The news that Yang Fan was moving the Succession Hall to Luoyang not only alarmed the Seven Sects and Five Families, but it also alarmed his allies, especially the Dugu and Shangguan families.
Yang Fan had been in charge of the "Succession Hall" for more than a year. Although he had always looked like he was ruling by himself and did not make too many adjustments or infiltration of the "Succession Hall", he had used the convenience of controlling the "Succession Hall" to inject vitality into the dying Guanlong Group and develop a force outside of Xian Zong.
Even though he did not do too much control over this power, since this power was born because of him, it naturally had to be controlled and influenced by him.
The Succession Hall had been in Chang 'an since its founding. Now that it was suddenly moving away, this was not as simple as moving away from a place. For an enormous organization like the Succession Hall that operated the economy and influenced politics, the significance was no less than a country moving its capital. It was always accompanied by deeper political intentions.
The Dugu family's roots were in Chang 'an, and they were the most uneasy about the Succession Hall moving out of Chang' an. Although the Shangguan family was also a part of the Guanlong Group, because their family had always been involved in politics and now relied on Shanghai Wan 'er, their focus had long since shifted to Luoyang. They could not contain their joy at Yang Fan's decision.
The two families came to see him at the same time, wanting to find out what Yang Fan's intentions were. Yang Fan did not hide anything from the envoys sent by the two families. He received the envoys from the two families at the same time. The three had just sat down when Yang Fan said openly to them, "Shen Mu has returned from Xinluo!"
The people from the two aristocratic families naturally knew who Shen Mu was, and they also knew that Shen Mu had been "banished" to Xinluo. However, as members of the Guanlong Group, they did not know that Shen Mu had already returned to the Central Plains. Therefore, Yang Fan's next sentence immediately caused their expressions to change. "As early as a year ago, Shen Mu had already secretly returned to the Central Plains!"
The two envoys were the core members of the Dugu and Shangguan families, and their intelligence was not something ordinary people could compare to. When Yang Fan said this, they immediately realized the seriousness of the problem. Shen Mu's goal in doing this was naturally the Xian Clan, and the master of the Xian Clan was Yang Fan. The rise and fall of their families depended on Yang Fan. How could they not be nervous?
"I am in Luoyang and cannot help Chang 'an. Moreover, he had secretly returned to Chang 'an for a year. If he had any plans, he must have been well prepared. Now that I'm gone, the right time, the right place, and the right people are not in my hands. On the other hand, moving the 'Successor Hall' to Luoyang will give me the advantage in terms of location and manpower. I might be able to make up for the loss of time! "
After Yang Fan said his goal, he said to the people from the Dugu family, "Tell the head of the Dugu family not to worry. I have no intention of giving up Chang 'an. After the' Successor Hall 'is moved to Luoyang, Chang' an will need your strength even more!"
Yang Fan then said to the people from the Shangguan family, "You have to play a big role in Luoyang! He is setting up a formation in Chang 'an. Haha, I won't go. I want to force him to come to Luoyang to see me! "
The people from the Shangguan family stood up happily and said to Yang Fan, "The Shangguan family and General Yang will live or die together. We are willing to follow your orders and advance and retreat together!"
Although Yang Fan had provided a lot of convenience to the Shangguan family, and Shanghai Wan 'er had also used her influence to help many of her family members, Yang Fan and Wan' er were people who believed in 'keeping a low profile'. Therefore, the two of them consciously suppressed the Shangguan family's involvement in politics, agriculture, and business. They did not want the Shangguan family to move too fast.
This made the people from the Shangguan family very dissatisfied, but they could do nothing about it. This situation was an opportunity for them. The excitement brought by this opportunity made them temporarily forget about the heavy losses that could be brought if Yang Fan failed. The two of them quickly left with this important news.
…
"Floating fragrance lingers on the crooked shore, round shadows cover the Hua Chi. Always afraid that the autumn wind will come early, and you will not know it. "
The Hua Chi was gentle, and a boat floated on the oily silk-like water, gently gliding forward. A person on the boat was chanting.
The crooked shore was bright and beautiful, and the pavilions and terraces were hidden among them. In the distance, there was the Great Mercy Temple, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and many other sceneries. It was summer, and the lotus flowers were in full bloom. The shadows of the flowers were indistinct, and they could not be separated.
Shen Mu was wearing a loose robe, and his feet were bare. His hair was draped over his shoulders, and he was holding a cup in his hand. He looked like a wild and unrestrained scholar from the Han and Jin dynasties. It was a pity that the cup was not filled with wine, but tea.
"Enough! You don't even have an Elementary Scholar title, and you're pretending to be a scholar! "
Miss Qiqi, who was carrying a big belly, came out of the cabin with Gongsun Lanzhi. She rebuked him mercilessly.
Shen Mu laughed dryly, "Talented people don't necessarily have an Elementary Scholar title. Don't you agree, Lanzhi? "
Gongsun Lanzhi supported Qiqi with one hand, and her other hand was placed on her small waist. There was a long sword at her waist, "Stop talking nonsense! I'm not young anymore, and my parents ask me every day when I'm going to get married. When are you going to marry me? "
Shen Mu's face changed, "This year …"
Gongsun Lanzhi was overjoyed, "Really?"
Shen Mu said, "I'm afraid it's not possible this year, how about next year …"
Gongsun Lanzhi looked at him and asked, "Are you sure?"
Shen Mu said guiltily, "I can't be sure about next year's matter now. If there are no accidents … "
As he spoke, he slid towards the back of the cabin like a yellow croaker, "I'll definitely prepare as soon as possible, definitely, definitely!"
"You b * stard!"
While Gongsun Lanzhi was furious, Shen Mu had already hugged his head and ran to the back of the ship.
Yang Xuerao sat at the back of the ship, wearing a bamboo hat and holding a fishing rod in her hand. Shen Mu came over quietly, and Yang Xuerao only knew that he was here when she saw his reflection in the water. Yang Xuerao glanced at him and said, "You've been hiding for the past year, and now that he knows your whereabouts, you can show yourself openly. Why are you still sneaking around?"
Shen Mu sat down beside her and laughed bitterly, "Maybe I'm used to hiding."
Yang Xuerao frowned and said, "Is it really okay to be like this? I still feel that you're not being honest and upright, no wonder he's using underhanded means to deal with you. "
"I don't have any other way!"
Shen Mu frowned, and his originally cheeky face became serious, "What can I do? Should I go directly to him and have a heart-to-heart talk? It's fine if he agrees, but what if he doesn't? I'll have lost the initiative then, what can I use to fight against him? Can I place my future and the future of all my brothers on his trust?
How much suffering have I suffered, and how lowly I was, to walk step by step to where I am today and become a person above others, you know it better than anyone else. Which step of mine didn't I kill my way out of mutual deception? Among them, there are those who trusted me, nurtured me, and treated me as a nephew or a brother. In the end, when my status and power exceeded theirs, everything changed.
Some of those who once nurtured me were filled with jealousy and thought of ways to trample me down; those who once treated me as a brother betrayed me and stabbed me in the back. Yang Fan might not be such a person, but I can't make decisions based on my own judgment. Judgment can be wrong, but strength can't. "
"But …"
"No buts! Because I don't represent myself. To this day, do you think I can compromise just because I want to? Once, our goal was to be on equal footing with the Obvious Sect. After Lu Binmi died, many of the Hidden Sect's brothers began to hope to be above the Obvious Sect. What will be the status of the Obvious Sect and Hidden Sect in the future? Who will be on equal footing? This is not something that can be discussed, but fought. "
"Then … can you win?"
No matter what, Shen Mu was her man, and what she cared about was Shen Mu's success or failure.
Shen Mu stared at the fishing bobber on the clear water. The bobber was floating up and down, and there was already a fish on the hook. However, Yang Xuerao was too concerned and only stared at him with concern and didn't notice.
Shen Mu slowly said, "The Seven Sects and Five Families might be huge, but what they can do to the world and to the imperial court is to use their enormous economic power to push the imperial court to make decisions that are beneficial to them. This process is extremely slow. If it's fast, it will take one or two years; if it's slow, it will take ten or a hundred years.
Thus, the aristocratic families need people in the imperial court. They use all methods to send their descendants into the imperial court to become officials, or they don't hesitate to spend money to nurture some officials with a bright future. When they become officials, they will return the favor. With their support in the imperial court, the policy decisions that are beneficial to the aristocratic families can be passed in a short few months or a few years.
It is the same the other way around. If you want to attack the aristocratic families but can't use military means, then the best method is to reduce the number of aristocratic families' descendants and people who have close relationships with the aristocratic families becoming officials. Emperor Yang of Sui created the imperial examination system for this purpose. The current dynasty's Emperor Gaozu, Taizong, Gaozong, and even the current emperor continued this system for this purpose.
Emperor Taizong rewrote the Clan Genealogy and the current emperor promoted the commoner scholars for this purpose. This is the most effective method and also the fastest method. I think that Yang Fan is in the imperial court and has a complicated relationship with many factions. He will most likely use the same method. He must be an idiot if he doesn't use what he is good at! "
The bobber no longer swayed, and the fish had left the hook. Yang Xuerao, who didn't notice anything, nervously said to Shen Mu, "The Hidden Sect has only risen for a short period of time, and the nurturing of officials will take years, decades, or even decades. In this aspect, your foundation is far inferior to the Hidden Sect. In addition, you were suppressed by Young Master Jiang in the past. After defeating him with great difficulty, you were exiled to Xinluo by the biased clan lords. After coming back for a year, you were busy recovering your vitality and filling up the holes left by the fierce battle with Young Master Jiang. Your influence in the imperial court hasn't developed much. If he starts to attack in this aspect, I'm afraid you will be at a disadvantage! "
Shen Mu stretched his waist and recovered his usual lazy smile. He said indifferently, "What can I do? I have prepared for a year in advance and have already gained a great advantage. I can't possibly ask this little brother to tie up his hands and feet and fight with me, right? Don't worry, I have already set up a chess piece, and I hope it will be effective. "
Yang Xuerao asked curiously, "What chess piece did you set up?"
Shen Mu laughed heartily and said, "You don't have to ask about these things. You should be more concerned about when you are going to give birth to a son for me. Look at Qiqi. She hasn't even married to me, and her belly is already growing. "
When Shen Mu mentioned this, Yang Xuerao instantly had a belly full of hidden bitterness. "Isn't it because you didn't live up to expectations? Why do you think I ran to the back to fish by myself? Hmph! I can't be bothered to see her showing off. "
Shen Mu complained, "How can you blame me for not living up to expectations? I have irrigated your fertile field, right? What can I do if you don't give birth to me? This is really strange. People always say that a big butt is good for reproduction. You gave birth to a big butt for nothing … "
Before he finished speaking, there was a 'splash' sound, and a mournful scream quickly echoed from the surface of the River Qu. "Save me! I can't swim! Gudong dong … "
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