Chapter 97 The Difference is Big
Chapter 97
"Of course there is a difference!" Xie Zhan stood up, walked to the large window on the south side, and pushed the window wider. The cold air outside rushed in at once. The warm and fragrant air in the room was immediately dispersed.
Everyone was shocked, and Xie Zhan watched this scene with great satisfaction.
Before, when he didn't know who the Lu family's mastermind was, he had longed to see how they'd broken the Hongsheng Restaurant's plan. Later, though he guessed through various clues that the Lu family's mastermind was Lu Songli, he still regretted not having seen her break the game that day.
But today, he finally understood her method of breaking the deadlock.
It turned out that they really lost at Hongsheng Restaurant.
These four sentences should have been Lü Songli's trump card to deal with this situation. However, Lü Desheng was too powerful and solved the problem all by himself. Lü Songli didn't put it to good use.
Otherwise, once this killer move is used, all the people present at the time and all the arrangements will become stepping stones for it.
After all, once these shocking four-character phrases appeared, no one cared about Fan Quan anymore. All of their attention was absorbed by them. No one could spare a single thought to care about who Fan Quan was.
It could be said that the Xie and Zhao families had completely lost that battle, and it wasn't just a loss at this stage as he had previously thought.
Because from the beginning to the end, no matter whether it was Lu Desheng or Lu Songli who took action, the Zhao family and the Xie family were crushed to the ground by the Lu family and had no chance of winning at all.
What’s even more amazing is that after Lu Desheng achieved such a great victory, Lu Songli still kept a clear mind and calmly made his moves.
The negative impact caused by Lu Desheng's killing spree was now eliminated by her.
The Four Sentences was such a great card, a card that could have lifted up a great scholar, a card that could have even leveraged greater nepotism, and yet she used it like this. It's a pity, but one can't help but sigh at her courage.
Looking deeper, it is true that Lü Desheng only got a small share of the credit, but this move of hers not only earned him a good reputation among scholars, but also tied Lü Desheng to Emperor Kang Cheng, Zhang Yong, Chen Dinghuai, Jiang Jiuqing and others on the same boat, thus allowing Lü Desheng to stand more firmly.
Xie Zhan finally truly experienced the tactics of his former fiancée. All of these plots clearly showed that Lv Songli was a formidable strategist. If he could foresee three or five steps ahead, then his opponent's abilities were no less impressive.
Lu Songli: You’re too kind. Can she say that she just wanted to save her father Lu Desheng at the beginning?
After listening to Xie Zhan's analysis, everyone present finally understood the hidden meaning of this move.
"Now, do you still think there is no difference?" Xie Zhan asked them.
There's a difference, of course there is! After listening to Xie Zhan's analysis, they finally understood. An average of 80 points for two people is very different from one person scoring 99 and the other 61. Because those who can reach 99 points are rare—no, it should be said they belong to a very small minority. Lü Songli must be one of those very few intelligent people. And Lü Songli is very young, only 15, and she'll be 16 next year. If she can live to 45, then she can ensure the safety of the Lü and Qin families for at least 30 years.
Compared to the bereaved Xie clan elders, Ji Yongqing and other core officials had only one thought in their minds: How could Lü Songli be so smart? What if they became even more jealous of Lü Desheng? How could Lü Desheng be so lucky to have such a brilliant daughter?
Although they were also very sad that the Xie family missed out on Lu Songli, the young patriarch's wife, they did not feel the same pain as the Xie clan members. Therefore, their attention was now focused on Lu Desheng being protected by his clever little daughter.
Some people can't help but think of the disappointing next generation in their families. They think about how they are old and have to clean up the mess for the next generation from time to time. When they compare themselves with Lu Desheng, they feel heartbroken.
They suppressed their jealousy and wanted to ask how Lv Desheng gave birth to a child. They also wanted to have a child like Lv Songli.
After returning home and whispering to their wives, these ladies began to wonder: Which temple or Taoist temple did Jiang visit when she gave birth to her daughter, Lü Songli? Did they eat anything special before Lü Songli's birth? And, did they choose the first or fifteenth day of the lunar month? What position did they use?
Then, the temples and Taoist temples that Jiang had visited became inexplicably prosperous.
Some people are glad that Lu Songli is a girl. If it was a boy, Lu Desheng would be so proud.
However, human joys and sorrows are not shared. Ji Yongqing and other core officials of the Xie faction were distracted by their own concerns.
The several elders of the Xie family present were all very upset. For the Xie family, missing out on Lu Songli, a young patriarch's wife who possessed both wisdom and strategy, as well as skill and courage, was truly heartbreaking.
Ji Yongqing and other core officials of the Xie faction glanced vaguely at several elders of the Xie family, especially Xie Mingtang, who was their main focus.
The core members of the Xie faction and the elders of the Xie clan all guessed that the person who regretted the most now was Xie Mingtang.
After hearing his son's analysis, Xie Mingtang felt like he had been stabbed in the heart. With Lü Songli's talent, becoming the Xie family's headmistress was a no-brainer, and she would have been an exceptional and top-tier one. How could such an exceptional woman have been lost to the Xie family?
Thinking about how he had previously insisted on breaking off the engagement with the Lu family, Xie Mingtang felt like he had been slapped hard in the face.
Losing the watermelon and picking up sesame seeds was the only thought that came to his mind. But besides regret, there was also a mixture of resentment and hatred. Why did Lu Songli have such talent, but he kept it hidden all the time?
Sitting among the crowd, Zhao Wenkuan was also feeling quite uncomfortable. Honestly, his daughter, Zhao Yutan, wasn't as good as Lu Songli, except for her looks. However, his daughter had one advantage that Lu Songli didn't possess...
Everyone present had their own thoughts. Xie Zhan alone remained expressionless, his expression cold and composed.
Their eyes shifted from Xie Mingtang to the calm and composed Xie Zhan, thinking that if the marriage exchange hadn't happened and Lv Songli had successfully married Xie Zhan, their Xie family would have been able to reach a higher level. What a pity.
"My last words are, don't mess with the Lu family anymore. Put aside all your plans targeting the Lu family." Xie Zhan thought for a moment and added, "Also, include the Qin family as well. Don't mess with them anymore."
Smart people usually hold grudges, and Lu Songli is the best among them. No matter how much remorse and regret they have, it is useless to her.
Xie Zhan's reasoning and analysis weren't to instill regret in them, nor to encourage them to express it. Instead, he wanted them to gain a deeper understanding of their opponent and further formulate their Xie faction's strategy against the Lu family. He knew full well that with Lu Songli around, the Qin and Lu families would inevitably become independent factions; it was only a matter of time. Sometimes, recognizing one's opponent's strength and treating them as equals can help some people gain clarity.
The Lu family was still weak, but they were by no means soft persimmons that could be manipulated at will. Furthermore, if Lu Songli wanted to develop the Lu family, he would inevitably need to encroach on resources and expand his territory. Plundering other people's resources would become the focus of both the Lu and Qin families. The Xie faction needed to avoid the sharp edge.
"yes!"
Ji Yongqing and others responded very readily, while Xie Mingtang, Zhao Wenkuan and others spoke in a somewhat depressed voice.
In fact, all the non-officials from the Xie faction supported Xie Zhan's decision.
For example, Ji Yongqing, after losing his position as the Supreme Court Justice, is now secretly operating under the Xie faction. If all goes well, he should be able to take over the position of Right Prime Minister of the Ministry of Shangshu. He is not very keen on fighting with the Lu family.
They found that Xie Zhan was still very clear-headed. What else could he gain from dealing with the Lu family and defeating them, except for saving a little face?
The Lu family is currently extremely weak, its resources, both financial and political, very limited. Like a bone with only a tiny bit of marrow, it's tough to chew and lacks meat. If they force their way in, they'll likely lose all their teeth, becoming a toothless tiger, vulnerable to exploitation by their political rivals. In short, the effort isn't proportional to the reward.
It is better to let the other person go and let yourself go as well.
After the meeting, everyone left one after another, but Xie Mingtang lingered and refused to leave.
The others saw this and knew he wanted to stay.
Xie Zhan should have left long ago, but seeing this, he simply didn't move.
"Ah Zhan, Dad is not questioning your decision, but, if we allow the Lu family to grow too big, wouldn't that be like raising a tiger to cause trouble?"
Could Xie Zhan not know this? But there was nothing he could do. The Xie faction wasn't fully armed. If they continued to fight the Lu family, their weak points would most likely be broken down piece by piece, then eaten away, becoming nutrients for their growth...
It would be better to take a step back and let the Lu family take action against other families first. The final result would be that they would become a separate faction. After all, the court is so large that it can definitely accommodate both of their forces. Moreover, he has discovered something that is far more important than dealing with the Lu family.
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