After the old lady of the Ma family left, Ma Xingzhou said, "Get up and talk."

Ma Wan replied "yes" and stood aside, waiting for her grandfather to speak.

"Grandfather knows that you have always been obedient and sensible. Your father died early, and all these years you and your mother have taken care of your younger siblings, shared the household chores, and managed the middle feed, and you have always been more careful and self-reliant than ordinary boudoir women, and these grandfathers have seen it......

Because of this, his wife always prefers this eldest granddaughter more, and he is no exception.

When Ma Wan was about to speak, she saw her grandfather, who was over sixty years old, looking at her, and his tone was a little more solemn: "But you don't know anything about the affairs of the court, and you are deeply involved in the matter of the princess of King Rong, which is very different from ordinary family affairs.

Seeing her grandfather's demeanor, Ma Wan was inexplicably a little nervous, so she nodded and listened quietly.

"Marrying a family member is inevitably burdensome, but my grandfather believes that you are able to deal with this, and what my grandfather said about "very different" means something else-"

Ma Xingzhou had no intention of coaxing his granddaughter, and said bluntly: "If you marry to Yizhou, you need to always pay attention to the actions of King Rong's father and son, and if there is the slightest change, you must send a letter back to Beijing in time."

Ma Wan was stunned for a while, and then she was able to ask, "What does grandfather mean......

Ma Xingzhou nodded with her: "In addition to the princess of King Rong, you have another identity, and that is the eyes of a saint."

Ma Wan's face turned a little pale for a while, she thought that the sage must have considered the Ma family, but she didn't think so deeply.

"The Ma family bears the emperor's grace and is trusted and reused by the saints, and this prime minister's mansion can take root here, all of which are granted by the king's grace." Ma Xingzhou and his granddaughter said in detail: "Giving the eldest granddaughter of my prime minister's mansion to marry the prince of King Rong is not only decent enough, but also a reminder."

"Zongyi Prefecture is far away in the west, but the saint has never had to worry about the possibility of rebellion in my Ma family, so in the eyes of the saint, Wan'er is the best choice."

When the old man said this, his eyes softened slightly: "However, this trip carries a lot of burdens, grandfather does not want to force you, and the saint does not want to chill this gentleman's affection, so he has no intention of imposing it, and there is still room for discussion in this matter at present."

"Grandfather told you this because he wanted you to think carefully before making a decision."

Ma Wan came back to her senses for a long time, with a hint of luck in her heart: "...... Rong Wangfu, do you really have a different heart?"

"Although there is no empirical evidence, since King Rong is now the only half-brother of the previous emperor, the saint has to guard against it, and it is precisely because there is no empirical evidence that he needs such a pair of eyes to go to Yizhou together." Ma Xingzhou said slowly: "If King Rong's ambition is not here, he may be willing to restrain and press it...... It is very good for the saint and for the overall situation of the world."

"The granddaughter also hopes that the Rong Wangfu is not dissenting......" Ma Wan's mind fluctuated for a while.

Ma Xingzhou looked at his granddaughter and asked thoughtfully, "Does Wan'er have other things in mind? If so, you might as well talk to your grandfather."

Ma Wan struggled in her heart for a moment, but in the end she still shook her head, and only said, "Wan'er just thinks that grandfather thinks about Wan'er everywhere...... As the eldest daughter in the family, how can Wan'er put her grandfather in the face of disloyalty and injustice?"

Can she say that she is happy with the prince of the king?

She had planned to explain her heart to her grandfather, but this trip was for the eyes of the saint, and that intention was troublesome and unfortunate for the saint.

If she does, she will no longer be trusted, and she will no longer be the best candidate.

She would never betray the Prime Minister's Mansion, but she really didn't want to miss the opportunity to marry her sweetheart...... People live for a lifetime, and soulmates are hard to find, and she will never meet a second person like this in her life.

And she believes that there is a way to do both.

For a man's eyes and his music do not lie, and he is an easy-going man who is not indulged in power struggles......

As long as King Rong's Mansion and the saint are safe, everything can be both!

The young man's warm and pure smile flashed in front of her again, and Ma Wan didn't hesitate in her heart.

"Wan'er is willing to go to Yizhou for the Prime Minister's Mansion, this trip will definitely live up to the trust of her grandfather and the saint, and please ask her grandfather to fulfill Wan'er's heart!"

Ma Xingzhou looked at it and knelt down again

The granddaughter who went, after a while, sighed softly, with distress and relief in her eyes.

……

After listening to her grandfather's many explanations, when Ma Wan left, the night was already dark.

On the way back, the moonlight was silent, but Ma Wan's mood could not be calmed for a long time, there was joy, yearning, and a trace of vague unease.

"Girl...... Have you really figured it out?" The maid hesitated again and again, but couldn't help but open her mouth.

Although she didn't know what the girl and the old man had said, in the carriage back from the music hall, the girl's thoughts were already obvious.

The maid whispered worriedly, "The maid is worried that the prince of Narong is not sincere, but deliberately coaxes the girl......

Ma Wan frowned very quickly: "Then you say, what did he coax me?"

Today he didn't say anything to her other than music theory, and he even admitted that he hadn't completely let go of the Chang family lady at the moment, and everything she did was done by her own initiative, not by others.

The waitress had a complicated complexion: "The maid can't say it, it's just an instinct......

Ma Wan: "Since there is no evidence, who taught you to slander others so casually?"

The maid confessed her mistake in a panic: "The girl is angry, and the maid knows that she is wrong."

"Besides, don't talk to anyone, including my grandfather and grandmother, about my acquaintance with King Rong's son in the music hall." Ma Wan instructed, "So as not to give birth to unnecessary rumors."

The maid didn't dare to say more, and she should only say "yes" when she heard it.

The master and servant didn't say anything all the way, Ma Wan was immersed in her own thoughts, and the moment she stepped into her courtyard, she subconsciously glanced at the maid again.

Deliberate coaxing? Not sincerely?

She thought about the maid's words again, and after thinking about it again, she still felt funny.

What was he saying to deceive her? As for sincerity, when did he advertise that he treated her "sincerely"?

He didn't say or do anything, it was just her own decision to follow her own wishes.

……

All clever calculations often do not make the calculated person aware of them, but attribute the results of the silent inducement of others to their own willingness, and indulge themselves in this "willingness".

It was night, and the prince of King Rong stood quietly in front of the window in his clothes.

He knew very well that Ming Hou would not let him leave alone.

But Ming Hou couldn't imagine that the suitable candidate she selected after much thought about it was actually personally selected by him.

In the eyes of the Empress of the Ming Dynasty, there will be no possibility of the Ma family defecting, and the right prime minister Ma Xingzhou is indeed a good minister who is honest and loyal......

But when his son died early, he treated his eldest granddaughter with more pity and love, so he couldn't make up his mind for a long time.

In this case, he will help the other party, if Ma Wan can speak in person, as a grandfather, he will naturally get both.

Wouldn't everyone be happy if they could get the best of both worlds?

Li Lu looked up at the moon with a smile, and after a while, the smile dissipated a little, and he seemed to see the boat on the lake under the moon that night, and the girl with the bow on the boat.

Goodbye, when and where?

But he thought he would see him again.

He waited for that day.

And earlier than that day came the decree of marriage.

Soon, the news of the marriage of Li Lu, the son of the saint for the glory of the king, and Ma Wan, the granddaughter of Ma Xiang's family, spread.

"I will remember what Ma Xiang did today for me to serve the court."

"It is the duty of a minister to share his majesty's worries."

The Holy Emperor looked at the loyal minister and said promisedly, "I know the ambition of the horse, and I will not let those poor students down, nor will I make them wait for a long time."

Ma Xingzhou bowed deeply.

The emperor's words mean that the affairs of the eldest grandson clan are about to end.

Soon after, Emperor Shengshu immediately dismissed the official and removed him from his official list, confiscated his family property, and beheaded Changsun Yuan and his two sons on the charge that Changsun Yuan had colluded with Xu Zhengye to rebel.

The rest of the clan were also hanged, dismissed, or exiled, depending on the severity of their crimes.

Reading the past merits of the Changsun clan, those who have not reached the age of 16 in their clan will not be held accountable, but they all need to move to the land of Qianzhou with their relatives, and their descendants will not be allowed to leave Qianzhou for half a step in the future.

It's not that the Holy Book Emperor didn't want to cut down the grass and eradicate the roots, but the actions that have always cut off people's bloodlines have damaged the reputation of Yin De, not to mention that the Changsun clan has deep roots, and there is still residual strength and other warrior forces behind it, if she tries to get rid of it in one fell swoop, she will also be counterattacked.

Sometimes a little show of mercy and leave room for vitality, in order to break the absolute side in a desperate situation.

Now that the tree has collapsed, the rest of the branches can be left for later pruning.

At this moment, the young eldest grandson was holding his grandfather's tablet in his arms, and he was already sitting in the carriage leaving Beijing for Qianzhou with several relatives.

The proud and noble young man who was proud and noble in the past was dressed in plain cloth at this time, the tears in his eyes had long since dried up, and his expression was depressed and numb.

The carriage was rough and bumpy, and there was nothing but a few baggage in it, which he had used since birth, and had never touched such rough things.

But this is already a manifestation of the emperor's "leniency and kindness".

The eldest grandson was silent for a long time.

He thought that the death of his sister-in-law was the most painful life he could imagine, but he never thought that it was just the beginning.

His grandfather died, his grandmother hanged himself, his father died, his mother went with him, and his uncles who watched him grow up also died......

"Ah Lone, from now on, you will be the new head of the eldest grandson clan, remember your grandfather's explanation before he left." The clansmen's voices were sad and hoarse, but they were full of unwilling sustenance.

The eldest grandson was a little dazed.

Grandfather's confession......

Yes, the night before the execution, his grandfather had something to say to him.

Grandfather didn't hide it from him anymore, and explained all the causes and consequences to him, grandfather did know that Xu Zhengye was going to raise troops, and he did receive secret letters from Xue Ren and Luo Guanlin......

Although his grandfather did not answer them, he also concealed the truth, because his grandfather saved the heart of returning power after Xu Zhengye forced Ming.

Grandfather said that he knew that Xu Zhengye and others might have wolf ambitions, and he had no intention of being with them, but just wanted to borrow strength.

My grandfather said that there is a difference between the Changsun clan and the five major clans headed by the Cui clan, that is, the Changsun clan and the Li clan prosper and decline together, are loyal to the Li clan, and no matter how they fight for power, this will has never changed.

Therefore, his grandfather handed over the seal of the head of the Changsun family to him, and ordered him to take on this responsibility, protect the Changsun family, and find a good opportunity to choose the master of the Li family again to help him revive the Li family.

He closed his eyes at this time, and it seemed that he could still see his grandfather's unwilling but unwavering eyes.

Choose the master of the Li family and revitalize the Li family......

Can he really fulfill his grandfather's legacy on his own?

The young man lowered his eyes and looked at the tablet wrapped in black cloth in his arms, and his eyes gradually turned red again.

He seemed to see his grandfather in prison again, and his grandfather had whispered to himself like that—

"Back then, for the sake of Sister Gu's throne and the power of the eldest grandson clan, I chose to support the third prince with mediocre qualifications and suppressed him in every possible way...... Did you really do something wrong?"

"Earlier, if Sister Ah and I had chosen the one who lived next to the Elephant Garden and was poor and sick, and had been born and raised under Sister A's knees, wouldn't the scene be completely different today......

"So, I chose the wrong one from the start...... The defeat of the Eldest Sun Clan today may have been foreshadowed."

"Ah Lone, my grandfather made a mistake back then, so you must keep your eyes open and choose well......

……

In Anyi Fang, in the ancestral hall of the Cui family, an old and thin figure stood silent.

"Father."

Cui Xun came in from outside to salute and said in a low voice, "The people of the Changsun clan have successfully left Beijing, everything has been arranged, and they will definitely be escorted to Qianzhou safely."

Cui nodded.

Those who are generous and benevolent, but secretly may not be lenient, although the eldest grandson is doomed to fall, but if they can keep a trace of blood, they can still have a spark.

"Father......" Cui Xun hesitated for a moment, but still wrinkled his eyebrows and said, "Minghou is acting more and more now

Regardless of the consequences, I am afraid that it will be ...... if it continues like this."

"You're finally able to see it clearly." Cui said: "I have already said that the scholars and the queen of the Ming Dynasty are destined to only be one of them."

"But how dare she ......" Cui Xun had suppressed bizarre anger in his tone: "First the Pei family, then the Changsun family, she is not afraid to act like this......

"You want to kill, and you won't allow anyone to fight back?" Cui Ju turned around and interrupted his son's words: "She can't retreat from this matter, and I, Cui, can't retreat either, survive or lose, and do my best, obey the destiny of heaven."

Let the people gather their clansmen and go to the governor's hall to discuss the matter."

Cui Xun should go down.

Cui came out of the ancestral hall, and an old servant followed him.

"Will there be a message back from the state in the near future?" Cui asked as he walked.

"Homecoming, there has been no letter back lately."

Cui Ju's eyebrows furrowed, with a hint of worry.

And state?

Cui Xun couldn't help asking, "Father, who is in Bingzhou?"

and the state is the dominion of the rebels.

Cui reported: "Ling An had previously been ordered to go out of Beijing to Bingzhou, and he was in a hurry when he left, and he sent a letter back to his home ten days ago to explain the inside story."

Cui Xun was stunned.

Therefore, at that time, the rebel in his eyes led the troops to say goodbye without saying goodbye, because he had been ordered to leave Beijing early?

Cui Xun frowned, and suddenly felt that he was a little sick under his anger.

Inevitably, he asked, "Why didn't the father tell his son if there was a letter?"

Cui Ju glanced at him, "If you care about him, he will have this letter delivered to you."

"......" Cui Xun's face changed, and he asked again after a moment, "Why did you suddenly go to Bingzhou?" Didn't you say that you would go to the north to train troops and rebuild the border defense?"

Cui Ju's face was a little solemn: "I'm afraid that there will be changes in the state."

And I'm afraid it's not the change of the long history.

Ling An didn't know what the situation was at this time, whether it was safe......

Cui was not relieved, so he asked people to go to the state to find out the news.

……

On this day, the carriage of Chang Suining and his entourage had arrived in Xuanzhou.

On the way, she noticed something strange, and she also asked people to go to Bingzhou quickly and send a letter to Cui Jing, but I don't know if it has been delivered to him at this time?

Chang Sui Ning thought about it, the carriage had passed the gate of Xuanzhou City, and Ah Dian couldn't help but lift the curtain and look out curiously.

Chang Sui'an in the carriage behind him was not interested at all, and as he got closer and closer to Xuanzhou in the past few days, he was visibly getting more and more nervous.