Chapter Nine Cooperation with Zhen Family
Dongfang Jian and the others followed Zhen Yan and soon arrived at the door of a large courtyard. A servant had already returned home to report the news. The head of the Zhen family, Zhen Yi, his wife, Madam Zhou, his concubine, Zhen Yao, Zhen Tuo, Zhen Dao, and a few other children were all waiting at the door.
Zhen Yan hurriedly led Dongfang Jian and Zhen Jiang to the front of Zhen Yi, the head of the Zhen family. At this time, Zhen Yi was already in his fifties. Perhaps it was because he had been traveling outside all year round, he looked older than his actual age. Seeing that his daughter had returned safely, Zhen Yi was so happy that tears streamed down his face. He held his daughter's hand and said,""Jiang 'er, don't go out and run again in the future. If something happens to you, how will father and mother live?”
"I know. This time, it's all thanks to Big Brother Dongfang from Youzhou Province. Father must thank him properly.”Zhen Yan quickly introduced Dongfang Jian to Zhen Yi, and Zhen Yi thanked Dongfang Jian again and again.
Seeing that so many people were waiting outside the door, he quickly supported his father and said to Dongfang Jian,""Ziheng, let's go in and talk. Don't you have something to discuss with my father?”Thus, everyone followed Zhen Yi into Zhen Manor.
When he arrived at the courtyard, he saw that it was indeed the richest man in Hebei. The courtyard walls were more than three meters high, and the houses in the courtyard were very tall. As they were mainly made of wood, the carved beams and painted pillars on the houses were exceptionally exquisite. There were flowers and plants everywhere in the courtyard, corridors and walls, and winding paths. The entire mansion showed the elegance and wealth of the owner.
Everyone entered the room. Zhen Jiang said a few words to Dongfang Jian and the others before returning to the back hall accompanied by the womenfolk. Only Zhen Yi, Zhen Yan, Dongfang Jian, and Tian Feng were left in the room.
Zhen Yan then told Zhen Yi about Dongfang Jian's background. He heard that Dongfang Jian was the descendant of a famous official, and even though his entire family had died, he still did not change his nature and missed his hometown. Moreover, when he heard the Dongfang Jian family say that their family's wealth could control an entire country, he couldn't help but look at the handsome young man in front of him in a new light.
At this time, Zhen Yan told Zhen Yi,"Ziheng came to Ye City today to discuss something with you."”
Zhen Yi quickly said to Dongfang Jian Dao," Ziheng, if you have anything to say, just say it. You are my daughter's savior, and also the savior of the Zhen family. As long as it is within the power of the Zhen family, the Zhen family will definitely work for Ziheng."”
"Mister Zhen, you're exaggerating. What is the sword capable of to receive such support from the Zhen family? I brought back a few techniques from overseas that the Han Dynasty doesn't have. I can guarantee that once this item is born, the world will be shocked.”Dongfang Jian said.
Tian Feng did not expect Dongfang Jian to dare to say such words. He only wanted to use his friendship with Zhen Yi to agree to support Dongfang Jian. He did not expect Dongfang Jian to say such words, and Xiang Lan could no longer stop him. He then remembered that Dongfang Jian was not a person who spoke without thinking, so he did not say anything. However, his actions just now did not escape the eyes of the experienced Zhen Yi.
Zhen Yi stared at Dongfang Jian and did not speak for a long time. Then, he said to Zhen Yan,""Yan 'er, go out with Zi Heng's brothers for a while. I have a few words to discuss with Zi Heng and Yuan Hao in private.”
Zhen Yan agreed and turned around to leave with Zhang Fei and the others.
Zhen Yi said to Dongfang Jian Dao,"What do you think of the current situation in the world?”
Dongfang Jian thought that since Zhen Yi had done this, it meant that he had seen through his motive. He turned around and looked at Tian Feng. Seeing that Tian Feng had nodded, Dongfang Jian knew that there was no need to hide it anymore, so he answered truthfully,"The current emperor is fatuous and unreasonable. He favors eunuchs, kills party members, sells official positions at public prices, wantonly carries out large-scale construction, and extorts exorbitant taxes. As a result, the eunuchs are in power, and the people have difficulty making a living. In recent years, the people have often risen up. This is the trend of chaos in the world. According to Jian's speculation, in less than two years, chaos will definitely occur.”
Zhen Yi secretly thought that this kid was indeed extraordinary. His analysis of the world's situation was to the point and every word was true. Although he agreed in his heart, he still asked,"My Great Han Dynasty has not fallen for four hundred years. Although there are small and small people who cause trouble, they can't do anything.”
"Does Mister Zhen know who Zhang Jiao is?"
"I heard that this man met an immortal in the mountains and learned the art of peace. In recent years, the three brothers have used the art taught in the book to save people. Countless people have been saved and they have won the hearts of the people. Because of this, Zhang Jiao is known as a great teacher. The three brothers also established the Road of Peace and recruited many disciples.”
"Just as Mister Zhen said, this Zhang Jiao has saved countless lives and won the hearts of the people. He has many disciples, so I said that he will definitely be the one who instigated the chaos in the future! "Even if…the Imperial Court is able to quell this chaos in the future, after the chaos, thieves will rise everywhere. The warlords will expand their armies in the name of suppressing them. The surrounding foreign races who have long coveted the Great Han will also take the opportunity to invade. At that time, the world will be divided into different factions and each will become king. The four hundred years of the Great Han will be over.”
After hearing Dongfang Jian's words, Zhen Yi fell into deep thought. He had been an official before and knew that Dongfang Jian was telling the truth. Although Zhang Jiao and what happened after that were Dongfang Jian's speculations, Zhen Yi felt that it was very reasonable and possible.
"Ziheng is the descendant of a famous official. If the world really is as you say in the future, what plans does Ziheng have?”
"Although Jian is the descendant of a famous official, I believe that the world does not belong to any one family, but to everyone. Jian is not talented, but he hopes to use his own strength to contribute to the people of the world and return them to a peaceful and prosperous era. If the Han Dynasty has a capable monarch and a wise monarch who can be protected, our Eastern Sword will certainly be protected. If there is no one in the Han Dynasty, I will either appoint another wise monarch or stand on my own. In order to exchange for the happiness and well-being of the people of the world, I have no regrets even if it's the body of Fu Yue.”
Upon hearing Dongfang Jian's words, Zhen Yi hurriedly knelt on the ground. Dongfang Jian hurriedly stopped him, but Zhen Yi said,""Ziheng, I'm not bowing to you. I'm bowing to you on behalf of the people. If you can really return happiness and health to the people in the future, the Zhen family will listen to Ziheng from now on and our Zhen family's assets will be at Ziheng's disposal.”
Dongfang Jian had no choice but to accept Zhen Yi's bow.
After making his intentions clear to Zhen Yi, Zhen Yi expressed that the Zhen family would cooperate fully.
With the Zhen family's support, Dongfang Jian's influence had increased a little, and he was one step closer to his goal. Therefore, Dongfang Jian first proposed to borrow the Zhen family's power to build an intelligence network. The Zhen family already had their own businesses in various parts of the country. Now, Dongfang Jian only needed to train some spies who specialized in gathering information and then send them to the Zhen family's businesses in various places. In this way, Dongfang Jian could grasp the movements in various places as soon as possible so that his actions could be targeted. Zhen Yi and Dongfang Jian were having a good chat. After thinking about it, he decided that there was no need to hide it from Zhen Yan and Zhang Fei. After all, they would be participating in this matter in the future. Dongfang Jian went out and called them in.
Seeing how happy Zhen Yi was, Dongfang Jian was also beaming with joy. They all thought that Dongfang Jian had already decided to be the son-in-law of the Zhen family. However, it was not a bad thing, so why did he go behind their backs?
After entering the house, the five of them congratulated Dongfang Jian at the same time, confusing Dongfang Jian and Zhen Yi. However, Tian Feng looked like he understood. Zhen Yi hurriedly asked,"What did you give Ziheng?"
Zhen Yan said,"Didn't Father betroth Little Sister to Ziheng? Of course we have to congratulate her."”
Dongfang Jian hurriedly waved his hand." You're mistaken. I'm only discussing business with Elder Zhen.”
Hearing Zhen Yan's words, Zhen Yi suddenly remembered his daughter's expression when she first saw Ziheng. It was obvious that she had someone she liked. He didn't notice it at that time, but now that he thought about it, it was really a good thing.
So Zhen Yi said to Dongfang Jian Dao,"Ziheng, who else is in your family now? Are you married?"”
"There is a rule in the Jian family that the descendants of the Dongfang family can only marry Han Chinese. Because their parents have passed away and they have just passed three years, they have not married yet.”
"You've already met my daughter, Jiang 'er. I wonder what Ziheng thinks?”
"Miss Zhen is a beauty that Jian has admired for a long time. To be honest, when Jian came, he had the intention of proposing to Miss Zhen. He originally wanted to invite Yuan Hao to be the matchmaker, but now that Mister Zhen asked, Jian said it himself. I hope Mister Zhen will grant my wish."
Zhen Yi was happy. He thought," I said that a few magpies were chirping in front of my window in the morning. It seems that good news is coming. I don't think my daughter will object."
"If Ziheng doesn't mind, this old master will make the decision on this matter. I hope that Ziheng will treat my daughter well in the future.”
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Zhen," Dongfang Jian quickly knelt down.”
"Ziheng, what did you call me?
"Thank you, father-in-law, for your help."
Zhen Yi asked Zhen Yan to go to the backyard and tell his mother and Zhen Jiang that he was engaged to Ziheng for his daughter.
At this time, it was already past noon. The servants had already prepared the food. The few of them came out of the living room and went to the dining hall to eat.
They had just sat down in the dining hall when Zhen Yan, Madam Zhen, Madam Zhou, Zhen Jiang, and the other children came over. Zhen Jiang was so excited that he did not dare to look at Dongfang Jian directly. He only stole a few glances from the corner of his eyes before lowering his head shyly.
Zhen Jiang's mother, Madam Zhou, was more and more satisfied with Dongfang Jian's good looks and the fact that he was personally chosen by the old master. When Zhen Yan came to report the good news, Madam Zhou asked Zhen Jiang if he was willing. Zhen Jiang's face flushed red and finally said,"It's all up to my parents."
Seeing that his wife had come, Zhen Yi discussed with Madam Zhou again. There were no more elders in Dongfang Jian's family, so he decided to make the decision for them. When the new year came next year, he would hold the wedding between Dongfang Jian and Zhen Jiang. Zhen Jiang lowered his head and did not dare to speak, but everyone knew that he was happy. Dongfang Jian said,"I'll leave it to the two elders to decide."
Since the marriage had already been decided, Dongfang Jian naturally had to give Zhen Jiang some love tokens. Therefore, Dongfang Jian wrote down the method of making glass in the future and gave it to Zhen Jiang. He said,"The creation of this item is a secret of the Roman Palace. It was bought by the sword at the cost of 20,000 gold. After it is made, this item will be fragile, so you must be extra careful. Remember not to make too many each time.”
"Don't worry, Big Brother Dongfang. I'll take good care of the formula." Zhen Jiang took the formula.”Dongfang Jian nodded.
Everyone was very happy. Zhen Yi invited everyone to sit down and eat. Everyone was happy during the meal. During the meal, Zhang Fei called her sister-in-law again and again. At that time, Zhen Jiang's face turned red and she was shy. If it wasn't for Dongfang Jian and Zhang Fei, Zhang Fei would probably have continued to cause trouble.
After the meal, everyone left, leaving only Dongfang Jian and Zhen Jiang. Neither of them had the unrestrained feeling that they had when they first met in the morning. Dongfang Jian wanted to break the awkward situation, so he…said,"Miss Zhen, do you like my gift?”
"Big Brother Dongfang gave it to me. Of course I like it. But don't call me Miss Zhen in the future. Can you call me Jiang 'er?”
"Alright, I'll listen to Jiang 'er."
"Big Brother Dongfang, I heard from my brother that you want to do business with our Zhen family in the future. Is that true?”
"Other than proposing, I came here for this purpose. Father-in-law has already agreed. Jiang 'er, I won't hide it from you. Actually, I want to use the Zhen Family's business network to establish an intelligence network in the thirteen provinces of the Great Han Dynasty. The other is to use the Zhen family's financial resources to help me dominate the world.”
"Why do you want to dominate the world? Isn't it good now?" Zhen Jiang asked. The Great Han Dynasty had been around for 400 years. It was not something that could be overthrown by anyone.”
"Of course I know what Jiang 'er said, but have you seen the slaughter on the border? Have you ever seen commoners who exchanged their children for food when their stomachs were not full? You've seen how the barbarians treat us. You haven't seen it before. You grew up in such a family and never had to worry about food and clothing. I used to be like you, but when I returned to the Central Plains from overseas, I saw those massacres. If I hadn't escaped quickly, I would have died several times. When I returned to the Central Plains to travel around the world, I saw that the people couldn't even guarantee a basic life. There were refugees everywhere. Guanyin soil, tree bark, and anything edible had been eaten. What's more, they traded their children for food. But what were those scholar-bureaucrats doing? What were those wealthy families doing? How many people cared about them? No, not a single one. I felt bad when I saw these people on the way from Youzhou. They are all the people of Han Dynasty, so I can only do my best to help them. Second brother sold all his family wealth to help me. Along the way, I squandered all of his assets, but even so, not many officials came out to help the victims. What I saw and heard along the way made me disappointed in the Imperial Court.”Dongfang Jian said emotionally.
"Big Brother Dongfang, I'm sorry, I didn't know.”Zhen Jiang said.
"Jiang 'er, I don't want you to do this. Actually, I don't want to be a traitor either. I was taught to return to my homeland since I was young and to be loyal to the king and the country. But when I came back, I saw that it was indeed…Later on, I understood that the world doesn't belong to one person or one family, but to the people of the world. The Han Dynasty lost its deer. Who got it? I don't know. I only know that 'water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.' Water is the people of the world, so the world is inhabited by virtuous people.”
" Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it," Zhen Jiang repeated this sentence. "Big Brother Dongfang, you're right.”
Dongfang Jian smiled." In two days, before I leave, I'll write down everything I know. Do as I say. By then, the Zhen family's wealth will immediately increase by dozens of times." There is one thing you must remember. These things are my life. I am not afraid of failure. If I fail, I can start again with these things. Once these things are gone, my life will be gone. Even if I can seize the world, it will be useless. Do you understand?"
" Don't worry, Big Brother Dongfang." Zhen Jiang nodded." I'll take good care of these things. Even my father and the others won't know."”
Dongfang Jian gently embraced the Zhen family, and Zhen Jiang leaned against Dongfang Jian's chest. Dongfang Jian said,""Big Brother's life will be in your hands from now on.”
At this moment, the rays of the sun shone on the two lovers, making them look so harmonious and quiet.
——
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]