A general who lived in exile and conquered the south, he once drove 100,000 troops.

I will return home without any old karma, and I will love the bright future when I grow old.

The three sides of independence are quiet, and one knows how to commit suicide with a sword.

On the vast Jianghan, what do you want to do at sunset?

——"Farewell to Li Zhongcheng in Xiangzhou" by Liu Changqing (Tang Dynasty)

…

The story of Bai Fu leading the Anxi cavalry to massacre the Dou Mansion spread throughout Chang'an that day.

The Chang'an family was once again shocked by Bai Fu's tyranny

That night, Cui Wei, the head of the Cui clan in Qinghe, secretly summoned the elders of the clan and held a closed-door meeting.

Cui Meng, the elder of the Cui family, said: "This Bai Fu took advantage of the courage of a bear's heart and a leopard's heart. He was so bold that he beat his uncle Dou Lu and ransacked his house without saying anything. If the empress in the palace turns against her, she will be beheaded if she can't save her."

.”

Cui Wei tied his long beard with his hands and said with a smile: "This boy Bai Fu is indeed a bit domineering, but he has a bad temper with me. I am not wrong about the person. This boy is really a Cao Ahao-like person."

I have just heard about Your Highness the Princess. Logically speaking, this kind of love-hate relationship is groundless and unfounded. It is difficult for other people to intervene except for the person involved.

This kid Bai Fu is very unreasonable. He seems to be slapping his uncle, but in fact he is warning the people in the court not to go too far regarding Jianghuai!"

Cui Qian, the elder of the Cui family, echoed: "What the head of the family said is very true. Today, the crown prince and tutor in the court, and the minister Miao Jinqing originally wanted to guide the ministers to accuse Bai Fu of a bigger crime, demote him three levels in a row, and remove him.

Return to the field.

Miao Jinqing's face turned green when he heard that Bai Fuma had stepped into Dou's house. Regardless of the prince's winks, he refused to continue to hold him accountable.

None of the courtiers dared to hold him accountable to the end. Who would be willing to offend the evil god Bai Fu for the sake of the prince?"

Cui smiled and said: "Bai Fu seems to be reckless, but in fact he is very thoughtful and very measured in his actions. He does not hurt any old, young, women or children, but only picks out those slaves who are usually domineering and ruthless.

Even if the empress wanted to cause trouble for him, it would be difficult to convict him of a serious crime."

Cui Meng frowned and said: "However, looting the uncle's house is a bit excessive, isn't it? Isn't this an act of open fire and reckless behavior?"

Cui Qian said with a smile: "Second brother, you don't know something about this. It is said that many officials in the court went to the uncle Dou Luxin's door to get Empress Zhang's favor. This Dou Luxin was also very courageous. He would give money to anyone.

Dare to accept it, and clearly mark the price of official positions. The positions in the three provinces and six ministries, what officials are paid, are written clearly.

If what I expected is correct, Bai Fu not only robbed all the property of Dou Mansion, but also got the gift list from all the officials.

When the imperial complaint came before His Majesty, Dou Luxin did not dare to tell the full number. The reported losses must be far less than the number of robberies. This is called a mute eating coptis, unable to tell the story of his suffering."

After hearing this, all the elders burst into laughter and felt that the evaluation of the clan leader Cui Wei towards Bai Fu was justified.

Cui Wei changed the topic and said to everyone: "It has not been easy for Cui Yuan of Qinghe Cui Family's Qingzhou House in the past two years.

In the second year of Zhide (757), Cui Yuan was finally promoted to Zhongshu Ling and granted the title of Duke of Zhao. He only served as prime minister for one year. In the first year of Qianyuan (758), Cui Yuan was dismissed as prime minister and was appointed as the prince's young master.

He served as the defender of the Eastern Capital.

After the Tang army was defeated in Yecheng, Cui Yuan abandoned the city and fled, which made his majesty furious and deprived Cui Yuan of his official title. Although he was later reactivated and appointed as the Fu of Ji Wang Li Huan, he actually had no real power.

In the past two years, Cui Yuan has been asking me to find a suitable position for him. For this purpose, I specially found Li Guangbi. General Guangbi also gave me face and agreed. With Li Guangbi's recommendation, Cui Yuan was able to serve as the governor of Huaizhou.

, he was appointed Prince Zhan Shi, and later he was appointed as the governor of Fenzhou, and then he returned to the court's sight.

Nowadays, Bai Fu has pacified Jianghuai and has great influence in the south of the Yangtze River. It is impossible for Bai Fu to stay in Jianghuai for a long time, and the imperial court will definitely send other important officials to guard this place.

Jianghuai is the capital city of the imperial court, and it is richest in the world. As far as I know, in order to compete for the official titles in Jianghuai area, the courtiers crossed the sea and showed their magical powers to break their scalps in front of His Majesty and the Crown Prince.

Nowadays, the Central Plains has been in turmoil for many years. The flames of war have spread all over the north and south of the river, and the smoke has shrouded the east and west capitals. Our Cui family's income has dropped sharply. If it hadn't been for the rich wealth we had accumulated in the past, this war would have destroyed our family and made it impossible for us to recover.

Thinking about it now, I have to admire Taifu Xu. Many years ago, he foresaw today's situation. He led the Dugu family, Changsun family and other Guanlong nobles to purchase land in the south of the Yangtze River and spread it.

At that time, I was greedy for cheap and purchased a lot of land in Luoyang from Dugu's family and Changsun's family. Now it seems that the price is less than a fraction of what it was back then.

It is not too late.

After this battle, I also want our Cui family to branch off into several branches to move south and take root in Jianghuai. One more choice today and one more retreat in the future.

If we want the Cui family to be deeply rooted and prosperous in the south of the Yangtze River in the future, someone from our clan must become a feudal official in Jianghuai and take control of the situation.

I have always wanted to get involved in Jianghuai affairs, but I just had no place to do it.

Bai Fu was deceitful and cunning. He chose a good excuse and set foot in Dou's house on the pretext of protecting military marriage. Although he was arrogant and domineering, he had a good reputation as a teacher.

I have received letters from people and pigeons from various ethnic groups. In the past two days, various Jiedu envoys have written letters to support Bai Fu and request the imperial court to protect the rights and interests of soldiers on the battlefield and protect military marriages.

Involving the core interests of the three armies, the generals put aside their grudges for the time being, shared the same hatred of the enemy, and unanimously dealt with the outside world, with the spearhead reaching the court.

Bai Fu made a big fuss in his uncle's house, once again demonstrating his authority in the military and his undoubted influence on Jianghuai's officialdom.

After the rebellion ended, Jiangnan was in dire straits, and Jianghuai's officialdom would inevitably be readjusted. When the imperial court appointed important ministers to Jianghuai, it was impossible not to respect Bai Fu's opinions.

By then, Bai Fu will have a great say in who can become the feudal official in the Jianghuai area.

I have received a tip that His Majesty is considering the candidates for Governor Shi of Yangzhou and Observer Envoy for Huainan Festival. With these two official positions, you can go out of Yangzhou to control canal water transportation and manage the salt and iron business. This is a lot of money.

The oil is so fat!

Therefore, we must repair it with Bai Fu as soon as possible, and get Bai Fu’s full support before the other families of the Five Surnames and Qi Wangs do.”

The words of the patriarch Cui Wei are conclusive and thought-provoking as they involve family interests.

Cui Meng nodded, convinced, and asked: "That being said, Bai Fu has no friendship with us, and Xun He's nephew has quite a feud with Bai Fu. Why should he give us this huge benefit?

Bai Fu is a master who never sees rabbits but doesn't let go of hawks. If there are no actual benefits, how can he support us out of thin air?"

Cui Wei took a deep breath and said, "My Xun Yan is not yet married, so I plan to betroth her to Bai Fu as my concubine in exchange for an alliance with Bai Fu."

All the elders were shocked and dumbfounded.

Cui Qian hurriedly advised: "Brother, you must not do it. Although Bai Fu is a once-in-a-century general and plays an important role in the prosperity of the family, it is not worth sacrificing the happiness of Xun Yan's niece's life!"

Cui Meng pondered for a moment and then made up his mind, saying: "Since we are talking about marriage, my concubine's daughter is only twenty-eight years old and has dignified conduct. Although her appearance is not as good as that of Xun Yan's niece, she is still slim and elegant. She is

She is a concubine, so marrying Bai Fu as a concubine is quite reasonable. It won't be too embarrassing for our Cui family."

Cui Weidao: "As the leader of the clan, I should put the interests of the family first. There is no room for mistakes in major matters related to the rise and fall of the family.

Marriage is not like business, where you can still bargain. If Bai Fu doesn't agree to marry a concubine, if we bring in a legitimate daughter, it will only increase the laughing stock and make Bai Fu look down on our Cui family.

This kind of thing can only be done like gambling, where you put all your chips in and go all-in!

As for whether Xun Yan is wronged, it can only depend on her own destiny. If God has mercy on her, maybe this will be her greatest blessing in this life.

Fifth brother, please make some plans and invite Bai Fu to the house for a family dinner in a few days."

…

When it comes to the rise and fall of the family, the elders of the Cui family quickly reached a consensus.

The day after the closed-door meeting, Cui Xunyan got the news that the dignified daughter of the Cui family in Qinghe was actually reduced to being a concubine. She cried like a human being.

Cui Xunyan's mother also wiped her tears. The old lady cried and complained: "Your father has loved you the most since you were a child. He held you in his hands for fear of falling and held you in his mouth for fear of melting. Not to mention the wind and rain.

I never let you suffer any injustice. Why are you so cruel this time...
Chapter completed!