bowed down and said: "Mrs. Xue, this is Miss Lan, the daughter of the teacher of the little Marquis, and the Marquis asked her to come to see the young lady in the hall."
There was a bright light in Mrs. Xue's eyes, and she said with a smile, "So it's Miss Lan, Qingyan, come and meet."
Yue Qingyan was silent at first, but when she heard Mrs. Xue's words, she raised her head and looked at Rou Lan, her eyes as bright as Hanquan flashed inexplicable sorrow, she bowed slightly and said, "Sister Lan." Right hand, motioned Rou Lan to come to her side. What kind of slender hand is that, with ice and snow skin, like a beautiful jade carving. Rou Lan walked to her side and couldn't help holding the slender hand, the tentacles were cold for a while, Rou Lan couldn't help thinking, could it be that this bride is made of ice? Unable to fight a chill.