The banquet ended on a sour note.
Everyone knew that it was just a probing confrontation. No one had revealed their bottom line.
The Nie family didn't want to take over the whole of Cangzhou. They asked for Cangzhou right from the start to make it easier to bargain later.
It was the same logic as asking for a sky-high price and asking for a bargain on the ground.
It was a negotiation. It was impossible to set a fixed price right from the start.
They didn't know that Jiang Pengji's thought process was different from normal people. She wasn't probing. Her bottom line was to not lose an inch of land!
The Nie family wanted to take over Cangzhou so that they could get their hands on the land of Dongqing in the future.
If the Nie family succeeded, Zhanjiang Pass, a natural barrier, would be destroyed.
The Nie family could attack and defend. With such a neighbor, who could sleep at night?
Jiang Pengji was the greediest. She planned to take over the whole of Cangzhou.
Huang Song was more optimistic. He and Jiang Pengji would split the cake. The Nie family would get out of the way.
The Nie family's bottom line was the lowest. The Nie family, Jiang Pengji, and Huang Song shared Cangzhou.
Looking at the situation, it seemed that Jiang Pengji's ambition was the greatest. In fact, it was not. The Nie family's ambition was the most obscure and strong.
"The Nie family is so unforgiving. If the Yi family of Beiyuan gets involved, won't they turn the world upside down?" Huang Song drank the hangover soup and forced himself to calm down. "The plan now is to continue watching and helping each other with Lanting. Only then can we stabilize the situation and prevent the Nie family from acting rashly."
Although he and Jiang Pengji were plastic "siblings," they were barely family. The Nie family was an outsider.
Rather than letting outsiders take advantage of them, it was best for family to share the cake.
This situation was also Meng Zhan's arrangement before he died. He didn't want outside forces to intervene. The alliance between Huang Song and Jiang Pengji couldn't be broken.
Little did they know that Jiang Pengji had her own plans.
"Zixiao …"
After the banquet, Wei Ci and the others followed behind Jiang Pengji and prepared to return home. They heard a familiar voice before they got far.
Wei Ci smiled and stepped forward. He bowed to Jiang Pengji and the others, as if the verbal battle was fake.
"Big Brother!" Wei Ci returned the greeting. His expression was equally calm, as if they were an ordinary pair of brothers.
Jiang Pengji secretly glanced at the two of them and said plainly, "You brothers haven't seen each other for many years. I'm afraid you have a lot to talk about. I won't disturb your reunion. Just one thing, Zixiao's body is weak, I'm afraid that you can't stay up late and tire yourself out. It's almost time, remember to rest early. "
Having said that, Jiang Pengji gave the space to the brothers and brought the others back to the house.
Wei Dan looked at Jiang Pengji's back and narrowed his eyes meaningfully. There was some scrutiny in his eyes.
He was well aware of his younger brother's ambition. Wei Ci had chosen Jiang Pengji to become an official because he had pinned his ambitions on her.
The Divine Prefecture was unified, and the rivers were clear and the seas were peaceful!
Could this person fulfill Zi Xiao's expectations?
"Long time no see. Zixiao, do you want to meet up with me? Today we'll only talk about private matters, not official ones. "
Wei Ci smiled and said, "How would I dare to reject Eldest Brother's invitation? Please — "
The two of them walked side by side. Wei Ci and Wei Dan chatted as they walked. They talked about their experiences over the years when they were separated and about their family members.
Before the Wei family of Langya migrated, Wei Dan was already married. His sister-in-law gave birth to a son and a daughter. Now, there were two more sons and a daughter.
Speaking of this, Wei Dan could not help but be concerned about his younger brother's marriage.
Wei Ci was 27 this year, not 17!
If he did not have a wife, he could use his birth date as an excuse, but he did not even have a concubine to warm his bed. Wei Dan could not help but suspect that there was something wrong with his body. However, Wei Ci had his own views since he was young. He liked to be a bachelor, so Wei Dan could not force him to be a matchmaker.
"Everything is fine at home, but I haven't heard from you for many years. Father misses you very much. If you're free, write him a letter."
Wei Ci's birth date was unlucky. When he was born, his mother died of a hemorrhage due to childbirth.
Therefore, Father Wei was very disgusted with his youngest son. For many years, he did not care about him. The relationship between father and son was very thin.
He did not know if it was because he was old, but Wei Dan could occasionally see his father looking at Wei Ci's childhood portrait in the study. His words were filled with regret.
Wei Ci nodded. "Yes."
"Your eldest nephew is set to marry the eldest daughter of the Guangshan family. When the girl reaches marriageable age, they will get married. As his youngest uncle, don't let them wait too long." Wei Dan could not help but complain. No matter how good it was to be a bachelor, one could not be a bachelor for life. "If you really can't do it, why don't you choose a nephew to adopt?"
Wei Dan had three sons and two daughters. The youngest was still learning how to speak.
Rather than letting Wei Ci choose a child from a side branch of the clan, which would alienate him by blood, it was better to choose one of his nephews and raise him as his own.
Wei Ci was speechless.
What did he mean by "he really can't do it"?
What did he mean by "can't do it"?
To Wei Ci, Wei Dan was both a brother and a father. In his previous life, he had introduced many blind dates to him.
In the end, he had no choice but to adopt his youngest son so that Wei Ci would not have anyone to rely on.
Wei Ci was also tempted at that time, but his sister-in-law refused, so he gave up.
"I appreciate Eldest Brother's good intentions, but I'm afraid that sister-in-law will not agree to this. It's not good to separate sister-in-law from her nephew, right?"
Once adopted, the child could only call his biological mother Eldest Aunt. Which mother would be willing?
Wei Dan was startled and could only dispel the idea resentfully.
Wei Ci calmly changed the topic and did not talk about adoption. "Eldest Brother is now assisting Nie Liang?"
Wei Dan smiled faintly. "Yes, Guangshan is not bad."
If they did not have a good relationship, Wei Dan and Nie Liang would not have become in-laws.
Wei Ci closed his eyes and did not reply.
In his previous life, Wei Ci knew Nie Liang and met him a few times through Wei Dan.
The Nie family was able to suppress the other feudal lords of Zhongzhao because of this person.
But —
Nie Liang's final outcome was not good.
In his previous life, the Nie family was able to expand rapidly. Most of the credit was due to the Nie family's genius, Nie Liang. Later on, it was due to Sun Wen that they dominated.
Although the Nie family was full of talents, the family was not as united as an iron bucket. Struggles between the heirs were common.
As the Nie family's influence in Zhongzhao grew, the struggles between the heirs became more and more intense.
Nie Liang died before he was thirty-five. He died in the family's infighting, and all his children were implicated.
Looking at the time, Nie Liang should be close.
In this life, if the Nie family killed Nie Liang, would there be a "late bloomer" Sun Wen to turn the tide?
Countless thoughts flashed through Wei Ci's mind, but there was no change in his expression.
Even though he knew that Nie Liang's death would make his eldest brother Wei Dan depressed for life, Wei Ci had no intention of reminding him.
After talking for a while, Wei Ci saw that the sky outside the tent was getting dark and offered to take his leave.
Wei Dan did not urge him to stay. Instead, he got up to send him off.
After sending Wei Ci off, Wei Dan turned to return to the house.
"Hearing about him is not as good as meeting him in person. Your younger brother is a dragon among men." Nie Liang said with pity. "Why did he stay in Langya back then?"
Wei Dan said, "I don't know. He did not say the reason."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
