The head of the Dong family, Dong Chong, has a white face and a long beard, is wearing leather armor for hunting, and is riding on horseback in the willow forest with several other noble family heads in Gaochang City.
The servants were holding bamboo poles and looking for traces of prey everywhere.
After discovering prey, these servants would use bamboo poles to drive the prey together and invite the master to come over and shoot arrows.
Dong Zhong was about forty years old. He had been pampered for a long time, which made him look a bit weak. But when people in Gaochang City saw Dong Hou, ordinary people would tremble.
The present-day Gaochang State was a Han country. The ruler of the country, the Ju family, had moved to Longyou since the Southern and Northern Dynasties, gradually took control of Gaochang, and finally established the country and became king.
The Dong family, like the Ju family, is a Han family that moved from inside and outside the customs.
The Dong family has been in Gaochang City for two hundred years, and the family has become increasingly prosperous. Although after the destruction of Gaochang, the Dong family kept its tail between its legs for a few years, but soon the Dong family was integrated into the system of the Tang Dynasty, and became even more powerful.
This hunting conference was not only a routine event held by the Dong family every year, but Dong Zhong also wanted to use the hunting conference to connect the heads of various families.
Now Li Xiuzhang, the governor of Xizhou, opened the city and surrendered to King Jianning. The affairs of the entire Xizhou were controlled by King Jianning's Bafu. Sima Cuitao of Bafu is now the real ruler of Gaochang.
The Dong family also inquired about King Jianning's style from Guazhou, Shazhou. Dong Chong already knew about King Jianning's efforts to restrain the powerful and suppress the powerful in Guazhou, Shazhou.
The person who came here is not kind.
Dong Chong knew in his heart that if King Jianning wanted to continue to suppress the powerful in Xizhou, then the old nobles of Gaochang headed by him would definitely be the primary target.
Walking side by side with Dong Zhong was the leader of another large clan in Gaochang City, Jiang Yue, the leader of the Jiang clan.
Dong Chong and Jiang Yue are the sons and daughters of the same family. They are also big families with the same roots. They are both the leaders of the old nobles of Gaochang.
Jiang Yue drew the bowstring, but before he could shoot the arrow, the deer in the jungle was disturbed by a clumsy servant. Jiang Yue could only put down the bowstring and continue talking to Dong Chong.
The housekeeper of the Jiang Mansion immediately dragged the rough servant down. He ruined the master's mood and would definitely be whipped.
However, a big family like the Jiang family has strict family rules. Even if he was dragged down and whipped, the servant did not cry out for mercy. If the family leader was annoyed, it would not be as simple as whipping him.
Dong Zhong said: "Brother Jiang, Cui Sima asked the government to redeem slaves a few days ago. What do you think?"
Jiang Yue said with a smile: "There is no problem in redeeming slaves, but these have been raised and trained by our family for many years, and they are different from the rough slaves on the market. If the governor's office wants this money to buy them away, it looks down on us.
It’s the Jiang family.”
A few days ago, Cui Tao proposed that the governor's office would pay to redeem a group of slaves from various families.
The price at the Governor's Mansion is the normal price of slaves in Gaochang City's Yazi shop. Obviously these big families still want to wait for the price and sell the slaves to the Governor's Mansion at a higher price.
Dong Chong said with a smile: "Yes, these slaves are important assets of our family. It is not impossible for the Governor's Office to buy them, but if they are sold at a low price, I will not be able to explain to the clan."
Now, the two families have negotiated an offensive and defensive alliance, and they must pay a price higher than the market price before agreeing to the governor's office to take back the slaves.
Then Dong Chong talked about another thing: "Brother Jiang has also received the decree from the governor's office? All Renyazi stores in Gaochang City are to be closed. I remember that the Jiang family has two big stores, right?"
Renyazi is a human trafficker. In Gaochang City, the shops that buy and sell people are called Renyazi shops.
It is legal to buy and sell human beings in Gaochang City. Some of the slaves in Renyazi shop are poor people who cannot survive, their wives and children are pawned, and some are foreign slaves sold from the west of Longyou.
However, the price of slaves from the Western Regions is higher, and they are high-quality products. Most Renyazi shops sell local slaves.
In recent years, the situation has been bad, and more and more people are pawning their wives and selling their children, and the Jiang family's front tooth shop has made a lot of money.
Jiang Yue said angrily: "Our Jiang family has been doing this Renyazi business for several generations, and no eunuch has said not to do it. The governor's government is too lenient! This Renyazi business is not run by my family.
After he locks up other families first, he can come and talk to our Jiang family!"
Dong Chong said: "Brother Jiang, you also know the situation in Shazhou and Guazhou. If we can't be twisted into a rope, we will be dealt with by King Jianning sooner or later. We, the wealthy people in Gaochang, must keep watch and stay connected!"
Jiang Yue nodded and said: "That's natural, but our Xizhou is no better than Shazhou and Guazhou, and our old Gaochang clan is not an ordinary family that allows King Jianning to take advantage of him! We have many clan members who have served as officials!"
Dong Zhong nodded. One of Jiang Yue's clan uncles served as a judge in the Hexi Jiedushi Mansion, and Dong Zhong even had a clan brother serving in Fengxiang Mansion. A few days ago, he wrote a letter saying that he had been favored by His Highness the Crown Prince.
In the middle, he has been promoted to the official position of the East Palace Department.
The old tribe of Gaochang was originally a scholarly family. After Gaochang was conquered, the old tribe of Gaochang also integrated into the Tang Dynasty, and many of their descendants became officials.
Dong Chong also believed that the reason why King Jianning did not take direct action like Shazhou Guazhou was because he was afraid of the strength of the old nobles in Gaochang City.
At this moment, one of Dong Zhong's personal butlers came up and said, "Master, the live prey has been snatched away! Manager Dong was knocked unconscious and stuffed into a cage!"
Dong Chong said angrily: "What? Who is so bold as to rob the slaves of our Dong family? Drag Mr. Dong up to me!"
Dong Zhong was dragged to Dong Zhong and poured cold water from head to toe. Dong Zhong sneezed and finally woke up.
After seeing the head of the family, Mr. Dong immediately crawled over and said, "Master! Our Dong family's live prey has been snatched away!"
Dong Chonghan said with a face: "Who is so bold? Dare to disturb Tai Sui? Rob the slaves of our Dong family?"
Director Dong immediately said: "It must be those untouchables in the willow forest! Previously, a group of live prey ran into the willow forest and was rescued by the chief."
"Why don't you retaliate!" Dong Chong's face became even more ugly.
The director knelt down quickly and said: "Master, please calm down! Master, please calm down! I thought that such a trivial matter could be handled by just calling a few servants, but I didn't expect that the chief of Liulin would dare to take action first.
Take away the remaining live prey!”
Dong Zhong glanced at the director and said to the servant behind him: "Take the guys with you and let's go to the willow forest to see what kind of evil spirit and leopard courage this village has, and it dares to break ground on the head of our Dong family!