A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

It was precisely because of this sentence that Wei Lun did not accept Wang Mang's request to become his disciple.

Wei Ping's status in the Wei family goes without saying, and the people he seeks to pay attention to are certainly not ordinary people.

There are many people with the same name and surname throughout the entire Han Dynasty, but the probability that the Wang Mang in front of us is the one Wei Ping mentioned is the highest.

Wei Lun was also very curious about what charm and secrets this child possessed that could make his ancestor come out to meet him in person.

"It cannot be said, it cannot be said." Wei Lun didn't know either, so of course he had nothing to say.

Seeing that it was impossible to get any more information from Wei Lun, Wang Feng had no choice but to leave with Wang Mang.

After watching Wang Feng and Wang Mang leave, a thoughtful look flashed in Wei Lun's eyes.

Based on his observations over this period of time, he discovered that this Wang Mang was indeed no ordinary person.

Neither her demeanor nor her speech are qualities that one would expect from someone her age.

More importantly, he discovered a sense of alienation in Wang Mang, a sense of alienation from the world.

A few days ago, he wouldn't have felt this sense of alienation; he would have only felt that the young man was a bit arrogant.

But because of these past few days, he met Wei Ping, who also had this feeling, only much stronger.

It was only at this moment that he realized this was not arrogance.

According to secret family records, the two ancestors, Wei Qing and Wei Yu, who had a brief but significant period of fame, also possessed this sense of alienation.

It's understandable that their Wei family's ancestor felt this sense of alienation, since they no longer belonged to this world but to the heavens, and were immortal beings.

Nature is incompatible with this mortal world.

But what makes this young man so special?!

Even the direct descendants of the Wei family, knowing that they had a chance of immortality and that there was an immortal ancestor standing behind them, still did not feel this sense of alienation.

He simply possessed an inherent pride.

If Wei Ping hadn't given him instructions beforehand, he probably would have chosen to eliminate Wang Mang.

He's just a junior member of the Wang family; killing him is nothing.

But this kind of temperament might pose a threat to their family.

This is something he absolutely will not allow.

But now that Wei Ping has given his explanation, Wei Lun guesses that Wang Mang's temperament must be related to their ancestor's plan.

"Father, you wanted to see me?"

A man in his thirties entered the study. He was Wei Lun's son, Wei An, and the next head of the Wei family.

"It's time to sever ties with the Liu family. Have someone in the palace make a move. His Majesty is a foolish ruler; a little provocation will suffice. We still have time; we can take it slow."

Wei Lun confessed.

In the reigns of Emperors Wen, Wu, and Zhao, they couldn't freely place people in the harem.

However, the current emperor's palace is riddled with infiltrators from various powerful families. They know about any news in the palace even before the emperor does.

"My son understands."

Wei An nodded. His family already had a plan, and now they just needed to start it according to the plan.

"There is one more thing: secretly search for people across the country named Wang Mang and Liu Xiu, and have them kept an eye on them. Their every move must be reported to me."

Although Wang Mang was very likely the person the ancestor was looking for, Wei Lun still wanted to keep all possibilities in his grasp.

This is the only mission our ancestors have given us in over a hundred years, so we must complete it properly.

……

After returning to the palace, Wang Feng led Wang Mang to the study.

"Mang'er, do you know why the Marquis of Yan speaks of you this way?"

"I don't know."

Wang Mang was also puzzled; how could the Wei family have noticed him so soon?

He didn't show anything.

There are many details in this historical account that do not match the original historical records.

Why would the Wei family notice him at this time?

Before Wang Feng could say anything more, Wang Mang looked up in confusion and found Wang Feng staring at him with delight.

"What's wrong, Uncle?"

"Truly the prodigy of my family."

Wang Feng laughed heartily.

Several question marks appeared above Wang Mang's head. What happened?

"Uncle is blinded by his own involvement."

Wang Feng affectionately patted Wang Mang's head, which made Wang Mang very uncomfortable, but he still forced himself to endure it.

Wang Feng took all of this into account.

My suspicions about him became even more certain.

"Go study. From today onwards, all of the Wang family's resources will be geared towards you."

"Although you were unable to become a disciple of Marquis Yan, when you are old enough, I will send you to the Imperial Academy, where a descendant of the Wei family's Wei Sheng lineage will serve as the chief priest. We will see if you can become his disciple then."

Wang Feng didn't say much, but let Wang Mang go out to study. Before he left, he called him back and gave him some instructions.

After Wang Mang left, Wang Feng sat down in a chair and muttered to himself.

"The Wei family truly lives up to their reputation; their insight is indeed sharp."

"If it weren't for his reminder, I wouldn't have noticed."

"My nephew is truly extraordinary. He remains calm even when faced with a collapsing mountain; he's destined for greatness!"

Even when he first met Marquis Wei Lun of Yan, he was so excited that he couldn't contain himself.

He grew up listening to the legends of the Wei family, and in his heart, every head of the Wei family had been deified.

When they first met, he already held a high position in the imperial court, holding one of the Nine Ministers, and had also been granted the title of Marquis, making him a true nobleman.

But when he actually met Wei Lun, he still couldn't control himself. It was as if he had met his idol. He couldn't even show the etiquette he had learned in the past. His words even trembled and he couldn't speak coherently.

It was then that he learned what nobility and elegance truly meant.

Despite holding the position of Grand Marshal for many years, he still felt somewhat inferior to Wei Lun when they met.

But when Wang Mang met Wei Lun today, he was not intimidated at all. He was eloquent and polite, far better than he had been back then.

"Guards, I need to enter the palace to see the Empress Dowager."

Wang Feng entered the palace and met with Empress Wang Zhengjun, whereupon he recounted in detail Wang Mang's behavior that day.

Empress Wang Zhengjun was also pleasantly surprised by Wang Mang's performance.

"Since Mang'er has such talent, we can't waste it."

"We must hire the best teachers to educate him, and all the resources of the family should be directed towards him, so that he can be cultivated into the future leader of our Wang family."

"That's what I think too. I came to the palace to discuss with the Empress Dowager how to raise Mang'er."

This matter concerns the development of the Wang family for nearly a hundred years to come, and Wang Feng dared not make a decision on his own.

"I have heard that among the disciples of the Wei family is a man named Yang Xiong, who is learned and knowledgeable. He has been publicly praised by the Marquis of Yan and the Chief Minister, who said that he has the style of the ancient philosophers."

"Go and invite him yourself to teach Mang'er."

"Furthermore, most of the disciples in the clan are unruly, which is perfect for using them to make Mang'er famous."

"Furthermore, the Wei family highly values ​​the common people. When Mang'er grows up, they will arrange for him to go to the countryside to help the people and spread his reputation for loving the people."

"Don't be afraid to spend money on this matter. For the Wang family, money is the most useless thing."

Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun truly deserves her reputation as someone who was able to wield great power right under the noses of the Wei family without being purged by them. Her insight alone is extraordinary.