"So...it's time to explain to us? Why did this princess of Soochow condescend to come to this mountain forest? Mr. Lu, we trust you, so please give us a satisfactory answer."
In the dead of night, there were no more shouts of killing in the mountains. After the battlefields were cleaned up by the Shanyue people one after another, Fei Zhan and Peng Hu, together with other small Shanyue leaders who came from nearby strongholds, gathered in the village ancestral hall.
middle.
However, unlike the harmonious atmosphere before, once it was revealed that Sun Feng'er's true identity was actually Sun Shangxiang, many Shanyue people were shocked - and after realizing it, it was naturally the same as what Qian Fei Zhan felt.
, they believed that Sun Shangxiang deliberately concealed his identity, which was the reason why they had to go to war with the officers and soldiers.
Yi Xiaotian did not deny this.
Because no matter what, many of the Shanyue people's companions would inevitably suffer casualties in this battle. Although they won the war, many people still couldn't accept this fact when they knew that there might have been a chance to avoid it before.
Fei Zhan started a conversation, and everyone's eyes turned to Yi Xiaotian and others who were sitting in a corner of the ancestral hall.
Sun Shangxiang looked tired. Although she confessed her identity to Yi Xiaotian last night, Sun Shangxiang did not feel much psychological pressure because of Yi Xiaotian's reaction.
Today, after seeing many familiar faces disappear among everyone, Sun Shangxiang's deep sense of guilt almost overwhelmed Sun Shangxiang.
Knowing this, Yi Xiaotian told Sun Shangxiang before entering:
"Leave it to me to explain to Fei Zhan and the others. Shang Xiang, just watch quietly from the side."
——
"First of all, we cannot absolve ourselves of the blame for concealing our identity from you, as well as the sacrifices and impacts it has caused. On this point, no matter how you look at us, we will not refute it."
Yi Xiaotian walked out of the corner and stood alone in front of a crowd of Shanyue people, stating the facts in a calm tone.
But because he mentioned the word sacrifice, those Shanyue people who lost their comrades and friends inevitably showed sadness and anger on their faces——
Fei Zhan closed his eyes tightly, and the veins on his forehead were surging. It could be seen that he was restraining his emotions.
"But if you all restore your thoughts and the previous friendship, and are willing to listen to me speak about our pain here -"
"Master Lu, I just want to ask a question."
Following up on the previous sentence, Yi Xiaotian added another sentence, but before he started to say anything, Fei Zhan interrupted him.
Yi Xiaotian naturally has no complaints. The top priority now is to calm down the emotions of the people present. Otherwise, if everyone is angry, this gathering will have no meaning.
He stretched out his hand and made a "please" gesture. Fei Zhan thought about it for a while, and then asked in a slightly trembling voice:
"You said what Mr. Lu said before about mining forest trees and making inkstones to help us Shanyue people get out of trouble. But are you telling the truth? Are you taking advantage of us?"
In fact, when he heard this sentence, Yi Xiaotian had a headache, because he knew that if Fei Zhan hadn't cracked the trust in his heart, he would never have asked such a question - because the relationship between the two of them was
The foundation of cooperation, or trust, is only maintained by the empty promises of the future. Once there are cracks in the foundation of trust, if his next answer does not satisfy the other party, it seems that this battle will not be successful.
Negotiations that are considered peaceful will never end in a peaceful way.
so--
"have."
Behind Yi Xiaotian's calm words were the overwhelming emotions of disappointment that swept over the people in front of him.
He clearly heard everyone sighing uncontrollably, and some people's breathing became rapid and unstable because of his admission.
The pent-up emotions in the room were about to explode.
Lu Lingqi and Zhao Yun both frowned tightly and slowly touched the weapons beside them.
Fei Zhan's face remained calm, only his eyes were fixed on Yi Xiaotian's. He knew that Yi Xiaotian hadn't finished speaking yet.
"If we look at the process, I am using you - using your labor force, using your yearning for outside life, using your desire for survival - without these, I would not be able to repel powerful enemies and protect you in the first place.
Shang Xiang… Secondly, he can’t do the cooperation we are going to talk about next.”
"But - everything I said from beginning to end is sincere."
Yi Xiaotian changed the subject and became more determined. At this time, it was no longer time to rely on acting skills. Yi Xiaotian decided to tell these poor people the truth about the current situation.
"From the very beginning, before I met you all, I was already thinking about making ink and inkstones. I suffered from the lack of suitable raw materials and sufficient manpower. You should understand that I am not from Jiangdong, so I will naturally work in Jiangdong no matter what.
Any conspicuous actions will be avoided by local people."
"Therefore, your strength is necessary."
"Although there were some tensions later, after understanding your wishes, I conceived the next cooperation plan."
"I am a businessman, a businessman who pursues capital and profit. You can call me hypocritical, you can call me dirty, but as a businessman's ethics and the trust of both parties during cooperation, I have no need to cheat."
Yi Xiaotian patted his chest and declared in a loud voice.
"I will not be a saint for no reason and help you seemingly poor Shanyue people get out of trouble. I am not interested in this, but - your kindness allows me to see the prospect of cooperation. I, Lu Qinghou, have never been affected by this.
It's a reward without any merit, since you all have demands and have expressed your intention to cooperate first, then in line with the trend of interests, I am willing to facilitate such a business without any falsehood."
"It's still the same sentence - the relationship maintained by interests is truly eternal."
"You may not believe in my character, but please believe in this iron law."
"The kindness you have shown me today has gone beyond the scope of the previous exchange of benefits. The use is temporary and the sacrifice is irreversible. But I am willing to promise you that how much you have lost today, I, Lu Qinghou, will repay you many times in the future.
Of--"
From the beginning to the end, Yi Xiaotian did not mention anything about Sun Shangxiang's concealment of his identity, because even he was able to confirm this fact only two days ago. Now it is obvious that if Yi Xiaotian adopts another argument, as long as he
Tell these Shanyue people that Sun Shangxiang has deceived him, then he can completely remove himself without suffering the crisis of trust from the Shanyue people.
However, Yi Xiaotian chose another path. He devalued himself infinitely and became the villain himself, even at the risk of not being forgiven by the other party. The reason is very simple.
He had promised Sun Shangxiang - even he was no longer on Sun Shangxiang's side. Sun Shangxiang was truly unaccompanied and helpless.
