Qin Gong

Chapter 688: Contact with the Qi Clan

Chapter 688: Contact with the Qi Clan

When Bai Yan returned to the small courtyard, he saw that it was full of people.

When the group of noble men saw Bai Yan, they were stunned at first, but after seeing Bai Yan's official hat, they immediately saluted Bai Yan enthusiastically.

"Wu Liejun! This is Sang Gongmian..."

Chen Ze and Fu Yao also hurriedly walked to Bai Yan, and just like they had introduced everyone to Shui Shou before, they once again introduced the people who had arrived to Bai Yan one by one.

Following Chen Ze and Fu Yao's words, Bai Yan enthusiastically responded to everyone's greetings.

In the small garden.

In the lively atmosphere, unlike Shui Shou before, after seeing Bai Yan, everyone watched Bai Yan's every word and action at this moment, not daring to miss any details.

"Yan'er, you must entertain all the adults!"

When Shi Xi saw Bai Yan coming back, she was relieved, knowing that everyone came for her second son, so she stopped interfering.

As a woman, Shi Xi had never seen so many important figures before. Not to mention Yan's father and eldest son Shui Shou, even she herself was sweating on her palms and back of the body, and she did not dare to be careless in the slightest.

"Mom, go and rest first!"

Bai Yan nodded.

"You have come to Bai Yan's former residence today. It is extremely simple, so I hope you will not be surprised!"

Bai Yan looked at his mother who was leaving and smiled. Then he turned around and glanced at the men from the aristocratic families and some Qi officials standing in the yard, and said with a bow.

Seeing some elderly men shaking their heads to show they didn't care, Bai Yan turned around and instructed the soldiers around him to bring in the prepared wine, food and wooden tables.

"Although this is a humble room, Bai Yan has prepared some wine for you. When you are here, if there is a chance, and if Bai Yan can enter Linzi City in the future, he will definitely prepare the best wine in Linzi City and treat you to a feast! To make up for today's loss!"

Bai Yan spoke to the crowd, looking at the wooden tables being carried in by the soldiers. The soldiers behind also placed the fine wine and meat they brought on the wooden tables.

Although the food and wine in front of them could not compare with the delicacies from land and sea in Linzi City, it was enough to express his gratitude. Moreover, Bai Yan also promised in person that he would host a banquet for everyone after entering Linzi City.

"Thank you, Lord Wu Lie!"

"Thank you, Wu Lie-kun!!"

The people from the noble families obviously did not expect Bai Yan to go to so much trouble to prepare wine and meat for them, so they all bowed to Bai Yan and came behind the wooden table.

They had walked all the way from outside the mountain, and there was no place to sit here. Many of the men from the aristocratic families, who had always been well-dressed and well-fed, had sore legs and feet. Now that they could get some rest, many of them could be seen breathing a sigh of relief.

"Lord Wu Lie said that he would hold another banquet when he enters the city one day! Xu Ni wants to ask, Lord Wu Lie is now the Great Liangzao of Qin State, and his subordinates are the elite of Qin State. Lord Wu Lie enters the city..."

A kneeling man behind the wooden table spoke to Bai Yan, then looked at the other people around him and looked at Bai Yan again.

"May I ask Lord Wu Lie! If Lord Wu Lie entered the city, was he alone or with the Qin cavalry? If the Qin cavalry entered the city, was there any Qi State in Linzi? If so... how can we Qi people hold a banquet?"

Xu Ni asked.

After hearing Xu Ni's words, whether it was the aristocratic man who was kneeling, or the other men who watched Qin soldiers move the tables and chairs and prepare to kneel, they all looked at Bai Yan.

Obviously everyone wanted to see how Bai Yan would answer this question.

"Xu Jun is joking!"

Bai Yan came to the wooden house, and knelt down behind a wooden table which served as the main seat outside the eaves. When he heard Xu Ni's words, he smiled and looked at Xu Ni, then raised one hand and looked at everyone.

"You are all well-known and prominent families in Qi. Even if Bai Yan led the cavalry into Linzi, how could there be no seat for you? If so, not to mention that Bai Yan, as a Qi person, would feel guilty and ashamed to see you, even if the King of Qin knew about it, he would probably scold or punish Bai Yan!"

Bai Yan said to the crowd with a wry smile, and after he finished speaking, the tense expressions of the men from the aristocratic families, including Xu Ni, relaxed a little. Bai Yan smiled when he saw this.

"Qi State has a history of 800 years, and its wine is famous all over the world. Linzi is the capital of Qi State, and everyone in the world knows about its fragrant and beautiful wine! Bai Yan entered the city just to see if the wine of Linzi is as fascinating as the rumors say."

When Bai Yan said this, he suddenly shook his head, sighed, picked up the wine jug on the wooden table in front of him, and poured himself a glass.

"No matter how good the Qi wine is, the King of Qin lives far away in Xianyang and can no longer taste it every day. No matter how beautiful the beauties in Linzi are, it is thousands of miles away from Xianyang. They are on opposite sides of the world! Bai Yan was puzzled. This place is Qi. Even if there are many changes, you are all from Qi. Why can't you enjoy the Linzi wine?"

After Bai Yan poured the wine, he put down the jug and looked at everyone and smiled without waiting for them to speak.

"Bai Yan only entered the city, how can he stay for long? Moreover, compared with the people from Wei, Chu and Yan who migrated to the city in the past! Think about it, they can drink the wine brewed in Linzi City, and they can also enjoy the beauty in Linzi City. No matter how few restaurants there are in Linzi City, there is a place for them. Even if it is a mansion in Linzi City, they can live for a long time. You are not worried about the nobles from Wei, Chu and Yan occupying the magpie's nest and taking all the fine wine, so why are you on guard against Bai Yan and his men!"

Bai Yan glanced inconspicuously at the faces of the Qi noble men in the small courtyard, then he smiled, raised the wine cup with both hands, and held it up to everyone.

"Everyone, look, behind Bai Yan are Bai Yan's parents, elder brother and sister-in-law! Everyone, look around, this is the old house where Bai Yan grew up! Although he eats Qin's salary and lives in the frontier of Yanmen, Bai Yan is also a Qi person who grew up drinking the water of Qi River just like you! This cup of wine is Bai Yan's toast to you as a Qi person!"

Bai Yan watched as each man was stunned for a moment, and then when they came to their senses, the men from the noble families were busy pouring wine and raising their wine cups.

After everyone picked up the wine cup, Bai Yan gestured for everyone to drink the wine together.

In the small garden.

Chen Ze and Fu Yao also knelt behind the wooden table, raised their sleeves, drank the wine, then put down the wine cup, looked at Bai Yan's appearance, thought about Bai Yan's words, and then glanced at the other aristocratic men. Their expressions gradually relaxed, smiles slowly appeared on their faces, and they kept looking at each other and nodding.

Seeing this scene, Chen Ze and Fu Yao couldn't help but look at each other, their eyes full of satisfaction.

It would be a lie to say that this trip was not tiring. Moreover, many of the nobles had never seen Bai Yan before, but they had heard of Bai Yan's massacre of the nobles in Yanmen, and they were worried.

The Qin cavalry marched south, and everyone wanted to meet Bai Yan and find out Bai Yan's attitude towards the Qin State. However, at the beginning everyone just planned to send their clansmen to ask to see Bai Yan!

It was the two of them who kept lobbying, made promises in person, and guaranteed by their families that made this man make up his mind to come and see Bai Yan in person.

Chen Ze and Fu Yao both knew that compared to other members of the clan, these people in front of them were the ones who could really make the decisions within the clan. Basically, important matters could only be accomplished by talking to them and making up their minds.

"What Lord Wu Lie said is true! Think about it, everyone. Over the past few years, foreign nobles have settled in Linzi and have continued to develop. A few years ago, Linzi City was the land of Qi people. But today, who among you dares to say that Linzi is the capital of Qi people?"

After Fu Yao and Chen Ze looked at each other, they waited for everyone to put down their wine glasses before speaking.

Chen Ze also nodded.

"From what I have heard, in Linzi City, there are no less than dozens of Qi clans that have been persecuted by foreign races such as Chu, Wei, and Yan in the past few years. From small fights to big fights, such as robbing people and seizing houses, Linzi is no longer the Linzi of the past. The king does not care, and the Qi ministers are colluding. The Qi clan is chilled! If this continues, after Linzi, the cities where you are will be invaded by foreign races, and your residences will be invaded. Have you ever thought about the cuckoo occupying the magpie's nest?"

Chen Ze also echoed.

Bai Yan knelt behind the wooden table. When he heard what Fu Yao and Chen Ze said, his heart was filled with smiles. It felt great to have his own people inside the enemy.

Looking at the worried looks on the faces of the aristocratic men with frowns on their brows, Bai Yan knew that what he, Fu Yao and Chen Ze said had touched the hearts of these aristocratic men.

The matter of drinking led all the way to Linzi and Qi State. Everyone in the small courtyard knew that now that things had come to this, they should just say whatever they wanted to say without hiding anything.

"Lord Wu Lie, if the Qin people get Qi, what difference will there be between them and the nobles of Chu, Wei and Yan?"

Zhan Maoshen and Yu Dou looked at each other, then took the initiative to look at Bai Yan and said, bluntly speaking, what good would it be for them if the Qin people entered Linzi, or if Qi was destroyed.

"Yes! Lord Wu Lie, although the nobles of Chu, Wei and Yan occupy Linzi, the King of Qi is still the king of us Qi people. No matter what, he will be biased towards us Qi people. If one day, the Qin people..."

Lu Hui also looked at Bai Yan and asked.

All the male nobles in the small courtyard perked up, looked at each other, then quieted down and looked at Bai Yan.

At this time, Chen Ze and Fu Yao also looked at Bai Yan with some concern. They both knew that this issue was very crucial. Whether they could win over the gentry in other cities in Qi depended on whether the promises Qin made to these gentry could make them excited.

But this request was almost impossible to answer. After all, Bai Yan was not King Ying Zheng of Qin, so he naturally could not make big promises. Even if he did, other nobles would not dare to believe it.

This would lead to a vicious circle. If Bai Yan promised too little, these prominent families in Qi would naturally be dissatisfied. If he promised too much, they would not believe it.

"You should have heard what Mr. Chen said just now!"

Bai Yan said, and after looking at Chen Ze, he saw Chen Ze and Fu Yao looking at him with worried eyes, and Bai Yan gave them a reassuring look.

Glancing around, he saw the middle-aged men and the elderly men nodding their heads. They all knew what Chen Ze had just meant. Bai Yan thought about it.

"Bai Yan, please think again. Why did the three tribes of Chu, Wei and Yan come to Qi? They were afraid of Qin. And why did the King of Qi indulge the nobles of Chu, Wei and Yan? He was also afraid of Qin! Think about it, would the King of Qin be at ease with the nobles of these three places and let them continue to stay in Qi? Think about it, would Bai Yan, who led the army to destroy Wei and defeat Chu, sit back and watch the nobles of the three places grow stronger again?"

Bai Yan poured himself a second glass of wine at this time, and then looked at everyone.

"The King of Qi ignored it. What's the difference between the King of Qi and the King of Qin to you? On the contrary, compared with the King of Qi, whether it is the King of Qin or Bai Yan, they will not sit idly by and watch the nobles of the three places devour Qi and become a hidden danger again!"

Bai Yan picked up the wine glass with both hands and looked at everyone.

"You all remember that when Qin conquered Zhao and Wei, it used many local officials!"

Bai Yan looked at the people in front of him meaningfully.

In the small courtyard, as Bai Yan spoke, whether it was Zhan Maoshen, Yu Dou and others, or Lu Hui, Chen Ze and others, all their eyes lit up. Following Bai Yan's words and thinking about the future scenes, they knew what Bai Yan meant.

Yes! If Qin destroyed Qi, not only would Bai Yan, who was from Qi, help them drive out the nobles from Chu, Wei and Yan, but also the officials in Qi would continue to employ people from Qi. In this way, without Linzi, the so-called "Qi capital", it would be a hundred benefits for them.

Think of this.

The noble men looked at each other, nodded imperceptibly, showing satisfaction, then picked up the wine glasses and drank with Bai Yan with a smile.

the other side.

Different from the lively atmosphere in the garden.

Accompanied by several Qin army soldiers, they brought wine and food into the wooden house. Yanfu and Shuishou then brought their grandfather, grandmother and uncle into the house to have dinner.

"Yan'er is really impressive now! Since he was young, I have known that Yan'er has great potential!"

Grandmother felt jealous when she saw how Shi was arranging wine and food for the Qin soldiers. But when she thought of Bai Yan outside the house, she smiled and spoke to Shi.

"Put it here, put it here..."

Shi Xi carefully put the wine and dishes in place. Looking at the table full of sumptuous food and wine, she felt heartbroken. In the past, the family could only have a bowl of meat during festivals. Now the table was full of meat dishes. How much would this cost!

Feeling distressed, Shi Xi almost fainted when she heard what Shui Shou's grandmother said. Looking at her elderly mother beside her, she almost couldn't help but open her mouth to refute.

Ha~! Do you think Yan'er has a promising future?

Yan'er has never been treated well by you, an old woman, since he was a child. Every time I go to your house for dinner, you and other grandchildren, no matter how old or young, eat the best food. As long as there is oil or water in the soup, let alone a little bit of meat, even if Yan'er wants to have a sip of soup, he will be looked down upon. He will either be scolded by you, my grandmother, or reprimanded.

Throughout the year, any savings would be used to buy new clothes for Zilu and other grandchildren, and even to give them money for their own safety. On the other hand, Yan'er has never received a penny from you, his grandmother, since he was a child.

And I can see that Yan Er has a bright future!!!

I really don’t mind being so thick-skinned that I’m not afraid of sticking my tongue out when I say this!

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Shi Xi couldn't stand Shui Shou's grandmother's shamelessness. She used to think that Ying was thick-skinned, but now she realized that there are even more shameless people. However, knowing how filial Yan's father was, Shi Xi did not argue with Shui Shou's grandmother no matter how dissatisfied she was.

"Hmph, what a waste? You don't even say hello, unworthy of being a descendant! With such a moral character, aren't you afraid that it will be spread out..."

Grandfather snorted.

At this moment, the old grandfather's face was full of dissatisfaction, but it was not known whether it was intentional or a coincidence, the grandfather's voice was very low, and Bai Yan, who was talking with others outside the room, did not hear it.

"There are many people here today. Yan'er just came in. I guess he didn't see his grandparents. He must have something important to do, so he was busy greeting everyone and discussing important matters!"

Yan's father also explained with a smile.

Zitai watched Shuishou and Yunhan sit down, then looked at the table full of delicious meat and dishes. He was so hungry that he kept swallowing his saliva. Finally, he couldn't help it. He didn't care about his parents, and hurriedly picked up the bowl and chopsticks and started eating hurriedly.

"You kid!"

When the grandmother saw that the third son had a mouth full of meat and oil around his lips, she muttered something, but she didn't slow down and quickly picked up the bowl and chopsticks to eat.

Since selling the land, my grandmother's family has only been able to eat meat a few times over the years, let alone such an abundant amount of meat in front of them.

"..."

Seeing her grandmother and Zitai eating without paying attention to everyone else, Shi felt helpless. Fortunately, she was used to this family's temperament, so she didn't say anything. She just turned around and asked Yunhan to start eating as well.

Grandfather listened to the sound of the mother and daughter chewing the minced meat. The aroma of the meat hit his face and his Adam's apple moved. His stern old face seemed to want to say something, but in the end he said nothing. He wanted to wait for the second son to speak and then pick up his chopsticks, but he never expected that Shi Xi asked the second son to bring Shu'er over to eat.

Now my grandfather felt hungry, and finally he couldn't help it. He silently picked up the bowl and chopsticks and started eating the meat on the table.

………………

At dusk.

Bai Yan and Chen Ze stood in front of the small courtyard, seeing off the men one by one. Only after all the clan members had left did Bai Yan look back into the small courtyard. More than a dozen wooden tables were covered with leftovers.

"Order someone to carry the money to the main camp! Have General Yang Yan arrange for someone to deliver it to Linzi City and hand it over to Qi Xiang Hou Sheng!"

Bai Yan looked into the small courtyard and saw boxes of money. He had a new understanding of the wealth of the Qi nobles.

"promise!"

The trusted soldiers who had been waiting in the yard, upon hearing Bai Yan's words, immediately bowed and accepted the order, then walked out of the courtyard and arranged for the soldiers to go to the main camp to transfer people over.

"Giving all this to Hou Sheng is too cheap for him!"

Chen Ze looked surprised and looked at the many large wooden boxes in the small courtyard with some reluctance.

"There are gains and losses! Bai Yan will meet with Hou Yao within the next two days!"

Bai Yan looked at Chen Ze's painful expression and consoled him with a smile.

No matter how much money you have, you have to live to spend it! However, Bai Yan naturally couldn't say this to Chen Ze.

"That's fine! Now as long as the nobles stationed in Qi are not loyal to Qi and do not stop Qin from destroying Qi, and Hou Sheng persuades the King of Qi to surrender, as long as the King of Qi surrenders, all this will be worth it!"

Chen Ze had a helpless look on his face. Looking at the carefree Bai Yan, he could only comfort himself.

In front of the cabin.

After stabilizing the gentry, Bai Yan no longer had any worries. This would be a good thing for the Qi people, the Qin State, and even Bai Yan's family in the future.

However, before entering the house, Bai Yan heard the voices of his grandfather's family coming from inside the house.

"Brother Zhong, we don't want more, just a few boxes..."

"Yes! Zhong'er! Zhong'er's wife, we are all family, why should there be any division of money! Besides, we are not taking much, just a few boxes from Man Xiaoyuan..."

"I am your father, and also Yan'er's grandfather. Is it possible that I cannot take the money Yan'er has earned?"

Bai Yan heard the words coming from inside the house and his grandfather's scolding. He sighed, looked at Chen Ze with a strange look in his eyes, turned around and walked into the house step by step.

inside the house.

At the wooden table, the grandfather's family of three, who had just eaten and drunk their fill and were still being aggressive, suddenly quieted down when they saw Bai Yan coming back.

Bai Yan looked at his mother who had an angry look on her face, then looked at his father who was in trouble, turned his head and looked at his uncle, grandmother, and grandfather.

In a quiet atmosphere.

Seeing Bai Yan's gaze, for some reason, my uncle and grandmother were a little scared. Even my grandfather, whose originally tough old face was covered with tears, gradually showed an uneasy look.

After all, after learning that Shui Yan is now Bai Yan, everyone knows that the young man they once looked down upon has not only killed people in the past few years, but has also killed many, many people.

"Yan'er..."

Yan's father noticed Bai Yan's gaze, but just as he opened his mouth, he saw Bai Yan bowing to his grandfather.

"Grandfather, I really can't take the money from outside!"

Bai Yan said softly.

After the ceremony, Bai Yan looked at his grandfather who was turning his head to the side. Seeing the look of dissatisfaction on his grandfather's old face, Bai Yan did not pay much attention to it and looked at his uncle beside him.

"Those money are all used to persuade the King of Qi to surrender. Previously, Yan'er also wanted to let his uncle serve as an envoy of Qin to go to the Linzi Palace to persuade the King of Qi to surrender! But considering that there are countless nobles in Linzi City, they have hatred for destroying their country and killing their relatives with Bai Yan, so Bai Yan gave up just now, worried that his brother would repeat the same thing as his uncle!"

As Bai Yan spoke, he looked at his uncle, whose expression was full of excitement and eyes lit up when he heard the first half of the sentence. When he heard the second half of the sentence, his uncle's face turned visibly pale.

Seeing this, Bai Yan turned to look at his grandfather.

"If grandparents want, Bai Yan can let my uncle serve as Qin's envoy and go to the palace to persuade the King of Qi to surrender!"

Bai Yan spoke in a kind manner, but just as he finished speaking, he heard his uncle beside him quickly waving his hands.

"It is a big deal for the King of Qi to persuade him to surrender. How can I take on this responsibility? If I fail to do this, I will feel guilty!"

The uncle quickly waved his hands and looked at Bai Yan and refused, fearing that Bai Yan would really ask him to go to Linzi City.

When the grandparents heard Bai Yan's words, they thought about how their eldest son was dead, how their second son was unhappy, and how they had already divided the family and only had the third son left. If anything happened to the third son, wouldn't all their life's work be ruined? They didn't believe that after Zhongzi was gone, Zhongzi's two sons would still treat them well.

While thinking, grandpa and grandma looked at each other, and their expressions relaxed.

However, when my grandmother thought about the huge amount of money out there, she felt unwilling to not take some, so she looked at Bai Yan.

"Yan'er! Take a box, no, half a box will be fine! After all, there are so many..."

Grandma asked quietly.

Chen Ze stood beside Bai Yan, looked at Fu Yao who came into the room, and shook his head slightly at Fu Yao who looked curious.

Looking at the family in the house at this moment, Chen Ze's heart was full of emotion. They were the same family, but the gap was really big. Compared to the couple and Shui Shou who greeted them back and forth when they came, looking at the greedy family of three now, Chen Ze couldn't help but sigh.

That was Bai Yan. If it were someone else, he would have turned hostile and kicked him out long ago.

But looking at Bai Yan's appearance, it was obvious that Bai Yan was concerned about his father and didn't want to make things difficult for him.

"Grandmother, you don't know that in Qin, if you have no merit, taking this money is a violation of Qin law, which is a serious crime! Bai Yan is a Qin minister, he really doesn't dare to take it, even my parents and brother don't dare to keep a penny!"

Bai Yan shook his head at his grandmother.

"Ah! Not a penny left?"

When the grandmother heard Bai Yan's words, she was stunned. When she thought of the small garden outside and the many boxes of money, Bai Yan could not leave a single cent for his family.

Thinking of this, the grandmother looked at Bai Yan's crown and couldn't help but glance at Bai Yan.

If he can't leave money to his family, then what's the point of Bai Yan being a great minister of Qin? It's useless...

However, my grandmother thought of the fiefdom that Bai Yan still had. It was said that the fief had tens of thousands of households, and the taxes collected were worth millions of gold. Only then did my grandmother hold back her words.

"Zi Huai?"

Grandfather didn't mention the money again, but when he heard Bai Yan mention his deceased eldest son just now, grandfather initially thought that Bai Yan was worried that his uncle was no longer alive like his eldest uncle.

But when I thought about it later, it seemed a little weird!

Suddenly, while thinking, my grandfather vaguely remembered something and became a little dazed.

My grandfather seemed to remember that he had heard in the village in the past that when the Qin general Bai Yan led his troops to destroy Wei, his uncle served as a Qin envoy to the Wei capital Daliang to persuade the King of Wei to surrender, but was eventually humiliated and killed by the King of Wei.

wrong! wrong!

Ying said in person that her eldest son Zihuai arrived in Daliang City while traveling around, where he suddenly fell ill and eventually died!

But now that Shui Yan is Bai Yan, who is the clan uncle in the rumors in the past?

These days, my grandfather found it hard to accept that Shui Yan was Bai Yan, who was honored as a great minister by the State of Qin. He hasn't recovered from the incident and now that he remembers it, he is full of doubts.

Looking at his wife and his timid third son, and then thinking of his eldest daughter-in-law who was now seriously ill, the grandfather couldn't help but frowned and looked at Bai Yan.

"It was rumored in the past that when you were in Daliang, Wei State, you ordered your uncle to serve as an envoy of Qin to go to Daliang City to persuade the King of Wei to surrender, but he was eventually killed by the King of Wei. Is this true?"

　Wish all book friends a happy Lantern Festival!!!

　　The update of Daidao has been slow. I stayed up late last night and my body couldn’t take it anymore, so I finally didn’t dare to push myself.

　　The world had not yet been unified, Ying Zheng had not yet come to Qi, had not yet met Bai Yan's parents in front of the villagers, the Huns had not yet been destroyed, and Xu Fu's disciples had not yet told Ying Zheng about Bai Yan's book. Dai Dao was unwilling to finish the book in such a hurry.

　　Dai Dao writes slowly, wanting to complete it. Many readers are very dissatisfied with the slow updates and the watered-down writing. Dai Dao feels really guilty about it, but he really wants to write in more detail. He doesn't want to look back in the future and feel empty.

(End of this chapter)