He stared at the mysterious woman with a complicated expression, his eyes were both a little frightening and a subtle emotion that evoked memories that had been dusted for a long time.
A pair of cyan ponytails with wavy curls, a pair of black and white stockings, uniform black boots and a short skirt... everything is difficult to describe in one word.
After a long time.
Wang Shouzhe frowned slightly and asked, "What exactly do you think?"
The mysterious woman smiled lightly: "Master, this is what my subordinates think. Over in Monan County, since there are people secretly investigating what happened back then, it is probably Cao Youqing who is related..."
"I'm asking you, what do you think about dressing like this?" Wang Shouzhe's mouth twitched, and he had the urge to kick her out.
"This? Isn't this the type that the master of the house likes...?" The mysterious woman spun around, her short skirt and twin ponytails flying, "It is the duty of the subordinates to figure out the master's preferences and follow his likes.
Work."
Thank you for your hard work.
Wang Shouzhe had a headache and couldn't stop rubbing his forehead. The original image of Qi Ling Xiaoxue was just to miss his lost youth.
But he didn't want to cause trouble at home because of this. He originally wanted to change the image of Qi Ling, but was unanimously opposed by Liu Ruolan and Qi Ling Xiaoxue...
The former believed that he, Wang, had a guilty conscience, while the latter believed that he did not respect the inherent image rights of the weapon spirit and argued that she would not be allowed to change her "beautiful" image unless she was re-erased as a "blank weapon spirit".
Therefore, that bad image has continued. So much so that the younger generation of the family dare not ask questions about Qi Ling Xiaoxue's image, complaining in their hearts about how many stories they have made up.
Unfortunately, Wang Mei was not easy to imitate, but she insisted on imitating this taboo image, and she came all the way to report to him openly.
After this.
There are bound to be some rumors within the family.
"Okay, okay, that's it. Let's talk about the business." Wang Shouzhe waved his hand helplessly. He was unable to pursue this kind of matter.
"Yes, head of the family. Through the efforts of my subordinates, my bloodline has been raised to the level of a little genius above the second level of the middle grade. I have also found a way. I am almost certain that I can get the Wuji Treasure Pill and strive to become a genius as soon as possible.
, cultivate to the Heavenly Realm and the Purple Mansion Realm as early as possible. Only in this way can you be worthy of a peerless genius like the Lord."
"The most important thing is that I have been insisting on taking beauty pills and using skin care products produced by Wang. This way I can maintain a young and vigorous body for hundreds of years, with moist skin... I can wait for my master at any time..."
"..." A drop of cold sweat fell from Wang Shouzhe's forehead, and he interrupted word by word, "I want you to talk about Zuoqiu's business!"
Wang Mei, who had a "Xiaoxue" image, couldn't help but secretly roll her eyes, and complained in her heart that the head of the family was too difficult to serve. Previously, she said that Zuoqiu's business was about his clothes. Now she said
It’s time to improve your bloodline and maintain your beauty, but you still want to talk about Zuoqiu’s family?
This thought is really erratic and difficult to fathom.
"Ahem! Since fifteen years ago, under the orders of the family leader, my subordinates have been paying attention to the relevant people in Monan County. Except for Fairy Tianyan and some people around her, their whereabouts are somewhat erratic.
】Some sisters have tried to break into the house several times but failed. The rest are all under surveillance one by one." When Wang Mei mentioned business, she was still very serious.
"Wait a minute, what kind of organization is the Immortal Palace? When did it become my subordinate?" Wang Shouzhe had some ominous premonitions in his heart.
"My lord..." Wang Mei said with awe-inspiring eyes, "You are now a great genius, so naturally you have the pomp and circumstance that a great genius should have. Think about it, the two quasi-emperors who are gradually starting to fight for the throne.
There is an intelligence and assassination organization [Tianque] under his command, and Tianyan is one of the leaders."
"Another His Highness, although he is hiding very deep on the surface, his close friend Gong Yangce, the Great Prodigy of the Holy Land, also secretly established an intelligence organization called [Breaking Dawn], and the person in charge seems to be named 'Luo Yuqing'."
"My lord, haven't you allocated large sums of money to me every year to establish an intelligence organization over the past few years?" Wang Mei said seriously, "While establishing those peripheral intelligence organizations, my subordinates have gradually built a core for my lord.
The organization's 'Father of Immortals' is composed of orphan girls collected from various places by their subordinates, who must undergo strict training and assessment before being allowed to enter."
"Although the 'Immortal Hall' is currently small in scale, it can barely be used. After long-term and unremitting brainwashing education by their subordinates, they have a strong sense of belonging, loyalty and worship to the 'Immortal Master'. As long as the 'Immortal Master'
With just one order, we can go through fire and water and sacrifice our lives."
"This Immortal Master..." Wang Shouzhe's eyes twitched, "You're not going to point at me, are you?"
"That's natural. They have nothing to do with the family. They are only loyal to the Immortal Master. They will unconditionally obey any order from the Immortal Master...including their subordinates." Wang Mei's eyes seemed to be filled with emotion.
With a touch of enthusiasm, "My subordinates will definitely continue to work hard to build the Immortal Palace into the largest organization surpassing organizations such as 'Tianque' and 'Breaking Dawn'."
Uh..., thank you so much, Wang Mei!
Wang Shouzhe was extremely frightened. This sounded like a standard match for a wolf-like traitor. If the government found out about this, they might label Wang Shouzhe as a treacherous traitor.
The heads of aristocratic families all need to be ennobled by the government. In a sense, they are also the ministers of His Majesty the Emperor...
"Don't worry, my lord, the 'Father of Immortals' has nothing to do with the family, and no one knows the true identity of the lord." Wang Mei said with a thoughtful look, "When the lord sees them, all you need to do is wear the
All it takes is a special mask and a token. Even if a sister fails, the family head and the Wang family will not be implicated."
Wang Shouzhe was speechless for a while. Although he had actions and investments to establish an intelligence system, he did not establish such an exaggerated organization... But since Wang Mei had already thought about it carefully, let her go. At least it sounded like she was very powerful.
of.
"Continue to talk about Zuoqiu Qingyun." Wang Shouzhe said solemnly. As early as more than ten years ago, he knew that the original plan was just a temporary measure.
Therefore, various arrangements have been made long ago to prevent Zuoqiu, Cao Youqing and others from pursuing the truth.
"Yes, Your Majesty. When I discovered that someone was investigating Zuoqiu Qingyun's death that year, my lord, the secret line of the Immortal Palace under my command, used clues to trace the other party and learned that it was someone from Gong Yangce's 'Breaking Dawn'. It was just that
In order to avoid alerting the enemy, the secret agents did not act recklessly." Wang Mei added, "But not long after, our secret agents on the territory of the Cao family and the Zuoqiu family also sent back news. The hostile relationship between them seems to have improved.
The situation has eased, and some unconventional actions have taken place.”
"Therefore, my subordinates analyzed that the cause of Zuoqiu Qingyun's death that year has been ruled out as 'Cao Youqing' by Gong Yangce."
Wang Shouzhe nodded expressionlessly: "Your analysis is very reasonable. Cao Youqing knows best whether Cao Youqing did what happened in the first place. As long as someone is particularly patient and conducts an in-depth investigation, Zuoqiu can finally be convinced by Cao Youqing.
is innocent."
"Your Majesty, what you mean is that the Zuoqiu family will definitely take action against our Wang family?" Wang Mei said in a cold voice.
"Cao Youqing can clear his innocence, but the Zuoqiu family also has no evidence that we did it." Wang Shouzhe said calmly, "Therefore, even if the Zuoqiu family is hostile to our Wang family, they will only use normal sanctions and suppression methods."
"It is not enough to openly send a large number of experts to attack our Wang family for an old case or a scandalous case without any conclusive evidence."
"As the saying goes, the clan has clan rules and the state has national laws, but after all, national law comes first and clan rules are supplemented. If the Zuoqiu family is really so stupid and impulsive, it would be easier to deal with. It is a pity that a four-year-old family with a history of two thousand years is
The Pin family will definitely not be so stupid as to blatantly trample on national laws and provoke Emperor Longchang's bottom line."
"This is also the reason why I wanted to get rid of Zuoqiu Qingyun in the first place. The Zuoqiu family did not dare to trample on the national law, but the possessed Zuoqiu Qingyun did. Therefore, I would rather be an enemy of the Zuoqiu family than be with an unscrupulous person.
madman alive."
Wang Mei showed her admiration for Wang Shouzhe: "The head of the family is wise. No wonder the head of the family sent me to Qing'an County and Liaoyuan County more than ten years ago to start the layout."
yes!
Speaking of this matter, Wang Shouzhe was also filled with emotions. It is easy to be a family head, but it is extremely difficult to be a good family head. Every decision requires responsibility for the family and for the children and grandchildren.
Therefore, as early as after killing Zuoqiu Qingyun and returning to the Wang family, Wang Shouzhe began to prepare for this day. This was not because he anticipated the enemy's opportunity, but because certain crises could actually be foreseen and could not be foreseen in advance.
Arrangement is the ultimate stupidity.
Wang Shouzhe already felt that he had made a profit by being able to hide the truth for fifteen years. The Wang family today is no longer the Wang family fifteen years ago! Anyone who really wants to deal with the Wang family as a seventh-grade family is simply doing it for themselves.
It's hard to find it.
"Wang Mei, next you will be like this...like this..." Wang Shouzhe said after pondering for a moment.
"Yes, Master." Wang Mei listened carefully, her eyes shining brighter.
…
at the same time.
In Wang Shouzhe's small courtyard.
Wang Zongrui stared at his father's side study from a distance, pacing anxiously.
He had confirmed before that as soon as his father saw the "mysterious woman", he let the children play by themselves in the yard and went into the study alone with her!
"Wang Lijue, are you sure that 'Xiaoxue' followed her father to the study?" Wang Zongrui was so anxious that he grabbed his third sister who was playing with his niece next to him and asked again and again to confirm.
"Second brother, if you have anything to do with your father, you can ask him directly." Wang Lijue rolled her eyes at him angrily, "I have also done some family tasks, and Xiaoxue still recognizes me."
Wang Zongrui's heart "thumped" again, this is already two sticks of incense, right? It's over, it's over, what should happen has happened, what should we do, what should we do?
The only thing that gave Wang Zongrui some comfort was that his mother happened to return to her parents' home to visit relatives, so there would be no tragedy on the spot.
Just when Wang Zongrui was feeling uneasy.
"Creak!" a sound.
The door of his father's study was opened, and his father and the mysterious woman appeared at the door at the same time. The woman bowed to her father before turning around and leaving.
Passing by Wang Zongrui, he smiled lightly and said, "Master Rui is so handsome."
Then, a fragrant wind left behind and then flew away.
Wang Zongrui shivered violently and walked quickly towards Wang Shouzhe: "Father, this matter..."
"It turns out that Zong Rui is back." Wang Shouzhe looked him up and down and said with a hint of displeasure, "How many times have I told you that you are the legitimate son of the Wang family, and you should set an example for your brothers and sisters.
You have to be calm, why are you so flustered?"
Wang Zongrui felt bitter in his heart.
How can he stay calm about such things?
Father, Father, even if you meet your old lover, could you please keep a low profile? If everyone knows about it, I'm afraid something big will happen...
"Father, who is..." Wang Zongrui said weakly in a low voice.
"General." Wang Shouzhe said calmly.
"Family general? Why have I never seen her?" Wang Zongrui shook his head and smiled bitterly. Dad's excuse was not up to standard. He had to think about a new excuse to maintain the stability and safety of the family.
Suddenly.
Seven-year-old Wang Yingting came over, blinking her big curious eyes and said: "Grandpa, grandpa, my second uncle said, the one just now was called 'Xiao Xue', and she was my grandpa's old lover. Grandpa, what does old mean?"
Lover? There is nothing in the story you told me..."
Wang Zongrui's face turned pale as if he had been struck by lightning. In his haste, he had forgotten that Wang Yingting, a little brat, was the worst at talking.
Wang Shouzhe's cheeks also twitched slightly, and he looked at Wang Zongrui kindly and said, "Rui'er, speaking of which, you and I haven't had a good talk for a long time."
Then, the dignified son of the Wang family was carried into the study like a chicken. As soon as the door was closed, Wang Zongrui's howling and begging for mercy were heard from inside: "Dad, I was wrong. That's not true.
Your... Oops, I was wrong. Don’t worry, I won’t tell my mother. I won’t tell you even if I kill you~"
But he just finished speaking.
Liu Ruolan's clear and cold voice came from outside the door: "Wang Zongrui, please tell me clearly, you won't tell me anything if you beat me to death?"
"Ah, mother!? What I mean is that I will never tell you about my father's old lover coming to visit him..."
"Wang Shouzhe, there is indeed someone outside you." Liu Ruolan's voice became a bit colder, "That woman is the original form of 'Xiaoxue', no wonder, you have never forgotten her."
"Madam, please listen to my explanation." Wang Shouzhe broke into a cold sweat, "This matter is not what you imagined."
"The children are all here. I'm still waiting for your explanation at Shuiyue Tiange." As she spoke, Liu Ruolan's voice became more and more distant. Apparently, she had gone to Shuiyue Tiange in advance to wait for Wang Shouzhe.
"You brat, it was fine!" Wang Shouzhe glared at his son angrily.
"Father, you taught me to be calm during big events." Wang Zongrui reminded from the side, "Hurry up and go to Shuiyue Tiange. Remember, you should admit your mistakes and don't be stubborn..."
"..." Wang Shouzhe.
…
Longzuo County is located in the southeast of Daqian, and Liaoyuan County is located in the northeast of Daqian. The two counties face each other across the sea. In the middle is a vast and boundless sea with rippling blue waves, called "Qingluo Sea".
Speaking of this "Green Luo Sea", there is a story.
Emperor Longchang once had an eldest daughter named "Princess Qingluo". This Princess Qingluo was extremely intelligent and extremely talented since she was a child. She was born with first-class blood and was deeply loved by the late emperor when she was young.
After he became an adult, he was taken by the late emperor to teach him personally. Not only did his qualifications reach the top second level with the help of elixirs, but he also successfully advanced to the magical power realm before he was five hundred years old. His cultivation speed was faster even among the royal family.
It's one of the best.
In terms of the degree of favor he received, only Emperor Longchang, who was still the "emperor's son" at that time, could rival him.
And she was worthy of the late emperor's love for her. At a young age, she gained a great reputation on the battlefield outside the territory.
Because of his military exploits, when the late emperor passed away, he specifically left a will, authorizing Princess Qingluo's descendants to take her mother's surname of "Wu" and record it in the royal family tree, giving them the same rights as other princes' descendants to participate in the "Emperor-Son War"
"s right.
After Emperor Longchang succeeded to the throne, he also relied heavily on her. Among the many princes, no one could be more right than him.
Princess Qingluo has made countless meritorious deeds for Daqian in foreign battlefields throughout her life. Her military exploits are as fierce as those of the princes of Daqian today. She can be called a female war goddess of the generation.
In Daqian, there are countless female Xuanwu monks from high-ranking families who regard her as their idol.
Unfortunately, due to jealousy of beauty, Princess Qingluo later met with an accident on the battlefield outside the territory and died before she was even 1,200 years old. That death caused a great uproar in the Daqian Kingdom.
It happened that the coastal areas of Liaoyuan County were being developed at that time. Emperor Longchang, who was extremely sad, named the developing sea area "Qingluo Sea" in memory of his beloved daughter.
Over the years, as Daqian's development of the sea area has gradually increased, the sea area of Qingluo Sea has also continued to increase. Today's "safe sea area" of Qingluo Sea seems to be three or four times as big as it was back then. It has brought a lot of economic benefits.
At this moment, several huge sea-going ships were docked in a reef bay near the north of Qingluo Sea.
These ships are made entirely of giant wood, with a roaring red dragon painted on the hull. The bow is raised high, and the edges are covered with thick metal skin, giving off a chilly feeling.
Unlike river boats with flat bottoms, these sea-going boats have sharp bottoms. Because of the deep water and strong winds and waves in the sea, flat-bottomed boats can easily be overturned. Only sharp-bottomed boats can withstand the wind and waves.
Because they were still anchored in the reef harbor at this moment, the sails on these ships were not raised, only the thick masts stood bare.
On the edge of the deck, there are dozens of bed crossbows.
These bed crossbows have all been strung up at this moment, and the thigh-thick crossbow arrows are ready to go, glowing coldly in the sun.
It was just after noon, when the sun was at its strongest in the day. The crew members on the ship were all in low spirits. They were all lying there with their breasts and bellies exposed and taking a nap. Some of them thought the sun was too dazzling, so they simply covered their faces with cloth towels. .
Except for the snoring and grinding of the crew's teeth, there was almost no other sound in the entire reef bay at the moment. It was so quiet that it was even a little eerie.
Suddenly.
The cabin door was opened, and two figures walked out one after another.
One of the two people looks like a middle-aged man, with a stout build, and is dressed similarly to the crew, but he looks neater and more refined, and has a distinctive head of reddish curly hair.
The other person is a young man wearing rich clothes.
He wore a jade crown on his head and an exquisite and gorgeous brocade robe. He looked elegant and elegant, which was in sharp contrast to the others on the boat.
When the crew members at the door saw the two men, they were so frightened that they jumped up and saluted the two men cautiously: "Boss, Mr. Cao."
It turned out that the middle-aged man among the two men was the owner of the fleet.
His surname is Nie, his given name is Long, and he is nicknamed the "Red-haired Dragon King". He is the boss of the "Red Dragon Bandits", a relatively active pirate group on the Qingluo Sea.
On the surface, he is the boss of the pirate gang, but few people know that he is actually a member of the Cao family of Zi Mansion.
At that time, he was discriminated against by his tribe because of his "Sea Barbarian" blood. During an expedition to a secret sea place, he was almost pushed into a whirlpool and drowned. Fortunately, he was rescued by Cao Youbin, the head of the Cao family at the time, and he survived.
After that, he was taken under the command of Cao Youbin and lurked among the pirates under his arrangement. Over the years, he unknowingly became the leader of the pirates. Although his fleet of pirates was not the largest,
Although he is a branch, he is quite famous among the pirates.
As for the young master named "Cao" next to him, he is the young master from the Cao family in Zifu - Cao Bangyan. In Liaobei County, he is also a famous and powerful figure, a genius-level existence.
"Can your men do it?"
As soon as he stepped out of the hatch, Cao Bangyan couldn't help but cover his mouth and nose with his hands, looking at the surrounding crew members with disgust in his eyes. If his aunt Cao Youqing hadn't sent him personally, he wouldn't have bothered to come to such a ghost place and suffer.
The skin of each of these crew members was dark and rough, looking like old tree bark. They also exuded the fishy smell of the sea, and they did not look like they were capable of fighting at all.
"Don't worry, Mr. Cao. Don't look at them like this. When they really need to fight, they will all be good at it." The red-haired dragon king Nie Long was full of confidence.
His subordinates have been wandering around the sea all year round, so they are a bit unkempt, but their strength is no problem.
In addition to him, the boss in the early stage of the Heavenly Realm, he also has a dozen small bosses in the Lingtai Realm and hundreds of minions in the Qi Training Realm. It is completely easy to clean up a merchant fleet.
With that said, he casually summoned a young crew member and ordered: "Go and call your Uncle Wen over."
The crew member responded and immediately ran to the stern of the ship to find someone.
Soon, an old man in brown robes walked over from the stern of the ship, saluted Nie Long and Cao Bangyan respectfully: "Boss, Mr. Cao."
His robe had many pockets, unlike the others on the ship.
Nie Long waved his hand at him and asked: "Wen Da, when will Shouda Trading Company's fleet arrive?"
"Reporting to the boss, Xinou has discovered Shouda Trading Company's fleet. According to the past sailing speed, the fleet should arrive in a quarter of an hour at most." The old man named "Wen Da" replied.
There are specially tamed messenger gulls on their ship. These messenger gulls have special jade charms tied to their legs, which will emit special spiritual energy fluctuations that can be detected even from a long distance away.
When they need to plunder, they will release the messenger gulls. They will find the target fleet and then keep hovering above the fleet. Here, based on the position of the jade talisman, the more accurate direction of the target fleet can be detected.
and location.
Wen Da is the person in charge of taming the gulls on this ship, and he naturally knows the current location of the target fleet very well.
"Okay, go ahead. When Shouda Trading Company's fleet arrives at the target sea area, send someone over to notify me immediately." Nie Long waved his hand, and Wen Da immediately bowed and retreated.
"I remember you said before that the Wang family's daughter-in-law was also on the boat?" Cao Bangyan seemed to have remembered something and asked suddenly.
"That's right." Nie Long nodded, "According to the news from our spies stationed at the dock, Shouda Trading Company dispatched ten large-scale ships this time, and nearly half of the cargo carried were foreign glass products.
'.Because the goods are valuable, Luo Miao, the legitimate queen of the Wang family who is in charge of shipping, will personally escort them this time. Fang Jinghui, a legitimate descendant of the Liaoyuan Fang family who is responsible for contacting them, is also on board. The spies watched them board the ship with their own eyes. It is unmistakable.
.”
"That's good." Cao Bangyan chuckled, "Although Fang Jinghui is a direct descendant, he is just a little genius. And he is also young, so there is nothing to worry about. But that Miss Wang's direct descendant, I heard that she is the relative of the current head of the family. Sister, you look good~tsk tsk~"
"Hey hey hey~" Nie Long understood instantly, and a lewd smile appeared on his face, "When we rob their ship, Mr. Bang Yan will naturally deal with them as he wants. But those goods..."
"Don't worry, the goods are all yours." Cao Bangyan waved his hand.
"Young Master Bangyan is really generous~!" The smile on Nie Long's face suddenly became much more sincere.
Cement and foreign glass are both good things. Those ten shipments are worth at least half a million gold. He will make a fortune from this ticket~~
"Look at your potential, you are so happy with such a small thing." Cao Bangyan shook his head speechlessly when he saw this.
After staying on the ship for more than ten days, he and Nie Long had already become familiar with each other, so their conversation was naturally less polite and more casual.
"Yes, yes, I, Old Nie, am just a pirate leader. I can't compare to Mr. Bangyan, who has a bright future." Nie Long didn't take it seriously at all, and boasted with a smile, "You are the genius of the Cao family of Zifu. With Lao My ancestor loves me, and I have my elder brother to take care of me. I lack nothing, so naturally I despise such a small thing."
Cao Bangyan was promoted to the Heavenly Realm when he was seventy-eight years old. Now he is not yet one hundred and twenty years old, and he has already reached the third level of Heavenly Realm. Although in terms of realm alone, Cao Bangyan is slightly lower than him.
But in terms of actual combat effectiveness, he may not be Cao Bangyan's opponent. He is a genius-level man, and he would be a first-class big shot in the academy.
Not to mention that he is a direct descendant of the Cao family and the youngest brother of Cao Bangning, the current head of the Cao family. His status within the Cao family is much higher than him. Naturally, he dare not not give Cao Bangyan face.
As they were talking, suddenly, the old man named Wen Da hurried from the stern direction of the ship and reported to the two of them: "I would like to inform the boss, Mr. Cao, that the fleet of Shouda Trading Company has entered the target sea area and can be intercepted."
Both Cao Bangyan and Nie Long's eyes lit up.
Nie Long even more excitedly slapped the railing: "Okay!! They were able to run away during previous interceptions. This time, Mr. Bangyan is on hand to guard the situation, so there will be absolutely no mistakes."
Cao Bangyan also sneered: "Don't worry. Neither the boat nor the people can escape."
"Hahaha~ OK!"
Nie Long laughed loudly, suddenly jumped onto the bow of the ship, gathered his profound energy and shouted: "Brothers! Raise the sail! Pull out the anchor! Steal him from me!"
Rolling sound waves exploded over the reef harbor.
In an instant, all the pirates who were taking a lunch break jumped up and started moving quickly as if they were drunk.
In just a few breaths, all the pirates had found their respective positions, quickly pulled up the anchors, and raised the giant sails bearing the pirate emblem.
Soon, several large ships sailed out of the reef port like arrows and rushed out to the vast sea.
Cao Bangyan stood on the side of the ship with his hands behind his hands, his face full of confidence and calmness. With their strength, dealing with a merchant fleet would be a killing blow.
Mrs. Wang, Mrs. Wang, who made you get close to the Qian family, and how dare you go against your aunt Cao Youqing.
It even caused the Cao family to be suppressed by the Zuoqiu family for fifteen years!
This account is due to me, Cao Bangyan, for the Cao family.