Noon.

Qiao's family.

Since the last time the Qiao family gave gifts, although many families were very disdainful of their group of hillbillies, some families saw the benefits and promised a lot of benefits to the Qiao family. Although most of them are small families, there are also big families like the Gao family among the Qiao family's "allies".

Qinshan's domestic large-scale official affairs are more arranged by the family than monopolized by the government. It's only been three or four days, and there have been many letters from families to cooperate with this and that project. Like the Lingyin Temple led by the Gao family, the Biyun Tea House presided over by the middle-class family, and coincidentally, the Ji Mansion, which made a lot of noise at the conference, also invited them to cooperate in building the Fengyue Corridor. The Qiao family readily agreed.

Therefore, in the small Qiao Mansion, recruitment is in full swing. The servants carried out boxes of silver and brought them home one by one. The house is up and down, it's not lively.

But on this day, Qiao Shifan, who usually personally inspects the craftsmen recruited, and a few people in the mansion who can speak are not there. And in the hall of Qiao's mansion, there were five men of different statures kneeling on the ground, bowing their heads in fear, and the seven-foot man led by him still had faint tears on his face. The guests were not there, and there were only two people on the seats on both sides of the hall, Qiao Xuebin and Qiao Mingyan, both with sad faces, pursed their lips, and looked at the five people on the ground with bitter faces.

"Shuoji, you come and tell me, why six people went, and only five came back!"

Qiao Shifan's face was unprecedentedly gloomy, and his voice was hoarse, as if he had cried.

"Uncle, it's me who is incompetent, I ......"

"Qiao Shuoji! I don't want to hear you talk this kind of nonsense! Why did only five of the six people come back! Do you want to make it clear to me, as your uncle, Lao Tzu personally split you!"

Qiao Ming was shocked at the table, he had never seen the old man make such a big fire. On the main seat, Qiao Shifan stepped on the seat, pointed at Qiao Shuoji, who was kneeling on the ground, and roared loudly. His eyes were full of regret and misery. This situation made Qiao Mingyan secretly worry about himself. He glanced at the second brother and found that Qiao Xuebin's face was also worried about the old man's body. He said, "Grandfather, don't be angry......

"Shut up!" Qiao Shifan glared at Qiao Xuebin, scolded him rarely, and began to cough violently again. Qiao Xuebin had to smile bitterly.

"It's me who is too greedy. It was my fault...... After returning from the Western Regions, we were protected by the Haoshui caravan in Da Yadu along the way, and we were safe and sound until Mogu Pass. Qiao Shuoji, the second generation of Qiao Mansion with the largest generation, also cleaned up his grief at this moment, gritted his teeth and spoke.

"Mogu Pass is surrounded by the border between the barbarians and our country. The route we took passed through the barbarians, and their passes were guarded by barbarians. Can...... The caravan was about to leave that day, and we were all in a tavern. That magic weapon suddenly had a sense, and there was a wealth ......of celestial meteorite in the Wuding River on the edge of Mo Gu Pass! I persuaded everyone to let the caravan pass first, and we rushed over as soon as we took the Celestial Meteorite. The Heavenly Meteorite in Wuding Hanoi was actually more than the one we had brought back from this trip! We had brought back three boxes of iron, and it had only been half a day, and we should have been able to catch up with the caravan at all. But the barbarian general didn't know what was crazy, and he actually blocked Mogu Pass at that time! That was the will of the capital of the Underworld, and the passes in this area were upgraded to wartime precautions! No one could let go, and it was only after three days that the guard was lifted, allowing us to enter the customs and enter the territory of the Underworld Kingdom. But...... Naturally, the caravan had long since gone away, and we had to go alone. After...... Later, we ...... I met a bandit, it was a thief from our Qin Mountain Country who sneaked into the Underworld Kingdom. Listen...... Ling'er, I've been arrested ......"

As he spoke, Qiao Shifan's face changed several colors. Hearing the last sentence, his pale face twitched, his bloodless lips jumped sharply, and then he began to cough heartbreakingly. Qiao Mingyan and the two of them were so shocked that they were about to come forward to wait, and the five people in the audience were also panicked. But Qiao Shifan didn't soften his body, but slapped the table hard, making everyone shut up.

While worrying about the old man, Qiao Xuebin sighed melancholy in his heart. The Ling'er in the uncle's mouth is his second daughter Qiao Lingyan, who is Qiao Xuebin's sister. When he was a child, the relationship between the two was good, but after the Qiao family established a mansion, Qiao Xuebin could only study diligently, and he used his spare time to study Taoism. The relationship between the two has been estranged a lot, but the grief in his heart at the moment is still heavy. His sister's voice and smile still exist in his tenderest and most beautiful memories. Qiao Lingyan is like her name, if she wants to rap, I'm afraid that even those kabuki can't compare to her voice. When he speaks, he is also like a bamboo in his ears, which is very moving and pleasant. Qiao Lingyan was short and thin, not very beautiful, but very delicate. The temperament is the most lively, otherwise this time I wouldn't have begged to go to the Western Regions with my father and brothers to do secret business. But it's this meteorite, this pile of broken copper and iron. Qiao Xuebin thought disdainfully. There is also the thief who killed a thousand knives, who took Ling Yan forever and his sister. I only knew that my sister had an accident, but I didn't know that she was captured by bandits. According to her character, she will never commit herself to the bandits. In this way, I am afraid that I will suffer and be tortured. Thinking of this, Qiao Xuebin's heart sank. He even wanted to use his own way to fly to the bandits' den and kill them all! Monks walking in the world, several restraints, can not be stained with too much blood, too many lives.

"Lingyan is my own daughter! Uncle, the child is not filial, and he has no shame to take Qiao as his surname. The four brothers and nephews are also at fault, but most of the responsibility lies with me. I didn't fulfill my family's tasks and my father's responsibilities,...... Please shave my last name, uncle!"

This is a bit too much, isn't it?" Qiao Mingyan thought to himself. Uncle is afraid that he was overly sad, and he was reprimanded by the patriarch, and he blamed himself too much. The family was under construction, and it had become a fact that Qiao Lingyan was taken captive, but she was just an inconsequential little woman in the family when she told the truth. Qiao Shuoji actually wanted to express remorse in this way at this time, which was very unwise in Qiao Mingyan's opinion. Although there is one less member in the family, he Qiao Mingyan will inevitably grieve, but it would be too much to say that the surname is cut off.

"Machine...... You still don't understand! Tell me, why did the five of you not protect Lingyan, but you were able to get out of the way? Ahem....... And come back with that fucking meteorite!How I wish, how much I wish you bunnies who don't fight for it....... It's people who bring it back!"

Qiao Shifan said in pity, but Qiao Shuoji couldn't control his sobs. It took a while for Qiao Shuoji to calm down. He let out a sigh of relief and commanded himself to relive the nightmare of that day.

"That day, we arrived at the Rong River, which is only three miles long and originates in Huayu Mountain...... It flows into the Great Huiling River, one of the ten dangerous rivers in the north. After leaving the caravan before, we also encountered some road robbers, but as long as they gave us money to buy the road, they let us go, but those people ....... There were many Qin people around Huayu Mountain, and I didn't know that there was such a powerful group of bandits, so I found an inn to live at the foot of the mountain. We couldn't cross the river without a boat, so we agreed with the fishermen at the foot of Mt. Kawa that they would take us on a ride when they went out fishing in five days. But we just stopped at the hotel, and happened to bump into a bandit on the mountain, named Hui Lingtang, who came to this area to collect protection money. We had to honestly pay for it that day, but two days later, two strange people moved in. One man has a white face, and the other woman is extremely ugly. Two days later, in the middle of the night, the night before the fishermen said they were going to go fishing, a fisherman came to tell us that they had been threatened by Hui Lingtang and were not allowed to take us out of the mountain. He told me that the two weirdos turned out to be the second and fourth masters of Huilingtang, and the second leader fell in love with Ling Yan...... But they felt that they could not go, so they risked a lot of money and left two small boats for us. I quickly woke them up and waited for the fishermen to leave after two hours. It was not yet dawn, so I took Lingyan and the others to the Rong River, and found that the two boats he said, one was large and the other was quite small. The situation was complicated...... All we had to do was get five heavy boxes of Celestial Meteorite onto the ship. But the big boat was stuffed with three boxes, and the five of us men sat on it, and it almost sank. It's best to have someone on every boat...... The boat was already crumbling with two boxes, but Ling Yan could still keep it from turning over when he sat on it. After all this work, it was already dawn, but unfortunately we were discovered by the sentinels on the hill of Huilingtang, who immediately gathered their men and horses and rushed down the mountain. I hurriedly asked everyone to get on the boat, but I found that Ling Yan didn't know where she had gone, and we couldn't find her when we looked around, and no one answered when we asked her. After a while, when the bandits reached the bottom of the mountain, I turned my head and saw that Ling Yan was already in the small boat at some point. The fishermen had only two oars, and I chained the two boats together, and by this time the bandits were very close. I didn't have time to ask Lingyan a word, so I just paddled with the fourth child. After drawing a certain distance, they began to fire arrows on the shore. I told Ling Yan to lie down immediately. But the thieves were cunning, and when they saw the big boxes on the ship, they loaded the arrows with heavy iron and shot them at her ship. I panicked when I saw it, I reached out to pull her, and I had already grabbed her hand...... However, it was hard to believe, and at that moment a heavy arrow flew in, extremely fast, and broke the chain directly from it. And then...... I saw Lingyan's ship start sinking, and she started screaming....... I looked up and vaguely saw the man on the shore who was bending his bow and arrow, and he was their second master. Then another arrow pierced my arm. I... I saw the second master plunge directly into the water and swim towards Ling Yan like crazy, and it wasn't until he picked up Ling Yan and carried it on his shoulder that I felt a sharp pain in my arm and passed out......"

The long narration, every detail seems to be imprinted in the hearts of everyone who has experienced it. Qiao Shuoji's voice became hoarse as he spoke.

Qiao Shifan had already calmed down, grasped a few key points, and asked coldly: "Ling Yan doesn't know where she went? Did you see the expression on her face clearly at that time? Did she not speak? Also, did you see Ling Yan's last expression before she fell unconscious? Didn't she shout? And one more point, why did the Barbarian Pass suddenly close the pass, do you have any opinion?"

"The previous question, Ling Yan didn't seem to have any expression on his face at that time, and he didn't react at all....... The latter one, ask my uncle for forgiveness, I really couldn't see the situation at that time, and I didn't react at all, I don't know why...... As for the issue of the closed pass, I really don't know ......."

"Could it be that the prince's side has already ......" Qiao Mingyan listened to Qiao Shifan's last question, as if he suddenly understood something, and couldn't help but blurt out. But before he finished speaking, he was stopped by Qiao Shifan's stern eyes, the old man waved his hand, and said in a deep voice: "Don't speculate......!

At this time, Qiao Xuebin, who was seated, his face fell into calm. He was fiercely speculating and calculating Qiao Lingyan's fate in his heart. The eyes always shine brightly, and from time to time they become lost. Qiao Mingyan seemed to have figured out something, his expression became disappointed and angry, and he lowered his head and did not speak.

The atmosphere was cold for a moment, and Qiao Shifan finally opened his mouth and shouted in a deep voice: "Qiao Shuoji!"

"Patriarch!"

"As a father and an eldest brother, you can't protect your own daughter. According to my Qiao family's family law, this is a mistake! As the leader of this trip, you miscalculated everywhere, greedy for small profits, and indecisive, this is the second mistake!" Qiao Shifan looked at his nephew coldly, not giving him a chance to speak. "But if you can exceed the task, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will be happy, and you can strengthen the foundation of our house, which is a good thing. Therefore, this kindness can be used for the sin of incompetence, but not for the sin of dereliction of duty! In the next three months, you must not go out of Qiao's house! Use this time to study Confucian teachings. Shuoji, alas, you must know that some things cannot be bought back by money and power, and some things will not come back if you regret it for the rest of your life!"

Tears rolled down Qiao Shuoji's face, kowtowed to the hall, and then was about to retreat, but was stopped by the old man.

It seemed that the strength of his whole body had been exhausted, Qiao Shifan asked in a tired and hoarse voice: "Mingyan, Xuebin, you, you give the old man ideas." Do you want to mourn for Lingyan? If it is a funeral, the movement caused must be not small, and if those families ask about the details, what should they say!"

There is an unwritten rule in Qinshan. Whenever someone from a family dies, they will tell the families with the best relationship with them, and when the funeral is held, these families will come to participate, so that the news of the funeral will spread. As for how widely the specific news has spread, it is unknown. But at the same time, there is a habit that the number of guests who come to the funeral cannot exceed 100, and the maximum number of guests can only be 99, and if you accidentally violate this rule, it will be considered a great disrespect to the deceased. But even so, a funeral arranged by the family has enough popularity. Therefore, Qiao Shifan was struggling with whether Qiao Lingyan's matter should be made public.

Qiao Mingyan and Qiao Xuebin glanced at each other, it seemed that because of the old man's question just now, Qiao Mingyan's eyes were full of disappointment and sadness, but when he saw the second brother, he smiled hard and motioned for him to speak first. Qiao Mingyan was silent for a while, gritted his teeth, and said clearly: "Patriarch, I don't think this matter can be made public! First of all, this battle was proposed by Lord Liang Kang at the court ten days ago, but we were out of the fortress more than a month ago, and anyone with a discerning eye can see that it was premeditated. Secondly, the Heavenly Meteorite Iron is a thing for forging strange weapons, the strongest military in our Qinshan Country, all the equipment of the Heavy Iron Cavalry is made of Heavenly Meteorite Iron, and one person can be dozens of people. Therefore, the celestial meteorite symbolizes war, and our dynasty clearly stipulates that any army can only purchase a certain amount of celestial meteorite in peacetime. We went out to buy iron so long before Lord Liang Kang, which will definitely attract a lot of discussion. Thirdly, the relationship between His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Majesty has become more and more deadlocked recently, and the ministers of the DPRK and China are aware of this, and I have heard him mention it more often when I am under the general's account. Therefore, anyone with a discerning eye can see that if the war is really His Majesty's intention, he will not send the prince's people to purchase such important materials. And it seems that the four princes have recently had a royal grandson, and on the day of his birth, he triggered the auspicious omen of Wan'an City, which was deeply loved by His Majesty. If this plan is revealed, His Royal Highness and His Majesty will definitely be incompatible! Moreover, the barbarian general Temulun in the Heavenly Prison was a priest of the Underworld before he entered Beijing, and he was inspired by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to be driven by us. If it is not from our clan, his heart will be different, and the priest of Hades Ze will have to guard against it! If this person defects to the battle, we will surely die! If the news of Sister Tingyan's murder spreads too widely and has too great an impact, I am afraid that we will lose a lot of internal and external aid! I don't know how His Royal Highness the Crown Prince succeeded in getting His Majesty to agree to war, but how could it be that His Highness is leading His Majesty by the nose? We must take it step by step, and we must not make the slightest mistake! Patriarch, Sister Lingyan is of course sacrificing for the sake of the family, and I am also very sad, just like everyone. But...... But if you want to see a long-term plan, you shouldn't spread the news about Sister Lingyan at this time, which will lead to speculation and affect the big plan......!

Qiao Mingyan tried his best to dissuade him, and what he said was very reasonable. But Qiao Shifan seemed to have heard enough, and Qiao Mingyan's remaining words were blocked back by him with a wave of his hand. The topic involving the crown prince is very sensitive, but this time Qiao Shifan did not warn Qiao Mingyan not to talk nonsense. He let out a long sigh. There is disappointment, sadness, and anger in the sighs. There is also a hint of helplessness and appreciation. His voice became more and more hoarse, and he asked Qiao Xuebin, "Xuebin, what do you think?"

Qiao Xuebin's face was surprisingly calm, and he only groaned slowly: "Avoid tigers in the morning, avoid long snakes in the evening, grind your teeth and suck blood, and kill people like numb." Although Jincheng is cloudy, it is better to return home early. He looked around at the bewildered expressions of the people around him, and said with a miserable smile: "There are immortals in the East in the world, and when they touch the scene, they can't help but feel a few words, which makes you laugh." "Sit down, and say no more.

"Grinding teeth and sucking blood...... Killing people is like ...... hemp" "Jincheng is cloudy....... It's better to return home early......" Qiao Shifan pondered these two lines of poetry, his expression calmed down, and he spit out three words like bitter water: "Good poem......"

A few of them were a little good at writing, and at this time they already understood what Qiao Xuebin was analogy. Keep your head down, and your heart is mixed.

Qiao Shifan suddenly smiled, Qiao Xuebin's two poems expressed everything he wanted to say today. Five years ago, the Qiao family was rebuilt with the help of the crown prince, and it can be said that the background of their family is much more powerful than that of the twenty or so families in Blackwater City. In this way, the thirst for power and wealth is heavier than that of ordinary families. Qiao Shifan also knows that in the struggle for power, under the support of the crown prince, their Qiao family will one day get out of today's situation, enter a higher level, and enjoy greater glory and wealth. But at the same time, there are too many storms to endure. Qiao Lingyan's matter is like a sharp knife stuck in the old man's heart, after all, he has been a flat-headed ordinary man all his life, and once upon a time, his hope was just to reunite as a family, and he didn't want to lose the people around him again. But he, the entire Qiao Mansion understood that they didn't want to give up power, let alone the prince's deep kindness to them. But sometimes think about it, although Jincheng is really Yunle, it is better to return home early! Qiao Shifan doesn't want his children and grandchildren to become like Qiao Mingyan said, only for the sake of long-term planning. Now, it's time to lead by example and tell the children of the Qiao Mansion that the Qiao family is a family, but it is even more a family.

"Good, good. The old man has made up his mind. Lingyan's funeral was scheduled for half a month later, and it was a good day. She is a child I know, and she will not be a thief, so that she will die..... You can do specific things, and make the scale bigger. Ahem, also spread the news outside. A few well-connected families, Xuebin, you write to them. It's better to spread it wider. Mingyan, you wrote to Zhenglang and told him about it, telling him that he had to rush back to participate......! Another point, you have told me the truth about the envoy to the Western Regions and other matters, but death, the cause of death, just say that there was a flash flood along the way! Although our Qiao family is small, we can't afford to lose the face of being robbed by bandits! cough cough cough ...... If the news of the purchase of the Heavenly Meteorite Iron spread, it would definitely cause the prince to be dissatisfied and cause turmoil...... In that case, I will personally write to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and ask him for his guilt!"

Qiao Mingyan was taken aback, and wanted to persuade him, but when he saw the old man's haggard and almost unbearable face, he had to bow his head and remain silent, with mixed feelings in his heart.