The more people there are in a place, the more likely it is to confuse others. Therefore, this kind of place is also the best place to harbor dirt and evil.
"Haha, it seems you miscalculated after all this time."
The warrior who held the sword on his chest before still looked like this, standing next to Shu Niu, with no trace of emotion on his face. There was a hint of teasing and ridicule in his tone, and he did not take into account that the other person was the eldest son of the dignified Ji family.
identity.
"What Ji Sun Yiru said is right. This person is extremely cunning and can often find clues from clues. It is not unfair to lose to him this time."
Shu Niu stopped looking down on Li Ran, and now he frankly admitted that he lost.
This was somewhat beyond the warrior's expectations. After hearing this, his cold face that had remained unchanged for thousands of years suddenly turned into a look of surprise.
"I didn't expect that Mencius, a dignified family sacrificer, would actually admit that he lost. It's strange, haha, it's really strange..."
Obviously, he has known Shu Niu for many years. And Shu Niu had always impressed him as being stubborn and ruthless. It is extremely rare for him to admit defeat so calmly and decisively like now.
"The facts are right in front of us. If we don't admit them, what can we do?"
"However, even if he loses this time, it doesn't mean that Li Ran will be able to leave Zheng Yi alive!"
As soon as the conversation changed, Zhu Niu's face immediately returned to its former ruthless determination.
"Is everything cleaned up?"
He picked up the cup and was about to put it into his mouth when he suddenly asked.
The warrior nodded to him and said:
"Don't worry, everything has been cleaned up. I'm sure no one will be able to spot the clues."
Of course, none of the laborers who accompanied him when he went out of the city to contract Ji's grain truck could be left alive.
The Ji family has been secretly investigating this matter, and has already targeted the group of Qi merchants.
And those merchants from Qi State were not vegetarians. After hearing the news, they left Zhengyi early.
"As long as the old man can't figure out the clues, then this Li Ran will never enter my family's house!"
"I heard that this matter was arranged by the old sect master. You are just a bastard, so what can you do to stop it?"
Wu Ren was obviously not very optimistic about Shu Niu. At least in terms of the marriage between Li Ran and Ji Le, he felt that Shu Niu's role was minimal.
Although Ji Xian has handed over Ji's business affairs to the three brothers, Ji Xian is still his father at home and still the head of the clan. What he said will never be ignored.
Shaky.
Therefore, if you want to prevent Li Ran from marrying Ji Le, it is not as simple as just talking casually.
"The news from Weiguo should be coming soon, let's wait and see."
"I want to see how capable this Li Ran is."
Zhu Niu drank all the wine in the cup with a cold smile on his face.
Hearing this, the warrior nodded thoughtfully.
However, after a moment, the warrior warned again:
"Li Ran is a resourceful and eloquent person. This time he convinced Qi Wei of the Wei Kingdom with just one word. If you marry your family in the future, your position in the family may not be guaranteed."
"I don't know what your specific arrangements are, but I hope you won't let the small things make the big mistakes and remember your mission."
"Talk too much!"
Zhu Niu glanced back, his eyes full of sternness.
"Haha, I said something more because you miscalculated first."
"I don't hope that one day I will receive a talisman with your name on it. We all meet each other. It's fate, right?"
The warrior rarely smiled, but it was just a superficial smile, giving people a very false feeling.
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure flashed on the spot and disappeared, leaving only the swaying curtain on the door frame.
Zhu Niu looked up at the crowds on the street below, and saw a fast horse galloping past.
……
Li Ran is preparing for his wedding to Ji Le.
In fact, he doesn't like to do these things, mainly because he thinks these etiquette are too cumbersome and too troublesome.
Furthermore, in this era when material life is not very rich, a wedding for a wealthy family like Jijia does not know how much money it will cost.
This also made Li Ran, who had always acted according to Zhou etiquette, very uncomfortable.
There is a saying in "Yi": A gentleman uses the system to measure and discuss morality. (A gentleman should use the system of etiquette to regulate his own use and use it as a code of conduct.)
Therefore, in Li Ran's view, this extravagant behavior itself is not in line with the spirit of Zhou Li.
Moreover, if weddings in later generations are held by men out of respect for the woman, a very representative ceremony is used to replace the vow of "holding the hand of the son and growing old together with him"? Then the wedding at this time is better to say
It's just that the two families are trying to save their own dignity.
What's more, in this era where women are inherently inferior to men, if you say this is out of respect for women, it would be a bit misleading.
However, what Li Ran didn't know was that his ideas were actually only half right.
Because although he is proficient in Zhou rites and understands some post-modern concepts of marriage between men and women, he still knows very little about some of the special situations in various vassal states today.
For example, the Zheng State is still in an environment where men are superior to women. However, because the business elements of Zheng State itself are extremely developed, the "marriage concept" that was born with it is also vaguely revealed.
There are some shadows of post-modern society.
Wherever there is a strong commercial element, there will always be a more tolerant mind. And this is the fundamental reason why Li Ran can still become a son-in-law in this era.
What Li Ran doesn't know is that if you want to put it in Lu State, a vassal state with strict hierarchy like Jin State, or any Central Plains vassal state except Zheng State, something like "bringing into a wealthy family" can be done.
, even going to a barbarian country, I am afraid it is impossible to achieve easily.
Only in Zheng State, this possibility still exists. And Li Ran is one of those who picked up a super wallet but didn't know it.
Of course, hypocrisy is hypocrisy, and betrothal gifts are naturally indispensable. Although it comes from the sacrifice family and then returns to the sacrifice family, this form is naturally unavoidable.
Fortunately, Ji Xian had already thought carefully and gave him several properties in Zheng Yi a few days ago. So now, he can be regarded as a petty bourgeoisie.
But he, Li Ran, had no intention of taking care of it, so he just left it to Owl Wing to take care of it for him. And now that he has finally started to have some money in his hands, it will naturally be much easier for him to communicate with others during the ceremony.
.
This scene is like when the monarch of a vassal state ascends the throne and goes to the ancestral temple to offer sacrifices. Although he may not really get much blessing from his ancestors, the form must be indispensable, and it must be done solemnly. Otherwise, he will inevitably be
Others want to gossip behind their backs.
So, after going through a series of tedious etiquette such as asking for names, asking for names, accepting gifts, and accepting taxes, the date for his marriage to Ji Le was finally decided. According to the date obtained by the official divination, the wedding date was decided.
It’s the third day of the Lunar New Year next month.
On this day, after Li Ran came back from offering sacrifices to his family, he sat in the yard and touched his forehead, feeling a headache.
He thought that getting married would be troublesome, but he didn't expect it to be so troublesome that he almost didn't have time to investigate the matter of raising a cow.
However, fortunately, Sun Wu can help him share his worries, so he doesn't have to go there in person.
"All the merchants from Qi State have evacuated, and all the laborers who followed Shu Niu out of the city that night were also killed, and the scene was dressed up to look like they had lost water."
"According to the news from within the Ji family, the old leader of the Ji family once tried Shu Niu, but Shu Niu flatly denied it. He also said that those people committed suicide out of fear of crime. It seems that he should have made complete preparations long ago.
!"
Sun Wu had been busy investigating and visiting these days, but in the end he still couldn't find the person hiding behind the vertical cow, and he couldn't help but feel a little discouraged for a while.
If Li Ran hadn't discovered the clues about the grain truck, Zheng Guo and Wei Guo would have been at odds with each other by now. Ji Xian did not delve into the matter, and made it clear that he intended to protect Shu Niu.
To him, it was simply unbelievable that Ji Xian would protect such a rebellious person.
"Actually, it doesn't matter. After all, for the old patriarch, it doesn't matter whether Zheng and Wei are at odds with each other. In the end, even if Zheng's officials pursue the case, the most they can do is pay more food."<
/p>
"But as long as the Sacrifice family can continue to control the world's trade routes, compared with this money, it is a small matter after all. On the contrary, it is a big tree with deep roots in the Sacrifice family. If he is touched, the Sacrifice family will definitely have great vitality.
Hurt? Therefore, it is reasonable to adopt a policy of appeasement in order to honor the old sect leader."
"A policy of appeasement?"
Sun Wu didn't understand it for a while.
Li Ran smiled, waved his hand and said:
"It means temporary comfort."
"The Sacrificial Family is really in the same boat as the Zheng State. Even the policies adopted internally are so similar. In the final analysis, for them, internal stability is a top priority.
As long as Shu Niu can retreat from the difficulties and stop, then as for who is behind Shu Niu, in their eyes, it may not be that important."
As soon as he finished speaking, Owl Wing hurried in from outside.