The mysterious world: Start working hard from the beggar camp!

Chapter 488: Qian Qianyi, the lucky one, and the conspiracy of the Xu family
Huzhou, Changxing, Xu family mansion.

"Mr. Yushan, the patriarch wants to see you."

Qian Qianyi, with a frightened look on his face, was walking back and forth at the gate of Xu's house like an ant on a hot pan. Suddenly, he heard the sound of the door opening. A skinny old man walked out, glanced at him indifferently, then waved his hand and said.

Coincidentally, half a month ago, when the city of Nanjing changed drastically and the day before Emperor Chongzhen launched the Great Purge, Qian Qianyi, a leader of the Donglin Party, happened to return to his hometown in Changshu to do some business and managed to escape death.

After learning the terrible news from Jinling City, he was almost frightened to death.

With multiple sources of information to support him, he learned that he and the Qian family of Changshu were at the top of the list of those to be targeted in Chongzhen's purge. He was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground.

Qian Qianyi, who was afraid of death, would naturally not wait for death. Changshu was not far from Jinling City, so how could he dare to stay at home?

After much deliberation, Qian Qianyi, who knew some secret matters, decided to move his family to the Xu family, a top family entrenched in Changxing, Huzhou.

He led the Qian family's fleet of more than a hundred large and small treasure ships, crossed the Taihu Lake after half a month of sailing, and arrived at the Xu family's base camp in Changxing on the west bank of Taihu Lake.

Although Qian Qianyi once held a high position of power and was one of the bigwigs of the Donglin Party, he was no better than a chicken. Now that he had become a wanted criminal of the imperial court, in the eyes of the Xu family, who dominated Huzhou, he was nothing more than a drowned dog, nothing more.

If it weren't for the sudden resurgence of Emperor Chongzhen, Qian Qianyi, who had completely lost power and was now clearly at odds with the Jiangnan aristocratic family alliance, would not even be worthy of being looked at by the Xu family.

Fortunately, Qian Qianyi had been an official for many years and had a reputation as a leader in the literary world. In addition, the Qian family had accumulated a huge amount of wealth and supplies that were shipped south, which made the Xu family somewhat tempted.

Anyway, these great families in the south of the Yangtze River have already torn their relations with Chongzhen, so there is nothing to worry about. Annexing the Qian family's population, money and materials would also be a good supplement to the Xu family.

"Father……"

Qian Zongxi, who was standing by, became angry when he saw the Xu family neglecting his family like that. He looked at Qian Qianyi and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

As the son of Qian Qianyi, a great writer of his generation, he and his younger brother Qian Cheng both received a good elite education and were both geniuses. They naturally learned to read people's expressions and not act rashly and put themselves in danger.

Liu Rushi, a famous prostitute in history, had not yet married Qian Qianyi, which did not divert his favor to his first wife, Wang. Therefore, Qian Qianyi valued his two legitimate sons.

Qian Qianyi knew that he had something to ask of others, and that his clan was about to be exterminated, so how could he dare to offend the Xu family? He quickly waved his hand to his eldest son Qian Zongxi, signaling him not to say anything more.

There was no way out. As he was on Chongzhen's blacklist, he knew that there were not many aristocratic families capable of protecting him, and the Xu family was undoubtedly the one that was the most hidden.

Qian Qianyi was a well-read person. By chance, he learned the truth about the theft of the national treasure and the final beneficiary. He had a deep respect for the ambitious Xu family.

He knew that it was impossible for the Xu family to surrender to Chongzhen under the current circumstances, and the two sides were destined to be sworn enemies.

Under the guidance of Xu's housekeeper, Qian Qianyi soon arrived at the Xu family's meeting hall.

"Meet Brother Ben Gao."

Feeling the unfathomable aura of Xu Bengao, the current head of the Xu family, who was sitting in the main seat, Qian Qianyi's heart trembled, confirming his previous guess. At the same time, he deepened his awe of the Xu family and hurriedly saluted the other party.

The Qian family of Changshu and the Xu family of Huzhou were separated by only the huge Taihu Lake, and were located on the east and west banks of the lake respectively. Naturally, the two sides had dealt with each other countless times before, so Qian Qianyi knew Xu Bengao, the head of the Xu family.

"Mr. Yu Shan has come with such a large army. Could it be that..."

Xu Bengao recently made a breakthrough to the sixth level with the help of the Ming Dynasty's national treasure, the Haotian Tower. He now has enough confidence and is not afraid of any big forces. He exudes domineering aura.

After learning about Chongzhen's recent move to rebel against Tiangang, he decided that the Xu family would no longer keep a low profile, so he used an aggressive tone.

He had long heard that the Qian family, headed by Qian Qianyi, had become wanted criminals in the Ming Dynasty.

The other party's intention is self-evident, so I don't speak politely at all.

"Brother Ben Gao, please don't cancel my foolish brother."

Qian Qianyi was certainly not stupid. He knew that the other party was taking advantage of his misfortune to intimidate him.

"I am here to escape this time. Please accept our Qian family as a subsidiary family of the Xu family. We will obey your orders from now on."

His tone was quite helpless.

The Qian family is not without other options.

Under the current circumstances, the best way is to lead our own large fleet and escape far overseas, away from the current dangerous vortex.

But Qian Qianyi was extremely afraid of death and knew that life overseas was not peaceful but full of dangers. After much thought, he still did not have the courage to risk his life overseas.

Instead, he chose to live a miserable life and tried to seek refuge with the Xu family, whose background was unfathomable, and gain their protection.

In fact, Qian Qianyi originally wanted to seek refuge with the Xie family, the most aristocratic family in Jiangnan, but he was unsure about the Xie family's attitude.

If the other party decided to hand over the Qian family and ask for credit and reward from Chongzhen, it would undoubtedly be a disaster.

Therefore, after thinking it over again and again, he felt that there was no better way out than to join the Xu family, which was sworn enemies with the Ming royal family.

"Well, I can take in Mr. Yushan and your family, and I can also allocate a town to your Qian family as a base, but I want 70% of the property and materials on your fleet, and in the future, you need to hand over 50% of your Qian family's income!"

Xu Bengao was too lazy to waste time talking to the other party and directly put forward his request.

To him, although the Qian family had accumulated a lot of wealth and resources, that was all, and there was no top-notch genius or clan master in the family worthy of their attention.

The Xu family has accumulated power for thousands of years, especially during the Jiajing period, and has developed rapidly with the help of the power of their ancestor Xu Jie. They have become one of the top families with the deepest foundation in the world today.

The wealth and supplies brought by the Qian family were just icing on the cake.

In other words, the Xu family had now fallen out with Emperor Chongzhen, and the two sides could no longer coexist, so he would accept Qian Qianyi's surrender.

Otherwise, we would have sent him back to where he came from.

"This……"

Qian Qianyi's face changed drastically when he heard this, and even the look in his eyes when he looked at Xu Bengao changed!

He could never have imagined that the conditions Xu Bengao agreed to for his family's surrender would be so harsh!
The Qian family was not a small family in the past, and was one of the most prominent families in Jiangnan.

However, in the blink of an eye, the disaster of genocide came, and he had no choice because he was afraid of death.

"Brother Mu Zhai, please don't be ungrateful!"

Seeing that the other party was still hesitating, Xu Bengao was too lazy to pretend and said directly in a cold voice, "Although your Qian family is not small, with tens of thousands of clansmen and some accumulated wealth, it is too weak in terms of military strength and is of little use to our Xu family."

"In today's chaotic world, not having enough military force to protect your wealth is the source of disaster!"

"You also know that your Qian family is desperate now. I will take some risks if I take you in." "What is your decision? Just tell me directly."

What a joke!
Xu Bengao, who had already decided to turn against the Ming royal family and start the Xu family's fight for hegemony over the world, really looked down on the Qian family, which had almost no military power. It was already good enough that they agreed to take them in and give them a small town to settle down. There was no chance for them to bargain.

Protection fee, haven’t you heard of it?

A good sum of money and supplies has been delivered to your doorstep. If Qian Qianyi doesn't agree, don't blame yourself.

With the Xu family's now rapidly increased military strength, wiping out the entire enemy family is just a piece of cake.

My natal artifact, the Haotian Tower, can kill people and take away their fortunes, so it’s a good opportunity to experiment with the Qian family.

"Brother Ben Gao, please forgive me!"

Qian Qianyi, a cunning old man, knew that the other party was angry. He was frightened and turned pale. He bowed and agreed, "Mu Zhai is very grateful to be taken in by you, brother. How dare I bargain? Just do as you say."

The Qian family relies on poetry and literature to pass down their family traditions, and is really weak in terms of military strength. This is also the main reason why he did not dare to lead his own large fleet to escape overseas.

If we fall out with the Xu family, tens of thousands of clansmen will not be enough for one person to kill.

He knew some secrets of the Xu family, but he was very clear how terrifying the other party was.

Over the past hundred years, the Xu family has become more and more like a hidden family. All the noble families that have been against the Xu family have been killed and their families have been destroyed.

Among them are the old families with thousands of years of heritage!

This is just the Xu family's apparent strength, and no one knows how much more they have hidden in secret.

The Qian family, who were only separated from the Xu family in Huzhou by Lake Tai, did not even have the ability to carry shoes for the other family.

What impressed Qian Qianyi most about the Qian family was that they had an Eagle Team that could easily carry out long-range attacks.

In Jiujiang, the Xu family's influence is no less than that in their old nest in Huzhou. The biggest reason is that the two old-established families in Jiujiang were rumored to have been destroyed by the Xu family's Flying Eagle Guards!
The Qian family's fleet had seen the Flying Eagle Guard, consisting of two to three hundred golden eagles, flying high in the sky above Taihu Lake several times. After reporting this to the head of the family, Qian Qianyi, he was greatly shocked.

So far, in the entire Ming Dynasty, it is estimated that there is only this large-scale air force team!
And this is just the tip of the iceberg of the Xu family's strength.

If you think about it, this is quite normal.

It is no surprise that the Xu family has such powerful military force, as they were able to secretly wipe out the entire clan of Yu Qian's descendants who stole the national artifact Haotian Tower during the Jiajing period.

This was also the fundamental reason why Qian Qianyi did not dare to leak the truth behind the theft of the national treasure after he accidentally learned about it, so as not to bring great disaster to his family.

"Well, that's good."

Seeing that Qian Qianyi was quite tactful, Xu Bengao stroked his beard with his right hand and smiled, suppressing the murderous intent in his heart. He nodded and said, "After you hand over the property and supplies to the housekeeper, I will have someone take you south along the lakeside and settle down in the small town on the Taihu Lake west of Gui'an City."

"There happens to be a level three spiritual fish farm there. From now on, your Qian family will be responsible for raising fish for me."

After beating him, he decided to give him a little sweetness so that he would work hard for the Xu family in the future.

"Thank you, Master."

Qian Qianyi was overjoyed when he heard this, and when he expressed his gratitude, he already regarded himself as a family servant.

I have to say, this guy's shamelessness is at its peak.

After Qian Qianyi bowed and turned away under the guidance of the Xu family's housekeeper, Xu Nianzu, the eldest son of the Xu family, who had been sitting silently on the side, smiled at his father and said, "Haha... Qian Qianyi is the leader of the Jiangnan literary world, but he doesn't have the backbone of a scholar at all. I don't know how he got to the high position of doctor in the Ministry of Rites?"

"The Ming Dynasty is so corrupt that it deserves its own destruction!"

After sneering, Xu Nianzu shook his head and immediately turned the topic to business, asking his father, "Then Emperor Chongzhen suddenly attacked the civil and military ministers and our Jiangnan families. It's simply a rebellion against the Heavenly Gang!"

"However, he won the first game and now has complete control over Jinling City and the surrounding areas. It's unbelievable!"

Taking in Qian Qianyi's family is just an insignificant anecdote and not worth mentioning.

But Chongzhen's sudden rebellion shocked him.

"The most outrageous thing is that according to accurate intelligence from all sides, this dog emperor has actually broken through to the late sixth level!"

"From ancient times to now, only the current emperor has such a miraculous ability! Could it be that..."

Xu Nianzu was a peerless genius and certainly not stupid. After a little thought, he guessed some of the truth.

"Not bad!"

Xu Bengao's face was solemn, and he said firmly, "If my guess is correct, Chongzhen must have received the blessing of Zhu's great ancestor, or accidentally inherited Zhu's great ancestor's bloodline, which is why he behaved so amazingly."

“I never expected that the Zhu family’s great ancestor not only inherited a national artifact, the Haotian Tower, but also a very good innate artifact, the Blood Palace. It must contain the secret of how the great ancestor rose against the will of heaven and unified the nine provinces of China!”

"It's just that Chongzhen accidentally got this bloodline inheritance, which led to such a magical thing happening."

"He has become a late-stage sixth-level expert in one leap, and he also has his own divine artifact palace in his hands. He is very difficult for us."

Xu Bengao's face was sinister, with a cold light flashing in his eyes, and he said grimly, "But Chongzhen underestimates us, the top aristocratic families."

"He thought that by winning the first round and controlling the capital of Nanjing and millions of troops, he could reverse the situation in the world? I have to say that Chongzhen's wishful thinking is too good!"

"Let's not talk about anything else. The combination of our Xu family and Jiangnan Xie family is enough to compete with the Ming Dynasty royal family!"

"I have already contacted the Xie family. Both parties will meet in Wucheng in three days to discuss how to jointly deal with the Zhu royal family."

"besides……"

His face turned cold, and he looked at Xu Nianzu and said, "Zu'er, I'm not saying anything bad about you. You have plenty of talent and top-level training resources, but you lack the heart of a strong man!"

"Now, the great changes in this world are getting more and more intense. Look at the three heroes of the Xie family. Not only has the eldest brother Xie Youming broken through to the initial stage of the sixth level, but the second brother Xie Liming and the third brother Xie Xiangming, according to the report from the family's spies, have also started to break through in seclusion recently!"

"It's not like our Xu family doesn't have acquired spiritual fruits, and our foundation is no worse than the Xie family. If you don't work hard and keep up with the footsteps of the three heroes of the Xie family, don't blame me for canceling your status as the heir to the family head!"

His eldest son was not without talent, nor was he born abnormal. He was a man of both civil and military talents. However, he was too greedy for power and neglected his own cultivation progress, which made Xu Bengao somewhat disappointed.

Now with the example of the three heroes of the Xie family, Xu Nianzu seems increasingly mediocre.

This was absolutely intolerable for Xu Bengao, who had ambitions to rule the world.

(End of this chapter)