Chapter 7082 Genealogy of the Ages

Chapter 7082 Genealogy of the Ages
"I may not be able to explain these things clearly." Lu Bu was a little confused after hearing this. Giving up the position of general was not too difficult for Lu Bu, because after so many years of world-class wars, Lu Bu had realized that he might have the strength of Xiang Yu, but he did not have Xiang Yu's ability to seize opportunities in battle. This made his position on the battlefield extremely awkward, so giving up the position of general could be considered a graceful retreat.

After all these years of having a wife, children, and a warm bed, Lu Bu couldn't continue being a lone wolf no matter how much he wanted to. As long as Diao Chan was alive, Lu Bu could never be a lone wolf.

“Actually, there’s no need to explain too clearly. You just need to give Marquis Chen a heads-up, and he will naturally take care of the rest.” Diao Chan glanced at her husband and shook her head slightly. “Marquis Chen actually knows a lot about things, but he just won’t take the initiative to get involved. However, he has a sense of justice. Australia may seem desolate, but the current situation is not so simple.”

Diao Chan deduced many things from Chen Xi's insistence on directly governing the middle and lower reaches of the Ganges.

Putting aside everything else, at the very least, Chen Xi has a sense of priorities. The Ganges River must hold a very important place in Chen Xi's heart. Conversely, Chen Xi's willingness to seal off the Kushan essence represented by the Ganges-Indus River also shows that Chen Xi truly values ​​his own people.

If the middle and lower reaches of the Ganges, representing the grain industry, are so important, then isn't the area in Australia, which has important mineral resources and is suitable for large-scale livestock farming, also important?

Indeed, Diao Chan knew that Australia produced high-quality iron ore and that it was capable of large-scale livestock farming. The former was self-evident, as the fact that Jiangdong had been shipping iron ore to the Donglai Smelting Company over the years was practically an open secret. As for the latter, the fact that Zhou Yu could personally represent Jiangdong in communicating with Lü Bu meant that he had definitely consulted with professionals, which at least proved that Australia had extremely high potential.

Diao Chan might not believe the investigation reports from the major clans, but she would definitely believe Zhou Yu's investigation report. No matter how much Zhou Yu was slandered, he was still a top-notch hero, at most a bit reckless.

Therefore, Australia has at least two enormous advantages: one is its incredibly high-quality iron ore, and the other is its massive livestock industry. Neither of these two factors alone is as important as the grain-producing areas in the middle and lower reaches of the Ganges, but when combined, they are by no means inferior.

After all, the grain-producing areas in the middle and lower reaches of the Ganges River can only be fully utilized with the help of the Han Dynasty. At present, the level of the middle and lower reaches of the Ganges River is very good, but not good enough to make people feel helpless. Only when the water conservancy network is fully built can we achieve the level of three harvests a year, and each season will be a bumper harvest.

In Australia, there's basically no need for construction; they rely entirely on the weather. Livestock farming depends on the weather, iron ore production depends on the weather, and everything else depends on the weather. Without the construction aspect, Australia's value would be even greater than that of the middle and lower reaches of the Ganges.

After all, Australia also has the potential for development and optimization, which represents future value. Under these circumstances, it is necessary to consider how Chen Xi views the Australian issue.

It is clear that Chen Xi has never published anything about the status of Australia, nor has he mentioned anything about the status of Australia in any documents or official records, as if such a large territory does not exist.

Zhou Yu, who was always unruly, never overstepped his bounds in the matter of Australia. Iron ore was indeed constantly being mined, but it was also continuously being sent to Donglai. Although the Jiangdong aristocratic families were not clear-headed, none of them ever claimed that Australia belonged to them.

These people will continue to tinker with Australia's minerals and resources, but is this behavior an attempt to completely occupy Australia? No, this behavior is more like taking advantage of their temporary access to make a fortune, rather than occupying this land.

After all, they're not fools. If the Jiangdong aristocratic families were truly fools, they would have been killed and eaten long ago. You can say they're divided, or that they're making a mess of things, but they're definitely not brain-dead. They know how to do what they can. They're already quite satisfied with Southeast Asia. If they take Australia, then they really need to consider Iron Fist.

Chen Xi didn't say anything, but his attitude was very clear: it's fine for you to use it, just like you would on your home turf. You're free to take advantage of it, after all, that's how aristocratic families have always been. But if you want to die, then don't blame me for being impolite.

In Diao Chan's mind, Australia was a place where everyone could take advantage of and profit from. However, this area belonged to the Han Dynasty. Anyone could go there, so it was considered a semi-public benefit. But it was important to understand who it belonged to. This was the land of the Han Dynasty, opened up to you by the Han Dynasty, not belonging to you. Understand?

"I see." Lu Bu nodded blankly. Diao Chan didn't explain it to Lu Bu in detail because it was meaningless. Lu Bu was the first to go to this place, and he was a marquis of the Han Dynasty and the leader of Bingzhou. So it was like planting a flag there. Even if he didn't own it, at least he had a name for it, just like many things Zhao Yun did.

What about superior breeds, Donglai Shipyard, seventh-generation warships, and Zhao Family Village? If Zhao Yun were to receive a 30% bonus as originally planned, do you think he would dare to accept it?

No, he wouldn't dare. Zhao Yun can only get 0.3% now, and that's only with the approval of the entire upper echelon. That's already a talisman. 30%?

What a joke! Do you know why the Ninth Legion of Rome, under Tacchio, was a full-strength elite force with powerful backers in the Senate? They had solidified their three-year careers through three promotions and three demotions, making them arguably the world's top elite force. Even Pompiñus was worried that Tacchio might fall into a pit and die while walking at night!
To put it bluntly, isn't it because the chalcedony and bloodstone mines were in his tax-owning zone? Even though Tachito only got 7%, and that was with his entire legion, Pompiñus was still afraid he would die.

It's true that Zhao Yun is more powerful than Tachito, but Tachito has genuinely succeeded in the path of the three talents, and he's even younger than Zhao Yun. His strength has now reached the level of breaking through boundaries, making him a world-renowned general. Yet, he only received 7% of the bulk commodities, and Pompiñus was worried that he would be killed.

Would Zhao Yun dare to take 30% of the essential supplies? Would he dare to take 30% of the shares in the nation's core technologies?
This is no longer a question of whether or not we dare to, but a question of whether or not we can. Once Zhao Yun absorbs the entire Bingzhou faction, he might be able to hold onto 3%, but any more than that would be just a formality!

And what does Australia's level mean? It's at least 20% of the country's overall national strength.

Do you think Jiangdong is worthy? You can lick your boots up there, but there's nothing to say about Chang'an. Let's not even talk about your sacrifices and efforts. Isn't this how your aristocratic families have always behaved? Chen Xi has nothing to say, but taking Australia away?

Let me put it this way: the moment you take it away, your entire family will be wiped out.

This isn't about whether or not there are feudal lords; it's about the Han dynasty not having enough to eat, and you're already courting death. The Han dynasty in Eastern Europe doesn't need it because their roles overlap, so Chen Xi doesn't care whether it exists or not. But Australia is different; it's a mining area, a meat warehouse, and the Han dynasty still needs it to fill its gaps.

In this situation, if you say you want it, then forget about Jiangdong, even if Rome comes, we'll wipe them all out!
This is Chen Xi's attitude!

Not talking to you doesn't mean you can do whatever you want; it means there's no room for negotiation. Once you open your mouth, there's no going back, and you're doomed.

Chen Xi wouldn't say it so explicitly, because if he did, everyone's expression would turn sour. After all, no matter how stupid he was, he was at least a fox who had been around for hundreds of years. Could he really be completely ignorant? To put it bluntly, if someone were really that brain-dead, they would have been wiped out by their teammates before they even made a move!

Just like when the country has a food shortage, if you take out grain from your warehouse and earn a little money for your hard work, the country will even give you a medal or a red flower. But if you really try to monopolize the market at this time, you won't get any money or medals, you'll be dead!

"Well, you could have Zilong hold it on your behalf, but I don't know if that's feasible." Diaochan pondered for a moment, somewhat hesitant, but after thinking it over, she finally spoke.

It's impossible to achieve this through Lu Bu holding the shares on his behalf. Distributing the money is not a problem, but if we want to achieve sustainable profits in Australia, and not just distribute the money, there's basically no hope.

On the one hand, Lü Bu had a reputation but lacked intelligence; on the other hand, although Lü Bu had merits, he did not belong to Liu Bei's faction.

Chen Xi is indeed very moral, but he also managed to get all the good stuff into Liu Bei's faction's bowl. More importantly, no one else could say anything about this behavior. This is not only a matter of strength, but also a design that was carried out from the very beginning.

"Why did you entrust it to that brat!" Lu Bu said unhappily. Although he had a second son, he still loved his daughter very much.

“Only by letting Zilong take over can we find a righteous path for Gongzheng and Wenyuan, a path of hereditary succession, and also ensure Shao’er’s future stability,” Diaochan said, frowning.

There's no problem with Gao Shun and Zhang Liao being granted the title of Marquis, but now that the division of interests is almost complete, even without a showdown, it's already very difficult to find a suitable place for Gao Shun and Zhang Liao to settle down.

However, if Lu Bu's righteous cause in Australia were given to Zhao Yun, then given Chen Xi's style, the Bingzhou faction would inevitably seek compensation from other places.

In the Han Dynasty, only a handful of people were granted the opportunity for hereditary succession, and Chen Xi was one of them. Liu Bei could grant him power and title, while Chen Xi granted him wealth and honor.

Diao Chan believed that Zhang Liao and Gao Shun could definitely obtain the title of Marquis, but what about wealth and honor?

While both are marquises, some marquises possess the core area of ​​the empire and can become feudal lords upon arrival, while others have to build everything themselves.

The simplest point is that if the Indochina Peninsula were properly developed, it would be no less impressive than the Ganges River basin. So why does everyone flock to the Ganges instead of going to the Indochina Peninsula?

To put it bluntly, the Indochina Peninsula needs development, while the Ganges River has been largely developed. Even if there are still many areas that need further development to become better, it's just a difference between good and better. The Indochina Peninsula is still in the latter category.

Of course, even so, the Indochina Peninsula was better than many other places. After Zhang Yong was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Guannei, he decisively abandoned his fiefdom in the Pamir Mountains and directly chose what is now Thailand. For him, it was much better to build his own territory there than to do so in the Pamir Mountains.

This shows that wealth and status are categorized into different levels.

How can direct descendants, collateral descendants, those who have defected, and nominally one's own people be the same?

Even Jiangdong, which is currently the best-developed region, is at most considered a collateral branch in Diaochan's eyes, because even Southeast Asia, when developed to its maximum level, cannot surpass the Indochina Peninsula.

As for the Indochina Peninsula, it was a place that Liu Bei's generals and officers could pick and choose from.

That's the difference. So if the great cause of Australia were entrusted to Zhao Yun, the Bingzhou faction could at least get a branch family background. That is, the Bingzhou faction could also get all the things that Jiangdong enjoys now. In Diao Chan's eyes, this wealth and status is already very difficult to obtain.

"Is that so?" Lu Bu was somewhat confused after hearing Diao Chan's explanation.

"When Gongtai was leaving, he told me that he had burned all the wisdom he had accumulated to find a path for you and the generals of Bingzhou that he considered to be the right one," Diaochan explained simply.

Although Diao Chan also possesses spiritual talent and can enhance herself to be considered a semi-wise strategist, the wisdom of this intricate scheme, directly applied to Chen Xi, and yet still managed to elicit a smile from him without any dissatisfaction, is truly excessive.

In this world, very few people can achieve this, and Chen Gong, who burned his reserves of wisdom, happens to be one of them.

The reason Chen Gong didn't tell Lü Bu was that he knew Lü Bu was a simple-minded person who wouldn't understand these rules and regulations. So he could only tell Diao Chan, and also told her some things hidden underwater, indicating that Chen Xi would accept this strategy with a smile.

"Although I am not entirely sure of Gongtai's judgment, I carefully analyzed the forces in the world according to the methods he taught me, and finally confirmed that what Gongtai said was indeed correct." Diao Chan said with a touch of emotion, "Many of Chen Zichuan's actions are actually just looking for reasons. Even when he is caught red-handed, it is all for the sake of future planning. The aristocratic families think they have gained an advantage, but in reality, it is hard to say who has actually gained an advantage."

"Is Chen Zichuan like that?" Lu Bu recalled Chen Xi's face. In his opinion, Chen Xi was not good at scheming. Well, it was Chen Gong who told him that Chen Xi was not actually good at scheming.

"I'm not entirely confident in my judgment either, but as things stand, it seems there's nothing wrong with it. It's true that Lord Chen isn't good at scheming, but he doesn't need to either, because there are too many greedy people ahead of him, and they've been greedy for far too long." Diao Chan said with a wry smile, "Everything has a price tag in the dark, we just don't know the exact price."

Lu Bu tilted his head, not understanding what Diao Chan was saying.

"Fengxian, you just need to remember that sometimes things are the result of deliberate indulgence by those above. It may seem like the people below are taking things so that the people above can take them, but in reality, it's because those above are deliberately indulging those below who are doing the work," Diaochan said with a touch of emotion.

"Assuming that the actions of the major clans and the current warlords are partly due to Chen Hou's indulgence, how can others stop him when he tries to take benefits beyond what is permissible?" Diao Chan asked the most important question before Lu Bu could answer.

“Especially when he also possessed absolute military power.” Diao Chan’s eyes seemed to speak volumes as she looked at Lü Bu, making the previously dazed Lü Bu vaguely understand some things.

"Moreover, Gongtai said that the 20th year of Yuanfeng was very likely a deliberate move by Chen Zichuan, and that certain situations might even have been deliberately left behind by Chen Zichuan." Diaochan said with a certain awe. When Chen Gong said this, he specifically warned Diaochan not to let Lü Bu interfere with the upcoming succession. No matter what Chen Xi did in the end, she should pretend not to know and just mind her own business.

"I don't understand," Lu Bu said with a dry laugh. Although he vaguely understood some things, his brain simply couldn't process so much information.

"Actually, it doesn't matter if you don't understand, my husband. You will always protect me and Shao'er no matter what." Diao Chan covered her mouth and chuckled. She said so much to divert Lu Bu's attention and make him more accepting of transferring all her titles in Australia to Zhao Yun.

And this has already been achieved. At least now, Lü Bu no longer wants to think about why he should hand over all of these things to Zhao Yun. He only wants to follow Diao Chan's orders and give these material possessions to Zhao Yun. As for why, it doesn't matter.

"Alright, alright, I don't understand anyway. Since you and Gongtai both think so, then give it to him. I just need to keep the title of the best in the world. As for you and Shao'er, as long as you have Red Hare and Fangtian Halberd, even if you have nothing else, I can protect you forever!" Lu Bu seemed confused and didn't want to argue, but he completely understood the last sentence and was very confident.

"In short, just remember this, my husband," Diao Chan said with a smile, without saying anything more. However, she believed that after she said this, Lü Bu would naturally find Zhao Yun during the grand court assembly and transfer all the things he didn't need to Zhao Yun.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore, it's already late." Lu Bu reached out and put his arm around Diao Chan. Compared to all that nonsense, Diao Chan was still the best.

In a small courtyard in the southeast corner of Chang'an, Li Tiao was hosting a banquet for Guan Hai, as well as some veterans from the Yellow Turban Rebellion era and those he knew well.

Well, by this time of year, there are no more veterans among the Yellow Turbans who were acquainted with Li Tiao back then. They are either local residents of Qingzhou, or deputy generals or legion commanders.

“Brother Tiao, your yard is no good. Damn, when I worked for the Xiao family in Lanling, their yard was ten times bigger than yours, and the scenery was amazing.” Chen Hong gestured to Li Tiao while eating braised pork ribs.

"You bastard, you know that's the Lanling Xiao Clan? I'm just a penniless nobody. The only reason I could afford a courtyard in Chang'an was because I participated in the Northern Frontier War and received a reward upon returning to Chang'an." Li Tiao said irritably, "What rank do they have? By the way, what exactly is the Lanling Xiao Clan?"

After Li Tiao finished the war in the northern frontier, he came to Chang'an. The reason he remembered to buy a house was because he had watched helplessly as the price of the North First Street, which he had built, skyrocketed to the point that he could no longer afford it. So after arriving in Chang'an, he heard Chen Xi say that once he took over Chang'an, he would definitely renovate it. Therefore, he quickly exchanged his reward for a courtyard in Chang'an.

The courtyard behind was also renovated when Chen Xi renovated Chang'an. In terms of size, it is not small, especially considering that this is the capital city where land is extremely valuable. However, as a residence for a marquis, it is indeed a bit small.

The problem is that when Li Tiaocheng became a marquis, the mansion he was granted, with a living area of ​​9000 square meters (not counting the huge garden outside), was in his hometown of Mount Tai.

Back then, Li Tiao didn't plan to live in Chang'an for long, so he never thought about having the state provide him with a homestead in Chang'an when he became a marquis.

The bestowal of mansions by marquises is usually a one-time event. The state either builds them or bestows existing mansions. Li Tiao's mansion was built directly by the state in the Taishan area, so if he wants to live in Chang'an later, he will have to buy it himself.

Li Tiao wasn't exactly a miser, but he was indeed quite indifferent to his own needs. This 1500-square-meter house with a courtyard was indeed unworthy of his status as a marquis, and it wasn't even in the noble district. But Li Tiao really did stay here for a long time after coming to Chang'an, and he never moved. This time, it was here that he hosted the Yellow Turban brothers.

"Uh, Brother Tiao, don't you know the Lanling Xiao Clan?" Xue Zhou asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I really don't know much about these big families. I'll go serve the food first," Li Tiao said, shaking his head. He didn't really pay attention to these things because he didn't have much contact with them.

"They're a decent family, they pay fairly well, but they do a lot of shady work," Fan Zhe said, picking his teeth. "I've worked for them before, it was alright, but the downside is that there's a lot of shady work, so it's not really suitable for the younger generation."

The Lanling Xiao Clan's tests often went awry, so they needed to capture the test subjects. Animal test subjects were fine, but occasionally human-shaped test subjects would appear. To be honest, it was inhumane. Only the old Yellow Turbans, who had seen more cruel things, didn't have any particular feelings about this kind of behavior. As long as the money was right, they wouldn't react if you told them to kill the test subject.

On the contrary, the younger generation, well, there have even been cases of people who took money from the Lanling Xiao Clan and then rescued test subjects who escaped from the laboratory. In short, the historical context can be quite interesting at times.

Therefore, at this stage, the Lanling Xiao Clan no longer recruits young people; they only want those with a history of killing, preferably with experience in massacres. Although these people have been morally tamed by Chen Xi, once they leave Chen Xi's moral sphere, they are extremely accepting of all kinds of dark events.

For these people, all sorts of outrageous and heinous incidents are simply a matter of course.

"As long as you get paid for shady work, that's fine. The worst thing is doing shady work and not getting paid," Hua Chen said, smacking his lips twice, recalling why he joined the Yellow Turbans back then.

Hua Chen was originally just an ordinary farmhand for a landlord. When his family ran out of food, the landlord said that he had made a grudge against someone and asked Hua Chen to kill someone. Hua Chen had no experience in this kind of job, but the landlord said that he would give his family two bushels of grain if he succeeded. Hua Chen thought about his family's situation and killed the person without saying a word.

Whether the other party is a good person or a bad person is not important; what matters is the two bushels of grain.

After committing the murder, Hua Chen naturally had to flee. After two months on the run, he returned to find that there was no food at home, his wife had remarried because of his murder, and his newborn child starved to death because no one was there to take care of him.

Hua Chen said, "Fuck you!" He went straight for the landlord and fought him, but he lost and was almost beaten to death. Fortunately, when he joined the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he fought back with the Great Teacher of Virtue and slaughtered the landlord's entire family.

What right and wrong, what morality and ethics, that's bullshit, kill his whole family!
“That’s what I think too. As long as the money is paid on time, that’s fine.” Zhang took a sip of his drink and agreed. To be honest, the morality of these people really depends on the place. They only seem like normal people within Chen Xi’s moral sphere, but outside of this area, they are all bad people.

"I've received some new information, do you want to hear it?" Ni Ying returned carrying a large bag full of fresh ingredients, some of which were still alive, but that wasn't important. What mattered was that Ni Ying excitedly told his brothers that he had some new information.

"What's the news?" Xue Zhou said irritably. "Give me the sack, I'll take it to my sister-in-law first. There are so many of us, and we all rely on her cooking. The food has arrived, so hurry up and take it over."

"Here you go." Ni Ying wasn't annoyed and handed the sack to Xue Zhou. This thing was originally Xue Zhou's tool, and it was very useful. Especially now that it had been rewoven, it was even more sturdy and durable.

"What news?" Qu Gong asked, eating peanuts.

Ni Ying chuckled and recounted all the news he had received about Liu Bei.

"Is the Grand Commandant about to ascend the throne?" Li Tiao, who had just brought over from the kitchen carrying two jugs of yellow wine and some braised meat and tongue, heard this shocking news as soon as he entered.

"Huh?" As for Guan Hai, Hua Chen, Zhang Du and others at the table, they were completely dumbfounded. What's going on? How did they suddenly ascend to the throne?

"Honey, what should we embroider?" Yun asked Li Tiao with some concern as she came out of the kitchen carrying a large plate of shredded beef.

Although Li Tiao's wife was a noblewoman, she knew nothing about marriage. She was simply unaware of everything because she had known Li Tiao since they were both poor, and because Li Tiao was a kind-hearted man who had never looked down on his wife over the years. They had always gotten along very well, so she was completely bewildered when this happened.

"I don't know either." Li Tiao was also completely bewildered. Then the couple looked at Guan Hai and his group, and the group of people looked at each other in confusion.

"Shall we find someone who knows?" Guan Hai asked tentatively.

"Right, right, let's go find General Zhao." Li Tiao quickly realized, "I don't understand, but there are people who do. General Zhao must understand, right?" "Understand my ass, Zhao Yun is currently pouring wine for people."

As for what to do, Zhao Yun didn't know either. He was just following the crowd. Anyway, if the sky fell, Lord Chen would hold it up. Presenting the memorial was Lord Chen's job, right?

“General Zhao has already gone to Weiyang Palace. I had someone confirm it.” Ni Ying said with a deep expression. “General Guan and General Zhang also went there. It seems that Jiangdong and the Yuan family also went.”

These words confirmed the matter for Li Tiao and the others, since there was really no other reason for so many people to go to Weiyang Palace at this time except for such an important event.

"Then what should we do? Go to Weiyang Palace?" Guan Hai offered a fatal suggestion.

"They didn't invite us, so let's not go," Li Tiao said, still confused.

"What should we do then?" Guan Hai looked at his old buddies around him, feeling rather embarrassed. It seemed like they really didn't understand these things.

"Why don't we ask a professional?" Bai Rao said cautiously.

"Who are you asking? All the generals are in Weiyang Palace," Li Tiao asked, puzzled.

“Ni Ying said he went to Jiangdong and the Yuan family, but didn’t mention Lao Cao. We can go to Lao Cao’s side and ask him what to do,” Bai Rao suggested. He had been working for Lao Cao for several years. When Wei Yan returned from Lao Cao’s side, he followed him there, since he mainly followed Wei Yan.

"No way, Old Cao's group is too weird, I'm afraid something bad might happen if we get involved," Zhang Du refused, as he was a bit of a stickler for such things.

"What should we do then? This won't work, that won't work, we can't just sit here doing nothing." Hua Chen said with a somewhat unpleasant expression. "We old folks with no official positions or titles are fine, but what about the eldest brother and the others? They are marquises."

Li Tiao and Guan Hai both felt a headache upon hearing this. Those at a lower rank at least didn't need to consider these things, but for the two of them at that rank, it seemed they really did need to think about this.

"Hmm, why don't we go ask the Xiao family of Lanling? I'm quite familiar with them. They also have a marquis, so they should be in the same situation as Boss Guan. Let's go ask them," Zhang Du said after thinking for a moment. Although he didn't know the situation, he could still learn from it.

"Right, right, let's find a professional to learn from." Li Tiao slapped his thigh and said. Then, the group of people stopped eating and braved the snow to go to the Lanling Xiao Clan's place. Then, they started knocking on the door.

To be honest, when the Xiao family learned that a group of top veterans, led by two marquises, had come to bang on their door, they thought they had offended someone again and that the other party was coming to deal with them.

After all, the Lanling Xiao family may seem like a large household, but to be honest, the table full of Yellow Turban veterans, big and small, that Li Tiao hosted today was enough to wipe out the entire Lanling Xiao family. Moreover, if the authorities in Chang'an investigated after the extermination, the titles of these people would be enough to cover up the crime.

The Xiao family of Lanling has a marquis? Heh, a mere marquis within the pass, kneel down and obey two contemporary marquis gentlemen who were granted titles for military merit!

So when Li Tiao and Guan Hai banged on the door and said that the Marquis of Duting and the Marquis of Changting had come to visit, the Xiao family of Lanling began to think about where they had offended Li Tiao and Guan Hai recently.

After all, bringing so many people to visit clearly means they're not here for tea. Besides, the Lanling Xiao clan has no connection with these two marquises. They must have offended them somehow.

"Have the guards prepare for battle. You and I will go open the door," Xiao Xiu said to Xiao Bao in a deep voice.

After three years, I've finally received a recommendation. It's terrifying.