In the Yuan family, Yuan Shao, as the head of the family, has absolute majesty.

No matter how favored Yuan Shang is, he can't and dare not disobey Yuan Shao's will, so even if he is unwilling, he can only press it in the bottom of his heart.

Seeing Yuan Shang who was kneeling on the ground and silently speechless, Mrs. Liu was also distressed, she stepped forward to help Yuan Shang up, patted the dust on her body, and then said bitterly: "Your father is also good for you, he loves you, and wants to find you a family with a deeper background to marry." ”

"You are already such a big person, you can no longer act willfully, everything must be in the interests of the family."

Mrs. Liu certainly felt sorry for Yuan Shang's youngest son.

But she knows better which is more important.

As the eldest lady of the Yuan family, she has to think about the entire Yuan family.

And Yuan Shang had already sorted out his emotions at this time, his expression returned to normal, and he nodded and said, "The child understands, everything is arranged by his father." ”

"Mother, the child has retired first."

After saying that, he saluted Mrs. Liu and turned to leave.

Looking at the back of her young son, Mrs. Liu sighed.

She couldn't see that Yuan Shang still had grievances in her heart, but there was no way, the interests of the family would always come first.

……

After Yuan Shang left the courtyard, he did not return to his residence, but left Yuan's mansion and took a carriage to the official residence.

The two of them were dealing with affairs in the lobby of the official residence, and when they saw Yuan Shang coming, they wanted to report to him about government affairs, but Yuan Shang ignored them and walked in without saying a word.

This made the two look at each other.

"Third son, this is ...... What's wrong? ”

Feng Ji's face was full of doubts, and he asked the judge.

On weekdays, Yuan Shang talked and laughed when he saw them, and they were very close, but the reaction just now was very different from usual.

I didn't know why, so I said, "Let's go over and have a look." ”

He could see that Yuan Shang was in a very bad mood.

What the hell is going on?

The two went to the back hall together, and then saw Yuan Shang sitting alone behind the table with his cheeks in a daze, not knowing what he was thinking.

The two of them glanced at each other, and the judge was about to ask, but Yuan Shang suddenly took the lead in speaking.

"Mr. Review."

Yuan Shang set his eyes on the trial, and his eyes were slightly red, "You say, is this son really inferior to the second brother?" ”

In the face of this sudden question, even the city government that was judged by the match was also a little caught off guard, and he didn't know how to answer for a while, so he could only ask: "Why did the third prince say this?" What happened? ”

Yuan Shang sighed, did not hide it, and said directly: "Today I went to visit my father, and I happened to meet my mother and him discussing the matter of marrying me and my second brother. ”

"My father plans to let the second brother marry the Zhen family of Zhongshan and marry the daughter of the Zhen family."

Hearing about this suddenly, the faces of the judge and Feng Ji were shocked.

The Zhen family of Zhongshan, but a famous family in Jizhou, is extremely good in terms of heritage and influence, and the most important thing is that it holds a lot of wealth, which can be described as quite luxurious.

The lord actually let the second son marry the Zhen family?

"What about you, the third son? Which family does the lord plan to let you marry? ”

Feng Ji asked, since it is to discuss marriage, it is impossible to marry only for Yuan Xi and not for Yuan Shang.

Yuan Shang gritted his teeth and said, "This is where this son is angry!" My father only asked my second brother to marry this Zhen girl, but he didn't let me marry her! ”

"He said that I am not stable enough, and he wants to help me find a more suitable wealthy family to marry, where is my son not stable enough? Isn't Zhen's family big enough! ”

In Yuan Shang's opinion, what is not stable enough, what helps him find a better family marriage, all are excuses!

It's an excuse for the father and mother to be partial to the second brother Yuan Xi!

And after listening to it, the two of them finally understood why Yuan Shang was in a bad mood, it turned out that it was because of this incident.

So the judge opened his mouth and comforted: "The third prince, please calm your anger, the lord has always favored you, how can you favor one over the other?" I'm definitely looking for a better ...... for you."

"But my son wants to marry Zhen's daughter!"

Yuan Shang interrupted the interrogation with a look of annoyance.

He was tired of hearing this set of rhetoric.

After being speechless for a while, he could see that his son-in-law didn't really want to marry Zhen's daughter at all, but simply couldn't swallow this breath.

Just when the two were thinking about how to persuade Yuan Shang, a voice suddenly came: "If the second son marries the Zhen family, with this big help, I am afraid that the third son will be even more suppressed in the future." ”

When the judge, Feng Ji and Yuan Shang heard this, their faces changed.

They all set their eyes on the door.

It was a cloth scribe who spoke.

Seeing this person, the judge frowned and said, "Master Guo, what do you mean by this?" ”

He knew the cloth scribe and one of his staff.

It's just that it is very inconspicuous on weekdays, and he only took the initiative to come to Yuan Shang's official residence a few days ago to do things, and he has not had much contact on weekdays.

This cloth-clothed scribe is Guo Jia, and he smiled slightly when he heard this: "What does it mean, it should be very clear in the trial center." ”

"The wealth and influence of the Zhongshan Zhen family in Jizhou are beyond the reach of ordinary wealthy families, and they are second to none in Jizhou; As the foundation of the lord, Jizhou has been operating here for the longest time and has the deepest heritage, and its importance is self-evident. ”

"If the second son has the help of the local wealthy family of the Zhen family, dare to ask what the third son will use to compete with the second son for Jizhou in the future?"

"This marriage, I'm afraid the lord has another layer of deep meaning."

Yuan Shang's face suddenly changed after hearing this, and he couldn't help but ask the two of them a little nervously, "Two gentlemen...... Is what Master Guo said true? ”

The ownership of Jizhou actually represents the ownership of Yuan Shao's vein.

Whoever can control Jizhou among the three sons of the Yuan family will be the orthodox heir!

At first, Yuan Shang only thought that this marriage was just his father's partiality, but after Guo Jia mentioned it, he realized that something was wrong.

The judge looked complicated and silent;

And Feng Ji was also full of embarrassment.

In fact, they also had this concern in their hearts, but they didn't dare to say it, because this was groundless speculation, which could easily cause conflicts between the two brothers, Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang, and then cause Yuan Shao's anger.

As a retainer, what do you mean by sowing discord between the two brothers?

This is not something that the two of them can afford to bear.

And seeing the reaction of the two, where would Yuan Shang still be unclear?

"Father turned out to be ......"

Yuan Shang clenched his teeth, and there was indescribable anger in his eyes!

No wonder he asked his second brother Yuan Xi to marry Zhen's daughter.

It turns out that it has been secretly positioned as the heir!

The so-called helping him find a more suitable marriage partner is all an excuse, an excuse to deceive him!

At this moment, Yuan Shang deeply felt the anger of being deceived.

Then he suddenly got up and walked out from behind the table, came to Guo Jia, held his hands tightly, and almost pleaded: "Please help me, sir!" ”

The trial knew but did not speak, which made Yuan Shang feel extremely disappointed.

However, the master of Guo, who had just come to vote a few days ago, said what he didn't dare to say, and he saw hope!

"The third prince doesn't need to panic, there is still room for manoeuvre."

Guo Jia said with a smile, and at the same time glanced at the judge and Feng Ji.

"It's not that the two of them are unwilling to tell the third prince during the trial, just because this kind of thing is really inconvenient to say as a courtier."

"And this is just speculation, the lord may not really mean it."

He took the initiative to explain for the two.

Yuan Shang nodded, and then said to the judge and Feng Ji: "Don't worry, two gentlemen, this son can understand your embarrassment and will not blame you for this." ”

"It's just that although it's speculation at the moment, it can't be ruled out that my father has secretly designated the second brother as the heir, since the two gentlemen choose to help me, then help to the end!"

"My son will never forget this kindness!"

Yuan Shang said, bowing deeply to the two.

The words and attitudes are very sincere.

"The third prince is serious!"

The two of them hurriedly returned the salute, and at the same time picked up Yuan Shang.

Yuan Shangdu has come to this point, if they don't help anymore, it means that they don't know what to do.

After this matter is explained, the next discussion is much simpler.

That's how to stop Yuan Xi from marrying Zhen's daughter!

Yuan Shang invited Guo Jia, the judge, and Feng Ji to come to the study at the back of the hall, and then began to discuss the matter.

"Mr. Guo, you just said that there is still room for change in this matter, but you already have a countermeasure in your heart?"

Yuan Shang asked Guo Jia respectfully.

Guo Jia said with a smile: "If you want the lord to agree to the third prince marrying Zhen's daughter, this is very difficult, basically impossible; But if you want to stop the second son from marrying Zhen's daughter, it is very simple. ”

"Please sir!"

Yuan Shang's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked.

In fact, he really doesn't feel like marriage or anything, it's okay to marry a Zhen girl or not, but the main thing is that he can't let his second brother Yuan Xi marry!

Guo Jia didn't answer directly, but asked: "If the subordinates guessed correctly, the daughter of the Zhen family that the second son wants to marry, but the young daughter of Zhen Yi, the former head of the Zhen family, Zhen Mi?" ”

"It's her."

Yuan Shang nodded.

Hearing this name, the judge was a little surprised: "Is it her?" ”

Yuan Shang was puzzled: "Mr. Shen has also heard of her?" ”

Feng Ji Wenyan on the side explained: "The third prince doesn't know, this Zhen girl is quite famous in Jizhou, not to mention her beauty, and she is extremely smart. ”

"I heard that Zhen Mi liked to read very much when she was nine years old, and she was well-read and knowledgeable, as long as she read the articles, she could immediately comprehend them; In addition, she is very precocious, a few years ago the world was in turmoil, the people were poor, she suggested that her brother open a warehouse to release grain, to help the township. Because of this incident, Zhen gained great prestige, and then the family's wealth increased instead of decreasing, which can be described as a strange woman. ”

Feng Ji briefly introduced the deeds of this Zhen girl to Yuan Shang.

It was the first time Yuan Shang heard this, and he was surprised, but at the same time, he was even more jealous of his second brother Yuan Xi.

"Sure enough, my father is partial to him!"

Marry such an excellent woman to Yuan Xi.

Isn't that eccentricity?

Taking a deep breath to suppress the resentment in his heart, Yuan Shang continued to ask, "Then how does Mr. Guo plan to stop this marriage?" ”

Guo Jia smiled and asked the judge, "I don't know if you have heard a rumor related to Zhen Mi during the trial?" ”

"Is that the prophecy? I've heard of it. ”

The judge nodded, and then he suddenly realized something, and looked at Guo Jia in surprise: "Do you want to ......?"

"That's right."

Listening to the riddle-like conversation between the two, Yuan Shang was confused.

What prophecy?

What do you want to do?

What are they talking about?

Speak human words, hey!

Yuan Shang had no choice but to turn his eyes to Feng Ji for help, but Feng Ji smiled bitterly and spread his hands to say that he didn't understand.

This is a tacit understanding and dialogue between smart people.

The judge glanced at Guo Jia with complicated eyes, and then Yuan Shang explained: "Regarding this Zhen girl, in addition to her early wisdom, there is also a very widely circulated prophecy. ”

"There was once a famous scholar who met her and said that she was unspeakably expensive, and she had a phoenix life, and she would be the emperor and queen in the future."

"What?!"

Yuan Shang's eyes widened after hearing this, and he couldn't hide his shock.

The phoenix life is added, and there is the appearance of the emperor and queen!

Doesn't this mean that Zhen Mi can become a queen in the future?

Guo Jia continued: "This prophecy is very famous, and the third son, you can just use this prophecy to prevent the second prince from marrying the Zhen family. ”

"You only need to spread the news of marriage, and then hire someone to discuss the prophecy and create public opinion, so that with the character of the lord who cherishes his feathers, he will definitely not let the second son and Zhen Mi get married."

In this era, people are still quite in awe and believe in divination, physiognomy, fortune-telling and other means, and there are indeed some very capable people.

The order of the emperor and queen is either to marry the emperor, or the person who marries can become the emperor in the future.

Now that Yuan Shu has just been proclaimed emperor, you Yuan Shao asked your son to marry Zhen Mi, who has the emperor's order, what does this mean?

Do you want to be an emperor too?

It doesn't matter if no one mentions this prophecy, but as long as someone mentions it and deliberately spreads the discussion, Yuan Shao will be directly pushed to the forefront!

"That's a brilliant plan!"

Yuan Shang was very happy, but at the same time, he was also worried, and hesitated: "But in this way, won't the marriage between my Yuan family and the Zhen family be interrupted?" ”

"If my father had known that I had done it, he would have been furious."

On the one hand, Yuan Shang wanted to prevent the marriage, but on the other hand, he felt that doing so would harm the interests of the Yuan family, and he was also afraid of being scolded by Yuan Shao.

After all, he is still a child of the Yuan family.

"It's easy."

Guo Jia didn't think about it, and directly gave a solution: "The purpose of the third prince is to prevent the marriage between the second prince and the Zhen family, but he doesn't want to damage the interests of the Yuan family. ”

"In this case, the third prince will directly suggest that Zhen Mi be dedicated to the Son of Heaven at that time, so that the Zhen family will naturally be co-opted, who can say that the son is not half a point?"

Dedicate Zhen Mi to the Son of Heaven, and the Son of Heaven is now under the control of the Yuan family, and the Yuan family is now the lord of Jizhou, if the Zhen family does not move closer to him Yuan's family, who else can he get closer to?

"Sir, great talent!"

Yuan Shang thought about it carefully after listening to it, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that Guo Jia's suggestion was perfect, and he couldn't help but be very satisfied.

Then he said to Guo Jia with great emotion: "Mr. is so strategic, why has my son never heard of Mr. before?" ”

Guo Jia said modestly: "There are many strategists under the command of the lord, and it is really insignificant in the down, and the talents in the trial and other driving are far better than the below." ”

"This time, it's just that I just have a good plan to give it, so it's good to share the worries of the third son."

When Yuan Shang heard this, he appreciated Guo Jia more and more in his heart, and said with a smile: "I need to rely on Mr. more in the future." ”

"Hehe, do your best when you make up your mind."

The judge on the side looked at Guo Jia and Yuan Shang, who were talking happily, and frowned.

It's not that he's jealous or jealous, it's just that for some reason, he always feels that Guo Jia's plan is a bit weird.

But this is obviously a perfect strategy.

What's the problem?