Golden Branch

Wang Mian frowned slightly.

What does Lou Yu mean by this?

Want her to abandon Jiu Niang and turn to him?

Wang Mian was indeed unwilling because of his class, but he never thought of betraying Jiu Niang.

Of course, Lou Yu and Wang Heng are one and the same.

The two of them are already inseparable now, and if they get married in the future, they will be even more like a family.

Loyal Lou Yu doesn't seem to be much different from loyal Wang Heng.

but--

Wang Mian is an independent modern woman. She never thinks that women are subordinate to men.

They are a couple who are as close as they are distant, not to mention that Jiu Niang has not yet married Lou Yu.

She is Wang Heng's best friend. She is not even willing to bypass Wang Heng to contact Lou Yu, let alone choose Lou Yu directly?

"A fortune?"

Wang Mian admitted that she was indeed a little moved when she heard this.

She raised her eyes and looked straight at Lou Yu.

She wanted to know why Lou Yu suddenly wanted to win her over?

What price will Lou Yu pay to win her over?

As if he understood Wang Mian's doubts, Lou Yu smiled gently, "In the early years, you and Ajiu stayed together all day long, and did a lot of things through Zheng Yi."

"Although I don't know the specific reason, I guess that you were the biggest contributor to Concubine Jiang's ability to gain a foothold in the Yang family."

Lou Yu had long guessed that the horse harness Yang Chong made was actually related to Wang Mian.

There is also the Gewu Academy of Dongshan Academy, which is also a tool used by Wang Mian to cover up himself.

Lou Yu also knew that Wang Mian should have mastered more skills to improve weapons and change the world.

However, Lou Yu never controlled Wang Mian and tried every possible way to torture her to get all her secrets.

Firstly, Lou Yu took Wang Heng into consideration and didn't want to make her sad.

Secondly, Lou Yu was forced by Lou Jin to "switch from martial arts to literature" at that time, and he was full of resentment.

Improving horse harnesses is a military achievement, and should be of greater value to the general Lou Jin.

Lou Yu then developed a rebellious mentality - Lou Jin, if you don't let me inherit the Lou family army, then I will hide a talent who can help you achieve success!

He was very awkward when he was young.

He would rather let an outsider like Yang Chong get the advantage than let Lou Jin gain any benefit because of him!

Wang Mian then "hid" in the countryside of Hedong, without revealing his whereabouts, and was unable to gain wealth and power.

However, that was in the past, he was young and had no bargaining chips.

After a few years, he grew up and had his own power. He no longer needed to rely on Lou Jin, and he also had the capital to "make a promise."

"If you want to be a merchant, I can get you a spot as an imperial merchant."

Lou Yu turned his head and looked at Wang Mian. "If you want to be granted a title, you'll have to wait for a while for a higher rank, but I can ask for a title for you as a county lord right now."

Wang Mian's eyes lit up.

Xiangjun, fifth rank.

Although she was of the lowest rank among the women of the outer court, she was no longer a commoner but a noble.

With her rank, she is no longer a peasant girl who is bullied by others.

Not only will the status of oneself and one's family be elevated, but even one's future marriage partner—

Wang Mian knew that based on Zhou Jiming's personality, he would most likely change his mind after going to the capital.

After all, no matter how rich Wang Mian is, she is just a commoner.

It did not provide much help to his career.

Unlike the noble ladies in the capital, who were born into noble families, they had high-ranking ancestors, fathers, brothers, etc. to support them.

Even some of them themselves received imperial titles at an early age.

They are the "virtuous wives" who can provide sufficient support to talented men from humble backgrounds.

If Wang Mian had an imperial edict, he would be able to make up for this shortcoming.

She is no longer restricted by family background and can only choose the "right" person from the same class, but can choose the one she likes.

Wang Mian doesn't want to be picked and chosen in the marriage market, but living in this world, when she is powerless to change, she can only integrate into it.

Class cannot be easily crossed.

If we continue to rely on Wang Heng, one day, it should be possible.

But, it was obvious that what Lou Yu provided her was a faster and more effective shortcut.

Wang Mian's heart was moved.

"Lou Langjun, what do you want me to do?"

Wang Mian licked his lips and heard his own voice in a trance.

"Don't worry, I won't let you betray Ajiu. You are loyal to me, and Ajiu is also your mistress, so you can still stay by her side."

Lou Yu suppressed his disgust for the duck voice and slowly spoke a long string of words.

Wang Mian: ...No need to betray, just put Lou Yu before Jiu Niang.

It seems not bad.

……

After Lou Yu finished talking with Wang Mian, he stepped on the stirrup and mounted his horse.

He is very busy now, having just returned from the river camp during the day.

While going home, I took out a quarter of an hour and gave it to Wang Mian.

Alas, if it weren't for the fat girl, he wouldn't have gone to so much trouble.

Just hope that the result is good.

Lou Yu sighed secretly.

However, after he rode away from the creek and left Wang Mian's slender figure behind, he didn't think about it anymore.

The thing has been done and the bait has been thrown out. What will happen next depends on the decision of the parties involved.

Lou Yu won't worry about it, he has other important things to do.

For example, go to the governor's mansion!

Lou Yu had already found out, so Lou Rang went to find Lu Huaijin.

Lou Yu could guess with his toes what Lou Rang was going to do - to be a laborer digging a canal.

In fact, the shortage of laborers on the river was Lou Yu's fault.

In the past few years in the Hedao Camp, Lou Yu, as Yang Rui's "little brother", ran around on Yang Rui's behalf.

Lou Yu didn't dare to say that he knew all the people who could be mobilized from the prefectures, counties, towns, and villages on both sides of the Yi River, but he did count and deal with them every year.

It is indeed the summer harvest time now, and the men really need to take care of the crops in the fields first.

But the most important thing is that someone is "inciting" behind the scenes.

Lou Yu: ...How can this be considered incitement? I'm concerned about farming and the people!

Not to mention that Lou Yu’s plans were all hidden in the dark and would never be discovered.

Even if it is exposed, Lou Yu will still be right.

This is the conspiracy that Yang Rui is best at, and it is similar to Lu Huaijin's refusal.

Rivers are important, but farming is more important.

It's not that they are unwilling to cooperate, but they have to weigh the pros and cons.

We can't let a year's harvest rot in the fields just to meet deadlines.

Even Lou Rang's master, the King of Chu, did not dare to declare to the outside world that he did not pay attention to farming, no matter how extravagant and wasteful he was.

Of course, the summer harvest will eventually end.

Lou Yu's purpose was not just to cause trouble for Lou Rang.

He even wants Lou Rang to die.

Before killing Lou Rang, Lou Yu still needs to step on Lou Rang to build a good reputation for himself.

Outsiders don’t know what Lou Rang talked about with Lu Huaijin.

However, when Lou Rang left the governor's mansion, his face looked unhappy.

Soon after, news also came from the Governor's Mansion, which implicitly accused Lu Huaijin of taking advantage of others' power. In front of Lu Huaijin, his senior and the official in charge, he showed no humility or respect, but was extremely arrogant and presumptuous.

Lou Yu: ...Oh wow, that’s quite interesting.

Lu Huaijin's governor's mansion was able to "spread" the news——

Either he did not manage his household properly, and his servants and servants were unruly and undisciplined;

Or maybe Lu Huaijin did it on purpose.

He deliberately spread the word, telling everyone that Lou Rang did not understand the rules of officialdom and was not familiar with the ways of the world.

In fact, this incident itself is a signal.

When Lou Yu received the news, he immediately guessed many possibilities.

He planned to go to the governor's mansion in person to "test the waters".

"Is everything ready?"

Lou Yu rode back to the Lou family's fortress at full speed. Without even taking a rest, he called the steward.

The steward bowed and replied, "My lord, everything is ready."

Lou Yu glanced at the manager, who understood and quickly ordered people to bring in large boxes.

There were seven or eight large red-lacquered wooden boxes, each containing valuable items such as bamboo slips, calligraphy and paintings, and lacquerware.

All added up, the value is no less than a thousand strings of cash.

Of course, the value of the item is not important. What is important is that it is Lou Yu’s “thought”.

Lou Yu personally reviewed it, checked it one by one, and then ordered someone to seal the box.

The next morning, Lou Yu got up early.

First, he went to the training ground as usual, wielded a sword, shot arrows... He practiced for a full hour before returning to the bathroom to wash up.

After changing into clothes suitable for going out, Lou Yu ordered his men to take the wooden boxes and dozens of guards, and the group headed to Yizhou Prefecture in a mighty procession.

Before Lou Yu's large army arrived at the governor's mansion, the news that Lou Yu, the young master, had come to apologize to Governor Lu had already reached Lu Huaijin's ears.

Lu Huaijin's eyes flashed, and a smile appeared on his lips: "Good boy Lou Yu, you are really smart!"

At least he was smarter than Lou Rang. He stepped on this idiot and gained a good reputation for himself.

The uncle did not know the rules and did not know how to advance or retreat. He thought he was upright, but in fact he offended his superiors.

His younger nephew was so exhausted that he had to pay out of his own pocket and spend a lot of money to clean up the mess for him.

After this incident, people in Yizhou and even the capital will know that Lou Rang is not capable of important tasks, and that although Lou Yu is young and of a lower generation, he is thoughtful and protective of his family... he has a pure heart.

Soon, Lu Huaijin realized that he had misunderstood and underestimated Lou Yu, a young man.

This young man Lou came to the governor's mansion this time not only to use Lou Rang to enhance his own reputation, he also wanted to "plead" for Lou Rang!

"...Lord Lou, are you saying that you're willing to lend the Lou family's fort's oxen and new farm tools to the surrounding farmers so they can complete the harvest as quickly as possible and meet the labor needs of the river channel?"

Lou Rang needed laborers, and Lou Yu, his nephew who had a grudge against him, not only did not add insult to injury, but actually helped him get as many people as possible as quickly as possible?

Is this another conspiracy?

Lu Huaijin's expression remained unchanged, but his fingers hidden in his sleeves were twirling slightly.

His intuition told him that Lou Yu was not really trying to help Lou Rang, but was actually setting a big trap for him.

But he couldn't imagine what kind of "game" Lou Yu had set up.

When others were short of people, he would not hesitate to lend out his valuable oxen, farm tools, etc. to help "draw" manpower.

As long as there are enough people on the river, we can start work and perhaps even exceed the task target.

And all this will be thanks to Lou Rang.

Could it be that he had misunderstood, and Lou Yu was truly "repaying evil with kindness", and really regarded Lou Rang as his closest relative and wanted to help him achieve success?

Lu Huaijin looked at Lou Yu intently with sharp eyes.

The fourteen-year-old boy was already as tall as an adult man, and his body was a little thin, but his temperament was like a green pine.

Oh no, a more accurate metaphor would be the green pine on the top of a snowy mountain.

Although they are all trees, Lou Yu gives people a feeling of awe-inspiring, cool and ethereal.

He is not like an ordinary person.

Compared with the gloomy Lou Rang, Lou Yu is more in line with his noble status as a member of the famous Lou family.

It's not enough that she has a noble temperament, she's also very mature beyond her years.

Lu Huaijin, a nearly forty-year-old official fox, couldn't actually see through Lou Yu.

There was purity and gentleness in his eyes, but there was no conspiracy or calculation.

Lu Huaijin couldn't even catch a hint of something strange.

Either they are truly pure, or they are extremely cunning.

If it's the latter... Lou Yu's acting is already superb and natural.

The future life is terrible!

And Yang Rui, who trained Lou Yu, is even more unfathomable.

Of course, this is just a possibility, and whether it is true or not still needs to be tested.

Lu Huaijin smiled slightly and said softly, "Good! Mr. Lou is indeed sincere to his parents."

"Lou Langjun is truly filial, and Lu is also a man of virtue."

Whether Lou Yu helps Lou Rang to apologize or gets more laborers for Lou Rang, Lu Huaijin will be satisfied.

He wanted to see whether Lou Yu was a young talent (old fox) or a genuine and pure person (goody-goody).

……

In less than three days, all the laborers Lou Rang needed were sent to the river.

Lou Rang:... Humph, Lou Yu, do you think I will let you go if you show your goodwill now?

Lou Yu: ...Uncle, as long as you are happy!

I just hope that when the disaster strikes, you can still be so "optimistic".

……

Changan.

After nearly twenty days of sleeping in the open air, Wang Lin and his group finally arrived.

A round, black pot had long been hanging over Wang Lin's head...