Chapter 247: Branch Account Opening
If she said so, then no one was wrongly accused.
It’s just that the people who served as the control group were a little special.
With Tian Feng's wisdom, it was not difficult for him to hear Qiao Yan's current situation when Qiao Yan pointed at the Qiao family members and scolded them.
But realizing what kind of situation he was facing didn't seem to make him very happy?
When everyone turned their eyes to him, Tian Feng felt for a moment that although his identity as "Tian Feng" was not exposed to others, it did not prevent him from having the word "target" written on his head at this moment.
His mind was in a daze for a moment.
etc!
Why would such a thing happen to him?
Anyone in his current position would probably feel very relieved.
As a person who originally just wanted to make a living and earn money in Bingzhou, he actually made it all the way to the point where he was valued by the Grand Marshal and even became the disciple of a famous teacher. It can be said that he had one foot in the circle of the gentry.
Now, not only has he received Qiao Yan's personal promise that "he will become a member of the Chang'an court sooner or later", but he has also received her evaluation of "having great vision", and the road ahead is becoming smoother and smoother.
But this is not what Tian Feng wants at all!
It was certainly not the case that he had seen the prospects of the Chang'an court early on and worked hard to stand out there. He was simply pushed into this position by accident.
Isn't it a little bit wrong to use him as a positive reference to educate the Qiao family of Yanzhou?
As for why he knew that these people were from the Qiao family of Yanzhou, it was because one of the most impatient young men, after staring at Tian Feng for a while, turned back and said to Qiao Yan: "Your Excellency, you don't even consider that we have our own difficulties, and you insist on throwing us, the Qiao family, away like trash?"
He actually wanted to say at this time that it would be better to compete with the person in front of him who was brought by Qiao Yan.
But she really chose a very flattering person to mock them.
As she said, this man was promoted from a farm tool maker.
So, what good would it do to their reputation if they could win over the other party?
A young man from a noble family defeated a peasant from a poor family!
If we lose to the other party, it will be even more embarrassing.
For this young man, this is not an impossible thing to happen, after all, Qiao Yan also said that the other party’s current teacher is Chen Ji.
They had no idea when this person became Chen Ji's disciple, nor did they know how long he had worked in Hongwenguan or how much he had learned.
The experience of being thrown into the military settlement by Guo Jia to perform labor service greatly limited their possibility of obtaining news in Chang'an City, and also led to the unknown of the person "Yuan Feng".
The fact that they themselves were not well-educated made it even more difficult for these people to have the confidence to challenge Tian Feng.
Tian Feng's age and seemingly simple appearance make it difficult to figure out whether he has ever had a history of farming and studying at the same time, which has given him this opportunity to rise to the top.
If this speculation is true, then there is no doubt that this person is a hidden master.
By then, the news coming out will become another one——
Except for one member of the Qiao family in Yanzhou who holds the high position of Grand Marshal, the other members are not even as good as a craftsman. No wonder the Grand Marshal wants to distance himself from them.
Thinking of this, the Qiao family member could do nothing except question Qiao Yan.
Qiao Yan's eyes moved around the man who spoke and Tian Feng, and he said something that left no room for maneuver: "Rather than saying that I discarded you like trash, it would be better to say that I regarded you as snakes, insects and beasts."
In her opinion, it was indescribable how ridiculous it was that this person decisively chose to retreat from the challenge.
Tian Feng's sigh of relief after realizing the situation was another kind of funny thing.
Even if it was Qiao Yan herself who created this scene, she felt that it was a farce at the level of a world-famous painting.
She had originally wanted to see what the two sides would compete in if they really came to blows, but the result did not give her any new insights except that it made her more certain that the Qiao family had no one else available.
This young man who was described as a "snake, insect, and ferocious beast" was originally the one chosen by the Qiao family in Yanzhou for support after they lost Qiao Rui. He may not have much ability, but he has great ambitions.
He had no idea what his concession meant. On the contrary, this decisive evaluation successfully shattered his idea of climbing up the social ladder by relying on Qiao Yan's relationship, and only made him feel angry and resentful.
There was only one thought that flashed through his mind at this moment -
What's the logic behind this!
Why did she prefer to support her subordinates to the positions of General Yamen, General Pingbei, Governor of Hanzhong, or even the Minister of Agriculture, but was stingy and unwilling to give high positions to her relatives?
Looking at this matter from the perspective of a mediocre person, he only felt that those subordinates might try to divide her power, and after gaining benefits from her, turn around and join others, so only those of them who belong to the same clan could be of the same blood with her.
By doing this, she is simply destroying her own Great Wall and courting her own death!
The young man blushed and wanted to just walk away, but he felt that he had to say something before leaving.
The repeated attacks from Guo Jia to Qiao Yan, as well as Qiao Yan's blocking of their way forward, made his mind completely unclear at the moment.
He thought to himself that since his way here was blocked, he had no choice but to go towards Yecheng.
In this situation, whether or not to offend Qiao Yan to death is no longer a matter of concern.
So what he said at this time was not directed at Tian Feng to see who would achieve greater success in the future, but was directed at Qiao Yan.
"You are as cruel as your grandfather! If he hadn't been so ruthless, your uncle wouldn't have died at the hands of the bandits, and your father wouldn't have been only the chancellor of Rencheng after so many years of hard work, and even in the Yellow Turban Rebellion..."
In a flash, a long sword was suddenly placed on his neck, interrupting his unfinished words.
The sword was not unsheathed, just like Qiao Yan's voice was not raised much at this time. There was no sense of cold light coming out of the sheath, but it made people hold their breath for no reason.
At this moment, the power she had gained from holding a high position for many years made her look gloomy and full of a sense of impending storm.
She spoke word by word, "Grandfather sacrificed his own family to protect the greater good. He was unyielding when faced with great responsibilities. He struck down evildoers with lightning speed. How can you, who are just sitting there doing nothing but eating and drinking, and relying on the protection left by your ancestors, even dream of being able to do that?"
"The world is in chaos nowadays, and the country is the most important thing. Mr. Bo Ji even said in his grandfather's epitaph that his grandfather's actions were more kind than most people. Can you criticize him?"
The sword had not yet been unsheathed, so she naturally had no intention of killing the person in front of her.
But at the moment when the word "criticism" was spoken, Tian Feng wished he was deaf so that he could pretend that he didn't hear a word.
He just wanted to come here to learn something...
Why is it that even such a thing as the feud between the Grand Marshal and the Qiao family of Yanzhou has to happen in front of him?
But if Tian Feng were to make an objective assessment, the people of the Qiao family in Yanzhou were indeed not smart.
Even if they really wanted to defect to Yecheng by becoming hostile to Qiao Yan, they shouldn't have said that Qiao Yan was like Qiao Xuan.
This is not an accusation against Qiao Yan at all.
It's almost a compliment to her!
The late emperor approved the use of a chariot to carry Qiao Xuan's body, and the funeral ceremony in which five schools of the Northern Army led soldiers was the final verdict on Qiao Xuan's merits and demerits during his lifetime.
In this case, they must never make any more irresponsible remarks about this, otherwise it would be disrespectful to the late emperor.
Moreover, Qiao Xuan had never done anything controversial like Cui Lie, so even though Yuan Shao and Qiao Yan were hostile to each other, they did not dare to slander the reputation of the late general.
This guy is really brave!
However, the younger ones did not understand the reason, but the older ones knew it very well. They rushed over and covered the young man's mouth before Qiao Yan even finished speaking, for fear that he would say something inappropriate.
He even smiled at Qiao Yan again and again, saying, "Great Sima, he is being too outspoken, please don't take it to heart."
Qiao Yan replied calmly, "It's okay, it's better to talk it out."
But those who heard these words did not get the slightest hint that everything was alright. After all, the sword was still pointed at the young man's neck, and outside the house there could be sounds of soldiers in armor and armed with weapons moving back and forth, as if they could do the job for Qiao Yan at any time and take down these insolent men.
She raised her eyebrows and said, "This is my original attitude. If there are really talented people in the clan, they can prove that they have nothing to do with the Yecheng court, and use the current channels for recruiting talents to seek a future for themselves. But if they just want to rely on my name, Qiao Yan, to move up, then forget it."
Her strangely cold eyes swept across the young man's face, which finally showed a bit of panic. "And you not only have this idea, but also have an unclear position. You are also greedy as a devil, blinded by greed and lust. It's shame to be associated with you!"
She suddenly put away her sword and returned to the main seat with the sword in her hand.
If these people in front of her were not related to her, Tian Feng had no doubt that she would have hacked them to death.
But now it is enough for people to see what Thunder's Fury looks like.
Qiao Yan raised his hand and shouted, "Show him away!"
This is by no means a simple farewell.
Following the signal given by Qiao Yan, someone quickly subdued these people on the spot and blocked their mouths at the same time.
She glanced at these people and added, "Take away everything they have obtained in Chang'an, and then send them all the way out of Tongguan."
This sentence completely put an end to these people's idea of waiting for her anger to subside before discussing it.
This is really a disrespectful statement.
Strictly speaking, what these people earned in Chang'an City also included the clothes they were wearing at the time.
That was distributed to them at the labor sites in the military settlements.
Now it has naturally become something to be taken away.
So once they reach Tongguan, how can they find suitable clothes, and what can they rely on to return to Yanzhou?
However, their curses were blocked in their throats, and then they were dragged out like a burden.
But if Qiao Yan were to say, this isn't entirely a bad thing.
If they choose to serve in Yecheng after leaving this place, they can still have some common language when trying to establish a relationship with Xu You.
But this common language may not be enough to make Xu You treat them differently.
Although Xu You was greedy, he was still capable and would never compromise on such a selection matter.
After this incident, they have completely lost face.
In order to strictly implement her goal of "escorting them all the way out of Tongguan", Dian Wei, who had just become the front tooth... no, the general of the Yamen, personally led a team to escort them.
Qiao Yan could even guess that if there were not only two members of the Qiao family who came to Chang'an, and if he had not also to consider the dignity of being a general, Dian Wei actually wanted to carry the load himself, in order to echo the style when he carried Liang Zhongning and Bo Cai at the same time.
She couldn't help but smile in her heart, but it didn't show on her face. She just shouted "Yuan Feng" at this moment.
It seemed that Tian Feng's eyes had not yet moved away from the people who were leaving for a moment, and he responded half a beat late.
Realizing that he shouldn't be distracted, he quickly gathered his thoughts.
When watching these people leave, if the way they left had not been a little undignified, Tian Feng might have even felt a little envious of these idiots.
After all, he also wanted to be sent out of Tongguan, so that he could go to Yecheng with a legitimate reason.
But Tian Feng felt that he could not get rid of his brain and let himself ask such an outrageous question to the young man from the Qiao family.
This made his plan to be asked to leave in this way a little too difficult to implement in practice.
After all, he was not a relative of Qiao Yan. If he didn't grasp the right measure, he would probably get more than just the treatment of being thrown out of Guanzhong.
When he thought that if he really did this, he might not be executed as a traitor because his identity was exposed, but beheaded for saying the wrong thing, Tian Feng immediately gave up the idea.
When he looked at Qiao Yan again, he saw that the anger that was about to burst out in her had been suppressed, leaving only a hint of gloom that had not completely subsided.
But this is not the time for this matter to end.
Qiao Yan did not intend to just send the person away.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to encounter a member of the Qiao family saying such inappropriate words in front of her.
I won't take advantage of the situation to cut off some people's thoughts and put myself in a safer situation. But I really feel sorry for these people's "gifts at the door"!
She lowered her eyes and looked at the sword in her hand again, then said to Tian Feng: "I'm sorry to drag you into this."
Given her status and position, there was really no need for her to apologize to Tian Feng. Tian Feng quickly waved his hand, indicating that he didn't mind being dragged here as a cover.
She did not pause and continued, "But I still need to trouble you again. Please accompany me to meet the emperor and act as a witness here."
From the angle that Tian Feng could see, Qiao Yan's eyes flashed slightly, and there seemed to be a hint of sadness in them, which quickly turned into a resolute determination.
The meaning behind this is not difficult to hear.
Instead of letting people come to your door and cause trouble, it is better to just turn them away!
What witness does she want? Naturally, he was the witness who saw her draw a line between herself and the Qiao family of Yanzhou.
This was naturally no problem for Tian Feng.
In his opinion, even if the Qiao family of Yanzhou was completely cut off from the idea of joining Qiao Yan, it was hard to guarantee that it would not have an impact on other aristocratic families in Yanzhou through them.
This will help Ming Gong win some manpower.
The only thing that made him hesitate was that if he sent some helpers to Yuan Shao who were not very capable and had problems with their speaking and emotional intelligence, would it cause some negative effects?
But perhaps he didn't need to worry about it at all, because Qiao Yan didn't give him any room to refuse.
In the short time that Tian Feng was weighing the matter, Qiao Yan had already sent someone to take her seal to where the emperor was.
Liu Yu didn't have many important things to do in Chang'an, so he would never refuse Qiao Yan's request to meet him.
So when the seal was sent out, Qiao Yan had already straightened his clothes and walked out the door.
Behind her, Guo Jia pulled Tian Feng along and asked Qiao Yan, "Sir, are you really going to restrict me from drinking for three months? You're not punishing me, you're killing me!"
Seeing that Qiao Yan did not reply, Guo Jia continued, "Speaking of which, the other day Cai Lingshi asked you if there was any new material that could be used in the Leping Monthly Report, especially in the section of miscellaneous talks and anecdotes. I think this could be included. I'll say that Yuan, a native of Jizhou, who came here to work, was promoted by his superiors for his outstanding performance, and was able to learn from a famous teacher. He was able to visit places where great scholars and talented people came and went, and even had the opportunity to meet the emperor."
"By doing this, it will show that you do not discriminate between eastern and western regions. It will also give talented people who are in the lower ranks a role model to emulate. What do you think, my lord?"
Qiao Yan seemed to still be somewhat depressed by the performance of those Qiao clan members. Only when he heard this suggestion did he smile for a moment and replied, "This is feasible."
Tian Feng: “…”
If it wasn't too early for him to reveal his identity, he would have wanted to scold Guo Jia.
If you want to make the prince who is in a bad mood happier, why do you want to involve him?
He took great pains to keep his face from showing any strangeness after hearing these words, and even pretended to be a little surprised. But after stepping into the palace, he turned himself into a country bumpkin who entered the palace for the first time.
Fortunately, when he met Liu Yu, no one cared about his attitude as a witness, and no one would say how poor his acting skills were.
The protagonist here is Qiao Yan.
She is also the center of this turmoil.
Perhaps she had already made up her mind when she issued the order to throw those Qiao clan members out of Tongguan, but when she stood in front of Liu Yu, she hesitated for a moment before bowing and saying, "I beg Your Majesty to allow me to use the temple of my grandfather Qiao Gongzu in Leping as my ancestor and to establish another branch, the Taiyuan Qiao clan, to separate from the Yanzhou Qiao clan."
Liu Yu was surprised to hear this, even though he knew Qiao Yan would not come to him for no reason, and asked for an audience when there was no court meeting, and even brought several so-called witnesses. It could not be a trivial matter. Hearing this, he asked in astonishment: "Why is this?"
Matters concerning family branches can be big or small, but even small matters are usually not handled casually.
Not to mention that it crosses the state and county branches.
When Qiao Yan suddenly brought up this matter at this time, it was hard for Liu Yu not to think of one thing.
Before Qiao Yan's triumphant return, when he asked Xian Yu Fu whether he wanted to reward and confer titles on Qiao Yan's relatives, Xian Yu Fu told him that Qiao Yan seemed to have a somewhat delicate relationship with his relatives.
Even according to Xian Yu Fu, if he really appointed her to this position, it would be considered an act of making an enemy of her, compared to conferring the title of Guannei Hou on Qiao Yan.
But Liu Yu never thought that the outbreak of this conflict would come so quickly.
The slight hesitation in Qiao Yan's expression was completely shattered the moment she raised her eyes to look at Liu Yu. Only from her hands hanging at her side and slowly clenching into fists, it could be seen that she was not as calm as her face showed at the moment.
She said in a clear voice: "At the end of the Guanghe period, I had a conversation with my grandfather at his former residence in Yanxili on the eve of his death. I still dare not forget his earnest teachings and instructions to this day."
Of course, what Qiao Yan wanted to say was not that if the man did not betray her, she would not betray the man either.
If you really say this, it will sound a bit treasonous.
What she said was—
"My grandfather once said that he never regretted not having many children or a high position. What he wished for was to have prosperous people and peaceful times. Yan followed his wishes, recorded his military achievements on gongs and axes, and performed sacrificial ceremonies in temples. He adhered to the way of self-cultivation and brought peace and tranquility to the country, and that is why he is where he is today."
"Now I am fortunate to have your Majesty entrust me with the important position of Grand Marshal, and I dare not overstep my authority. The Qiao family of Yanzhou is a famous family. It is said that the Yellow Emperor was buried in Qiaoshan. Among their descendants, there are those who use Qiaoshan as their surname and have inherited the ritual and music industry to this day. I should serve you sincerely and try to restore the king's cause."
She paused before continuing:
"However, it is difficult for a tree to escape the scourge of pests. Among the children of the Qiao family, there are also those who have not done anything yet, but are trying to climb up to the top. Yan is a junior, and he should not be mean and ungrateful, and make rash comments on this matter. However, the Han Dynasty is in imminent danger, and he dare not give up the big family for the sake of his own family, and let the differences of kinship disturb his concern for the people."
Having said this, she suddenly knelt down and bowed solemnly to Liu Yu, then looked up again.
Liu Yu was not wrong. The sadness in her eyes could not be completely concealed because of this act of separation. The people she had called in as witnesses could not help but show moved expressions at this moment.
But if you don't look at her expression and only listen to what she says, every word she says is sonorous and solid as a rock.
"I dare to ask Your Majesty to allow Yunyan to establish his own family. If there are rumors that I am too powerful to remember my roots, I am willing to resign the position of Grand Marshal and only take the post of General Zhengdong—"
"Recover You and Ji, dominate Qing and Xu, and revive the prestige of the Han Dynasty!":,w,
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