Good morning Daming

Chapter 996: Changing People's Hearts, Easy Strategies

The atmosphere in the Xu family was very solemn.

The servants walked very carefully, avoiding the eldest master whenever possible, as if they were avoiding a ghost.

Run very fast.

"roll!"

Xu Fan's roar could be heard from the study, sounding drunken.

Xu Jie was in disgrace.

The Xu family has few visitors.

Xu Fan didn't believe it and wrote to the capital many times.

The letter fell on deaf ears.

It was as if Xu Jie had disappeared.

But Xu Fan knew that his father was still alive.

He is still in the capital.

Still in the Ministry of Rites, still in Zhilu...

I still persist every day, facing the contemptuous looks, whispered curses, and even loud ridicule.

"Dad, let's go home!"

Xu Fan put down the jar of wine and stared blankly outside the study.

For literati, the study is a sacred and private place.

Whether they are happy or sad, or successful or unsuccessful, when they feel they need to be alone, they usually go to the study.

Drinking, reciting poems, writing calligraphy and painting...

Even to the point of being in a daze.

Xu Fan was drinking.

"Master, Mr. Wang wants to see you."

Mr. Wang was talking about Wang Mengqiu. Old Wang had been coming here quite often recently. He always felt that people like Xu Jie would not fall easily. Even if the Xu family was ruined, he still had illusions in his heart, hoping that Old Xu could hold on and get through this like a calamity.

The premise of all this is that the New Deal fails.

It is better to provide timely assistance than to add icing on the cake. Wang Mengqiu is a good speculator. The more no one cares about the Xu family, the greater the reward will be in the future if he gets close to them now.

When Wang Mengqiu had nothing to do, she would come over and talk to Xu Fan and offer some comfort.

Or accompany Xu Fan to drink, help him drown his sorrows in wine, and curse Jiang Qingzhi and the new policy...

There are four iron qualities that a man can have, but none of them can compare to someone who stays by your side when you are in desperate situations.

Of course, this does not include those ungrateful people who become frivolous once they succeed.

Wang Mengqiu arrived outside the study and was about to go in when he heard sobbing.

This……

"Dad, I was wrong. I know I was wrong."

"I shouldn't have confronted Jiang Qingzhi. I was just jealous. I was jealous that he was younger than me, but had achieved so much."

"I tossed and turned at night and couldn't fall asleep. I felt like everyone was laughing at me, saying that I was nowhere near as good as Jiang Qingzhi, but I called myself the No. 1 son..."

"I was wrong."

Xu Fan was howling.

The servant leading the way rubbed his hands awkwardly. Xu Fan was not to be messed with at the moment. If he opened his mouth to interrupt him, he would be guaranteed to be met with praise.

But wine glasses, wine jars, and even inkstones...

Wang Mengqiu had a look of sighing, seemingly filled with emotion.

"If it weren't for my child, why would Dad be like this, why would he be like this..."

"Everyone says that Dad can be patient, but for the sake of your child, you... you handed the handle to that beast Jiang Qingzhi."

Pfft!
There was a sound of knees hitting the ground.

"Dad, I regret it!"

The howling gradually became smaller and then disappeared...

Wang Mengqiu stamped her feet.

Xu Fan's voice came from inside, very calm.

"Old Wang, come in."

Wang Mengqiu went in and saw that Xu Fan looked back to normal.

"My Lord, good news."

Xu Fan said calmly: "What good news?"

Jiang Qingzhi once said that fortune and misfortune go hand in hand. At this time, Xu Jie seemed to be in a desperate situation, but compared with the ending in history, it was a blessing rather than a disaster.

If you look at something from a different angle, you will come to a completely different conclusion.

Therefore, don't be frivolous or get carried away when you are successful, and don't be depressed or desperate when you are frustrated.

The things that make you happy, angry, sad, or joyful at the moment are like a seed. You don’t know what kind of fruit this seed will bear in a few months, years, or even decades.

"Someone contacted me earlier." Wang Mengqiu's eyes flickered. Xu Fan picked up the wine jar and poured him a glass of wine. His hands were steady. "Go on."

Wang Mengqiu held the wine glass and lowered her head slightly, "Someone wants to disrupt the Oiran Contest..."

"Hmm?" Xu Fan's hand moved as he was pouring the wine, and some of the wine splashed out. He steadied his hand, filled the glass, and then poured himself a glass.

"You want to deal with Jiang Qingzhi!"

"Yes."

"The city is bustling, and those people want to take advantage of this opportunity to create chaos?"

"The eldest son is wise."

"So, why are they looking for me?"

"They need an insider, otherwise they can't enter the city."

Xu Fan raised his glass, took a sip of wine, and squinted at Wang Mengqiu, "Old Wang, do you think I should agree... or not?"

The change between Xu Fan and Wang Mengqiu at this moment was so great since they first met that Wang Mengqiu was in a trance for a moment. He had thought about this on the way here.

"I don't know who those people are colluding with. I guess they are either servants of powerful people or bandits. But Jiang Qingzhi's 1,000 cavalrymen are in the city..."

Wang Mengqiu glanced at Xu Fan, and when she saw that he did not comment, she felt a pang in her heart.

This young master's scheming seems to have suddenly increased significantly.

Wang Mengqiu had met Xu Jie once, at a banquet when Xu Jie returned home, but they didn't say a word.

But at this moment he felt that Xu Fan's temperament was vaguely similar to that of Xu Jie in the past.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Wang Mengqiu said, "There are thousands of noble guests in the city. These people are the most arrogant and afraid of death... If they are suddenly attacked, they will surely flee in panic. So... But I think that such things... Alas!" He did not express his opinion.

Under Xu Fan's calm gaze, Wang Mengqiu chose to remain vague.

But he felt Xu Fan would nod.

Xu Jie's reputation was ruined because of Jiang Qingzhi.

Because of Jiang Qingzhi, Xu became a trapped dog in Huating, Songjiang Prefecture, and even in the Ming Dynasty.

What a deep hatred this is.

We are mortal enemies!
Even if all the water in three rivers were poured out, it would not be enough to wash away this shame!

Blood debt must be repaid with blood!
As for how many people will die in Huating City.

Who cares?

"Old Wang." Xu Fan's voice came, and Wang Mengqiu looked up, "The eldest master ordered."

"I'm back!"

"Hmm?" Wang Mengqiu didn't know what this reply meant.

"Reject them!"

He actually refused?

Wang Mengqiu felt his head buzzing. He guaranteed to that man that Xu Fan would agree.

"Xu, you should stay dormant!" Xu Fan said calmly, "It's not easy to live in a quiet life, you should take care of yourself."

Wang Mengqiu was a little upset. After saying a few more words to comfort her, he said goodbye.

After he left, the housekeeper came in.

"Master, Wang Mengqiu is speculating."

"I know." Xu Fan ate a pickled broad bean. "I heard that Jiang Qingzhi is good at cooking and his pickled broad beans are the most delicious. What do you think? If I pass this information to him, can I get a jar of pickled broad beans in return?"

The housekeeper was stunned. "I guess... it's possible!"

"But I can't and I don't want to." Xu Fan picked up a pickled broad bean. "I can use any means to deal with him... If it were five days ago, I would have agreed. But this time, the Xu family's notoriety is all because of me - I am a little hesitant."

"Young Master," the housekeeper advised, "If the master knew that you had come to your senses, he would be overjoyed. Everyone makes mistakes, just correct them."

"Many things are too late." Xu Fan smiled and said, "I have been asking myself these days why I have become so greedy. I thought about what my father taught me back then..."

He said word by word: "Deceit in the dark, God can see it!"

The housekeeper choked up and said, "The eldest son... has grown up."

"It's time for me to grow up." Xu Fan said softly, "I can do whatever it takes to deal with Jiang Qingzhi, but I can't drag the entire Huating into this. This is my home, even a tiger won't destroy its own nest. Do you think I'm old-fashioned?"

"This is the right way," said the butler.

"But I will not tell Jiang Qingzhi about this." Xu Fan smiled, "Let God decide. If Huating is destined to suffer this disaster, then we will just sit back and watch. If we can avoid it, then..."

He raised his cup and drank it all, saying painfully, "I originally wanted to kill Jiang Qingzhi! But I couldn't bear to see the people of Huating suffer. At this moment, I was in a state of confusion. One moment I wanted to regret it, call back Wang Mengqiu, and agree to be an insider. But then I felt that this shouldn't be done... Why is life so difficult!"

The housekeeper smiled bitterly, "My Lord, I think it's okay to agree to it."

This is what the housekeeper really thinks.

Xu Fan shook his head. At this moment, he was struggling with his conscience...

"That's all."

Xu Fan closed his eyes. "However, who in Songjiang Prefecture is so bold? How could I not know? This matter...has put the people in the prefecture on alert."

"Yes."

After an unknown amount of time, Xu Fan's low curses were heard from the study, "Jiang Qingzhi, why don't you die?"

……

On the eve of the finals, someone came to look for Mandarin Ducks.

The person who came was a woman. She looked quite ordinary, but she was a diehard leader of the White Lotus Sect.

"The situation has been tense lately. Why are you here?"

"There is something. The followers below found some people outside the city moving strangely, carrying knives and bows and arrows." The woman looked around and whispered, "That group of people is very fierce. They don't look like people from Songjiang Prefecture, but more like... people from the seaside."

"Someone from the seaside?"

Yuanyang smiled and said, "There are a thousand cavalrymen in the city. Those thousand cavalrymen are the iron cavalrymen who have followed Jiang Qingzhi in his battles and have never been defeated. How many of them are there?"

"More than two hundred."

"Go back!" Yuanyang said with a smile, "It's not worth mentioning."

"Too."

In the village outside the city, in the main hall of Matsugi Yoshiko's residence, a Japanese pirate knelt on the floor, "The people below couldn't stand it anymore, so they went out to look for..."

"What are you looking for?" Matsuki Yoshiko asked calmly.

"Looking for...a woman."

"At this critical moment, how should I deal with you?"

The Japanese pirates kowtowed, and according to the old rules, they were to be punished, "I am willing to be punished."

Matsuki Yoshiko waved.

The Japanese pirate standing behind him drew his sword and swung it in one go.

When the head fell to the ground, there was still a disapproving smile on his face.

"Except for those on duty, everyone should stay indoors tonight."

"Yes."

At this moment, Jiang Qingzhi gathered people to discuss the matter.

"Tomorrow is the finals. This is the best and last chance for those people." Jiang Qingzhi said: "Everyone should be relaxed on the outside but tight on the inside and be ready for battle at any time."

"Yes."

"Don't move here lightly." Jiang Qingzhi said, "Just proceed as usual."

"Yes." Chen Lian asked, "Then the soldiers guarding the city..."

"It's okay." Jiang Qingzhi smiled, very contemptuously.

Chen Zheng sat on one side. Zhang Tong made him a cup of tea and handed it to him. Chen Zheng took it and said, "Boy, why don't you take the initiative?"

"Taking the initiative to attack would only alert the enemy." Jiang Qingzhi said, "Why not catch them all in one fell swoop?"

Chen Zheng frowned, "It's so difficult to catch them all in one fell swoop."

Jiang Qingzhi glanced at him and said, "For me, it's not difficult."

The old man rolled his eyes.

(End of this chapter)