Wishful Things

The Patriarch is gone, so what will they do next?

As early as half a month ago, the imperial envoys and soldiers sent by the imperial court had already set up camp a hundred miles away from Ningyang City, and the whole clan was prepared to deal with it according to the previous letter from the Patriarch.

Obviously, the imperial court did not dare to attack the city rashly, and sent envoys to deliver a letter. There was still room in the letter, to the effect that if the Wu family was willing to give a clear answer, admitting that the empress and the prince's escape from the capital were permitted. Forced by the family, the Wu family didn't know it beforehand, so the court still wanted to believe in the loyalty of the Wu family...

Although this rhetoric is full of self-deception that "the ghosts will not believe it", and it is obviously just a way for the court to appease, but at least one thing is certain-if it is not necessary, the court will never be an enemy of the Wu family at this time .

Just as Duke Zhen has occupied Linyuan City, and the scandal that the little prince is not of royal blood has spread, but the court still intends to make peace.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the reason why the imperial court is so 'flexible and stretchable' and willing to endure a moment of anger is nothing more than trying to balance the situation as much as possible, and wanting to use this as a tactic to slow down the army, and not wanting to let King Yan get too powerful.

But at the moment, the imperial court is still waiting for the "reply" from their Wu family——

I thought that after the Patriarch returned, everything would be clear...

But now, the Patriarch is never coming back!

The change of the capital not only caught the court by surprise, but even surprised them. In the eyes of most people, such an adventurous and impatient style is not the usual style of the head of the family—maybe it was really influenced by the old man Zhen Guogong. coercion?

Or bewitch?

After all, once the head of the family confronts Duke Shangzhen, he tends to get hotheaded...

As for what the Patriarch's plan is, and how to implement the next plan, no one knows at all!

And the eldest son and grandson who are most likely to know the plan are gone, even when asked about the second and third masters, they also know very little about the detailed plan of the Patriarch!

And once the head of the family died, the deepest bond and trust between the Wu family and the King of Yan disappeared. They... really want to blindly support the King of Yan without knowing anything about it?

The imperial court is untrustworthy, but without the Patriarch sitting in charge, is King Yan sure to be credible?

In the Wu family's meeting hall, there was a disagreement among the clansmen.

"It's better to push the boat with the current first, and temporarily comply with the imperial court's wishes, so as to keep Ningyang safe..."

"It's ridiculous! The patriarch and the descendants of the family all died in the hands of the court. While they pretended to maintain peace, they secretly killed them. They clearly wanted to intimidate us and force my Wu family to back down! If they back down now, wouldn't it be a good thing for them? trick!"

"That's right, the Patriarch's bones are still cold. If he submits to the court at this time, what face will the Wu clan have? How can you and I have the face to meet the Patriarch in the future?"

"Patriarch's revenge, don't you want to avenge it!"

"This enmity will have to be repaid in the future. What I refer to as obedience does not mean that I intend to submit to the imperial court... Make a decision before making a move. The matter of supporting King Yan still needs to be considered in the long run. There is no countermeasure at the moment. Is it true that we are going to confront the imperial court head-on? superior?"

"Uncle's words are also reasonable..." A young man echoed: "Wu's century-old foundation is here, and there is still the confidence to remain neutral for a while."

"You know it's just a moment! Even if the imperial court is in the way of the overall situation, they are willing to endure this moment, but there will be many settlements in the future. If the overall situation is settled by then, the Wu family will undoubtedly fall into a passive situation... Rather than this, it is better Why don't you help King Yan, it can be regarded as a way to save yourself!"

"Since the Patriarch has made up his mind, he must have thought it over carefully. Don't you think you will see farther than the Patriarch?"

"But the Patriarch is no longer here! The death of the Patriarch will definitely affect the overall situation, even if the Xu family will be shaken, it is unknown... The overall situation of the world is changing rapidly. Since you and I don't have the wisdom of the Patriarch, how can we talk about inheriting the ambition of the Patriarch? "

"..."

There was a lot of voices in the hall, and there was no end to disputes.

Wu Jingyi was busy dealing with funeral matters, so he didn't show up.

When the quarrel reached a point where they couldn't break out, all the clansmen focused their attention on Wu Jingling and Wu Ran.

Most of them are still on Wu Ran - the family has a very important lineage inheritance, and Wu Jingling is the son of a concubine, so there is no eye at all at this juncture.

And there was a look of expectation in those eyes, they expected this boy to bring new hope and direction to the Wu family like his grandfather and elder brother——

But seeing the boy sitting there, only eight or nine years old, who had just lost several close relatives, looked a little at a loss in the face of such a situation... Soon, those expectations turned into disappointment.

Even among those many gazes, there are some hidden contempt, even seemingly non-existent scrutiny and weighing.

Wu Ran felt like sitting on pins and needles.

He didn't know who to listen to and how to choose the right one...

He was afraid of making a wrong decision, he was afraid of disappointing the painstaking planning of his grandfather and second brother, he was also afraid of disappointing the Wu clan and the people of Ningyang.

This burden on his shoulders was too heavy for him, and it came too suddenly.

Facing one question after another urging him to express his position, just when the boy felt that he was going to be unable to support himself, Wu Jingling stood up.

"This matter is very important, and it is not possible to make a hasty conclusion based on a few words." Wu Jingling glanced at his nephew, and said to everyone: "The imperial court dare not act rashly for a while, this matter is for me, Zhang and the third brother." After discussing with my mother, I will write to Linyuan to inquire about Duke Zhen’s intentions, and then I will discuss with you all—”

Hearing him speak out, although several senior clan members were dissatisfied, they didn't say anything more.

This matter is indeed not something that can be settled in a day or two.

"Forget it, at least we have to take care of the Patriarch's affairs first..." An old man with great prestige in the clan said with a sigh.

Mentioning this, the hall fell into sadness again.

Everyone left one after another, and Wu Ran also slowly walked out of the meeting hall.

"Second uncle, who should I listen to?" The boy lowered his shoulders, his voice was very soft, but full of confusion.

Wu Jingling walked beside him and said: "Azhang, you must know that all voices are considered, you only need to listen to your own—"

Wu Ran was a little taken aback.

This sentence is not unfamiliar.

In other words, there have been people around him who have always shown him this way——grandfather, second brother, all like this.

This is the way of the homeowner.

"Those people in the hall today, although they have different opinions, they all keep claiming that they are for the overall situation, for the Wu family..." Wu Jingling looked forward and said slowly: "But the fact may not be the case, they each have their own interests Think about it, even among them, there may be hidden people who treat the Wu family with different opinions—Azhang, you have to learn to distinguish people's hearts, this is the most difficult thing."

discern the heart...

Wu Ran listened seriously: "I wrote it all down."

He has a lot to learn.

Fortunately——

"Fortunately, there are second uncle and third uncle here..." He looked at the tall man beside him, and his tone contained the dependence and weakness that only people who are close to him have.

Wu Jingling turned his head when he heard the words, and said with Wu Ran's eyes that he still didn't understand: "Azhang, second uncle and third uncle, you don't need to believe it... You must know that after your grandfather, parents and elder brother left , from now on, there will be no one in this world worthy of your wholehearted trust, because the rest will be those who have interests and conflicts with you."

Even though it is cruel to say so, he still hopes that Zhang and his nephew can grow up as soon as possible...

Only in this way can we sustain ourselves when we face the truth in the future.

After a brief moment of stupefaction, the boy forced back the tears that came out of the face of the trustworthy person, and then nodded.

"Azhang understands what the second uncle said."

As he spoke, he stopped and bowed to Wu Jingling.

"Thank you, Second Uncle."

Although he is young, what he has learned since he was a child has made him always keep in mind the fickle truth of the heart - he doesn't know what will happen in the future, but the second uncle reminded him at this time, which is worthy of his gratitude.

And there is one point, he also wants to explain: "In Zhang's heart, the second uncle and the third uncle are still trustworthy relatives."

This trust is what he wants in his heart, and even if there will be changes in the future, it is his choice, not being deceived by others - as the second uncle said just now, he should listen to himself most.

Hearing this, Wu Jingling looked at the boy in front of him who seemed to have lost his sense of confusion, and suddenly felt a little dazed.

After a while, Shi Cai said: "It looks a bit like your second brother when he was young..."

After saying that, he turned around and continued to walk forward: "Let's go, go to your third uncle."

Wu Ran nodded and looked at the man's profile.

When the second brother was mentioned, the second uncle's eyes turned red.

That's right, even the third uncle once said that the second uncle admires and loves the second brother, even more than the eldest brother that the second uncle kissed——

When the second brother had an accident, the second uncle suffered no less than anyone else.

In the next few days, they were all busy with funeral arrangements.

At this time, the news that the three grandparents and grandchildren of Dingnan King's lineage had an accident had spread in Ningyang City.

To the people of Ningyang, this news seemed like half of the sky above them had collapsed, they were sad and panicked.

During the daytime, Wu Ran either arranged things with his two uncles and elder brother, or met several important figures in the clan alone, trying to figure out a real feasible strategy from their respective opinions.

But these are all daytime.

At night, when no one was around, the boy huddled under the blanket and shed tears secretly.

But he didn't dare to cry too much, for fear that people would notice it when he got up the next day.

This night, Wu Ran only used half of his usual dinner, so he put down his chopsticks.

The little servant hurriedly said: "Young master, don't you want to eat any more?"

Although they are all vegetarian dishes, he specially ordered the kitchen according to the young master's preferences, especially these dishes, five shredded vegetable rolls, bergamot Avalokitesvara lotus, lotus pond stir fry...

The boy was thinking in his heart, his eyes froze suddenly, and he almost slapped himself on the forehead!

The young master's preferences are mostly influenced by his grandchildren... Isn't he deliberately making the young master uncomfortable!

It's really not enough to succeed, but more to fail!

"..." The boy wanted to say something to comfort his young master, but when he said it, he was afraid that it would make the boy even more sad.

"I'll go to Third Uncle's place, there's no need to follow," Wu Ran said.

The boy had to answer "yes".

He saw it with his own eyes, the young master has changed almost every day in the past few days, and he has become more and more unambiguous, so that people dare not go against it.

Wu Ran lied.

Instead of looking for Wu Jingyi, he went to his father's mother's courtyard first, and after staying for a while, he walked slowly in the dark alone, and finally came to Wu Chao's courtyard.

The owner of the courtyard was gone, and the courtyard became deserted. There was no sign of any servants, only the lights hung in the porch, and they were replaced with plain white paper lanterns. The color of pitch black.

The boy went up the stone steps and came outside the main hall. In the darkness, he seemed to be able to see the figure of the young man who taught him how to play chess in the hall.

His savvy is not as good as that of his second brother, who was already able to win over his father when he was his age.

Father……

The boy's tears suddenly fell down.

The second brother can still play chess with his father, right?

No, since the grandfather is here, it must not be the turn of the father, it must be the second brother and the grandfather, and the father is watching...

The boy sat on the threshold and hugged his knees and cried silently.

"Second brother, is today your first seven? If so, can you come and see me...I'm not afraid of ghosts at all, really."

The boy's mouth turned into a melon, and tears poured down in strings. Looking at the dark yard, he choked up and said, "I'm really not afraid. Even if you come every day, I'm not afraid. Second brother, I think is you……"

As he said that, he cried for a while, and changed his words: "...you don't have to come every day. If you have a chance to reincarnate, you should hurry up to reincarnate. Reincarnation is a serious matter..."

Those teary eyes looked like a poor homeless puppy in the night, but they discussed and begged seriously: "Second brother, if you can choose, then we will be a family in the next life, okay? "

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt someone pat on his left shoulder.

"Ah!" Wu Ran exclaimed, feeling the hairs all over his body stand on end, his clothes were straight up, and he bounced up suddenly at an unbelievable speed.

"Alas!" The man whose jaw was hit by his head yelled aggrievedly: "Fourth Young Master, didn't you say that you are not afraid anymore?"

"A Yuan?" Wu Ran saw the other party's face clearly, and let out a long breath.

He really appeared as the second brother.

Afraid... Of course he wasn't afraid, he just wasn't ready yet.

"Fourth Young Master came alone?" Ah Yuan asked in a low voice.

——He hid in the dark and watched carefully for a long time, but found no trace of other people.

Wu Ran nodded and wiped away tears.

"The little one has something to say to the fourth son..." A Yuan blinked her eyes, her voice could not be lowered: "You come with the young one."

With that said, he went inside the house.

Wu Ran followed in.

A Yuan is the person that the second brother trusts, and also the person he trusts.

The lights in the house were not lit yet, so Ah Yuan brought Wu Ran into the inner room, and the room was so quiet that not even a sound of wind could be heard.

Ah Yuan is trying to tell him a secret?

Secrets should be said in secret.

Wu Ran even glanced at the direction of the bed, and the meaning was self-evident—do you want to cover yourself with a quilt?

Ah Yuan followed the boy's line of sight and glanced: "It's not necessary, it's weird...

He dragged the boy to sit on the couch, and squatted in front of the boy himself: "Fourth son, you may be a little surprised when you hear what the villain said next, but even though the villain has checked carefully, he is still worried that the wall has ears." , so you must not make any too loud noises..."

Wu Ran nodded seriously.

Ah Yuan probably looked down on him too much, how can he be a person who makes a fuss now.

"The villain thinks that the lord, the son, and the son must still be alive..." Ah Yuan whispered.

Wu Ran's eyes suddenly widened like copper bells, and he lost his voice: "What... um--"

Ah Yuan was prepared and covered the boy's mouth.

In the darkness, the four eyes met for a long time, and Ah Yuan just asked with his eyes—is it almost there?

"..." Wu Ran nodded, his throat was broken from the bottom of his heart.

Thank you, the leader, Qinghan, for your many rewards, and thank you for your monthly tickets~ Bow and thank you.

Today is 520, I had a great time, and I wish you all happy and constant companions, good night.