Font Size:
“Of course there’s a difference!” Xie Zhan stood up and walked to the large window on the south side, pushing it open wider. The cold air rushed in, instantly dissipating the warm fragrance in the room.
Everyone was jolted awake, and Xie Zhan watched with satisfaction.
Previously, when he didn’t know who the expert in the Lu family was, he was eager to see how they managed to break the situation at Hongsheng Restaurant. Later, although he guessed that Lu Songli was the mastermind behind the Lu family through various clues, he regretted not seeing her break the situation that day.
But today, he finally understood her strategy.
It turned out that at Hongsheng Restaurant, they had truly lost.
These four lines of poetry were Lu Songli’s secret weapon for dealing with the situation. Only Lu Desheng was too powerful, single-handedly solving all the problems. Lu Songli didn’t have a chance to use them.
Otherwise, with this secret weapon unveiled, everyone present, including all their arrangements, would have become stepping stones for it.
After all, once these four lines of poetry, which shook the ages, appeared, no one would pay attention to Fan Quan. Everyone’s attention would be completely drawn to these lines, leaving no space to care who Fan Quan was.
It can be said that in that encounter, the Xie family and the Zhao family had lost completely. It was not, as he had previously thought, just a temporary defeat.
Because from beginning to end, whether it was Lu Desheng or Lu Songli, they were completely suppressed by the Lu family, with no chance of victory.
What’s even more amazing is that after Lu Desheng achieved such a great victory, Lu Songli still maintained a clear mind and calmly made her move.
The negative impact caused by Lu Desheng’s rampage was reversed by her.
These four lines of poetry, a priceless treasure, a trump card that could elevate a great scholar, a card that could even leverage greater influence and connections, was used by her. It’s both regrettable and impressive, reflecting her boldness.
Looking deeper, Lu Desheng only received a small share of the credit, but this move not only gave him a bit of fame among scholars but also tied him to Emperor Kang Cheng, Zhang Yong, Chen Dinghuai, Jiang Jiuzheng, solidifying his position.
Only now did Xie Zhan truly realize the caliber of his former fiancee. Every move she made, every arrangement, demonstrated that Lu Songli was a formidable strategist. If he could see three to five steps ahead, her abilities were no less than his.
Lu Songli: You flatter me. Could she say that she only wanted to help her father, Lu Desheng?
Everyone present listened to Xie Zhan’s analysis and only then understood the hidden meaning behind this chess move.
“Now, do you still think there’s no difference?” Xie Zhan asked them.
There is a difference, of course there is! After listening to Xie Zhan’s detailed analysis, they understood. An average of 80 points for two people is very different from one person scoring 99 and the other 61. Because very few people, no, it should be said that it is extremely rare to achieve 99 points. Lu Songli should be among that extremely small number of intelligent people. Furthermore, Lu Songli is young, only fifteen years old, turning sixteen next year. If she lives to forty-five, she can at least ensure the security of the Lu family and the Qin family for thirty years.
Compared to the grief-stricken Xie clan elders, core officials like Ji Yongqing only had one thought: Lu Songli is so smart? What will happen if they become even more envious of Lu Desheng? How lucky Lu Desheng is to have such a brilliant daughter.
While they also lamented the Xie family’s loss of Lu Songli as their future wife, they wouldn’t feel the same visceral pain as the Xie clan members. Therefore, their attention was focused on Lu Desheng being protected by his clever daughter.
Some couldn’t help but think of their own disappointing offspring. They, with their old bones, still had to constantly clean up their children’s messes. Compared to Lu Desheng, it was heartbreaking.
Suppressing their envy, they wanted to ask Lu Desheng how he did it. They also wanted to have a child like Lu Songli.
When they went back and whispered to their wives, these ladies privately pondered: What temple or Taoist temple did the Jiang family worship when giving birth to Lu Songli? Before Lu Songli was born, did they eat anything special? Cough, did they choose the first or fifteenth day of the month? What position did they use?
Then, the temples and Taoist temples that Jiang had visited before inexplicably became popular.
Some people were relieved, thinking that it was fortunate that Lu Songli was a daughter. If she were a son, wouldn’t Lu Desheng be even more proud?
However, the joys and sorrows of human beings are not the same. Core officials of the Xie family, led by Ji Yongqing, were distracted thinking about their own affairs.
The several elders of the Xie family present were feeling very uncomfortable. For the Xie family members, missing out on Lu Songli, a young lady who was both wise and courageous, was truly a heart-wrenching pain.
Ji Yongqing and other core officials of the Xie faction subtly glanced at the several elders of the Xie family, especially Xie Mingtang, focusing on them.
The core members of the Xie faction and the elders of the Xie family all guessed that the person who regretted the most now was Xie Mingtang.
After listening to his son’s analysis, Xie Mingtang felt like he had been struck in the heart. With Lu Songli’s abilities, becoming a wife of the Xie family was completely feasible, and she would have been an excellent and top-notch wife. How could such an outstanding woman be lost by their Xie family?
Thinking back to when he strongly advocated for the cancellation of the engagement with the Lu family, Xie Mingtang felt like he had been slapped in the face.
Losing a watermelon and picking up sesame seeds, this was the only thought in his mind. But amidst the regret, there was also a mix of resentment and hatred. Why did Lu Song have such talent and yet kept it hidden all this time?
Zhao Wenkuan, sitting among the crowd, also felt uneasy. He introspected and admitted that his daughter, Zhao Yutan, was indeed not as outstanding as Lu Songli in terms of intelligence, but his daughter had an advantage that Lu Songli did not possess…
The thoughts of the people present were varied. Only Xie Zhan remained calm and composed, his emotions not showing.
As their gazes shifted away from Xie Mingtang, they glanced at the composed Xie Zhan. They thought, if the engagement had not been called off, and Lu Songli had married Xie Zhan as planned, the Xie family would have surely risen to greater heights. What a pity, what a pity.
“One last thing I want to say is, in the future, provoke the Lu family less. Put away all the plans against the Lu family,” Xie Zhan paused for a moment, then added, “And also include the Qin family, provoke them less too.”
Intelligent people usually hold grudges, and Lu Songli was particularly adept at this. No matter how much they regretted and lamented, it would be useless to her.
Xie Zhan’s intention in saying all this and analyzing so much was not to make them feel regretful or show regretful attitudes, but to make them deeply understand their opponent and further formulate the Xie faction’s strategy towards the Lu family. Because he was well aware that with Lu Songli in the picture, the Qin and Lu families would inevitably form a separate faction in the future, it was only a matter of time. Sometimes, acknowledging the strength of one’s opponent and treating them as equals can help certain individuals think more clearly.
Although the Lu family was currently weak, they were not easy targets to manipulate. Lu Songli’s future development of the Lu family would require seizing resources and expanding their territory. Plundering resources from others would be the focus of the Lu and Qin families in the future. The Xie faction’s task was to avoid the sharp edge.
“Yes!”
Ji Yongqing and the others agreed readily, while Xie Mingtang and Zhao Wenkuan sounded somewhat disheartened.
In fact, the non-Xie officials of the Xie faction were very supportive of Xie Zhan’s decision.
For example, Ji Yongqing, since losing the position of Minister of Justice, the Xie faction had been operating in secret. If all went well, he should be able to take over the position of Right Deputy of the Ministry of Personnel. He was not very keen on fighting with the Lu family.
They realized that Xie Zhan was very clear-headed. Dealing with the Lu family, defeating them, what could they gain beyond saving face?
The Lu family was currently weak, with limited resources in terms of wealth and political power. Like a bone with very little marrow, hard to chew and with little meat. Forcing a confrontation could likely result in losing their own teeth and becoming a toothless tiger for other political enemies to take advantage of. Overall, the effort put in would not be proportional to the gains.
It was better to let them go, which was also letting themselves go.
The meeting ended, and everyone left one by one, except for Xie Mingtang, who lingered unwilling to leave.
Seeing this, the others knew he wanted to stay.
Xie Zhan should have left earlier, but seeing this, he simply didn’t move. “A Zhan, Father isn’t questioning your decision, but letting the Lu family grow bigger, isn’t that like raising a tiger as a threat?”
Xie Zhan knew this, but there was no way around it. The Xie faction’s forces weren’t fully armed, and if they continued to fight the Lu family, their weak points would likely be broken one by one, then devoured, becoming nourishment for the Lu family’s growth… It’s better to take a step back, let the Lu family attack others first, and the final result will just be that they become their own faction. Anyway, the court is so big, it can definitely accommodate both of their forces. Besides, he has discovered some things that are more important than dealing with the Lu family.