"Now that you've hit the wall, are you ready to turn back?" He Zhen's tone was somewhat teasing.
"Oh, brother, please stop making sarcastic remarks." He Di said helplessly: "Think of a solution quickly."
"Yongjia Marquis has already said, let's make friends." He Zhen stroked the strings lightly and said, "If you ask me, I mean the same thing."
"How will they explain to the clan?" He Di asked worriedly.
"That's their business." He Zhen said calmly: "You are not their father, so why are you worrying about it?"
"..." He Di was speechless.
"Besides, are there no children in our family who commit crimes?" He Zhen asked again.
"It's not on the list." He Di said softly.
"That's to give me face." He Zhen said calmly: "You can't be shameless. Take the initiative to hand them over, otherwise you will no longer be a human being inside and outside."
"Hey..." He Di nodded dejectedly.
"And I also strongly suggest that those rich people who have red letters on the wall go to the King of Chu and surrender together. As long as you admit your mistakes with a good attitude, I believe His Highness will be given a lighter sentence." Before He Zhen finished speaking, he sighed softly again.
road:
"It's just that the original conditions will definitely no longer exist."
"Alas..." He Di became more and more frustrated. Over the years, he had been in charge of his eldest brother's affairs, and he had always had smooth sailing. He thought he was a qualified leader. He didn't expect that he would be so unbearable when he encountered real difficulties.
"There is no need to do this. You have never left Guangdong. It is inevitable that you will be arrogant and make wrong judgments." He Zhen whispered softly: "After explaining this matter clearly, I will go back to your Baiyun Villa to study behind closed doors and calm down.
Later, I will try to find a way for you to go out and be an official for a few years, so that you can see the world outside."
"Yes, brother." He Di nodded dejectedly and accepted the punishment of being removed from power.
"And He Gui, I'll go with you too." He Zhen then said slowly: "It's time for the children of the big clans to go out and experience things. Don't stay in Lingnan for generations and be arrogant."
He Di heard the implication of the eldest brother's words and couldn't help but raise his head and said: "Is the eldest brother asking us... to be hostages?"
"Nonsense!" He Zhen said in a rage, slapping the strings several times, causing the strings to buzz.
"How many times have I told you to correct your position? We are now the subjects of the Ming Dynasty, not some foreign vassal state! Return the hostages?! If you talk about such nonsense again, I will break your legs!"
"Yes, I was wrong." He Di nodded quickly to admit his mistake, but he knew that this was what his elder brother meant.
How can I talk to those wealthy people with this requirement of "losing power and humiliating the country"?
"Yes, you are wrong. But I was wrong too." He Zhen said with a bitter smile: "I shouldn't have let you fool around in the first place. Now it's good, the yellow mud fell into my crotch, I can't explain it clearly.
"
As he spoke, his smile became more bitter and he said: "Tomorrow I will go to the palace to apologize. I have no idea whether I can see His Highness."
"Brother, what's the matter?" He Di ignored his own troubles and said anxiously: "You have never interfered, and you are still helping King Chu to speak."
"Who will believe this? They will only think that I am really hypocritical." He Zhen shook his head and said slowly:
"No one will feel better if they offend the King of Chu. Thinking about it this way, don't you feel more comfortable?"
"Brother, I was wrong." He Di lowered his head in shame, feeling really relieved.
~~
When He Di returned to Baiyun Villa, it was already night.
The rain is still falling, and the wealthy people are still waiting for him.
"Second Master He is back." As soon as he entered the hall, he was surrounded by the eager wealthy people, who all asked: "How is it?"
"How to say?"
"Hand it over to someone." He Di told them his experience in detail, and also told all the wealthy people what his eldest brother had said.
The local tycoons were dumbfounded when they heard this. Some people broke their guard on the spot and said: "What kind of thing is this? It's better not to make this trip."
"If you hadn't made this trip, would you know where you are now?" He Di wiped the rain off his face and said angrily, "I'm still waiting to die feeling good about myself."
When Chen Boyun and others said this, their anger turned into bitterness on their faces.
They came to He Di because they were afraid, hoping that he could move Yongjiahou to join them. As a result, Zhu Liangzu gave up, and He Zhen refused to help them. The situation was worse than they expected.
"I don't believe that if we are united as one, the imperial court can do nothing..." The man stopped mid-sentence and choked himself.
On their own, they would never be able to withstand it. If they go down again, the King of Chu will definitely attack them.
If the hundreds of thousands of troops in the hands of Marquis Yongjia really turned their guns against them, their simple villages and villages would really not be able to stop the cannons of the army.
Moreover, they also have a fatal weakness, that is, they are not good at fighting in the field and can only huddle in the village to defend. As long as the army has enough troops, they can easily defeat them one by one.
As long as a few villages are removed first, the rest of the clans can only wait and surrender...
The so-called "shooting the first bird", such as the Chen family, the Liang family, the Cui family, and the Xu family, will definitely suffer first.
Therefore, Chen Boyun, Liang Shangjun, and the patriarchs of the Cui family and the Xu family all dared not say anything.
The wealthy people who followed them naturally lost their momentum and soon realized that something was wrong, so they all shut up obediently.
"Since there are no objections, let's do it." He Di listened to his elder brother this time and no longer worried about other people: "I will give you one day to arrest all those children who have committed crimes, and then you will personally
Take him to surrender."
"Will we not be able to come back?" someone asked in a low voice.
"Don't think about coming back after you go." He Di said solemnly: "Your affairs can be big or small, it all depends on whether King Chu is serious about it. As for whether King Chu is serious about it, it all depends on your performance.
"
After a pause, he said to the reluctant Chen Boyun and others: "Tomorrow morning, my eldest brother will also go to His Highness to plead guilty and try his best to help you get a lighter sentence."
"Boss He is so righteous." When the local tycoons heard that He Zhen would come forward, they felt reassured and felt relieved.
"As soon as he takes action, we will have hope."
"Yeah, I knew he wouldn't leave us alone."
He Di looked at their relieved reactions and finally understood that it was never him who was looking for them, but his elder brother.
Understanding this, he felt a little relieved, and finally no longer had to bear such a heavy responsibility. He exhaled a long breath and said to everyone: "Brother asked me to tell you that from now on, you have to change your mind. Now is the 14th year of Hongwu
Years have passed, and it’s time to forget about the Yuan Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty did not allow a state within a state."
"Yes." Everyone responded with sympathy, and of course they were not willing to accept it. It's just that the situation was stronger than the others, so what could they do in vain?
"Brother said that if you change your ideas as soon as possible and adapt to the rules of the Ming Dynasty, your clan can still prosper." He Di continued: "On the contrary, you will have to be ruthlessly abandoned..."
"Understood." This time the answer was more willing.
