Chapter 1132 Marriage

  When Ji Han was trapped in the land of Shu, Prime Minister Zhuge wished he could spend one money into two.

   It is fighting with Soochow, suppressing the powerful, and promoting water conservancy. From Dujiangyan in Jincheng to Shanheyan in Hanzhong, the fear is that there will be insufficient money and food.

   Catch a wood turtle and pluck up the wool with all its might.

   In order to continue to squeeze out, even the special zone can be opened for the soil turtle.

   Almost turned a certain wood turtle into a bald head.

   Reminiscing about the past and sighing about the present, who would have thought at that time that a big man could still be so rich one day?

  When Zhuge Changshi Qingche took office, the first thing he said was to bring some Nanzhong local specialties for everyone to taste.

   Doesn’t matter which Taiyuan Wang family or Guo family you are?

  Sweet or not?

   Just ask if you are sweet or not!

   If you are brave enough, say it is not sweet!

  Even in the industrial information age, this thing is an important national strategic material.

   Still in the Three Kingdoms era of semi-slave society, which one dares to say that it is not sweet?

  What is rich and powerful, this is called rich and powerful.

  Originally, the big family in Bingzhou thought it was a bit of a fuss to ask themselves to come to meet the governor of Bingzhou.

   When the governor of Bingzhou comes over, let's greet him, that's justified.

   Now that a long history is coming, let us welcome it again?

   Really think we don't want face?

But…

  But face can’t be eaten, right?

   But sugar is really better than rice.

  So when Zhuge Changshi brought out some Nanzhong local specialties for everyone to taste, the atmosphere of the banquet suddenly became more and more lively.

  As the heads of the great clans in Taiyuan, the Wang and Guo families, contrary to their reserve at the beginning, stood up and toasted Zhuge Changshi in person.

  Zhuge Changshi naturally never refuses anyone who comes.

  He watched with a smile as everyone became happier as they drank more, and the smiles on their faces grew wider.

  Since my lord led the Northern Expedition, Brother has always used this method:

  Bonus on the one hand, violence on the other.

   Those who are obedient will be given bonuses, and those who are disobedient will be given violence.

   Until now, it is still a good way to recover Guanzhong and Bingzhou Hedong.

  It's simple, it's corny, but it works and it works.

   Bonuses are not free. If you get the benefits, you must be obedient.

  Zhuge Changshi does not understand what the economic base determines the superstructure.

  But he knows that these bonuses are actually the influence of the imperial court, or the remote control of the place, disintegrating the tie-in of the local big clans.

  If someone takes the bonus and is disobedient, the court will pull these strings.

  These lines want you to do any movement, you have to do it.

  Of course, it is not ruled out that some people have excellent eyesight and see the consequences of eating these bonuses.

   But so what?

  When the world is prosperous, it is all for profit; when the world is crowded, it is all for profit.

   Unless you can come up with a bigger bonus, otherwise, even if you are of the same race, someone will push you down—you don’t want to, some people are willing.

   As the so-called painting the ground to make cakes, it should not be eaten.

  The slogan is ringing again, can it be eaten as a meal?

  Cangtou Guizhou capital knows how to buy as much land as possible for the family.

   Otherwise, how can the family members eat more food?

   This banquet did not end until the sky began to darken, and the host and the guests parted happily.

  Walking out of the governor's mansion, Guo got into the carriage, and the carriage stopped at a dark corner of the street.

  But seeing Guo Pei lifted the curtain of the car, got out of the car, and stood there quietly.

   After a while, the Wang family's carriage appeared behind and stopped.

   Guo Pei walked over and got into the Wang family's carriage. The two carriages, one in front and one behind, began to gallop forward again.

  After the initial silence in the car, Guo Pei led the way and asked:

"What do you think?"

  Wang Chen looked a little complicated, and replied: "It must be to imitate the old things in Liangzhou."

  Guo Pei heard this, a little impatient:

   "I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about, what is your plan, Mrs. Wang?"

  Wang Chen looked at each other strangely:

   "Such a big good thing, naturally you can get as much as you can, can you still push it out?"

  Guo Pei was taken aback, as if he was a little surprised that Wang Chen made sense, and he reminded:

   "Don't forget, our Wang and Guo families have put in a lot of effort in Wei."

  Whether it is Wang Ling or Guo Huai, their positions in the army are not considered low.

  In Guo Pei's view, no matter how enthusiastic the banquet is, it's just a play on the spot.

  It is related to the fate of the clan, how can it be decided so simply?

   It is normal to have a discussion and a quantity.

  Wang Chen let out a mouthful of alcohol and leaned against the wall of the carriage:

   "I haven't forgotten it, and it's because I haven't forgotten it that I decided to participate in the sale."

  After the Chang'an Rebellion of the Wang family, all the main figures in the family were killed, which can be described as a serious loss of vitality.

  Now the principals of the Wang family are the two brothers Wang Chen and Wang Ling.

  Wang Lingyuan is in Yangzhou, and Wang Chen is the speaker in Taiyuan Wang's hometown.

  The decision he made can represent Wang's opinion to a considerable extent.

  But Guo is different.

   Even when the Hu people plundered Taiyuan and Hedong, the Guo family, as a local clan, built a stronghold to protect themselves and did not suffer much harm.

  So such a major matter, Guo Pei alone can not make a decision.

  Wang Chen seemed to see Guo Pei's hesitation, and his tone was cool:

   "I remember seven or eight years ago, when Emperor Wei Ping (that is, Cao Rui) was still there, there was a nobleman Guo in the palace, who was very favored by Emperor Ping, but he came from the Xiping Guo family."

   Having said this, Wang Chen glanced at Guo Pei meaningfully.

   "The Guo family in Xiping, although not as good as the Guo family in Taiyuan, is still considered a wealthy local family."

   "When the Han Dynasty established Xiping County, they did not take action against the Guo family in Xiping, but during the first battle of Xiaoguan, the Guo family wanted to raise troops to respond to Cao Zhen. In the end..."

  Wang Chen continued.

   In the end, the family was naturally exterminated.

  I heard that the person who led the army to destroy his clan is now in Bingzhou. His surname is Liu, his first name is Hun, and his style name is Polu.

   "Over the years, our Wang family has only regained some vitality, and it is not as prosperous as your Guo family."

  Wang Chen sighed, "It's not that I don't know. It's not easy to take the benefits from the government. But if you don't take them, it means that you and others are not of the same heart."

  Running a family is like sailing against the current. If you don’t advance, you will retreat.

  The boundaries of Taiyuan are just that big.

  If you don’t take it, someone else will take it. Then the pressure will not only come from the government, but also from other people’s family, even from the same clan.

   Guo Pei frowned, always feeling a little uncomfortable:

   "This Ji Han's government is acting like this, not to mention the Wei State, even compared with the Later Han, it is very different..."

  In the past, without the cooperation of the big clans like them, the local government might not be able to carry out the government orders, not to mention spreading them to the villages, even in the cities.

   How dare the Ji Han government dare to force them to do things like the current Ji Han government?

   It's so arrogant!

   "Because they don't need to rely on us to get things done!"

  Wang Chen saw it clearly: "Ji Han's treasury has enough money and food, and Ji Han's examination method can select good talents for them to use."

  At the same time, Xinghanhui also holds the most profitable business in the world.

  In the past, the farming and reading heirlooms of aristocratic families were:

  Cultivation means holding a huge population and land, and monopolizing the means of production.

  Reading means mastering knowledge and monopolizing intellectual resources.

  If the imperial court wants to govern the world, it doesn’t rely on them, the aristocratic families, but on those mud legs that have nothing?

  When Liu Xuan (that is, Emperor Gengshi) proclaimed himself emperor, he abused official positions, and there were many small merchants, cooks, and cooks. The three auxiliary reasons were political chaos. At that time, Chang'an said:

   Raised under the stove, Zhonglang general; rotten sheep stomach, riding captain; rotten sheep head, Guanneihou.

  In just a short period of time, Emperor Gengshi lost the hearts of the people, guarding such a good location in Guanzhong, and having a righteous name, unexpectedly failed to be emperor for a few years before being defeated and killed.

  What do mud legs know? Still want to rely on them to rule the world? dream!

  Plowing can be robbed, but if you want to rob, can you rob it?

  But who would have thought that the emerging forces represented by the Xinghanhui would have printing, papermaking, phonetic dictionaries, and other such killer weapons?

  Now the farming and studying heirlooms of aristocratic families have become really just farming and studying heirlooms for food and clothing.

  Wang Chen doesn't know what productive forces determine production relations, but he knows that the world has changed.

   "Brother Guo, we can no longer look at Ji Han with the same old eyes. The old way probably doesn't work anymore."

   "Our Wang family is not too bad on the Wei side, so don't worry too much. On the contrary, we need to spend some time on the Han side."

   "Why don't we take advantage of Ji Han's use of us now, push out the children of the clan, and take more opportunities. It can't be done, let those heads of state ride on our heads, right?"

  Guo Pei is silent.

  He is now certain that Wang Chen's performance at the banquet was not acting, but at least showed some sincerity.

  The car stopped at some point, and a servant's voice came from outside:

   "Lang Jun, we're here."

   Guo Pei bid farewell to Wang Chen and returned to his car.

  The two cars finally separated, one drove into the mansion where the lights had just begun, and the other drove into the night.

  In December of the first year of Yanxi, even Chang'an had already had two heavy snowfalls.

  This year's Chang'an is colder than last year, and the snow is also heavier than last year.

   Fortunately, in the past two years, Feng Duhu managed Guanzhong well, and production resumed well.

   Coupled with the support of Longyou and Hanzhong, this winter did not bring much trouble to Chang'an.

  The emperor of the Han family ordered to distribute firewood and rice to the widows and widows in the city, and the people were very happy.

  After the snow in Chang'an, the sun is red in the sky, and the earth is white. Looking around, the silver light is dazzling and the iridescence is shining.

  A horse-drawn carriage drove on Zhangtai Street and stopped in front of Zhendong General's Mansion.

  The car looks very simple, but if you observe carefully, you can see that the wood used in the whole car is all high-quality.

  The workmanship is even more unlucky, and it has a taste of returning to basics.

   This kind of carriage, except for aristocratic families with a long history and good background, most people can't afford it.

  Someone stepped forward and called the door.

  The porter poked his head out: "Who are you looking for?"

   "Dare to ask, but this is the residence of Mr. Pei?"

  Although the person calling the door is just a servant, there is no lack of etiquette.

  Pei Qian, the former Minister of the State of Wei, abandoned the dark side and turned to the Ming Dynasty, and returned to the Han Dynasty.

  The concierge glanced at the carriages and horses behind, nodded and said, "Exactly."

  The other party handed over a greeting card: "I don't know if Mr. Pei is at the house? My master came here to visit Mr. Pei."

  The concierge received the invitation and said, "Please wait a moment."

   Then send the greeting card into the mansion.

   After a while, the side door of Zhenbei General's Mansion was wide open, and Pei Qian greeted him personally:

   "Mr. Guo is coming from Taiyuan, why don't you let me know in advance?"

  Guo Pei got out of the car a long time ago, and made a big gift to Pei Qian:

   "Yes, I have met Mr. Pei."

   "How polite! It's too cold outside, come inside quickly."

   "Pei Gong first please."

   Entering the gate of the mansion, there is a vestibule, and the layout is elegant.

   Coupled with red bricks and blue tiles, it is very pleasing to the eye.

   This surprised Guo Pei:

  Although Chang'an was the old capital of the Han Dynasty, it has been in the hands of Ji Han for less than three years after repeated wars, and it has only been half a year since the emperor of the Han family moved the capital to Chang'an.

   I never wanted to see the scene in the city, but it was peaceful and stable, quite prosperous.

   Not to mention the rich and powerful houses on Zhangtai Street, most of them are newly built.

  How much manpower and material resources will this cost?

  Taking Guo Pei through the corridor of the vestibule, to the living room, and having tea served, Pei Qian asked:

   "Why did Zhongnan come to Chang'an at this time?"

   It is the coldest time of the year, and the journey from Taiyuan to Chang'an is not easy.

  Guo Pei took a sip of hot tea soup to warm himself up, and when he heard Pei Qian's question, he quickly put down his teacup and replied:

   "I heard that Mr. Pei came back from the east, and I have always wanted to come to meet him, but I have no chance."

   "Now Taiyuan has finally settled down, and I also want to visit Chang'an, so I rushed here."

  Pei Qian nodded:

   "I should visit Chang'an. After all, the current Chang'an is not the old Chang'an."

  Although Chang'an was one of the five capitals of the Wei State in the past, it was far inferior to Hedong in terms of actual status and population output.

   Now, it's different.

  Whether you like it or not, whether it is Hedong or Taiyuan, they are all under Ji Han's control.

  Whether Wei Guo will be able to move west again in the future is still unknown.

   If you don't want to be left behind in this great change in the world, you must always keep abreast of the latest changes in the situation.

   And if you want to keep abreast of the latest changes in the situation, as one of the protagonists in the world, the political center of Ji Han must be a place that cannot be missed.

  Guo Pei agreed:

   "What Pei Gong said is true."

   Then he looked around, coughed, drank another cup of tea, and then said in a low voice:

   "Actually, I came to Chang'an this time because I was too dull and couldn't understand many things, so I decided to ask Mr. Pei for advice."

   Seeing Guo Pei's cautious appearance, Pei Qian couldn't help smiling:

   "Don't understand what?"

  Guo Pei didn't seem to have expected Pei Qian to ask such a direct question, so he couldn't help being stunned for a moment, and then he said a little loudly:

   "For example, Mr. Pei's choice?"

"Um?"

   "It's worth hearing that Mr. Pei abandoned the east and went west because he was concerned about the missing son-in-law in the riots in the east of the river. I don't know if it's true or not?"

  Pei Qian smiled lightly: "Whether it's true or not, does it matter? Anyway, I'm in Chang'an now."

  He glanced at Guo Pei and continued:

   "And my family, Axiu, has already entered the Royal Academy to study."

   "The Royal Academy?"

   "It was the Taixue in the past. The monarchs and ministers of the Han Dynasty had the ambition to reform and reform, so the Taixue was changed to the Royal Academy to eliminate the disadvantages of the Taixue in the later Han Dynasty, so as to show that there is no distinction in teaching, and everyone who has learned can serve the emperor of the Han family."

  If it was changed to before, Guo Pei would be shocked at most, and at the same time lamented that the emperor of the Han family had a determined heart to forge ahead.

  But after talking with Wang Chen that night, he subconsciously thought:

  Teach without class? Isn't that breaking the monopoly of the aristocratic family on worldly knowledge?

   "Pei Gong, what are the requirements for admission to this Royal Academy?"

   "Of course there are. Generally speaking, most of them are outstanding students selected from various schools."

   "Of course, there are also some places, which can be recommended by respected people to take folk students to participate in the college entrance examination."

  Pei Qian stroked his beard, "My family, Axiu, was recommended by Feng Duhu to take the college exam, and that's why she entered the college."

  Guo Pei saw Pei Qian repeatedly mentioning Pei Xiu, and couldn't help but feel moved, and suddenly asked:

   "Remember, your son has almost reached the year of dancing the elephant?"

  Pei Qian nodded:

   "That's right, it's six out of ten, and it's time for the Dancing Elephant."

   "It's time to make a marriage. I wonder if you have been a matchmaker?"

  Pei Qian was startled, hesitated for a moment, and then said:

  "Although a matchmaker came to the door, but I didn't get a good match."

  Even though Pei Xiu is called the leader of the Hedong youths, she is still the son of the Pei family.

   It’s not that no one is willing to marry a daughter, but that the women who want to marry are mostly concubine daughters of the clan. It’s not that there are no direct daughters, but they all come from small families, and Pei Qian looks down on them.

  Because the one he wants to marry to Pei Xiu is the legitimate daughter of the aristocratic family.

   Otherwise, how to promote Pei Xiu's status?

  Even if she is not a prostitute, her natal family must at least be strong, or influential, and be able to help Pei Xiu.

   Otherwise, how would Pei Xiu manage the Pei family and claim her title?

  Guo Pei naturally didn't know what Pei Qian was thinking. When he heard that Pei Xiu was not yet married, he was overjoyed and said:

   "I have a daughter under my knees, who has reached the age of Ji, and the family wants to find a marriage for her. If Mr. Pei does not give up, I can serve as a dustpan and broom for your son."

  The origin of the Taiyuan Guo family is even longer than that of the Hedong Pei family.

   The two surnames, one from the north and the other from the south, are both in the west of Taihang, and they have always been friends.

   Now that Guo Pei actually proposed to marry his daughter to Pei Xiu, Pei Qian was so surprised that he almost couldn't sit still:

   "Are you serious?"

   "How dare you play tricks on Pei Gong?"

   "I can't be called Mr. Pei." Pei Qian stepped forward, held Guo Pei's hand, and laughed loudly, "From today on, you and I are in-laws!"

   Half a month later, Wang Chen, who was far away in Taiyuan, learned that Guo Pei betrothed his daughter to Pei Xiu, and was so angry that he almost opened the case again:

   "Guo Jiazi, you said you wanted to discuss it with the clan, but it turned out that you went to Chang'an to find relatives!"

   "My Wang family is also your Guo family's in-laws, why are you deceiving me like this?"

  Guo Huai, brother of Guo Pei, married Wang Ling's younger sister, who was also Wang Chen's younger sister.

   "It's a pity that my royal family is not prosperous, and there is no suitable daughter-in-law..."

  Wang Chen sighed, then startled again:

   "No, the Guo family has already set up a line in Chang'an, and my Wang family can't fall behind."

  (end of this chapter)