Ling Xiao's expression did not change. He knew clearly that Gongsun Zhan was still testing his background to this day!
Ling Xiao licked his lips, "Then what do you think is my value to the Gongsun family?"
Ling Xiao is gambling.
He suppressed all the secrets about himself, betting that Gongsun Zhan would be curious about his power to kill the divine envoy of Ni Huan Palace!
Gongsun Zhan didn't say much, he just glanced at Ling Xiao leisurely.
"Boy, in my opinion, you have neither power nor strength. Although your talent is good, at the level of the top ten guardian families, talent is the least valuable thing. Your biggest enemy now is not the empire, but Nangong
Home."
"But as far as I know, you are far from the Nangong family boy in terms of cultivation and power. The only thing worth mentioning is that your luck is indeed good." Gongsun Zhan said.
Ling Xiao was not surprised, but was unusually calm, "But even so, you still hope that the Nangong family will decline, even if it is my hope that is so weak that it is inconspicuous."
Hearing this, Gongsun Zhan stood up suddenly, his whole body full of energy. The desk in front of him instantly collapsed, and the flying sawdust also ignited little sparks in the air.
"Boy, do you know what you are talking about?" Gongsun Zhan said sharply.
Ling Xiao was not afraid at all and stood up leisurely, "Of course I know!"
"Ha, sowing discord among aristocratic families and disrupting the foundation of the empire is a serious crime!"
"The Nangong family is in charge of the largest economy in the empire. Although he does not have much real power, he is the real pillar of the national treasury. You say I want him to decline? Are you trying to persuade me to treason?" Gongsun Zhan said sternly.
Ling Xiao chuckled lightly, "Of course I know this, but his existence has restricted the lifeblood of many aristocratic families, and the Gongsun family is no exception."
"The Gongsun family is in charge of the Alchemy Master Guild, but Alchemy Masters are also human beings. They all need sufficient resources, both for their practice and for their daily needs. Most of the Alchemy Master's resources come from the circulation and sale of pills."
"Do you think it is the elixir circulation efficiency in your Phoenix City that is high, or the elixir circulation rate among the hundreds of Black Wind Chamber of Commerce in the entire empire?"
Ling Xiao's answer made Gongsun Zhan a little shocked. He sat down with interest and waited for the young man's next words.
Ling Xiao lowered his eyes, "It's not just for this reason. Now Nangong Wenyi of the Nangong family has such a dazzling aura that you are naturally worried."
"Haha, I am a human subject and hold a high position in the empire, but I also have my own selfish motives. You have caught my mind very well." Gongsun Zhan said with a faint smile.
"I don't dare, but I can promise you that I will uproot the Nangong family!" Ling Xiao said.
The corners of Gongsun Zhan's lips rose, "You really dare to say that, but apart from that boy from the Nangong family, you are indeed the young man with the most courage and keenest political sense that I have ever seen."
"It's useless to say more, I will step on Nangong Wenyi under my feet to prove it to you."
After Ling Xiao said that, he stood up and left.
Looking at the young man's leaving figure, Gongsun Zhan stroked his beard and thought deeply.
At this time, a young man walked out leisurely from behind the screen in the side hall.
Upon closer inspection, the young man is dressed in a red robe, with sword-shaped eyebrows and starry eyes. His left hand is behind his back, and his right hand is playing with a string of jade beads. His elegant and gentle temperament shows his grace and grace.
"Zhe'er, what do you think?" Gongsun Zhan said.
Gongsun Zhe chuckled lightly, "He has magnanimity, ideas, and talent, but after all, he is just a seventeen-year-old boy with a high heart and arrogance. If he is not protected, he will be destroyed!"
"You have the same idea as me, but it is precisely because he is a young man that he can control it better," Gongsun Zhan said.
"What my father said is absolutely true. He can join the east courtyard from the bottom city on his own, and then climb all the way to the inner gate of the main courtyard."
"This can not only be achieved by relying on luck, he needs to have enough capital, means, talent and strength, and even ferocity." Gongsun Zhe said.
Gongsun Zhan sighed leisurely and looked at the young man with regretful eyes, "It's a pity that Zhe'er has been weak since childhood and has no spiritual veins to practice. Honglian is also a girl. Otherwise, with your talents, you would be able to clean up the Nangong family."
The boy is more than enough, so I don’t have to use this trick so urgently.”
"My father is serious. If everything goes well, it would seem boring."
Gongsun Zhe smiled warmly, and a hint of wisdom flashed in his deep eyes.
…
"You are brave enough to dare to mention such a taboo thing in front of Gongsun Zhan." Xie Shizi said.
Ling Xiao narrowed his eyes lightly, and a faint light flashed, "As huge as the Tiancang Empire, the best measure taken by the royal family is to balance the family."
"On the surface, it seems that the ten guardian families are in the same spirit and each performs his own duties. However, in fact, there are undercurrents, overt and covert struggles, generals and generals who dislike each other, and powerful ministers who are suspicious of each other."
"Everyone hopes that the other party will decline and be eliminated by the royal family, but everyone hopes that the other party will be too strong and be suppressed by the royal family. The beauty of the trade-off is self-evident."
The reason is simple. If the royal family wants to control the entire empire, it must release some of its rights.
No one will be loyal forever. Only by using interests and power as bait can you make people surrender and keep climbing up for these things.
While serving the superior, other people climbing up are also their opponents.
Although they both serve the royal family, they check and balance each other and restrain each other.
Going deep into the system, they are chess pieces, whether it is Nangong Wenyi, Gongsun Zhan, or the giant ten guardian families.
And there is always only one chess player!
Emperor Tiancang!
Obey the emperor's orders and contain your opponents.
Sometimes it is necessary to appropriately delegate power and make concessions.
It is necessary to understand not only the meaning of the superior, but also the movements of the opponent.
Being wise but not showing it is rare to be confused.
Be a fool who knows everything.
It is the survival wisdom of being in a high position!
It’s also a rule!
In front of Gongsun Zhan and Jiang Yunhong, what Ling Xiao showed was the wisdom and impulsiveness of a young man.
If you pretend to be clumsy and appear stupid, you will arouse suspicion, make them uneasy, and put you on the edge of being abandoned.
Gongsun's son-in-law is just an identity.
Ling Xiao would never join the aristocratic family and royal family system, but he couldn't refuse it openly.
He needs the power of a top family as a backer!
In this big game of chess, they are pawns, and so is Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao's purpose has always been one, and that is to get Mu'er into the game and lead her out of this power game.
But this seemingly simple sentence requires a lot of sacrifice and loss.
And my most intuitive value is to have enough strength!
"It seems that you can never stop practicing."
Ling Xiao shook his palms and said softly.
The young man was still dazed, and his arm was held by the jade arm.
"What are you thinking about?" Gongsun Honglian chuckled.
"Haha, I was just thinking about what kind of betrothal gift your Gongsun family will give me in a month!" Ling Xiao said with a smile.