Blackwater, Xicheng, the foot of Jianzhu Peak.

This place belongs to the relatively remote western suburbs of Heishuicheng. The sky was already bright, but the streets were sparsely populated by the white sun. Only a few half-crouched vendors could be seen hurriedly arranging a few pairs of straw sandals on the ground. The merchant who smelled of sweat lay on his horse, wielding his whip weakly. Most of the people who come to this business are kicked out of the city by their peers.

The Jianzhu Qiao family is a family that barely entered the Qinshan family five or six years ago. There was a general on the ancestor of the Qiao family, who was also rich and noble, but was dragged into the water in a famous rebellion during the Qin Hezong period two hundred years ago, and most of the Qiao family was sold into slavery or sold into prostitution. Only a few have been pardoned. But its name of the family no longer exists, and it was forced to the east side of the foot of Jianzhufeng Mountain, which is exactly the opposite mountain of Qiaofu today. They mingled among the merchants there, doing business with the barbarians of the Northern Regions, lest the imperial court be unhappy that day and wipe out this Qiao family.

The Qiao family has maintained this lowly life for nearly a hundred years, and I don't know how many families have been pushed to the brink of life and death in the deceit, and I don't know how many emerging forces are trying to get rich overnight, and they are strategizing in the sea of corpses and blood of countless families. The Qiao family is still unknown, as if waiting for that day to be completely forgotten in the past.

It wasn't until five years ago that God finally had a faint glimpse of this family that had fallen to the bottom. On that day, the prince went out to visit Blackwater City, and Qian Hangfu's position as governor of the state is said to have begun to spread after that visit. The son of Concubine Liang, the prince's favorite favorite, was only five years old, but the prince also took him on patrol. That day, the son of Concubine Liang slipped out alone to play by the Wanxiang Lake, and accidentally fell into the lake. Immediately, the lively people surrounded the lake embankment, but no one dared to go down to save him--I was afraid that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would be too angry and turn his anger on himself! Besides, this emperor's grandson's status was so respectful, how could he dare to defile his golden body! Just as the son of Concubine Liang was struggling in the lake, a young man from the Qiao family, named Qiao Zhenglang, happened to pass by here because of his business, but he did not hesitate to go down to the lake and immediately rescued the five-year-old imperial grandson and presented it to the prince who happened to hear the news.

At that time, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was almost crazy with joy, and he couldn't wait to take out all his internal organs and reward them to Qiao Zhenglang. However, as soon as the always moody prince passed his head, he became angry and ordered the heads of several civilians who were indifferent to watching the emperor and grandson fall into the river. Before returning to Beijing, he specially asked Qiao Zhenglang to walk with him, and on the way, Qiao Zhenglang was lucky enough to travel in the same carriage with the prince.

It's just that after His Royal Highness the Crown Prince introduced Qiao Zhenglang into Beijing, he saw the old man Long Live Lord. According to the prince's plan, not to mention that he also has to win the official position of a four-rank general for this life-saving benefactor, in fact, this is already the same as a carp jumping over the dragon gate, and the position is higher than He Zhe's more than ten years of hard work in the officialdom. But the emperor's performance really chilled the hearts of everyone in the Qiao family, who had "revived" and became a family soon after—when the prince said that this person disregarded his own safety and interests, and went to the lake without hesitation to save his precious son, His Majesty was overjoyed, and he was about to make a huge promotion to Qiao Zhenglang.

But the prince, who is not yet mature and has not yet understood the psychology of the people in power, rashly blurted out the life experience of his benefactor. In his opinion, two hundred spring and autumn periods have passed since the rebellion led by the Qi Palace, and the Qiao family was killed and exiled, and Qiao Zhenglang would not be implicated no matter what he said. But His Majesty the Emperor is far from that simple. When he learned that the emperor's grandson's life-saving benefactor, Zu Shang, was treasonous, he was a little dissatisfied with the crown prince's Meng Lang's recommendation. Of course, the most intolerable thing for the sake of the country is rebellion.

He knew that the blood relationship between this young man and General Qiao was not a trivial matter, but most of them were relatives! This made Qiao Zhenglang's historical conditions even more eye-catching. Moreover, although the Qinshan Kingdom has been passed down from generation to generation, the foreign forces are still very strong, the barbarians, their Immortal Iron Horseman, Demon Mountain...... The prince obviously likes this young man too much, if he is given a third-grade member as he originally envisioned, coupled with the support of the prince, this person will definitely be full of henchmen in a few years, and the history of the ancestral rebellion will be more eye-catching. At that time, even if he doesn't move his bones, if someone kneels down and forces him to add to his yellow robe, and avenges the blood and hatred of his ancestors who were almost beheaded by the whole family, the consequences will be unimaginable!

Besides, the prince is too temperamental, and he has the ability, but his ambition does not match his ability. His usual favorite Concubine Liu gave birth to a new son not long ago, and some other princes also have the material to endure the heavens and the earth, and the position of the prince is actually not established in his heart. As the father, he really doesn't want the prince to have too much reinforcement, which is actually for his own safety.

Based on these concerns, His Majesty the Emperor insisted on ignoring the strong opposition of the crown prince and arranged Qiao Zhenglang only to serve as a senior staff member under one of the prince's friends, Pei Baolong, the general of Anxi, but he did not have any real power, and the officers in the Taiping era were not welcomed. But in terms of the family, the emperor was rarely relieved, and allowed the Jianzhu Qiao family to re-enter the family system of the Qinshan Kingdom, but only approved the remote mountainous area of Jianzhu Peak as the Qiao family's house, but the patriarch was an old man, and at first glance he was the kind with a bad head, it was Qiao Zhenglang's grandfather, Qiao Shifan.

So now you can see that under the Jianzhu Peak, there is a small mansion, surrounded by tall Jianzhu on three sides, and there are several workers moving bricks and tiles, and they are busy building annexes. This is Qiao's Mansion, which is only five years old, and it is no wonder that it is still being renovated.

In the morning, an hour later, it is lunch time, and the sun rises high. And the "old lady and son" in Qiao's mansion are still the same as when they lived in cloth clothes, they got up more than two hours ago, read books, and do women's reds, Qiao's mansion is in order.

In the main hall, this is the place where Qiao's mansion and the door guests gather to discuss matters.

"Ahem...... This afternoon, the conference test is coming to an end, and the old man wants to take out two of the Longhu Shan sent by the prince's side a few days ago to give to Zhao Fugui Gongzi and Xiang Liufeng Gongzi in the West Garden, do you think it is appropriate?"

On the main seat in the hall, an old man with a hunched back, with a strange face, as if he had been cut off a piece, his beard and hair were all white, and he sat on the dragon sandalwood seat with his waist hunched over, and asked in a deep voice.

Qiao Shifan, the patriarch of Qiaofu, is now more than eighty years old. At such a high age, being able to become the patriarch was actually taught by Qiao Zhenglang's own handwriting. And after he became the patriarch five years ago, the first thing he did was to gather funds to repair this council room, select talents from the people who had done business with him before, and accept them as guests. The buildings in Qiao's Mansion are very simple, and the tables and chairs are almost all made of logs. Only this council room, with the gift of talent, the patriarch's main seat is made of precious dragon sandalwood, and the door seat is also made by melting and recasting pebbles in the lake. And it is precisely because of these that the name of the new family Qiaofu Aixian has spread in the Xicheng area, and it has gradually formed a crowd of customers.

"Patriarch, this matter must not be feasible!" A person suddenly stood up from his seat, he was originally born among merchants, his ancestor had been a prominent knight, named Chen Chongshan, and said with a straight face: "No matter how dazzling Zhao Fugui is in this conference test, then the Zhao family is not even the smallest family! He is completely a disciple of a poor family, but he gave His Royal Highness the crown prince's henchman a congratulatory gift for the birth of the fifth emperor's grandson, and the impact is unimaginable!"

Although his words were heartfelt, they inadvertently hinted at the small and weak Qiao family, and their humble background. Qiao Shifan's face sank for a moment, and he stretched out again. Chen Chongshan was a good brother who traveled to the barbarian clan back then, if Chen Chongshan couldn't speak, he couldn't let Qiaofu fall into the reputation of accepting advice.

"Uncle Chen, I'm afraid you don't know much about His Royal Highness the Prince!" Among the guests on the left hand side of the patriarch, an elegant prince dressed in white stood up and performed a standard filial piety ceremony. No one would have imagined that such a personable son would be a lowly merchant traveling with his father and brother five or six years ago!" "Before I entered Beijing with my brother of the Zhenglang clan, it was not a small contact with the prince as a cronie. Although His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is as moody as everyone says, he is indeed a person who is jealous and hateful, and loves and hates clearly!

When he rewarded Zhenglang again, didn't he also kill a few people who watched the excitement? If we give such treasures to Zhao Gongzi, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will not only not be angry, but will also praise us for our ability to perceive talents. In the same way, it can also be relied on for this reason, the crown prince can make a sword-giving hero attitude to the outside world, and will not be rumored by those with intentions to collude with our family's party. And such a rebellious behavior in the eyes of the outside world, the prince's side is not angry but happy, then we should understand that we have a relationship with him, right? The prince is covering the Qiao family, and he can show this meaning openly and openly! In the future, we will see who dares to underestimate us! Therefore, I suggest that we not only send it, but also send it with great fanfare and enthusiasm! Uncle Zheng, you are right?"

"The good words are so right!" Zheng Liguo, who was a low-level staff member in the prince's mansion, was sent by the prince as a strategist after the revival of the Qiao family. He stroked his beard, smiled and said: "The prince's attitude must be like this, the patriarch's move is to make friends with the Magi, and secondly, to establish the power of the prince in the world, wonderful!"

"Since the fourth brother and Uncle Zheng both said so, grandpa, I suggest that the father-in-law's oriental ginseng should also be given to Zhao Gongzi!" Qiao Shifan's youngest grandson, who was seventeen years old and named Qiao Dong, made a proposal innocently.

Chen Chongshan stood up again at this time, hugged his fists and said: "Listening to what the good words say, the patriarch's move seems to be feasible, just now Lao Chen was superficial, don't blame you!"

At this time, someone in the seat on Qiao Shifan's left row raised his hand. He is Qiao Shifan's third son, named Qiao Zhuoyan. Qiao Shifan nodded, and Qiao Zhuoyan walked up to Qiao Shifan and whispered, "Father, Shuoji and Lingyan have been gone for so long, and they are probably coming back soon." The barbarian generals in Wan'an City have been arrested and detained for more than ten days. I suspect that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince may have to make a move soon. It won't be long before the current situation in Blackwater City will be turbulent, and it may not be worth it to choose to invest in these talents at this time. ”

Qiao Shifan chuckled lightly and motioned for his son to return to his seat. Then he raised his voice and said, "Everyone, please remember that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has already instructed us to develop in Blackwater City for a long time until it becomes entrenched. His Highness had assured that his plan was mainly related to the eastern borders such as Xingyang City, and would not affect Blackwater City too much. So you don't have to think that we shouldn't take this opportunity in this time of imminent chaos. On the contrary, if the situation becomes chaotic in the coming days, all of our actions will be of greater benefit to our family to take root in Blackwater. As long as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is here, he will ensure that Blackwater City will not be overturned for a day!"

Qiao Shifan waved his left and right hands on both sides, cleared his throat, and continued to say slowly: "If everyone has no objections, then the old man has decided to put a box of oriental ginseng and two Longhu Shan plants in a platinum gift box, and on the morning of the unveiling day, three carriages will be pulled to Zhao's house in Xiting, and then congratulations with gold and silver jewelry, and Zhao Gongzi will try to perform well!"

"This matter, you can send someone to do it" He looked at a big man sitting on his right, this was his fourth nephew, Qiao Dingxing, and hugged his fist at Qiao Shifan.

"Patriarch, the son-in-law thinks that you can't just send Zhao Fugui alone, right? Like that flowing wind, it can be said that it is-for-tat with Zhao Fugui in the trial, and it is difficult to distinguish between the superior and the inferior! There are also many talents in the official examination, and the son-in-law watched the poetry and literature of the talented son of the king and the second year of high school fight each other yesterday, and he really can't hide it, and his talents are ten times that of rough people such as us!"

As soon as the words fell, a young man in his twenties - his name is Liu Jingfan, who was originally also a doorman, and later became friends with Qiao Yinqinse, the third daughter of Qiao Shifan's third son, and became this fast son-in-law. He smiled apologetically at the crowd around him, and gave an apology with his fists. The guests also knew that Gao and Wang, the two great families of Heishui City, were talented, so they echoed the smile.

"Yes, although the prince doesn't think there's anything wrong with us transferring the things he gave to Zhao Caizi, if we only give it to him, it will be difficult to escape the suspicion of winning people's hearts. "This is what another strategist named Qin Sheng said.

That's right. The small family is not like the wealthy family, the big family wants to give gifts to the talents of the poor family, and there is no need to take so much into account, people will think that even if it has the ability to win people's hearts, it is reasonable. As for the small family, they still have to work hard to maintain, and they use gifts to tie the children of the poor family to the same boat, which will be criticized for winning people's hearts. Especially when only one Zhao Fugui is favored, the Qiao family will have to be careful of gossip and the vigilance of the family. Moreover, if the small family wants to send congratulatory gifts to the big family, it will be difficult to escape the notorious reputation of making sycophants, which can be said to be a tacit consensus in the officialdom of Qinshan State.

"Then according to what you said, the old man said that he also had to try a dozen or so talents to give gifts to that conference in order to avoid this suspicion of bribery and win the name of that beloved talent?" Qiao Shifan patted the seat lightly and asked with a smile on his face.

"Grandpa, it's a pity to miss such an opportunity to make friends with talented people and families!"

Qiao Liangyan stood up and said slowly and firmly: "I also arrived at the scene yesterday, it seems that after the new city lord named He Zhe took the throne, the talents of Blackwater City have suddenly increased! This time the test is really a hundred times more prosperous than before, and there are many talents! What is even more worth a try is that He Zhe's righteous daughter He Yue." Although this woman was born in a peasant family on the shore of Wanzheng Lake, and for some reason she stepped into the position of the daughter of the city lord, she was able to express the Taoist words of Master Sen Dao in the poem preparing for the official examination! As long as we are willing to pay the money that these other small families are reluctant to kill, and send congratulatory gifts to a dozen, or even half of the talented people who can test the test, we can also send a copy to the city lord's family, and others cannot criticize anything. If the relationship with the city lord can be handled well, to tell the truth, then we will be able to soar like the Gao family when Qian Zhizhou was in time!"

"Okay!" Qiao Shifan stood up suddenly, laughed, stared at Qiao Liangyan's eyes like a torch, where was there still a little aging, and said flexibly: "This is exactly the result of my discussion with Liguo last night, you can also think of this, okay!

The faces of the disciples showed a look of relief--the Qiao family, which had endured for so long, if it could leap thousands of miles like that Gao family, it would make people's blood boil when they thought about it! Although this was only the first step, it really made these strategists who were originally civilians in cloth very excited.

"Yesterday, I have sent the book to the Zhenglang Army, and asked him to send Qiao Mingyan back to Blackwater City as soon as possible! I specially told him to bring back more treasures from the past few years, and told him the plan we discussed today. It is estimated that tomorrow, Ming Yan will return to Qiao's Mansion. Eleven days later, on the day of the unveiling, Dingxing, you and Ming Yan together packed a box of Lingshan Qingfeng Mula and gave it to the Gao family's Gao Li Gongzi, and then sent a pot of the Eight Desolations Golden Dragon Brew that the prince gave to the old man when he celebrated his birthday. There are other talents, the old man will assign you tasks, and everyone will not be less!

Jing Fan, you are responsible for giving all the Longhu Shan and Oriental ginseng, cough cough, all to Zhao Fugui and Xiang Liufeng! Good words, over there is the daughter of the Hefu, I want you to go to the treasury to find a congratulatory gift that fits Heyue, and at the same time, you should also prepare for my good life for the congratulatory gift for He Zhe! Go over early, don't let other families take the lead. Among so many people, I don't need to say more about the importance of the city lord. You kid give me a good choice, this time you are going to send our Qiao family's pride to Blackwater City! You remember, when the time comes, not only will we give gifts, but the entire Heishui City will send them everywhere, whether you can make others feel that we are more sincere and enthusiastic, it depends on a few of you!"