"I heard you had dinner with the eldest son of the Yun family at a restaurant today. Did you see Yun Sanlang, the eldest son of the Yun family?" Fan Xueli asked without looking up.
Recalling that man with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and a tall and upright figure, Fan Yuejia blushed and said, "Yes, Yun Sanlang is truly a dragon among men."
Fan Xueli raised his eyes and glanced at her indifferently, "But I heard that he is already married and his wife is pregnant and about to give birth. Daughter, why don't we choose someone else?"
"No, Father, the young talents of Nanzhou Prefecture are far inferior to him. I want him." Fan Yuejia said anxiously.
Fan Xueli put down his pen and chuckled, "Since my daughter likes him, I will do my best to help her."
"Dad still loves me the most." Fan Yuejia stepped forward and hugged his arm, acting coquettishly.
"It's getting late, you should go back and rest early." Fan Xueli looked at her with eyes full of affection.
Fan Yuejia nodded obediently, "Then Dad, you shouldn't stay up too late, it'll hurt your eyes."
After closing the study door again, Fan Xueli suppressed his smile, picked up his pen, and continued practicing calligraphy.
"Has anything happened at the Yun residence today?"
There was no one in the study; he seemed to be talking to himself.
Before long, a ghostly black shadow fell from the roof, and a person dressed in black knelt beside the desk.
"Reporting to my master, I have only learned that Lord Yun's fourth son was injured and doctors have been called twice."
"waste!"
Fan Xueli raised his hand and swept the inkstone and pen holder off the table.
The man in black was so frightened that he quickly prostrated himself on the ground. "Master, please calm down. The backyard was surrounded by guards like an iron barrel. My men and I were almost discovered. Later, we bribed a servant to find out that Lord Yun's fourth son had a quarrel with the youngest son of the eldest branch. Lord Yun punished the fourth son as soon as he returned from our mansion. It was the third son of the eldest branch of the Yun family who did it himself."
"As expected of the descendants personally raised by Yun Guangyao, their actions are truly impeccable."
Fan Xueli chuckled and paced back and forth in the study. After a long while, he said, "Go to the accounting office and get some more silver. Tell the servant to keep a close eye on the movements of the Yun family's eldest son."
"yes."
A cool breeze lifted a corner of the papers on the desk, and the figure of the man in black was no longer on the ground.
Fan Xueli walked back to his desk, wrote a letter in a long and flowing style, and then called his servants.
"Deliver this letter to the Yun residence first thing tomorrow morning."
"yes."
After giving his instructions, Fan Xueli walked out without looking back. The servants put away the letter and began tidying up the mess in the study.
After breakfast, the Yun brothers, who were about to go out, were summoned to the study by Yun Zhenchuan.
"Nephew, please sit down quickly." Yun Zhenchuan changed his usual haughty attitude and ordered someone to bring tea.
Yun Mo and the other man briefly met eyes, neither able to figure out what he was up to.
"It just so happens that my brother and I also have something to discuss with our second uncle," Yunye asked directly.
Yun Zhenchuan roughly guessed what they were going to talk about, but he didn't show it on his face. "Oh? What is it?"
"This..." Yunye hesitated for a moment, looking somewhat embarrassed to speak.
Yun Mo sat upright to one side, glancing at his elder brother out of the corner of his eye, thinking to himself, "Wasn't he supposed to be crying poor and asking for food? Why is he putting on an act?"
Yun Zhenchuan sat up straight, adopting the posture of a patriarch standing up for a junior, and even his tone became much gentler, "Have you encountered any difficulties?"
"Second Uncle, as you know, Sanlang and I escaped death at Yanmen Pass. My mother and the women in the family were imprisoned by the dog emperor and then exiled. All the family's property was confiscated. We suffered a lot along the way, but fortunately we finally arrived in the south."
“Right now, my brother and I are really struggling to feed and drink the five hundred guards and two or three hundred horses we have at home. So we’ve swallowed our pride and come here to beg our second uncle for some help.”
As soon as Yun Ye finished speaking, seemingly afraid that Yun Zhenchuan would disagree, Yun Mo continued, "After all, when Grandfather and Father were alive, they transported a lot of money to Second Uncle in the South. Now that our eldest branch is in trouble, Second Uncle, what do you think..."
"Yes, yes, I remember that Grandfather specifically told us brothers that the South was the Yun family's last resort. Second Uncle, you have to help us."
The two brothers looked at Yun Zhenchuan, their eyes filled with deep anticipation.
Yun Zhenchuan cursed inwardly. These two wolves were putting on a show of being poor in front of him. Did they think he was so easy to fool?
He stared straight ahead, his face showing difficulty, and his expression was equally gloomy and distressed.
“My two nephews are not in charge of the household and do not know the cost of firewood and rice. Our Yun family has nearly two thousand retainers in the south. I don’t know how much effort I have put into it to just gain a foothold in Nanzhou Prefecture. But now that Grandfather and eldest brother are not here, your second aunt and I are not good at management. You two cousins only know how to compose poems and have fun all day long. I’m afraid we will not be able to maintain these two thousand retainers in the future.”
Taking advantage of the situation, Yun Mo said, "I really didn't expect that Second Uncle's life would be so difficult. Then it's not appropriate for us brothers to stay in the manor any longer. Second Uncle, which place do you think is suitable? We'll take the people there to clear the land right away."
“Nephew, don’t worry. I went to the Fan residence yesterday and came up with a brilliant idea with Magistrate Fan.”
"What method?" Yunye had a feeling that for his second uncle to be so eager to find a way, he must have something in mind for the brothers.
As expected, the gloom on Yun Zhenchuan's face vanished. "Lord Fan proposes to incorporate your five hundred secret guards into the Yun family's two thousand-strong retinue. You two brothers will still lead the troops, and Lord Fan and I will provide the provisions."
They were really good at scheming, leaving the Yun brothers looking at each other in bewilderment. It seemed that Magistrate Fan was indeed up to no good.
Yun Mo scoffed inwardly, "Why should Lord Fan help us?"
Yun Zhenchuan smiled slightly and said, "Lord Fan has a beloved daughter who is seventeen years old and not yet engaged. You are young and promising, and Lord Fan wants you to be his son-in-law. In the future, you will lead the troops in the south."
"I am already married, so it is impossible for me to marry Miss Fan." Yun Mo turned his face away.
“Mo’er, you are really confused! You have just arrived in the South and have no foundation. Your wife comes from a humble background and cannot help you in your career. How can she be compared with Miss Fan? If you like her, you can take her into your household. In the future, once you have a son or daughter, you can make her your equal wife.”
Yun Mo's face was clouded with gloom. "Second Uncle, what a brilliant plan!"
Now that things were out in the open, Yun Zhenchuan ignored his anger and patiently advised, "The barbarians have invaded the Central Plains, and the world is in chaos. Our Yun family has been generals for generations. You brothers are fierce generals trained by our father and my eldest brother. Heroes emerge in times of chaos. Cooperating with the Fan family is our best choice. With a large army in hand, we can dominate the south and not be controlled by others in the future. Don't you understand such a simple principle?"
"All this hard work I've put into planning is for the Yun family, for your descendants!" Yun Zhenchuan was a little out of breath after saying all this in one breath.
In the end, it's all about making him and his second brother pawns and stepping stones for their domination of the South. Yun Mo turned his head away, refusing to look at Yun Zhenchuan's ugly face full of scheming.
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