abnabooks #383 - Accepting the will of Heaven and making a fresh start, this is what Heaven has chosen! Xue Ba
#383 - Accepting the will of Heaven and making a fresh start, this is what Heaven has chosen! Xue Ba
“Brother.” Xue Baochai looked at her brother with a headache, then at her mother, who was completely distraught. She said, “Lord Jia may not necessarily be targeting our Xue family. Although the Xue family is now in decline, the commercial firms under the Xue family's name play a crucial role in the stability of the new dynasty. Unless someone in the new dynasty can replace our Xue family, even Lord Jia would not dare to act against us rashly.”
She paused slightly, seeing her mother and brother both looking at her.
Xue Baochai pondered for a moment, then said, “This time, Lord Jia sending an invitation might… might be an opportunity for our Xue family.”
“What opportunity?” Xue Pan asked, puzzled. “Could that dog actually help us connect with the new dynasty?”
The Xue family had indeed declined. They were not even aware that Lin Ruhai, the chief strategist and head of civil officials in the new dynasty, had a roundabout connection with their Xue family.
Otherwise, through Lin Ruhai, they would have learned even more despairing news.
Luo Fu, this hegemon who was about to reach a settlement with the Daqing Dynasty to divide the country along the river, was almost driven to ruin by the servants of their four great families, ultimately forced to raise the flag and revolt.
It could be said that the four great families had an irreconcilable hatred with Luo Fu.
Xue Pan's seemingly unintentional remark suddenly made Xue Baochai think of something. The Xue family had limited knowledge of the new dynasty.
At most, they knew that Luo Fu had risen from humble beginnings, stirring up the situation in a short period, capturing Jinling, and was about to complete the feat of dividing the country with the Daqing Dynasty.
Besides that, they knew at most that Luo Fu was not very old.
An inaugural ruler who was not old could not help but stir up some thoughts in Xue Baochai.
Xue Baochai said, “Brother, Lord Jia has the ear of the new dynasty and cannot be neglected. If… if Lord Jia's visit this time is related to me, then you must agree on my behalf and never refuse.”
“Sister, what are you talking about?” Xue Pan was at a loss.
But Madam Xue seemed to react suddenly, a look of unbelievable surprise appearing between her brows. She said, “My child, are you saying… are you saying…”
Xue Baochai did not directly state her guess, but instead reminded him from the side, “This is just my guess. Nothing is certain yet. Let's see what Lord Jia has in mind.”
Although Xue Pan still looked puzzled, Madam Xue began to urge him to entertain Jia Yucun well.
Before long, Jia Yucun, riding in a small sedan, arrived at the Xue residence, personally greeted by Xue Pan.
After taking his seat, Jia Yucun was too lazy to waste words with a fool like Xue Pan.
Instead, he directly requested to see Madam Xue and Xue Baochai.
But Xue Pan misunderstood something, his face turning red in an instant, as if ready to flip the table like Crowded Brother at any time.
Fortunately, Xue Baochai had specifically reminded him earlier to agree on her behalf when Jia Yucun mentioned something related to her.
Suppressing the anger in his heart, Xue Pan knew that Jia Yucun was different now and he could not afford to offend him.
In the end, he obediently followed his sister's reminder, apologized to Jia Yucun, and went to the inner residence.
As soon as he entered the inner residence, Xue Pan exploded and began to curse angrily.
In Xue Pan's eyes, Jia Yucun was clearly a petty man who had become successful and even had his eyes on his sister.
Alarmed by Xue Pan's reaction, when Madam Xue and Xue Baochai learned of Jia Yucun's intentions.
The mother and daughter showed a relieved expression, even looking forward to it.
“Brother, don't talk nonsense.” Xue Baochai suppressed the excitement in her heart, pretending to be reserved, and said, “Lord Jia is here to help our Xue family this time.”
Stunned for a moment, Xue Pan suddenly burst into tears, saying, “It's all my fault for being incompetent. Otherwise, how could I let my sister suffer such humiliation? That Jia Yucun, that dog, is so old and already married. This time, targeting my sister is clearly to manipulate us.”
Now Xue Baochai finally understood what her brother's brain was thinking.
In the end, Madam Xue explained their guess to Xue Pan.
Learning that he had misunderstood, Xue Pan quickly became pleasantly surprised, after all, this was a good opportunity to connect with Luo Fu.
Putting aside everything else, Luo Fu was now basically certain to form a situation with the Northern Daqing Dynasty, dividing the country along the river.
If his sister was really fortunate enough to serve Luo Fu, then it would really be a great opportunity for their Xue family.
Instantly turning anger into joy, Xue Pan couldn't wait to urge his mother and sister to meet Jia Yucun together.
If it weren't for the possibility of his sister being sent to the side of Emperor Luo Tian, Xue Pan, no matter how outrageous he was, would not let the female members of the Xue family meet Jia Yucun, an outsider.
But now it was different. If Jia Yucun could really arrange to send Xue Baochai to Emperor Luo Tian's side, then their Xue family and Jia Yucun would become an unbreakable alliance, which was much closer than the four great families being of the same spirit.
When Xue Baochai, dressed in a dignified and appropriate ruqun, appeared in front of him under Xue Pan's lead, even Jia Yucun couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
After being amazed, he was overjoyed.
He quickly got up and bowed to Xue Baochai.
Soon, in Xue Pan's half-understanding, Xue Baochai and Jia Yucun reached a tacit understanding.
Madam Xue even personally escorted Jia Yucun to the outside of the moon gate in the inner residence.
After seeing Jia Yucun off, Xue Pan asked suspiciously, “Sister, when did you become so familiar with this surnamed Jia dog?”
Looking at her brother with a little helplessness, Xue Baochai could only patiently explain to Xue Pan.
Understanding everything, Xue Pan became even more impatient.
On the other side, after leaving the Xue residence, Jia Yucun went home to change his clothes and hurried straight to the palace.
After being received by Luo Fu, Jia Yucun almost unreservedly revealed his ambition, flattering Luo Fu and saying that the leader was about to claim the title of king, but the harem was empty.
Although the leader was young and did not need to worry about the issue of succession in the short term, the problem of the empty harem must be resolved.
In a series of nauseating flattery, Jia Yucun finally proposed to Luo Fu that the Xue family, a descendant of the former dynasty's Ziwu Sheren, had a daughter of marriageable age who could enrich Luo Fu's harem.
The Xue family, a descendant of the former dynasty's Ziwu Sheren.
Almost in an instant, Luo Fu already understood that Jia Yucun was talking about Xue Baochai, Luo Fu's already established goal.
What Luo Fu didn't expect was that Xue Baochai would be sent to his harem in this way.
It must be admitted that after experiencing a dismissal and investigation, Jia Yucun had almost exhausted all means in his pursuit of personal gain. His moral bottom line was simply appalling.
But for Luo Fu, Jia Yucun was still very useful for the time being.
After learning of his purpose from Jia Yucun's mouth, Luo Fu looked at Jia Yucun with a smile that was not a smile and said, “Does Ai Qing know why I raised troops to rebel?”
Stunned for a moment, Jia Yucun quickly replied, “The leader is blessed by heaven, reforming and innovating. This is the destiny.”
Shaking his head, Luo Fu said, “Perhaps my uprising was too short. I'm afraid Ai Qing doesn't know? If it weren't for my bad luck, I would have become a Juren of the Daqing Dynasty a few months ago. Does Ai Qing know why I missed this provincial examination?”
A bad feeling suddenly rose in his heart.
Facts proved that Jia Yucun's premonition was correct.
When he learned from Luo Fu that he had been ruined by the four great families, even when his life was almost in danger.
Jia Yucun knelt down immediately, even swearing that his marriage with the Jia family was only due to chance. The Jia family was powerful, and he was just a former official who had been dismissed and investigated. How dare he offend the Jia family, who had two dukes? He would immediately cut ties with the Jia family and would never associate with such treacherous people.
Luo Fu smiled faintly, knocked on Jia Yucun, and said, “Then send the daughter of the Xue family to the palace. You have done well this time.”
Subconsciously kowtowing to thank him, Jia Yucun was still a little confused even after leaving the palace, not knowing what Luo Fu meant.
He had clearly told himself that he was forced to raise troops to rebel because of the persecution of the four great families, but why did he want to let Xue Baochai, who could be considered an enemy, enter the palace?
After thinking for a long time in the sedan, Jia Yucun didn't understand what Luo Fu meant.
It wasn't until he returned home again and saw Jiao Xing that Jia Yucun suddenly understood.
He had a huge misunderstanding of Luo Fu. Luo Fu was not a moral saint. He was indeed a generation of heroes, but precisely because he was a generation of heroes, it was even more impossible for him to be a morally perfect person.
The four great families had offended him deeply, so the most enjoyable way to take revenge was not to kill all the men, women, old and young of the four great families.
Genghis Khan, a generation of pride, once said that the greatest pleasure of a man lies in subduing the rebellious, defeating the enemy, taking away all their possessions, riding their steeds, and possessing their beautiful wives and concubines!
Ask, as an enemy, would Luo Fu let go of the four great families?
There was no doubt that he would not.
But the way to retaliate against the female members of the four great families was definitely different from the men.
After understanding this, Jia Yucun was relieved, but also understood that the Xue family was finished.
Even if Xue Baochai was favored in the palace by virtue of her beauty, the Xue family would not have any chance to turn over in this generation.
Although he had to give up the previous idea of uniting with the Xue family, being able to send Xue Baochai to Luo Fu's harem was, to some extent, a credit to Jia Yucun.
Knowing the future of the Xue family, Jia Yucun went straight to the Xue family again. This time, he no longer had the previous intimacy, and even had no intention of manipulating the Xue family. He took Xue Baochai away in front of Xue Pan and Madam Xue in an official manner, and directly sent Xue Baochai to the palace.
Having completed all of this, Jia Yucun, still feeling apprehensive, sought out Lin Ruhai and recounted the events of the day in detail.
However, in front of Lin Ruhai, Jia Yucun reversed the cause and effect of the entire process.
In his version, he wasn't being cautious but had learned in advance about the deep-seated hatred between Luo Fu and the Four Great Families. After consulting with Luo Fu, he sent Xue's niece to the palace.
Lin Ruhai didn't mind at all that Luo Fu had taken Xue's daughter before his grand wedding with his own precious daughter.
Luo Fu's rise to power, even to the point of replacing the dynasty, was already clearly visible.
Not to mention the founder of a dynasty, even ordinary men who achieve success, how many can remain faithful to one person for life?
For the founder of a dynasty, emotions are merely a tool for adjustment, or even a means to achieve his great ambitions.
As long as Lin Daiyu's position as the mistress of the harem remains unchanged, Lin Ruhai wouldn't care about anything else.
Especially since the Xue family, from the beginning, was destined to pose no threat to his daughter.
Based on the hatred between the Four Great Families and Luo Fu, even if Luo Fu took all the women from the Four Great Families, they would at most be tools to vent his hatred.
Slightly nodding, Lin Ruhai said, "Shi Fei, you've done well this time. As subjects of the leader, we should share his burdens and help him avenge his grievances."
"It's good as long as the master doesn't mind," Jia Yucun said with a bashful expression. "If I hadn't known about the leader's hatred, how would I dare to act presumptuously before the young lady's grand wedding with the leader?"
Smiling with satisfaction, Lin Ruhai said, "Shi Fei, you must travel to Jiangnan as soon as possible to pacify the region and stabilize it, making Jiangnan a source of tax revenue for our new dynasty."
Without a single error, from beginning to end, inside and out, all in one look!
"I obey," Jia Yucun agreed immediately. After bidding farewell to Lin Ruhai, he hurriedly left Jinling.
Although the Xue family's matter was a twist of fate, it made Jia Yucun truly feel the crisis.
However, as a blessing in disguise, he also learned some of Luo Fu's background, naturally adding to his urgency in targeting the Four Great Families.
Inside the palace.
Because the time for Luo Fu to declare himself king and establish a dynasty was approaching, and the grand wedding was soon after, Lin Daiyu, the future queen, naturally couldn't move into the palace beforehand.
This was a matter of etiquette. Although Luo Fu didn't care, he wouldn't go against the will of the people.
After dealing with the issues of declaring himself king and establishing a dynasty, Luo Fu finally had time to visit the harem and meet Xue Baochai, the woman comparable to Consort Yang and hailed as one of the Twelve Beauties alongside Lin Daiyu.
Upon learning of Luo Fu's arrival, Xue Baochai's heart pounded nervously.
Under the service of her maid, after tidying her attire, Xue Baochai finally prepared to welcome Luo Fu.
The first time Luo Fu saw Xue Baochai, he had to admit that she was indeed one of the Twelve Beauties, blessed by the spirits of heaven and earth, and worthy of being compared to Lin Daiyu, the reincarnation of the Crimson Pearl Fairy.
Xue Baochai was indeed a beauty who didn't disappoint.
Her figure was voluptuous, and even the loose-fitting Ru skirt couldn't hide her curves. Her skin glowed with a jade-like radiance, as white as the finest mutton-fat jade. Her bones and flesh were lustrous. Although she was young, the moment Luo Fu saw her, only one word came to his mind.
Moist.
It was a kind of moisture that radiated from her very being.
Yet, beneath this charm, there was a unique sense of dignity and grace.
Amidst the contradictions, that different temperament and beauty constituted the peerless young woman before him.
"This concubine, Xue Baochai of the Xue family, greets Your Highness!" Xue Baochai felt Luo Fu's gaze, her fair face blushing slightly, and she bowed to Luo Fu.
With every gesture, the astonishing curves beneath the loose-fitting Ru skirt captivated the eye.
Slightly nodding, Luo Fu walked past Xue Baochai and entered the room.
After sitting down on the chair, Luo Fu said, "It seems your Xue family plans to cooperate with Jia Yucun?"
After directly exposing the little thoughts between the Xue family and Jia Yucun, Luo Fu once again asked Xue Baochai a question similar to the one he had asked Jia Yucun before.
"You probably don't know that I was originally supposed to participate in the imperial examination a few months ago, but now I have rebelled."
Xue Baochai's heart tightened, and her mind quickly raced, wondering what Luo Fu meant.
Why did he suddenly bring up these things for no reason?
You should know that after reaching a tacit agreement with Jia Yucun, Xue Baochai had prepared in advance for this meeting with Luo Fu.
It could be said that although Luo Fu's initial glimpse of amazement was fleeting, it was entirely due to Xue Baochai's preparations.
However, her preparations were instantly severely weakened in the face of Luo Fu's question.
"This concubine doesn't know," Because Luo Fu's reaction was completely beyond Xue Baochai's expectations, this intelligent young woman immediately chose to be honest with Luo Fu. She didn't use any tricks, lest she be clever but fail.
Even if it was too straightforward, causing Luo Fu to think she was not of great use, she absolutely couldn't be clever.
Looking at Xue Baochai with a smile that wasn't a smile, Luo Fu quickly recounted his experiences.
Before Luo Fu could finish speaking, Xue Baochai's fair face completely lost its color, and she was almost scared out of her wits.
Even though Xue Baochai prided herself on her intelligence, she absolutely didn't expect that the Jia, Shi, Wang, and Xue families, the Four Great Families of Jinling, would provoke such a terrifying enemy because of the servant's self-righteousness in wanting to please his master.
Trembling with fear, Xue Baochai knelt on the ground with a thud, repeatedly kowtowing and saying, "Your Highness, please be aware that this matter has absolutely nothing to do with my Xue family."
After reaching a tacit agreement with Jia Yucun, Xue Baochai had prepared to cut ties with the Jia and Shi families in the capital. As for the Wang family, from which her mother came.
In fact, everyone knew that from the moment Wang Ziteng was appointed commander but was completely defeated by a detachment of Luo Tianjun's army, the Wang family had completely lost hope.
The branch in Jinling might be able to retain a slight possibility of continuing the family line, but the branch in the capital would inevitably be severely liquidated by the Daqing court.
But now, one wave has not subsided, and another has risen.
Fearing that she couldn't move Luo Fu, making Luo Fu lump the Xue family together with the Four Great Families completely.
Xue Baochai immediately began to cut ties with the Jia family in the capital with clear logic.
In fact, the real culprit who caused the tragedy of Luo Fu's family destruction was only the Jia family's servant.
On the one hand, there were already gaps between the Shi family and the other three families, and the Wang family had always followed the Jia family's lead. Before they could completely take over the Jia family's network of contacts, Wang Ziteng was appointed commander because of Luo Fu's uprising and suffered a crushing defeat.
Since the Four Great Families were named after Jinling, Jinling was naturally the core.
The Jia, Wang, and Shi families had already made the capital the focus of their families, but only the Xue family, who had always remained in Jinling, had gradually drifted away from the other three families.
Officially, they were naturally of the same breath, but privately, they no longer had the kind of intimacy that once made them feel like one.
Surely, just because of the name of the Four Great Families of Jinling, the Xue family, who were clearly far away in Jinling, shouldn't have to take the blame for the Jia family, right?
Luo Fu himself also knew that his mentality of treating the entire Four Great Families as enemies was actually undesirable.
But since Luo Fu planned to change the dynasty, then some things couldn't be viewed purely from a rational, logical perspective.
Looking at Xue Baochai with a smile that wasn't a smile, Luo Fu said, "The Jia family, who started the trouble, I will naturally liquidate them after I complete the change of dynasty, but the Xue family…"
"The Xue family is willing to serve Your Highness with the utmost loyalty," Xue Baochai said impatiently at the first moment.
Now, Xue Baochai's only hope was to be able to completely cut ties with the Jia family.
Satisfied, Luo Fu nodded.
Luo Fu beckoned to Xue Baochai.
Startled, Xue Baochai suddenly realized something, her fair face blushing, and she obediently got up and came to Luo Fu's side.
That night, Luo Fu finally tasted the flavor of one of the Twelve Beauties.
While the Luo Tianjun under Luo Fu's command were extensively conquering and seizing territory in Jiangnan.
The scene of human warfare and turmoil finally began to attract the attention of the Heavenly Court and the Underworld.
The Heavenly Court, although nominally the master of the Three Realms, in fact, the core of the incense divinity was always the human world.
When the human world launched a great war to change the dynasty, even if the Heavenly Court wanted to intervene, it was powerless.
But Fairy Jinghuan of the Illusionary Realm of Supreme Void was truly out of luck.
As Luo Fu took Xue Baochai as his own, Fairy Jinghuan in the Illusionary Realm of Supreme Void instantly felt her own fortune plummet, and even her cultivation was severely weakened.
Of course, at this point, the best way for Fairy Jinghuan to stop the loss was to directly give up her previous plans, and even turn around and arrange for the reincarnation of the amorous ghosts of the Three Books and Twelve Beauties to Luo Fu.
In this way, once Luo Fu completed the change of dynasty in the human world, then Fairy Jinghuan could instead gain huge benefits.
But what Fairy Jinghuan wanted was not just incense and faith, and simply having a relationship with the human dynasty.
Not only did she not restrain herself, but she also began to contact other parties in the Heavenly Court, preparing to personally intervene, striving to stop Luo Fu, support Daqing as the Dragon Court, and continue to complete her plan.
It can only be said that Fairy Jinghuan has embarked on a dead end that she seeks out for herself but does not know.
Although the Heavenly Court is nominally a strictly hierarchical organization, in fact, the interior is not monolithic.
When Fairy Jinghuan stubbornly chose to be an enemy of Luo Fu, there were naturally those in the Heavenly Court who were prepared to bet on Luo Fu.